The Anima [completed]

33.

I knew I had no reason to cry, or to shy away from the concept of death. Either I killed her, or she would kill me and possibly everyone I loved. More than that, she could kill the Fae, just like The Anima, and she could kill humans in my own home. Alvar knew it, I knew it; there was no choice; I had to kill her.

"But how can I kill her? We know she has all the power of The Umbra and the ceremony will probably be the day after next."

"Leave that to me," Alvar squeezed my hand again and kissed my forehead, "We just need to figure out how she was planning on killing you and reverse it."

"So we trick her?"

"Essentially."

I laughed in spite of it.

"You might need to enlist Lucius then." I said, half joking.

"I'll speak to him in the morning. Whatever you did to him earlier, I don't doubt he will be bouncing off the walls for the rest of the night."

Alvar talked to me for the next hour about The First Plane and everything he knew about the Shadows. After a while, I drifted to sleep, his voice a peaceful lullaby.

My eyes narrowed at the elder as I examined him closely. I had yet to make up my mind about him. Claiming ignorance just wasn't a foreseeable option; this man was too talented and intelligent to not know about his queen's plan. If anything, he was in on the entire plan. It was my suspicion that he was the one tasked with tiring me out so I would be an easy kill. I wanted to pry, my tongue itching with half insults and baits that could catch him in a lie. But Alvar had told me to keep the elder distracted for a few hours while he navigated his way around the palace. I had managed to open a mental link with him, a part of my new abilities, so I could converse with him privately in my head.

"I need to get into Ly's room. She must have the weapon or spell or whatever she was going to use in there." His voice was soft but frantic in my mind and I struggled not to wince.

"Don't be stupid. If I can tell where she and everyone in this place is at all times, she sure as hell will know when you try to break into her room."

"Is there any way you can distract her then?"

I stared at the elder, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

"Yes. There might be a way. But I can't do anything about the wolf. Beast?" I pulled him into the link effortlessly. He stirred from his nap atop a high bolder a few miles away, "Can you keep the wolf busy?"

"Of course."I sensed his pride and could see he puffed up his chest on the rock and bound immediately into the air. Since I had told him of the danger, he had been awaiting my instructions. "For how long does it need to be occupied."

"Two hours, at most."I said and finally stepped into the clearing, pulling the elders attention away from the ground to my face.

"Is violence needed?"

I nearly laughed and I felt Alvar chuckle.

"No, Beast. Avoid it as much as you can. We don't want to cast suspicion before we know what my doppelgänger is planning on using. While I distract her, ill try to see if I can fish anything from her."

"So, you ready to try again?" The elder stepped closer and clapped his hands together.

I broke my mental link to focus my energy onto the task at hand.

"Of course." I nodded eagerly and rubbed my hands together, feigning excitement. "How can I do for longer this time, without nearly passing out?"

"Well, since Ly is so strong, making any type of connection will be draining, especially a mental one." I raised my eyebrow; perhaps this is how they wished to fatigue me, but I had to do it if I wanted her mind to be anywhere but on Alvar and his snooping. "So I advice that this time, you draw on the power of your creature."