Page 250 of The Edge of Darkness

Yes, it drew out the word.

How are you in The Veil?

I am not in The Veil. The Veil is simply a conduit. It is built with Old Magic. I happen to operate on a very similar plane.

I closed my eyes to rid myself of the overwhelming white nothingness so that I could concentrate.

The Aether’s presence pressed tighter around me. Tell me, what do you think the Ancients used to uphold their spells when they created this boundary of realms? What fortified their magic? What still does to this day? I am the ‘everywhere.’ The ‘in-between.’ There is power in my presence and what I am able to glean. You see it now, don’t you? See how foolish and naive, how greedy and false one must be to take such a power and put a leash on it? See how much folly comes from the lies of mere mortals?

Something warm dripped down my upper lip.

Blood.

I had lingered here too long.

Drip . . . Drip . . . Drip.

I wiped the blood away with the back of my wrist while trying to process the Aether’s riddles. There was an undertone of vengeance that laced its voice. As if it still harbored resentment for being bound against its will, and had no intent of hiding that fact.

Why are you telling me all of this? I asked.

Because the Wise One wants to release me, does he not?

The Wise One . . . Aremis . . .

He does . . . I confirmed.

The Aether made a low sound, like a hum . . . or a growl.

Did it want me to help? Or did it feel threatened by what Aremis planned to do?

How is it that the curse remained when the witch who bound you tried to release you? I asked.

Its voice dropped low, menacing. Death without unbinding. Ignorant and desperate was the one who tied me to her soul.

But she tried. She was willing⁠—

One’s will is like a sword. It can be wielded in the spirit of selflessness, or brandished with malicious intent—all flourish, and no follow-through.

I picked through the Aether’s words, processing their meaning. So the witch didn’t want to fully relinquish the power she’d been given . . . even when it was stripping away everything she was?

Mmm, weak of the mind and the spirit. How easily both are torn apart. All talk. No heart. The Aether spoke more to itself than to me, as if recalling the memory. Its wrath grew deeper with every word it spoke. Dark magic has a cost. It is a double-edged sword. Such is the unbinding. One must deliver the intent and take the mark. Wield one edge of the sword without the other, and you are doomed to fail. Thus, the curse survives, resurfacing again, and again, waiting to be broken.

And what is the key to breaking it?

Cut the tether, it whispered, and I will be free to unbind. It sounded so close now, like it was breathing the words into my ears. Now, go. Back the way you came.

I hesitated. Back the way I came? But Breck⁠—

Turn around, the Aether commanded.

I can’t, I said. I must meet someone in the human realm.

You trust too easily, Daughter of Karios. The one you seek will come to you.

More damned riddles that I didn’t have time to decipher.

Drip . . . Drip, drip . . .