by Elise Kova
In a few wide steps, Jax was across. He breathed in relief at the feeling of rock under his feet again, rather than the sliver of a ledge or sagging wet wood. His composure regained, he moved to Nox’s side.
Her magic complemented his, a harmony they instinctively knew how to sing together. Jax glanced at the woman from the corners of his eyes; she remained focused, her brow set.
The ice had been made by a strong Waterrunner, indeed. It resisted him, pushing out coldness into his fingers even as he pulsed fire into it. For a Waterrunner to maintain magic of this magnitude from an unknown distance meant the sorcerer was surely a master at his craft, powerful unlike any the world had known before. Perhaps Adela really was still out there, maintaining this barrier from seas beyond the horizon of man’s knowledge.
Sweat trickled down his neck as he pushed forward. Magic flowed from him but, with Nox at his side, it seemed to channel over the stone rather than wildly setting the room ablaze.
Jax heard the first sign of their victory in the same moment he saw it: a monumental crack in the ice, accompanied by a rumbling roar that echoed against the cavern walls. He closed his eyes, feeling the weaknesses in the ice, testing its strength in various places. He envisioned his fire burning from within, out.
Ice turned to steam as the magic that gave it shape gave way beneath their joint efforts. Jax dropped his hands, panting. He blinked into the steam that filled the caverns, completely drained.
He turned as he heard Nox moving in the haze.
The sound of gold spilling like rain onto stone rang triumph into the air. It lofted above the waves and heralded cheers from Erion and Baldair across the room. Jax turned toward them, blinking through the steam with a triumphant grin.
There was a soft grunt, and the spilling of more coins.
As Nox came into focus, the smile slipped from Jax’s face. Erion and Baldair were silenced.
The woman moved like someone possessed. She frantically grabbed bags, spilling over with gold, and threw them into the spinning waters far below. Jax blinked as the cascade of gold flew through the air, landing with distant white splashes before being sucked into the inhospitable waters below.
“What’re you doing?” Erion shouted.
“S-Stop!” Baldair bellowed away his shock. “That belongs to the crown.”
Nox was undeterred. She said nothing. She merely took bag after bag, box after box, and cast them into the void.
“Nox, stop!” Jax reached for her, wanting to shake away whatever demon had overcome her.
Nox looked up at him with her obsidian eyes, darker than midnight and alight with the fire of her hands. She threw a sharp jab at him. Jax dodged backwards, the fire singeing his skin.
She had cast the throw with the intent to burn him. She was striking for real.
Nox grabbed another bag and threw it.
“Jax, stop her!” Baldair commanded frantically.
Jax looked between his lord—his sovereign, his friend—and the Western woman before him. He saw a different face on her, a different curve to her body. He had to fight her; he had to put enough strength in his magic to burn her.
Be the monster.
Jax welcomed the voice back into his mind. He welcomed the jeering, slithering, inky blackness that oozed from all the fragments of his shattered heart. He kicked, foot aflame.
Nox dodged with a tumble, rolling over treasure, sending gold scattering across the stone with a metallic sing-song quality. She glanced at him as he shifted, readying his next attack. It missed more narrowly as she chose to focus on casting another box toward the edge.
“Don’t touch it!” she yelled at him. She was casting it all away, handfuls at a time, dodging his attacks and fighting just enough to keep him at bay.
“What are you doing?” he pleaded. If she could give him an explanation, any explanation… “Tell us! We can help you.”
Nox rolled for the last bag. Jax stepped on her hand as she reached out for it. With a hiss she pulled away. Her other hand gripped a bunch of coins, throwing it up at his face.
Jax looked away instinctively, avoiding the pelting of gold. He looked back to see Nox with the final bag pulled back, ready to throw.
“Stop her!” Baldair shouted, again and again.
Jax grabbed the bag as Nox began to hurl it forward.
“No!” she cried, seeing his hand on it.
The old canvas ripped, treasure clattering to the ground between them. Gold pieces and ornate jewelry, fitting of a king, shone in the light of Nox’s fire above them. They sparked like fireflies before falling like death.
Nox tipped forward, off-balance from the momentum of her throw that had suddenly lost its heavy counterweight. She stepped quickly, trying to recover. One foot pivoted, she looked back to Jax, her face framed nearly in slow-motion by the gold falling all around her.
Jax reached. Her arm rose.
But he was too slow, and she was too far away. Jax watched as she tripped backward over the edge. He stumbled, dropping to his knees, gripping the stone ledge of the column.
The Western woman dropped, head first, into the inescapable vortex. The last thing Jax saw was the dark water swallowing the white foam where she landed, as the magic that fueled the flames above them died and cast the room into total darkness.
29. ERION
THEY HADN’T SPOKEN a word on what had happened with Nox and the treasure in two days.
Baldair had explained to the guard that they had been searching the tunnels for any other smugglers. The law of the city was too busy cataloging all the gemstones and recovered goods from the smugglers’ hideaway that they didn’t notice, or comment on, the old-looking bag the prince carried. They had each given their information to the captain of the guard, following Baldair’s lead and saying nothing of the truth about the treasure of the pirate queen that had now truly been lost forever to the depths.
Erion had gone to the Lady Black alone yesterday to inform them of what had happened to Nox. At first, they didn’t know who he was talking about. The crew had known the woman as Violet, someone they had picked up in Norin, and didn’t know anything more than the fact that she could haul twice her weight and knew how to tie a good knot. That was all they had cared about when she had expressed interest in joining them on one of the most unpopular routes in all of sailing.
Oparium was abuzz with talk of the pirate caverns, mistakenly calling the influx of goods “Adela’s Treasure” and not correctly labeling it as the return of stolen and smuggled goods by much more recent hands. Baldair was credited with breaking the curse. And none of them could stand being in town a day longer.
Just as none of them could stand now the very last of the legendary treasure that Baldair had spilled across the billiards table.
Jax stood back by the door, leaning against it, no doubt listening for any others. The shutters had been drawn so no rogue servant could look in as they prepared the horses for their ride back to the capital in a few hours. They were alone with the ghosts that took the form of a scattering of gold coins and regal-looking jewelry. Erion had seen Baldair spend more coin in an evening, and more jewelry sold in an hour at his family’s store in Norin.
“Well, at least not everything was lost?” Leave it to Baldair to look on the bright side.
“I think we regained the most valuable thing, too.” Erion lifted a crown from the small pile of gold and other jewels. It looked like a rough casting of the sun crown the Emperor wore. At the top the gold had been worn and chipped away to reveal shining gems, as though the whole thing had been solid stone dipped in molten metal. “Must have been your grandfather’s crown.”
“Perhaps.” Baldair accepted the regal adornment, inspecting it. “Never heard of it having stones before.”
“Maybe she hated the crown…” Erion mused aloud, his mind back to Nox. She hadn’t seemed hostile toward Baldair, but she had come off the ship of an old Western family known for their general distaste for the Empire. Something about her
had seemed familiar. Perhaps she was of the old Western court?
“This?” Baldair hadn’t followed his logic.
“No, sorry, the Empire. She wanted to get rid of the old treasures.”
“Wouldn’t really hurt the Empire in any way.” The prince put the crown down, scattering the jewels and coins across the table. “Even at six or seven times this amount… however much there was… it’s still less than we keep in the bank at the Crossroads.”
“I didn’t think you were so educated on the commerce of the Empire.” Jax had been silent until then, a slim shadow cast against the wall opposite the door.
Erion looked over his shoulder, seeing the man’s grin. That was the only expression he seemed to wear now. This summer had been hard on their friend, creating more ghosts than it exorcised.
“I pay attention now and then,” Baldair said defensively.
“She talked a lot about wanting to get her hands on the treasure. Maybe she wanted to live in infamy as the only one to ever touch Adela’s lost gold.” Jax was thoughtful, and it left Erion to wonder what sort of interaction his friend might have had with the drowned Firebearer.
“That doesn’t even make sense.” The prince shook his head. “Why does that matter? Why not keep it for herself?”
“People do stupid things when it comes to seeking infamy.” One theory was just as good as another when it came to the woman. It wasn’t as though they were about to find out the truth of her motivations; conjecture was all they could cling to.
“So what are we doing with this?” Jax motioned to the treasure as he crossed the room.
“I suppose I’ll return it to my father.” The prince shrugged. “The crown should be his…”
Baldair trailed off as he looked at Jax. It brought Erion’s attention to their friend as well. Jax had gone completely still as he looked at the crown, shining unassumingly in the dim midday light filtering through the shuttered windows.
He reached out slowly and drew his finger away as though the object had come to life and bit him.
“What is it?” Erion couldn’t make sense of his friend’s strange reaction to the crown. He had never seen Jax so wary of an object.
“These stones…” Jax timidly pressed a single finger on them, quickly pulling away again. “They’re not normal.”
“Not normal how?” Erion asked.
Jax shook his head. “I think we should bring them to the Minister of Sorcery. They have magic in them… I think... I think they’re crystals.”
Just the word “crystals” brought back every memory and mention of the War of the Crystal Caverns. A mysterious power that was unleashed only a few years ago had turned men into monsters. It had taken an army and a specialized legion of sorcerers—the Black Legion, formed just for the war—to seal the power away.
“I’m not giving my brother any more power,” Baldair declared firmly. “He’ll lord it over me.”
“Jax didn’t say your brother, he said—”
“The Minister of Sorcery.” Baldair scowled at the crown. “But Victor is basically Aldrik’s lackey now. Ever since Aldrik helped get him into power, they’re in each other’s pocket. No, no—I’m not giving this to them.”
“Baldair, this is dangerous.” Jax continued to stare at the crown with a worried horror. “We could be turning into monsters right now…”
“If it’s dangerous, then it’s all the more reason not to give it to them.”
Erion sighed. “Think about this rationally.” Imploring the prince to do so when it came to Aldrik was a futile effort but one Erion would persist in nonetheless. Crystal lore was long, but it was always steeped in misfortune.
“I am.” Baldair suddenly looked thoughtful. Jax and Erion both held their tongues while they waited for the prince to speak. “We all know crystals are bad. However anyone gets involved with them, it ends up terrible for all parties.”
Erion silently nodded his agreement.
“Then… the less people who know about this, the better,” Baldair reasoned. “The War of the Crystal Caverns started because some sorcerers had gotten too bold and hunted for the stones’ power, right?”
That was what Erion, and the rest of the world, had been told.
“So, the more people who know about this, the worse off we are. But if only we three know about it, and none of us share the fact that it exists at all, it can stay hidden.”
“Where?” Jax seemed as unconvinced by the whole idea as Erion felt.
“I won’t tell.” Baldair grinned. “That’ll be my secret, and I’ll take it to the grave.”
Erion thought it over. No one knew the crown existed. Perhaps that was the safest way—for it to remain lost to time.
“Consider the secret of its discovery safe with me,” Erion vowed. If it was what Baldair thought was best, then he would stand by it.
They both turned to Jax.
The uncertainty melted away from Jax’s face as a grin crept across his cheeks. “If you think it’s best.”
Erion fought a frown. This was the way his friend was now. It was the way he had to be. He raised an arm and slung it over Jax’s shoulders, giving it a shake, an affirmation that no matter how Jax changed, Erion would stay with him.
“That’s that, then. We shall guard your golden secret.” He gave a nod to the crown.
“To our own graves,” Jax affirmed.
Baldair laughed and grabbed one of the coins on the table. “Jax, you can melt this, right?”
Jax nodded.
“Make us bracers, for our wrists.” The prince passed Jax a coin.
The Firebearer flipped it once in the air, flame following it up before he caught it, the gold soft and malleable with the heat. Jax grabbed for a handful more of the golden coins. Erion watched with interest as he pooled the molten currency together, carefully sculpting it around his bare wrist, impervious to the heat.
When it cooled, he passed his creation to Baldair, repeating the process for Erion.
“There.” Baldair held his wrist toward them, nearly all the gold coins having gone to the making of the roughly crafted bracers. All that remained on the table were two necklaces and the crown. “Now, we’ll never forget that we’re bound together by this secret, by duty, by kinship.” The prince gave a wide smile that was too infectious not to return. “My golden guards.”
Book Two of the Golden Guard Trilogy
Coming February 2017
The Empire has declared war against its neighbor to the north, the country of Shaldan. Prince Baldair is summoned to lead, but the untested royal harbors secret reservations about his ability to inspire confidence in troops his senior in both age and experience. The memory of his first kills the summer prior still weigh heavy on his shoulders, and he flees to his friend Erion’s home near the Crossroads to wait for the army before marching north.
Raylynn Westind had never held a responsibility in her life. After losing her mother years ago, she wanders from town to town in search of a challenge, honoring the sacred song of the sword her mother taught her. She never backs down from a fight, not when her opponents are the deadly Knights of Jadar, mysteriously insistent upon her death. And certainly not when the opponent is the Empire’s young playboy prince.
Baldair has never met another person as gifted with the sword as he, and is insistent on seeing a golden bracer grace Raylynn’s forearm. But the woman lives a mercenary’s life, and Baldair quickly learns that her loyalty comes at a high price. When he discovers the bounty on her head, the prince must choose between his responsibilities to his father’s Empire, and the woman who has captured his heart as a soldier, and as a man.
A new world from Elise Kova
Coming January 2017
Her vengeance. His vision.
Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ
market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer-turned-thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.
Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.
When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.
He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE TOWER GUARD—each and every one of you inspires me so much, daily, to be the best author I can be. If it were not for your love, support, and encouragement, I would not be where I am or writing the books I write. This book is truly for all of you and I hope I can continue to compose tales for you to enjoy.
My proofreader, Dani—you really came through for me on this. Thank you for the time you spent and your careful eye giving this one last sweep before I imparted it upon the world. I couldn’t have asked for a better proofreader, or a better friend.
My content editor, Jamie—is it all right if I say I both loved and hated your comments? Ha! But seriously, what I “hated” is merely me saying I was being lazy and was angry with myself for not noticing those things sooner, that’s just how brilliant you are. Thank you so much for taking the time to work with me on honing the plotting and characterization of this story so it both fit into the Air Awakens world, and stood out on its own.
My editor, Rebecca—another one down! Thank you for jumping in on this even though you were unfamiliar with the world. Having a fresh set of eyes was truly helpful in crafting this story and, as always, your edits are impeccable.