I straightened, then slowly opened my hand. There, on my palm, lay what did indeed look like a cheap coin, a plain silver disk with writing around the edges. Yet I didn't even need to glance at the inscription to know that this was the amulet. I could feel it, the power of it, pulsating against my skin.
The power of transmigration. The power to inhabit a corporeal being, to fully occupy and control that body, to enact one's will on the living world. This was what I'd been searching for. I was half-demon. I could use this amulet. I could see my daughter, be with her, speak to her, touch her. Protect her.
If I'd had this that day in the community center, I could have protected her, instead of being forced to stand by, helpless.
And what would you have done? whispered Kristof's voice. Leapt into the nearest person, jumped into the bullet's path, and killed your host, only to discover Savannah wasn't even in danger? And how will you make sure you're there if something like that ever happens again? Do you plan to follow her around every hour of every day, a spectral guard dog, always at her heels?
I shivered. I couldn't be there all the time. I didn't want to be there all the time. I wanted…
I squeezed my hand tight around the amulet and closed my eyes.
I wanted my own life. Here. In this world.
Eyes still closed, I put in a mental call to Trsiel. Almost immediately, I heard soft footfalls in the tunnel.
"Thank God," I murmured.
I hurried to the door. I stepped out and saw a dim figure down the corridor—a figure far too small and too blond to be Trsiel. The Nix.
Chapter 36
I BACKPEDALED BEFORE SHE SAW ME. AFTER ONE MORE mental shout to Trsiel, I looked down at the amulet in my hand. If she found me, she'd better not find this. She'd heard Dantalian say it was in a drawer, so I shoved my hand into a roll of carpet and dropped the amulet inside. Then I took two steps back and cast a cover spell. The Nix's footsteps drew closer. They stopped outside the room.
"Someone's made a mess in here," she murmured. She walked to the middle of the room and looked around. "Did they find what they were looking for? Let's hope not."
She opened the nearest drawer, then stopped, gaze catching on the broken drawer panel on the ground… on the ground at my feet. She moved toward it. Shit! A couple more steps and she'd smack right into me, breaking my cover spell.
I waited until she was close enough to reach out and touch. Then I let loose a front kick that caught her square in the jaw, and sent her sailing across the room. Before she could recover, I slammed her with a roundhouse kick to the gut then, as she crumpled forward, an uppercut to the jaw knocked her off her feet and flipped her backward, her head cracking against a marble bust.
As she staggered back up, I darted behind her and kicked her in the ass, knocking her face-first to the dirt floor.
"Come on," I said. "Get up again. Please."
She pushed up to all fours, then lifted her head and glared at me.
"Oh, come on," I said. "I can't kick you when you're down. That's not fair."
When she didn't move, I whirled and slammed a front kick into her the bottom of her jaw, toppling her over onto her back.
"Screw fair," I said. "This is too much fun."
Yet, as much fun as it was, I knew I couldn't keep it up forever. Where the hell was Trsiel? As a last resort, I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled as loud as I could. As I did, the Nix sprang to her feet.
I kicked. Her hand shot out, grabbing for my foot. I managed to abort the kick just as her fingers grazed my ankle. I danced away, out of reach of that iron grip.
"You think you're clever, don't you, witch?" she said. "But the harder you hit, the harder I'll hit back.
Haven't you learned that yet?"
She lunged for me. I sidestepped out of the way, pivoted fast, and aimed a roundhouse kick at the back of her knees. My foot connected with a crack and she dropped to her knees.
As I kicked again, the Nix ducked in time, then grabbed at my foot, getting just enough of a grip to pull me off balance. I twisted away and rebounded with a side kick that knocked her into the wall, dirt raining down.
"You want the amulet, witch?" she said. "You keep it. I'll go the other route. Less satisfying in the long run but—" She smiled. "Temporarily, perhaps very satisfying indeed, if done right. So why don't…"
She flew at me, hoping to catch me off guard, but I veered out of her path and wheeled to face her again.
Running footsteps pounded in the tunnel. Trsiel. Finally.
The Nix started an incantation. A portal, or so I assumed. But the words sounded familiar… and I didn't know any portal-opening spells. It didn't matter. Whatever she was casting, I wasn't about to let her finish.
I spun and kicked, but the Nix backed out of my way. She lifted both hands, then fluttered them down.
A spell with hand gestures? Had to be sorcerer magic. As I readied another kick, she stopped casting. I braced myself, but nothing happened.
"As good a spell-caster as a fighter, I see," I said… and dropped her with a front kick.
Trsiel flew through the doorway. I was off to the side, up near the door, so when he came through, his back was to me and all he saw was the Nix sprawled across the floor.
She lifted her head.
"Trsiel!" she said. "Look out! Behind you!"
He swung around, sword raised. Then he saw me and stopped.
"Trsiel!" the Nix shouted. "It's her. She cast a glamour spell."
Glamour? Oh, shit! That's what the Nix had cast. A sorcerer glamour spell… to make herself look like me. A protest flew to my lips, but Trsiel's sword was already sheering toward me, too fast for me to say anything… or to dive out of the way.
At the last second, our eyes met, and his filled with horrified realization. He tried to stop, but the momentum of his swing was too great and all he could do was divert the sword's course, swinging down away from my torso.
The blade hit me in the upper thigh. I heard an inhuman scream, then felt the sound ripping from my own throat as the pain—the indescribable pain—tore through me. I pitched forward. Trsiel dove to catch me.
The sword clattered to the floor.
As I fell, I blacked out, coming to only as another flash of agony knifed through me. Trsiel's arms tightened around me as he lowered me to the floor. His mouth opened, but I heard only the sound of my own screaming. Behind him, the Nix was running—not at us, but off to our side. I blinked, then comprehension hit.
The power of transmigration. The power to inhabit a corporeal being, to fully occupy and control that body, to enact one's will on the living world. This was what I'd been searching for. I was half-demon. I could use this amulet. I could see my daughter, be with her, speak to her, touch her. Protect her.
If I'd had this that day in the community center, I could have protected her, instead of being forced to stand by, helpless.
And what would you have done? whispered Kristof's voice. Leapt into the nearest person, jumped into the bullet's path, and killed your host, only to discover Savannah wasn't even in danger? And how will you make sure you're there if something like that ever happens again? Do you plan to follow her around every hour of every day, a spectral guard dog, always at her heels?
I shivered. I couldn't be there all the time. I didn't want to be there all the time. I wanted…
I squeezed my hand tight around the amulet and closed my eyes.
I wanted my own life. Here. In this world.
Eyes still closed, I put in a mental call to Trsiel. Almost immediately, I heard soft footfalls in the tunnel.
"Thank God," I murmured.
I hurried to the door. I stepped out and saw a dim figure down the corridor—a figure far too small and too blond to be Trsiel. The Nix.
Chapter 36
I BACKPEDALED BEFORE SHE SAW ME. AFTER ONE MORE mental shout to Trsiel, I looked down at the amulet in my hand. If she found me, she'd better not find this. She'd heard Dantalian say it was in a drawer, so I shoved my hand into a roll of carpet and dropped the amulet inside. Then I took two steps back and cast a cover spell. The Nix's footsteps drew closer. They stopped outside the room.
"Someone's made a mess in here," she murmured. She walked to the middle of the room and looked around. "Did they find what they were looking for? Let's hope not."
She opened the nearest drawer, then stopped, gaze catching on the broken drawer panel on the ground… on the ground at my feet. She moved toward it. Shit! A couple more steps and she'd smack right into me, breaking my cover spell.
I waited until she was close enough to reach out and touch. Then I let loose a front kick that caught her square in the jaw, and sent her sailing across the room. Before she could recover, I slammed her with a roundhouse kick to the gut then, as she crumpled forward, an uppercut to the jaw knocked her off her feet and flipped her backward, her head cracking against a marble bust.
As she staggered back up, I darted behind her and kicked her in the ass, knocking her face-first to the dirt floor.
"Come on," I said. "Get up again. Please."
She pushed up to all fours, then lifted her head and glared at me.
"Oh, come on," I said. "I can't kick you when you're down. That's not fair."
When she didn't move, I whirled and slammed a front kick into her the bottom of her jaw, toppling her over onto her back.
"Screw fair," I said. "This is too much fun."
Yet, as much fun as it was, I knew I couldn't keep it up forever. Where the hell was Trsiel? As a last resort, I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled as loud as I could. As I did, the Nix sprang to her feet.
I kicked. Her hand shot out, grabbing for my foot. I managed to abort the kick just as her fingers grazed my ankle. I danced away, out of reach of that iron grip.
"You think you're clever, don't you, witch?" she said. "But the harder you hit, the harder I'll hit back.
Haven't you learned that yet?"
She lunged for me. I sidestepped out of the way, pivoted fast, and aimed a roundhouse kick at the back of her knees. My foot connected with a crack and she dropped to her knees.
As I kicked again, the Nix ducked in time, then grabbed at my foot, getting just enough of a grip to pull me off balance. I twisted away and rebounded with a side kick that knocked her into the wall, dirt raining down.
"You want the amulet, witch?" she said. "You keep it. I'll go the other route. Less satisfying in the long run but—" She smiled. "Temporarily, perhaps very satisfying indeed, if done right. So why don't…"
She flew at me, hoping to catch me off guard, but I veered out of her path and wheeled to face her again.
Running footsteps pounded in the tunnel. Trsiel. Finally.
The Nix started an incantation. A portal, or so I assumed. But the words sounded familiar… and I didn't know any portal-opening spells. It didn't matter. Whatever she was casting, I wasn't about to let her finish.
I spun and kicked, but the Nix backed out of my way. She lifted both hands, then fluttered them down.
A spell with hand gestures? Had to be sorcerer magic. As I readied another kick, she stopped casting. I braced myself, but nothing happened.
"As good a spell-caster as a fighter, I see," I said… and dropped her with a front kick.
Trsiel flew through the doorway. I was off to the side, up near the door, so when he came through, his back was to me and all he saw was the Nix sprawled across the floor.
She lifted her head.
"Trsiel!" she said. "Look out! Behind you!"
He swung around, sword raised. Then he saw me and stopped.
"Trsiel!" the Nix shouted. "It's her. She cast a glamour spell."
Glamour? Oh, shit! That's what the Nix had cast. A sorcerer glamour spell… to make herself look like me. A protest flew to my lips, but Trsiel's sword was already sheering toward me, too fast for me to say anything… or to dive out of the way.
At the last second, our eyes met, and his filled with horrified realization. He tried to stop, but the momentum of his swing was too great and all he could do was divert the sword's course, swinging down away from my torso.
The blade hit me in the upper thigh. I heard an inhuman scream, then felt the sound ripping from my own throat as the pain—the indescribable pain—tore through me. I pitched forward. Trsiel dove to catch me.
The sword clattered to the floor.
As I fell, I blacked out, coming to only as another flash of agony knifed through me. Trsiel's arms tightened around me as he lowered me to the floor. His mouth opened, but I heard only the sound of my own screaming. Behind him, the Nix was running—not at us, but off to our side. I blinked, then comprehension hit.
