In the Land of Fae 2: Return to Ice ♔ (gxg)

20. spells and spirits

"I've come to claim what's mine."

Al immediately sprang to her feet and stood in front of Nyx, the fire returning to her eyes and wings as she stared menacingly at Mabuz and his sickening grin.

"Over my dead body," Al growled as Catori and Abitha came on either side of her. Caspian flew over and joined the wall of Fae guarding Nyx, widening out his wings and buffing his chest.

Mabuz looked between the four fae, his thick, black brows centering in confusion for a few moments before he suddenly burst out in despotic drawls of laughter.

"You think I want her?!" he exclaimed through chuckles, pointing at the weak girl who was still crouched to the ground behind the fae. Nyx knew she was too weak to be able to help if Mabuz were to try something, and the fact made her fingers tremble.

Stifling the rest of his laughter, Mabuz slid a hand through his greasy black hair and turned, pacing around the middle of the burning forest. The fae watched, curiously and suspiciously, as he neared what was left of Eira's body which was a few feet away from Praen's.

Crouching down, he examined her carefully, with some look of anticipation on his face. Then he raised his chin to look directly at Catori. "Thanks to the Fire Queen, I now have ownership over Eira's soul."

Catori's eyes widened, her lips parting as she gazed into Mabuz's demonic black eyes.

Caspian turned to his wife. "What does he mean?"

Lips trembling, Catori swallowed the hard lump forming in her throat. "Votum Mortis," she whispered, turning her misty brown eyes to Caspian and then to Alastair. "She sold her soul to him."

"What do we care if he has her soul?" Al asked impatiently, her hands aching to set Mabuz on fire.

"Because if a person has two souls, they have nearly infinite energy... They cannot die."

Right as Catori gave her brief explanation, Mabuz rose his hands over Eira. Catori watched in horror as the whites of his eyes turned to black, and suddenly a white fog began lifting out of Eira's charred, burned body. A look of pure ecstasy on his face, Mabuz slowly stood up, keeping his hands out as the white fog, glittering and transparent, lifted up with him. A windy sound filled the air as the fog, the manifestation of Eira's soul, followed Mabuz's rising hands high into the air.

More wind picked up, blowing the black tuffs of his hair as he gazed up into the soul hovering in the air, moving within itself with liveliness. Fortunately, he had arrived just before her soul was released from her body, and the joy was evident on his dark face.

Then, in multiple whispery voices, the words Votum Mortis left Mabuz's lips. Eira's soul began twirling around, forming a tornado-like shape. Wind howled loudly in everyone's ears, mimicking a scream as they watched the tail of Eira's soul inch slowly through the air towards Mabuz. Then, with a muffled scream from Mabuz's body, her soul lurched into Mabuz's nostrils. His mouth opened, and an appendage of the fog dived inside it. Mabuz's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his feet began lifting from the ground without his wings moving a muscle.

"Catori, stop him!" Abitha demanded, but Catori shook her head.

"It's the Vow of Death. Nothing can stop it," she whispered, horror reflecting in her eyes as Eira's soul continued sucking itself into Mabuz.

The dark spirit fae lifted higher and higher into the air as the fog transformed around him, concealing his body from their view. Catori gripped Caspian's arms fearfully until suddenly the fog disappeared, the rest of it sinking into Mabuz's mouth, and he landed elegantly on his feet and lowered his head to the ground.