He stopped his chanting, but still it seemed to echo, until finally, there was silence.
The screams died down to low whimpers, before that too was silenced.
***
The pain had been unbearable, and for a moment, Maximilian wondered if Alexander had found out about his true plan for the druids. When he’d feared he would breathe his last, the pain had given away to…nothing. There was no pain, no aches, no stiff joints….
Slowly, he straightened to his full height, blinking fiercely. Alexander watched him stoically. Maximilian lifted a hand to his face and almost cried. Smooth, satin-soft skin. Lifting his other hand, he stared at them together. It had been a long time since he’d seen supple skin on his body. He was back. His immortality was restored.
Alexander had broken the curse.
“Finish it.”
At the sound of Alexander’s voice, Maximilian lifted his head. The druid looked tired, which he had been counting on. Holding a force field around them, and breaking a curse on an entire race of people, had to have drained him.
Maximilian nodded and looked around at the other grand wizards gathered. Most were touching their faces, staring at each other in awe. Immortality felt good. His eyes turned to Vivienne and he moved across to her, yanking her up, and simultaneously testing the range of his power. Telepathy had been something he’d lost as he aged, because it required a mental strength he did not have. While he had been able to communicate with his son, that had been the reach of his telepathic powers.
Remember, Vivienne. Recite the spell as was practiced or you will never see Evelyn again.
She narrowed her eyes, and he saw the anger sparking there. She’d heard him. He almost chuckled in glee. His full powers seemed restored. And soon he would be invincible.
Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the key for the chains that bound her.
If you so much as blink funnily….
He trailed off, waiting for her to nod. When she did, he slipped the key into the lock, and turned it. The chains fell away instantly, pooling at her feet.
Maximilian immediately took a quick step back.
“Go to your sister, Vivienne.” He spoke aloud, looking to Alexander.
Recite the spell you learned. That bit of information was funneled directly into her mind.
***
Alexander could feel himself weakening as Vivienne approached Cassie. It was taking too long. His people should have been resurrected by now, but Cronin had wanted a guarantee that he would break the curse, and he had…in a way. He did not trust the witch, and he would not do so until his people stood on the same grass as he, and he could touch them.
The sisters embraced and Alexander felt a burning begin in the base of his skull. Gods, he was growing weaker by the second. It was one thing to hold a force field for five minutes, but quite another to do so for fifteen, and break curses while simultaneously doing so.
“Do it now.” His voice came out as a deep rasp, and Cassie’s brows lifted briefly as she surveyed him.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe through the pain.
Cassie began chanting once more, and the voices of the grand wizards picked up with her. And then Vivienne added her voice to her twin’s and Alexander’s eyes flew open.
No! That was the wrong spell. That was a destruction spell, and this was a resurrection.
“Stop!” he hissed, opening his eyes, focusing on the druid. She was not needed to resurrect his people, but Cronin had pointed out that having Vivienne aid Cassie would hasten the process. He should have known Cronin would try something like this.
Vivienne did not stop. Cassie did, peering at her twin in confusion, but Vivienne continued, her voice strong, waves of darkness rolling off of her.
“No!”
“Viv, what are you doing?” That was from Cassie, who looked from Vivienne to an increasingly agitated Alexander.
She continued chanting, and with a fierce roar, Alexander dropped the force field around them and blasted her.
***
Conall had been waiting for an opening, and when it came, he was the first to charge through, his eyes set on Maximilian Cronin. The grand wizard had barely had time to process the fact that a raging Alexander was storming over to him before something tore into his shoulder painfully and he was forced to the ground. The attack was so quick he’d barely rolled over before he noticed the snapping jaws of the wolf lunging for his throat. Without a second to spare, he projected away, emerging at the other side of the circle. The grand wizards were all confused, unsure of what they were supposed to do.
Maximilian was about to give the order to kill Alexander and send the druids back to the hell from whence they came, when something gripped him and his entire body ran cold.