Close your eyes and imagine a massive steel chain latching onto every member of your army.” I peeked at him and saw he was nodding as if he could see that very thing in his mind’s eye.
“Got it?” I asked.
He grunted.
“All right, now concentrate your energy like you did with me and send it out to everyone. Make that chain unbreakable, loan them your strength and your energy. Imagine you are leading them, guiding them to their destination,” I told him, opening my eyes again to watch him. His body began to sway and I placed a hand on his shoulder to settle him. Ronon took a deep breath, and suddenly nearly half the army gasped and stumbled a step or two back.
“It worked!” Ronon shouted, and the mass of bound hybrids regained their positions as the “unbreakable” chain, broke.
“Nice work. Now we just need to do that together, and for everyone at once as we travel through a seemingly endless void of darkness to face the worst enemy imaginable. No big deal,” I said, joking weakly.
“Sounds easy enough,” Ronon replied, sounding undaunted. “How do we open the portal?”
“That’s where she comes in.” I turned to face Ana. She peered out from behind a curtain of hair.
“I never said I’d help you,” she spat at me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t recall giving you a choice,” I spat back at her. Two could play this game. She tried to turn away from me, but Arrick pulled her forward.
“What’s in it for me?”
I smiled, knowing she’d ask for something. On my run out here I’d thought about how I was going to make her comply. I knew it was going to cost us, but that would be the only way to get the portal open. I would have to give Ana something she really wanted and I could think of only one thing. Freedom.
“We’ll let you go.”
The whites of her eyes expanded.
“Seriously?” Arrick asked his eyes as wide as Ana’s.
“Yeah,” I answered. “We have bigger fish to fry.” It was true, and if I really wanted to be honest, once Baal was gone Ana wasn’t really a threat. She’d return to being her spiteful, vain, bitchy self and the world would keep on spinning. Maybe I was wrong, but at the moment I was more worried about Baal then her. Ana I could handle, but an ancient, pissed off vampire with an army of minions, evil magic and dark vampires… not so much.
“Deal,” Ana replied quickly, obviously wanting to agree before I changed my mind.
“All right then, open it,” I ordered, nodding to Arrick to release her. He did so reluctantly, but didn’t take more than a step away. If she tried anything, he’d be ready.
“I’m going to need the stone,” she growled, rubbing her red wrist.
“I thought you’d say that,” I chuckled, pulling the stone out from under my shirt. I closed my fingers over the cool pendant around my neck, and offered her my free hand.
“What are you doing?” she looked at my open palm like it was a snake.
“Do you really think I’m just going to give it to you? Channel the power through me Ana. I’m not going to let you have it.” I might have been willing to let her go, but I wasn’t dumb enough to let her leave with a stone too. That was just asking for more trouble.
With a snarl she latched her fingers around mine, and squeezed as hard as she could. She wasn’t crushing my fingers, but she wasn’t exactly gentle either. I watched as she lifted her head toward the night sky, and closed her eyes. Immediately heat began radiating from the stone in my hand, starting from comforting warmth to a scalding burn. Pain radiated from the heat, traveling up my arm and across my body to reach Ana. I clenched my teeth, allowing my fangs to pierce my lips in hopes that it would distract me from the seared flesh of my palm.
I cried out, hot tears racing down my face. Arrick darted to my side, attempting to pry my fingers free but they wouldn’t move. I was certain my hand had begun to blister and melt, bonding with the scorching stone.
“Stop it! Stop it now!” Arrick ordered Ana, but she ignored him as a sudden gust of wind nearly knocked us all on our butts. The stone was instantly cool, and I released Ana’s hand to survey the damage. Arrick took my hand in his and scanned my palm.