He was right. “I agree, but what the king… I’d heard rumors of what he was doing, but I had no idea of its magnitude.”
He pulled me into an embrace. “We shall rescue your Sadie and my brother.” He tipped up my chin with his fingertips. “Together.”
I smiled. “Together.”
Edrick grabbed my hand. “Now, we must go.”
I slung my satchel over my shoulder, opened the door a bit, and peeked into the corridor. I didn’t see or hear anyone. “I believe we’re safe.”
Not a soul was about, and we decided to take the back exit to make our escape.
We snuck out of the inn at the break of dawn. The heavens were painted in the beautiful glory as the goddess’s glow retreated, to be replaced by the second sun’s morning light.
With the carts filled, it seemed as though many of the townspeople were headed to the castle for market day. One older man tugged on the bridle of his cow, while another placed chickens in wooden coops on the back of a wagon. “Come on, Bessie girl, it’s market day and we shan’t be late,” the man pled with the cow, and it stubbornly mooed in response.
We walked for a bit, a casual enough pace so as to not capture anyone’s attention, and I finally released the measured breath I’d been holding since leaving the inn.
Birds chirped in the distance, and the world continued as if all was well.
It. Was. Not.
Dashing through the blowing clothes hanging from yesterday’s wash, the muted colors provided little cover for the guards giving chase. Edrick took my hand, and together, we bounded over the full fruit cart, scurried around the town’s poultry to escape the ruckus closing in on our heels.
“Seize them,” one of the king’s guards shouted, and releasing a stream of pent-up magic, I aimed it at the fruit cart, watching it explode, and the fruit turning into solid projectiles.
“Damn, that felt good.” My magic had returned. I glanced over my shoulder to see the guards tumbling, one by one, as what had once been fruit was pummeling them. “Where to now?”
“Keep running. I am afraid we’re not out of the clear just yet.”
Shit. He was right. Up ahead, there were at least five more guards blocking our path to the forest.
Edrick brandished his sword as we approached, and I heard the battle cry from the guards running straight for us. Marigold had been correct as well. A battle companion, he was.
My hands lit up in blue-and-white flames and I raised my palms outward, sending a barrage of goddess-blessed magic toward the guards in my direct line of sight. Their eyes widened in fear at first, and then shock. I’d gone against the king’s orders, but they were trying to kill me, and I wanted to live.
Two blond guards dropped to their knees, my magic radiating from their bodies. I could hear the sound of steel clanging against steel and knew Edrick was battling his own opponents. I didn’t want to kill these men, so instead, I walked to where they knelt, and touched their foreheads, their eyes still fearful.
“I do not wish to harm you, as it’s not my way, or the way of my people. Inform your king of this.” They nodded in affirmation. “Now, sleep. Do not wake until we have left this place.” The guards closed their eyes, and before they crashed to the ground, I caught their heads, and gently laid them down. Regardless of what these men stood for, I had to remember who I was, what I’d been taught, and what would best protect my coven from retaliation.
I rose from my crouched position to search for Edrick, and he was still battling two of the other guards. It appeared one must have fled. I wasn’t certain where the townspeople were now, or if perhaps they may be hiding in their homes or shops. I’d only seen a handful leaving for the castle.
I ran to Edrick and raised my hands again. “Stop!” And the fighting was suspended, but they were bloodied from battle. The guards were now immobile, and Edrick dropped his sword to his side, staring at me. “Kneel.” I whirled my still-glowing palms around the guards and repeated what I’d done with the other two. Once done, and they were put into a magical-induced sleep, I turned to a gaping dragon shifter.
“You amaze me, Nova.” He shook his head and sheathed his sword. “You could have killed them, yet you allowed them to live.”
“As I said, it’s not our way. I may speak harshly, but I only want peace. I want my friend home safely… and I want my moth—” I stopped myself. I was near tears. All of this fighting. None of this. It wasn’t me. Or perhaps it was a test from the goddess. I couldn’t be certain. I only knew I could feel myself changing in just the short amount of time I’d been gone from the coven.
Some changes were for the best. Some, I wasn’t quite so certain of just yet. My mind was in turmoil, especially now.
Edrick had changed me, too. And his presence made me feel things I’d never thought possible. I was different around him, as well—there was no pretense. I could be myself with him, and we had a wonderful time, even in the face of danger. How odd.
When I truly thought about it, though, the change had begun with the divination pool, reliving Mother’s death, and then Sadie… This journey had become a crossroads of sorts. Where once my only worries were becoming the high priestess that my mother would have wanted me to be, as untrained as I was, to now. A path all my own to save a sister and protect my coven. And with a dragon, no less. Committing what was ultimately treason, punishable by death. Although this battle raged inside my mind, I now knew I would find a way to convince the coven they were not our enemy. Once we brought Sadie home safe and sound. That would be yet another battle I’d have to fight with the elders. But this time, I was certain I could win.
Chapter 14
“Nova, are you all right?” Edrick came to stand next to me, his voice breaking me from my thoughts. “You seem out of sorts.”
“I’m not certain, but I do know we must be on our way and head into the safety of the forest.”
We skirted past the sleeping guards and quickly took the path to our right. The forest was only a few minutes’ walk.
It was possible the other guards would give chase. It didn’t matter. The king would know we were on our way—a witch and a knight.
Entering the woods, I quickly set to creating a sigil on the wet ground. We’d need warning should they follow. Gathering moss from the side of the stone, I knelt on the soft earth. Edrick crouched beside me, staring intently at what I was doing, a smile spread across his face.
“Curious?”
“Of course. I’ve heard of this sort of magic, but never seen it practiced.”
I chuckled. “You are magic yourself.”
“No, I am just me. A dragon and nothing more.”
I nodded but didn’t comment that dragons were indeed magic in their transformations, and then turned my concentration back to the matter at hand. Mixing the moss with the vial of sacred water, ash, and embers, I set it in place.
“Dearest of trees, understand my plight, send us your warnings against this blight, the king's men, and those who seek treachery’s delight.” The sigil illuminated into an emerald green, to then soak into the rich earth.
Edrick rose to his feet and dusted off his backside. “What was that?”
“A protection spell. Many spells are not only with words, but also with potions and poultices. Magic work has a cost, be it from my vessel or from the offering in the vials. My emergency kit helps me in times of danger with simple things like this. Let’s be honest here: We’re outnumbered and far from our homes and allies. But nature, it can still help us.”
“My people believe in the sacredness of trees, too.” Edrick patted the trunk of the nearest oak. “It is said there is a mighty ash tree that connects the nine planes of existence.”
“Is that so? You must tell me more of this someday.” I glanced at his attire as we didn’t have time for small talk. “The armor was good, but not quite good enough.” I sighed. “The only way we will make it is to change our appearance once more, as they will be searching for us. Something that doesn
’t quite capture attention.”
Rounding through the trees, I stopped to listen if there was a bustle of noise behind us.
“With your magic, you could summon the king’s eagles.”
I shook my head. The coven had a connection to nature, that was true, but the eagles remained free to do as they pleased. These eagles were massive, able to be ridden by humans when the king hunted from the skies. I couldn’t just summon them to me from one spot to the next, as though they were a carriage to be retained. Eagles could be fickle.
“The eagles don’t serve the coven. It would be like asking a friend twice removed for a favor because we all have some sort of magic, and since they are technically the king’s, it’s likely they would side with him instead of us.”
“So, no eagles, no dragons, and no knight. What could we possibly use that wouldn’t cause a distraction and allow us to enter the castle?”
“It’s market day.” I recalled the carts and the cow.
“What does that mean?”
I smiled as a thought occurred to me. “I don’t need to pretend to be anyone, instead simply a representative from the coven.”
He rose a questioning brow. “It can’t be that easy.”
“No, I will still change a bit to look the part, and you? You will have to play the part of my elderly servant.”
He chuckled a bit, leaned against a tree, and crossed his arms. “This is payback because you pretended to be the old woman, right?”
“Oh, of course not.” I moved over to the trees in search of a bit of shed bark. “Thank you, mighty oak, for your offering,” I whispered and placed my palm on the tree’s trunk. In return, the tree sent a pulse of light toward me, causing my hand to tingle. That was the thing about what some considered an inanimate object—they were not inanimate at all. Life was just below the surface, and if one listened, they could hear the trees speak, too.
With the bark in my hand, I moved to the side of the tree, opened my satchel, and removed the emergency vials I’d packed. Mixing the fir needles with the sap residue, pieces of the bark, and my premixed potion, I stirred it together, creating a poultice. “Come here,” I beckoned Edrick over.
He knelt next to me, and dipping my fingers into the mixture, I gently placed it upon his face. So close to him, I wondered at his piercing sea-green gaze, his strong jaw, and even how he looked at me. His skin was hot beneath my touch, as a flame was just under the surface. He stared at me and my fingertips trailed along his jaw, over his bearded cheeks, and around his handsome brow.
My breathing hitched, and I blinked to again refocus on what it was I needed to do, and just touching him to do so was not getting us any closer to the castle. He already smelled like the forest, but now the fir scent had been turned up a notch, and it seemed to be almost hypnotic.
Now that was dangerous.
“Does your skin naturally smell of the forest?” I’d noticed it at the inn, but right then, I couldn’t help but remark on it. I needed something to distract me from my thoughts.
Instead of responding, he simply cleared his throat. “My hair?” The question came out in a whisper.
I reached into my satchel and pulled out another vial. “Yes, we can’t have you looking too charming.” Pouring crushed chalk into my hands, I rubbed it into his hair, covering it until the sun-streaked brown tendrils appeared dusty. “Miscueratque,” I commanded, and watched his hair turn gray. “Not to worry, it will only last for a bit. This is nothing more than a glamor. You’ll only appear older, but your body will still remain capable and filled with youth.”
“I am over three-hundred-years-old. Age means little to me, but my capabilities always remain. That is part of the strength and nature of a dragon.” He took my trembling hand in his and placed a chaste kiss upon it. “I trust you, dearest Nova, and together, we shall see this through.”
I’d said nothing as to how I felt, or the nerves I’d been pushing down. I merely nodded. Quickly, using a crushed elderberry and an alteration spell, my black cloak changed color to that of the reddish tinge worn by the coven sisters. “Now, we must make our way. The trees will direct us and keep us away from those who may have dishonorable intentions or mean to do us harm.”
Silently, we moved through the forest, the trees directing our path, closing off routes that may have appeared accurate, blocking it with their branches, while opening up the way to another, and then closing it behind us.
We continued on like this until the sun’s light broke through, and in the distance, I could finally see the castle’s towers jutting toward the sky.
As a parting gift, the last tree we were to pass under, leaned down its branches and placed a basket at my feet. “Thank you, blessed goddess and forest, for your protection and guidance.” I picked up the sacred offering, stepped forward, and placed my palm on its trunk before we both darted out onto the road.
I thrust the basket into Edrick’s hands. “As a servant, you’re to carry the basket and walk behind me, for if we’re seen walking together, it’s likely we won’t be pulled from those entering.”
“And what shall I do if we are discovered?”
I glanced at my right hand. “I still have three-fourths of my magic left, so it shouldn’t be an issue if I need to use it to save us from the clutches of the guards, if that were to occur. And the goddess will watch over and assist us, as well. Of that, I’m certain.”
We melted into the crowd of townspeople heading toward the castle. The king’s men were on high alert it seemed, as some were on horseback while others were on the road, scrutinizing the crowd. Market day was a time when it was likely the witches from the coven might be seen outside of the sacred grove.
Finally, at the gate, I watched as the guards pulled several people out of the incoming crowd, all men who appeared in their twenties and women who resembled me.
“Let her through, as she is with the allied coven,” someone shouted, and before the guards could stop to pull me out, the guard simply nodded.
“Sorry, Sister.”
I peered up at him. “What has transpired?”
“A rogue witch has used magic against the king and his guards and consorts with the enemy. We’ve already caught one who shall be executed today. They are preparing the killing stone now.”
The killing stone…
Dear goddess. Sadie.
Chapter 15
“Magic, you say?” I had to temper my breathing and keep my voice calm and even so as to not give myself away.
“Aye, Sister, we’ve been told to find this traitorous witch. She’ll be hauled before his majesty.”
“No dawdling,” the guard on horseback continued. “Keep moving, people.”
I nodded and bid him farewell, then moved toward the stalls and tables where the usual wares were on display. The place overflowed with a variety of trinkets, food, and weaponry. This had always been the one time I’d looked forward to, when the servants or Mother returned from a trip to the market with things we normally didn’t have.
Behind me, Edrick had slowed his pace, playing the slow-moving servant. He could have been a performer the way he crept forward. He was a natural. He finally made his way to me, and we meandered through the open-air market, until we made it closer to the wrought-iron gate that led to the inner courtyard.
Suddenly, a wave of apprehension and a sense of foreboding struck me in the gut. It was as though some sort of unknown magic was shielding me from what felt like a non-magical observation. I couldn’t be certain. It just felt wrong. Unnatural. I reached into my pocket and removed the smooth adder stone, and placed it to my right eye, peering through the stone’s hole in its center.
I gasped. There, the king’s men stood like scarecrows, staring out through unseeing eyes, as though they had been pierced by thick roots and vines. From inside their tunics and armor, instead of human arms, branches and thick grasses protruded, as though the trees had broken through the ground and captured them in place. Their necks were twisted into
odd angles that shouldn’t have been possible. Blood oozed from the corner of their eyes and gaping mouths. Their faces were suspended in terror.
Only one capable of sorcery could have produced such magic… could have done this. To bend nature to their will, to do such evil, even if these men weren’t quite innocent. It was nothing short of barbaric, worse than any sort of evil I’d ever known existed within the realm. My heart thudded inside my chest at what or whom could be responsible.
A murder of crows flew overhead and cawed, and the doors to the castle flew open as if pulled by an invisible hand.
“The goddess guides us,” I said and glanced toward the heavens in a silent prayer. Blessed Selenaia, hear me, guide my hands, be my light.
Then I heard the unthinkable: Sadie’s bone-chilling scream.
My hands lit up in magical blue-and-white flames, but before I could respond, Edrick moved forward, and simply bent the metal bars.
“Save your magic, as something tells me we will need it.”
I could only nod my agreement, and we ducked through the wide aperture he’d created in the gate, crossing into the ominous courtyard where everything appeared muted in color.
Death walked here.
In the distance, I could hear the bells ringing. Just as Mother had said, her final words… I mentioned nothing, as I wasn’t certain of its meaning just yet, but the implications… I’d have to learn what was behind those castle walls.
Edrick and I stared at one another for a brief moment. We'd passed through a magically warded area, and, in an instant, his disguise disappeared, and the magical flames emitting from my palms had ceased without my willing it so.
I raised my hand in front of me and looked down near my right thumb, only to find the full moons empty, not even half-moons were present. My magic had been drained—all of it. “What the hell was that?”
Edrick glanced around at our surroundings, and then to me. “No magic.”
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