A World To Lose

by Frances Ellen

  Sky wasn’t the only one for whom the trainings had been a healthy release. Nathan seemed to be stronger than ever before. The one-on-one against Nils wasn’t a stroke of luck. The blows Nate landed with his broadsword were harder than Sky ever remembered them to be. It was like his muscles had realised they were capable of delivering more strength. Sky didn’t question it; they were all training better.

  Sophie included; she seemed to be back to her regular self again, and she was stronger and fitter than ever before.

  Sky had also managed to make amends with his sister. It was a strained conversation during which he told her that he sort of accepted that she was seeing Jacob. Because, annoyingly, that relationship was still a thing.

  Sophie had laughed at him, but said that she appreciated the effort. “Thank you,” she said. “I haven’t felt lighter in weeks, so just… let it be, all right? I’m doing just fine.”

  Sky had narrowed his eyes at her. “Does this mean I have to try and like him?”

  Sophie had looped her arm through his and told him, laughing, “I would never ask that of you, you think I’m a monster?”

  And that was that.

  At the dining hall buffet, Sky took a filled bowl of stew from Grace, one of the chefs in the castle’s kitchens, and headed over to where Lian and Matu were already having dinner. He’d barely sat down when Sophie entered the dining hall.

  “Where’ve you been?” Matu asked her. They hadn’t seen Sophie all afternoon.

  “The childcare centre,” Sophie revealed.

  “Again?” Sky asked. She’d been there a lot, hanging out with seven-year-old Banyu, whom she found in the false bottom in his bed when his house was overrun by Disciples in Indonesia. His mother and sister were on the island somewhere, too, but they often had other obligations which left Banyu alone in the centre for a few hours each day.

  “He’s leaving tomorrow.”

  “He’s finally going home, is he?” Lian said.

  Sophie smiled. “He finally gets used to European food, and now he goes back.”

  Matu chuckled. “Maybe he’ll miss it so much, he’ll come back.”

  Sophie snorted. “Doubtful.” She looked at Sky’s stew. “That looks good, though, I’m going to get me some.” She set off towards the dining buffet, her long blonde hair swinging loosely as she went.

  Sky looked around the dining hall. There were no more new faces on the island. He saw Nora Amsel sitting at one of the other long tables. She was surrounded by her two brothers and two sisters. Nora was spoon feeding her youngest three-year-old sister Amelie. They were smiling and chatting as if nothing was wrong. As if their single mother wasn’t part of a research team that hadn’t been heard of for as long as a week now. As far as the Asters knew, anyway. It was odd to see how calm the Amsel children seemed under the circumstances.

  The doors to the dining hall opened again, and Nathan hurried in. He reached the spot where they were sitting just as Sophie returned with her own bowl of stew.

  “There’s something you need to know,” he said in a hushed tone.

  “About what?” Sophie asked as she sat down next to Matu.

  “My grandfather told me something about the Affinites in Brazil,” Nathan announced.

  Sky dropped his spoon a bit too heavily in his stew. “Why does your family tell you everything? First your mother, now your grandfather. Why do mine always keep their mouths shut?”

  “What did he say?” Matu asked, ignoring Sky’s comment.

  And Nathan told them, in that quiet, restful way he said everything, “The rescue team found two members of the research team. They were both killed.”

  “Do they know which two?” Sky asked, glancing over to Nora Amsel and her four siblings. He saw the older of the two brothers say something that made the entire family laugh.

  Nathan shook his head. “Just that it’s two men. They haven’t identified them yet.”

  Sky let out an unintentional sigh of relief, and cursed himself for it. There were still two deaths; even though neither of them was Nadine Amsel, it wasn’t something to be relieved about.

  “What about the other two?” Sophie asked.

  “I don’t know. All my grandfather knew is that they weren’t at the scene where the two bodies were found.”

  “What does that mean?” Lian asked.

  “It means something is happening, but no one knows what. It’s like they just vanished. No contact, no signals, nothing,” Nathan said.

  “Are we going to be told any of this?” Sky grumbled. And right then, as he spoke the last word, the chip in his arm started vibrating. He looked around the table and knew that his hadn’t been the only one.

  “I think we are about to,” Matu said.

  Sky started getting up. “Okay, hold on.”

  “Uhg, I haven’t even had dinner yet,” Sophie muttered. The five of them held on to each other in a circle. Sky’s Band flared up and blue light filled their vision. Seconds later they were no longer sitting at a table in the dining hall, but standing near the oak table in the middle of the Board Room. Only Axel Reed was there. The lack of weapons on the table told them they hadn’t been summoned to be sent straight out on a mission. This call must be just to inform them.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly,” Axel said. “Take a seat.”

  The Asters sat down around the oak table and waited for the Ambassador to update them on what they had already heard from Nathan.

  “First things first. The Bone Recovery, led by Katherine and Rose, has not yet found a single bone that belonged to either Cara or Tomas. They are getting suspicious and wondering whether there is anything to be found at all. They think something in the Amazon tampered with the tracking spell. They will remain there for another few weeks to be one hundred per cent sure there is nothing to be found. We do not want to lose two forms of Aster magic forever, unless we are sure we have no other choice,” Axel paused briefly, then jumped right into what the Asters had been summoned for.

  “Now on to the next point of business. The investigation by the Queen’s Case teams has led us to believe that Gayle managed to get into the Rainforest before she was killed. As the teams continued to split, they got quite deep into the jungle. About two weeks ago we lost contact with one of the teams of four. A rescue mission was instigated to go in search of them.”

  Most of this they already knew. Sky found himself once again impressed by Gayle’s fight for survival and her attempt to escape. How she managed to get so deep into the rainforest without knowledge of her magic and while being hunted by Disciples was still a mystery to him.

  Axel Reed swallowed once before continuing. “Three days ago, two bodies were found. They have been identified as Portuguese brothers Afonso and Danilo Borges. Because Nadine Amsel, one of the two missing Affinites, is a personal friend of your father, Matu, he was quite adamant to help look for her. He left yesterday with Madeleine and two scientists. Madeleine has returned with the bodies of the Borges’ brothers, and, as you probably know, has since left for Perth with Orla Brown and her son.”

  “Do you know how they died?” Sophie asked.

  “We think it was a Disciple ambush. A knife that can be tracked back to the Underworld was found near the bodies. The pathology lab is yet to confirm it as the murder weapon, but we are quite sure it is,” Axel explained.

  “Do they know what happened to Nadine and the other Affinite?” Matu asked.

  “They are not sure yet. The reason the two scientists travelled with Diallo is because blood was found at the scene where the two bodies were found, and we’re hoping they belong to either Nadine or Zangar. The scientists are testing the blood today, and if they do belong to the two missing Affinites, Diallo can cast a spell to see if they are still alive or not, and in what general direction they can be found,” Axel explained.

  Sky’s heart sank. If the blood found at the scene was Nadine’s, and Disciples were involved… He didn’t like the odds of whether she would still be a
live. He also didn’t like the fact that Jillian’s mother was part of Nadine and Zangar’s rescue team. Even after the Queen’s death, Brazil remained a dangerous place…

  “So, what happens now?” Sophie asked.

  “First, we wait and see what the bloodwork comes back with. That, and the post mortem reports on the Borges’ brothers. But what seems most likely is that the team assembled there at the moment, including Diallo, will be tasked to find Nadine and Zangar,” Axel said.

  “What about us?” Sky asked.

  “Diallo knows that he can call upon the five of you if they run into trouble. The Small Council has no reason to believe they will. The attack has all the indicators of a few rogue Disciples taking their chance to kill a few Affinites. With even one Ceder there we don’t believe they will try again.”

  Sky just about accepted this as a reason. Now that Sophie was cleared by her therapist, there was no real reason to keep the Asters on the side lines. Even with what Axel said next, Sky didn’t see a reason not to have them help in South America.

  “Then, something else. As you can see,” the Ambassador said, turning to the screen and switching it on with the remote he was holding, “the mass of Disciples in North America seems to have accumulated around the Grand Canyon National Park. We believe the North American King, Mitrik, will be making his move soon, which is why you will remain here until he does. Be ready, for at any time you could be summoned to go. Continue with your training, but do nothing that would weaken yourselves too much to jeopardise a mission. Understood?”

  The Asters nodded and murmured their responses.

  Sky assumed Axel had nothing more to say. His final words seemed dismissive enough. The man was probably about to tell them to leave when his phone started to ring. Axel picked up and listened to whatever the person on the other end of the line had to say. Sky and the other Asters watched as the Ambassador closed his eyes while the other person talked. Sky noticed that Axel’s free hand was clenched by his side. Axel was definitely upset by whatever he was being told.

  “All right, thank you. We will get back to you as soon as possible,” Axel said eventually, and he hung up the phone.

  “What’s happened?” Sophie asked quietly, having noticed the change in Axel’s demeanour, too. Sky could tell that Axel’s mind was whirling by the way that his eyes remained distant. He was dreading something; that much was clear.

  “That was Diallo. The blood that was found did belong to Nadine and Zangar. He cast the spell… Neither one of them is still alive,” Axel said. He then seemed to realise that he didn’t have to tell them this. He shook himself and said, “There are no further updates for you all. Now if you will excuse me, I have to find Nora Amsel and tell her that she and her four siblings will stay on Saluverus permanently. They are orphans now.”

  Chapter 10

  On a Sunday morning, after yet another workout, Sky left the arena and headed for one of the castle’s side entrances. In the past few weeks the weather had become colder, but today was an exception. The sun was out and there were no clouds in the sky. There was still a brisk wind, and Sky needed a coat to keep warm.

  Because both the arena and the castle were built high into the cliffs, he had a view over most of the island. Many Affinites had taken advantage of their free day and were doing all kinds of activities out in the winter sunshine. Some were out on the castle courtyard having a picnic, while others were riding their horses up into the North Forest that covered the northern corner of the island. Many more were just strolling in the balmy conditions.

  Sky was glad he didn’t have anything else to do that day. Sophie had convinced Sylvia that it was a good idea to refresh the Asters’ memory on various spells that might come in handy during their mission in North America. She wasn’t wrong, the boys only ever did remember the most important spells. With her magic of Health and Knowledge, Sophie knew practically every spell ever invented, but she still wanted the boys to know their fair share for if they were separated. The logic was there, but Sky still didn’t like being cooped up in a classroom again, having finished school two years ago.

  Sky made it to the side of the castle and pushed the door open. He walked along the corridor towards the dining hall; he was starving. The castle was completely deserted. In the distance, however, Sky heard voices. He decided to ignore them, the grumble in his stomach too much to bear. But then the voices started getting louder; not because they were coming closer but because whoever they belonged to had started shouting. Curiosity tugged at Sky and eventually he found himself walking in the opposite direction of the dining hall and towards the raised voices.

  As Sky came closer, he realised that the voices were coming from the Board Room. This was not just a fight between two random Affinites. If the voices came from this room then it was definitely something Sky would want to know about. He knew Matu would condemn him for eavesdropping, but he didn’t care. Sky crept up to the door and placed his ear against the wood.

  He recognised the voices immediately. It was Percy Kelly and Axel Reed.

  “They were sent there on my orders!” Percy shouted.

  The Affinites. In Brazil. It had to be about them.

  “That is not news to me!” thundered Axel. Sky rolled his eyes. The Ambassador could be so unarguable in his answers sometimes. It didn’t surprise Sky one bit that Percy was enraged.

  “I sent them in. It is my duty to make sure they are all right!” Percy bellowed.

  “No, it is not. We gave you permission to handle this. It is not your duty to go flying in there without any knowledge of the situation!”

  “Those are my men and women out there! My wife is out there!”

  Sky’s heart stilled.

  Percy’s wife.

  Sky had almost forgotten.

  It still seemed so unusual to him that Percy would send his own wife into a situation where Affinites had already been killed with no clear explanation of why or how. Then again, if she was one of the best soldiers, then could Percy really tell her not to go on this mission? He was only going to send the best of the best, and from what Sky knew, Eva Kelly was one of the best.

  From what Sky had heard, the tracking spell Diallo cast on the little blood he had, only gave him a vague direction as to where Nadine and Zangar’s bodies were. Apparently, they were in completely opposite directions and the team present had split into two groups of eight to go and find them. One group was headed up by Diallo, the other by Eva. That was about a week ago.

  “It is not unusual to receive little to no information from your soldiers when they are working, you know this,” Axel said in an attempt to calm Percy down. Sky could tell he was trying to keep his voice under control.

  “I know more than you think, Axel,” Percy growled. “I haven’t heard anything from any of her team for too long! None of this is normal. I gave them specific orders on when to contact me, given the message it would send if they didn’t. Especially considering what has happened to the first research team we lost contact with! They would only fail to send something back if they really weren’t able to. They are my soldiers and I will find out what happened to them and I will find a way to assist them. I have been behind a desk for far too long. I will go, and you won’t stop me.”

  Her team… That meant the Small Council was still in contact with Diallo’s team, which meant Matu’s father was still all right. Sky dreaded what the break in contact implied for the eight members of Eva Kelly’s rescue team. What the hell was going on in Brazil? Sky held his breath for Axel’s response.

  “You honestly believe you should’ve heard something by now?” Axel questioned tautly.

  “Yes,” Percy snapped.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Are you doubting my soldiers’ ability to follow orders?” Percy snarled. “I know exactly what they do and how they work. There is nothing they can do to surprise me, except for this. I’m going in. Do not stop me.”

  There was a silence. Axel was thinking.

/>   “Spell me if you like. Or send the Asters in after me if that will make this an easier decision for you,” Percy added. “But know that whatever decision you make, I will go either way. Even if you send in the Asters; I will go with them. My wife is in there. You will not keep me from finding out what happened to her.”

  Another silence.

  Then finally: “I don’t want you going alone. No matter how good you think you are.”

  Percy muttered something Sky couldn’t hear through the door. He wondered what Percy meant by spell me. Sophie would know immediately. Sky was trying to think of a spell that could be cast on an Affinite. Of course, there were plenty, but Sky had never spelled an Affinite before. Axel obviously knew what the soldier was talking about, otherwise he would’ve asked about it by now.

  “You will take two soldiers with you. Not Jackson; we need him here for the Asters. But any two others of your choosing.”

  Another grumble from Percy. Then he heard footsteps, and he realised that at least one of the two men inside the Board Room was heading right for the door. Sky shimmered out just as he heard the door click open. He knew the men wouldn’t have known that he was there. He vanished before the door would have revealed him standing on the other side.

  When the blue light left his vision, Sky looked around. He was in another part of the castle. He realised that he hadn’t actually thought of a place to shimmer to after vanishing from the hallway outside of the Board Room.

  He was in a long hallway. Doors with numbers on them lined the walls, and Sky realised he was in the residential wing of the castle. He doubted there would be many Affinites here anymore. These rooms – he recognised – were for visiting Affinites; not ones who lived in the castle permanently.

  Sky headed along the corridor and down a flight of stairs. He was about to turn a corner that led to the main entry hall when something caught his eye. Sky stopped and headed back.

  In a side-corridor stood a girl. She was looking around with a puzzled look on her face. Sky walked towards her. As he neared, he saw that she couldn’t have been more than ten years old. Her flaming red her told Sky exactly to which family the girl belonged.