“I have no magic,” I said. “There is nothing to connect.”
But he held out his hands, inviting me again to repeat with him the process of connecting. The thought of what this might mean made my stomach roll, but I had to do it. Taking his hand in mine might provide the very opportunity I needed to switch the black disk in my hand with the magic disk in my satchel. But I feared it would come at a terrible price.
I placed the disk bow over my shoulder and the black disk from Amala into the satchel, then forced a smile to my face and walked to him. He was only a few steps away, but I worked for every single one.
Joth took my hands in his and pulled me close. He studied my face, seeking any possible sign of my disloyalty. Here I was, on an errand to kill him. Disloyalty was the least of the crimes he might find in me.
He pushed his fingers through my hair, then let one hand slide from the back of my head down to my neck. “This was a place of power for Lord Endrick, was it not?”
I tried to keep my breaths even, tried to hide the shaking of my legs, the tremor in my voice. “For his enemies, it was.”
“And are you my enemy?” He brought me even closer to him, and in his eyes, I saw anger and a thirst for revenge. “Let down your defenses. Let me into your heart, into your mind.”
At first, the magic coming from him had merely pressed in on me, but within seconds, it began to crush me and I had no defense against it. His magic took hold of my heart, not to control it but to dissect the emotions I was guarding most carefully there. Then he found what he was looking for, what I had been terrified he would find.
“Ah, I see that your feelings for Simon are more than simply caring. You love him.”
“Please don’t harm him.” A tear fell from one eye. “Please, Joth.”
“I think that I must.” Joth cupped the side of my face. I wanted to push away, but feared if I did, his hand would go to my neck again. He added, “Otherwise, I think it quite likely that your love for one king will interfere with loyalty to another. The black disk must be saved for him.”
“I will connect with you right now,” I said. “Then you know you will have my loyalty. Let that be enough.”
I hoped that would be enough. If I was the only sacrifice today, I could live with that.
Indeed, Joth smiled at me, and I felt the tendrils of his magic reaching for me again, but then his smile faded into a thin, cold line. “That is not nearly enough, my dear.”
I shuddered. My dear was the term Endrick had used on me. Hearing it echoed once more, in this room, sent waves of fear through me.
Joth released me and added, “Do you still have the black disk I gave you?” I nodded, and he said, “Good, because your banished king has arrived.”
At that very moment, Rawk flew into the throne room, his full wingspan easily fitting within the wall that had once been all windows. Joth and I each backed up to avoid his fiery breath, though in this dampened room, it quickly extinguished. As Joth’s attention shifted to Simon, Darrow ran forward to pull me away from Joth.
Still on the dragon, Simon held up his sword and said, “We never finished our duel. Little surprise from a coward, a false king. You are an embarrassment to your people. Or all people, for that matter.”
Simon stopped there, clutching his chest as Joth squeezed on his heart, but put his eyes on me. I quietly pulled the disk bow off my shoulder. This was my chance.
“How dare you?” Joth shouted. “Kneel to me!”
“Finish our duel,” Simon said through clenched teeth. “The loser will kneel … to me.”
I reached into the satchel to find the disk I would need to complete my task. I had placed the black disk from Joth in front. The one I had brought was behind it. I withdrew the one I wanted and placed it in the pocket of the bow. My heart pounded. If this went badly, all was lost.
“I will gladly finish our duel,” Joth said, still watching Simon. “But I will use all of my magic, for it is as much a part of me now as your skills with a sword are to you.”
Simon dismounted, keeping his sword ready. “I suppose that’s all you can do. Obviously, before you had Endrick’s magic, you were rather insignificant.”
Joth straightened up taller, and I quietly took aim as he said, “I have always had magic. What I have now is simply more.”
“You have borrowed magic. You are an actor who seeks respect simply for dressing in the costume of a king.” Simon raised his sword, but his eyes flicked over to me. “I do not fear you, Joth.”
I released the disk. It flew straight and direct, but Joth rotated at the exact moment the disk should have hit him, and caught it in his hand. He turned to me, and his eyes blazed with anger. “That is hardly the loyalty I had hoped for, my dear.” Then he crushed it to pieces, black dust falling from his hand.
Simon looked equally crushed. He had only talked with such bold language in hopes of distracting Joth. But now he would have to pay for those words.
As I would have to pay for my actions.
I just wasn’t sure which of us Joth would punish first.