moment, there was only darkness. Then some of the surviving light bulbs flickered back on. Ivy lay in a heap in the middle of the floor, the staff beside her. Conroy noticed I was free, and flicked his hand, sending me back up in the air again. He scooped up Ivy, his staff, and her arcphone.
She lifted her head. "Did I do it, Bigdaddy?" Her voice sounded tired.
He smiled. Kissed her forehead. "Yes you did, my little angel. Yes you did."
"Can I have cake now?"
Conroy laughed. "All you want, honey." He looked at me. "Well, boy. I just don't know what to do with you. I hesitate to leave you alive, lest your mischief completely derail our plans, and the Foreseeance—" He broke off as if coming to a conclusion. Sighed. "It pains me to do this. Truly it does. But I see no other choice. I know you're an abomination—all your kind are—but this is the only way." He regarded me for a long moment, and then chanted something.
My jaw clamped shut again. My nose pinched tight. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't draw another breath. Terror slammed into me and my heart raced.
"Your kind is very difficult to kill, but even if you somehow manage to survive without oxygen, I suspect you'll be too brain damaged for even your remarkable healing abilities to fully repair the damage. I know it's a terrible way to go, but I much prefer it to—ahem—other methods."
He made a motion with his hand like tying a knot. "Rest in peace, boy." He turned and left, leaving me suspended in the air.
I knew from experience I could hold my breath for a long time, having performed an underwater tour of terror at Thunder Rock, holding my breath for minutes. But I had the sinking feeling this spell wouldn't free me until I was stone-cold dead. Drawing upon the final shreds of will I had left, I extended my incubus senses so I could see the magical energy.
Ghostly patterns hovered before my eyes. I could tell they covered my nose and mouth, but when I touched my face with my hands, they went through the insubstantial binding magic. I tried to soak in the energy around me, but spots danced before my eyes, and dizziness made it impossible to concentrate. Again and again I tried to will the spell off of me, but nothing I did had any effect.
Time slipped from seconds into minutes.
Consciousness left me little by little.
I was going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Goodbye, Elyssa. I love you.
A bright flash startled me. Arms enfolded me and pulled me to the ground. I looked up with blurry vision and saw bright blonde hair cascading down from a face I couldn't make out.
The pressure on my nose and mouth abruptly vanished. I sucked in a long breath of air, gasping and panting for precious oxygen as my brain screamed and pounded with pain.
When my eyesight cleared I looked into clear blue eyes and the concerned face of my mother.
Chapter 40
"Mom?" I said, rubbing my eyes and looking again to be sure I was really seeing her and not some hallucination brought on by brain damage from oxygen deprivation.
She nodded, tears clouding her eyes, and pressed her hand to my face. "I'm so sorry, Justin. So sorry." She sobbed harder. Tears dripped onto my face.
I sat up. My head hated me for it, throbbing with pain, but I let it wash right through me. "What—how—why?" I had no idea what to ask first. The last time I'd seen her she told me that Dad and I were no longer part of her family. That she never wanted to see us again.
She shifted into a kneeling position, wiping away the tears, and pulling a tissue from a pocket in the pants she wore. "I wish I could answer those questions, Justin. But I can't." She leaned forward and gripped me in a tight hug, kissing my cheeks and holding me for so long, I wasn't sure she'd let go.
Without thinking, I returned the hug and felt tears burning in my eyes.
She does love me. She really does.
"I can't stay, darling," Mom said after a long moment. "I'm risking too much by coming here, but I couldn't stand by. I just couldn't." She planted another kiss on my forehead. "Just know that no matter what you hear or find out, I love you with all my heart, and I'm proud—so proud—you're my son."