The visions rushed through my mind one after the other. My heart raced, and my breathing came in erratic gasp, matching the beat of my lashing tail.
"Who? Who did this?" I asked.
Luke's hand fell to his sword. "Who did what?"
I pointed at the scroll. "That curse! It's…monstrous."
The emperor frowned, exchanging a glance with Elaine. She subtly shook her head. He cleared his throat.
"Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. I know you are under a lot of stress, and much of that is our fault, but this is a fairly standard artifact I've personally signed many times. Yes, the feedback from the binding spell was stronger than unusual, but–"
"An artifact? " My eyes widened.
Elaine nodded. "It's the only way to bind ninth-level beings to their word."
"I-it's from the church," My vision spun as I reeled back, hand pressed to my forehead. A sharp ache throbbed behind my eyes, my mind overwhelmed by what I'd witnessed.
