“He started coughing right after you left,”Axel said.“Choking on his spit or something. Hasn’t said anything since.”
Blaze’s heart whipped into a frenzy as he fumbled for the correct key, then slid it into the lock. He pulled the door open, ignoring the echoing creak as he shuffled inside. The man’s frame was still.
Blaze touched his shoulder, attempting to turn him.
His skin was like ice.
Flopping him onto his back, Blaze knew before he saw the ring of blue and purple staining the skin around Oliver’s lips that he was dead.
Frozen in place, he stared down at the man who’d been alive only ten minutes ago. Possibly even less.
Sergei entered the cell cautiously to glance at the dead man. When Blaze glanced at him, he nodded, confirming what Blaze suspected: the magic that had been used so Oliver didn’t share any useful information had “disposed” of the threat. Now there was a corpse who’d supposedly died of asphyxiation.
Axel now stood with his face between the bars, observing the dead man too.
“Why didn’t you call out for help?” Blaze asked.
He scoffed. “Who would have heard me? That guy cried for help every night, all night long. He kept begging to be freed, saying he’d been promised that.”
Blaze pondered that. It made sense with how out of his mind Oliver had been that he’d want to be released from the cells, but who had promised him that he would be freed? Did he mean when Silas had said that if he provided useful information he’d be released, or something else entirely?
His gaze fell back to the lifeless man who likely hadn’t done anything wrong besides be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, whatever information he’d held onto was lost.
Blaze shook his head. The evidence that Axel was innocent was compelling enough for him, but would it be for the council of leaders?
Turning to Sergei, he asked,“What do you think?”
The Spellcaster crouched, careful not to touch the man while taking in every detail. “He was spelled. I can smell it on him, but it’s faint. There was likely a word or a phrase that had been triggered to kill him when spoken. Something that was indicting to whomever placed the spell.”
Blaze shook his head.“The only Spellcaster here at the time was Gertie.”
“Is it possible he left the grounds at some point?”
“It’s possible,” he confirmed, nodding.“But highly unlikely.”
“That’s enough for reasonable doubt.” Sergei stood. After a moment, he fixed his attention on Axel, who looked on with mild interest.“There’s something deeper in you. Not demonic…I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s like…”
“Like what?” Blaze prompted, feeling his agitation grow. What little he had to combat the charges against his brother might be enough to prevent an immediate execution, but he likely wouldn’t be leaving this cell.
Sergei turned to him instead.“Like a poison.”
Blaze paced in the conference room like a caged tiger, prowling back and forth, likely wearing a groove into the carpet. No doubt Gertie would tell him off later—
He stopped abruptly, the cold punch of grief hitting him square in the chest.
Gertie wouldn’t tell him off ever again. Or fret over his hair or bake him cookies with the first snowfall of the season. He’d never again make her laugh or be a part of her life, because she was dead.
While he struggled to draw in a full breath, several leaders stalked into the room and took their place around the table.
Emma strode in with Sergei and just her presence was like a balm on a wound. Blaze offered her as much of a smile as he could manage, though he was sure it appeared to be more of a grimace. Either way, she returned the gesture before taking a seat two chairs down from his with Sergei between them.
Silas filed in with the rest of the council next, looking irritated. “What is it, nephew? The trial is meant to start in an hour.”
Dominic led a cuffed and chained Axel to the front of the room, stopping against the wall behind Blaze.
“I have evidence that suggests my brother has been framed for a crime he did not commit.”
When everyone was seated, including his bull-headed uncle, they all waited for him to continue—though Silas’s face slowly turned a nice beetroot color.
“Without my primary Spellcaster, I asked the help of Sergei to confirm the use of magic.”
Protests rose, but Blaze silenced them all with a hand.
“Oliver Phillips, who had claimed my brother gave him a charm to weaken the wards, was very much alive and out of his mind when I visited the cells only an hour ago. His behavior indicated a level of interference with his choice of words, so I sought out the help of Sergei to see if he could break the enchantment. However, when the two of us arrived at his cell not even ten minutes later, Oliver was dead. Cause of death would appear to be asphyxiation, but Axel claims that Oliver regularly called out to be freed, saying that he had been promised his freedom. By whom, you ask? My guess is whoever spelled him to begin with.”
Silas stood, smirking. “That’s all just hearsay. There’s no proof.”
“I smelled the magic on him,” Sergei interjected, rising to his feet as well. Emma smiled up at him with pride.“It was old, but my guess is that the spell included a self-destruct, meant to silence the victim should any line of questioning get around the enchantment. A fail-safe, so to speak.”
“Gertie was the only Spellcaster here at the time, and Axel didn’t leave the compound without me at any point in the past few weeks. It’s next to impossible that he could have been spelled without my knowing. Oliver Phillips, however, was reported leaving the grounds nearly a dozen times in the past week, and he was always alone,” Blaze finished.
Murmurs spread around the table, growing in volume until Silas scoffed, loudly.“Still, this proves nothing. Axel must have been involved in some way, or else why would the ingredients for the charm have been found in his room?”
“They could have been planted there. Besides, the ingredients themselves won’t automatically weaken the wards—they have to be bound by a Spellcaster, causing the ingredients to work together to become the charm used to create holes within protections. And again, Gertie had no involvement with that.”
“That we know of,” Silas spat, and Blaze was around the table before he knew what he was doing.
He gripped his uncle by the lapels, forcing their faces only inches apart.“You will not speak ill of the only woman that has cared for me and my brother these past decades. Just because she was a Spellcaster does not mean she was not loyal. You cannot blame everyone else for your inability to gain anyone’s loyalty or affections.”
His uncle, for once, was speechless.
Emma’s sweet scent reached Blaze a moment before her dainty hand rested on his back. Centering him. Comforting him.
He released his uncle, turning to address the room.“I call to a vote the action decided upon for Andrew Thomas—”
Emerelda burst into the room right at that moment, causing all heads to swivel in her direction.
“Wait! I was told the trial was in an hour. No one told me it had been moved up.” Tears streamed down her face, and her bright blue eyes locked with Axel’s.
“This is a private council meeting,” Blaze said.“You may wait outside the room.”
She sniffled.“I want to be here for him…in case…in case…” She sobbed into her hands, still standing in the doorway.
Emma’s body was tense at his side, but he didn’t spare her a glance.
When Emerelda glanced up, her eyes and Axel’s connected.
Then Blaze heard his brother’s snarl.
Whirling around, he saw his brother’s face screwed up in animalistic fury as he lunged for Emma. Axel’s hands went around her throat and they both fell to the ground. Blaze’s utter stunned confusion evaporated a second later, and he and Dominic moved at the same time. His friend pulled at Axel’s degenerating body while Bla
ze fought to keep Emma away, but his brother’s grip was unnaturally strong—even for him.
Her eyes were wide and she gaped in shock, her face red.
Dominic grabbed a chair and sent it crashing against Axel’s skull. He went limp, slumping to the floor beside Emma.
She gasped, desperately trying to draw in air. Blaze pulled her up, crushing her to him in a strong hug, and she immediately pushed against him.
Realizing she had just been choked and likely didn’t want to feel any sort of restriction of her person, he released her.“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded but didn’t speak. Discoloration already bloomed on the slim column of her neck, and a hot searing anger burned in his veins. Why had Axel attacked her unprovoked? And why did he wait? If he’d been desperate to kill her, why not attack her the moment he walked through the door?
Nothing made sense.
Blaze looked to Dominic, before shifting his attention to the doorway. Emerelda, hands clasped over her mouth, stood with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Is he okay?” She hiccupped a sob. “Oh they’ll surely kill him now! My Andrew! My love!” She spun on her heel and ran from the room, her wailing echoing through the house.
Blaze might have won everyone over and helped free his brother until this happened. Now, it was almost guaranteed that Axel would be put to death. Not for attacking Emma, but for seeming unhinged. As his uncle often said, “Any chink in one’s armor is a weakness you cannot afford.”
His brother was a weakness.
But Blaze didn’t care. “Take him back to his cell and make sure he’s secured,” he instructed Dominic, who nodded before hefting his brother up.
Getting to his feet, Blaze scanned the faces shaken with shock and fear. “What you just witnessed is evidence of Spellcaster magic at play. I beg you to allow me time to prove his innocence before you cast judgment. Allow me to find whoever is responsible so that we might bring them to justice instead.”
“You cannot be ser—” Silas began, but Blaze shot him a look that had the words dying on his tongue.
“All in favor of granting me a two-week reprieve to find the person responsible for this mess? If by the end of those two weeks, the culprit is not found…” He heaved a steadying breath, then forced the rest of the words out.“I will submit to whatever form of justice you decide upon.”
Emma’s hand rose, though he could sense her reluctance. Sergei’s followed, and one by one half a dozen hands went up. Majority ruled.
Hope flared in his chest, and he released a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”Those were the only words he spoke before grabbing Emma’s hand and leading her out of the room and up to hers.
When the door was shut and it was just the two of them, he brought his lips down on hers as gently as he could. When he pulled away, he bent at the knees, lowering himself to examine the bruises forming on her neck. They were black and purple, stirring a sickness in his gut that churned with anger.
If his brother wasn’t under some kind of spell or influence, he’d march down into the basement and break Axel’s nose a second time.
“I’m okay,” she rasped.
He frowned.“You don’t sound okay.”
With a shrug, she said,“He’s not himself.”
Blaze swallowed hard. “I know.” He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the knotted strands hard. The bite of pain helped clear his mind.“We will go to Brazil, attempt your plan, and then be back here searching for clues as to who messed with my brother.”
She shook her head, a sad smile curving her lips.“You should stay here and look for leads. I’ll be okay without you.”
“I won’t even consider letting you face a prince without me,” he retorted. If she lost herself to the high that the power gave her, she might become a danger to his people. With him there, he could reach her. He would always try. The growing connection they had—his increasing affection for the girl—made it impossible to allow her to face Beleez on her own.“I know it’s really bad timing, but there’s a war approaching. The Shediem cannot be allowed to terrorize the Earth. As much as I love my brother, my very existence demands that I protect the Earth first. He would want that too.”
She reached up, cupping his cheek with her soft, warm palm. “We’ll do it all together.” Standing up on her tiptoes, she let her lips brush against his, sparking an intoxicating sensation that made him crave more. But he forced himself to pull away.
“Pack lightly. We will leave as soon as possible.”
She waited for his knock on her door twenty minutes later. After the bruising on her neck faded to a putrid yellow-and-green combo, he felt the weight of guilt lift slightly. He should have been faster. He should have pulled her back and kept her safe. She bore the marks of his failure, and they faded all too quickly. It felt like an excuse to dismiss the attack. Once the bruises faded completely, there would no longer be physical evidence of his shortcomings. But he would not soon forget.
“Stop looking at me like that. I’m fine, really. Strangely enough, I’ve grown accustomed to people trying to kill me.”
Her comment was meant for levity, but it served only to darken his mood further. With a sigh, she steered him out the door, and they made their way down to the foyer.
The human, Breanna, held her squirming infant while speaking softly with Dominic.
When Emma caught sight of her, she ran down the remaining steps toward her friend, heedless of the conversation she had been having with Dominic.
His friend reluctantly bowed to both girls and stepped away, intercepting him on the final step.“Plane is fueled and ready.”
Blaze nodded.“We’ll have to bring as much food as we can from the kitchens, given our numbers. Gertie usually did that…” His words dissolved on his tongue.
Emma turned, no doubt hearing him even from twenty feet away.“Breanna and I will go scrounge up supplies,” she suggested.
The human nodded, glancing again at Dominic, her cheeks flushing pink. Blaze fought a smile when his friend’s gaze followed her until well after both women had disappeared from view.
“It’s interesting how fate decides to make fools of us all, eh?” Blaze said.
His friend was silent for several moments.“A man struck with Cupid’s arrow will go into war fighting to protect his loved ones, but also with the hope of something to return to. If anything, I consider myself lucky.”
Love. That was quite the declaration. It’d only been a few weeks since Breanna was given a new life at his manor. Already his friend was in love. It seemed there was a lot of that going around lately.
He thought of the strong, powerful girl with wild auburn curls and depthless emerald eyes who had captured his attention from the moment he’d laid eyes on her. And how her bravery and sometimes stubborn will had endeared her to him.
Did he love her?
His heart didn’t take long to answer that question. He did love her.
Her compassion, her tenacity. Even the darkest parts of her, he still found that he couldn’t help but love her more for them.
Blaze clapped Dominic on the shoulder.“Yes indeed. We are the luckiest of men.”
The roar of the engine dulled the moment the door was shut.
Blaze was the pilot this time, not trusting anyone else to navigate the harsh winter conditions.
Emma sat in the seat beside him, awed, as they flew over snow-covered mountains and into the clouds.
“How long is the flight?”she asked once they reached cruising altitude.
“Twelve hours. We’ll be landing about a day’s hike from the blackout area.”
Her eyes were wide.“Will we have enough fuel for that?”
He nodded.“Without any extenuating circumstances, we’ll be fine.”
She worried her bottom lip.“Are you going to fly the whole time?”
“I’ll switch with Dominic for the last half. We’ll all need to get some rest for what’s to come.”
She nodded, turning in her seat to gl
ance back at everyone else, who were no doubt settling in for a nap.
“Try to get some sleep. I’ll wake you before we land.”
“I’ll stay up with you. I’m not tired.”
Blaze didn’t argue, and after an hour of nothing more than idle chatting, she’d finally fallen asleep.
When Dominic came to relieve him six hours in, Blaze took out a flannel blanket from an overhead compartment and covered Emma before taking his place in one of the chairs further back.
Whether it was from the grief weighing heavily on him or just the fact that he hadn’t slept well in days, sleep claimed him almost instantly.
The touch that woke him was feminine. His eyes were sore when they opened, revealing Emma leaning over him. She smiled slightly—a nervous smile. Her hand cupped his face and before she could react, he pulled her onto his lap. His lips claimed hers in a hard, urgent kiss. She responded in kind, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling him closer still.
The plane jostled them, but their desperate embrace was unaffected by the movement. When at last he broke the kiss, her lips were red and swollen, but pulled into a wide smile that made her eyes sparkle.
“I should wake you up like that more often,” she said breathlessly.
He couldn’t help but laugh, only for the gravity of what was to come to hit him full force and knock away any traces of levity.
A glance outside along with the adjusting pressure in his ears told him they’d just broken through the thick grey clouds. They’d be landing soon.
“You should buckle up.” He unlatched his seatbelt and stood in one swift move before scooping her up and depositing her in his empty seat.
“Still warm,” she commented with a laugh.
He didn’t smile; instead he pressed another kiss to her forehead.“We’re nearly there.”To the rest of the rousing soldiers and Spellcasters he said, “Get ready.” Then he strode for the cockpit.
“Need me to put her on the ground?” he asked Dominic, who gripped the controls hard enough for his knuckles to turn white.
“I’ve got it.” His friend flexed his fingers, loosening his hold before rolling his shoulders back.
The Throne of Broken Bones (Weapon of Fire and Ash Book 3) Page 27