Read Online Blood of Retribution by Bonnie Lamer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bonnie Lamer
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screech goes on and on.
He does finally, but not without comment. “You almost break my ribs and you tell me to stop?”
I roll my eyes. “I did not almost break your ribs.”
“Why do you need a conscience anyway? What’s wrong with yours?”
“It’s at war with all the darkness I’ve absorbed.”
The beast backs up. “Is it contagious?”
I shake my head. “You know, for an animal that has the word ‘devil’ in its name, you sure are cowardly.”
If it could stand up on its hind legs and put its paws on its hips, I’m pretty sure it would. “And you have the sense of a tsetse fly. You go off and act like an amateur and then do this whole ‘woe is me’ routine when the only one who can fix your problem is you. You act like you’re afraid of your own magic.”
That’s because I am. Sort of. “What if I just make it worse?”
“What if that dead tree behind you falls on top of you?”
I look over my shoulder with a frown. “What dead tree?”
The Tasmanian devil sighs deeply. “You are missing my point. You could list a thousand what if’s. Instead of wasting time worrying about what could happen, do something. Anything. Just as long as you quit whining about it like a little bitch.”
Wow. I think whoever made him for me got my personality mixed up with Adriel’s. She’s the only one who talks to me like that. But, he’s right. I do need to do something. “What’s your name?” I ask him.
He sighs again. “Is this another stall tactic?”
Yes. “No, I just want to call you something besides ‘hey you’.”
Puffing out his chest, he says, “My name is…” He pauses. “My name is impossible to say in your language.”
I guess that makes sense. “How about if I call you Taz?”
“Fine. Now, do something about this blasted spell so I can get back to my nap.”
My foot is itching to kick at him again, but I hold it back. Instead, I perch my butt on a tree stump to think things through. The answer lies somewhere in my brain, I just have to figure out where.
Taz shakes his head again. “While you try to get your brain cells to snap, I’m going back to the brush.” He turns and walks back to the little nest he had burrowed into before and curls up. Some help he is.
Or…maybe he is. Aren’t familiars supposed to be protectors of some sort? An idea is seeping through the darkness again, but it’s not clear yet. Okay, I need to think this through. It probably wouldn’t work for Taz to act like my conscience because the more darkness I absorb, the less likely he could do anything to stop me, so that was a stupid idea. But, familiars do a Witch’s bidding and protect her from outside forces, right? Meaning they’re like the front line soldiers who serve as cannon fodder. Okay, that was a little harsh, but the idea is taking root. What if I take myself out of the equation? Well, sort of out of the equation. I could pass the darkness through me into Taz. Since other people’s magic doesn’t affect him, he shouldn’t get hurt. I hope. I guess there’s only one way to find out.
Standing up, I close my eyes and let the spell come to me. It takes a little longer than I care for, but it eventually comes. Fighting off the darkness that wants to stay within me, I say my spell. “A gift given from the dark, I call upon you as tetrarch. From magic of old, a newly made soul, draw from me the mark of dark to light, light to dark, create with me a perfect arc. Absorb from me what should be mine, without pain or gain, my darkness shall be thine.”
“Is thine even a word?” Taz asks, narrowing his eyes in my direction.
I shrug. “Not sure, but it rhymed.” For some reason, spells have to rhyme. Don’t know why, they just do. “Come here, I want to see if it worked.”
Taz
He does finally, but not without comment. “You almost break my ribs and you tell me to stop?”
I roll my eyes. “I did not almost break your ribs.”
“Why do you need a conscience anyway? What’s wrong with yours?”
“It’s at war with all the darkness I’ve absorbed.”
The beast backs up. “Is it contagious?”
I shake my head. “You know, for an animal that has the word ‘devil’ in its name, you sure are cowardly.”
If it could stand up on its hind legs and put its paws on its hips, I’m pretty sure it would. “And you have the sense of a tsetse fly. You go off and act like an amateur and then do this whole ‘woe is me’ routine when the only one who can fix your problem is you. You act like you’re afraid of your own magic.”
That’s because I am. Sort of. “What if I just make it worse?”
“What if that dead tree behind you falls on top of you?”
I look over my shoulder with a frown. “What dead tree?”
The Tasmanian devil sighs deeply. “You are missing my point. You could list a thousand what if’s. Instead of wasting time worrying about what could happen, do something. Anything. Just as long as you quit whining about it like a little bitch.”
Wow. I think whoever made him for me got my personality mixed up with Adriel’s. She’s the only one who talks to me like that. But, he’s right. I do need to do something. “What’s your name?” I ask him.
He sighs again. “Is this another stall tactic?”
Yes. “No, I just want to call you something besides ‘hey you’.”
Puffing out his chest, he says, “My name is…” He pauses. “My name is impossible to say in your language.”
I guess that makes sense. “How about if I call you Taz?”
“Fine. Now, do something about this blasted spell so I can get back to my nap.”
My foot is itching to kick at him again, but I hold it back. Instead, I perch my butt on a tree stump to think things through. The answer lies somewhere in my brain, I just have to figure out where.
Taz shakes his head again. “While you try to get your brain cells to snap, I’m going back to the brush.” He turns and walks back to the little nest he had burrowed into before and curls up. Some help he is.
Or…maybe he is. Aren’t familiars supposed to be protectors of some sort? An idea is seeping through the darkness again, but it’s not clear yet. Okay, I need to think this through. It probably wouldn’t work for Taz to act like my conscience because the more darkness I absorb, the less likely he could do anything to stop me, so that was a stupid idea. But, familiars do a Witch’s bidding and protect her from outside forces, right? Meaning they’re like the front line soldiers who serve as cannon fodder. Okay, that was a little harsh, but the idea is taking root. What if I take myself out of the equation? Well, sort of out of the equation. I could pass the darkness through me into Taz. Since other people’s magic doesn’t affect him, he shouldn’t get hurt. I hope. I guess there’s only one way to find out.
Standing up, I close my eyes and let the spell come to me. It takes a little longer than I care for, but it eventually comes. Fighting off the darkness that wants to stay within me, I say my spell. “A gift given from the dark, I call upon you as tetrarch. From magic of old, a newly made soul, draw from me the mark of dark to light, light to dark, create with me a perfect arc. Absorb from me what should be mine, without pain or gain, my darkness shall be thine.”
“Is thine even a word?” Taz asks, narrowing his eyes in my direction.
I shrug. “Not sure, but it rhymed.” For some reason, spells have to rhyme. Don’t know why, they just do. “Come here, I want to see if it worked.”
Taz
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