Rootbound

“Then come for me, if you dare.”

CHAPTER 7

ella lifted her hands, intent clear as the lines of power raced up her arms. I buried my spear into the ground at my feet.

“Lark, you don’t know if you have enough control, you can’t use your connection to the earth to fight and be sure you won’t topple the Rim.” Peta spoke low, but Bella heard.

“You would not fight me? Then you are the fool, aren’t you?”

Jaw tight, I reached for the connection to the earth, demanding it bend to me, weaving Spirit around it and boosting the power. The last time I’d faced someone who wore the emerald stone, I’d destroyed the Eyrie. I wouldn’t do that here. This was my family’s home and I didn’t want to kill Bella; I didn’t want to hurt her at all.

But I could not leave the emerald with her, that much was obvious. To save her, I was going to have to hurt her. I hardened myself against the grief that would stop me from doing what I must.

I pushed my power into the Spiral, solidifying the cracks Bella tried to exploit. We stood, facing one another as sweat dripped down our faces. She sought to pull the Spiral apart and I patched it together. Back and forth the Spiral groaned, the earth shuddering now and again. To any watching, they would see us in a standoff, but not understand.

I was the only one who could see the lines of power on another’s arms.

Peta paced in front of me. “Lark—”

“No, leave her to me,” I said through gritted teeth. It wasn’t that she was that much stronger than me, but Bella had control and practice with her abilities that I’d never had. I’d never been trained with either Earth or Spirit. I’d always just used sheer strength to overwhelm my enemies.

And for the first time in my life, that truly meant something. I couldn’t just overpower my sister. I would end up killing her, which I wasn’t willing to do—not even for Ash. Not even to save the world.

But the control it took to chase the destruction she tried to bring down on us was beyond me.

“Give up, half-breed,” she snapped, taking a step toward me.

I tapped deeper into Spirit, feeding it into my words. “The ring, Bella, give me the damn ring!”

She wavered, her eyes fogging long enough for me to hope that she would hand it over.

“NEVER!”

So much for that idea. Spirit flowed through me, tugging me in three different directions. I stumbled and went to one knee. The room shook and dust fell from the ceiling as I was pulled away from my connection to the earth, and Bella ripped at the Spiral without me as an obstacle. Those in the room stood, and a few cried out.

“You have to end this—now.” Peta ran across the room, and leapt onto the dining table, right in front of River.

Peta looked at me, then dipped her head to River. I knew what she wanted me to do, and I was loathe to even take that measure.

“And if it doesn’t work?”

Peta had no answer, and I knew she was right. The Rim trembled as Bella and I waged a war no one else realized was happening. I had maybe a minute left before I lost control of my power and it ran away with me. I could feel it slipping with each breath I took.

I stood and bolted across the room, leapt up on the table and landed on the other side behind River. “Trust me, niece.”

“What?”

I jerked her out of her seat, even as I wrapped my free arm around her neck. I scooped one of the dinner knives from the table and laid it across her throat.

“Your daughter’s life for the ring, Belladonna. Now.”

Bella’s jaw dropped, River drove an elbow back into me, and I pressed hard enough with the knife to draw a thin line of blood, stilling her.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Bella snapped. “I see it in your eyes, it is a ruse.”

“We have been apart a long time.” My voice was deadly soft. “Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think.” I took the knife from River’s neck and drove it into her thigh, twisting it, cutting through muscle and flesh.

River screamed and convulsed against me, and I whipped the knife back up to her throat. “The ring, Belladonna. Throw it to me.”

Bella stared, her eyes wide and glassy.

River sobbed. “Mother, please, give her the ring. Please don’t let her kill me.”

A tiny piece of me died knowing nothing would ever change River’s view of me after this. That I would be the one who haunted her nightmares for years.

Trembling, Bella shook her head. “I—”

I dug the rough, serrated edge into River’s collarbone.

“MOTHER!”

Bella cried out, ripped the ring from her hand and threw it across to me. I let River go and caught it in mid-air.

River fell to the floor. I could heal her, but I doubted she would let me touch her. Bella ran forward, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed her daughter’s name.

River clung to her, then pushed her away. “You would trade my life on a ring.”

“She would never have killed you, I—” Bella looked up and I saw my sister in her eyes. The sister I trusted. And so I told her the truth.

“If I had to, I would have.”

Bella blanched. “If you had to?”

River’s blue eyes were full of fury as they turned to me and for a moment I caught a glimpse of her father in her. I shuddered with that quick reminder of Requiem and the man he was, and answered honestly. “If you had not given me the ring, would you rather I tear the Rim apart and kill many, or kill one and in your grief make you weak enough to take the ring from you?”