by C. A. McHugh
“Run,” she ordered as she shoved him in the direction of the Academy. “Run, and don’t look back. I’ll meet you back at the door.”
Aerrin turned to protest, but a scream clogged his throat. Two forms stepped from the darkness with an unsteady gait. The smell of rotting flesh filled his nostrils, and two more forms followed from behind. He could not decipher their low, pained groans, but there was no mistaking their hollow black eyes.
Undead.
Seroney grabbed his hand and jerked him away from center of the grove. The two green flames flew ahead of them, and they raced to keep up with the points of light guiding them through the fog. An icy blast of air swooped over his head.
Seroney released his hand to cast a spell behind him. “Keep running,” she shouted before the fog concealed her.
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should double back to help her with what little he’d learned about fighting demons. He could stay and fight.
He turned to look for Seroney so he could join her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, an animated corpse lumbered toward him. The light from the green flame flickered off the rusted blade in the undead’s hand.
Aerrin searched his memory to find a spell that would work on undead. Seroney had taught him how to detect and anchor demons, as well as a few vanquishing spells for minor demons, but the undead was uncharted territory.
Something I need to bring up during our next lesson.
He unleashed a fireball at the animated corpse, hoping it would engulf it and burn it into ashes.
Instead, the flames licked at the rotting flesh for a second before being doused by the fog.
Aerrin stumbled back through the roots that seemed determined to trip him, ignoring the fear that threatened to strangle him. He cast the spell again, but with the same results.
Torchlight appeared in the distance, and the voices of Master Binnius and a few other masters of the Academy pierced the silence.
Aerrin whispered a prayer of thanks and ran toward them.
The headmaster spotted him first. “Aerrin, what in the name of the goddess are you doing out here?”
The sharp tone of Master Binnius’s question halted him. “I wanted to investigate—”
“You are being a fool.” The headmaster grabbed him by the arm and shoved him toward the Academy, but not before a warm wall of blue magic washed over him. “Get back inside before you regret your rash decision. Master Ona will—”
A feminine scream cut him off, and Master Binnius released him.
His blood ran cold. What if it was Seroney? What if his desire to come along had put his friend in danger? “Seroney’s out there.”
Master Binnius silenced him with a slash of his hand, his attention focused on the direction the scream came from. “Run, Aerrin. My magic can only protect you so far, and my duty is to protect all my students.”
A second spell pushed him toward the Academy like a strong wind filling a sail, leaving him no other option but to run in that direction. He’d made it about halfway back when another icy blast rushed a few feet above his head, disturbing the otherwise-still fog and leaving rows of goose bumps along his flesh. He raised the green flame to see what the cause was and immediately wished he hadn’t.
A ghastly figure flapped in the air above him with hollowed-out eyes and dark circle of a mouth.
A wraith.
His breath froze, and even though his heart was still beating, the erratic nature of the rhythm did little to instill strength to his wobbling muscles. He had no idea how long he stared at it, but when it swooped toward him, he couldn’t move fast enough.
He dived to the ground to avoid it, rolling onto his back just as it flew past him.
It had missed, either because of lousy aim or the protection spell Master Binnius had cast on him. He had no desire to figure out why.
Unfortunately, the wraith turned around and plunged toward him again.
A wild growl sounded from the fog a split second before a large black panther jumped through the wraith. The attack shattered the wraith into wisps of smoke, only to coalesce ten feet above them, reforming.
Aerrin looked from the wraith to the giant predatory cat panting in front of him. Although it was the biggest panther he’d ever seen—another dangerous threat—there was something strangely intelligent about the animal’s eyes. It padded toward him and nudged at him.
He scrambled to his feet and backed away as he glanced upward. The undead had almost fully reincorporated above.
The panther released a feral scream and charged toward him. Aerrin turned and ran for his life. The heavy footfalls gained on him. He braced for the sting of sharp fangs biting into his skin. But instead of pouncing on him, the big cat ducked its head between his legs and threw him onto its back.
He clutched at the panther’s fur in disbelief. The animal was carrying him away from the wraith.
The fog thinned as the walls of the Academy came into view. The chill in the air vanished. In the distance, the air glowed with bolts of magic like lightning in a storm cloud, and the cries of battle faded further away.
The panther skidded to a stop and lowered the front of its body, sending Aerrin tumbling forward into the stone wall. He ignored the bruises it would leave behind. He’d made it. He was safe.
His rescuer ran back into the fog, delivering him inches from the same door he’d gone through earlier that night.
Seroney! She was still out there somewhere.
Even though his mind told him the masters would find her and she would be safe with them, he dashed back into the fog to rescue her.
He’d gone only a few yards when a growl stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned and saw the black panther arch its back and rise onto its hind legs. With each beat of his frantic heart, the large cat shifted, becoming more and more human until it finally morphed into a girl with green eyes.
He backed away, unable to process what he’d just witnessed.
Seroney was a shapeshifter.
Chapter 26
Seroney snapped her head in the direction of a strangled scream and froze. Aerrin stared at her with wide eyes, his mouth gaping. When she reached her hand toward him, he turned and ran. An endless stream of curses rolled through her mind as she chased him back to the Academy’s wall. He plastered his body against the stones, fumbling frantically with the simple latch of the secret door.
She made a calming gesture with her hands. “Take a deep breath, Aerrin.”
He shook his head, his expression still fixed in a mask of horror.
Despair tore at her insides. She’d hoped that one day, she could reveal what she was to him. But judging by his horrified expression, he viewed her as little more than a monster. And if he dared to utter what she was to anyone else…
“I’m really sorry about this, but it’s for your own good.” She zapped him with a sleeping spell.
He crumpled to the ground in a heap, peace finally settling over his features. She cursed again and tried to lift him up. The shouts from the battle grew louder. It was only a matter of time before that wraith found them. She needed to get Aerrin inside the protective wards of the Academy.
A simple levitation spell did the trick, and she ushered his unconscious body through the secret door and up to his room, pausing at every corner to make sure no one saw them. The goddess help her if someone revived him before she had a chance to calm him down.
If the gods were kind, he’d wake up thinking it was nothing more than a nightmare.
But the gods only cared so much for mortal affairs. She needed to figure out a backup plan before then. There was only one person she could turn to for advice. Unfortunately, he was out battling an army of undead. It was where she would’ve been, too, if she hadn’t been so worried about Aerrin.
How much longer will I have to endure playing nanny to the king? I know he has much to learn, but I’d rather be out there instead of in here.
Of course, if Aerrin ordered her execution whe
n he awoke, she’d feel much less guilt about leaving.
As she snuck out of Aerrin’s room, her night took another turn for the worse.
A very groggy Leandros peeked out of his room. For a second, he just stared at her as she stood with one foot still in Aerrin’s room. His gaze flicked over her, and a sly grin slowly slid into place. “Late-night study session, eh?”
“It’s not what you think.” She closed the door and tried to slip past him, but he stepped out to block her.
“Then what is it?”
“The truth? Aerrin was a jackass who insisted on running outside into a swarm of undead, so I had to knock him out before he got killed.”
The grin fell from Leandros’s face. His slack-jawed disbelief gave her enough time to escape.
“You might want to keep an eye on him,” she called over her shoulder.
She dashed up to her uncle’s study and waited for almost an hour, watching from the window, before he returned. When he did, he only gave her a raised brow to indicate any surprise. “Quite an interesting evening—don’t you agree?”
“ ‘Interesting’ doesn’t begin to explain it.” She braced her arms on his desk, leaning on them as she stood. “He saw me using the family trait.”
That earned her two raised brows. Master Binnius eased into his chair and stroked his beard. “That rather complicates things. I assume you weren’t being reckless.”
“Hardly. I thought I’d run far enough back into the fog to conceal it, but he ran after me.” The fear she’d fought so hard to keep at bay finally overwhelmed her. Shudders racked her body, forcing her to sit before her legs gave out on her. “I’m scared what he’ll do, Uncle Binnius.”
“Well, you can always alter his memory.”
She scowled at the suggestion. “You know that’s considered a manipulation of his free will.”
“But only half of you would resent doing it,” he replied in an almost teasing manner. “The Meritis side of you would congratulate your resourcefulness.”
“This isn’t a joking matter. Besides, there’s a part of me that wants him to remember. I saved his life once again after he acted without thinking. The boy needs to learn that he can’t jump headfirst into every situation because he thinks, as king, he’s the only one who can save his people.”
“Rather like his father.” Binnius’s gaze drifted past her to the doorway. “Don’t you agree, Ceryst?”
Seroney whirled around, her heart pounding even harder than it had before. How much had he heard? Aerrin might show her mercy, but she seriously doubted the knight knew the meaning of the word.
Judging by the hardness of his glare and the way his hand rested on his sword, he was ready to pull all her secrets from her and carry out the sentence they carried. “He’s worse than Brendon.”
Seroney reflexively winced at the mention of the prior king—something Ceryst noted.
“Guilty conscience?” he asked.
“Hardly,” she replied, not willing to explain why elves never mentioned the names of the dead. She gathered her courage once again. He seemed like the sort who would exploit any signs of fear, so she needed to stay one step ahead of him.
“Where Seroney comes from, there are certain sects that consider it a sign of disrespect to say the names of the departed.” Binnius cast a spell, sparking a flame under his teakettle. “Her reaction was merely due to what she perceived to be disregard for the soul of your friend.”
Binnius scooped some tea leaves into a silk pouch and threw it into the pot. “You got here quicker than expected, Ceryst.”
“Your note explained the urgency of the situation.” The knight gave her wide clearance as he entered the office and stood beside the headmaster.
“Where’s your sidekick?” she asked, noting Raimel was absent. She would’ve welcomed his light-hearted sarcasm right about now.
“Detained.”
The one-word growl told her that was all she could get for an answer.
The knight turned back to her uncle. “Tell me what happened.”
“Just a little ruckus with some undead.” He checked the kettle to see if the water was boiling. “It seems the three men who’d tried to kill Aerrin on his way back from Dromore decided to pay us a visit, along with their pet wraith.”
“Did you slay it?” The last thing she needed to worry about was the constant threat of a wraith hanging around the Academy.
“We did, although it required more effort than a usual creature of that sort.”
No wonder her shatter spells didn’t work on it.
“Only a fool would attack this place.” Ceryst paced the room with heavy steps, almost like a toddler stomping his feet in a temper tantrum. “There are wards in place, protective barriers.”
“Agreed.” Binnius peered into the pot again and smiled. “Ah, the tea is ready. Would you care for some?”
Ceryst didn’t even pause to answer, but Seroney nodded. “Tea would be lovely. Thank you.”
Once he poured a cup for her and himself, he went on to add, “I’m beginning to suspect that tonight was little more than a distraction.”
“Easy for you to say. You weren’t the one trying to protect Aerrin from a wraith.”
Ceryst stopped and turned to her, his face twisted in fury. “And what exactly was he doing out there in the first place?”
“Trying to be a hero,” she shot back, “even though he obviously lacks the common sense to realize when he’s in over his head. I ended up casting a sleep spell on him to get him back inside.”
“You attacked the king?” Ceryst reached for his sword, only to get zapped by a stun spell from her uncle.
“Calm down, Ceryst. You’re making an old man nervous.” Binnius took a sip of tea. “What my niece was trying to say is even after giving it her best effort to persuade him not to endanger himself, he refused to listen, so she was forced to use the kindest spell she could to prevent him from any harm.”
The narrow-eyed glare Ceryst continued to give her suggested he didn’t agree that her act was benevolent.
“After we dealt with the necromancers and their pets, I ran some assessments on the protective measures of the Academy. The wards were tested, but they held.”
“Which means someone was trying to break them,” Seroney finished, trying her best to ignore the chill in her blood. “Someone like the Raven Bringer.”
He’d been out there. She’d missed yet another opportunity to engage him. But as soon as she cursed her lost chance to extract vengeance, a new worry entered her mind.
What if he had gotten to Aerrin?
“I suspect so,” Binnius replied, confirming her fear. “Therefore, I took it upon myself to supply a temporary reinforcement until I have both the time and components to recast a proper ward.”
Ceryst resumed his agitated pacing, although this time with softer steps. “How long will that take?”
“Depends on how quickly you and Raimel can complete my shopping list.” Binnius set his cup aside and found a clean piece of paper to jot down what he required. “Once I have everything, it should take me about a day to cast the ritual.”
“And if something happens before then?” Seroney asked.
The worry on Ceryst’s face told her he had the same concern.
“Then I trust that we will find a way to keep him out of trouble once again.” Binnius handed the list to Ceryst, who tightened his fist around it.
“I’m still bound to my vow to protect him,” the knight said in a determined tone.
For the briefest moment, Seroney felt sorry for him. Yes, Ceryst might be a boorish idiot who preferred to use his fists instead of his brain, but she had to respect his desire to uphold his vow, even when risking his own life.
“And you are, but until your name is cleared, I have recruited others to help me with the task.” Her uncle nodded to her, earning another scowl from the knight.
“What can she do that I can’t?”
Thanks to Raimel’s slip in
the garden a few weeks ago, she already knew that Ceryst was aware that she was more than a simple student. “I’m a master mage, and I can teach him things he’s technically not allowed to learn.” She gave him a smirk. “Or has Aerrin not told you about the spells I’ve been teaching him?”
Ceryst loosened his grip on the list. “And yet you fear something, or why else would you be so worried about him learning about this trait?”
“Calm down, Ceryst. I know about it, and I assure you, it’s nothing to worry about. In fact, this trait might have saved Aerrin’s life tonight, and you of all people know how useful certain inherited conditions can be.”
Seroney had no idea what her uncle was referring to, but it seemed to appease Ceryst.
“Speaking of traits, what exactly is Noli?” the knight asked.
Binnius raised a brow in surprise. “When did you have the pleasure of meeting her?”
“I’d hardly call it a pleasure.” A brief struggle played on his face, as though he were trying to figure out his own feelings about this person. “She’s not entirely human, is she?”
“Why else do you think she caught the Raven Bringer’s interest years ago?” He looked to Seroney. “Noli is a descendant of an Azeckborn.”
She shuddered. The Azeckborn were skilled hunters of shapeshifters and had almost succeeded in annihilating them all.
Ceryst noted her reaction, but didn’t share it. “And what is that?”
She grasped on to what little composure she could obtain. “The Azeckborn were a small army of demon-infused drae that King Anilayus employed during the Clearances.”
“And what exactly is a drae?”
Seroney fought a stab of impatience. “Why am I not surprised that you know so little history? But then again, there’s only so much your dimwitted mind could handle, I suppose.”
Ceryst looked ready to pounce on her, but her uncle interceded. “Seroney comes from a long line of lore-keepers. Her knowledge of such things has already proven itself useful, don’t you agree, Ceryst? The hykona leaves?”
The knight looked away, his stance easing from attack mode.