the connection between the helm and my body. But as a lich, I’d forgotten the gods entirely, forgotten my life. I didn’t want to forget again.
There was, it occurred to me, one other option. As I thought of it, I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my face in my hands. It was nearly as bad as becoming a lich. Possibly worse.
But as I mulled over the possibilities, it was the only one that seemed likely to work.
.
Chapter 20
Galin
Carefully, I arranged the black candles in a small circle in the center of the room. Back in my lair in Cambridge, I’d had a whole box of them, but here in the Citadel, there were none. Instead, I’d jerry-rigged some table candles I’d stolen from the dining room and coated them with soot from the fireplace. Hopefully, that would work.
After the candles were placed into their positions, I sat in the center of the circle and propped a grimoire in front of me. With one hand, I flipped to the page of the summoning spell. With the other, I picked up a small iron dagger.
I drew a deep breath to center myself. I needed to cut my skin. This was the crucial step, but I didn’t know if I could do it. I could easily withstand the pain, but the Helm of Awe might stop me from hurting myself as a member of the royal family.
There was only one way to find out.
Quickly, I drew the blade of the dagger across my palm.
I gritted my teeth, waiting for a magical blast from the crown, but none came. Apparently hurting oneself was allowed.
Blood dripped between my fingers. Carefully, I began adding a few drops to the wick of each candle. Summoning magic still required a blot—an offering to the gods. Even when they were dead.
Once each candle had been fed with my blood, I said, “Kaun,” and lit them. As they guttered with bloody wax, I turned to the grimoire and began to incant the spell.
The flames slowly stilled, and the runes on my chest burned with light. When I spoke the last word of the spell, the candles blazed up around me, blinding me.
I blinked until my eyes adjusted.
Now, the candles surrounded me tightly, glowing like the eyes of wild animals. Beyond the ring, I could see nothing. My bed, my desk, my window had all been replaced by a stygian darkness. A black mist swirled around me like the ink of a giant squid.
The spell had worked. I remained seated as the candles continued to burn. At this point, I just had to wait.
Suddenly, the candles blazed brighter, now taking on a purplish hue. The temperature dropped, and my breath misted.
Slowly, a form appeared in the mist. A dark shape that hovered at the edges of my vision. Frost spread across the iron blade in my hand like icy spider webs. Slowly, the creature inched closer, pale eyes glowing in the darkness.
“Galin.” The shade spat my name like an insult. “Why have you summoned me?”
“I am here to make amends.”
“Amends? From you? You promised that you’d raise our queen from the dead. Yet she still rots on her throne.” The shade’s eyes flashed, and it hissed, “I see your soul enjoys the warmth of a living body, you dishonorable bastard.”
“That’s not entirely true.”
“It’s not? You dare suggest that I cannot see your golden hair or hear your beating heart? When we spoke last, you were dead—a lich—but now you are alive. You found the wand and used it to save yourself, but you did not honor your oath.”
“I am here to do that now.”
“And that is why you’ve confined yourself within a circle of power? I can smell the iron in the flames of your candles.” The shade inched closer, its voice icy. “Blow out the tapers so we can become properly reacquainted.”
“Not yet.”
“Then I have nothing to say to you.” The shade’s body began to fade, slipping back into the swirling mist.
“Ganglati, wait.”
The shade paused, his pale eyes fixing on me once again. “What did you call me?”
“Ganglati.”
“I haven’t heard that name in a thousand years.”
“But that is who you are, isn’t it? Ganglati, the lazy walker, chief manservant of Hela, Queen of the Dead?”
“My queen is dead. I serve no one.”
“I am here to make you an offer.”
“No. You fulfill your oath first.”
Negotiating with the shade was proving more difficult than I’d imagined. “That is my desire, but in order to fulfill my oath, I need your help.” I