Page 181 of Grave Situation

“Yes,” he says casually. “You’ve annoyed me to no end these past months, getting in the way of my plans. It will make me feel better. I might even raise you as a zombie so I can make you dance to my tune.”

Rage bubbles up in me, but I push it down and let my shoulders slump. “So I die either way, and you win.” Just thethought allows me to squeeze out a tear, and as it trickles down my cheek, I meet his gaze. “Will you give me one thing—one final wish?” I have to concentrate on my footing, since we’re still circling each other. It would be bad if I fell again now.

He raises a brow. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you win anyway, you’re the reason my sister’s dead, and you’re going to destroy everything I hold dear. My wholeworld.Surely you can let me havesomething.”

“I suppose it depends on what you want.”

“To stab you.” One of the watchers gasps.

“Stabme? Why would I let you do that? Do you think I’m stupid?”

I really hope he is. “You said you can’t die. That necromancy has made you immortal.”

He stops moving, the point of his dagger lowering, and I stop too. “Well… yes.”

“Then you’ll have no problem with me stabbing you. It’s the last thing I’ll ever get to do before I die, and you’ll be able to prove your immortality to everyone here—perhaps quell any further dissent.”

Mutters begin, and sweat breaks out on my spine. Please let them stay quiet.

Doubt crosses Leng’s face. “It would still hurt…”

Steaming gods’ turds. But at least he’s considering it. I look around the room. “Is there a healer here who will numb Master Leng’s pain after I stab him?”

The confusion is palpable; nobody knows what I’m doing. Eventually, though, one of the healers says, “I will. If you really think I should. You’ve earned the right to stab him.” She hesitates. “Stab him for me too.”

I smile at her. “Thank you.” Looking back at Leng, I raise a brow. “Now, can I stab you?”

“You’re pathetic,” he informs me, casting aside Hearne’s blade. It clatters to the stone floor, and the sound is as beautiful to my ears as the finest music. “I’ll enjoy making you my lapdog zombie. Go on, then. Stab me, and see that I won’t die.” He spreads his arms wide, smile mocking.

I raise the dagger, closing the distance between us, and call on a magic I’ve used twice before, but this time, I do it deliberately. My god-power summons Leng’s soul energy from the cat he’d transferred it to, but instead of releasing it to the afterlife, I slam it back into his body. His face goes pale as he realizes what’s happening.

“Wait! No, I?—”

I plunge Tia’s dagger low into his abdomen and rip it upward, not stopping until I hit his breastbone, and then I twist. The blade is long, and the sound that comes from his throat is one I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.

Blood spatters me and the dais, and more sprays as he slides off the blade and crumples to the floor. I must have hit a major vessel… or two.

“Am I supposed to numb him now?” the healer calls, not making any move to come forward.

The light fades from Leng’s eyes, and finally, Tia’s death is avenged.

“Too late,” I say. “I guess he wasn’t immortal after all.”

EPILOGUE

SIX MONTHS LATER

As I lookat the rows of faces seated before me, some excited, some angry, some blank, and some… well, let’s just say that “blank” would be a compliment, I smile. A year ago, if someone had told me I’d had the chance to stop teaching and refused, I would have laughed in their face and called them a liar. It’s amazing the changes a year has wrought, because right now, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.

Except maybe the big tub in my and Jaimin’s rooms.

“Stop smiling at them like a fool. You’re making them nervous,”Sweetie chides. She’s grazing in the stable pasture, but she has no hesitation when it comes to being nosy. If I want her to stay out, I have to put up full mental shields against her—which leads to me being bitten or stepped on the next time I venture to the stables.

“They’re supposed to be nervous,”I tell her.“It helps me keep them in line.”But I do need to get the class started.

“Welcome, all, to the Academy of Mages. You’re here because, for reasons nobody has ever been able to determine,you were born with a Talent, and it happens to be magic. My name is Talon Silverbright, and I’ll be your professor for Introduction to Magic.” I pause and wait for the usual comments about my lack of professorial suitability.

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