Page 17 of Bound By Prophecy (Descendants)

“Anything,” I repeated. “Whatever he wants them to do.”

“He didn’t want them to die,” she said numbly.

“No, their goal was to get to us. Death was an unfortunate accident.”

She shifted slightly, reflecting on what I’d said. “Like a trance?”

“We call it sway.”

“And he can do it to anyone?”

I cautiously formed my answer. “All commonbloods can be swayed.”

Her eyes shifted to mine again, and then went slightly unfocused. She was silent for several minutes.

She said, “So they’re like zombies. Brainless zombies coming to kill us.”

Her description had me taken aback for moment, but I finally answered, leaving out that at the moment they only wanted to kill her, not me. “No. Definitely not brainless. They’re just under sway, under a direction they can’t stop heading toward until they’ve completed it. Their brains still function otherwise, they can use everything they already know to reach his goal.”

“Smart zombies,” she said.

I smiled wryly, conceded.

“And this Morgan, he can turn anyone with his sway, make them do what he wants.” She bit her lip. “An endless supply of smart zombies.”

The smile fell from my face.

“Well, I suppose it’s good to know what we’re up against,” she said.

I stared at her.

She nodded. “Yeah, well, my sister always makes me find the positive in any situation.”

She moved back against the wall and leaned her head and shoulder against me.

“And you called her Bri,” she murmured.