by Riley Storm
“When?” Natasha had a bad feeling.
“If the raid on his quarters goes well, today,” Sara said, grinning widely. “And we will all benefit from it.”
“We, in this case, meaning anyone associated with Loiner, I assume,” Natasha sneered. “You sycophants. You would exile these people who have done nothing but try to help us, all so that you can gain some measure of power. For what? What will you accomplish with it, besides maybe finally giving Loiner the seat on the Coven she’s been demanding for years, as if it should be granted to her just for who she is?”
Sara just shook her head. “You’ll never understand.”
“You’re right. Because you’re all insane and blinded by that monster.”
Natasha turned and stormed out of the Outpost, dinner long forgotten. She looked at her surroundings. Trees and mountains, snow and empty space. There was nothing around her for miles. She was far from Winterspell.
And was that the purpose of it all? Natasha couldn’t help but see just how coincidental it was, that she was no longer back at Winterspell. The one person who could speak out against Loiner.
Just how sick was the person I replaced, I wonder? she thought darkly to herself. That would be just like Loiner of course, always thinking several moves ahead.
By sending Natasha out on patrol, by the time she returned, the trial would be over and the dragons would be exiled. And it would all be her fault. Rane hadn’t destroyed the papers, at least not while she was there.
And he’s going to think that I told Loiner. That it was me who betrayed him.
There must have been a spell on the papers, or perhaps the envelope. Something that would have notified Loiner where they were. Since they hadn’t been destroyed, the Master would have known that Natasha was lying as well, which was why she’d removed her from Winterspell. One less thing that could go wrong in Loiner’s quest for more power.
“That has to be what she’s up to,” Natasha said, speaking to herself as she paced away from the main building.
What do I do now?
Staying at the Outpost didn’t seem like an option, not anymore. Yet going back would mean speaking up against Loiner. Natasha could bring the whole thing down with her testimony.
She tried to swallow, but a massive lump had arisen in her throat.
What was she going to do?
If she went back, she would have incriminated herself. She would have to risk everything she’d worked so hard for.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Natasha
Wind tore at her hair and whipped at her cheeks.
She flew by moonlight and the seat of her pants to guide her, many of the landmarks she could see during the daytime obscured to her now that it was night. Her fingers were nearly numb, even with gloves, and her skin tingled from the cold.
Flying at night was generally discouraged, but even more so in winter where the temperatures in the mountains could drop dramatically and frostbite became a real concern. Most witches would cast spells to help ward off the cold, but Natasha was putting every bit of energy and focus she had into speed.
It was imperative that she return to Winterspell before the trial was concluded. Rane and the dragons’ only chance was if she could get there in time to disrupt Loiner’s plans.
The landscape below was changing dramatically as she raced along, covering miles, moving faster than she’d ever gone before. Looking up, she poured on yet more speed, risking running out of energy before she returned to Winterspell as her reserves dropped dramatically to power the forward movement.
Her lips curled upward in a silent sneer. Nothing was going to stop her now.
In the distance, she saw a pool of light appear. Angling slightly to approach it directly, Natasha homed in on Winterspell like a cruise missile locked on target. She blew past the sentries on the wall, the rush of her passage nearly tumbling several of them from the ramparts as she whipped around a building and came to a skidding halt in the courtyard.
There had been no time for a slow, cautious descent. She was in a rush.
Racing across the courtyard, robes flying, she went inside, heading up toward the dragon quarters as fast as her short thick legs could carry her. Emerging onto his floor, she slowed, looking at the number of witches stationed there.
“Where is Rane?” she shouted.
One of them stepped forward. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Natasha’s wand whipped out, coming to rest on the unlucky woman’s neck. “Answer my question,” she snarled. “Where is Rane?”
“They’ve taken him to see the Coven,” the witch said, swallowing tightly. “But you’re not supposed to—”
Not bothering to listen to the rest of it, Natasha turned and left. She didn’t like what she saw, but there was no time to handle that. Her only hope right now was Rane, and that she wasn’t too late for the trial.
Her determined footsteps took her back into the main hall and down into the depths, to the Coven’s Chamber. Two witches stood guard outside. They exchanged uneasy looks as Natasha approached.
“You can’t go in there,” one of them said.
Natasha’s wand came out, already glowing red at the tip as the spell came to mind.
“Move, or be moved,” she said icily, not slowing for a second.
One of the witches twitched, and Natasha’s spell hit her like a truck, blasting the hapless witch back through the double doors until she landed on her back in the middle of the aisle leading up to the center of the room.
Natasha walked.
“What is the meaning of this?” Circe asked, standing up in alarm, hand outstretched toward Natasha.
“I should ask the same thing,” Natasha said, ignoring the fiery gaze Loiner was turning on her from where she sat off to the right. “What kind of farce of a trial are you conducting here?”
Circe tilted her head to the side. Natasha couldn’t see the woman’s face, but somehow knew she was frowning. “What do you mean? Evidence was found in the possession of one of the dragons that indicated they were planning an assault on the Coven and Winterspell as a whole. Are you saying that this is wrong?”
For the first time since she’d left the Outpost, Natasha hesitated. This was it, of course. This was her moment to redeem Rane, to prove that the dragons were innocent of any wrongdoing, and that Loiner was the true criminal in it all.
But not the only one. If I do this, I admit to being complicit in it. I will sever all ties to my life here, and all my friends.
Natasha snorted, drawing some looks from the crowd. Friends. The ones who’d rolled over in their beds without giving a damn about what was bothering her? Or perhaps the ones who willingly worked to get her away from the academy, so that an innocent man could be convicted?
Some friends.
“Well, Initiate?” Circe said, looking at her from deep within the shadows of her hood. “This had better be a worthwhile interruption.”
“It is,” she said, finding her spine, and realizing it was stronger than she’d known. “If you want to convict the real criminal here. The one who masterminded this all. The one who ordered someone to plant those documents in the dragon quarter, under threat of death.” She crossed her arms.
“That is a bold accusation, young woman,” Circe said quietly, though her voice managed to carry across the room. “Do you have evidence to back it up?”
“I am the evidence,” she said. “I was the one ordered to take the documents and hide them in the dragon quarter. I was the one threatened if I didn’t do it. I was the one conveniently sent out on a patrol I’m not supposed to be on, so that I couldn’t be present for this farce.”
“So, you admit to abandoning your post?” Master Loiner snarled, speaking at last. “How are we supposed to trust what you say, if you’re betraying your comrades, unable to follow simple orders?”
Natasha laughed. “I’m not intimidated by you anymore. I’m done playing your game. You ordered me to befriend this man and get to k
now him, so that I could use him. You are a terrible person. But what you didn’t expect was that I would develop feelings for him. That I would fall for him, and your plan wouldn’t work. So that’s why you had to order me to plant the documents. Because as much as you wish it were true, they aren’t up to anything, they aren’t planning any sort of attack. They are beyond grateful to be here, but you’re just too blind to see it!”
Loiner’s face was furious, spittle flying from her lips. “You arrogant little shit! I’ll see you thrown from Winterspell for those accusations!”
“It’s true,” Rane said, standing up. “The night she tried to plant them, I caught her. It wasn’t the first time someone had tried to break into our quarters, and so I was keeping guard at night. When I trapped her, she admitted to everything. I kept the documents.”
“I never told you where I planted them,” Natasha said, glaring at Loiner. “So how is it you managed to find them? Did you search every quarter?”
Rane laughed. “Absolutely not. She came directly to my quarters and knew exactly where to find them. If you send someone there, you’ll notice that everything is intact. They didn’t have to ransack it, because she put some sort of tracking spell on them. The only thing they touched was the chest under my bed.”
“How convenient for you,” Natasha spat at Loiner. “Everything all wrapped up in a bubble. You would be the hero of Winterspell. Basically guaranteed a spot on the Coven for this bust.”
“And I would have had it if it weren’t for you!” Loiner shouted, grabbing for her wand.
Natasha flinched, her own wand coming up in defense as Loiner began mouthing the words to a spell. There was no time for her to react.
Fire blossomed from the tip of the Master’s wand and the stream shot across the distance. Natasha flinched, closing her eyes and throwing up a hand, though what good it would do against the red-orange flames she didn’t know.
But it never struck home. There was no agony, no crisping of flesh and impact of the fire itself. Frowning, she slowly lowered her hand and opened her eyes to see the fire just hovering there, stopped dead two feet off her face.
Looking around, she saw that Loiner and her group weren’t moving, completely immobile except for their eyes, which were all looking around wildly.
The Circe stepped down from her seat at the head of the Coven. It was then that Natasha saw her hand outstretched. Natasha shook her head, relaxing, marveling at the Circe’s power. The woman hadn’t taken more than a split second to react, and she’d managed, without a wand or staff to essentially freeze time in a bubble around Loiner.
The woman was incredibly powerful.
“Enough!” Circe said, looking at Loiner, but also at Natasha. “I will do the same to you if I must.”
Natasha shook her head, wand disappearing back into her robes. “I was only intent on defending myself, Circe. You won’t have issue with me. I will accept my punishment.”
Circe nodded. “We shall get to that.” She walked forward to the ball of fire and put herself between it and Natasha. Raising her other hand, she bowed her head in focus for a moment, and then dropped her time spell.
The ball of fire hit her hand—and just disappeared.
Natasha gasped as the Circe simply absorbed the spell. She hadn’t even known that was possible!
Loiner gasped as she realized what she was doing and the spell evaporated. Circe gestured and the Master’s wand flew from her grip. Natasha watched as Circe plucked it from mid-air and pocketed it.
She turned to another member of the Coven and nodded. Natasha watched as the indicated Coven member rose up and walked over to Loiner, looking hard and grim, wand out.
“Master Loiner, you have revealed yourself to be a stain upon Winterspell’s name,” Circe said as the other Coven member descended to take charge of her. “Your actions and words have confirmed the story of these two. You will be interred in a cell here in Winterspell until appropriate punishment can be meted out.”
Loiner moved to speak, but Circe waved her hand and a spell covered the woman’s mouth, forcing her jaw together.
“I don’t want to hear another word from you,” the head of Winterspell snarled coldly. “You are a disgrace. I just wish I could give you what you deserve.”
Then she motioned and Loiner was escorted from the room, wand pointed at the vile woman’s back.
The instant the doors closed behind her, Natasha sagged into the nearest chair. Her knees were weak, and she felt lightheaded. Her punishment would come next, but it didn’t seem to matter in the face of everything.
Footsteps scraped at the ground in front of her. She looked up to see herself face to face with Rane.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rane
He regarded the woman in front of him, manning different emotions warring in his mind.
“Why did you do it?” he asked at last. “Why did you come back for me? You risked a lot.”
Natasha smiled weakly. “Everything, actually. I risked everything, Rane.”
He inclined his head in acknowledgment of her point, but remained silent, waiting for her to answer the question.
“I did it because it was the right thing to do,” she said with a shrug. “I just…” she came to her feet, eyes burning brightly. “I did it because, despite what you may think—and are perfectly entitled to think after what I did to you—I do care for you, Rane. A lot. More than I thought.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I did some really bad things that I am terribly ashamed about. This was my chance to not only help you, but also to fix the wrongs I caused. I can never take them back, but I can at least go forward knowing I did everything I could to right them.”
Rane studied her, trying to come to a conclusion on what he should do next.
“I don’t expect that this will heal things between us,” she said sorrowfully. “As much as I wish they could, I know I’ve betrayed your confidence beyond repair. I acknowledge and understand that, though it pains me to know it. There was…there was something special between us, and I broke it.” She swallowed hard after she finished speaking, looking away.
Rane sighed. She’d been telling the truth all along, it seemed. “I told you once that I would believe you if you were willing to sacrifice yourself to do what was right. That I would respect that.”
Her head came around.
“Maybe…maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh on you,” he said quietly. “I could have perhaps been more understanding of the situation you were in. Of how imposing Loiner could be to someone who had grown up having to deal with her. I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe I couldn’t have. I’m not sure about that.”
“I see.”
He bit his lip. “I think we need to talk. I think there are some things we need to say bluntly to one another.”
Natasha nodded. “I agree. Things we’ve been holding back, that we weren’t sure about. That maybe even frightened us before.”
“Yes.” He hesitated, then reached for her hand.
She took it, and they started walking out.
“Initiate Celland.”
They came to a halt as the voice called out from behind them. Turning, they faced Circe as one, their hands finding one another again more by instinct than anything. Rane tried to delve into the depths of her hood to see if he could make out any of her features, but his eyes couldn’t penetrate the shadows.
“Yes, Circe?”
“You have admitted to being complicit in this issue. You aided Master Loiner in her attempt to frame the dragons. On top of that, you left a patrol without permission.”
“Yes, Circe,” she said, bowing her head.
Rane squeezed Natasha’s hand as she flinched at the reminder of her own actions.
“For the record, I am formally absolving you of the first issue. Master Loiner obviously coerced and threatened you into helping her. Therefore, no charges will be brought. However, the second issue cannot be overlooked entirely.”
&nb
sp; “Of course, Circe.”
Rane frowned as he saw what he swore was a twinkle underneath the hood, where the woman’s eyes should be. But try as he might, even his dragon sight was unable to penetrate the shadows to confirm or deny what he was seeing.
“I should think that a week of being confined to Winterspell would be an appropriate punishment,” Circe said.
“But I’m supposed to go out on patrol again two days from now,” Natasha said. “If I’m confined to Winterspell…Oh,” she said as Circe’s head turned slightly toward Rane. “Of course, Circe. I will accept my punishment.”
“Good. Then it is settled. Please leave us. The Coven and I must talk about this further.”
The two of them bowed their heads low and then headed for the exit.
“Am I missing something?” Rane asked quietly as the doors closed behind them. “That’s a light punishment.”
“It’s not punishment at all. It’s…” Natasha laughed softly. “I think she’s helping, under the guise of making sure I “pay” for what I did.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I wasn’t confined to Winterspell, then I’d have to head back out tonight, and I’d be gone for three days straight.”
“Oh.” Rane didn’t like the sounds of that.
“Exactly. Now, however, I will be spending all my time here. Time where I have no classes scheduled. No other responsibilities. Time that I can use, if I’m lucky, to perhaps patch things up with you. If you want,” she added quietly.
Rane nodded slowly. “Smart woman,” he said as Circe’s actions came clearer. “I think she might want us to make good with one another.”
“She’s not the only one,” Natasha said quietly. “I…I feel more strongly for you than I should. I don’t understand it, Rane, but I physically feel drawn to you. Like I need to be with you. It terrifies me, and I don’t know how to handle it.”
“I knew it,” he rumbled, smiling broadly for the first time. “I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling it!”