The smaller bits of his soul ought to be easier for me to burn out than tackling the more solid spiritual energies rioting in his chest, but I could always switch sides if the jade refused to cooperate.
“You’re overthinking it,” I grumbled to myself, clamping my hands over the cool statue. “Just do it.”
I sank into the heart of my magic with breathless ease. Abaddon had altered me, and I wasn’t thrilled about it. I had never wanted to be adept at this particular skill, but I was mastering it in this realm.
Slow heat built in my palms, igniting in my fingertips, and icy pressure wafted off the stone into me.
Among its many qualities, jade was believed to protect souls in the afterlife. Some claimed it would even prevent bodies from decomposing. Others credited it with absorbing negative energies. A popular stone for bangles, a broken one was viewed by the wearer as a blessing. The belief was, it had absorbed harm meant for the wearer and sacrificed itself, cracking in the process.
With the right magic, and some creative thinking, those attributes could form a solid base to build a soul prison on. Whether it went by that name or another, that was the statue’s function. To imprison spirits.
“Not good.” I shut my eyes, focusing on the writhing power trapped within the stone. Tendrils of black magic snapped out at the barrier, whirling within the natural inclusions. “This isn’t going to hold much longer. We might only have minutes before the push/pull of energies saws through the jade.”
“You must act quickly.”
Cracks were forming. Fissures in the curve. This must have been Lucia’s last resort. The other relics had weakened Ithas enough for the jade to ensnare him, partially, but it wasn’t apermanent solution. Sooner rather than later, Ithas would break free.
Allowing myself to float onto the astral plane, my senses divided between the cool jade in my hands and the infinite weight of an eternal soul circling a wide channel carved through its center. I flexed my spectral fingers around the stone, passing through the statue to catch on the energy beneath.
As soon as I got a handle on it, I began pouring my magic in as I pulled Ithas’s soul out.
Each tug brought with it a handful of ash, and I coughed as flakes began clogging my lungs. Almost like he was determined to take me with him. But that was fear talking. Ithas was dying in slow increments. He thrashed and bucked in my grip, but he was nowhere near as strong as he should have been.
Whatever relics Lucia used to force his submission had done their job. I was grateful she had softened him up for me. As fast as I was burning through my reserves, I couldn’t have burnt him out without her.
“You cannot kill me, daughter.”
The voice came from inside my head and blasted chills down my spine. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?”
“I am immortal. I am infinite. I am?—”
“—finished,” a deep voice rumbled from behind me as strong arms encircled my waist.
“Kierce.” A twitch in my neck begged me to turn my head, to see him, to make sure he was okay, but I couldn’t let his arrival split my focus. “Scratch that.” I tightened my grip on the statue. “Are you here to help me end this?”
“With pleasure.” His warm breath coasted past my ear. “Take what you need from me.”
Heat exploded in my cheeks, and I couldn’t figure out how to work my tongue, so I nodded once.
Safe in his arms, I sank back into my power, allowing Kierce to mingle his strength with mine as we had done in New Orleans to pry victims from the Midnight Parade. His forehead came to rest on my shoulder as his essence swirled within me, tightening my gut, and I pushed it out into the jade.
“Daughter, see reason. You must know my work is not yet done.”
“I’m not your daughter,” I gritted out between harsh pants, my lungs flaming as they filled with ash.
Sharp cracks rang out as the statue fractured under the barrage of energies.
Then it shattered into a million jagged pieces that left my palms in ribbons.
The solid half of him skewered to the black stone twitched, proof the spear was draining its magic fast. But a clear slice down the middle split him in two, and the side I had already destroyed was little more than swirling vapor as his form continued eroding before my eyes.
“You have punished me. It is enough. End this foolishness now.”
Outstretching my hand, I slapped my bloody palm across his forehead. “That’s the plan.”
“I have you.” Kierce turned his head so his lips brushed the column of my throat. “You can do this.”
All of a sudden, I wasn’t so sure. Ithas should have been burnt out of existence by now. He was holding on with ruthless determination I wasn’t sure Kierce and I could match. I had to reach into the deepest parts of my soul and wring out every single drop of power to end this.
