Sebastian

time to go back to Sanctuary and get what rest we can."
    "Not yet." She thought about that shining warmth. "There's one more thing we need to do."
    The voices stopped whispering. Something had stirred up the wizards, distracting them enough to stop the torment.
    Sebastian opened his eyes and found himself on the floor in a fetal position, curled around the canteen with its last few swallows of water. Straightening his stiff limbs, he pushed himself up until he could sit with his back against the wall.
    His head still ached, but his mind felt clear for the first time since he'd crossed the bridge. Maybe even since Koltak had stumbled into the Den.
    He had the same powers as the other wizards. At least, some of their powers. Could he use them to open the door and escape? Maybe. But he didn't think he could get out of Wizard City and back across the bridge before they hunted him down, no matter what had stirred them up. And his power was raw.
    Not something he wanted to test against so many trained wizards.
    But there was a power he knew how to use—a power that might help people fight against the Eater of the World. But what landscapes could he reach from here? Who could he reach from here?
    Women. It would have to be women.
    He thought of Koltak crossing bridges in the waterhorses' landscape. Crossing over to places called Dunberry and Foggy Downs. Places he'd never heard of. Places that must be in another part of Ephemera—but were still connected to one of Glorianna's landscapes.
    There was no hope for him, but he might be able to help the people he loved. Glorianna needed friends, needed allies, need help in her fight against the Eater. Maybe he could give her some of those things. And by helping Glorianna, he could also save—
    He wouldn't think her name. Not here.
    He unfurled the power of the incubus until it filled him. Then he sent that power through the twilight of waking dreams, searching for hearts that would respond to him.
    He felt them, many of them, becoming aware of his intrusion, strong-willed hearts and minds that would shut him out in another moment.
    Listen to me , he said on the link that traveled through waking dreams. Please listen. The Eater of the World has come hack .
    Fear came back to him. Sharp, jagged.
    Then we are lost , some of the voices whispered. This time the Light will he devoured .
    No , he replied, putting all of his conviction into the thought. Heart's hope lies within Belladonna.
    Remember that. Heart's hope lies within Belladonna .
    He felt the scratching at the edges of his mind. Some of his tormentors had returned.
    He withdrew his links with those other hearts, pulling his power back into himself as fast as he could.
    Before the wizards were able to slip into his mind to discover what he had just done, he had the secret surrounded with all the strength he had left.
    All through the torturous night, while they whispered and whispered and whispered, he held on to the secret—and the shining warmth.
     

 

     
     

Chapter Twenty-five

 

     
     

     
    Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lee, Glorianna watched the sun ease its way toward the western horizon of Sanctuary. "It's almost time," Lee said.
    She nodded. "You're going to be in the eye of a storm. Can you hold your island above the wizards'
    landscape?"
    "I'll hold it. You just make sure you stay within reach of it. If the wizards keep their wits enough to unleash the lightning… You're not invulnerable, Glorianna."
    "I know. But once things are in motion, once Heart's Justice has begun, they won't dare try anything until the power is released. By the time they realize what I've done, it will be too late for them to attack me."
    "I hope you're right."
    So do I.
    She felt Lynnea approaching, causing ripples in Sanctuary's serenity. Fear and hope. Uncertainty and courage. The catalyst whose presence had brought change to the Den. Who had brought opportunities and choices.
    Now, in the face of what was to come, she hoped Lynnea could hold on to the fledging courage the young woman was still discovering lived inside her.
    She touched Lee's arm to alert him. Then they both turned and waited for Lynnea to reach them.
    "I'm going with you," Lynnea said, her voice a mixture of fear and defiance. "Sebastian needs me."
    Yes, he does , Glorianna thought. More than you realize .
    "Lynnea—" Lee began.
    "She can come with us," Glorianna said, cutting off her brother's well-meant discouragement.
    Teaser joined them, trailed