by Trudi Jaye
“What supposed harm did Thornal ever do to you? What rationalisation do you have for his death?”
Lothar shook his head. “Merely that the mages have too much power in this land. They need to be shaken up, to understand they are not the only ones who can wield magic.”
“We know you’re a mage as well,” said Jena.
“Just like I know your secrets, Jena. My spies have been watching you. And I can sense it right now. You’re as powerful a mage as your father ever was.”
Jena felt like she’d been hit by a blast from a fire spell. “What are you talking about?” No one was supposed to know that. Had Miara told him?
“When my creatures reported two women who looked like Dalafine—except for your scars and hair, I suppose—it didn’t take much to understand who you were, Jena. My mother told me the story of Primus and Dalafine, and how your precious Thornal couldn’t stop them. That is why I am going to be king. Because I have all the information and you do not.”
“You know nothing,” Jena spat out. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be using creatures like the Riders to take power.”
“Sometimes the ends justify the means.” Lothar shrugged. “This land has suffered enough for the stupidity of one man. I do not intend to let anyone else who is unfit and unqualified for the position take charge.” His eyes blazed red for a moment inside the Flames. Jena shivered. There was no arguing with Lothar. His ideas were fixed.
Nate stepped forward to stand in front of Jena. “You know, when I first started out on this journey, I would have offered you the throne. I would have left the country, dropped out of sight, done anything—except die—to help you take the throne instead of me. But now I realize that you’re not fit to rule. You’re not the kind of person who can take this nation to the place it needs to be. So I will stand up against you in the fight for our Kingdom. I won’t let you just take it from me.”
“What a pretty little speech. Pity there is no one around to listen in, other than the scarred servant girl.”
“It doesn’t matter who’s listening; I say these words for your benefit and mine. I say it as a vow to you.”
Lothar shook his head. “You’re too emotional, Nate. Too caught up what’s right and wrong.”
Jena took a step forward and stood next to Nate again. She put her hand in his. “You’re wrong. I’m not some dumb servant girl. I’m the daughter of Primus and Dalafine, a child born of a forbidden union. I am the granddaughter of Thornal, the greatest mage of our time, and the Guardian of the Book of Spells.” She took a deep breath. “I also have the talisman of the Guardian on my body to guide my way.” Jena lifted her shirt and the Raven flew off, diving straight for the flames, and only just turning away at last minute. Lothar’s face ducked in the flames and when he came back into view, he was furious.
“I also hold inside my head the Book of Spells, the repository of all mage knowledge for the last thousand years. I hold its power within me. With all this power, with all this might at my disposal, I pledge myself to helping Nate become the next King of Ignisia.” Jena felt the power emanating through her words, and evidently so did Lothar. He drew back in the Flames, his eyes wide.
“No,” he whispered. “No!”
At that moment, two enormous birds swooped down from the sky, their talons directed at Nate and Jena. They each gave the screech of a successful hunter, and then Jena felt the sharp claws dig into her sides as one of the birds grasped her in its claws and swept back into the air.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
One of the giant bird’s talons had pierced his side, and Nate could see the blood dripping into the nothingness below him. They were high in the air, heading in a direct line to the nearest open volcano stem. Nate had very little doubt that the eagles were going to drop them both into the bubbling volcano. Below him, all he could see were the clouds and the occasional patch of mountain.
Just a few yards ahead, the second eagle was carrying Jena clutched in its claws, its massive wings beating against the wind currents. The loud swishing of the air and the pain from his wound were combining to turn his brain to mush. The birds, giant eagles by the looks, weren’t fire creatures, so they weren’t affected by his fire magic. He didn’t think a demon could help him, other than to get him dropped from a terrible height. There seemed to be nothing that might help.
He watched Jena struggling against her bird, and wondered at her bravery. She would fight to the very last moment, to the very last drop of blood.
And she’d just sworn to help him win the Kingdom of Ignisia.
The fact that she had the Book of Spells inside her head was another revelation, but now that he knew her better, it didn’t seem so far-fetched. She was a strong woman, could wield magic as if it was second nature. Her grandfather was apparently the Guardian. So the question became, why shouldn’t she carry the Book?
“Stop gazing over there like a soppy moron and start concentrating on getting yourself out of this mess,” said a familiar voice next to Nate. The mage ghost was flying next to the eagle as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
“And how am I supposed to do that?” asked Nate with heavy sarcasm. What the hell did the ghost think he was?
“There must be something you can do; you’ve got a flaming arsenal of magic at your disposal.” For once, the ghost didn’t look calm and collected. He kept glancing over at Jena.
In a moment of complete clarity, Nate finally realized what was strange about this ghost. “You’ve never asked me for anything. Not in the whole time you’ve been with me,” he said, a kind of wonder in his voice. “You’ve only ever helped me get out of bad situations. Who are you?”
“We don’t have time for epiphanies, boy. Think hard, or you’re both going to die.”
Nate looked at the mage flying beside him, and thought back to Seamus, the farmer ghost. He’d entered Argus’s body when he wanted him to stop what he was doing. “Can you enter the body of the eagle and get it to stop? To change direction?”
The mage ghost shook his head at first. “I don’t think it can be done,” he said.
“It can. I’ve seen it done. Go. Enter the mind of Jena’s eagle. Take her back down to the ground. I can deal with mine on my own.”
“Are you sure, Fire Mage?” The ghost wavered in front of Nate.
“Go. Now.”
The ghost disappeared, and moments later, Nate watched as the other eagle turned in its direction and headed back down to the ground. His eagle screeched at the other creature, but it kept flying. Nate watched until he saw Jena dropped to the ground. He let out a breath, heavy with relief.
Then he realized he was out of time.
The eagle was directly over the gaping maw of the volcano. Below he could see the bubbling lava inside the crater. And then the eagle let him go.
Nate screamed as he fell, closing his eyes against his oncoming death, and falling back on the one thing that always came naturally to him. He called a demon. The demon appeared almost immediately, and without a word, covered Nate in flames.
It should have burned. It should have felt like a million deaths. Instead, it was quiet and cold. Nate opened his eyes again. “Where am I?” he asked.
“You are in the Edges, Fire Mage. It was the only way to save you.”
“Am I dead?”
“No, master. You can survive here for short periods. It is one of your talents.” The demon was more formed here in the edges. It wasn’t just a bright glowing ball; it had eyes and features on its face. It seemed calm and serene. “We must go back now. I can reenter your world in a slightly different place. You will not be burned.”
“Thank you,” said Nate.
“No need, master. I must do your bidding.”
“I didn’t tell you to save me. I couldn’t.” As soon as he said the words, Nate realized they were true. The demon had used his own will to save Nate.
The demon bowed its head. “You are the Fire Mage. We must keep you safe; it is our journey.”
>
Nate blinked and then he was on the side of the mountain, a few hundred yards above where the Flame Echo had been. He could see Bree kneeling over Jena, who was lying prone on the ground. Argus stood over both of them, keeping watch.
The Flame Echo that had been burning so strongly was gone.
Nate let out a breath and started the climb downward.
EPILOGUE
The straps on her bag were rubbing against her shoulders on both sides, and Jena rolled her muscles, trying to find a position that would stop the skin from being rubbed raw yet again.
They were high in the mountains, although not at the level where the lava jumped and spat at unwary travelers. The landscape was typical of the outskirts of the Ember Volcanoes. Barren and rocky, it had only low-lying shrubs offering evidence of life. They hadn’t seen any more Flame Echoes such as the one that had allowed Lothar to find them.
She still ached across her middle from being carried by the giant eagle. Occasionally her breath would hitch in her chest as she remembered the feeling of being clutched in those enormous talons high in the air, completely out of control, and unable to think of a way to escape. Bree had done her best to heal the physical wounds, but the ones inside her head might take a bit longer.
Argus was walking slowly in front, holding Bree’s hand. The closer they came to Remus’s house, the slower they seemed to go. It was as if no one really wanted to start the next phase of the journey. Would they all stay together? Or would they separate?
Jena had pledged herself to Nate’s cause, and she was going to see that through. It didn’t hurt that it followed the same course as her vow for vengeance. But she didn’t think Bree or Argus would follow them. Argus wouldn’t leave Bree alone, and the idea of taking Bree on a fight like this was too much even for Jena.
Nate trailed last, his mind elsewhere. He’d seemed different somehow, after he climbed down next to them, with no more than a shallow wound on his side from the eagle’s talon. He hadn’t told them how he’d managed to escape the volcano, and Jena couldn’t begin to speculate. Was he able to withstand the heat? A Fire Mage could call on the flames to do their bidding. She shook her head. She just didn’t know.
Overhead, the sky was grey and dull, interrupted only by the occasional red burst of light, the reflected glow of lava erupting out of the volcanoes behind them. Rocks piled up on either side of a rough track that looked like it had been carved into the ground by mage fire.
Jena rounded a corner in the track and almost bumped into Bree and Argus. Ahead of them was a small house, made of lava rock that seemed to grow up out of the ground. Smoke puffed out the stone chimney and it was lopsided; rocks had fallen down one side. There were vines growing through much of the outside.
Argus was standing as if stunned, his body stiff.
“This is it?” said Jena, coming to a halt behind him.
“This is it,” Argus replied.
As they watched, the door opened and a tiny man emerged. Feathers fluttered on her stomach, and Jena saw pictures of the same man at full height, standing straight and proud. He had been handsome, wearing his mage robes with a relaxed ease.
The man in front of them had an arrogant pride holding him erect, but he was half the size. His mage robes had been shortened to fit his body, and he tottered on feet that seemed close to their original size.
Argus walked forward. Following behind him, Jena was able to see the mage’s face. It was strangely lopsided, like the house, as if his head was too heavy for the rest of his body. One eye seemed lower than the other, and he was ever so slightly cross-eyed.
The man in Jena’s head was even-featured and tall. Attractive. Powerful. Argus said he’d had a spell cast on him and was shrinking, but still she marveled at this terrible deterioration. A chill walked her spine. What kind of terrible deeds might a man perform to regain his former glory?
Remus moved awkwardly down the three steps from the veranda and came toward them, swaying and shuffling as he went.
Argus paused for a moment and then strode forward, his long tread eating up the ground. When they met close to the house, Argus bowed his head slightly. “Remus.”
“Have you succeeded, then?” The voice was reedy, created by the combination of a strong will and a deteriorating body. Beady eyes looked past Argus to Nate. “This is the mage Nathaniel?”
“Yes, this is him.” Argus’s voice had a sharp edge to it.
“Good, good.” Remus continued to stare at Nate, a tiny smirk on his face. Then he transferred his gaze to Jena and Bree. A frown appeared, creating a strange furrow between his eyes.
“And who is this? You know how I feel about strangers.” Remus turned back to Argus, his uneven eyes still able to express anger.
Argus bowed his head again. “The High Witch Miara sent them to help me bring Nate safely to you. I would not have made it if they hadn’t accompanied me.”
Remus snorted. “The High Witch Miara is a meddling old woman. How was she? Still crying all the time?”
“She is well.” Argus paused. “No crying.”
“Couldn’t get her to shut up at court. You’re here now; you may as well come inside.” He waved his arm, directing them into his home.
Jena exchanged a look with her sister. Shrugging, she followed Nate and Argus up the steps and into the house.
THE END
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Other books by Trudi Jaye
Magic Carnival series (Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy):
Ringmaster
The Gift
Tilly’s Secret
High Flyer
Hidden Magic
Dragon Rising Series (Urban Fantasy):
Hidden Dragon
Trudi Jaye was born and raised in New Zealand, where she currently lives in a secluded haven amongst the trees with her lovely husband and her cheeky five-year-old daughter. She’s been writing since she was a young girl, and for the last ten years has worked as a magazine writer and editor for a variety of niche titles. She enjoys yoga, although she’s not very bendy, and karate, although she doesn’t like the idea of hitting anyone.