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Another necromancer.

Like me.

The words kept repeating over and over in my head:She’s like me. She’s like me. She’s like me…

I was so caught up in the impossibility of it that I didn’t realize, at first, how dangerously close the two separate sides were drawing to one another. Aleksander had unsheathed his sword. Zayn was staring in the direction of Elias’s remains; he seemed to be piecing together all that had happened, and now he looked as if he was considering aiding his cousin in whatever bloody murder Aleksander was planning.

And as horrified as I was by what had happened to Elias, I couldn’t let them attack this woman.

Not before I had a chance to truly speak with her.

I caught her attention the same way I had earlier; by calling upon the power channeled through my black-rose bracelet.

I threw a bit of my essence into her staff, this time, and it proved easier to possess an inanimate object than magic. I lifted my hand toward her, squeezed it into a fist, and I quickly felt the telltale pressure upon my palm—as if I was actually gripping the staff itself. With a twitch of my wrist, I had the weapon dipping backwards, sending her stumbling back with it.

This was already proving to be a useful new ability.

I again only managed a few seconds of control—but it was enough to frustrate her, to make her rethink her plans and ultimately put more space between herself and my group.

Aleksander cut his eyes toward me, clearly curious about this latest trick I’d pulled.

“Just another abhorrent, abysmal, deathly chaotic thing,” I said, echoing his words from back at the outpost.

I didn’t wait around for his retort, already jogging after the woman.

“Let’s talk for a moment,” I softly called to her, once we were out of earshot of the others. “Just between you and me, perhaps?”

“Why?”

I hardened my tone. “Because I can explain things to you. Give you more information about thatLight Beastyou’re so concerned about.”

She threw a skeptical look over her shoulder, but—after a wary glance at the hand I’d used to conduct her weapon mere moments ago—she allowed me to catch up to her.

We made our way toward a secluded hilltop, where our only company included two skinny, brittle-looking trees and a scattering of broken stones. Phantom ran ahead of us, sniffing and scouting out the area for threats.

Zayn started to follow us as we made our way up the slope, but I quickly doubled back and cut him off.

“She used very powerful magic a few minutes ago,” I told him, quietly. “We should tread carefully, I think—let me try and get on her good side.”

“You think you can manage that?”

“I managed to get onyours, didn’t I?”

He gave me a crooked grin. “Just…be careful,” he said, eyes lifting toward the woman. “No one who manages to live in this hell can be trusted. They aren’t natural beings. She may not even truly bealive.”

I thought about pointing out thatwewere both here in this hell, and very much alive. But I only nodded and asked him to keep his distance along with Aleksander.

The woman’s expression remained suspicious as I climbed the hill to her, her hands gripped fiercely around her staff even as I lifted my own in a gesture of peace.

“I won’t let them turn their weapons against you,” I told her, trying very hard to sound like someone who was actually incontrol of such things. “And I won’t use my own magic against you anymore, either. But in exchange, I have questions.”

Her mouth remained set in a hard, unflinching line, but she didn’t protest. I’dexpectedher to protest. Her silence was worse; I didn’t know where to start.

Phantom—who had curled up under one of the trees—lifted his head, sensing my discomfort, but I waved off his concern.

After I was quiet for too long, the woman spoke first, a sudden curiosity gleaming in her eyes that matched my own. “You controlled my shadows earlier. And then my staff.”

“Briefly.”