Cage of Fire (Parallel Magic Book 1)

by Emma L. Adams

  “Good.” I headed outside again, seeing the patrons scattered throughout the surrounding area. Some people cast confused glances in my direction. I hadn’t intended to make a public spectacle. Hopefully, they’d be too relieved at their lucky escape to question how I’d escaped being burned to a crisp.

  “Where are the spirit mages hiding?” said Mav. “Are they really in the citadel?”

  “I think so.”

  “That citadel?” said Dex. “The haunted one?”

  “The one and only.” I released a breath. “They have Harper. Maybe my best friend, too. The place links up to the other citadels around the Parallel, so the rogue spirit mages are using it to hide from the authorities.”

  “Convenient,” said the fire sprite. “All right, let’s burn them.”

  Miles was still nowhere to be seen, but we couldn’t delay any longer. Followed by the sprites, I made my way towards the towering shape of the citadel. I wished I’d just told Harper and the others the location of their hideout to begin with. If they’d seen the wyrm, though, they might have thought twice about offering me help. But in the end, whether they’d taken his side or not, Shawn would have got his way one way or another. People like him would always find supporters among the desperate and downtrodden.

  I would not let Harper be forced to do his bidding, too. No way in hell.

  “Here we are.” I reached the citadel, peering up at the towering structure. “There’s a side entrance, but it was booby trapped the last time I was here.”

  Dex flew up to the building. “It doesn’t feel booby trapped.”

  “Let me check.” I reached gingerly for the door, but no shock came. The handle turned at my touch. Okay. That’s weird. Had they abandoned the place already?

  I entered the wide room where the spiralling staircase led to the upper floor… and a pair of giant eyes looked down on me.

  The wyrm was out of its cage.

  17

  I held my breath. The citadel’s interior was dark enough that the wyrm might not have spotted me yet, but it wouldn’t last. The sprites shrank back behind me, and I dropped my voice to a faint whisper. “Guys, if you can divert its attention while I run upstairs, it’d be appreciated.”

  “Go on!” Mav hissed in my ear. “We’ll keep it distracted.”

  “With pleasure,” put in Dex.

  “Thanks.” I turned on an invisibility cantrip. Once I was sure my body was unseen, I trod across the floor towards the foot of the stairs. As long as I didn’t make a sound, I ought to be able to get to the top without the beast realising I was there, but the tower caught every sound and multiplied it. This is gonna be tricky.

  I began to climb as the sprites circled the beast’s head, conjuring sparks before its eyes. The wyrm turned its head to watch the sparks, not comprehending what they were at first. Then it released a bellow of fury and reared back.

  I ducked as its tail swiped overhead, crashing into the staircase and missing me by inches. I leapt to a higher step, and the creature hissed as sparks flew into its eyes, courtesy of Dex. Yet its tail kept thrashing, slamming into the stairs so hard it threatened to hurl me towards a painful landing. I waited for a moment for the path to clear, and its head swung around in my direction, its nostrils dilating. Even invisible, the wyrm had sniffed out its prey.

  The sprites descended into its eyes, and it reeled back, giving me the chance to climb up another few stairs. The door was just above my head. One more loop of the room ought to do it. Almost there…

  The wyrm wheeled around in my direction again, its eyes narrowed and sore-looking from the sparks Dex had thrown at it. Reaching into my pocket, I threw a paralysing cantrip at its head. That ought to hold it for a bit.

  I sprinted for the top, pushed the door open and darted through, breathing hard. The room within appeared empty at first glance, aside from the abandoned machinery… and the cage from the lower level. Except instead of a wyrm, the cage contained several mages, Harper among them. Not Tay… and not Miles or his fellow Spirit Agents.

  Harper startled at the sight of me when I turned off the invisibility cantrip. “How’d you get past that beast?”

  “Your sprite gave me a hand.” I crossed the room to the cage. “Where’s your brother?”

  “The bastard’s with them,” she whispered. “He left me in here and went with the spirit mages through the transporter, but they’ll be back any second now.”

  “All right,” I said. “Hang on. I’ll get you out.”

  The cage door was a simple lock, so I used the cantrip tool to pick it open. The other mages watched me with wide eyes. Some looked barely out of their teens. Others were younger. A spasm of rage shook me.

  A flash of light bloomed on the raised platform in the room’s centre, and several people appeared from the transporter. Shawn stood at the centre of the group, along with Harper’s brother. Percy’s jaw tightened at the sight of me, but it was Shawn whose expression was pure murder.

  “There you are, Bria,” he said. “Or should I call you… the heir to the Family?”

  Icy fear clenched my stomach and locked my feet to the spot. He knew… which meant he’d talked to one of them.

  “I’m not the heir to anything.” I rose to my feet. “The Death King’s army is on its way here right now, along with his other allies. You’ve lost.”

  The sound of the beast thrashing around below reached our ears. I edged around the cage, hoping to give Harper the chance to run for it—though hell if I knew how we’d get past that giant monster and Shawn’s allies at the same time.

  Now would be a really good time to come here with backup, Miles.

  “I don’t see an army,” said Shawn. “I think you’re lying. Nobody is coming to help you.”

  I let my gaze pan across his group. Six of them, including Percy. Fewer than I’d expected. “Where’s your army? Did you leave them behind, or did they get sick of your bullshit and quit?”

  “If you mean the other fire mages who you failed to convince to take your side,” he said, “they’re dealing with the Death King. Shouldn’t take too long… he’s lost too much of his army already, and the former Fire Element is more than prepared to take him down.”

  Davies. I’d bet the former Fire Element had rallied the ex-contenders around him. That’s why the Death King had stayed behind rather than coming to help me out—he’d known his presence would draw the fire mages here. Instead, I was faced with only six enemies… oh, and the giant wyrm. That, too.

  I made a sceptical noise. “Have you seen the Death King in action? He can rip out your soul in a heartbeat.”

  “Oh, I can do the same.” Despite his light tone, a chilling look burned in Shawn’s eyes. “There’s a reason my existence is punishable by death in the world on the other side of the nodes.”

  I tilted my head. “Is this where you tell me why you made yourself an enemy of the most powerful person in the Parallel?”

  “The Death King is a traitor and a liar,” he said. “By taking his side, Miles and his fellow Spirit Agents declared themselves to be the same.”

  I forced a laugh. “Is this all because they didn’t support your little coup? Judging by the obvious chip on your shoulder and your interesting choice of venue, I assume you’re trying to bring about a second elemental war, like your ancestors did.”

  “My ancestors didn’t do anything wrong.” A couple of his friends nodded in agreement. “They weren’t even spirit mages. We’re being punished for crimes we never committed.”

  I raised my hands. “Dude, I had exactly zero to do with that—and by the way, you did commit the crime of locking up a bunch of defenceless mages in a cage, including children, and capturing a dangerous magical creature inside a tower which is supposed to be out of bounds to the public. So I feel justified in kicking your arse.”

  “So do I.” Harper leapt up, her hands blazing with fire magic, and threw a handful of flames at her brother. He ducked, and her attack fizzled out on contact with
the machinery behind him. The whole place must be magic-proofed… but Shawn and his friends weren’t.

  I threw my own flames at Shawn, forcing him to duck behind the cage to dodge. In the room below, I heard the wyrm roar. Dammit, there must be a way to get it out of our path. Unless we used the transporter—

  Shawn caught Harper’s brother in a headlock from behind. “Surrender, or I’ll rip out your brother’s soul.”

  “Hey!” Percy squirmed. “Keep me out of this.”

  Harper’s expression was murderous, but she lowered her hands. Even after he’d betrayed her, she wouldn’t risk her brother’s life. I didn’t blame her, but we were seriously short on allies.

  The machinery lit up, bright lights spinning on its surface.

  “Oh, look,” said Shawn, a smirk on his face. “Backup has arrived.”

  Shit. The light brightened to a glare, and several people appeared in the middle of the room… including Tay.

  Not in a cage. Not tortured, or desperate, but free. When she spotted me, she stopped mid-step, her mouth parting in surprise. My heart thundered in my ears. No. It can’t be.

  Her expression smoothed out. “Hey, Bria.”

  A roaring sensation filled my ears, and even the murmur of the mages’ voices and the sound of the beast thrashing around downstairs faded into the background as I looked at her in stunned disbelief. “You—you do realise he had you kidnapped, didn’t you?”

  “Is that what he told you?” she looked from me to him. “Funny, because he told me you went off to the Death King’s territory instead of coming to find me.”

  “I thought you were in the House of Fire’s custody!” I caught a glimpse of Shawn’s smirk, but my attention was fixed on Tay. “The authorities were on the street looking for both of us. I turned two of Striker’s vamps into ashes and I had to run. I always planned to come back for you. What I don’t understand is why you believed his lies.”

  “Lies?” she said. “Like the ones you told me when we met? You never shared a thing about who raised you.”

  “If you’d wanted to know, you should have asked.” I couldn’t believe she was confronting me about my family history at a time like this. “As opposed to joining forces with a maniac who wants to steal the Death King’s soul and start a war.”

  “That’s really not what’s going on here,” she said. “If you think so, though, by all means, do what the House of Fire did and take me down.”

  My gut tightened. I can’t. Elements, the one thing I couldn’t do was hurt her. Even if she seemed to have taken Shawn’s side, there had to be a mistake. After everything we’d been through together, why would she side with the Family?

  Around us, everyone watched the show. To Shawn and his friends, our pain was their entertainment, but I refused to believe Tay had turned on me of her own free will. There must be more at play here.

  “Tay,” I said. “I’m going to say this to you one last time… don’t do this.”

  “It’s already too late,” she said. “You know how the mages are going to be the first to suffer if the Houses get their way.”

  “You told her that bullshit about the Houses, too?” I said to Shawn. “Tay, he’s a compulsive liar. Nothing he says is remotely true.”

  “They want us dead, Bria,” said Tay. “The Houses of the Elements, and everyone in power in the Parallel. You know it’s true.”

  “He’s lying to you,” I warned. “Don’t—”

  Her hands lit up. Electric sparks flew from her fingertips, and a pulse of dread pounded through me. She never used her magic openly. Most people didn’t know she was even a mage.

  I’d kept her secret for years. I’d thought she trusted me with her life.

  Everyone stilled, quietness spreading through the room. For an instant, I thought it was because they were mesmerised by her power… then I heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. And the wyrm had gone awfully quiet.

  “What was that?” Shawn demanded. “Who else is in here?”

  “Isn’t this place supposed to be haunted?” I backed up a step towards the stairs, hoping the freed prisoners would take the opportunity to run. “Haunted by the ghosts of the mages killed in the elemental war? If I were them, I’d be pissed off at the new generation of mages making the exact same mistakes all over again.”

  “Very funny.” Shawn’s mouth twisted. “Right. You—"

  The door crashed wide open, and Shawn yelped as he was flung off his feet and into the air. Miles entered, accompanied by several other spirit mages. Thank the Elements.

  “Still afraid of the ghosts of your predecessors?” said Miles. “Bria is right. I wouldn’t be happy with you either, if I were them.”

  “Enough of this bullshit,” said Shawn. “Go on. Kill them.”

  Before anyone could move, a deafening roar and crash sounded. The mages scattered as the wyrm wriggled through the doorway, its scaled form squirming up the stairs. Even Tay looked cowed at the sight of the fanged beast dragging itself into the room, teeth bared and ready to kill. How did Miles get it up here?

  “Your guest is pissed at you,” Miles said.

  The wyrm gave one last lunge through the door, its tail flicking up, and everyone flung themselves flat to avoid getting hit.

  “This way!” Shawn leapt onto the platform, his hands alight with magic. The transporter flashed once, and several spirit mages vanished along with him.

  The beast roared, and Harper caught my arm. “I don’t think it cares if we’re friends or foes. Better run.”

  “Wise idea.” The path to the stairs was clear, so I ran for the door behind Harper, guiding her down the stairs in front of me. The other prisoners sprinted out, too, and Miles and his friends brought up the rear as we climbed down the spiralling staircase. I barely breathed until we hit the bottom of the staircase, giving me the chance to waylay Miles. “How did you get that thing to obey you?”

  “Used a cantrip.” He walked to the door leading outside and pushed it open, beckoning to the former prisoners. “Go on. Get out of here, lie low. Oh, and don’t go to the Withered Oak.”

  “Thanks,” I said to him. “I thought you’d ditched me.”

  “As if I would,” said Miles. “It took a little longer to convince the others to join me than I anticipated. And that creature was a major pain in the arse to get past.”

  “Yeah.” Harper slumped against the wall. “My brother went with them.”

  “So did Tay.” I couldn’t even wrap my head around her decision. Shawn must have brainwashed her somehow, but she never used her magic in public. What kind of lies had he poisoned her mind with?

  Miles’s brows rose. “Wait, was that your friend? It was dark in there, but I thought I recognised her from the day we met.”

  “She fell for Shawn’s bullshit, hook, line and sinker.”

  He winced. “I wish I’d realised and kicked Shawn and his allies out of the Spirit Agents sooner. He’s been playing a long game.”

  “Not to mention using the citadels to hide,” I added. “Did you know he can travel between them?”

  “Yeah, they must have figured out how to use the transporter a while back,” he said. “I don’t get why they captured a wyrm, though.”

  “Never mind that,” Harper said. “Where are we supposed to go now? The fire mages set the Withered Oak on fire.”

  “And some of the others went after the Death King.” I recalled the mages’ words from earlier. “Shawn … he implied the ex-Fire Element was leading the army to kill his former master. He might have been lying, but…”

  But if he wasn’t? Killing the Death King would leave a power vacuum, and I did not want Shawn or his allies getting their hands on any more power. Especially if they were taking orders from the Family.

  Miles turned to the tower as the door opened again and his spirit mage friend, Shelley, ran outside.

  “He’s gone,” said Shelley. “Shawn used the transporter and they all scarpered. We tried to follow, but we’ve no idea
how to operate that thing.”

  “They’ll be back,” said Miles. “Bria, want to come with us to find them? Liv went back to the Death King, so it’s just us now, but I reckon we can take them.”

  “I have to help the Death King.” I didn’t know why the impulse hit me, but the idea of the fire mages who’d turned their backs on my plan winning the battle filled me with a mixture of guilt and rage. “He could use all the allies he can get, given how many of his potential Fire Elements turned traitor.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to tell me how you survived that inferno cantrip?” said Shelley. “Because you were burned to a crisp, I saw. Are you sure you aren’t a lich?”

  Ah. I’d forgotten that little detail.

  “Long story,” I said. “I’ll tell you later. Go with Miles—it’ll be safer than coming with me.”

  Harper gave me a quick hug. “I never said thank you for getting me out of that cage.”

  “Anytime,” I said. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

  “I’m sorry, too,” she said. “About… Tay.”

  My chest tightened. “I can’t wrap my head around it. Shawn really unleashed the bullshit on her. I mean, I knew she always hated the Houses, but she can’t possibly think joining a group of rogues is going to end well.”

  I wanted to speak to her before I made a decision I couldn’t take back, but if she’d joined the fire mages in fighting against the Death King, there could only be one outcome.

  “No,” said Miles. “I’ll drop Harper off at the base, then I’m coming with you, Bria.”

  “What?” I shook my head. “No. I can’t ask you to risk your neck on my behalf. You—”

  “I owe the Death King,” he interjected. “Instead of assuming I’d betrayed him along with Shawn, he gave me the chance to explain myself. I can’t ditch him now. Besides, if he dies, then we’ll be next.”

  “Then I’m coming with you, too,” said Harper. “If I’m to stand any chance of getting the position of the Death King’s Fire Element out of all this, I have to help him fight off those traitors.”