Cradled

by Christina Bauer

  At the same time, the Oculus Warriors had finished their own small transformation. A dozen long antennae-like metal arms swung out from each of their backs. Every thin limb was topped by a spinning metal saw blade.

  My breath caught. This was dire. Rowan, Jicho and I were still surrounded by a bubble of bronze, so we were unable to escape. Help also didn’t seem to be coming for us, either. Kronos had untold stores of magick in the moonstone atop his walking stick; Rowan and I were limited by what we could pull in, process, and transform via an incantation. Even worse, our reserves of magick were getting low. Rowan and I could probably cast one more spell before we’d need to pull in fresh power, and that took time. We’d planned for that to be a gateway spell, but the way it was looking now? We’d need to do something else entirely. I pulled Jicho closer to my side; the boy was shivering with fright.

  “Transfer treasure,” I said.

  “Right,” said Rowan. Again, we didn’t need to have a long conversation. Both Rowan and I knew about the transfer treasure spell. It was a kind of shielding magick that would create a protective shell around all three of us before completing a transfer spell to someplace safe. We needed to get Jicho out of here and recharge our magick stores. Once we were full again, we could return to the fight.

  Rowan nodded and gripped my hand even more tightly. Fresh power moved through us both, making our skin shine with purple brightness. We quickly spoke incantation.

  “Block. Protect. Defy. Move.”

  Once again, our free hands lit up with violet light. Magick and mist poured from our palms onto the floor. My soul lightened. The spell was working. All my focus went into forcing more magick out of my being and into this final casting. It wasn’t easy, considering how the Oculus Warriors were closing in. To my mind, the low hum of their circular blades became impossibly loud.

  Then, something tickled my shoulder.

  Looking down, I saw Jicho was covered in mechanical spiders. Head to toe. Some of the metal insects had crawled off and onto my shoulder, and that was what had caused the tickling sensation before. I took in a shaky breath.

  Spiders. And they were biting both me and Jicho.

  The insects had moved so quickly—and the Oculus Warriors had been so distracting—that I hadn’t noticed the spiders were attacking until it was too late. Every muscle in my body tightened with alarm.

  Rowan and I weren’t done with our transfer treasure spell. That casting needed to be complete so we could protect ourselves from Kronos. However, if we didn’t get these spiders off, then we’d be dead before we could transfer out of here anyway. Already, spider venom numbing my arm and shoulder.

  “Rowan!” I cried.

  My husband turned to me. All the color drained from his face. Even so, my husband’s voice was calm as he spoke. “I see them, Elea. Stay still.”

  Turning, Rowan lifted his arms toward me. Fresh magick poured off both of Rowan’s palms, flowing directly toward myself and Jicho. Rowan’s lips moved in a low murmur as he spoke different incantations, trying to modify the transfer treasure spell so it could protect against this new attack.

  Purple light surrounded me and Jicho. The brightness was harmless to us, but destructive to the spiders. The insects let off little mechanical screeches as they fell off both out bodies. The Oculus Warriors paused nearby, their metallic arms still deployed around them like some insane kind of halo.

  “What’s happened?” whispered Jicho. His beloved face was wild with terror. “I can’t feel my arms and legs.”

  “Shhh,” I soothed. “It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

  I scanned the bronze bubble round us. It was solid. All our stone serpents were now wrapped up in cocoons. The Oculus Warriors were no longer attacking. Kronos stood across the room, his walking stick still gripped firmly in his hands.

  “So you see,” said Kronos. “I am far more powerful than you. And I now have something you want.”

  Before my eyes, Jicho changed. His skin became a singular shade of bronze. His warm flesh turned cold against me. One antennae arm from an Oculus Warriors shot out. At the end of that thin limb, a round saw blade still whirred. And it was only a breath away from Jicho’s neck.

  I still had power and magick inside me. There was no way I’d allow my Jicho to be hurt. I pushed fresh energy into my palm. Beside me, Rowan did the same.

  “By all means,” said Kronos. “Cast another spell if you wish to see him dead.”

  Before me, the Oculus Warrior’s blade nicked the skin on Jicho’s neck. A single drop of bronze-colored blood dripped down his throat.

  I looked to Rowan. All the rage and fear in my heart was reflected in my husband’s face. I lowered my hand and stopped casting my spell. Rowan did the same.

  “A wise choice.” Kronos didn’t order the Oculus warrior away from Jicho, but the blade didn’t break the boy’s skin again, either.

  “I can’t feel my body,” whispered Jicho. “What are they doing to me?”

  “You’re going to be fine,” I said.

  “We’ll figure something out,” added Rowan.

  “No,” countered Kronos. “You’ll listen to what I have to say.” Kronos pointed at Jicho. Bronze light flared around the mechanical kings hand. Instantly, a line of wire shot off Kronos’s finger and crossed the room, ending by looped around Jicho’s wrists. Within seconds, Jicho’s hands were tied together.

  “Come here, lad,” ordered Kronos. “Warriors, stay apace.”

  And Jicho began to march. With every step, the Oculus warriors kept in sync, on on either side of Jicho. And one warrior also kept that spinning saw blade right above our boy’s skin.

  “I’m not doing this,” cried Jicho as he marched. The child was terrified. Rage boiled through me, but I held my tongue. Rowan spoke the truth. He and I would figure out a way to defeat Kronos.

  Jicho stopped beside Kronos and then turned around to face us. Bronze tears streamed down his plump cheeks. On reflex, I went to reach toward Jicho, but my left arm wouldn’t move. That’s when I saw it. My left arm and shoulder had been turned to bronze as well.

  “I understand this is all a bit of a shock,” said Kronos. “So I’ll give you time to process. I have the boy. You have until midnight tomorrow to come willingly to my realm and hand over your magick.” He raised his Bezel Wand. “I hold all the power. Don’t forget that.”

  Kronos raised the Bezel Wand once again and brought it down on the floor. With a flash of light, another gateway opened behind Kronos. Like the one at the Fete of the Family, this one was an archway of solid bronze. “We’ll be waiting for you in the dungeons of Bezel Tower.”

  At those words, the Oculus Warriors instantly shut down the spinning blades on the many antennae-like arms that protruded from their backs. Together with Kronos and Jicho, they all stepped back through the gateway. With a flash of bronze light, the magickal arch disappeared. The moment Kronos was gone, the bronze bubble started melting away around us.

  For a long moment, I could only stare at the spot where the gateway had just stood. My thoughts kept reviewing everything that had happened since we reached the Fete of the Family. To begin with, there was Kronos, who was clearly involved with my parents in some way. Then I pictured the mechanical insects, Bezel Wand, and Oculus warriors. Worst of all, Kronos didn’t even have his Oculus Warriors attack us—just the spinning blades were enough to distract our attention while his mechanical spiders did the rest. And now, Jicho was gone and we had less than one day to rescue him.

  My sweet Jicho.

  And all of this was topped by the facts that I had both a metal arm and a secret pregnancy. There wasn’t time to worry about either one.

  Rowan pulled me into a soft hug. I pressed my cheek against my husband’s chest and allowed the tears to fall. In the end, Jicho’s first vision had been right all along.

  Something big had happened and more.

  Chapter Five

  As I took comfort in Rowan’s embrace, the bronze bubble that had
surrounded us slowly lowered. Within seconds, it had disappeared entirely, revealing the central feasting hall beyond. The place looked as it had before, only now the huge chamber was empty, save for Amelia and Kade. Both looked miserable.

  “We saw everything that happened inside the bubble,” said Amelia. “I’m so sorry about Jicho.” She eyed my arm. “And you’re injured.”

  I stepped back, breaking my embrace with Rowan. “My arm doesn’t hurt,” I said, rubbing my left shoulder. “It’s more cold than anything. I’m sure we can cast a spell to heal it.”

  Kade marched over to Rowan. “We must raise an army, open a gateway, and invade Quetum. We’ll take our brother back.” Pure fury blazed in Kade’s green eyes. “Mark my words. We’ll raze that realm to the ground.”

  My mouth fell open with surprise. Kade wasn’t one to jump into danger without thinking. “Not so fast,” I said. “We’ve no idea what Quetum is like. Our people could be walking into a trap.”

  Rowan’s full mouth thinned to a determined line. “How many Caster mages are battle ready?” he asked Kade.

  “You can’t be serious,” I said.

  Rowan’s gaze met mine. I’d never seen him angrier. “We’ll only take volunteers,” he explained. After that, my husband focused once again on Kade. “How many battle mages do we have? Thirty?”

  “Perhaps fifteen,” replied Kade. “There are far more battle ready Necromancers.”

  “Good point.” Rowan turned to me once more. “We need to transport to the Zelle Cloister. Talk to your second in command there, Quinn. If you ask as their Tsarina, you’ll get plenty of volunteers.”

  I took a half-step backward. “I’m not asking for anything right now.”

  “How can you say that?” Rowan’s voice deepened with held-in rage. “This is Jicho.”

  “No one loves Jicho more than I do,” I explained. The moment the words left my lips, I knew they were true. “We have different ways of fighting for him. Before the battle with Kronos ended, Jicho had another vision. He gave me specific instructions on how to save him.”

  The harsh line of Rowan’s mouth softened a little. “What did he tell you?”

  Closing my eyes, I recalled the exact words to Jicho’s vision. I spoke the prophecy aloud:

  “Watch for the round gateway; it will bring you the lightning goddess and her consort. They must bring fire swords to the windings. Only then can you and Rowan kill Kronos.”

  “So nothing about armies or invasions,” said Rowan.

  “Jicho was very specific,” I explained. “It was only to be you, me, the lightning goddess, and her consort who would go to Quetum. That’s all.”

  Rowan rubbed his neck. “Watch for a round gateway. What do you think that means?”

  “I’m not sure.” I began to absently braid by long dark hair. It was someone I often did when thinking things through. “If it means that we sit around and wait for a gateway to open, then that’s not going to happen. We need to cast a gateway spell to open another world and then a summoning incantation for the lightning goddess. That way, the gateway will open onto wherever the lightning goddess may be.”

  “Agreed.” Rowan gestured toward my arm. “Of course, we need to heal your arm before doing anything.”

  Kade paced a nervous line nearby. “I’d still prefer that we raise an army.”

  “I disagree,” said Amelia. Stepping to Kade’s side, she set her hand onto his elbow. Kade instantly stopped pacing. A little of the sadness inside me ebbed away. Kade was a quiet one, but that firm exterior hid an inner turmoil of emotions. Amelia could always calm him.

  “What are you thinking, my love?” asked Kade.

  “We need our army here,” explained Amelia. “No doubt, rumors are already spreading across the countryside. Too many people saw Kronos at the celebration last night.”

  “She’s right,” I said. “That’s what took us so long to leave the celebration. The partygoers had lots of questions. They weren’t happy.”

  “I see what you mean,” said Kade. “Half the realm could be in a panic by midday.”

  Amelia nodded. “The Imperial family must be visibly seen as competent and in control.” She glanced around the feasting hall, her eyes lost in thought. “I’ve got it. Let’s hold a military parade through the major cities. The people love those. It will distract everyone from rumors of Kronos while giving Elea and Rowan time to act.”

  Kade leaned in until his forehead gently touched Amelia’s. “You’re a brilliant woman, you know that?”

  Amelia’s face flushed. “Just wait until you hear my ideas for mage fireworks that will end the parade.”

  “Can’t wait,” said Kade.

  With that, the two made their goodbyes and headed off to organize what would certainly become the finest parade and firework celebration in history. With that in store, I couldn’t imagine our people worrying about Kronos, or wondering where Rowan, Jicho and I had disappeared to, either.

  With Amelia and Kade gone, I returned my attention to Rowan. My husband had already pulled fresh magick into his body. The veins in his right hand glowed red with power. His gaze locked onto my metal arm.

  “May I?” he asked.

  There was no question what Rowan wanted to do here: heal my arm. The limb in question was now itching like crazy, so I couldn’t be happier with this suggestion.

  “Please do,” I said.

  Stepping closer, Rowan set his palms on my metal arm. His voice was a low rumble as he spoke a healing incantation.

  “Heal. Strife. Comfort. Life.”

  At those words, crimson brightness flared out from under Rowan’s palm. The red light reflected off the smooth bronze of my arm. For a moment, nothing happened. After that, a wave of warmth flowed into my chilly limb. Red dots of light sparkled across my forearm. I sighed. The spell was working. Metal transformed back into flesh. I clenched and loosened my left fist, testing out the mobility.

  “Much better,” I said. “Thank you.”

  Rowan ran his hands up and down my arm. “You look fully healed. We should cast the gateway spell now.”

  All of a sudden, I realized that now was the perfect moment to talk about the baby. There was no one else around, for once. Besides, Rowan and I could certainly spare a few minutes before we began to cast our gateway spell.

  “There’s something I want to talk to you about first,” I said.

  Rowan’s gaze turned intense. “Anything.”

  “We’ve agreed not to have a family and—” My words caught in my throat. Why was this so hard?

  “It’s all right,” said Rowan. “I understand.”

  My heart lightened. Maybe Rowan guessed what was happening. That would make all of this a lot easier. “You do?” I asked.

  “Sure,” he replied. “Jicho is gone. That boy is like a son to both of us. It makes you think how nerve-wracking it would be to have a child of our own. Jicho is bad enough, right?”

  “That isn’t wrong.” I swallowed past the knot of worry in my throat. “Here’s the thing, though. You—”

  At that moment, spots of white light pulsed from the vaulted ceiling. Magick. The bright points soon congealed into a loop of white energy that spun above our heads. My breath caught in my lungs. No question what that was.

  “It’s the round gateway,” I whispered. “The one from Jicho’s vision.” I repeated the prophecy once more.

  “Watch for the round gateway; it will bring you the lightning goddess and her consort. They must bring fire swords to the windings. Only then can you and Rowan kill Kronos.”

  Rowan scanned the loop of brightness as it whirled above our heads. “If that’s a gateway, then I’ve never seen anything quite like it. We better pull in extra magick, just in case.”

  And with that, all chances of a baby conversation with my husband were now over. Not that this particular talk was headed in a great direction. We could return to it later. After all, there was a gateway opening before us now.

  While ke
eping my gaze locked on the circular lights, I pulled fresh Necromancer energy into my body. Usually, I drew in power with my eyes closed since it was easier that way. But at this point, I wasn’t taking any chances. Jicho said a lightning goddess and her consort would visit through a circular gateway. He didn’t say that when they arrived, they’d be at all friendly.

  Heavy silence filled the central feasting hall. The swirl of light by the ceiling flared more brightly, casting odd shadows onto the tapestries and floor. A charged sense of anticipation hung in the air.

  My body quickly filled with so much Necromancer magick, I didn’t even need to funnel the power to my left hand. The bones there began to glow on their own. Still, I kept my gaze locked on the circle of light above my head. A ring of perfect darkness filled its center. My mage awareness told me that whoever was coming though, it would be soon.

  I shared a quick glance with Rowan. Every line of his rugged face was tight with determination.

  Light pulsed in the center of the round gateway as a man and a woman tumbled through, landing on the floor in a crouch. Although their backs were facing us, I could still make out some basics about the pair. The woman was tall as me but far more curvy. Her long auburn hair cascaded down her back. The man beside her was broad shouldered and fit with short brown hair. Both of them were wore black body armor like none I’d ever seen before. It appeared not to be flexible. Interesting.

  Something twitched behind the woman, and that’s when I noticed it. She had a tail. It was long, black, and covered in some kind of scales. The end was as pointed as an arrow.

  In our realm, we did have people with non-human body parts. They were called Changed Ones, and they were the unfortunate results of by brother Viktor’s experiments in combining Casters with their animal familiars. My stomach sank. Was it possible that Viktor had somehow gotten to this woman and her realm?

  The man lifted his right arm, and he was holding a severed head in his fist.

  Wait, a head?

  I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things. But once I lowered my hands, the man was still there, his back facing to us. And he still gripped a severed head in his hand. And what a head it was. The thing had the profile of a humanoid pig with green skin and a pair of large curlicue horns growing out of each temple. The man gripped the head by a single horn.