her eyes for a moment and then once again lifted her hands, weaving a complicated pattern.
That which is bound, deep within the earth,
I place forth my hand to you.
I now release your bonds,
Arise and come to me.
At once the book began to float upward toward them. As it did, the snake and scorpion on her arm shook in excitement. “I don’t want to touch it, Isai,” she cautioned. “You were just thinking of hyssop oil. Coat your hands in it so they don’t touch the book. I can hear the wailing of the dead. They might try to retaliate against anyone attempting to wield the book.”
He glanced at her sharply. He couldn’t hear the cries of those murdered, but she was so sensitive. He could see the little dots of blood on her forehead beginning to trickle down her face. He did as she said, and the moment the book cleared the deep hole and rose into the air, there was a sudden silence. It was brief—too brief. The creatures in the snow coming at them went wild, picking up their pace to run at them.
The air filled with power, clashes of it, whiplike attacks coming from two different directions seeking the book. The book tried to go toward the stream of energy coming from the east. Isai recognized that malevolence as Barnabas. Before the book could be taken, he grabbed it, remembering at the last moment to coat his hands in oil.
Julija didn’t hesitate. Her hands went into the air and she once again wove a complicated pattern. The moment she did, the snake hissed its displeasure and sank its teeth into her arm repeatedly. Strike after strike. Bite after bite. The scorpion plunged its stinger viciously into her arm.
Isai wanted to knock the snake and scorpion from her arm, but it was a birthmark, and there was no way to stop its reaction when it knew what she planned.
Julija pulled out the little ceremonial knife. Curling her fingers around the hilt, she cut into her wrist and then she offered the knife to him and he did the same. They immediately allowed the blood to splatter across the book, the two streams mingling together. Julija began to invoke the spell.
Those whose lives were ended by blood, hear my voice.
Be at peace. Return to your resting places.
There are no more fights to fight.
No more fears to face.
Be at peace with yourself.
Now lie at rest.
Now, Isai could hear the wailing of the dead—one from each species sealing the book closed against any unworthy intruders. Only someone of the high mage’s line could open the book and only with the blood sacrifices of each of the species.
The head of a large wolf rushed off the cover, teeth filling its jaws, eyes that of a man. He looked around him and then, as if satisfied, the Lycan was gone in the same way the shadow warrior had dissolved. Next was a human. A man of good physical strength, his intelligence showing in his eyes. He nodded to Isai and bowed toward Julija before the shadows tore him apart.
The moment the mage appeared, Isai felt the difference. This being was filled with rage and immediately flew at Julija. He was an insubstantial mass of roiling shadows, spinning and churning, gathering strength. He fastened his hands on her neck and sank his teeth into her to anchor himself.
Isai couldn’t let go of the book. Swearing, he tried with one hand to remove the apparition, but his hand just went through it.
Julija surprised him. There was no panicking. “I’ve got this.” Clearly, she had been expecting something like it, although he didn’t see how. Mage magic was always complicated because of the twists and turns.
That which is born of darkness, anger and hate,
May the fires of darkness forever seek to purge you.
May your soul seek rest among the lost.
May you forever be judged for the sins you have committed.
I send you back from whence you have come.
May you never walk this plane again.
With a shriek, the mage was torn apart by the wind, spinning away from them until he was nothing but small threads of gray. Those, too, disappeared.
“He volunteered to guard the book. Xavier gave him permission to study all the spells so when Xavier once more brought him from hell, he would be a powerful mage.”
“Xavier was never going to do that, was he?” Isai asked.
“Of course not, and he should have known.” She turned her attention to the jaguar