Page 68 of Of Spindles and Nightfall
“If you hold it up to the light, you can see Neutrolisis takes on blackened hues.” He held it up to a soft burning lantern on the wall to demonstrate. Even though it was see-through, the lining of the potion assumed subtle ebony tones.
“You’ve thought of everything,” Aryana said.
“Impressed?”
She huffed. “I’ll be impressed if you get us both out alive.”
His smile grew as he tucked the Neutrolisis potion into his pocket next to his elixir. “Now who hates depending on others?”
“Yes, I know how reliable demons can be,” she muttered sarcastically.
He was a tad offended by that. After all, he’d upheld his part of the bargain superbly up to the present moment. He held the orb out. “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?”
“You must touch it as I am entering in order to be the one who can release me.”
“And how do I release you?”
“Simple. Say ‘Zarathos, I need you, return to me.’”
She made a face, and he couldn’t help but laugh. All she actually needed to do was speak his name and will him out, but there was something about getting under the vampress’s skin that pleased him.
A shocked expression crossed Aryana’s face.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You laughed.”
“You act like I have never laughed before.”
“You have, but this one felt…”—she shrugged—“like it wasn’t full of dark intention.”
“Maybe it was,” he said. “Eat this.” He handed her what looked even to him to be a stale piece of bread.
“What for?”
“It will allow us to communicate.”
She hesitated a moment more, then slipped the small bread piece into her mouth. Her nose wrinkled at the stale taste. This was also a potion, but it worked better when baked into something that dissolved upon ingestion. It was a minor dosage that should last aslong as they needed. Extreme dosages of the Communication Potion could potentially link them for a two-way connection, but then it additionally linked emotions. Zarathos didn’t need nor want to go that far.
After she had finished eating, he motioned toward the crystal ball. She reached out and took it in her hands.
He spoke the words to cast the spell, and the world around him blurred. In an instant, he found himself inside the ball. Though he still had some sense of his body, it felt distant, faint. He was dimly aware of the tight space he occupied. Her castle appeared before his vision, a little taller than he was accustomed to. He was seeing through Aryana’s eyes because she was the bearer of the sphere. That connection allowed Zarathos to keep watch and stay informed of what was unfolding.
Aryana glanced down at the cloak, slipped the crystal ball into its pocket, and hurried up to the palace gate.
“I have returned. Allow me entry,” Aryana said.
The guards regarded her with surprise, but then scrambled to do as she commanded. She ventured into the main courtyard.
So far, so good, he thought.
Aryana tripped. “What the…”
Gods, he had forgotten to warn her.Don’t panic, Vampress. While the potion in the bread is in effect, our minds are connected. I can see everything you see and communicate with your mind. Although the mind communication, I admit, is only one way.
“Lovely,” she muttered.
