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“It’s near its breaking point. Can’t you see?” Gen pointed at the crack in its center. “That was barely a scratch the last time I saw it.”

Shiori used it against the Dragon King, said Kiki. Nearly killed them both.

“Tragic,” said Gen under his breath. “It won’t have the strength to seal Bandur in the mountains. Not that you could have pulled it off, anyway. He’d have dragged you inside to feed his demon brethren the moment you got close.” He smirked. “Unless your loyal subjects killed you first.”

I grimaced. “Not everyone hates me.”

“Most do,” said Gen. The boy didn’t mince words. “Enchantress Heedi used to say humans are their own worst enemies. I’m beginning to understand what she meant.”

“What did she mean?”

“That humans are weak-minded, fickle fools. Take your priestesses of the Holy Mountains. For generations, they’ve been shunned as zealous heretics. But they’re heroes of the people now that you’ve become the greater enemy.”

“Fear unites the most disparate of foes,” Takkan murmured in agreement.

I frowned. “Are you saying I should worry more about the villagers than the demons?”

“Depends on the demon,” replied Gen. “Most are dangerous but predictable. They’re like wild beasts, only with magic. With the proper protections—magical protections, which don’t exist in your country anymore—most harm can be prevented.”

“What about a demon like Bandur?” I asked.

“Bandur belongs to a different class of demon,” Gen replied darkly. “The most dangerous, most powerful class—able to steal one’s soul with a touch, to slip into your mind and possess your thoughts, to ensorcell other demons into their command. Bandur chose Kiata precisely because he knows your people are unprepared against magic. Now he leads an army of demons who have been lusting after freedom for a thousand years. If he releases them, he will be an unstoppable force.”

“Then I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” I said. My mind was spinning, cobbling together a plan out of the puzzle pieces Gen had presented. “I’ll lure Bandur out of Kiata.”

“Where would you take him?” Takkan asked.

I hesitated, knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer. “The Forgotten Isles of Lapzur,” I replied. “I have to go there anyway to find the Wraith. I was thinking that he’s Lapzur’s guardian…and if we can’t trap Bandur on Kiata, maybe we can try Lapzur. It’s an island hardly anyone knows of, far away from every place else. We can trap him there, with the Wraith’s help.”

Takkan’s voice was tight. “You don’t even know this Wraith, Shiori. He could be worse than Bandur.”

“Then we’ll use his pearl as leverage. We’ll make him help us.”

Takkan looked only half convinced. “Gen, what do you think?”

The young sorcerer had been quiet, and he poked at the dirt with a long, twisted branch before answering. “I think it’s the craziest idea I’ve ever heard. But…if you don’t get killed first, it just might work.” The branch suddenly snapped. “So long as you get Bandur’s amulet.”

“His amulet?” I repeated.

“All former enchanters—like Bandur—have one. It’s their weakness. You might even call it their heart. You can’t lure him out of Kiata without it.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because the amulet’s the source of his power and the anchor for his physical body. Where it goes, so goes he.”

I remembered how Bandur had come to me in the palace, writhing in shadow and smoke and borrowing Qinnia’s body in place of his own. Gen was right. “So you’re saying he’s trapped.”

“His amulet is trapped,” Gen corrected. “It’s lodged within the Holy Mountains, which in turn binds Bandur.”

“What happens if we have it?” Takkan asked. “Would it allow us to control him?”

“It’d help subdue him,” said Gen carefully. “To an extent. What you should be asking is how to extract the amulet. Taking it away from the mountains will come at a cost, one that isn’t sustainable for long.” He didn’t elaborate. “Eventually, you’ll have to return it.”

“Or bind him somewhere else,” I said, going back to my original idea. “Like Lapzur.”

“It would take enormous power to do that,” said Gen. “But perhaps the Wraith can, with his pearl.”

“We have our plan, then,” I said, letting out a giddy breath. “Or at least a start. Gen, I guess you do deserve a room in the palace.”