by Shea Berkley
His jaw makes a loud clicking sound, and he lunges forward. Before I can react, he stops. It’s as if he’s smacked into a wall.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see my father, his hand raised, his face dark with rage. He’s returned and with him, he’s brought another surprise. He’s collected more magic. I can feel the new power radiating off of him, and the only way he could do that is to kill another first. He’s supposed to be defending our people, not killing them.
The Rodarian commander dismounts his animal and comes forward, his steps stiff and precise, and waves back the Nightmare Man.
“Vaurdu,” my dad says, looking hatefully at the red-eyed man. “You are passing through my land without permission. Our long-held truce is clear about such behavior…that it will not be tolerated.”
The sight of my father and his soldiers doesn’t seem to bother the man. “I have come to see for myself if the rumors were true. They said Teag lay leaderless and ripe for the picking. I was concerned for your well-being.”
My father tucks his hands behind his back, showing them he can maintain the shield with little effort. “And what have you seen?”
“That Teag is burning, its army is half its expected size…”
“Yet,” my father says with a knowing smile, “its king is still in command.” My dad draws his sword, causing the Rodarians to do the same. He tilts the weapon in his hands as if he’s admiring its sharp edge, then glares past the blade to the Rodarian commander. “Do I make you nervous, Vaurdu?”
“You are a greedy man.”
“I am not the one disrespecting our truce and invading your land.” He eyes the walking corpse. “Nor am I keeping questionable company.”
The click of bone against bone sounds as a deep laugh rumbles from the Nightmare Man’s throat. Vaurdu’s red eyes glitter darkly. “Insulting my friend Orntho is hardly the welcome I expected.”
My father’s lips thin. “How rude of me. Let me rectify that.” His hands glow and a vine pops out of the ground and snakes around Vaurdu’s body, climbing up to his throat and tightening around his neck even as his men try to hack through the thick stem. “You should have listened to my son when he first told you to leave. Trespassing armies are not tolerated here.”
A band of Rodarian soldiers rush the gate, but the invisible wall seals them out. They pound the solid air, but can’t pass.
Orntho raises his hand. Arrows notch against the enemies’ bowstrings.
“Shields!” someone yells. Everyone within the city without a shield scatters. Kera and I race to the wall and plaster ourselves against it.
Arrows cascade over the high walls and into the Ruined City. Some ping off stone. Far too many find their targets. Wyatt yells for pitch as he races up the stairs that reach the top of the walls. I clasp Kera’s hand and drag her after him. The first time I saw the Ruined City’s fortified walls, they looked ridiculously tall. It’s funny how they don’t feel tall enough now. With a command from Wyatt, flaming balls of iron soar over the walls and into the Rodarians’ ranks, crashing through them like an eight-year-old on a sugar high let loose at a county fair.
“How many?”
Wyatt peers over the edge of the wall. The flaming balls highlight our enemy. “Cockroach infestation, that’s how many. Get back!”
He ducks behind a jutting slab of stone, and I yank Kera to safety, covering her with my body as more arrows shoot by. She pushes at my chest, and when I pull away she places her hand to my cheek.
“What?” I shrug. “I love you.” I’d do anything to protect her.
She sighs. “I love you, too.” Her head tilts as she stares between two slabs of jutting stone that run the length along the top of the wall. I stand behind her ready to pull her to safety at the first sign of an arrow. The sun sinks deeper, revealing the beauty of a summer’s long twilight. The flaming balls settle in the ground, highlighting the enemies’ position. I can see Rodarians slinking from the woods. “Where are they all coming from?”
“I don’t know.” The haggard edge to Wyatt’s face is a testament to how hard he’s worked to keep the city safe.
“What if they’re coming from the Unknown?” Kera asks.
Wyatt and I both stare at Kera. She blushes. “That could be why we didn’t know they were here.”
“How’d they get in there?” I ask.
Wyatt frowns. “How’d they get out?”
“I don’t know.” Kera wraps her arms around her waist and leans against me. “It was only a thought.”
I rub her arms and kiss her temple. “It makes sense, actually. I mean, think about it. We know all the movements of every soul in Teag, but the Rodarians’ huge army manages to creep up on us.”
“And they’re acting all superior. Like they have a secret.” Wyatt’s jaw tenses and he grits out, “I hate that.”
“I think we need to have a little talk with my dad.”
Wyatt nods and orders a soldier to keep an eye on how many Rodarians there are and where they’re coming from. Another yell for shields sounds just before a murderous bank of arrows flies over us and into the city below. I burn to ash as many as I can before they reach their targets. Whatever any of us do, it’s never enough. Cries of pain fill the air. I take Kera’s hand and we follow Wyatt down the steps.
The enemy had to have come from somewhere. But where? The bodies of the few remaining Nightmare Men have been pushed toward the base of the stairs. We maneuver around them as if they’re nothing more than an inconvenience, but they were too easily killed, like sacrificial lambs. The thought digs at my peace of mind as darkness creeps up on us. Soon lamps will be lit against the fading light. Too many questions swirl in my brain. Not one has an answer.
We find my father, Hadrain, and a few other council members huddled together. When I push through the wall of people, I see Lucinda pulling an arrow from my father’s hip. The arrow found one of only a few spots not protected by his armor. Anger radiates off him as he talks with Hadrain. “I was hoping to avoid the encounter. Once we enter their ranks, they can fool us too easily, but we must take the fight to them.” He spies Wyatt next to me. “I’m weakening, and with that, the shield protecting the city. Do you understand? They cannot be allowed to enter the city.”
I’ve never seen my dad this nervous. Actually, I’ve never seen him nervous…period. Even when his vision failed after I had rescued him from his dark prison, he was confident.
“I won’t let them in.” Wyatt spins around and walks away. He’s a man with a mission, one I have no idea how he’ll win.
I follow him, Kera close at my heels, and watch as Wyatt pulls one soldier after another with him until he has a small group of twenty. The plan is to take the fight to the Rodarians just like my father wants. He’s crazy, and I tell him so. “You know how stupid this is, right? The Rodarians can change their appearance at will.”
“Unless you can create a shield…” He points to the gate where a group of Rodarians are still hacking at the invisible shield. “You heard your father. Soon they’ll get through if we don’t do something.”
I have a lot of unique gifts, some I don’t even know how to use yet. Although I’ve been drilled by a handful of teachers on everything from magic to social standings since I rescued my dad, creating a humongous invisible shield that can stop an advancing army isn’t one of them, and I tell him that.
“Then there’s no choice. We’ll just have to do something to even the odds.”
“We could create an illusion. Make us look like them.”
Kera shakes her head. “As soon as they figure it out, the illusion will break.”
“Then why does it work with them?”
“Suspension of disbelief carries our magic. The Rodarians don’t need that. Their success hinges on their deception, and they’ve perfected it.”
“Almost.” Wyatt waves over one of the Seven Sisters from the shadows of a nearby alley. The siren is gorgeous, with dark hair and big blue eyes. It’s when I look at her eyes I see a hesitan
ce. The way the sisters act, as if they’re invincible, it never crossed my mind they ever got scared.
He holds out his hand and when she takes it, he tucks her close. With his other hand, he gently smooths her hair away from her face. This must be the girl. Neve. The one he loves. I’ve never seen him act so…so normal around a girl. “What you told me about the Rodarians, is it true?”
She nods. “They cannot duplicate my sisters or me.”
“But will your sisters help?”
“If I ask. Yes.” He pulls her close and gives her a big kiss. She presses her palm to his cheek and smiles. “I shall be right back.”
Reece shows up with his little tagalong. “They’re starting to ram the walls. The stone is thick, but I think they’re trying to make a hole to put in explosives. It’s what I’d do.”
“They have explosives? Are you sure?” I ask.
“No, but are you willing to take that chance?”
A fresh wave of arrows rains down on us. Again, I incinerate as many as I can, but it’s still not enough. Too many are getting hurt. One whistles through the air and hits Reece. He falls to his knees and Halim immediately starts yelling for help. Reece tells him to shut it, and yanks the arrow from his leg, then snaps the shaft in half. “Damn it! This is the third one I’ve tried to dodge, but they always seem to know where I am.”
Wyatt takes the broken arrow from him, tosses it, and helps his brother to his feet. No way did I hear Reece correctly. “You’ve been hit three times?” He doesn’t even look fazed.
“More or less.” A tiny wince shows when he presses near the newest spot. “See? Barely bleeding. Didn’t go deep.”
The arrows must have some sort of magic attached to them and that’s how they’re finding targets, like Reece with his quick reflexes, and other targets that should be impossible to hit, like my dad. They’re taking out the strongest of us. The slow burn I’ve been holding in my gut all day boils over. “That’s it.”
I push away from my friends, ignoring their calls to come back. Anger hums deep within me. I make my way to the gate, leaving hot, darkened footprints in my wake, and stand right in front of the soldiers hitting the air like three drummers pounding on one big drum. One by one, they stop and stare back.
“Having fun trying to crack that?” I sneer.
One of them bares his teeth and smashes the air with the butt of his sword. The sound ripples loud and deep. His red eyes stare into mine. I don’t scare easily. I lean forward. “I like to crack things open, too.”
I unexpectedly squat and touch the ground. Whenever I use magic when I’m this mad, it’s a risk. I hold it close to me, channel it, and the ground suddenly splits. Elongates.
The crack runs under the barrier and out beyond the city walls. I can see exactly who I want gone. It’s the Rodarian commander, free from the vines that nearly choked the life from him earlier. He’s sitting calmly on his horse, like a king without a care.
The red-eyed soldier who was happily slamming his weapon against the invisible gate takes off running. He’s fast. Really fast. His comrades jump out of the way of my magic as it races by, leaving room for him to keep pace. The Rodarian commander turns toward the man. The crack is a yard away and closing fast. Suddenly, the Rodarian launches himself at his commander. I’ve never seen a tackle like that. Super Bowl–worthy. The soldier pushes the commander off just as the horse’s back legs fall into the chasm. The horse scrambles and jumps free. If not for the quickness of the Rodarian soldier, the commander would have fallen. Instead, they both roll to a stop a few feet away…safe. The soldier springs to his feet and glares at me, his red eyes glowing hatefully. I stare back. The feeling is mutual.
I slam the crack closed, catching the hand of one of the soldiers near the gate trying to dig under the barrier. I stand, spit on the ground, and eject his hand in a cloud of dirt to his face.
Kera pulls me away like I’m a naughty child, her hand riding my back as she brings me back to the group.
The Seven Sisters arrive. All that amazing beauty in one place is a little overwhelming. Even Halim stares openmouthed at them. Only Wyatt seems immune. “It’s simple,” he says. “We go out there and damage as many of them as we can so they rethink why they’re here.”
The women look among themselves, and a tall brunette nods. “This will be the last favor we owe Teag.”
“Deal.” He says without hesitating.
Neve bites her lip and turns away, shrugging off the hand of her closest sister.
When Wyatt comes near, I ask, “What’s she talking about? Why do they think they owe us any favors?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t really care right now. Do you?” Wyatt turns to his brother and holds his hand out for the incordium blade. “Since you’ve gotten yourself hurt again, do you mind? I think I’d like to try it out.”
“I’m not like you, little brother. I get a tiny scratch like this and I can still fight.”
“Save it for later, will you?”
Reece unbuckles the sword and gives it to his brother. “Don’t make me come out there and save your ass.”
“When has that actually ever happened?” Wyatt straps the sword on.
I have to step in. “You’re not really going out there, are you?”
“I am.”
“But they can duplicate us. How will anyone know it’s you and not one of them?”
He takes his blade and cuts a small X into his left palm. “There.” He shows his palm to the sisters and the other men he’s chosen. Each of the men mark their left palms the same way. “Let’s just hope they don’t catch on.”
I cut an X in my palm. “I hope not.”
“You’re the prince.” Wyatt’s eyebrows peak in the middle, giving his face a doubtful slant. “Do you really think your dad is going to let you go out there?”
“What he doesn’t know…”
Kera holds up her hand. “We will defeat them.”
My stomach sinks when I see a red X oozing against her palm. “Wait, you’re not—”
Kera places a finger on my lips. “We have had this talk before. Where you go, I go. Always and forever. Plus, I’m a better fighter than you.”
“She is,” Wyatt says as he swings the incordium blade his brother gave him, testing it out.
I shoot a hard look at him. “Did I ask you?”
“Just accept it and let’s make them sorry they ever picked a fight with us, okay?”
Everyone is eyeing me. They all know what Kera is capable of doing. I know what she’s capable of doing. Even Wyatt is allowing the woman he loves to fight by his side, and Kera is twice the fighter Neve is. So why is this so hard for me?
I clasp Kera’s hand. “Stay by me.”
“If possible.”
My whole body tenses, and I want to yell, but I release a heavy sigh instead. “Don’t do that. Just say yes.”
“Yes.” She pops to her tiptoes and places a sweet kiss on my lips. I want to hold her close and never let her go, but she pulls away before I can stop her.
She doesn’t mean it. I can tell. Why does she have to constantly put herself in danger? She’s so frustratingly stubborn. Can’t she behave like other girls?
What am I thinking? I don’t want her to be like other girls. I love her because she’s Kera. She’s one of a kind. The last person I should be worried about is her. She has more power than anyone. I squeeze her hand and when she looks at me, I mouth “I love you” and watch her eyes melt into mine.
We start toward the Water Gate and Leo appears out of the crowd, Lucinda close beside him. “What’s up?” he asks as he drops into step.
“We’re going out. I need you to stay with Reece and make sure none of the Rodarians get through.”
Leo sweeps his hand through his thick hair, but it stubbornly drops back into place. He tilts his head and eyes me through the strands like an old sheepdog. “You’re protecting me, aren’t you?”
I could lie, but I don’t. “Yeah, I am. It’s
bad enough Wyatt’s going out there. I can’t risk you, Leo. Don’t ask me to.”
He grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop, then hugs me. “Yeah. I love you too, man.” Letting go, he blinks rapidly, his head bobbing like a dashboard Chihuahua on a bumpy road. “Be safe.”
Lucinda looks at him as if he’s an oddity she still hasn’t figured out. “So emotional.”
Kera steps close and gives Leo a kiss on the cheek. “I promise to keep Dylan safe.”
He sniffles a bit and lets Lucinda guide him away.
The sun has dropped lower, lengthening the shadows and coloring the tops of the trees golden. I can make out the enemy thanks to the flames from the iron balls. If they try to move them, they break open and the flaming pitch inside oozes over the ground, creating a bigger problem. It only takes them a few times to figure that out.
At our approach, a dozen more Rodarians crowd the gateway. In unison, they stomp the ground and grunt, accelerating their rhythmic beat.
It’s crazy how they all look alike. “Clones?” I ask Wyatt.
The show of strength doesn’t seem to bother him. “It’s just weird, and I don’t like weird stuff.”
“You’re in the wrong place then.”
“I know, huh? It’s been seriously awesome.” He slants a glance my way. “Whenever you’re ready.”
I shake my head and smile. I’ll never understand the guy. “Let’s do it.”
Neither of us knows for sure if we can move through the barrier, but I’m fairly certain we can. Wyatt raises his arm, his hand a fist, his muscles tense. We draw our weapons. The Rodarians become more agitated. Aggressive. One of them jumps out of line as if he’s going to break through. It’s the perfect moment to test our theory. My flaming sword slips through the barrier and sinks into the soldier. I quickly yank it back and he drops to the ground. No cry of pain. No look of horror. He just dies in a puff of dust.
I wasn’t expecting that. I turn to Kera. “Did you know about that?”
“That I didn’t know.” Her eyes are big and round. “How is it possible?”
Wyatt snaps his gaping mouth closed and his jaw develops a sudden tick. “Seriously. Why are things always so weird here?”