by L J Andrews
My brow furrowed, and I stepped forward. “But I took the charge to protect you,” I huffed, starting to climb. “Remember? We both felt a connection. I’m your mage now.”
Thane gripped my arm and shook his head. “It wouldn’t require just a small cut,” he growled.
“Do I have to give my life?” I shouted at Bianca.
She shook her head fiercely. “No, but I warn you, it won’t be painless. I was younger—maybe still a little angry—you can see it in the amount of blood I required.”
Turning to Thane, I placed my hand on his shoulder. “I’m not going to die,” I assured. “But this is what we need to do. You know Mini is dead. I’m all Sapphire has as a mage.”
“Will it even work?” Thane bellowed at Bianca. He wasn’t going to let me go that easy. “With a declared bond instead of a destined bond?”
Bianca nodded. “There was a vow of protection. Though not as strong as the bloodline mage, it should satisfy the warding. I’m sorry, Thane.”
Thane’s face curled, but he released me and I finished the climb. There was an altar of stones. To an unsuspecting eye, it might look like a natural pile, but I saw hidden beneath one of the larger rocks a mage symbol. Sapphire was pale even beneath his dark beard.
“You don’t have to do this, Teagan,” he whispered.
I scoffed, attempting to hide my apprehension. “Of course I do. We wouldn’t want to spill your snobbish royal blood, now would we?”
“Never mind, he can do it,” Sapphire said to Bianca, bringing us both to laugh.
Bianca took a deep breath and moved toward me. “Hold out your arm,” she instructed.
The mage was skilled with her blade. I winced when the cutting edge carved into my forearm. That wasn’t the worst part. Bianca squeezed my muscles and skin as though she were wringing out a towel until the stones were splattered in bright, steaming blood. The symbol on the stone glowed in the royal blue that matched Sapphire’s wings.
“Take it,” Bianca whispered with passion. “You must be the one to take it from the altar.”
Clutching my bloodied arm that throbbed like a hundred needles were jabbing in my skin, I reached beneath the stones. I grinned widely when my hand clasped around a smooth stone the size of a walnut. Removing it gently from the rocks, I studied the impossible strength of the stone. Sapphire’s energy erupted along its rough edges and in the veins of the shimmering blue. The stone was beautiful. A rich, pure hue with still some of the gray rock embedded in its beauty.
I handed the stone to Sapphire, and the moment his hand touched the rock, a rush of wind erupted through the cove. He grinned, the vibrant black of his eyes lightening to a mysterious ebony.
“I never thought I’d feel this again,” his husky voice whispered through a smile.
I grinned, wincing only when Bianca clutched my forearm and began tugging the skin so she could heal my gash. Thane released a breath it seemed he’d been holding the entire time I’d sacrificed my blood for the stone and raised his sword high over his head. Onyx, Raffi, and Mitch cheered, though it seemed Raffi would have enjoyed a little more action.
When the bleeding stopped, I jumped down from the ledge, holding my tender arm slightly. “I’m going to go wash all this off,” I muttered, showing Thane my blood-dried skin.
“We’re leaving soon, so don’t be long. Night is only hours away.”
Waving my hand over my head as my signal I understood, I made my way toward the shore. It was more of an excuse to see the ocean than a real need to clean my skin. I’d never witnessed the shore before. Though Aunt Liz did her best to expose me to nature, it was always forests and camping and rivers. This though—the salty breeze, the shrill squawk of gulls sailing over the misty gray waves. As I said, I think I could live perfectly content by the edge of such massive water.
“He’s blinded because of the connection.”
A voice echoed in my ears when my spirit calmed by the water. My mind was calm, my heart soared from our success, and the voices just came. At least, I thought I’d heard the voice—it almost seemed more like a thought.
“You should watch what you say.”
That was Leoch’s voice. Scanning the shore for any sign of the warrior, I was puzzled when I was utterly alone. Only the rippling waves against my feet kept me company. The cove was a distance away. A shadow passed overhead, and from behind the hazy clouds I made out two shapes. If Leoch hadn’t dipped his blue wing beneath the cloud line, I wouldn’t have known.
Tao and Leoch soared over the ocean, circling the cove and obviously keeping watch from above. My jaw dropped when Leoch’s undeniable voice came to me again—but now, with my attention to the sound, it was clear it was in my head.
You know that such thoughts led to the divide, Leoch snarled.
You support what the queen says? Her desire for a utopia among the wyvern race will get us all killed.
But you speak not only against the queen but Thane himself.
As I said, my trust is in Thane, but the queen has the seal of his son. His bias—though unknowing—is clear, Tao hissed desperately.
Tao, you cross a line. We serve the throne, and our success today should give you hope we will have the power to defeat the lindworms, and the prince, should he betray the queen’s trust.
But what will be lost—
Enough, Leoch growled, his frustration filtering through my own thoughts as though I had become a part of him, in a strange way.
I’d heard enough myself.
Grappling with the fact that I’d actually listened in on a private dragon conversation with my mind, I darted toward the cove. There was a ripple of dread passing through my system. Even my armor seemed to respond because of Tao’s harsh words about Jade.
I tried to convince myself I hadn’t heard the warriors. Thane met my eye when I returned to the cove. He studied me for a moment before signaling to the others and shifting quickly. Sapphire handed the stone to Bianca before rolling his skin into his royal blue scales. Mitch clamored on top while Bianca turned toward Onyx.
Glancing to Thane who stomped next to me, I closed my eyes, unsure if it would even be possible.
Can you hear me? I asked in my mind. I focused all my energy on images of my father. I didn’t want anyone else to hear, but I honestly didn’t understand how the connection worked.
Thane billowed a fiery stream from his nose and stared at me, his blue eyes more powerful and electrifying when he was in wyvern form.
Yes, his booming voice echoed in my mind. How…when did you know this could happen?
I climbed along his neck, tucking behind his wings and clutching my chest as my heart raced. I had heard the conversation, and that meant there were warriors who were not as loyal as we needed.
I don’t know, it just happened. Are we speaking privately?
Thane shuddered his head and took flight, the others close behind. If you will it to be, he replied.
Good, I swallowed hard catching sight of Leoch and Tao joining Thane at his flanks. Because we’ve got to talk.
Chapter 15
The Queen
Although I wanted to be as frustrated as possible when Teagan returned, I actually found my time spent privately with the female royals, Gaia, and the mages enjoyable. Of course, I wouldn’t tell him that whenever he returned. Aunt Liz had formed a friendship with soft-spoken Rochelle and enjoyed watching the mage create patterns in the soil with the wave of her hand. Gaia stood at my side, eyeing me with a gleam in her golden eyes.
“You have such strong energy,” Gaia grinned, brushing her hand across her body and creating a beautiful wisp of light. “Do you know how to use it during battle?”
“When a zomok attacked Sapphire, I used it to throw glass once. But I’m usually the healer,” I muttered, running my hand through the iridescent gleam of power in her palm. The energy filled my heart with a swell of warmth.
“That’s good,” Gaia praised, but her smirk hinted it wouldn’t be enough. “Car
e to learn how to move mountains?”
I knew she wasn’t being literal, but then again…
I nodded briskly, shaking away the fur pelt wrapped around my shoulders. Gaia’s eyes drifted to the seal on my arm, and I enjoyed the way she grinned. Every loving glance from Teagan’s mother brought a sense of belonging I didn’t know I’d lost with the deaths of my parents.
“It can be challenging to control energy while trying to stay alive,” Gaia muttered lightly, as though it were normal to spend the days fighting for her life.
“How far does the energy connection go?” I asked, feeling the rumble of the earth under my feet when Gaia opened her palms. The fire in the iron sconces danced in bursting flames spreading high along the rocky walls. With just the slightest effort, Gaia created spectacular twists of energy.
“With you and Teagan?” she asked. “Very deep. Athika, would you and Ruby care to demonstrate?”
Ruby smiled and jumped from an upper ledge into the den. Without waiting for Athika, Ruby rushed toward one of the sconces and dipped her fingers into the flames. The royal closed her eyes and smiled as the fire licked her brown skin. “I do love fire,” Ruby whispered.
Athika stalked by Gaia and me, twirling a small dagger in her grip. The mage had a completely new feel to her energy. She was playful, and it was as though I were getting to know an entirely different person. I knew Athika valued Teagan, but it seemed she was finally satisfied being only mages with each other.
Ruby cupped the curtain of flames in her palms. “Even without my stone, I can command fire,” Ruby breathed, her eyes drifting to me.
“What about you, Athika? What connection does fire have with you?” I asked.
“You know how Teagan seems to feel everything? Like he hears the wind, the trees—everything?” I nodded. “That’s because he’s the jade mage—the bloodline of all elements. My strongest connection is with fire. Yes, I can harness the energy of the earth because I’m a mage, but fire is like—a friend. Ruby, are you just going to ogle it all day?”
Ruby sneered, the flames igniting her face in frightening shadows. If Ruby’s good heart wasn’t known already, in that moment I might think her terrifying and dangerous. Athika busied about straightening a leather jerkin over her cotton tunic and had the dagger tucked between her thighs as she worked. She’d just urged Ruby to act, but seemed oblivious that the royal had reeled her arm over her head and tossed the flames across the space.
Ruby’s fire expanded, spreading like a river breaching the banks. The flames opened into massive wings, releasing scorching heat across the den. Ruby’s palms were opened wide, giving a clear view of her missing finger. Bron had taken it when he’d tried to kill her.
The flames swirled and danced, ever creeping closer to the mage while Athika readied herself. I felt a trickle of nerves when the wall of fire snaked close to Athika’s legs. Then all at once, the mage reeled on the flames, her palms wide, and the fire shot straight to the domed ceiling. Like an inverted waterfall, the current of flames gathered and flowed toward the sky. Athika lowered her palms, her focus still on the fire while Ruby continually added to the current. Athika dipped her dagger in the molten heat, and with a glance her blade remarkably burst into flames as though the entire weapon were doused in oil.
“You see how they work together. The mage manipulating the energy, and the royal commanding and inviting the power to work amongst them,” Gaia instructed. “The same can be with you and Teagan. It can get to the point where the energy will simply react to the both of you without you even planning with Teagan.”
“Was it that way with my mother and you?”
Gaia nodded. “Yes, when we connected, it was as if we were one mind.”
Athika now closed her fists. The wall of fire collapsed, breathing dangerous air that singed my cheeks. The mountainous fire was now nothing more than a controlled breath of flames cupped in Athika’s hands. The fire in one palm, her burning dagger in the other, Athika smirked toward Ruby.
“Where shall we say beloved King Nag may be standing?”
Ruby pointed to a corner that was clear of people. Athika rushed forward, darting and slashing her burning blade against invisible opponents. Ruby darted at the same distance. The fire wasn’t intimidating in the size Athika kept it, until the moment she released it to the air and Ruby leapt up. The sound of Ruby’s skin peeling into her wyvern form shuddered the battle den. The fire ball bobbed in front of Ruby’s square snout. Without hesitation, Ruby breathed a powerful stream of flames from deep in her throat. When her own pyre collided with the energized flames, the den burst into such a display of heat I stumbled backward. The wall of colorful flames engulfed the targeted spot, along with anywhere Athika led the wall with her hands.
Gaia winked at me and stepped forward. “Impressive,” she muttered with a chip in the back of her tone. “But remember, the dark High Priest holds the stone. What shall you do if he—” Gaia opened her palms wide, and the fire wall trembled. Ruby hovered off the ground, her wings fanning her own flames, but then Gaia’s force took hold. Ruby roared and billowed more pyre at her wall. “—takes your power into his own?” Gaia snarled.
When Gaia closed her fists, there was a blinding burst of heat and light. The wall of fire melted like dripping wax and flowed toward Gaia’s feet. Bending down, I marveled when the High Priestess dipped her fingers in the liquid fire and absorbed it into her skin like a sponge. Athika bellowed her frustration, rushing forward and stabbing her fiery blade into the stone. There was a tug of energy. Gaia smirked at the ruby mage as they battled over the fire. Ruby soared low, blasting dragon pyre at Gaia, who raised one hand overhead, shielding herself from the blast.
More mages and dragons had come to watch. Aunt Liz hadn’t blinked and was watching with unbridled fascination at the battle of fire.
“The High Priestess always has a way out of a problem,” an older mage with peppered gray hair said at my side.
“How can she control so much energy at the same time?” I marveled. “Ruby and Athika connect with fire energy, yet they are having a hard time taking control.”
The mage chuckled. “I have yet to see a power or energy Gaia cannot match. Bron is her only fear. She nearly lost herself when he overpowered her and locked her behind the walls.”
“But she never gave up?” I pressed.
The mage grinned sadly, watching as Athika took back the upper hand, but Gaia pressed her hands on the ground, and more fire from neighboring sconces spread around her wrists and palms. “She did for some time.” The mage dabbed at her eyes at a sudden wave of emotion. “That day—when the warriors and Teagan found us—when Thane shouted her name, we all felt the tremble through our prison. I’ll never forget Gaia’s response. By then, most days Gaia stayed inside her own space—reflecting on the past, I suppose. I had the pleasure of being near her when she heard his call.
“If only Bron could have seen the power burst from her face—he would have trembled where he stood and slit his own throat to save him the pain. Such fury raged against his prison. It lightens my soul to watch my High Priestess now. She is restored.”
“She can defeat Bron,” I insisted with a sense of pride.
The mage sighed. “That is my hope. But Gaia is no fool. Her energy is not the same as it was before the divide. She will need the power of her son—of Thane. We all will need whatever energy we can take. Especially if the Prince of Night speaks true. I’ve felt evil in my life, but if Bron has truly warped his power, I can only imagine the darkness in his soul.”
There was a blanket of dread wrapping around my shoulders as I listened, watched, and studied every move Ruby and Athika made. Though Ruby and her mage fought valiantly, in the end Gaia was victorious. I was impressed and reminded myself Gaia was fighting for us. She was powerful, but in this exercise she’d played the part of Bron. She’d won. Bron’s focus would be on Gaia and Teagan. Undoubtedly. If he was the one being who could bring concern to Gaia, would their next meet
ing end as it had today? Would Bron’s power, his corruption, the fire stone, be enough to destroy what had taken years to restore? Joining them in the den, I worked with Gaia for several hours on using what connection I had with the earth to build defenses. I tried not to abide my fears, but they were there. They were always there.
Fiery light spread across the rocky ledge as the sun faded in the distance. I hugged my middle, watching with brimming excitement as they returned. My heart thudded in my chest, and I found myself forgetting I was supposed to show Teagan my frustration at being left behind. When he jumped from Thane’s shoulder and scooped his arms around me, I forgot everything I had ever wanted to say.
Burying my face in his neck, I breathed him in. “What’s happened to you?” I gasped, inspecting bandages wrapped around his forearm.
He chuckled and winked at the mage who’d joined them. “Bianca stabbed me.” My eyes widened, but the flash of anger ceased when Bianca snickered and shook her head as she went by. “Blood of Sapphire’s mage was required to get the stone. Since I’m the one who promised to protect him, it fell to me.”
“That’s sort of brutal,” I gasped.
“It was awesome—like a horror movie, but one that ends happy—so I guess not really like a horror movie,” Mitch interjected, slapping Teagan hard between the shoulders.
“I think you’re liking all this a little too much,” I chuckled, nudging Mitch’s shoulder.
He nodded without an ounce of shame. “That, I am. Come on, I’m starving. Thane said we get a feast! To use his exact words.”
Mitch rushed after Raffi, who was coated in a sheen of sweat from the rapid flight. I smiled, but any pleasure faded quickly when I scanned Teagan’s face. He wasn’t intending to reveal anything was the matter, but I saw it in his features. “What’s wrong?”
He smiled, the blue in his eyes pale like the spring skies. “Come with me,” he whispered, his mouth finding my ear and jaw.
I didn’t need much convincing.
Teagan wrapped his arms around me from behind when we stepped behind the quilt that was our only barrier to privacy. His body was warm and his hold desperate, as though we’d been parted for weeks once again. I closed my eyes and sighed, melting against him as his soft lips trailed along my neck.