Divided against Yourselves (Spell Weaver) by Bill Hiatt Read Free Book Online Page B

then I realized where he was going with the question. I thought I had patched him up pretty well after his awakening, but clearly there was something about his own earlier lives he wanted to be rid of. I don’t know how I missed it earlier. I could see it clearly enough in his eyes now.
    In sharp contrast to the way in which Morgan reacted to Nurse Florence’s questions, she smiled indulgently at Stan’s. “Removing the second casting, difficult as it is, is easier than removing both. The second does not…what is the word? ‘Stick’ I think…yes, stick quite as hard; it doesn’t dig into the soul in quite the same way. Two or three strong casters would probably be enough to remove the second. Removing both would require all the rulers of Annwn to work together, which they haven’t done for more than a thousand years, or you would need a smaller number of casters of such great power that their like has never been seen among men, nor even among faeries.”
    “And we are just supposed to trust you that this is so?” asked Nurse Florence in her most abrasive tone.
    “Once we are all bound by an appropriate tynged so that you cannot simply cut me out after I share my knowledge of the spell, you can test it for yourself.” Again, Morgan answered Nurse Florence’s question, but she directed the answer to me alone.
    “ Tynged or not, you and Tal have fundamentally different goals. You both want Carla out of her coma, but Tal wants the original Carla back at the end, and you want Alcina.”
    Mentally, I tried to silence Nurse Florence, but she ignored me. I had hoped to play dumb on this point and reinforce the strength of Carla’s persona without Morgan realizing what was happening until it was too late. Morgan might know the spell, but I knew how to deal with its aftermath. Now, with the conversation out in the open, I could easily lose the element of surprise. It was a good thing that wasn’t the only idea I had in mind…
    “Sneer at me as much as you want, Morgan,” continued Nurse Florence. “There is no way around that problem, and I suspect you know that perfectly well.”
    “Taliesin, remember I have been watching you,” said Morgan, not that I really needed or wanted to be reminded of that. “I know perfectly well what you want, and I certainly know what I want. I believe it is possible to separate Carla from Alcina and to transfer the essence of Alcina into another vessel. We can both have what we want.”
    By now Nurse Florence was sputtering with indignation. “You can’t be serious. No one can split Carla from Alcina, if they both really are in that body. They are different manifestations of the same soul. Are you claiming to be able to split a soul, Morgan? And even if you could, what would be the consequences? Would they both exist as maimed remnants, each conscious of her incompleteness, yet never able to reach completeness? And by vessel I assume you mean body . Where do you think you can get one of those? Who will you have to murder to do it?”
    Morgan remained silent, but if looks could kill, Nurse Florence would certainly be lying dead on the floor. Finally, Morgan turned back to me. “I would not propose something which I was not confident I could do. It will not be simple or easy. It may take months, perhaps even years, but at the end of the process, you will be reunited with Carla, and I will be reunited with my sister. Consider well what I have said. We will meet again…under more suitable circumstances.”
    By now I was well enough trained to feel the mystical energy building in the room and knew that Morgan was getting ready to slip into Annwn. Nurse Florence knew it too.
    “Tal, declare the negotiations ended now, before she leaves, and we might capture her! She’s too dangerous to be allowed to roam around at will!” thought Nurse Florence with almost headache-producing intensity.
    Yeah, no question there—it was dangerous to let Morgan roam around. If I declared