by Shea Berkley
“What was that all about?” Signe asked, pushing her already untamed hair out of her face as the wind whipped through the streets.
“We need to help Reece. You said yourself he’ll go after them. He shouldn’t go alone.”
“Is that what Faldon said?” The alarm in her friend’s eyes spoke of Signe’s concern.
“He mentioned it would be a good idea to go with him.”
Halim popped around and started walking backwards in front of them. “We could use the maps to find the Seven Sisters. They track everyone in Teag.”
Kera rubbed her hand atop Halim’s head. “Brilliant idea. We should have thought of that before. What’s even better, we don’t need Lucinda.”
“Did Faldon think it wise for us to leave when Teag is under attack?” Signe didn’t sound too convinced.
“We trounced the Rodarians,” Halim said. “Anyone paying attention will think twice before attacking us now. That’s what the word on the street is. Plus we’re sending out soldiers to assess any threats. At least that’s what Wyatt ordered before”—Halim’s voice cracked, and he swallowed hard and looked away—“before he died.”
Signe hugged Halim and whispered a few words of comfort in his ear before he broke free and ran a few feet ahead of them. Kera clasped her friend’s hand. “Faldon assured me everything would go well while we’re away. We won’t even be gone long.”
She was getting more and more comfortable telling lies to suit her needs. She bit her bottom lip and turned her face away, concentrating on not thinking about what the sisters were up to.
When they entered the map room housed in the central tower of Phoenix Hall, they found the place deserted. Dim light showed maps scattered everywhere. Many had been set afire. Kera stooped and picked up a burned map. “I had no idea the fighting came this far.”
“Once the Nightmare Men got in”—Halim held out his hand and clenched his fist—“they had us by the balls.”
Kera paused in picking up maps. Signe eyed Halim. “What does that mean?”
Halim shrugged. “It’s something Wyatt used to say.”
They all grew still, locked in a flash of memories and regrets. There were so many “if onlys” rushing though Kera, she found it hard to breathe.
Halim was the one to pull it together first. He held up a map and peered through the burned middle. “Maybe we can piece them together and make a full map?”
If only magic could be pieced together so easily. It looked like Lucinda really was their only hope of finding the sisters. That was a depressing thought. Kera couldn’t think of one reason why Lucinda would help them.
Signe tossed a ruined map on a table. “Is it truly as pointless as it appears?”
“I’m afraid so.” It explained why no one had bothered to clean up yet.
The bounce in Signe’s red curls disappeared as the corners of her mouth bowed downward. “I wanted to go to Reece with some news. He will never rest until he finds them. That I know.”
Kera didn’t know what to say. Signe was right. Reece had vengeance on the brain. They’d been able to dissuade him from going after Granel, but that tactic wouldn’t work again. This time he wasn’t about to stop for anyone.
Someone cleared their throat, and they all turned to see Leo hovering in the doorway, his long legs shifting back and forth, unsure of his welcome. “She told me.”
The three of them gathered close, linked together by their doubt. Halim, all dirt-encrusted and wiser than his years, moved in front of Kera and Signe. “Is it the truth?”
Leo’s dark brows pulled together. “Yeah, little bro. She doesn’t lie. Not to me.” He stepped inside and held out a piece of paper he’d folded into a neat square. “I made her write it down.”
“She knows how to write?” Halim’s doubt filled the room. His quick fingers spattered with dried blood grabbed the paper and opened the folds. His voice rose in excitement. “I know where this is.”
Signe took the note, and after looking it over, held it to her heart as if it were the most precious piece of paper she’d ever held and moved away, clearly afraid Leo would snatch it back. Halim followed her, begging her to see it again, just to make sure.
“We’re good then?” Leo looked at Kera. Ghosts of the people he’d known and were gone floated in his eyes. “By the way, he mattered.”
The hurt in his voice squeezed her heart. “I know. I should never have said what I did. I was angry. Not at you, at Lucinda.” Her gaze peered past him, but found an empty hall. “Where is she?”
“Getting clean.” He shoved his dark hair out of his eyes and sighed. “I know you all think she’s crazy, that she doesn’t have a heart, but she does.”
His shirtsleeve felt stiff under Kera’s fingers as she patted his arm. They all needed a bath and clean clothes, but who cared about that when the life they’d known only a few hours ago had disintegrated in a moment? The last thing she thought about was her own comfort.
Not Lucinda. Her comfort was everything.
“Do me a favor? Keep Lucinda away from Reece.”
“Yeah. I can do that. I don’t even know where he is.”
“I think I do,” Halim said from across the room, and pointed out the window. “And he’s not alone.”
They all gathered in front of the window. From their vantage point, they could see hundreds of funeral pyres dotting a clearing a few miles outside the city. The sight always made Kera sad. Too many deaths. Too many lives had been interrupted in the worst possible way.
Signe touched Kera’s hand. Her friend wanted to leave. She had her prize and all she wanted was to find Reece and show him.
Kera squeezed her fingers. Letting go, she put her hand on Halim’s back and guided him away from the window. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Do you think Reece will take us?”
Halim sounded so hopeful, Kera didn’t see the need to worry him. “Of course he will. He needs us.”
Signe didn’t agree. A bitter laugh escaped her. “You obviously don’t know Reece. He’ll try to do this alone.”
Halim’s lips thinned. “She’s right.”
“He can try, but I won’t let him.” Kera noticed a quick flash of doubt in her friend’s eyes, and she tapped the paper Signe held. “We have the information he wants—only give it to him if he agrees to take us along.”
Leo stopped Kera as the others continued on. His dark eyes held a sad slant at the edges. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but if you give him those directions, he’s the one who’ll end up dead.”
His concern was touching even if it was slightly delayed, but he had no idea the consequences that would arise if they didn’t go after the sisters. “I won’t let that happen.”
She took a step away, but he stopped her again. “They’re powerful, Kera. Not just a little bit. Really, wickedly powerful.”
He needn’t tell her. They had killed Wyatt using a magic she couldn’t counteract. She, with all her power, had been useless. Not this time. They wouldn’t catch her unprepared. “He won’t die.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“Yes, I can.” She touched his arm and stared into his eyes, dredging up a calming magic. It seeped from her hand into his arm and raced through him. “I won’t let Reece die.”
Leo snatched his arm away, confused and upset. “He won’t die?” He didn’t sound at all convinced. His mind was stronger than she expected. She’d have to work around his fears.
She touched him again. “Go find Dylan. He needs you. Stay with him and keep him safe for me. Can you do that?”
He pulled away for a second time and scratched at where she’d touched him. She wasn’t sure he’d do as she asked. The suspicious way he looked at her made a ball of guilt lodge in her chest, but a moment later, he said, “I’m going to go find Dylan and keep him out of trouble.”
“Good idea.”
“Yeah.” A flash of confusion crossed his face for a moment, and then vanished. “He needs me.”
> The smile she gave him wasn’t really a smile. She’d used magic on a friend, something she’d promised herself she’d never do. But what were her choices? She was doing it for his own good. “Everything will be fine, Leo.”
He nodded and backed away. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.”
And with that, he was gone.
Kera caught up with Signe and Halim just outside the Long Gate, named for a lintel so low you needed to duck to get under, while its length was twice as long as all the other gates. Its function didn’t make any sense, but many aspects of the Ruined City didn’t. Dylan told her video games didn’t have to always be functional, just interesting. Jason had gotten that aspect right when he’d copied the city from his favorite game.
The area where the dead were being prepared for burial was on the other side of the ringworks that surrounded the city walls. The forest rose up behind the spindly wooden altars that marred the hilly expanse of green, like ugly warts on a toad’s back. It didn’t matter how elaborate they were made or decorated, they were an eyesore. Frustration like none she’d ever felt welled up inside her. Lately, death was ever-present, something she couldn’t cure, no matter how hard she tried. It was glaringly obvious what she needed to do. No more hesitating. No more allowing others to dictate the direction she must take. She would tap further into her power. Only then would lives be saved.
As they moved past horse carts holding the dead and skirted around those who mourned, fire smoldered beneath some of the platforms. Others burned bright as families huddled together lamenting the loss of their loved ones. Reece was easy to spot. His altar was small. Plain. The timber too green. It would smoke instead of burn. The rickety structure didn’t look like it could hold up against a light breeze, let alone carry the weight of a body.
She couldn’t bear to see Reece fail. As Signe went to show him the paper, Kera performed a bit of magic, drying out the wood and bolstering what he’d made. When Reece finally lifted Wyatt onto the pyre and set it alight, it burned just as bright as all the others. It took all night, but they stood watch with him until the last ember died, and with each last flicker of heat, Kera’s hatred for the Seven Sisters grew. That they were instrumental in saving Teag only to turn around and threaten to bring her people to their knees, and in the process kill Wyatt, sparked a rage so deep, it scared even Kera.
Signe stayed by Reece’s side, a crutch he leaned on. Halim sat at his feet, singing softly of death and life and love as if one couldn’t exist without the other. And it couldn’t. Not for him. Not for Reece or Signe. Not even for Kera, who sat leaning against a nearby tree, out of the way, watching. Letting the guilt she felt at watching the Seven Sisters kill Wyatt eat at her.
Reece’s suffering wasn’t over, not if he went after the Seven Sisters. And he would. Just looking at him, seeing Wyatt’s burning body reflected in his eyes, told her he would, and keeping him alive wouldn’t be easy.
He wasn’t like his brother. He didn’t talk much. He acted, instantly and without warning. From now on, she would have to keep a close eye on him.
As the sun rose, the wind took Wyatt’s ashes, spreading them over the green hillocks and into the woods. Reece hadn’t made a sound all night. He’d stood like a sentry, his body tight, his expression hard. In his hand he held Leo’s note crumpled between his fingers and palm. Kera hadn’t seen Signe give it to him. She didn’t know if he’d agreed to let them all go with him or not. Kera wouldn’t give him the chance to shut them out. She stood and brushed the dirt from her clothes. “We’ll need provisions.”
“I can go get them,” Halim volunteered.
“No.” Reece didn’t look up. His jaw twitched, and he crushed the note in his fist. “Wyatt’s my brother. This is—”
“—not just about you.” Kera blocked his view of the smoking pyre. “I have to be there. Don’t take this from me just because you think it’s your duty. I should have seen it coming, but I just stood there and let them kill him. I need to be there.”
Reece shook his head. “Your father—”
“—cannot tell me what to do anymore,” she cut in, the poison of hate she felt against the sisters rippling just beneath the surface. “If I wish, I can leave right now, find them, and do it myself. I’m the one who has no need of you.”
Reece’s eyes turned hard and cold. “That would be a mistake.”
He had a threatening presence. Tall, brooding, and hard. He looked as if he would and could tear anyone apart with his bare hands if they tried to get in his way. Appearances were deceptive. It was time he learned exactly who he was dealing with.
Kera stepped closer. “Your mistake is in thinking I am like anyone you have ever known. I look like you, I talk like you and walk like you, but let me make this perfectly clear. I am nothing like you. I can kill you right now, and I don’t even have to move. That’s how much power I have.”
“Kera!” Signe blinked as if seeing Kera for the first time and not liking what she saw. “What are you—?”
Kera silenced Signe with a wave of her hand, melding her friend’s lips together. As Signe struggled to open her mouth, Halim drew near. From the corner of her eye Kera saw him worry over Signe and her distressed mewling. Neither of them could do anything. Her lips were joined until Kera chose to release them.
“Stop it, Kera,” Halim demanded.
She ignored him and stepped even closer to Reece, her words whisper soft. “The Seven Sisters are like me, only they will not hesitate. You will die if you go alone, and in the end, I will have to hunt them down and finish what you failed to do.”
“Stop it,” Halim cried as Signe dropped to her knees, her fingers clawing at her mouth. Tears streamed down her face.
In a flash, Reece swept Kera’s feet from under her, felling her to the ground. He hovered over her, his incordium blade pressed to her throat, his emotionless face transformed into a snarl of pure menace. “Let her go.”
She didn’t even have to look Signe’s way. The spell was broken and Signe’s lips were free, letting out her pent-up sobs.
Reece glanced toward Signe, and Kera smiled. The next instant, he was dangling from the tree, vines wrapped around his arms, his legs, and his neck. His blade dangled achingly close but out of reach. “Never take your eyes off your enemy unless they’re dead…and the Seven Sisters don’t die easily.” She stood under his outstretched body. “But you do. All I have to do is pull.” She gave each vine a mental tug, eliciting a grunt from him.
Halim tackled her from behind. With all his weight and speed behind him, he slammed her head against a nearby tree trunk. Stars sparked before her eyes and she lost her footing. Before she went down, he punched her in the stomach. She gasped and hit the ground. When her vision stopped spinning and she could take a deep breath, Reece stood over her, his short sword in his hand. Raising it above his head, he dropped to his knees and stabbed the blade into the ground beside her temple. “Let your ego get the better of you and we all die.”
He stayed over her, his hard glare boring in her eyes, until with a grunt of disgust, he yanked his sword free and stood.
Signe took his place, her face hot with anger. “What is wrong with you?”
Kera fumbled for an excuse. “He needed to be taught a lesson.” She slowly stood. “He’s vulnerable. You all are.”
“So are you.” Signe jerked away and went to Reece.
Clearly Kera was more vulnerable than she thought…and it galled her to admit it. She tried to make amends. “I’m sorry, but he wasn’t listening. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“That doesn’t make what you did okay.” The hurt on Signe’s face was hard to look at. “You promised you’d never use magic on me. You promised.”
“I didn’t mean to. I just…” No legitimate excuse came to mind. Even she didn’t understand what had happened…why she went so far. At the time it felt right. It felt good. Now, when she thought back on it, she felt a little sick. “I’m sorry.”
; “How can I ever trust you again?”
“You can.” The thought of losing Signe’s friendship scared Kera. “I swear to you. I will never do that again.”
Yet in the back of her mind, her vow stuck loosely together, easily pulled apart if the need arose. More than revenge was at stake here. Dylan’s life hung in the balance. In her heart of hearts she knew only she could defeat the Seven Sisters. Soon, her friends would find that out for themselves.
Hidden Magic
Apprehension: anticipating misfortune or fearing future trouble or evil.
Yeah, that about sums up what I’m feeling right now. I can’t shake it. Even though we won the battle, Wyatt is dead, the Seven Sisters have turned on us, Kera is taking too many risks, and my dad has locked himself in Phoenix Hall’s tower and is demanding I come to him immediately. Individually, each makes me feel like a failure. Put them all together and my confidence level is shot, and I’m thinking Teag would be better off without me.
I try to slip unnoticed past a gathering of elders and councilmen outside my father’s chambers, but a round of applause rolls through them, and I’m stopped several times and congratulated on my victory over the Rodarians. Respect shines from their eyes, something I’ve never seen before. Destril, a man second only to Hadrain and who has never shown me an ounce of support, draws me to the side and away from prying ears. “I have watched you closely, as any man would an outsider trying to fit in. My trust is hard won, and I never thought to say this, but you are a king in the making. You have my allegiance.”
The seriousness of what he’s saying isn’t lost on me. What he’s doing is dangerous, not just for him, but for his people. Once a first gives his loyalty, it can’t be taken away. I’m surprised and slightly horrified. “I haven’t asked for it.”
An open smile graces his face. “All the more reason why you have it. How can you not when I’ve witnessed your willingness to lay down your life for us time and again? I am not the only one who has noticed. You have the qualities we need as our leader.”