The Right Side of History (Schooled In Magic Book 22) by Christopher Nuttall (top ebook reader txt) 📗

and the others distracted. I never expected you to win the war outright. Or to show them how to devise batteries of their own.”

“The necromancers are no longer a threat,” Emily said. She looked past him, at the nexus point. “You don’t have to do this...”

“I wish that were true,” Void said. “There was a week or two of celebration, when it dawned on the world that the necromancers were broken, and then they started plotting against each other again. Kingdoms raising old grudges, manufacturing excuses for war; commoners rebelling against their masters; magical isolationists and supremacists battling for power in the magical world. A handful of the smarter ones started putting together plans for a conference to sort out the post-war crisis, but I knew it wasn’t going to work. There were just too many old grudges, all frozen during the war.

“And they were afraid of you.”

He let out a breath. “They always were, but they couldn’t move against you as long as they needed you. The moment you became dispensable, they tried to dispose of you. They drummed up a set of charges and tried to rush a conviction, just because they feared what you could do. And they nearly triggered the war ahead of time.”

“Ahead of time,” Emily repeated. “You meant to trigger the war.”

“Yes,” Void said. “The selfish bastards will kill each other, burning away everyone who can stand in my way, while I take over. The north will be reunited under my banner.”

“For what?” Emily met his eyes. “The necromancers are gone!”

“There’ll be other threats,” Void said. “And someone has to stop the kingdoms from triggering an endless series of wars.”

Emily shuddered. “You’re planning to end war by starting one?”

“A relatively small war,” Void said. “And when I take over, the war will be brought to an end.”

“Except you’re already losing control,” Emily pointed out. “You said it yourself. You didn’t expect the necromancers to be beaten so quickly.”

“No,” Void agreed. “But I did ensure I’d have a degree of flexibility.”

“How many people are going to die?” Emily felt a pain in her chest. “Nanette almost killed me.”

Her voice hardened. “You sent Nanette into Laughter, didn’t you? Why?”

Void looked thoroughly displeased. “Killing you, even putting you in mortal danger, was not part of my plan,” he said. “Rest assured, Nanette will be disciplined.”

Emily felt a chill run down her spine. She hated Nanette and yet... something in the way Void spoke made her fear for the girl. It was proof, in a way, that Void genuinely did care about her. And yet... her heart twisted. Void knew her well. Everything he said could be nothing more than an attempt to manipulate her. She ground down on the feeling of warmth that threatened to flow through her, the belief she had a father-figure who cared...

“You put her beside me for eighteen months,” she said. “Why?”

“Someone had to keep an eye on you,” Void said. “And make sure you didn’t get killed.”

Emily snorted. “She had me shot!”

She pressed on before Void could say a word. “So you’re going to take the entire world,” she snapped. “And then... what? Declare yourself Emperor? How long do you think your empire is going to last? What happens when you die?”

Void cocked his head. “You take my place.”

Emily blinked. “What?”

“You have an understanding of the ebb and flow of history that is far superior to anyone in this world,” Void said. “You do not really belong to this world. You have an ability to see the bigger picture that most kings and sorcerers lack. You can lay the groundwork for a united world that is both stable and progressive, capable of channeling the ambitions of intelligent men instead of forcing them to surrender or rebel against the system. And you have centuries ahead of you. I might forge the empire, Emily, but you can ensure it stands for a thousand years.”

Emily shivered. “I don’t want to be Empress.”

Void smiled. “Which is another point in your favor,” he said. “People who want the job are generally incapable of thinking past getting it. They certainly don’t ask if they should have the job. You, on the other hand, can do it well.”

“But...” Emily shook her head. “I don’t... this is madness.”

She tried to reach out to him, pouring all the conviction she could into her voice. “You can’t make it work. Even with magic, you’ll be unable to make it work.”

“You could,” Void said.

“There’s no way anyone can hope to run an entire empire,” Emily said. “There’ll always be something that gets left out, something that doesn’t get taken into account. The greatest planners on my world failed because they couldn’t grasp what they were doing, let alone understand why things were the way they were. You can’t...”

“The world needs you,” Void said. “If not you, then who?”

“It can’t be done,” Emily said. “You need to let people have room to be free.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Void said. “And I hope that, in time, you will come to change your mind.”

Emily tensed, suddenly aware of the danger. He was strong in his own right and drawing on a nexus point, her nexus point. She reached out with her mind, hoping she could slip past his spells and cut him off from the source. If she could free the school...

Void reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Emily felt her will suddenly crumble, her arms falling to hang limply by her side. A flash of panic ran through her, dulled by the numbness creeping into her mind. She couldn’t resist. It was hard to remember she needed to resist. The spell, whatever it was, held her firmly. And yet, it was strangely intangible...

Her eyes narrowed as she traced the spell back to his hand. A card rested in his palm... her heart almost stopped as she tried to grasp what she was seeing. A card... her card. Her library card, her gateway to worlds of wonder and imagination and... she’d thought