Wrath of the Storm (Mark of the Thief 3)

I hoped Aurelia wouldn't ask how I intended to destroy the Malice, because the truth was, I didn't know. Yes, I had threatened to do it when the Praetors wanted it, but that was only a threat.

I had told them that as a creation of the gods, the Malice could be destroyed only by another of their creations -- the bulla. It had seemed logical then and still seemed like my best chance. But it also felt similar to the idea of Rome putting its two finest gladiators into the arena for a battle to the death. Anything could happen. I was nervous about the kind of damage that might accompany my plan.

For that reason, Aurelia and I walked far out into Radulf's open fields, as far as possible from any homes or people.

"Where should I stand?" For about the tenth time since we started walking, Aurelia tugged at her tunic. It was one of the rare times I'd ever seen her look this nervous.

"Stand behind me, as far as you can," I said. "I won't let anything get past me." Or at least, I would try. Bringing her out here wasn't the best idea, but I wanted someone nearby in case this experiment went badly.

She helped me unlace the Malice, standing so close while she did that I could barely concentrate. If this succeeded, my connection with the Mistress would end. I would return to Radulf's home and join them all in the carriage to leave the empire. I'd be free, and my family would be safe.

I laid the Malice on a rock, then walked far from it, gathering magic from the bulla into my hands as I did. I felt the loss of the Malice's magic, but not so long ago, the bulla had given me more than enough magic on its own. If anything on this earth could destroy that Malice, it would be the bulla.

I took a quick glance back at Aurelia, who was very far behind me. Hopefully, it was enough distance. She stared at me with a grim smile. "Don't blow yourself up," she called.

That seemed like good advice, and I nodded to her, then returned my attention to the Malice. I closed my eyes and continued collecting magic, willing it into my chest and arms, down into my fingertips where I felt added weight when I moved them. The bulla was hot enough that it burned against my chest with the same fire that the Mistress had breathed onto me two nights ago. I had never before felt so much power within me. Now was the time to act.

I thrust out my hands, sending everything forward in a great ball of magic. I tried to keep it as focused as possible, aiming for the Malice and nothing more. The magic released from me as all my strength emptied in an instant, and I collapsed to the ground. Behind me, Aurelia cried out my name, but it was cut short by the sound of an explosion that seemed to shake the whole empire.

Great pieces of earth shot up into the air, so high that they became lost against the light of the morning sun. I was unable to move, so I only watched them fall in huge chunks around me, covering me in dirt. I hoped none of them got as far back as Aurelia, because if they did, I couldn't help her. The ground quaked beneath us, shuddering as if a giant had been sleeping below and decided to roll over. From as far away as I could hear, shouts of alarm sounded through the military camps, warning soldiers of an earthquake, or perhaps another Pompeii.

And then suddenly, it all went silent.

I was still flat on my back and half-covered in dirt when Aurelia ran up and helped me into a sitting position.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

At first I wasn't sure how to answer. I had given that explosion everything I had and felt the loss of strength down to my core. So although I still wasn't sure I could sit up on my own, I wasn't injured, and she seemed fine too.

"That was terrifying ... and amazing," she said. "But mostly terrifying. I didn't know you were capable of anything that big."

"Big" failed to describe what I had done. The crater from my explosion was larger than Radulf's home. Lines of separated earth ran outward from the crater in three places, wide enough that bridges would need to be built to span them. Whole trees in every direction for as far as I could see had toppled over on their sides. If I had done this within a mile of any buildings, they also would've collapsed.

"Even having seen it, I can still hardly believe it," Aurelia said. "I'm sure it easily destroyed the Malice."

Nothing with magic was ever easy. If there was any lesson I'd learned since the first spark appeared in my shoulder, it was that. "We need to see what's left of the Malice before we can be sure," I said.

I started to my feet but faltered. Aurelia pressed me down, then said, "Let me look. You probably can't even walk."

I could walk but, admittedly, not well. This was the very reason I had asked her to come with me.

She tiptoed to the edge of the crater, paused to look back at me, then descended into its base. I didn't like not being able to see her anymore and hoped the dirt wouldn't collapse into the crater's steep walls on top of her.

After one minute, she hadn't returned. "Aurelia?" I called.

There was no answer, so I forced myself to my feet, then stumbled toward the crater. I didn't want to get too close to the edge or I'd fall in, and I knew it'd be a while until I could get out again. However, Aurelia was in the exact center of it, crouched over with her head down. Studying the remains of the Malice, I hoped.

But when she looked up at me, the light had dimme

d in her eyes. She reached down and lifted the Malice where I could see it. The silver was as bright as ever, and as far as I could tell, there wasn't a single scratch or dent anywhere on the amulet. The whole of my magic had merely given it a good polish.

I sat on the edge of the crater, letting my legs dangle over the edge. "I couldn't have hit it any harder," I said. "That was all I had."

"Maybe it can't be destroyed," she said.

"Not by the bulla. But if I had stronger magic --"

"If you had stronger magic, you'd explode half the empire, judging by what you've done here." She began climbing up the crater's side. "Even if the Malice can't be destroyed, it could be sent into hiding somewhere. Like the bulla was buried in the mines, you could bury this."