Raiya looked weak. She’d lost a fair amount of blood. Zoey was still floating in the air, unconscious. Sisha wanted to tear her limbs apart but the warlock stopped him. She wanted to know why the Sister had followed them and tried to kill her.

“How did you overcome her?” Raiya asked after I retrieved my strength.

“Honestly, I think I got lucky,” I answered.

“There’s no such thing,” Raiya retorted. “You can’t beat assimilation out of sheer dumb luck.”

I was about to say something when Raiya turned to look at her cat demon. From the expression she wore, Sisha must have delivered some bad news.

“Are you sure?” she said, frowning at the cat. I wasn’t included in their psionic conversation this time.

Raiya swore. It was the first time I heard her mutter such heinous words. “Tell him I’m coming,” she told the cat then turned to me.

The creases between her eyebrows got thicker. Her dilated pupils spoke of indecisiveness and… fear? She bit on her lower lip, hesitated to say something, cleared her throat then spoke.

“Myles, did you happen to know who the ghost was?”

I shook my head. I didn’t know why I did it. Eva begged me not to tell them her name. But I was under no obligation to respect her wish. I did it nonetheless. Raiya didn’t seem convinced by my lie though. She nodded at me anyway, looked nervously around then spoke again.

“I can’t let him probe you,” she said. “I can’t put you in artificial sleep either, he’d know it.”

“Who’s he?” I asked.

“Doesn’t matter now,” Raiya snapped. “I’m sorry Myles. I don’t have much time.”

I didn’t have enough time to react either. The moment she muttered those words, Raiya swung her fist and hit me behind the ear. I fell down, my eyes slowly closing. As I drifted between consciousness and slumber, I heard her last words. “If you wake up and he’s still here, don’t open your eyes. You hear me Myles? Don’t open them, don’t move, don’t twitch. Lay still and let me do the rest…”

I woke up later to the sound of a heated argument. I recognized the first voice as Raiya’s. The second one belonged to a man. They were speaking fast and in hushed voices. I strained my ears to eavesdrop on them. I did as the warlock said. I didn’t move, open my eyes or groan as a sharp pain seared through my brain. She’d hit me pretty hard to knock me unconscious.

“You can’t have him Theolonius,” Raiya said. “Do you know who he is?”

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me woman!” the man warned. “He’s a nobody, he happened to be possessed by a strong soul. A soul we desperately need.”

“We don’t even know who she was,” Raiya retorted.

“She’s managed to escape the Well long enough. That should tell you how strong she is,” the man said.

“But what if we’re wrong?” the warlock asked.

“That’s a problem we can easily solve,” the man said. “I’ll probe him and get the information out of him.”

“He’ll die in the process,” Raiya said.

“Doesn’t matter, he’ll just be another soul sacrificed for the greater good.”

“Theo,” Raiya said. I could tell she was close to begging the man from her wavering voice. “This boy is wanted by the Church. I barely wrenched him off Utar’s clutches.”

“You’ve grown weak Raiya!” the man retorted. “Are you telling me you struggled to take out a simple Priest?”

“No,” Raiya retorted. That must have hurt her feelings since her voice was louder this time. “But the simple Priest, as you put it, told me the crime this boy is accused of.”

“Pray tell me,” the man said, “of what heinous crime was he accused of? I’m sure he stole a goat from a farmer or gave an offering to some pagan god Dhobor doesn’t approve of.”

“He stole a Listener from Dhobor,” Raiya said.

Silence…

A long, uncomfortable and awkward silence ensued. The man didn’t speak. I could hear their breathing. I could even hear their hearts beating. I suddenly felt I could slightly picture them in front of me. Although faintly, a mental image of man and woman standing opposite each other formed.

“Don’t!” Eva told me. It was definitely her voice. Was she still inside me?

“Don’t extend your senses toward them,” she warned. “We’ll speak later, but lie still for now and don’t try to see what he looks like. He’ll know you’re awake.”

I tried to reply but I felt a slight nudge in my brain. “You’ve inherited some of my powers after our struggle. I’m not inside you anymore. We’ll speak later. Now shut it down before he senses it.”

I tried to think of something else.

“I think I felt something,” the man suddenly said, breaking the silence. “Are you sure he’s still unconscious?”

“We can’t risk probing him. That’ll kill him and we won’t be able to turn him over to the Church,” Raiya said.

What? Turn me over?

“How much time do you need?” the man asked.

“He might snap out of it today or, if worse comes to worst, in two days. If she didn’t assimilate him, I’ll be able to get a name out of him. I’ve earned his trust.”

“How much time?” the man urged.

“A week,” Raiya said.

“You have four days,” the man said. I heard footsteps approaching me. He was now standing in front of me. I could feel his eyes trained on me. I was tempted to open them, look at the man who wanted to turn me over to the Church. But a feeling of foreboding kept me from doing so.

“No matter what you do, I forbid you to let that ghost assimilate him. Sullivan is one thing, but suffering the wrath of the entire Church for a mere boy isn’t worth the trouble, not before the Holi Wars.”

Raiya didn’t answer.

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“Do you know this boy?” the man suddenly asked.

“I’ve helped him long ago,” Raiya answered. “It’s thanks to him that I got my hands on Archmage Grunwald’s grimoire.”

“The blessed boy,” the man mused. “I see why you’re attached to him.”

Raiya didn’t answer.

“What’s his name?” the man asked.

“Zedd Darkstar,” Raiya answered. Why would she lie about my name?

“Hmmm… This boy is indeed strange. He might have absorbed some of the Listener’s powers,” the man said. It suddenly grew warm near my face.

“Don’t touch him,” Raiya blurted out.

“Afraid I’d steal him from you? Time witch?” the man mockingly asked.

“I don’t go by that name anymore,” Raiya protested.

“Right,” the man answered. “Apologies, Sisha,” he was speaking the demon cat now. “Anyway, get me the ghost, and her bones,” the man spoke again. His tone had reverted to formality. “You can have the boy if you wish. But get this thing over with. I don’t want her in your hands longer than need be. Sullivan might find you.”

“As you command,” Raiya said.

The man stayed in the room for a moment before he turned and walked away, the echoing of his footsteps getting farther and farther away. Raiya came back a few minutes later.

“He’s awake,” I heard Sisha’s strange voice inside my head. “He’s heard the entire conversation. The interesting bits anyway.”

“So he has,” Raiya said.

I opened my eyes. There was no need to pretend anymore.

“Hand me over to the Church?” I said. I couldn’t contain the anger in my voice.

Raiya raised her hand to interrupt my upcoming tirade. “Before you jump to conclusions, I have no intention of handing you over. I had to get Theolonius to calm down. He would’ve probed you, just to get a name.”

“Probe?” I asked.

“He’d get into your thoughts and memories. He’ll search everything and he wouldn’t do it nicely either. You’d lose your mind in the process, and he’d simply execute you after that.”

“Who’s this Theolonius anyway?”

“The most powerful wizard in the eastern continent,” Raiya said. “He’s also the head of the Covenant. Every wizard, witch, warlock and mage has to answer to him. Nothing major can be done in this continent without his knowing.”

“Why did he come here?”

“Didn’t you hear us talking?” Raiya said, exasperated. “He wants her, and I wasn’t willing to hand her over, not yet anyway.”

I felt a nudge in my brain, as if someone was trying to speak to me. But her voice was faint and weak. “Don’t…” is all I could hear.

“She’s speaking to him,” Sisha said. Damn cat, can I have some privacy, please?

Raiya’s eyes widened. She walked toward me, helped me up and ruffled my hair. “You’ve done a great job today Myles. She’s there now,” she jerked her head toward the pile of bones inside the pentagram. “She can’t harm you anymore.”

“I still don’t understand why she tried to possess me,” I said.

“She didn’t try Myles,” Raiya retorted. “She succeeded. She was trying to assimilate you.”

“Take all my memories away, make my soul hers, is that it?” I asked. I remembered what Eva told me as I fought to keep my memories. I remembered her past and shuddered. She didn’t have it easy either.

“And you fought back,” Raiya said, beaming. “I know you saw her past. That’s the only way for you to reverse the process. But,” Raiya’s brows furrowed, “no matter what you saw, that doesn’t justify her actions. She was willing to take your soul. She was willing to take away everything you cared about. Do you know what happens when the assimilation is complete?”

I shook my head.

“Every memory will be wiped out. You’ll remain inside her, although just a shell. You’ll be obedient and you’ll helplessly watch her live the life you were supposed to have. It’s worse than death Myles.”

“My life right now is worse than death,” I retorted. Did she really think I’d be happy to hear that? “I keep escaping from deadly experiences, one after the other. I can’t seem to catch a breath.”

“Would you rather have a normal life?” Raiya asked.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” I retorted. “Have a family, a home to return to. Living on the run isn’t living. It’s surviving Raiya!”

“Well, get comfy kid, because it’s not getting any easier!” Raiya spoke as if she blamed me for something.

“What do you mean?” my eyes narrowed.

“You wouldn’t like it,” Raiya said.

“Try me!” I challenged.

“The kid’s made up his mind,” Sisha intervened. “Tell him, he might like the surprise.”

“Yeah,” I picked up. “What the cat said.”

“I have a plan, and it involves you. That man, Theolonius, wouldn’t give up until he’s got his hands on the bones.”

“How is that my problem?” I asked.

“She knows who you are,” Raiya said. “You must know who she is as well.”

“I don’t see where this is going,” I retorted.

“What’s the name I gave Theo when he asked me about your name?”

“Come to think of it, why did you lie?”

“We’re not discussing this yet,” she said. “I’ll need you to tell me about her first.”

Her? She means Eva?

“What’s that gotta do with anything?” I asked.

“Everything,” Raiya answered. “Do you think Theolonius would risk a war against Sullivan over a pile of bones?”

“War? What do you mean war?”

“Sullivan’s after you Myles, Utar reported that he’d failed to capture you. He’d also reported that a pile of bones was missing from Jory’s study. The pile of bones, according to my sources, was entrusted to the smith for safekeeping, before you and Eli stole it anyway. Sullivan had given them to Jory himself. Why do you think Jory had so much influence?”

“Sullivan…” I faintly muttered. “Pontiff Sullivan’s after me?”

“Aha!” Raiya exclaimed. “So you know who Sullivan is!”

“Of course I do. I’ve been chased by the Church for ages. I’ve grown to learn a lot about them,” I lied.

“No Myles, you could have learned many things but the name Sullivan isn’t one of them.”

My eyes narrowed. What was she getting at? I didn’t say a thing though. I’d lied and I’d made a poor job of it. I wasn’t willing to dig a deeper grave. I raised my eyebrows, urging the warlock to explain.

“Sullivan, like Theolonius, is the leader of a powerful organization. Both don’t want the publicity. They’d disappeared from the spotlight some hundreds of years ago,” Raiya explained.

A hundred years was a long time, but some hundred years? Was this witch (or warlock, whatever) playing with me? Can there be such people?

“You’ve seen his face, haven’t you?” Raiya said, waking me up from my stupor.

I nodded.

“Then you’re in deeper trouble,” Sisha was the one to speak this time. “Both Sullivan and Theolonius are after each other. If the bone is who we think she is. Theolonius will use her to expose the Pontiff.”

“We’re in great danger Myles,” Raiya said.

“You’re in danger?” I scoffed. “You’re a demon, and she’s a warlock. You can teleport, go anywhere you like!”

Raiya crossed her arms and looked at me, frowning, her left foot tapping on the floor.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Wut?”

“What’s your name?” she repeated. She was dead serious.

“Myles Stalwart,” I answered.

“No,” Raiya retorted. “From now on, your name is Zedd Darkstar.”

“Why?” I asked.

“What do you know, or remember, of your father’s family?”

“Nothing,” I said. “I’ve lost my memory remember?”

“You seem to remember your family name, though,” Raiya retorted.

“What does that have to do with anything?” How many times must I repeat this question today?

“Your father was banished from the family for marrying a thief. His name, as well as his kids’, was burned off the family tree after he partnered with a foul beast to save your mother’s life. And after all his sacrifices, your mother got sick again.

“I managed to help her on her feet. But I couldn’t save your father. He was a broken man, a shell without a soul. You may be able to remember it all one day. But let me tell you this Darkstar,” she put a great emphasis on this last one, “that man who came to visit us today felt it. If he gets back here once more and finds you in this house. I’m sure he’ll know. And that would only mean one thing for you: Death.”

“Why would a stranger want me dead?” I asked. “I mean beside the whole wanted by the Church thing.”

I had a bad feeling about this. My stomach lurched even before Raiya spoke. My knees felt weak and my eyes watered. I knew what she was about to say and I couldn’t stop her. I didn’t want to stop her. That man… I knew him… well… part of me recognized him. I’m sure the same happened to him as well. But he must’ve decided to ignore it.

“That man,” Raiya said. “The head of the Covenant and the most powerful wizard in the world is Theolonius, Theolonius Stalwart, the father who banished his son, the grandfather who vowed to wipe the dirty bloodline from its root. Your name is Zedd Darkstar. I’ll help you disappear today. Tell him I handed you over to the Church.”

“He’d know if you do that,” I said.

“He knows you’re wanted. He just doesn’t know who you really are. What’s a commoner by the last name Darkstar to the great and ancient Theolonius Stalwart? He won’t pursue the matter.”

“What do I do then?” I asked.

“I have a friend at the Church. I’ll hand you over to him. He’ll help you disappear from both the Church and Covenant.”

“What about her?” I glanced at the bones of Eva.

“I have to hand her to him,” Raiya said. “I wish I could keep her and run some experiments. But the old geezer wouldn’t have it. She’s a powerful tool to be used in a devastating war.”

“Can’t I take her with me?”

“Theolonius will kill me then come looking for you. I can’t do that.”

“When do I leave?” I asked. “I’ll make some preparations,” Raiya answered. “You have two days. Get some rest. You’ll need all the energy you can muster.”