Anne Bishop - Sebastian

The Dark Guides’ leader, trembling with delicious fear, had reached through the twilight of waking dreams to tell It they had found a way to lure the True Enemy into their grasp. They would destroy her to prove they were friends. And when she was eliminated, the Places of Light she had hidden would be revealed once more—and It would devour them.

Something shivered through It. Anticipation. Excitement. It wanted to be there when the Dark Guides destroyed her .

Moving swiftly, It headed for the closest access point that would take It back to the Landscapers’ School, where It could be sure of finding a way to reach the city in time to feel the True Enemy die.

Standing at the edge of Lee’s island, Glorianna studied the land in front of her. On her left was a road leading out of Wizard City. Ahead of her was the eastern side of the city. East of that…

Revulsion clogged her throat, her lungs. Made her heart heavy. She was still standing on the island, still, in a way, standing in Sanctuary. She shouldn’t have felt the Dark emanation coming from that field, not until she’d actually stepped into the wizards’ landscape.

The wizards would want to use that field for Heart’s Justice, would want her standing on that ground when she became the channel that would direct Ephemera for a specific purpose—to send someone to the landscape that resonated with that person’s heart.

Raising a hand, she waggled a finger. Lee immediately stepped up beside her.

“This will do,” Glorianna said softly. “But I need to go out there for a few minutes and connect with Ephemera in this landscape.”

“You’ll be seen,” Lee protested. “There’s a wagon and riders coming through the gate right now.”

“But they aren’t turning away from the road. They aren’t the wizards, just ordinary folk. I have to know what I can work with.”

“You’ve got all of Ephemera to work with,” he growled.

Do I? She shifted her feet, started to take the step that would bring her into the wizards’ landscape. Then she hesitated and turned to look at her brother. “Lee, there’s something you have to do once this starts. It will be hard, but you have to do it.”

“What?” he asked warily.

She looked toward the center of the island. She couldn’t see the other woman, who was sitting in the enclosure, but she could feel the resonance of that heart. “Don’t interfere with Lynnea’s journey.”

Startled, he, too, looked toward the center of the island. “What about Sebastian? Once you begin Heart’s Justice—”

“Don’t interfere with Lynnea’s journey.”

Lee stared at her, understanding better than anyone else could—because he understood her. “Have you told her Sebastian’s life is in her hands?”

“No. It has to be her choice. And it has to be his.”

Lee closed his eyes. “We could lose him.”

“I know.”

He opened his eyes and nodded.

“We’re about to start a war,” she whispered.

“Just make sure you win the first battle.”

Turning away, she stepped off the edge of Lee’s island—and almost cried out in dismay.

Thick currents of Dark power crisscrossed this entire landscape, but the Light…thin threads. Nothing more. Just enough to indicate the Light was sustaining—and was sustained by—some good hearts, just enough to keep the whole place from turning malignant. But not enough to provide any chance of change, of truly making the city a good place for people to live.

The Dark Guides and the Eater of the World abhorred the Light. So why hadn’t they snuffed out those currents of power completely?

The obvious answer: because they needed those currents of Light. Why?

That was something she would have to consider later. Now she had to travel lightly, be the channel for Heart’s Justice.

Ephemera, hear me. Listen to my heart.

As she began to resonate, opening herself to the hearts around her, she felt a flickering response nearby. Turning her head, she stared at the wagon and riders still coming down the road. Hearts yearning for the Light—and hearts yearning for a different kind of darkness.

Then she saw the carriages coming out of the gate and knew she had only a few minutes left to prepare.

“Lee,” she called softly. “Get Lynnea. It’s time.”

Ephemera, hear me. Listen to my heart. Today we give Heart’s Justice.

Feeling the world’s resistance, she resonated more strongly, attuning herself to the Light. Some hearts behind the city walls resonated in response to hers.

Those hearts don’t belong in this place.

She felt Ephemera slowly respond, becoming fluid to match her resonance, ready to manifest what she commanded. She felt the currents of Light grow stronger around her. As the Light filled her, she added her Dark resonance.

And felt some of the Dark currents of power already in this landscape break as the resonance of her heart began to take over this place.

That was something else to think about. But not here, not now.

While she watched the carriages that held the Wizards’ Council turn off the road and bump along the open land to the place where she waited, she thought of nothing but the terrifying power that was called Heart’s Justice.

A power she was about to unleash.

Dalton stared at the woman who came out of nowhere. His heart thundered in his chest. Was that Belladonna?

When she turned her head and looked in his direction, he felt as if his heart had just been stripped naked. Even when she looked away, he felt breathless…and shaken.

“Dalton?” his wife, Aldys, asked nervously. “Why did we stop?”

“Best be moving on, Cap’n,” Addison said. “Heart’s Justice. Not something you want the youngsters to see.”

“Why?” Aldys asked. “We’ve always been told it was a humane punishment. That no one got what wasn’t deserved.”

If there truly is any justice, the man Koltak tricked into coming here will be sent back to wherever he calls home, Dalton thought.

As he gathered up the reins, he saw two more people suddenly appear behind the woman.

Was the man a Bridge? Had they just crossed over from a different landscape? Was there time for him to ride out to where they waited and ask where the bridge crossed over?

“Cap’n.” A warning.

Dalton looked back and saw the carriages moving across the open land. Too late, he thought with regret, not sure if he was thinking about himself or the man who was riding in the closed prison wagon. Too late.

Something shimmered around his heart, as if considering the flavor of his feelings.

“Best be moving on, Cap’n,” Addison said.

But he couldn’t look away. He watched the carriages come to a halt, watched the Wizards’ Council descend to form a line facing the Landscaper, watched…Was that Koltak being helped out of that pony cart? It figured. The bastard would have shown up for this if he’d had to crawl all the way down from the Wizards’ Hall to get there.

The prison wagon moved farther on before it halted. One of the guards unlocked and opened the door. The man he’d helped Koltak capture stepped out of the wagon and moved away from the guards and wizards.

There was no escaping Heart’s Justice. Everyone knew that. You couldn’t run fast enough to escape the reach of a Landscaper focused on Heart’s Justice.

Still, he admired the man for standing tall and looking the Landscaper in the eyes.

And he wished, once again, that he’d made a different choice.

Lynnea twisted her fingers until they hurt. Something was wrong with Sebastian. Terribly wrong. His face seemed carved out of wood, and there was such emptiness in those beautiful green eyes. What had those wicked men done to him?