With this realization, I edged my way around the tomb. If I could sneak behind Marrow, or at least far enough that he couldn’t deflect both me and my mother at the same time, I might be able to disarm him.

As I moved, I saw Excalibur begin to glow. First a faint purple light emanating from the runes on the blade, then the blade itself until it looked like a torch lit with Everlasting Fire. A slow smile stretched across Marrow’s face, and he started to laugh.

The sword’s a reservoir, he had said. And a reservoir could only hold so much before it overflowed.

I felt the tremor of the power building a second before it unleashed in a brilliant explosion of magic that pulsed outward like a nuclear bomb. The tomb shattered as the spell hit it, and I was thrown backward so hard I collided with the wall. I fell to the ground, dazed and paralyzed by pain.

I heard the sound of footsteps approaching a moment later. It was Marrow, still laughing. He was the only one standing, the only one unaffected by the sword’s explosion.

He peered down at me. “It was a valiant try, but there is nothing more powerful than this sword. Took me more than a lifetime to find it, you know, and even longer to learn the secret to make it obey my command.”

He knelt beside me and sighed. “You should have joined me when you had the chance. But my gratitude remains nonetheless. I will let you live, Dusty Everhart. For now. But not Eli, I’m afraid. If you won’t be my dream-seer then you will be no one’s.”

He turned away, holding the sword downward like a stake again. I saw Eli lying in the rubble nearby, and I knew what Marrow intended. But I didn’t have the strength to cast another spell. I felt as if every bone in my body had been broken, and my muscle and sinew vaporized.

Try, Dusty. You’ve got to try.

I managed to push myself up on one elbow. A thousand images danced in my head, pictures of all the people Marrow had killed, all the people he would kill. Rosemary, Ankil, Nimue, Moira, Selene, Eli, Rosemary, Ankil … Ankil … the snatch-and-smack.

It was moronically simple, effortless. I remembered Ankil explaining how The Will couldn’t anticipate the move if you did it fast enough and didn’t try to hold on. You just had to use the laws of physics within the spell. Maybe even the most powerful magickind of all time wouldn’t be able to anticipate it, either.

I reached out and snatched the sword from Marrow’s hand with my magic in one quick motion, then let go. As it started to fall, I smacked the hilt downward with all the energy I had left.

The blade struck Marrow in the chest, sinking straight through him. He gasped, staggering on his feet. He turned his eyes to me, shock on his face. Then he started to laugh. And he kept on laughing even as his knees buckled and he fell forward, driving the blade even further into his body.

I turned away from the sight, sickened. I couldn’t believe it. I’d killed Marrow. The Red Warlock was dead. It was over.

My relief vanished a moment later as a loud, angry cry echoed above me. I’d forgotten about the black phoenix. It was a fatal mistake. I slumped in defeat, helpless to defend myself. There was nothing left inside me to fight with.

The black phoenix flew toward me only to veer away at the last second. I turned my head in mild surprise, wondering if it was playing some kind of game with me. Then I heard something crackle. I looked over to where Marrow had fallen. His body burst into flames, quickly turning to ash.

The black phoenix swooped down, mouth open, and swallowed the flames and ash whole. Then the bird vanished, leaving behind only the scorched outline of a body on the floor with a sword lying in its center.

I stared at it for several long moments. Then everything went black.

* * *

Something moved in the rubble, drawing near. I didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t sure I cared. I was too tired, too hurt.

A hand touched my forehead, fingers gentle. “You all right?” Eli. Voice low and rough from exhaustion. “Please tell me you’re all right. Please, Dusty.”

I nodded.

He exhaled, his breath a caress against my face. He leaned over me and pulled me into his arms, his body a comforting weight against my own. I was alive. We both were.

Then he kissed me. His lips were impossibly soft against mine, and hot enough to warm my skin. The kiss was short but tender, filled with relief. Finally, a good dream, I thought before drifting back to sleep once more, still cradled in his arms.

25

Nightmare Investigations

Arkwell’s infirmary had never been so full. Or so Nurse Philpot kept saying every time she walked past my room. By some ironic twist of fate, I’d ended up in the same room they put me in the night Mr. Ankil died, giving me full view of the nurse’s station and ample opportunity to eavesdrop. Which I did—often.

I’d been stuck in here for two days, under constant observation even though most of my injuries from the showdown with the Red Warlock were already fading. I guessed maybe they were worried I would go insane or something after the ordeal. But I was doing okay. I’d survived, after all. That was something to be happy about.

My only visitor, besides Sheriff Brackenberry, who’d come to record my account of what happened, was Dr. Hendershaw. I was still sore at her for my toilet duty. She thanked me for my bravery and expressed the school’s gratitude and all of that. I asked her if this meant my detention was canceled, but she said it wasn’t. Yeah, there was gratitude for you.

I kept asking every nurse who stopped by for updates on Selene, Eli, and my mother. They reassured me they were fine and recovering quickly, but no one was willing to say when I would be allowed to see them. I wanted to desperately, if for different reasons. My memories after the fight with Marrow were fuzzy to say the least. I had no recollection of the police arriving, although I knew Culpepper was the one to fetch them. And I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten from the cavern to the infirmary, either.