Sleight of Hand: The Final Card

Chapter 28

As much as Aivilo had wanted to stay in Trebor's arms indefinitely, Hanna's cry was a reality check. It was now or never.

"Go, Tre!" she urged, pushing on his broad chest to get him to move. He seemed... preoccupied in his mind. He gazed at her with that longing that she'd seen in the past, and though she desperately wanted to know why he had suddenly started looking at her like that, she needed to focus. And she needed him to do this crucial part so she could complete her plan and stop Hali and finally free the Superhumans for good.

"Go now!" she said again, and Trebor snapped out of his trance. He turned wordlessly and disappeared into thin air, goading Hali into paying attention to him and not her. Aivilo was also sure that Hali was saving her for last so she could gloat all about how Aivilo had lost a second time.

Aivilo was not going to allow that to happen again.

She sprinted to the base of the knoll where the Mage laid still and unconscious. She pressed a finger to his fore­head, releasing a flicker of power, and he groaned. He opened his eyes, which were a deep brown. The sight surprised Aivilo. She'd only ever seen him with evil, glowing purple eyes. As a human, him and Tom shared even more of a resemblance as father and son.

As the Mage took in his environment and his eyes rested on Aivilo crouched in front of him, he inhaled sharply and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"You," he growled, his arms raising defensively. He probably thought she was going to exact revenge on him.

How ironically wrong he was.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"I want to make a deal with you," Aivilo said quietly, but not gently. Firmly. She had to be sure.

The Mage regarded her with confusion and interest.

"A deal?" he echoed. "What do you want from me?"

"I want Hali's card," Aivilo explained. "I know you still have it in your pocket. You never put it back with the others because you were afraid she would betray you. Which... still happened."

"How did you know she would?" the Mage inquired, his hand slipping unconsciously into the pocket that housed the last remaining Superhuman trading card.

"Observation," Aivilo replied simply. Before the Mage could interrogate her any further, she continued, "I'll make you a deal. A trade." She pinched her thumb and forefinger together, then pulled them apart. A small bead of golden power appeared between her fingers.

"If you give me Hali's card, I will give you this seed of my power."

The Mage scoffed. "You think that is enough to do anything?" he asked, though his eyes stared hungrily at the seed.

"Do you not know how seeds work?" she asked the Mage, cocking her head to the side. "When you plant a seed and you supply it with what it needs to grow, it grows. If I plant this seed in you, it will grow, because I will have given it the necessary things to flourish."

"And what is that?" the Mage asked.

Aivilo shrugged as if indifferent. "Power needs a host to grow in. Why do you think Superhuman power regen­erates after a while? It uses the energy we supply to replenish."

It wasn't entirely a lie, but Aivilo definitely left out some information. It was all part of her plan. And the Mage was taking the bait.

"So... I give you Hali's card, and you give me power?" the Mage verified.

Aivilo nodded. "It will be yours to control. But there is one condition. You will not be able to use this power to hurt other Superhumans, humans, or any other creature. You cannot use it to manipulate people or make them do things against their will. This power won't let you. You've always just wanted power, right? Hali is the usurper. So I'm giving you what you want."