“What do you want from me?” Tarness asked. “Why show me all of this?”
“Think on it,” Magic said. “Angst trusts you. He loves you, whatever that is. You’re his best friend and may be the only one who can stop him. You won’t try if you believe he’s right.”
Of course Angst was right. Despite some of his friend’s bad choices, things tended to work out. Angst wouldn’t destroy Ehrde, at least not on purpose. While Magic’s argument made some sense, his chaotic vision of Ehrde wasn’t exactly a winning sales pitch. The element could keep Tarness alive to do menial tasks, but that wasn’t enough leverage to make him turn on Angst.
“I’ve brought you what you wanted,” Tarness said, nodding at the ice-coated bag. “These are the last parts.”
“Yes,” Magic said, with a hopeful smile. “It has to be here.”
“Now give him to me,” Tarness demanded. “That was the deal.”
“Come back in a week,” Magic said, dismissively. “I’ll have what I promised. But you won’t like it.”
Tarness nodded, hoping the element wasn’t lying. Magic rubbed his hands together and pulled an enormous toe out of the burlap sack. Tarness swallowed bile and left the cave.
A cold wind blew across the frozen desert, lifting enough fine snow that it appeared like mist. This creature who called himself Magic, this element, who’d been on Ehrde since the dawn of creation and could destroy Tarness in a blink, had just spoken to him in a way that made far too much sense. Angst had killed elements with one foci. Now that he was bonded to two, how could he manage so much power? His friend’s intentions were always good and heroic but sometimes seemed self-serving. And the longer Angst remained bonded, the more erratic his decisions had become. Or was it just his way of managing the unmanageable? Could his best friend actually destroy Ehrde?
Tarness closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and held it. Because that was how deep in he was.
3
A tidal wave of pain washed over Rose. She did her best to breathe through it as her ankle knitted itself back together. The pain wasn’t just physical; it went far deeper. Angst had betrayed her, had hurt her on purpose, and that gouged at her heart. She felt like she’d just lost a friend, as if he’d died. How could Angst do this to her? To Victoria? Dallow was Angst’s oldest friend, and he lay still on the ground, like the others. She drew power from her foci, Jormbrinder, to heal faster and, with a grunt, forced her ankle back into place.
“Wh...what just happened?” Victoria asked, pushing herself up from the dungeon floor. She shook violently. “Did Angst…did he really just escape with Alloria?”
“They jumped into the ground, like gamlin,” Rose said, sniffing deeply as tears streamed down her cheeks. “He betrayed you. betrayed all of us. He really has gone crazy.”
Reeling as if slapped hard, Victoria gripped her chest and coughed. Everyone else in the room was still unconscious, and it took several long moments for the princess to gather herself. “See to the others,” she finally whispered. “As soon as you can.”
Rose nodded. She stood, stretching out her repaired ankle with a wince. It still stung, but that would pass soon enough. She made her way around the dungeon, kneeling beside fallen soldiers and healing them awake.
Healing used to be a chore. She would have to absorb the injury, essentially becoming injured herself then wait for her own body to heal. That was no longer the case with Jormbrinder. Dallow had taught her healing spells, and her foci provided more than ample power to cast them.
Jaden ran down the dungeon stairs, his curly blond hair bouncing with every rushed step, showing off dark roots underneath. He slowed mere steps before Victoria. She looked at him, her lip trembling slightly. He reached for her hand, and she looked away. The rejection made his cheeks flush, and he peered at the princess with his sharp blue eyes. After a deep intake of breath, Jaden looked around the room, studying everything until his firm jaw set.
“It was Angst,” Jaden said with a grimace. “Wasn’t it?”
“Who else?” Dallow said, pushing himself up. “He escaped with Alloria.”
“How?” Jaden asked. “They didn’t run past me. I wouldn’t have let them.”
Dallow pointed at the ground. Jaden shook his head in disbelief.
“They’re swimming to freedom right now,” Rose said.
“I told you he’s going to destroy Ehrde,” Jaden snapped at Victoria as she stood. “You refused to listen to me. We need to hunt him down and kill him before he kills everyone.”
Victoria slapped him hard across the mouth. He jerked back in surprise, covering his cheek with a hand.
“He may be right, Your Majesty,” Rose said, taking a step back. “Please don’t hit me.”
“Well, whatever we decide to do, they couldn’t have gotten far,” Jaden said, rubbing his face. “Angst may know how to swim through earth, but he’s not a gamlin. I doubt they can hold their breath for very long.”
“Fine,” Victoria said, glaring at them. “Where do you suggest we go? And then, how do we stop him?”
Rose looked at Jaden, and then the princess. Their shoulders dropped as the rush of urgency deflated.
“The next steps will be my decision,” Victoria said, looking at Dallow. “Until then, we stick to the plan.”
“The plan?” Jaden and Rose said together.
Dallow nodded at Victoria, who said nothing more, instead patting dust off her hot pink satin dress. Rose shook her head at the apparent secret and checked on the soldiers again. They stood jerkily, like broken reeds preparing for the next attack of wind.
“We should do something, at least to keep up appearances,” Dallow said to the princess. “It would appear unusual not to search for them.”
“Thoughtful advice, Mr. Dallow,” Victoria said with a nod. She turned to a guard. “I want a troop of soldiers to sweep the city. Have them split up but tell them not to engage. Then inform Captain Mirim and her zyn’ight to search the castle grounds but nothing further. I want them to remain close.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the soldier said with a wobbly bow.
“There will be consequences if anyone approaches Angst,” she said. “Do you understand?”
He nodded briskly before she waved him away.
“So, we just wait?” Jaden asked.
“No,” Victoria said, staring down her nose at him. “You and Dallow go search the damaged area of the castle near the sinkhole. Meet us in the war room in two hours.”
“There’s no way Angst went there,” Jaden snapped. “You’re just trying to keep us busy, and I don’t understand why.”
“I can’t help that. You trust me or you don’t,” Victoria said. “Do as you’re told or leave.”
Rose whistled softly as Jaden went rigid. He nodded stiffly, and both men rushed out of the dungeon.
“I should go with them,” Rose said, practically pleading. “I’m the only one who has a chance of stopping him.”
“Exactly why I don’t want you out there,” Victoria said. “It isn’t time.”
“Not time?” Rose asked, a little too loudly. That made no sense. Were Victoria’s feelings for Angst, whatever they were, clouding her judgment? “You’ve spent more time with Angst than anyone since his family was killed, and you didn’t see any of this coming?”
“I did, Rose,” she said, her face growing dark. “You forget, I see all futures, including the one where you try to knock me out so you can chase after Angst, the one where you leave with Dallow and never come back, and the one where we both collapse in a heap and sob it out.”
Rose gasped. It was true. All those ideas had crossed her mind.
“Nobody has just one future,” Victoria said with a sort of forced calm. “I see all the possible futures when someone’s nearby. Well, everyone but Al’eyrn. I can’t see any of Angst’s futures if he doesn’t let me, nor could I see yours if you kept your guard up. I can see mine, and Dallow’s, which also give me glimpses of your futures and Angst’s
.”
“So you knew this could happen?” Rose asked, shocked.
“Angst let me in for a brief glimpse of how he could save Ehrde,” she said. “That told me a little, but visits with Alloria told me more.”
“If you’d said something, we could’ve stopped him.” Rose clenched her fists, struggling to hold back her anger.
“Could we?” Victoria asked. “It’s going to take more than you and Dallow, or even Jaden and the zyn’ight. It requires timing, and I believe we only have one chance.”
Rose struggled to believe this young woman, who was soon to be queen, could see past a mirror. Victoria spent far too much time worrying about being pretty. Her full lips and large, green eyes were perfect. Her tight, hot pink satin gown was perfect. And she made sure her perfect breasts were always on display. How many hours had Rose endured Victoria’s court gossip and flirting while brushing out her long, perfect black hair—or curly blond locks if she was seeing Angst? It all made Rose want to gag. How could this ditsy child with serious daddy issues suddenly become a master tactician with plans to save all Ehrde? Not to mention, what queen would ever wear hot pink?
“I look nice in pink, and so would you,” Victoria said with a broad smile.
“I hate pink, and it doesn’t go with my hair,” Rose muttered. “I thought you couldn’t read minds.”
“I know what people want to say. Sometimes that’s enough. You rarely hold back what’s on your mind, so it was an easy guess,” Victoria explained, “At one point, Angst and I could communicate without speaking.”
That made her head spin. Victoria was glimpsing into possible futures to decide on her favorite. Did she actually use her power for all decisions? How could she possibly choose the right one? The very concept that the princess saw only one of many options was frightening. If true, it seemed like a fragile thread to hang their hopes on. She shuddered.
“Enough conjecture,” Victoria said, coolly. “You may not like it, but you’re going to follow my orders, or we will part ways and you’ll hate yourself for it. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Rose said, battling every urge to strangle Victoria. “What orders would you like me to follow?”
“Go see Flint and Teedle to get fitted for armor,” she said.
“Armor?” she asked in surprise, but the princess’s steely gaze told her it was an order to follow, not question. “I will. Is there anything else?”
“Gather General Mirot and Wilfred and have them meet us in the war room. Tell them we need to make final preparations for battle,” Victoria said, swallowing hard. “We’re going to war. With Angst.”
4
Alloria lay still on the grass, covered in flecks of mud as if she’d crawled out of a grave. She didn’t move. Or breathe. They’d swum a long way through the earth to get to the practice field. He hadn’t figured out how to breathe while swimming through the ground like gamlin and had almost passed out getting here.
“Please don’t be dead,” he wheezed, shaking her gently. He needed her more than anyone; she was the key to setting everything right. “Too many have died because of me, and you’re the only way I can get them back. Please.”
She remained still.
“How do I revive her?” he asked over his shoulder. The swords remained frustratingly silent. “Tell me, or I’ll leave you here and we’ll all die.”
Dulgirgraut reluctantly told him how to help her breathe. He leaned over the young woman, placing his lips on hers. Just as the mermaid Moyra had breathed air into him, Angst blew into Alloria’s mouth. He did it again and again until her eyes opened and her tongue flicked playfully against his. Angst jerked away as Alloria laughed between coughs.
“My hero,” she wheezed, wiping mud off her face.
He sat back on his rear and sighed deeply. What was he doing? Everything about his great plan felt wrong. He’d just freed the most notorious criminal in Unsel—the woman who’d usurped the throne by murdering his best friend’s mother, Queen Isabelle. He’d said he would be Alloria’s champion in front of Tori. Could there be a worse transgression? Oh, yeah, he’d also said something about love. Angst did his best to shake off these thoughts like a dog shaking off water. This wasn’t the time to question his actions, however foolish, or wallow in guilt. It was time to follow his plan.
“We need to hurry,” Angst said crisply, standing and taking a step back. “We didn’t get far, and I don’t want to fight our way out of here if they find us.”
“Why are you moving away, Angst?” Alloria asked, brushing a lock of muddy hair from her face. She frowned as if he were speaking another language. “You feel…distant.”
“Distant?” Angst snapped. He stood over her and leaned in, his fists shaking. “What do you expect? Of course I’m distant!”
“You can hit me, if that would help,” she said. “That’s what Dark Vivek did when I’d tell him to leave you alone.”
Her words punctured his fury. He drew away, unclenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut. The hate driven rage that made him lash out so quickly wasn't for her. Not really. After so many failures, and so much loss, he hated himself. All it would take was one strike to free that hatred and become something terrible and dark.
Alloria was ready to let him. She sat on her rear with her legs tucked neatly by her side. Her eyes were closed, and she faced away, as if making it easy for him to strike. She took shallow breaths, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Resting on his knees beside her, he brushed the tear with the back of a finger, and she flinched before grasping the hand and holding it there. He had to remember that the war of elements had affected everyone, not just him.
“What did Magic do to you, Alloria?” he asked.
She continued holding on for dear life, but, after several deep breaths, finally let go. She opened her eyes, which were suddenly far too old for her seventeen years, and gave him a tight-lipped smile. “You first,” she said. “Why was it so hard to say you love me?”
“I…” He swallowed his frustration as he thought about her exposed cheek and single tear. “Alloria, you killed Queen Isabelle and Captain Guard Tyrell, and tried to kill Victoria. I almost died fighting Fire to save her. You ask me to say I love you, but I can’t even trust you.”
“You fought Death to save me. I know it was to save her, but you released me from his hold,” Alloria said. “You can trust me because I’d do anything for you. Anything.”
“I released you?” Angst asked.
“Magic controlled almost everything I did,” she said. “But he couldn’t kill me because you wore my ring around your neck. At first, when I agreed to take that ring, I didn’t realize the influence he would have over me. I could make some of my own decisions, but I had to do what he said…his will was too strong. He made Vars kill Queen Isabelle, and Tyrell, and Rook, and so many. But even worse, he made me try to kill my cousin.” Alloria started to cry.
Instinctively, he placed a hand on the back of her head as she wept into his grungy red cloak. Her cry became uncontrollable, wracking sobs that would’ve challenged Heather’s on her very worst day. Angst might never know everything Alloria had been through, might never completely trust her, but she might also be the only person more broken than himself. He could relate to her endless tears. Angst held her, rocking back and forth for a long time until she composed herself.
“I always hated Tori,” she said bitterly into his shoulder. “So self-righteous, so perfect, so everything. I was in line for the throne, but she would never treat me as an equal. I tried not to care and drowned myself in fun with friends…until Cliffview.”
There was a lot more crying, and he knew why. Water had destroyed Cliffview, killing hundreds of people as the element created a path of enormous sinkholes to Unsel. Alloria had lost her father and her friends to that attack.
“You were the only one who believed me,” she finally said. “You were the only one who cared, and I fell in lo—” Alloria took a deep, wracking breath. “W
hen I learned how much you loved Princess Victoria, I was more jealous than ever.”
“So you tried to kill her,” he said.
“No!” she said pulling away. She pushed him back roughly. “No! Angst, that’s when I kissed you and gave you the ring that kept me alive. I gave you the ring because I loved you, and I thought a little part of you loved me, so you would keep me safe. I hoped it would give me back control.”
“I…” he said, searching for words that weren’t there.
She saved him by placing a hand on his mouth. “Magic made me try to kill Victoria,” she said. “But I didn’t want to, Angst. I hated her, I was jealous of you both, but she’s family. I wish I’d never taken that ring.”
“I understand,” Angst said. “I wish I hadn’t picked up Chryslaenor. I wish I’d never bonded with it. My selfish desire to become a knight is what killed my family.”
“What?” Alloria asked.
He hadn’t expected the look of pure horror on her face. She didn’t know.
“They’re dead,” he said. “All of them, gone. My wife Heather. My son Thom and daughter Eila. Our dog Scar, and Kala. Faeoris…”
It was his turn to weep at the memory of Fire’s attack on his family. Grief is a vicious, uncontrollable monster that rips out the heart when least expected, its brutality only challenged by its timing.
She shakily placed a hand on his shoulder. When he didn’t jerk away, she pulled him in for a hug. Angst was grateful until she began kissing his cheek. He pulled back and wiped away his tears.
“I’m sorry,” he said awkwardly, sniffing deeply. “I can’t…”
“Was it me?” she asked in a small voice.
“Was what you?” he asked.
“Was it my fault your family died?” she asked, her lip trembling.
“No, Alloria,” he said grimly, the anger returning. “No. It was Fire.”
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