Witch's Pyre (Worldwalker 3)

She knew that there was no point appealing to his humanity, no point in pleading for the lives of the people of Bower City. For Toshi’s life.

“You’ll tell me because you need me,” she said. “Lillian is dying. Who’s going to claim you when she’s gone?”

She saw the thought glinting in his eyes—a spark across the flat black of his inner life. “You’d claim me?” he asked, hopeful but cautious.

She nodded once. “Because I’d never set a monster like you loose in the world.”

A smile crept up his face. “I don’t know where Lillian’s bomb is. She acquired it while I was following you in your world,” he said. “But I will find it for you.”

“Find it. Disable it. And when Lillian’s gone, I’ll claim you,” Lily promised. When she saw him smile—a thin reptilian upturn of the lips—she felt a part of herself lie down and die.

Lily, what are you doing?

Lily turned to see Rowan coming toward her, shirtless, barefooted, and angry. He carried one of the silver knives from his belt in one hand and a torch in the other. It took everything in her not to run to him.

Making a bargain with the devil, she told him in mindspeak.

“Missing something, brother?” Carrick taunted.

You shouldn’t be with him on your own. Carrick is dangerous, even if he is bound, Rowan told her in mindspeak.

I know. But I need him—

Rowan stiffened and his head whipped around, interrupting her thought. Both his and Carrick’s eyes were already darting into the murky edge of the firelight before Lily could hear what the two of them heard—the absence of sound. The tree frogs had gone silent. Not one owl hooted.

“Let me out,” Carrick said in a low, desperate voice. “Brother. You can’t defend her alone.”

Rowan’s eyes narrowed at Carrick, and Lily got the sense that they were sharing mindspeak. Whatever Carrick said convinced Rowan. One quick tug and he pulled out the peg behind Carrick’s neck. The yoke fell away with a jingle and a thump. Rowan tossed Carrick one of his blades and the two of them put Lily between their backs, both of them looking out, encircling her against the silent darkness.

Lily opened her hands to the torch, absorbing the heat of its small flame. A witch wind whipped her hair about her head, whispering ghostly, half-heard words. She filled Rowan’s willstone just in time to meet the onslaught. The Woven burst through the trees in a wave of noise and motion.

“Simians!” Carrick called out.

The simian Woven hooted as they knuckled forward, their thick bodies swinging between their arms with blinding speed. Rowan ran out to meet them. They barreled into the light of the torch fire and stopped abruptly.

“Hold,” Rowan ordered, pulling up short.

“They’re not attacking,” Carrick said, like he couldn’t believe it.

The simians swung around a perimeter just far enough to show that they weren’t engaging in a direct fight, but not far enough to let the humans run.

Lily felt one of them look her in the eye, assessing her. He snorted and looked away, scanning Rowan’s and Carrick’s faces.

“They’re looking for someone,” Lily said, puzzled.

“Lily!” Rowan hissed as she stepped forward. She felt Carrick snatch at her arm and she shook him off.

“I’m okay,” she told them, walking to the edge of the perimeter. “Look—they’re not here to kill anyone. I don’t think those are their orders.”

The simians retreated as she neared, rolling their lips back and baring their fangs anxiously. One of them darted in at her, bluffing to push her back. It was just what Lily was waiting for. Instead of falling back in fear, she dove forward, her hands reaching for the Woven’s neck. The creature was so startled by Lily’s brazen action she had time to find a small, hard lump under its skin.

Lily touched the Woven’s embedded willstone and felt someone push back against her mind. A flash of fury ignited and fizzled in a moment as Lily shoved the other witch out of this Woven’s willstone.

“It’s okay,” she murmured to the frightened creature. “I won’t harm you.”

It wasn’t like a human mind. He had a vague sense of self, and even less of a sense of will. Lily knew she could invade his stone without cracking it as Grace had done, but she didn’t want that. She didn’t want to make any of the choices Grace had. Instead, Lily asked. She felt the Woven give his assent and claimed his willstone for herself.

Mine.