“That can’t be the only reason. I mean . . . it’s the Phantasm.”
TC nodded. “You’re right. Rumor amid the planes was that the first Phantasm knew its life was coming to an end—one of its First Borns possessed the gift of prophecy—and so it supposedly gave the Last First Born the key to their creation. The secret of how to create creatures with free will.”
“I thought there wasn’t any such thing as free will—that it was destiny and fate. Or that’s what my Mom’s always saying.”
“That’s what the Ethereals would want the worlds to believe. If you set up a play and tell the players they have to act out that same performance every night or die—then there’s no variation. Nothing to worry about. And they can sing and laugh and be merry in their little kingdom. But if you introduce creatures with free will—”
“It upsets the status quo,” I said. I thought I’d almost gotten what he was saying. “This new Phantasm wanted this secret, didn’t it?”
“Yes. And so it ravaged the mind of every First Born it killed to find it, to find the Last First Born.”
“Go on.”
TC shook his head. “The cowards learned how to hide. They buried themselves so deep inside of human bodies, merging together with their souls. They created a new race of beings. Revenants. Once inside, they were hard to find. It was rumored the surviving thirty or so had done this to themselves. So the Phantasm disobeyed the covenants between the planes and created a spell that would eradicate the First Borns—the Revenants—burn their existence into ash within those human bodies. It was this disobedience, the creation of this spell, that started the whole border patrol.” He smirked at me. “The Irins were born to prevent the Phantasm’s armies from overrunning the other planes while hunting down these Revenants.”
Uh-huh.
“The new Phantasm managed to destroy a handful before the spell was stolen and hidden away.”
Wait. What? I shook my head. “Someone stole the spell? How can you steal a spell. Didn’t he like commit it to memory?”
“You can’t memorize these things,” TC said. “Safety catch or something. Ever wondered why witches and sorcerers write it all down in books? Or even why that Grimoire exists? Because you can’t memorize it. The Phantasm wrote it down and gave it to his own army of Symbionts—and it was returned every day in order to guard its safety. But—somehow it was stolen.”
Weird.
“The Revenants, unfortunately, weren’t able to keep their existence secret for long. Their very essence prevented them from remaining invisible to the eyes of the Ethereals, who also believed them to be abominations. So they discovered they could mask themselves by drinking blood in order to keep themselves human.” He made a face.
“You actually look disgusted.”
“I am. I like overshadowing physical beings—but not fusing with them. It’s disgusting. But it diluted their power. Diminished them. The Phantasm forgot about them as they disappeared, no longer a threat. But now . . .” He growled, and I pursed my lips. “But now it looks as if something’s found that spell—and they’re using it.”
“On these Revenants?”
He didn’t answer. I moved forward, my hands crossed over my chest. “What about this has got you spooked?”
Archer snorted. “You don’t get it, do you? How spells work.”
No.
“The creator of a spell is as vulnerable to it as the one it’s intended for.” A creepy, slow grin cracked his face. “It means there’s a weapon out there—to kill the Phantasm with. And I intend on finding it.”
8
WELL , this was just all kinds of phucking phantastic.
I eyed TC, still unsure if I should trust a damn thing he said. Honestly—he was making the hairs on my arms rise. It all sounded like a lie—but not the kind he’d make up on the spot. More like a lie he’d been told and committed to memory.
And it raised my hackles.
Mental note: what
TC nodded. “You’re right. Rumor amid the planes was that the first Phantasm knew its life was coming to an end—one of its First Borns possessed the gift of prophecy—and so it supposedly gave the Last First Born the key to their creation. The secret of how to create creatures with free will.”
“I thought there wasn’t any such thing as free will—that it was destiny and fate. Or that’s what my Mom’s always saying.”
“That’s what the Ethereals would want the worlds to believe. If you set up a play and tell the players they have to act out that same performance every night or die—then there’s no variation. Nothing to worry about. And they can sing and laugh and be merry in their little kingdom. But if you introduce creatures with free will—”
“It upsets the status quo,” I said. I thought I’d almost gotten what he was saying. “This new Phantasm wanted this secret, didn’t it?”
“Yes. And so it ravaged the mind of every First Born it killed to find it, to find the Last First Born.”
“Go on.”
TC shook his head. “The cowards learned how to hide. They buried themselves so deep inside of human bodies, merging together with their souls. They created a new race of beings. Revenants. Once inside, they were hard to find. It was rumored the surviving thirty or so had done this to themselves. So the Phantasm disobeyed the covenants between the planes and created a spell that would eradicate the First Borns—the Revenants—burn their existence into ash within those human bodies. It was this disobedience, the creation of this spell, that started the whole border patrol.” He smirked at me. “The Irins were born to prevent the Phantasm’s armies from overrunning the other planes while hunting down these Revenants.”
Uh-huh.
“The new Phantasm managed to destroy a handful before the spell was stolen and hidden away.”
Wait. What? I shook my head. “Someone stole the spell? How can you steal a spell. Didn’t he like commit it to memory?”
“You can’t memorize these things,” TC said. “Safety catch or something. Ever wondered why witches and sorcerers write it all down in books? Or even why that Grimoire exists? Because you can’t memorize it. The Phantasm wrote it down and gave it to his own army of Symbionts—and it was returned every day in order to guard its safety. But—somehow it was stolen.”
Weird.
“The Revenants, unfortunately, weren’t able to keep their existence secret for long. Their very essence prevented them from remaining invisible to the eyes of the Ethereals, who also believed them to be abominations. So they discovered they could mask themselves by drinking blood in order to keep themselves human.” He made a face.
“You actually look disgusted.”
“I am. I like overshadowing physical beings—but not fusing with them. It’s disgusting. But it diluted their power. Diminished them. The Phantasm forgot about them as they disappeared, no longer a threat. But now . . .” He growled, and I pursed my lips. “But now it looks as if something’s found that spell—and they’re using it.”
“On these Revenants?”
He didn’t answer. I moved forward, my hands crossed over my chest. “What about this has got you spooked?”
Archer snorted. “You don’t get it, do you? How spells work.”
No.
“The creator of a spell is as vulnerable to it as the one it’s intended for.” A creepy, slow grin cracked his face. “It means there’s a weapon out there—to kill the Phantasm with. And I intend on finding it.”
8
WELL , this was just all kinds of phucking phantastic.
I eyed TC, still unsure if I should trust a damn thing he said. Honestly—he was making the hairs on my arms rise. It all sounded like a lie—but not the kind he’d make up on the spot. More like a lie he’d been told and committed to memory.
And it raised my hackles.
Mental note: what
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