by Eve A Hunt
I rubbed my magically punched stomach and leaned on Lucus. “I’m on your side,” I said to the Binder, who was glaring at us each in turn.
The Binder’s shirt billowed in the breeze. The fabric hung on him, not stretched by belly or muscle. The man was reed thin. When he watched Lucus adjust his hold on my arm, the Binder sneered, his oddly purple eyes flashing. “I see you are on everyone’s side,” he muttered. Then he whirled and disappeared into his chamber.
Nope. I wasn’t giving up that easy.
Nora, her cheeks flushed and mouth turned down, snagged my sleeve and yanked me from the doorway, a move Lucus and Hekla had been wise enough not to do. “Leave him be!” she shouted into my face.
I ripped her hand off my arm. “Who knows where we’ll be when he’s up tonight?” I snapped. “Arleigh could order us somewhere or off one of us before then. There’s no time. We need to plot.”
Barging back inside, I raised my voice. “Binder, you’re going to teach me how to deal with ley lines and plan for an escape or you’re going to suffer me shouting at you until you do. Your choice, man.”
It sucked being mean to the poor guy, but this was an emergency.
Lucus’s presence at my back gave off a barely subdued churning of power and the faintest hint of his lure. “I know you hate my kind, Binder,” he said, his voice deep and rumbling. “But I want to escape these fae as much as you do. I have no desire to treat mages this way or to remain closeted away from the world.”
The Binder had resumed his slumping position in the dark corner. He made no reply to either of us, but he also hadn’t struck out again. Not yet.
“My brothers and I were cursed and trapped in the Mage Duke’s castle centuries ago. I long for the world outside and know nothing about Arleigh and her devices aside from what your fellow mage Nora had told me.”
“And why did the Mage Duke curse you?”
I traded a hopeful look with Lucus and Hekla, who was peeking around Lucus’s arm. “You know about the Mage Duke? Is he still around causing trouble?”
The Binder sniffed, a halfhearted attempt at a bitter laugh. “No more trouble than Arleigh certainly. Answer my question, fae.”
“I accidentally killed the Mage Duke’s daughter.”
Uh oh. Might not have been the best moment to bring that up, Lucus. “He loved her,” I said hurriedly. “And she forgave him. She spoke to me when I first accessed my magic in full. I saw her. I heard her.”
“You’re under his lure. You say what the fae wishes you to say.”
“Not true.” But how could I prove it? Lucus was tough, right? He could take a little hit. I whirled and punched Lucus square in the stomach.
Hekla and Nora gasped as Lucus bent double, coughing and shaking his head, his lips quirking into a surprised smile. “That’s one way to prove it,” he said breathily.
The Binder stood, and shadows masked his face. “Let’s see if you’re worth the trouble,” he said, shoving past us to walk outside.
Lucus elbowed me gently. “I never thought I’d be happy to have you attack me.”
I shrugged. “Life is rough. Sometimes being an asshole gets results.”
Chapter 10
After the guards returned to tell us we had permission to train outside the fae’s main forests, we downed some water and gobbled up dried venison before following the silent and incredibly fierce-faced Binder out of the mage’s camp. He and Nora took us down a new path, one that traced a line through the deep woods, threading south. The trail seemed to loop around, and we were at the hideous silver pool pretty quickly.
Hekla shuddered. “Not again.”
“We survived it once. We can do it again.” I grabbed her arm and waded in behind Nora.
Lucus began to walk into the water too, but he turned to face the Binder. “You are coming, yes?”
“I am. This isn’t a trap.”
Hekla and I traded a look. He’d jumped to that defense pretty quickly.
“I hesitate because I have great power, and those with great power struggle to pass through this magical gate. The early mages and fae did this purposefully to keep leading mages from storming their kingdom should they broach the first barrier.” He spoke without emotion, his features drawn with fatigue or grief, or maybe both. The information spilled out of him like a story he’d been forced to memorize and recite.
I stopped, the magical water up to my thighs. “Why haven’t you demanded a promise that we’ll try to save your son if you help us?”
Lucus raised his eyebrows. “A good question.”
“Because I don’t believe you’ll accomplish anything at all.” The Binder took a deep breath, then strode into the silver pool of nightmare water beside us.
“Thanks for the faith, man.” I shrugged.
Hekla and I bumped fists like we usually did before rock climbing, then plunged under the smooth surface.
The world was a pale green around me, my vision hazy and my lungs blazing with pain. Lucus’s large hand warmed my back. If he was here, I was fine. He had the strength to yank me out if it went badly. I pulled the magical water in through parted lips, then suddenly I was rising above the water to see everyone but Lucus watching me emerge. Lucus was behind me still, and when I faced him to say thanks, he gave me an encouraging wink.
The Binder studied me, his arms crossed and his head tilted. “The pool fought your passage through with more vigor than I’ve seen in a long while. You’re either a fool or one of the strongest mages that has passed this way in a long while.”
“Well, let’s get to training and you can be the judge. But can we have your real name? I’m not going around calling you the Binder all the time. It’s too freaking ominous, man. We need some positivity up in here.”
The Binder scowled ferociously and studied me, his brown beard brushing the high neckline of his threadbare shirt.
“Okay.” I held up my hands. “Forget I asked.”
Nora waved us onward, and we trailed her through the dappled shadows of the forest, the afternoon sun warming us in patches as we passed under the oaks. High above our heads in the canopy, birds sang mournfully, and the wind stirred the autumn-browned leaves. The path opened into a meadow, and the henge appeared, long, skinny shadows reaching from the hulking stones like giant fingers.
Outside the henge, Lucus called for Aurelio and Baccio, but there was no answer. The trees they’d disappeared into for feeding remained silent and unmarked by shimmering fae silhouettes. Lucus’s mouth pinched into a tight line. “They wouldn’t have left me in this kingdom without talking to me first.”
The Binder was rolling up his tattered sleeves. “Because fae are so trustworthy.”
Lucus glared, his gaze briefly lighting on the Binder’s wrist. I hadn’t noticed the tiny, braided bracelet. It looked as though it was made of fine hair. “I empathize with your predicament, mage, but know your insinuations push the boundaries of my sympathy.”
The Binder glanced at me. “Ready to hit him in the stomach again? Because I am.”
I wanted to ask about his odd jewelry choices but figured it was past time to—
My magic shunted through me, and I dropped to my knees, gasping. Lucus and Hekla were there quickly, as always, probably used to me almost dying by now.
“Stand, if you are able.” The Binder widened his stance and eyed my booted feet.
Still buzzing with pain and dizzy as hell, I managed to stand with Lucus’s help. “Now what?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Sense your aura.”
“I’ve tried this. It doesn’t work.” I closed my eyes and tried to quiet my thoughts, but the lingering agony of the magic’s hit made concentrating impossible.
“Hmm.”
I peeked at the Binder, then looked to Lucus. “Did the all-powerful mage just say Hmm?”
“He did.”
“Great.”
Brow wrinkling, the Binder crossed his arms. “Do you perhaps hear a song when you focus on your own
energy?”
My eyes flew open wide. “I do. It’s faint, but yeah.”
“See if you can separate the sounds, the different rhythms…something like that.”
I turned my attention inward as the sun drifted closer to the tree line. We didn’t have much time before the stupid feast with the evil fae tomorrow night. I had to make this work now or we were going to lose Nora and maybe the Binder too—
A thought occurred to me. “What would happen if the fae sacrificed Nora to the Yew Bow? Would you be next?”
“No. I am the Binder. I cast the spell. You would be the next one to bleed for the trees.”
Oh. Yes. Right.
I was on the death list. Got it.
Chapter 11
Hell. I seemed to be the only one who hadn’t thought of this. None of the rest appeared shocked in the slightest. “Oh, yeah. Of course, I’d be the next to die. I’m the only other mage here. Check. Gotcha. Listening to my energy now.”
“Coren.” Lucus’s eyes burned, and the fated mate bond between us surged, making the sound of my name echo inside my chest. “You can do this. You freed us from the Mage Duke’s castle. You are powerful.”
“That was the spell book’s power and expertise. Not mine.”
The Binder nodded. “But the silver pool fights your movement. That also shows you hold an impressive amount of magic inside you.”
Hekla put her hands on her hips. “Look, Coren. You either succeed at this or you don’t. Freaking out isn’t fixing anything. You know that as well as I do.”
Truth. “All right. I’ve got this. Hold on.”
My energy’s song hummed and reverberated inside me, circling my heart and threading into my limbs. My aura warmed me as I imagined its golden hue sparkling. I pushed the edges of my aura past me and into the ground below my boots. I tried to focus on the song as well. The moment I did, gentle and encouraging whispers hurried through my mind. This was what had happened when I’d portalled us here, when I’d tuned into my magic and seen Mom and heard Aunt Viv, when the woman Lucus had accidentally killed, Lucilla, had spoken inside my mind, forgiving him.
I couldn’t pick up clear words, but the voices wove together to create the song of my magic, my energy, my aura. It was all one.
The Binder’s voice interrupted the sounds. “Find a line of sound or a rhythm and take just that one thread down to the flow of energy in the earth, along the ley lines.”
Nodding, I worked on it, straining, head aching, attempting to mentally focus on one part of the words that were also a sort of music. One soft melody, drifting between the others, caught my attention. I blocked out the rest of the sound and urged that one to grow louder. My aura warmed, heating me from head to toe. Lucus whispered something, but I didn’t listen, and instead I shut my eyes to focus. I imagined the thread of sound flowing into the ground, but when I sensed the riverlike rippling of the ley line deep in the earth, a wall of sorts sprang up and blocked the thread of energy from entering the ley line’s territory.
Defeated, I opened my eyes. “Failure. Something is blocking the ley lines.”
“No, you are blocking yourself from the ley lines,” the Binder said.
“How do I get through if I don’t even understand how I’m doing it?”
“What are you afraid of?”
I snorted. “Right now? Let’s see. I can probably narrow it down to one million things.”
“You’re the toughest on yourself,” Hekla said. “I guarantee this barrier in your head and energy or whatever is going on has to do with the fact that you can’t control this new magic. You’re afraid of what it might mean if you get the hang of it and this becomes your new normal.”
Lucus smiled at her. “That does seem to fit what I’ve come to know about our Coren.” He came close and brushed my arm with his warm hand, and a feeling like sparks scattered where his fingers touched my bare forearm. His green eyes narrowed. “How do you feel when you embrace who you truly are, when you sense your magic and lock onto its essence?”
When I did, the voices of my loved ones flowed through my mind, and the sensations of love and encouragement followed their words. But the power felt so foreign. How could I be a mage? “It’s a great feeling, but it’s still frightening, honestly. I didn’t grow up flying around or sparkling with magic like you. If I make a wrong move, I might hurt myself or any one of you.”
“Sounds like we found our barrier,” the Binder said before turning to Nora. “What do you suggest?”
“I’m too shocked that you are out here doing this, Binder, to think of anything else.”
The Binder glanced at the far side of the henge like he thought the fae might arrive any second. “Yes, I still have one piece of soul left for them to tear apart. We are undone. I might as well expose my final spark of hope and end the whole hell of my life quickly rather than bother hanging on. Listen, Coren, it doesn’t matter if you accidentally hurt anyone here. First, none of us would blame you. I don’t know any of your people, but they seem incredibly loyal to you. Even the fae lord.” His gaze cut to the side toward Lucus, then he regarded me with a softer look. “Just break through. We don’t have time. You’re killing them all wasting time worrying about killing them.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Such a chipper fella. All right, fine. I’ll try again.”
Separating the threads of sound and energy came easier this time, and I blasted that golden line of power deep into the earth, searching for the rushing ley line. The barrier hit me like I’d sped my bike right into a concrete divider on the interstate. My breath went out of me, but I kept pressing, my heart drumming against my ribs and my palms tingling with power. Shocks of magic pinched my fingertips and the center of my forehead as I pushed against the wall of my own making. There was no going back to the old days of simple baking and running a business. I was a mage, and I had to add that to my life. I didn’t have to lose the old stuff though. If I got a handle on this magic of mine, I would layer all this supernatural shit into my fantastic days.
I might have been my greatest enemy, but that only meant I was empowered to create the peace I so longed for.
The barrier trembled as sweat poured down my face. Jagged lines of light flashed across my eyes, an intense amethyst that spoke of the power running through me. If I fell now, if I lost this fight with myself, my magic would stop my heart. I knew it as well as I knew how long to proof dough. My body shook. My pulse grew erratic as I slammed my aura into the barrier again and again and again. It was win or die, and I wasn’t about to give up.
Chapter 12
With a crack that was either my skull or my magic or maybe even both, the barrier exploded, and my thread of golden power dove into the ley line’s river. My muscles eased, and my heart settled into a normal rhythm as a sense of peace flooded me.
“Hey! I did it. I’m not going to die!” I flexed an arm, feeling rather fabulous.
“Well, your own magic won’t kill you, but there are about five other ways you could go down during this adventure you have us on.” Hekla patted my back despite her negative words.
Lucus brushed my knuckles with a thumb, reminding me of how that thumb had dusted across my nipple not long ago. My cheeks flushed as he bent down to kiss me briefly. “You’re certain you managed it, then?”
“I am.”
“She would know.” The Binder glared at Lucus.
Lucus whirled on him, eyes blazing, his glamour falling away. “If you wish to fight me, perhaps we should get that part of our afternoon out of the way.”
The smile the Binder gave him was the first blow. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Wait!” I put myself between the two guys. “Binder, you look like shit. Sorry, but you do. Lucus, you don’t want to lay the smackdown on this man.” I stared into Lucus’s furious eyes. He was hot when he was angry, all seething and short of breath, but my gaze said what I didn’t want to say. The Binder was suffering here and not acting like he probably would have been if
the fae didn’t have his son and he didn’t have to keep killing off his own kind in the horrible sacrifices.
Lucus took a deep breath through flaring nostrils, and a hint of his lure washed over me before he reined it back in. His horns and wings faded, and he stepped back. “Thank you, Coren. You’re right.”
We searched the trees for Aurelio and Baccio, Nora alerting us when we neared the boundary.
“See there?” She pointed toward a spot in the canopy where the oak leaves appeared larger and the branches wider, like that one area sat under a magnifying glass. “You’ll only glimpse pieces of the boundary. Know it will extend in a slope downward and upward from the disturbance. If you touch the magic…” She shook her head, past horrors washing over her features.
A chill set its teeth in the back of my neck. For once, I had no snarky retorts. The woman looked scared as hell, and I was right there with her.
Of course, the Binder refused to help us look. He remained in the clearing combining herbs he’d brought along and drawing runes in the dirt, readying the area for me to work some spells.
“Coren!” The Binder’s voice struck the frosty air, and I jumped.
Hekla rubbed my back and gave me a nice smile. “Hey, you can do this. Want me to keep looking for the crazy tree guys with your new boyfriend or to come back to do witchcraft with you?” She laughed at her own question. “I know things are dire, but I feel giddy. I am totally losing my brain, Coren. It’s your fault.”
I gripped her shoulder. “This I know. If I hadn’t seen that damn castle, we’d be up to our elbows in fondant right now.”
Realization swept over Hekla’s face. “Oh. That kid’s birthday cake.”
“The kraken.”
“Yep.” Every time I wrote up an order for an elaborate cake, we did a practice one before the event because we’d only started doing fondant in the last year. “Why don’t you come with me? I don’t love the idea of you being out here in this forest. Not that I can do much to take care of you.”