“Don’t let him ask for a demonstration,”Anso said.“I can’t promise we’ll be able to maintain control for long.”
Command of the glyphs was at the heart of the bargain, but unlike Blackstone, I had leverage. “One of us is lying. I have nothing to gain by deceiving you. You’re trapped inside the wheel. The only way you can get out is to let that mage you hold captive leave. You need to trust him to free you if you let him leave. What do you have to lose by agreeing to my deal?”
The demon studied me, weighing my offer against his chances of somehow breaking free and defeating us all. His face revealed nothing of his thoughts, but the slight tilt of his head suggested he was genuinely considering it.
I didn’t wait for him to ask more questions. Instead, my diamond flickered, and white energy coursed along the rainbow barrier. My energy exposed an intricate network that sat just beyond the limits of the medicine wheel. It coursed with power beyond anything any mage or demon could wield.
“The new Great Ward is complete,” I said, letting the image linger for a second before it became invisible again. “Even if you kill Blackstone and somehow break the constraints of the summoning circle, you can’t leave. The Ward will consume any demon it touches. Even you.”
F’dreg’s expression darkened as he weighed the truth in my words. He was close, but I had more persuasion.
“The glyphs in this wheel siphon off your power,” I continued. “It’s how he has the power to resist you, and it’s why you can’t break free. Every attempt to leave feeds him more of your strength.”
“Preposterous. He’s?—”
F’dreg tightened his grip, silencing Blackstone. “I had suspected as much.”
Cinaed’s approval through our link bolstered my confidence. I wasn’t doing this alone anymore.
“Of course you did,” I said in an only slightly mocking tone. “Did you also know he planned it from the beginning?” I let mygaze drift to Blackstone’s black hematite. “Do you recognize his mage stone? It’s been in his family since before the last great war. It’s designed to work with certain runes to drain the energy of any demon trapped inside a summoning circle.”
F’dreg’s face contorted with rage, his nails creating sparks as they dug into Blackstone’s shield.
“The plan was always to keep you trapped here. He’d grant you a sliver of access to your home so you’d never run out of power for him to draw from you.”
Blackstone glared at me. F’dreg no longer listened to his protests. “And if I kill him inside this circle?”
This time I couldn’t hold back a smile. I directed it at Blackstone. “The sigils he activated when I pushed him into the wheel will lock permanently. You’ll be cut off from your realm, trapped here until you die from lack of power.”
“He’s manipulating you!” Blackstone growled. “Surely you see that. Release me and together we can kill all of them.”
“Silence!” Black energy flowed from F’dreg’s free hand. It covered the protective barrier around Blackstone. “What guarantee do I have that you’ll truly allow me passage home?”
“None,” I said honestly. “Other than I don’t want either of you on this planet.”
The demon touched a talon to the rainbow barrier, and it rippled like water but held firm. I expected him to test me.
“Promise to release me,” F’dreg said. His smile was colder than ice. “A binding oath you won’t kill me as I leave.”
The first lesson in defensive magic was never bargain with a demon. “I didn’t come here to make a deal or give you promises. When you leave, you get nothing that will give you a way back to our world.”
“It was worth trying,” the demon smirked.
Negotiations had gone on too long if the demon was confident enough to attempt to trick me. “Here’s what’s going tohappen. I’ll open a portal from Earth to hell. Nothing can come through. No reinforcements, no energy. You’ll have one minute to leave. After that I close the opening, and you and Blackstone stay inside the wheel until you both die.”
“Don’t be a fool, Roderick,” Blackstone hissed. “You need me if he ever returns.”
Blackstone was truly desperate if he thought he could appeal to me for a reprieve. “We don’t need you, James. We’ve created a new Great Ward. The world is safe.”
“Is it?” F’dreg tilted his head. “What if I choose to fight? Do you really think you could stop me?”
It was another empty threat. He couldn’t defeat Blackstone, let alone get out of the wheel.
“One mage bonded to an elf, assisted by an unbonded mage, killed your sibling in a summoning circle far less powerful than this one. And if you were interested in who betrayed your kin,” I nodded toward Blackstone. “You’re holding him. He used that summoning as practice and to harvest the death energy when that demon was killed.”
Blackstone’s face contorted with hate. He was staring at me and missed the same expression directed at him from the very angry demon holding him.
“He’s been collecting dark energy for centuries.” I continued to drive the knife further into Blackstone’s chest. “Your sibling’s death was just another power source for him. But if you’d rather take your chances fighting your way out of the wheel over going home with Blackstone, that’s your choice.”
