“Have you ever heard of Rumigul?” the voice asked Julie.

“Yes, the ancient magic—one about which most only speculate, one that corrupts.”

“Corruption,” said the voice, intrigued by her banausic knowledge of the arts, “is in the mind of the beholder, and in the eyes of all who are too foolish to realize that power—true power—can save. As far as being ancient, all magic is ancient, as history clearly states.”

“Your logic would seem sound, but I do not trust what I cannot see. Who are you?”

“I was once a pupil like you,” he said, his voice lightening for a moment. Julie detected a sly smile in his voice. “Young, foolish, naive, until I learned Rumigul and beyond. I discovered its secrets, the true power, and nature of magic.”

“That sounds like corruption to me.” Julie clipped. “My education is limited, but I’m pretty sure that’s what it is.”

“To understand the possessed depths, one must view all aspects; not just the arbitrary force-fed axiom through the Ages. Magic is old, older than we are. It is ever-changing and ever-evolving, and so, therefore, we must evolve and change as well,” he said mysteriously. “Corruption stems from Derengi, something I cannot do. Derengi is akin to the powers of the Lord of the Underworld. There are similarities between the two.”

“If you have something to teach me about magic, then I am listening, but,” she emphasized the word, “you haven’t told me anything solid yet. I still don’t know who you are.”

“Very well, I will tell you if you are willing to listen. My name is Rusem Geim. I was once lord of the lands south of the Melodic Mountains, King of the Stratu’Geim domain.”

Not likely, she thought, rolling her eyes. “What happened?”

“I died.”

“A lot of people die here,” said Julie quietly, thinking back to the vision of Judas in the battle in some far off town.

He lies! the voice in her head screamed. They all lie, they want you for their end purposes, just like Judas did.

Shut up! she told the voice.

“Yes, many people do, most of the time without cause.”

“I didn’t realize you had to die for a cause,” Julie voiced solemnly. Her eyes flickered to the floor, catching a glimpse of Ava. “What did you do to Ava?”

“I put her to sleep. This way we can talk without having to worry about being overheard and interrupted.”

“Is she hurt?”

“That would not bode well for trust, wouldn’t you agree?”

Julie mulled over his words, finding truth in them. “What is so important that she can’t be awake to hear?”

“From my past, I have never been able to trust fairies. They are conniving pests and only look out for themselves, never trusting anyone. There are many things I could teach you, but I will impart one thing now that will serve you best. Think of it as an offer, a promise of more to come. This way, you will know who is lying to you, and you can find out why.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she doubted.

“Hold on to your beliefs, but with this new technique, you can be sure. Let me enlighten you,” Rusem pleaded.

“Alright,” Julie said warily. “You may teach me this, and if it serves me well, perhaps I shall return and learn more.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“You won’t regret it,” he promised.

From the center of the pedestal, the sixth carving, a murky, white light arched out of the opening, streaming into Julie’s eyes. She could feel the tingling sensation dance throughout her skull, coming in waves. Comparative to the book, it barely registered, more like a gentle caress. A warning went off in her mind.

She cautioned herself, Knowledge shouldn’t be easy, but achieved through the process of education and dedication.

It was too easy. Perhaps she was accustomed to the struggle under Judas’s tutelage. Somewhere, in the back of her consciousness, she knew that was wrong, both the struggle and easily acquired knowledge. War raged within her. The enlightenment showed her how to bend circumstances, mold them to her will if she chose.

Dominating someone to do what I want could be a good thing, the voice conceded.

It’s wrong to possess anyone’s mind or soul, no matter how dire the situation is!

Not even to save a life, to preserve it?

No, no life is worth the conquering of a mind.

Not even Judas’ss? Lily’s?

She answered with silence. The inner battle shifted, and she lost her moral ground. Julie would do anything to save Lily’s life. Feasibly Judas’ss, too. The voice sank its claws deep, taking root, dampening her conscience. She knew it would be the right thing, to save Judas and Lily, Kam, too.

She could wield abilities to end Xilor, but still, the conflict remained. She hadn’t lost herself, not yet, but she was close. Julie stood on a precipice, not wanting to fall into the breech, but the fortitude to continue her fight abated.

A part of her admired the man who brought her into this magical world; the other half detested him for the Corridor and Mr. Pleasure. That place was a turning point for her, changed her, altered their relationship. She tried to understand his logic and couldn’t. Turbulent anger flowed in her.

The light stopped, sudden, abrupt.

A man stood before her. He was older than she expected, his voice youthful.

Attractive, Julie smiled to herself.

An aura radiated about him, and his eyes reminded her of Judas, wise beyond his years. Her amber gaze scrutinized him from head to toe. He was a little taller than her, not by much, a whole head and then some shorter than Kam. The lust stirred within her, her insides burning with fire, strong, but not as much as with Lily and Kam. She clamped down introspectively.

Am I attracted to him or his aura?

“This,” the man said, “is what I looked like before I died.” If he noticed her lust, he didn’t give any indication.

Is it hot in here? “Pity you’re dead,” Julie demurred.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t come back and see me again.” He stepped closer, the lust growing stronger, and held out his hand. Julie opened hers to receive him.

Shades of the Underworld, where is Lily when I need her?

Instead, he dropped something into her palm. A ring.

Fuck! she mentally screamed. What a huge disappointment.

“This is a teleport ring. It will bring you straight here to this temple. No need to go through the gatekeeper anymore. Whenever you decide that you’re ready, you can return.”

Her eyes swam, but as his image faded, so too, did the magelust.

Ava stirred. “My apologies, mistress. I am ashamed for falling asleep.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Julie assured her. “It was not your fault.”

“How long was I out?”

“No more than ten minutes,” Julie lied. She had no clue how long they were inside the temple. “Come, Ava, we’re leaving.”

Together, they stepped into the void and out the other side.

“Back already?” the unicorn asked.

“What do you mean?” Ava pondered.

“You just went in. I swear to you, I have yet to take my eyes off the portal, and you reemerged.”

A sense of unease rippled through Julie, and she glanced back with uncertainty, letting her gaze linger for a moment. “We’re done,” Julie intoned, finding her voice. “There wasn’t much to see.”

“Follow me,” the unicorn offered.

They returned to the gate in silence, Julie letting her mind drift to what transpired. They had been in there for at least ten minutes, she was sure of it, yet only seconds passed for the unicorn. She mulled over her recollection, fumbling with the ring that Rusem Geim had given her. She wanted to test her prowess of mind-probing; the more she practiced, the less likely it would be detectable. When she grasped the ability, commanded it, she would turn her thoughts and will toward other talents. They would serve her needs, a collection, an arsenal at her disposal. And when the time was right, she’d confront Xilor and bring an end to his reign.

By any means necessary.