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“For the first time in my life, I see everything clearly, and I stand against you.”

“You lack the strength to stand against me. You have no vision, no discipline… you are no son of mine.”

“Then I have no reason to give you this, do I?”

“You’re going to hand it over… otherwise you, the bitch, and her little brother are all going to die in this room.”

Lucien shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because we’re in the Ether,” I said, stepping up beside Lucien. “And this is my world.”

With my hands by my side, my palms splayed, I sent ripples of my own power coursing through me. The Ether itself shuddered, the air shimmering and shaking around my hands. Mason’s eyes lowered, then flashed red. Carla opened the box she held in her hands and removed the crown from where it was sitting. I hadn’t seen it before now, and I had to admit, it gave me pause.

It was silver and black, and at first glance, it looked like it was made of thorny vines. But they weren’t vines, they were snakes with spindly backs, and these metallic snakes were moving. Carla was about to hand the crown over to Mason, when Lucien made his move. He held the Infernal Engine up above his head and stared at his father.

“Put that thing on,” he said, “And I’ll smash this.”

“Do you really think you can destroy the engine by hurling it into the ground?” He laughed, and he took the crown from Carla’s hands and placed it on his head. “Stronger men than you have tried to destroy the engine, all of them have failed. Why do you think the dead Ethera decided to keep it in this vault?”

“You’re lying.”

“Go ahead,” Mason said, cracking his neck. His eyes suddenly burned red, and when he spoke again, his voice was deep, and guttural—not at all the voice of a man, but something worse. Something foul. Something ancient. “Try.”

Lucien had lost some of his conviction. I could feel it in his hesitation. I shot a look over to Max. “Hide!” I yelled.

Carla took that moment to shoot her hands toward me and fire off a blast of crimson light; the same crimson light she had used the night of my parents’ murder. I brought one of my hands up and conjured a shield of ephemeral energy, surrounding myself with the stuff of the Ether. When Carla’s magic struck me, it was immediately absorbed by my shield.

“Hide!” I screamed at Max again.

Max didn’t question me. He turned around and moved behind the largest cabinet, the one containing the Codex Magica. Lucien lowered the infernal engine and stared at his father. With a thought, he willed an ethereal crimson cloak into being, a cloak that looked like it was made of pure magic.

“I’m going to give you one chance to back down,” Lucien said. “Turn around, leave us alone, and no one needs to get hurt.”

“You must not know me very well. Even if you somehow managed to get past us and leave, there is no stone on this earth I won’t turn over until I’ve found you and that engine. And when I find you, I’m going to use it to summon a whole host of demons to pick the flesh from your bones while she watches.”

Lucien nodded. “I had a feeling you’d say something like that,” he said. “You’ll have to come and take it,” he added, summoning a glowing red dagger into his hand.

Mason grinned. I could tell he was enjoying this. At his command, a crimson cloak of his own draped itself across Mason’s shoulders. When he moved toward his son, the cloak billowed around him until it fell into place at his back. In his hand was a sword, also made of crimson smoke.

“Lucien!” I yelled.

“Keep her busy,” he said, “I’ve got this.”

“The hell you do,” Mason snarled, and he hurled a bolt of crimson light at his son.

Lucien pulled his dagger up to block the bolt, absorbing the power instead of deflecting it. The two of them looked like they were about to get into a fight, but I couldn’t worry about him. I had to worry about Carla, who was making a run toward me with what looked like a whip in one hand.

She pulled her whip back and cracked it toward me. It slammed against my shield, making it shimmer and stutter. Another hit like that, and I would lose it… but I had just told them this was my world, and I had meant it.

I felt a connection to this place; I was stronger in here, my magic more potent.

As Carla reared up for another strike, I let my magic bleed out into the world around me. I sensed my connection to the Ether bloom and strengthen. I’d seen my father do this once, many years ago, but I’d never thought I would one day be strong enough to attempt it myself.

With barely more than a thought, three ethereal figures came into being. They looked like ancient knights clad in full-plate armor, wielding a sword and shield each. They quickly swooped in front of me, placing themselves between Carla and myself.

“Cute trick,” she hissed, “But illusions won’t help.”