look quite right—no Thinblade. The details matter.”
“I’m just happy to have confirmation that I can use my illusions in conjunction with my clairvoyance,” Alexander said. Then he froze, his blind eyes staring straight ahead, as he used his all around sight to scrutinize an area of the room that had begun to look unusual.
It started as a plane of color floating in the air near the ceiling, oval in shape. As it became clearer, Alexander could see a face through a window looking into his Wizard’s Den. He could hardly breathe as realization filled him with trepidation and fear. What had he said in the preceding months? What secrets had he revealed?
Through a window in the fabric of the world itself, he saw Phane watching him like a bug in a jar. Jataan had said that Phane had powerful ways of gathering information, but Alexander had never questioned the Commander on the details, an oversight that he now sorely regretted.
Then it hit him. He was seeing Phane as the Reishi Prince looked at him through his magic mirror. The implications were staggering. How long had the prince been spying on him? On his companions and allies? No wonder Phane always seemed to be a step ahead.
Alexander wasn’t the only one with the ability to see.
“My Love, the draft is making me cold. Could you close the door so I can get warm?” Chloe said out loud.
“Of course, Little One,” Alexander said just before he willed the door to his Wizard’s Den closed. The moment it shut, the window in the fabric of the world vanished, along with Phane.
“Phane was watching us,” Alexander said. “It looked like he was peering through a window right over there.”
Jack stood up, looking around uncomfortably. “Dear Maker, there’s no telling what he’s learned. Is this the first time you’ve seen him?”
“Yes, but I have no way of knowing if this is just a new ability or if this is the first time he’s watched us,” Alexander said.
“Let’s assume it’s a new ability,” Jack said, sitting down again. “What have we told him?”
“He’s got to know that Isabel’s on Karth,” Alexander said. “He probably also knows that Hector and Horace are on the way. They’re in trouble.”
“He also knows you can cast illusions through your clairvoyance,” Jack said with a sigh, “so much for the element of surprise.”
“But he doesn’t know that I can see him,” Alexander said. “We can use that.”
“How, My Love?” Chloe asked.
“It’s risky, but it might give us an option later,” Alexander said.
“What do you have in mind?” Jack asked.
“When the Wizard’s Den first opened, there were a number of magical books inside,” Alexander said. “Two in particular might be used to lure Phane into a trap. Both are in that strongbox.” Alexander pointed to the heavy steel box in the corner.
“Only a few people know about these books, and I’d like to keep it that way. If either fell into the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous.”
“Well, you certainly have my attention,” Jack said.
“The first book will draw the mind of anyone who reads even a single word of it into the netherworld, to be lost forever.”
“A trap,” Jack said.
“One set by Malachi for Phane should his wayward son murder him and claim the Stone,” Alexander said.
“What a twisted way to live,” Jack said, shaking his head sadly.
“The second book is even worse. It contains a spell that transfers one’s soul into a specially prepared item, effectively killing the caster, yet animating his corpse at the same time. The result is an undead version of the caster that can’t be killed without destroying the item containing his soul. Malachi was trying to become immortal.”
“Dear Maker,” Jack and Chloe whispered at the same time.
“So you want to let Phane know that this book exists and then trick him into reading the other one, the one that sucks his mind into the darkness,” Jack said.
Alexander nodded.
“That’s risky. If he ever got his hands on that undead book, there’d be no stopping him.”
“I know, but it might be the best chance we have to kill him,” Alexander said. “Let’s face it, my magic will never be a match for his head-on.”
“That’s a terrible gamble,” Jack said.
“You should destroy that book right now,” Chloe said.
“I know, on both counts, but I just can’t bring myself to do it,” Alexander said. “I can’t explain it, but for some reason I think it might become vitally important later.”