“That's my problem,” he said, but followed her out the door.
The similarities to their academy were frightening, but Nathaniel managed to get over it soon enough as they walked. Prada was right about the fact that they wanted them to explore, he could feel it in the thoughts of everyone watching them.
They watched classes. They watched practices. They watched meal times. The differences were in the power, in the teaching. But if they just looked at the Tiros, at the Maestros, at the magic in the air, everything was the same.
What fascinated Prada was how comfortable she felt with that level of magic flowing around her. She no longer felt like an outcast, a stranger. No one was staring at her. No one was shocked at the amount of magic that ran through her veins. She was stronger than them, but it wasn't by much. Their thoughts flowed easily, their bonds coming as if it were nothing.
These were witches like her, who had been ostracized, told they didn't belong. But they did belong here. Here, she would be accepted.
And while they were violent, she didn't see it as any more violent than the warriors on their greatest quests. Nathaniel had been one of the greatest warriors, and Prada always thought that he had given up for Sienna. How could he give up this thrill, this power, to train such a weak little witch?
Weak and yet strong. Prada couldn't think straight, and tried to quiet her thoughts to listen to others. Her Maestro seemed deep in thought himself.
He couldn't shake the idea of a threat from his mind, but the more he watched, the more he thought that their words might be truth. Maybe they did just want their way of power recognized; in the hope that they would also get to serve Nature. But something seemed off, the more he watched.
Prada, he said, quietly with his mind. Prada, I think they are training for something.
They are, she said, reminding him that she was much more powerful than he would ever be. There is a threat. But it's not in the galaxy.
Prada… he thought, hearing the thoughts before they were fully formed. They want to take down our school.
Takeover, she said. That's what they want us for. Live or die, as long as you will serve the magic. And if we don't serve them...
She didn't need to finish the sentence. With two against a whole army, they would die if they didn't do as they said.
Why are Desmond and Sienna on the planet, walking free? Nathaniel urged her.
I don't know, she thought, searching the air. But he could see there was something in her face.
Prada! He threatened.
She sighed.
I think they won't be free for much longer, Prada said. It was a rouse, to split us up.
Desmond! Nathaniel broke his bond with Prada to reach out to his former Maestro. Desmond!
There was no answer and Nathaniel began to panic. He closed his eyes, pushing his thoughts, but there wasn't an answer. He had one last option, and he hated it.
Sienna, he tried.
Maestro, she answered right away. Nathaniel simultaneously wanted to yell at her and thank her.
You and Desmond are in danger. You will be hostages.
Over my dead body, Sienna's voice came and then there was silence.
“Do you like our school?” the Dramoonian leader asked, coming up behind them. Nathaniel tried not to jump several feet in the air.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “We don't want to fight in your war.”
“It's your war, too,” the alien said through the translator. “After all, Nathaniel, you've been contributing to it.”
“What are you talking about?” Nathaniel said. “I never—”
“These girls that you train, the boy that Desmond trained—”
“Reynolds?” Nathaniel asked. “Reynolds is nowhere near as powerful as these girls.”
“But he did choose a different path. As you will, when you see our power. When you see our way. Come this way.”
“What?” Nathaniel asked, stepping back toward Prada. She could blow this entire place to Kingdom Come at any moment, but despite being a warrior, he didn't resort to violence at a first resort. “We aren't going anywhere.”
“You don't want to go home?” the Dramoonian leader asked. “Back to your Academy?”
“I have a feeling we don't have a choice.”
“No,” he said. “But you will see it in a different way. The ship bay is this way.”
“Fantastic.” Nathaniel knew they didn't have a choice, not being outnumbered this much. “Sienna can't do magic. You need to leave her in peace. She and Desmond are not part of the order anymore.”
“That can be rectified.” Nathaniel had a feeling that they weren't going to be on this ship alone. Prada was right, it had been a ruse. Together, the four of them would be a force to be reckoned with. But by splitting them up and putting them on the ship separately, they couldn't launch an attack without bringing the whole ship down.
This was tactic at its most brilliant, something that he would have been praised for planning.
“Come on, Prada,” he said. “Do as the nice man says. Let's go.”
Or we could…
Or we could do nothing, because we are peacekeepers, Nathaniel hadn't thought it possible to think through clenched teeth, but Prada taught him every day that new things were possible. Prada rolled her eyes, but followed his lead as they were taken to the ships.
It was a large ship they were loaded into, practically as hostages, but that didn't worry him. What worried him was the amount of ships around them that were also being loaded.
They were planning a full-scale attack, indeed. Their quest was going to be considered a failure, unless they could figure something out in the air.
“How did you know Sienna had power?” Nathaniel turned around to ask. “How did you find her?”
The alien paused, listening for the translator.
“Rumors of Sienna's power have always been. But her signature appeared on Jeffro five months ago.”
When Devon had fallen ill, Nathaniel realized. By trying to save the love of her life, she had doomed herself.
Chapter 11
“Maestro…” Sienna started her sentence, but she could already see that it was too late. Before she could say anything, there was what seemed like half an army upon them. Sienna realized that they had been cloaked, which bothered her. She should have been able to sense that, had she had magic in full working order.
How many people was she going to put in danger because her magic wasn't in top form?
What did it matter if she died, if everyone else around her was going to die as well?
“Maestro, I can…”
“No.” Desmond knew that they couldn't win with a reasonable chance. This had obviously been planned. “No!” He grabbed Sienna's arm. “Stop. Stop. We will go and go peacefully.”
“Maestro, I can…” she tried again, but he tightened his grip, as a circle of witches surrounded them. They all had their hands raised. What Desmond noticed was that there was no one who stopped to look; stop to help. The entire planet was in on this cause, which was one of the most dangerous situations he had every seen. “But I can.”
“I know you can,” he said. “But you won't, because you're going to see the outcome of this.”
“Bah,” she said, but decided to listen to Desmond, only because she wanted to save all her magic for Devon. “We will go with you, without a fight.”
“Right this way, Madame,” said one of the alien witches, and Sienna noticed that they treated her with respect, as if she was one of them.
They were all of one faith. They all drew their magic from one place. It was the choice of use, and the amount they used that was different.
Maestro, she decided to call to Nathaniel. Maestro. They have us.
Join the club, listen to Desmond, stop using magic, Nathaniel's answer came back, as they were led through the city.
We have to alert to the Academy she sent to Nathaniel. They will be caught completely unaware.
&nb
sp; We can't, Nathaniel came back.
We can, she suddenly realized and spoke up as they walked.
“ I work as a translator on Jeffro.” she said. “I am the rank of Baroness. It entitles me to the royal army. If you keep me safe, my Queen will commit her army.”
That stopped them in their tracks, and they looked up at her.
“Why would she do that?”
“It is Jeffro. We protect our own. In exchange for my safety, they will keep me safe. Let me call my Queen.”
There was shuffling between them, and Desmond raised an eyebrow. He was proud of her, for coming up with such a strategy, but he wasn't sure that it was going to be effective. It seemed like such a see-through excuse.
But it was so see-through that it apparently came full circle.
“You can call them on the ship,” came the word and they kept walking.
“Thank you,” Sienna said, looking up at Desmond. That was her plan for getting through to the Academy Eliza would understand the code words that she was using, without a doubt.
But she knew when they landed at the Academy, they would have quite a fight on their hands. And as soon as they were taken aboard the ship, she saw what kind of fight it would be.
The Academy's forces would be matched, probably outmatched. They would need every ounce of fire power to fight this, and there would be many deaths.
There was no pull, no allure of being around those as powerful as she had been. She didn't want to be around them. She didn't want to be a warrior in the way they meant.
As soon as she saw Prada, though, she knew that Prada did. The other girl looked like she had finally found her people. Her eyes were bright and she was taking in every word that they said. She looked more comfortable than Sienna had ever seen her.
“Sienna,” Nathaniel said, as they approached. They were being kept in comfortable quarters, which made Sienna realize that they were valuable hostages. They would either be traded for something as valuable, or forced to fight for this side. “Desmond.”
“This way,” someone grabbed Sienna, pulling her by the arm away.
“STOP,” Nathaniel said, but Sienna put her hand out.
“It's all right,” she said. “They are going to let me call Eliza and ask for the army to attend to me. I am a Baroness.”
Nathaniel's eye brows shot up through his forehead
“Right, of course,” he said. Prada took a step forward then, turning to her Maestro.
Jeffro's army will mean more death, she said.
Jeffro's army will even the playing field. With that kind of firepower, it's possible they will back off.
Maestro, they want recognition. They want peace. They want to serve.
“Prada!” he spoke out loud, snapping at her. Her eyes widened, and she quieted down in her mind.
Sienna was led away, and the three of them were left alone, inside the small room. It was sort of a private lounge, but looking around, anyone could see that it was heavily armored. They wouldn't be able to escape by any sort of force, and there was no doubt that there were several guards outside the door.
“Jeffro's army can only get there an hour beforehand at the most,” Nathaniel said, doing the calculation to Desmond. “And that's if they are half ready.”
“It's a good plan,” he said. “But it may not be enough. What did you two get up to?”
“We were treated to quite the tests and tour,” Nathaniel said. “ It was eerie, but they told us they just wanted to serve. The wrong way.”
Not the wrong way, a different way, Prada's voice came through and Nathaniel turned to her.
A different way, he said with his mind at last. Is that better?
Everyone is acting like this is the end of the world, Prada said. I think it could be a wonderful opportunity.
Because they all blast through the wall at a moment's notice? Nathaniel teased her. But Prada was serious.
Maybe.
That unsettled him, and they fell into silent, waiting. A couple of checks at the wall told him it would take more power than all of the ship combined to blow open the door, and even if they did, where would they go?
Sienna returned about an ten minutes later, and Nathaniel could see there was something wrong right away. She looked paler than when she left, and her feet were unsteady. Before she even made it through the threshold of the door, she stumbled.
He moved forward quickly, grabbing her. Her arm was bleeding, and he recognized the mark at once.
“They've taken the Cimeraon right out of her,” he said, as he wrapped his arms around her, sinking to the floor. “Sienna, did they access your magic?”
She half blinked and he knew what was coming.
“Desmond,” Nathaniel said with a warning tone in his voice. It had been years since they dealt with one of her seizures, but it came back to them like an old enemy. This is what happened when she used her magic. Taking the magic blocking drugs out of her and forcing her magic through her veins at the strength it was when she was sick was cruel. But it meant that they intended her to fight, that much was clear.
They would be used as weapons, without a doubt.
“Just flip her here,” Desmond said, as he sank to the floor beside him, grabbing her shoulders to stabilize her. “There, you've got it. You remember.”
“Bastards,” Nathaniel said, as it began. “Bastards to do this to her.”
Prada said nothing, standing behind them. If either of them had turned around, they could see that she looked absolutely terrified, standing there. She had never seen the full extent of what happened to Sienna when she used magic. Now, in front of her face, she understood the full scale.
If Sienna was going to fight, on either side, she would die. If she saved her boyfriend, she would die.
No doubt Sienna knew this, and she wanted to do it, anyways. She wanted to do it to save any of them, including Prada.
It made the younger girl feel guilty for what she was considering. She would have thought that Sienna would want to fight with this new crowd of witches who were once as powerful as she was. Prada didn't really understand before why Sienna had banished her magic, why they had chosen to no longer train her. All she knew was their whole lives had been taken up with Sienna. She hadn't understood why, until now.
Now, she saw how much they tried.
Eventually, the tremors stopped, and Desmond's shoulders relaxed. Nathaniel winced and Prada suddenly felt a sharp pain through their bond.
Maestro? she asked, stepping forward. Are you all right?
Another notch on the belt, Nathaniel winced, looking down at his hand. Whenever she seized, her mouth fell open and it was more than once that her teeth used to take out a chunk of his hand, which he tried to make sure she wasn't choking. There was a small amount of blood on his knuckles, surrounded by old scars. But then, despite the fact that Sienna was on the floor, limp, he tuned to Prada. Are you all right, Tiro? he asked, putting his hand out to her. It's okay I know it looks scary, but it happens all the time.
Maestro, she can't possibly use magic, Prada said. She can't be alone.
It's okay, Prada, he thought. It's okay
Prada couldn't stand there helpless, it wasn't in her nature. She turned on her heel and bolted from the room.
“Prada!” Desmond called out, but Nathaniel put a hand out to him instead.
“It's all right,” he said. “It's all right. That's the way she deals with things sometimes. She's all right, she'll be back.”
“On this ship?”
Nathaniel had been tuned in to her thoughts, though, and let out a sigh.
“I have a strange feeling that she will be more all right here than she's ever been,” he said, looking up at Desmond. “She almost spoke when we were out there with them. I could see her mouth open, she didn't even think of it. She was comfortable. That's never happened before.”
“We all find our paths in life,” Desmond said, softly, and Nathaniel sighed.
“I know,” he s
aid, looking down at Sienna. “That's what the worse part of this is. We had found our own paths, but everything went wrong. With Devon. With…”
“With Eliza. With the Jurors giving you Prada.”
“That's not what I meant,” Nathaniel said, but Desmond gave him a look.
“But it's what you are feeling. And there's nothing wrong with that,” Desmond said. “You've done a good job.”
“You're talking like all of this is over,” Nathaniel said. “Like everything is coming to an end. Do you sense something in the magic?”
“I sense a change in the magic,” Desmond said and Nathaniel’s heart sank. The last time they had this conversation, it was about leaving Sienna. Now, it felt just as serious.
Chapter 12
Prada had left as quickly as her legs could carry her, moving through the hallways. No one stopped her, no one even so much as looked at her, until she found herself outside the bridge.
Her heart was pounding, and her mouth was dry. She had seen so much in combat, and nothing had frightened her as much as the sight she had just seen.
It was because everything in her life suddenly made sense, and it was the most frightening thing she had even realized
Life had started off as incredibly cruel to her, frightening and activating her fight mode. The academy had rescued her, and Nathaniel had showed her kindness for the first time. He had given her years of acceptance and kindness, and she thought she would never be able to separate from her Maestro.
But seeing Sienna fighting against such a different set of circumstances, made her realize that she was strong and she was capable.
Prada wanted to fight, to serve the magic. Death happened to be a part of that, but she didn't have to purposely contribute to that. And witches like her deserved to serve just as much as peacekeepers, and diplomats.
If Sienna had truly gotten a hold of Jeffro, Prada knew what they would do. It was a well-known battle tactic, to take one side and switch at the last moment. Jeffro's forces would align with the Academy and threaten to blow this new witch coven to Kingdom Come if they didn't hand over Sienna. Nathaniel, Desmond and herself would be forced to fight against those they had grown up with, or they would die.
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