I grinned at them both. It was fulfilling to use my powers after so long, and knowing I could call on them whenever I wanted gave me courage for what I was about to do.
Captain Gerard drew his sword. “I will go first. Oblek has stationed his guards here to make sure you don’t escape.”
“Where’s Rafe?” I asked.
“The prince is waiting for you at the docks with Santino and his men—it was too dangerous for him to come here. All the guards would recognize him, and with Lucian intent on killing him, I didn’t want him anywhere near this place. But we need to reach the ship before Lucian realizes we have tricked him.”
“What about Kalen?”
“Your little fae friend is on the ship waiting for you.” He adjusted the grip on his sword. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” I said, catching his arm. “How are we going to get out if Oblek’s men are still here?”
“Leave that to me,” said Captain Gerard. “Most of them are with Lucian. But some are still here, and we may have to fight our way out. You will need to defend yourself.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t help doubting myself and my abilities. Every move I had made so far was a wrong one; every choice a disaster. And I had no idea how to be the person everyone expected me to be. But the captain was right. I had magic, I was trained, I should be able to do this.
“Wait here,” said Captain Gerard. “I will call the guards in and distract them. I want you to stun them enough so they won’t wake up for a while.”
I flexed my fingers. “I think I can manage that.”
“Right.” He smiled at me. “Keep your amulet on and your hands behind your back until they come down the stairs.”
“But what about you? Aren’t you taking a big risk helping me? If Rafe can’t sort all this out with his father, you could be heading to the dungeons too.”
“My main concern is my prince’s life. And he will not go back to the palace without knowing you are safe.”
My heart fluttered. Rafe did care about me—I wasn’t just one of his many women.
“Ready?” said Captain Gerard.
As ready as I can be.
I nodded and he shouted for the guards.
The door swung open, and three men burst in and ran down the stairs with their swords out.
I gathered the magic that had been roiling inside me waiting to get out. Raising my hands, I shot two guards with a powerful stun strike as Captain Gerard did the same with the third, and they crumpled before me.
“That was easy,” I said.
“Too easy,” said Brandon, picking up one of the fallen guards’ swords and grabbing my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
We followed Captain Gerard into the deserted hall.
“Where are the other guards?” I grabbed my skirt and peered down the long moonlit corridor of the mansion. I wished I had my traveling clothes now. Escaping in a dress was always so cumbersome.
“Keep alert,” whispered the captain.
We ran up a flight of stairs and down the corridor to the grand foyer. The big doors to the mansion opened and Oblek and his guards strode in.
His one eye fixed on me. “Going somewhere, little girl?” His voice had a nasty sneer to it. “I had a feeling you would pull something like this. So, I stayed back to make sure you wouldn’t escape from me again.”
A whole host of guards started emerging from all around us, and I whirled, looking for another way out.
There was nowhere to go but back.
Captain Gerard shot two stun strikes at the guards. One missed and one guard went down. I froze, and my heart rate sped up. This was it—I had to fight, or we would never get out of this alive.
“Keep your shields up,” Captain Gerard said, raising his sword and rushing at the guards, slashing and cutting through their ranks.
I had no choice but to follow. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but I had to use my magic. I faced Oblek. He had his hand raised and shot a bolt of light at me. My shield deflected it easily.
Swords clashed as the clang of metal rang in my ears. Brandon swore and shot a fire strike at an oncoming guard; another one rushed at him with his sword and he deflected it, fighting back. Brandon was engaged in close combat, defending me, and Captain Gerard was fighting Oblek, who knocked him down. I gasped as Captain Gerard’s sword clattered away across the floor.
Oblek laughed, and raised his weapon for the killing blow.
Captain Gerard looked over at me. “Now, Aurora, do it!” he shouted and dove out of the way.
I knew what he meant. My heart was racing. I wiped my hands on my dress and raised them, focusing on Oblek and his guards. I gathered more of the power stored within me, making me stronger. Even with the amulet on, my magic was fiercer than most.
Oblek’s one good eye went wide with terror as my magic hit him and his guards at full blast, flinging all of them like rag dolls against the far wall. I could hear skulls cracking as they crumpled to the ground in sprawled heaps.
“Nice one,” Brandon commented, coming up to me, his eyes twinkling as he dusted off his jacket. “Now I understand why everyone is so scared of you.” He grinned.
I scowled. I didn’t find it funny. I didn’t like hurting people.
“Come on, it’s not over yet,” said Captain Gerard, getting up and briefly glancing at Oblek and the unconscious guards. “We need to get you to the ship before the archmage comes back.”
Captain Gerard led us down a path to the docks where Rafe and Santino were waiting for us.
I ran to them and Rafe caught me in his arms so tightly he nearly knocked the breath out of me. “I was so worried Lucian had hurt you.” He looked me over, checking for injuries.
“I’m fine.”
Rafe turned to the captain. “Thank you—I am forever in your debt, Gerard.”
Captain Gerard nodded. “You need to get out of here now, Your Highness. Before the archmage realizes he’s been tricked. He could return at any time.”
Just then there was a shout, and I looked back to see Santino’s pirates engaged in a fight with Lucian’s guards. The Archmage of Avalonia had arrived, and he was not pleased.
“He’s here,” said Santino, taking out his knives and twirling them in his hands. “Let’s go.”
Four guards ran at us from the other direction. Santino shot past me and engaged two of them, whirling around and slashing the throat of one, then stabbing the other behind him without looking. Rafe knocked one off the docks with a push strike and stabbed another in the leg with his sword, kicking him to the ground.
“We need to get to the ship now,” Santino shouted over the sound of swords clashing.
Santino’s men were flung out of the way as the dark figure of the archmage came into view. His magic swirled like a menacing shadow and clawed its way toward us.
I turned, terror consuming my senses. I couldn’t think clearly until Rafe caught my hand, jolting me out of my fear. “Keep your shield up and run!”
“Go!” said Captain Gerard, flinging lightning strikes at the archmage. The sky crackled as Lucian easily deflected them and kept coming at us.
“This way!” Santino called out and we followed his lead, sprinting down the wooden quay to a little boat that stood bobbing at the docks.
“You want us to escape on that?” I said, horrified. We didn’t stand a chance.
“Only to get to my ship,” said Santino. “I’ve kept her ready to sail.”
In the distance, I could see a dark pirate galleon waiting on the open sea. Kalen was already there—we just had to get to it.
Easier said than done. The archmage was gaining on us.
Lucian raised his hand, and a shot of red fire blasted through Captain Gerard’s shield. The leader of the palace guards screamed and fell to the ground, his uniform in flames. I faltered, and Rafe steadied me. But there was no time to grieve for the fallen. I fortified my shield and ran for my life.
Lucian raised his other hand and a powerful fire str
ike hit my shield as I ran. I felt a jolt and a slight dent in it, but it held. I tried to gather more power, but I was tiring. Lucian’s dark magic had weakened me.
A cry shot through the air and I glanced back for a second to see Captain Gerard, launching his burning body at the archmage as he passed. Lucian was knocked to the ground. The captain’s valiant last stand had the element of surprise giving us the seconds we needed, and we took them. Captain Gerard had given his life so his prince could escape.
Running as fast as we could through the coiled ropes and nets, we jumped over wooden crates and sacks to reach the ladder leading to the little boat where Santino’s man was waiting to row us to the ship. Santino went first and I followed suit, descending the ladder, my feet slipping on the wet rungs. I practically fell into the boat, but Santino caught me before I went overboard.
“I knew you would fall for me eventually,” he grinned, setting me down gently and picking up the oars.
I gave a nervous laugh while Rafe untied the ropes. How could Santino joke in the midst of this?
The sky crackled overhead as Lucian shot lightning strikes in our direction. Santino and his man started rowing furiously toward the ship along with Rafe and Brandon.
“He’s trying to sink the boat,” Rafe said.
I strengthened my shield and pushed it outward to protect the others too. The chill spray of the water drenched me as wave after wave crashed into the little boat, sending shivers through my body while I struggled to hold the shield in place. The archmage sent out another lightning strike that hit the sailor near Rafe. I felt the tear in my shield as it struck. The sailor screamed in agony and fell overboard.
The little boat lurched on the choppy sea and I grabbed the oars, helping them to row toward the waiting ship. I patched up my magical shield as best I could, but my powers were waning. The archmage’s magic could still reach us as we rowed furiously toward the pirate galleon. I could see him and his guards readying boats to follow us.
We were still some distance away from the ship when a fire strike hit one of the oars I was holding. It went up in flames and I dropped it into the churning sea.
“I will shield the boat, Aurora,” shouted Rafe. “But my magic cannot reach the docks, it is too far.” I could hardly hear him over the din of the waves and the crackling of magic in the air. “We need to stop them from following us.”
“I can reach it,” I replied firmly. “But I need to take off my amulet.”
“Are you sure you can handle it?” said Rafe, the sound of the waves nearly swallowing up his voice.
I nodded, but I was not sure what would happen. I still had to learn control over my powers, but I had no choice right now.
“Do it!” barked Santino. “They already know where you are, the amulet cannot hide you anymore. If they get any closer, we won’t stand a chance.”
I gathered my magic and stood up in the rocking boat. Bending my head, I removed my amulet. The magical beast within me reared its mighty head, uncoiling like an enormous snake ready to strike. Power rushed into me and courage filled my senses as I started to glow.
Aurora Firedrake had awoken, and I had no control over her.
My heart rate slowed and my emotions shut off. All I could see was the quay swarming with guards getting into boats to follow me and take me back to the palace in chains. My anger flared, and I raised my hands toward the docks as the huge ball of magic that had collected within me was released.
Blazing beams of silver-fire shot out of my palms, hitting the docks in a terrifying display of my unfettered magic. The sky lit up amidst horrified screams, as the whole quay of Calos burst into flames.
The sky crackled overhead as a lightning strike tried to hit our boat, but Rafe’s shield kept us from sinking. I tore my gaze from the burning docks to see three boats already in the sea, rowing furiously toward us. Lucian was in the closest boat. His dark magic rippled outward and I felt it as it struck.
Rafe clutched his chest, dropping the shield around the boat, which lurched precariously. I fell sideways.
Santino and Brandon were still rowing, trying to get us to the ship. I glanced hurriedly over at Rafe. His face was distorted with pain as the archmage’s magic pierced his chest. I knew how it felt, having experienced it firsthand. The archmage wanted to kill us both, but I wasn’t going to let him.
I pushed myself up, bracing my feet on the sides of the rocking boat, and searched for fae magic. Time slowed as the sea responded to my call. I could hear the rush of water inside my head and could feel the fae magic within the water surrounding me on all sides.
I slowly raised my hands above my head, and the sea came with them, lifting the little boat that held the archmage onto the crest of a gigantic wave.
Lucian’s hold over Rafe dropped immediately, but I was already too far gone to stop. The pressure of holding up the wall of water was proving too much for me. My body started shaking, my arms trembled, and spots formed before my eyes as I tried to restrain my magic. If I lost control now, the water would engulf us and sweep the ship away.
Rafe pushed himself up and moved toward me, putting his hand on my leg and holding me steady. “I’ve got you, Aurora, you can do this,” he said as he surrounded me with a powerful shield holding me firmly in place.
His presence gave me the confidence I needed and I pushed back at the water, fighting the pressure on my body and pulling more magic into me. I raised my arms higher above my head and my hands started glowing brighter than ever before, lighting up the sky. Gathering the full force of my powers, I brought my arms down in a wide sweeping arc, giving the water one final push.
I could hear the guards on the little boats scream in terror as the colossal wave curled toward the shore. The enormous wall of water rose over the quay and crashed into the burning docks, flinging the archmage and his boat into the watery depths of the Stardust Sea.
The sea churned under us as it adjusted back to its original state. I stood there on the rocking boat, gazing out in horror at the shore of the town I had destroyed.
No one said a word.
Everyone in the little boat looked at me with awe. Or was it fear I saw in their eyes? I wasn’t sure.
What had I done? I was a monster. How many people had I killed this time?
“Well, at least you put out the fire,” said Santino, breaking the silence, and resuming his job of rowing us to the ship.
I smiled at him, grateful for his dark humor, as exhaustion overtook me and I collapsed into Rafe’s arms. I drifted in and out of consciousness, and only vaguely knew where I was when I saw the glow of lights and heard sailors shouting orders as we neared the massive pirate galleon.
At the back of my mind I was excited to have found my water talent. But the pressure on my body to bend the water to my will had almost been too much for me to handle. If Rafe hadn’t been there, I would have lost control.
I finally gave in to the fatigue clouding my senses and fell into the quiet oblivion of a dreamless sleep.
7
The Starfire
The warm rays of the winter sun sparkled through the water-speckled windows of my cabin, waking me to the gentle rolling of the ship. I had no recollection of boarding the vessel and presumed Rafe must have carried me. He must have put my amulet back on as well while I was passed out. It rested like a weight on my chest.
My head felt heavy and my mouth was dry. I groaned as I tried to sit up, my limbs screaming in agony, and I felt empty, as if I had completely exhausted my powers. Thankfully I could still feel a small spark glowing deep within. I knew it would replenish itself, but at the moment I couldn’t manage to light a candle with my magic.
The cabin Santino had given me below the quarterdeck was small and compact. A little table was positioned in a corner, flanked by two wooden chairs, and there was a trunk beside the bed. I could hear the shouts of the crew above as they went about their chores.
Somehow, I managed to get up and wash my face with a jug of water left
in my room. Feeling a little better, I decided to go above deck.
Santino’s ship, the Starfire, was sleek and beautifully built. The huge masts soared above me, swaying gently in the salty spray of the wind and piercing the morning sky as the massive ship cruised over the waters of the azure sea.
I looked over to the other side of the deck where Santino was busy, expertly helping his men hoist the immense black sails as they caught the wind. His bronze skin glistened with perspiration and his long dark hair whipped around his face as he shouted orders to his men and adjusted the rigging himself.
He looked toward me and bowed; I raised my hand to wave a greeting. Santino had changed from last night and was clad in a loose white linen shirt with billowing sleeves, half open at the front, on top of tight black leather pants and high boots. A sleek rapier hung at his side, fastened to a belt loosely slung over his hips.
This was a whole different side to the Santino Valasis I had met at the masquerade ball in Calos. This was the Pirate Prince, the scourge of the seas, the man other men only spoke about in awe and women in hushed whispers. He was an impressive specimen, tall and broad-shouldered, with a lean, muscular body.
I noticed some of the crew gaping at me. Santino beckoned a deckhand and passed him the ropes he was holding. Turning on his heel, he strode across the deck toward me and the rest of the crew scattered to their stations at his command.
The wind ruffled his hair as he came up to me and brushed my fingers with his lips. “Good morning, Princess Firedrake.” His voice was deep but gentle. “I’m glad to see you are up and about. You gave us quite a scare there when you collapsed after using your magic. It was an impressive show you put on last night. I can understand why Morgana wants you gone so badly. I, for one, wouldn’t want to get on your bad side.”
My cheeks heated at his words and I mumbled something about not knowing how to control it.
Santino dropped his joking stance and his eyes softened as he looked at me intently. “I have travelled all the way to the Sea of Shadows and beyond,” said the Pirate Prince. “And I have never seen anyone do what you did with the water in Calos.” He paused, looking out to sea. “I may not know a lot about fae magic, but I am pretty sure the magic you performed last night was greater than most fully trained water-fae. And I have seen many strange and wondrous things in my travels. It has been a while since I have been so impressed with anyone. Your fortitude and courage are extraordinary for one so young, and it is an honor to have you aboard my ship.”
The Rise of the Dawnstar Page 7