Cherished

by Christina Bauer

  Jicho raised his pointer finger. “One more thing. Now, listen to me carefully. No matter what happens, you must follow your heart, even if it asks you to do something rather strange.”

  The hair on my neck stood on end. I had the terrible feeling that rather strange would also mean extremely unpleasant. Even so, I didn’t have much of a choice. “All right. That’s what I’ll do.”

  Jicho stood. “In that case, this is where I leave.” He didn’t say goodbye, but simply walked out my door and closed it behind him. It shut with an ominous thud.

  Now, I needed to get dressed and go find Rowan. As I stepped over to the bureau, Jicho’s words kept echoing through my mind.

  Follow your heart no matter how strange the things it called me to do.

  Something told me that life was about to become very strange indeed. Right before I left, I grabbed my mating band from its hiding spot under my pillow. As Jicho suggested, I slipped it on my finger for no better reason than it felt good to do so. Some small part of me knew that wearing the ring was the first step in a huge change.

  But perhaps I was ready for a transformation.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Exiting my chamber, I stepped into the hallway beyond. Distant voices rumbled up the main staircase. My ears perked. I’d heard something similar when I was leaving for yesterday’s engagement ceremony. No question about it. Another big event was taking place right now. The only question was where everyone was gathered.

  Another Caster ceremony filled with surprises? Not an appealing thought. I pulled on the jacket of my leathers. It was too loose, but it covered my skin. I fidgeted with my trousers next.

  Long seconds passed before I realized that stalling in a hallway was absurd. Remember the blackbird and the dove. Trusting Rowan was something I simply had to try.

  Straightening my shoulders, I marched down the winding stairs. Once I reached the main floor, my strength wavered. I’d reached the passage leading to the great hall, but everything in here was dark and deserted.

  “Hello?” I called. “Is anyone there?”

  No one answered.

  With hesitant steps, I moved closer to the entrance archway to the great hall. The place was empty. The voices were louder here, though. They seemed to be echoing in from the window holes by the far wall.

  This must be an outdoor celebration. Interesting.

  Following the crowd’s low roar, I marched behind the castle, past the south green, and into the jungle beyond. This was the same path I’d taken with Zoriah in order to reach her greenhouse.

  Hopefully, this trip would be more pleasant.

  Once again, trudging through the jungle took some time. The bright side was that I wore heavy boots with my leathers, so I could easily climb over fallen trees and under swaying sheets of moss. With every step, the voices grew louder. I couldn’t tell if they were angry, cheering with joy, or both.

  At last, the rainforest ended. I walked through a wall of palm trees and onto a wide strip of red mud that encircled a small, round, and deep-cut crevasse filled with jungle. Casters were everywhere on this thin loop of red land. Some cheered; others wept. I recognized many of the faces from the engagement celebration—these were the leading families from their respective tribes. Since I was wearing my leathers, I blended right in.

  I approached an older woman with a friendly face, browned skin, and long white hair. “Excuse me.”

  “You’re not a Caster.” She said the words with a grin, so I wasn’t too worried.

  “No, I’m here as a guest. I was wondering. What do you call that?” I gestured toward the deep crevasse and jungle inside.

  “Oh, that’s the Genesis Vale. It’s a very old and sacred place for us. Lovely, wouldn’t you say?”

  I took a few careful steps closer. To my right, the ground ended in a sharp fall-off to a deep valley below. The vale was filled with even more jungle. It filled the view to my right, reminding me of a small green lake. The tops of the trees even shifted with the winds, like a breeze over water. “It is lovely.”

  “Watch your step now. That’s a mighty fall.”

  “Thank you.”

  She tapped my shoulder. “And that over there are the three pillars. You’ve seen the insignia on our guards, yes?”

  I followed the woman’s point. On the opposite side of the Genesis Vale, there stood a line of three stone pillars. The last rays of the setting sun were dying now, and the trio of white columns glowed with the reflection. The two on either side were lower; the one in the center was the tallest.

  That was where I spied Rowan.

  Rowan stood on the tallest pillar in his red kilt. Wind rustled his hair and made his long cape billow behind him. Even from this distance, I could see the dark shadows in his cheeks and under his eyes. The planes of his bare chest looked even more hollowed out than before. My throat tightened with worry.

  I rounded on the old woman. “What’s happening?”

  “It’s part of our tradition for our King. Genesis Rex makes a new throne here. After the battle, the winner brings it into the great hall.”

  “But I saw four thrones in the great hall.”

  “Our Genesis Rex never had a challenger to the throne before, so he never had to make one. He’s been using his old throne as Prince. But now, he’s making a proper throne for a proper King. You’ve heard that Shujaa has come back to us, haven’t you?”

  “Yes.” My voice sounded soft and distant. “I have.”

  “He’s fulfilling the prophecy. Our true King has a golden army and everything.”

  “Maybe he’s lying to you.” I didn’t bother hiding the anger in my voice. “Did you ever think of that?”

  She squinted at me. “You look familiar, child. Haven’t I seen you before?” She smacked her thin lips. “Ah, I think I have it. Were you at the engagement ceremony yesterday?”

  “Excuse me.” I pushed off into the crowd. Getting recognized as the Tsarina wasn’t a good idea right now. Besides, I wanted to get a better look at Rowan. How much worse had he gotten? The three pillars were on the opposite side of the Genesis Vale. I simply had to get closer.

  As I shoved my way along, the crowd kept up their odd mix of celebration and despair. I couldn’t decide whether to console them or punch them in the throat. How could they allow this to happen? Rowan was a great King. They should have thrown out Shujaa the moment he walked back into the meeting hall.

  Atop the tallest pillar, Rowan raised his right arm. The folds of his red robe billowed behind him. Within seconds, the veins of his hand glowed red with power. His voice was laced with magick; I could clearly hear his incantation.

  “Breathe. Live.”

  The veins in Rowan’s right arm flared an even brighter shade of red. Tendrils of crimson mist rose from his palm. The cords of vapor wound up his arm in a way that reminded me of entwined serpents. Rowan spoke again.

  “Take the form.”

  The thin lines of red smoke transformed into a pair of long winding serpents with red scales and black fangs. The two went in opposite directions. The first serpent slithered up the column to Rowan’s left; the second did the same on his right. Once they reached they top of their respective pillars, the two serpents contorted into different shapes.

  The first snake glowed with red light before turning into a golden hue. On the pillar to Rowan’s left, there now stood a golden throne made from the curling body of the first serpent. The realization smacked into me.

  Here was a new throne for a new ruler.

  Rowan was about to fight his brother and quite possibly lose. A weight of worry pressed in around me. Rowan looked too sick to fight anyone.

  “Finish it,” called Rowan.

  On the right, the second serpent had twisted itself into a zigzag shape. With another flash of light, the second snake also transformed. This time, the serpent changed into stacks of corded wood. My breath caught. You didn’t become a Grand Mistress Necromancer without knowing a funeral pyre when you saw o
ne.

  A new throne or a death pyre… Those were his choices.

  My insides twisted with worry. In fact I became so caught up, I didn’t notice someone was behind me until she spoke.

  “You need to leave.”

  I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Zoriah. There were too many people for her to pick me out of a crowd, which could only mean one thing.

  “You had a vision that I would come to see Rowan.”

  “I had such a vision, yes. You came here because you wish to help him.”

  I turned around to face her. Zoriah was wearing the Caster leathers herself, only hers had the insignia of the Royal Guard. She even wore a helm. “Why the disguise?”

  “No questions.” She gestured toward the jungle. “Walk toward the trees.”

  I sniffed. “I am not following you into the jungle alone.” I scanned the crowd. “It seems as if some people welcome the idea of Shujaa as King, but others don’t. Is that why you’re hiding and skulking about?” I lowered my voice. “Are you trying to figure out who’s on your side?”

  Zoriah gripped my wrist. “You need to come with me now.”

  I broke free from her grasp. “Why are you so set on taking me away from here? What’s about to happen with Rowan?” My gaze returned to the tallest pillar. Rowan had his arms raised and seemed ready to address the crowd.

  “Away,” hissed Zoriah.

  I ignored her.

  Rowan began to speak. Again, his voice was magickally enhanced, so I could hear very word. “Tomorrow morning, I fight my brother. You knew him as Storm. I know him by his traditional name, Shujaa.”

  I gasped. The fight is tomorrow? I thought it was a week away.

  “By the Lady of Creation,” snarled Zoriah. “I was supposed to pull you aside and get you out of here before you heard that. Now, I shall have to be obvious. I didn’t want to expose our alliance.”

  I rounded on her. “Alliance? Exposed? What are you talking about?”

  “This.” Zoriah tapped the totem ring on my finger. The one from Petra.

  “Transport,” said Zoriah quickly. The word rang with the power of magick.

  The world around me disappeared in a haze of blue smoke. My last thought was that Petra could have given any mage the power to activate her totem ring. But it would indeed need to be part of a deep magickal alliance.

  Petra was in league with Zoriah.

  And now, thanks to that alliance, I was being transported to away from Rowan on the eve of his big battle with Shujaa. My choices were being taken away from me again, and this time, it was by my own Mother Superior. Well, if she thought she could stop me from helping Rowan, she was wrong. I’d made my choice.

  I would return to fight, no matter what.

  Chapter Twenty

  The mist of the transport spell surrounded me. Agony careened through my body; it was like being torn limb from limb. I tried to scream, but no sound escaped my lips. Painful questions overwhelmed my mind. Asking them almost hurt more than the spell itself.

  Why had Petra and Zoriah teamed up?

  What would happen to Rowan?

  And what’s about to happen to me?

  The next thing I knew, I stood in the center of a small clearing that was high up on a snow-covered mountainside. Chilly air singed my lungs. Above me, thick columns of ice scaled up the mountain, reminding me of so many folds in a great blue curtain. Below me, thin clouds obscured the view. I hugged my elbows. There was no question where the transport spell had taken me.

  Zelle Mountain.

  That meant my old Cloister wasn’t far away. Neither was my Mother Superior.

  I cupped my hand beside my mouth. “Where are you, Petra?”

  Her voice sounded behind me. “Greetings.”

  That was the second time someone had snuck up behind me today. Turning around, I saw an elderly woman in long black robes with a shock of white hair to her waist. Petra’s features stayed maddeningly calm as she spoke again. “Aren’t you going to call me Mother?”

  I didn’t bother hiding my angry glare. The woman just betrayed me, and now she wanted to play verbal games? I was not in the mood. Instead, I lifted my left arm and began pulling in Necromancer energy. “Here’s what happens now. I transport back to Rowan’s castle. You never interfere with my life again.”

  Closing my eyes, I pulled fresh Necromancer power into my soul and focused it on my left hand. A chill crept over my skin as my bones glowed blue with magick. I began the incantation for the transport spell.

  “From the—”

  Pain burned up my arm. The totem ring that Petra had given me now shone with bright blue light. I curled my hand against my chest and hissed in breath. “What is this?”

  “I should think that would be obvious.”

  I gripped the ring and tried to pull it off. The thing wouldn’t budge. The pain grew more intense. Still, none of this seemed real. Had Petra booby-trapped this ring so she could control my comings and goings? Perhaps there was another, less awful explanation for what was happening. “This ring won’t allow me to transport.”

  “Obviously.” Petra shook her head. “I feared as much. You’ve grown sloppy and weak. That ring was my casting. Did you really think I’d give you a transport totem ring and not add in some safeguards to control where you’d go?”

  In other words, there was no innocent explanation. The truth hurt worse than my hand.

  “No, I didn’t suspect you’d give me a booby-trapped ring. I thought—” I bit back a yelp of pain. This couldn’t keep going on. There was no other choice. I released every last wisp of magick from my body. The moment my transport spell stopped, so did the agony. The ring quickly returned to a non-glowing shade of silver.

  Petra raised her left hand. All her fingers glimmered with totem rings. My heart sank. That many rings meant a lot of spells. She’d been preparing for this moment for some time. I stared down at the transport totem ring. No, I couldn’t get it off, but there was a limit to how much magick one of these bands could hold. Most likely, it only contained enough power for two or three transports as well as the ability for Petra to stop me from going anywhere.

  That was the dark side of my situation.

  The brighter side was that I could still cast anything other than a transport spell.

  “You must realize how foolish this is,” I said slowly. “I can’t transport away, but I can certainly defend myself.” No totem ring could block every casting. Only enchanted manacles could do that, and those were extremely rare. “What’s your plan?”

  “The same as it has always been.” Petra’s nostrils flared slightly. That meant she was furious. “I am your Mother Superior. You must follow the path I lay out for you. And I’m stronger than I appear. Inevitably, you’ll see the wisdom of my advice. Save us both the pain of fighting over it.”

  I rubbed my neck in a weary rhythm. “Let me guess. You wish me to take my crown as Tsarina.”

  “It’s what you should have done months ago.”

  “No, Petra.”

  “I feared you would say such things.” She raised her left hand. The rings on two of her fingers shone with blue light.

  More spells were coming.

  To stop the pain from Petra’s ring, I’d fully drained magick from my body. Now, I quickly pulled in a fresh supply. Whatever Petra cast, I had to be ready to counteract it.

  The rings on Petra’s knobby fingers turned blindingly bright as she called out two words. “Cage! Bindings!”

  Two fresh spells were coming.

  The flare of blue light died down from Petra’s rings. The ground beneath me vibrated for a moment. All of a sudden, a line of teeth burst up from the ground. They were tall and thin, reminding me of the fangs of a giant serpent. The teeth shot up ten feet high, surrounding me like bars in a circular jail cell. I could easily cast a smasher skeleton to take them down, but I needed to focus on pulling in enough power to cast one.

  This was Petra’s first spell: “Cage.” The
bone jail looked fearsome, but I could break through it easily enough.

  But Petra’s second spell had been “Bindings.” That magick would far more worrisome. Petra was summoning enchanted manacles. I’d run across these beauties before at the Midnight Cloister. They were hefty iron handcuffs that contained both Caster and Necromancer magick—hybrid items created by none other than Viktor himself. They’d block my ability to cast anything at all.

  I didn’t know how Petra got her hands on these things, but that didn’t really matter at the moment. She had them, and she was casting a mini transport spell to place them on my wrists.

  That wasn’t something I could allow her to do.

  With all my will, I drew fresh power into my body. Sure enough, wisps of smoke quickly appeared around my wrists. The magick wasn’t mine. Petra’s spell was already transporting the enchanted manacles onto my arms. Good thing I’d pulled in some serious power. I spoke the words to summon a few useful friends.

  “My Brothers and Sisters

  Born of bone and night

  Appear to me now

  Feast on my plight”

  The moment my incantation ended, my left palm glowed with blue light. After that, a dozen ghosts appeared around me, their translucent bodies having the same dull gray hue. All wore Necromancer robes as they hovered around me. These were hungry ghosts. In life, they were Necromancers who’d become twisted by magick and still craved it in death. I didn’t summon them often, but this was the kind of casting where they were ideal.

  The ghostly figures stared hungrily at the haze of magic around my wrists. “What are you waiting for?” I asked. “Eat it up.”

  They flew down onto my wrists, their ghostly hands tearing off bits of Petra’s power and stuffing it into their mouths. Their gray bodies lit up as they ate up every bit of the spell. It took an effort not to smile. Petra had taught me everything I knew. Hungry ghosts were one of her favorite spells.

  Within seconds, all the magick from Petra was gone from my wrists. The spirits all turned to me, their faces tight with craving for more power…And I had plenty in my soul. If I didn’t send them away, they’d tear me apart. I had saved some magick for this, though. I spoke the words to partial dismissal spell.