by LJ Andrews
“No. I made it back to Egan’s mansion without detection.”
“How have you kept your involvement with the Deshuits a secret from Egan?” she whispered as Jax pulled out several silver tools. “Won’t he notice you’re gone?”
“Egan has been at the Praetorium for weeks, but he will find out sooner or later.”
Jax took two small tools and stuck them in the old lock and began manipulating the keyhole, trying to unlock it.
“He’s getting us out,” Laura said excitedly.
“Shhh, do you want them to hear you?” Marie snarled. But there was already movement in the halls.
Quickly, Jax covered his head and rushed to a dark corner, crouching low behind a boulder jutting from the wall. The door banged open and two Trinity guards walked in.
“Who are you talking to?” a tall blond man asked.
“So we’re not allowed to speak?” Marie remarked with a snide tone.
The guards scanned the room from their position, and then glared at the two women once more before slamming the door shut.
Jax rushed from his hiding place and picked up where he left off with the lock.
“How did you get past those two?”
“Joshua created a diversion at the front of the gate; all guards left their posts. They’ll be suspicious when they can’t find him so we don’t have much time.”
Jax worked meticulously until the old heavy padlock clicked open. Marie carefully opened the cell door and followed Jax.
“Stay close to me,” she said over her shoulder to Laura, who only nodded.
“Ready?” Jax asked, looking behind at the two women. They nodded and he took out two jars filled with strange whitish smoke. “Sulfur geyser steam, from the underground springs in the caves.” He smiled. “The smell will make them run for sure. Cover your mouths.”
Without waiting to make sure they obeyed, Jax opened the door and tossed a jar in each direction down the hallway. Immediately, the narrow space filled with heavy steam and the smell was nearly unbearable through Marie’s palms. Laura coughed heavily beneath her shirt as she pulled her collar over her nose and mouth, but she kept close as they ran through the putrid steam, pushing past retching guards.
“Get down!” Jax shouted as an enormous guard swung a heavy club through the steam, narrowly missing their heads as they plunged to the floor.
Swiftly, Jax unsheathed a gilded sword with an emerald hilt and engaged in a fierce battle with the clubbed guard. Marie grabbed Laura’s arm and rushed passed Jax and the guard toward a staircase. She knew Maurelle had taken her up a flight of stairs from the outside, so quickly she climbed down the spiral stone steps.
“Wait—what about your friend? He’s in trouble,” Laura cried from behind as she stumbled.
“Jax can handle himself, trust me.”
At the end of the staircase, light shone in like an angelic halo as their escape grew closer. Bursting through the arched doorway, the warm sun hit Marie with comforting warmth. She stopped a few feet from the entrance and allowed her years of living with the Deshuits to take over. The hot sun beating down on her neck and the ruby sand tickling her bare feet made her smile.
“Ignisia,” she said under her breath. She’d spent years jumping in and out of Ignisia, staying as long as her thin Terrenian skin could tolerate the fiery sun, and she knew the realm like the back of her hand. To the East, she saw rolling red rocks where the molten caves were. It was possible to hide in the vast labyrinth of the endless tunnels, or to the West, there was nothing but flat desert, but the water quarries were just beyond the horizon. Water would be important. The city center of Ignisia was directly in front of her. Analyzing the terrain in a matter of seconds, she knew where to go.
“Come on. They’re right behind me,” Laura cried, running through the arched doorway frantically.
Trinity soldiers rushed after her; one threw a silver spear narrowly missing Laura’s shoulder. She shrieked and stumbled onto the soft sand, creating a large dust cloud. Marie turned and faced their attackers. Holding out her palms, the sand billowed around her feet quickly, forming softball-sized sandstone rocks. Thrusting her palms forward, the stones shot from the earth striking head, shoulder, jaw, stomach−until four pursuing soldiers fell to the earth holding their bloodied, bruised limbs from the onslaught of the stones. But more came.
“Marie,” Jax shouted from the crowd. He swung his sword as he pushed through the Trinity attackers, slicing through the thick robe of one and spilling burgundy blood from the midsection of a particularly tall Glacien woman. She fell facedown as her fellow Trinity trampled over her, not stopping once. Jax tossed a small cross bow over their heads, which Marie caught in one hand, and then he turned his sword against another spear from a soldier.
Marie smiled and clicked a notch on the side of the bow. Instantly a small steel arrow fitted into the flight groove until it latched, ready to fire. She pulled the trigger, stepping in front of Laura, who huddled on the ground covering her head. The arrow launched into the crowd, lodging deep in the chest of one soldier, bringing him to the ground hard. Another arrow formed, then another and another. Marie launched arrows into the air, expertly hitting her targets until a woman with long black hair released her own quiver of infinite arrows through the air.
With no cover, Marie quickly grabbed Laura’s elbow and forced her from the ground in retreat. “Jax!” she cried over her shoulder, but the older Ignisian was already close behind, ducking his head as more arrows launched into the air.
They ran, gaining a large lead on the pursuing Trinity soldiers, until they came across a small oasis. The bright blue water was shaded by a small cave of sandstone and jagged, translucent ruby boulders. Marie practically threw Laura into the cave and lunged in herself, Jax close behind.
Marie loaded her bow and Jax removed an extra dagger from his sandal.
“How…how did…you make the sand move?” Laura asked through heavy breaths.
Without turning around, Marie peered out of the small cave. “My husband’s mother has a Cimmerian friend who taught me a few spells.”
“It served you well today,” Jax said, joining Marie at the opening.
“We don’t have long, Jax. How quickly can we get to the city? We can cross to the Praetorium.”
“No, Maurelle compromised the track. The local witch, Aradia, has set up a secret track we can use. She’s taken up hiding in the caves,” a young man said as he leapt into their hiding spot. Laura cried out in surprise, but quickly covered her mouth. He wore a similar cloak to Jax, but his hair was blue and hung over his shoulders. His eyes were a lighter brown with yellow flames behind them, and his face looked youthful, much too young to be fighting against the Trinity.
“Joshua, thank the Fire Lords you’re safe,” Jax said, slapping him on the shoulder. “When I didn’t see you, I feared the worst.”
Joshua smiled, showing his large, white teeth, and chuckled. “I set the fire wisps on them and they didn’t stand a chance. Some of the Trinity are probably still wandering around brainless out there.”
Marie smiled and thanked him. Jax’s demeanor darkened once more. “As Joshua said, we should try and get to Aradia in the caves. Marie, do you think you can give us enough cover?”
Marie pursed her lips, but nodded. “I think so, but we have to move quickly. I don’t know how long my energy will last.”
“Right then. Let’s go.”
Jax twirled the dagger in his hand, pulled Laura close behind him, and rushed from the cave. Joshua gave Marie a reassuring smile before darting after them. Marie held her palms down over the sand until an enormous, twisting dust storm billowed. The furious wind whipped the clear blue water until white capped waves rippled on the surface. The surrounding trees and cacti bent against the force of the sandy vortex, but the three fugitives took refuge in the storm and ran toward the mountains.
Through the haze, Marie saw the black cloaks of the soldiers rushing toward them. With each attempt to
penetrate the storm, she forced the wind harder until she heard cries of terror or pain as it devoured the more daring of the group one by one.
Finally, the cloaks seemed to fade in the distance. Relief spread through her, but she knew they wouldn’t let them go that easily. They would send more and try anything to keep them from leaving Ignisia.
The ball of flames roasted her skin as they crossed over another large stone making up the sandy hills. The heat was becoming unbearable and she knew shelter was essential or she and Laura would succumb to the heat exhaustion. Ahead of her, Jax was already helping Laura up each boulder as she weakened and Joshua periodically splashed water on the back of her neck.
“In here,” Joshua finally said, pointing toward a tower of tumbled stones. The rockslide had formed a small opening at the base and slowly Jax began lowering Laura into the tight hole. He helped Marie next and she slid down the smooth stones, relishing the cool damp air that filled the cave.
“Aradia,” Jax called once he slid into the underground cavern. “Aradia, it’s Jax and Joshua. We need your help.”
“I can hear you,” she said from the side. Aradia stepped into the center of the cavern holding a small lantern with colorful flames dancing in the glass. Her purple hair was wild and unkempt from days in hiding and her tan skin was wrinkled with age, but like Jax, her eyes were youthful with playful flames flickering behind the deep brown.
“Aradia, we need to get Marie out of here. The Trinity will surely be upon us any moment.”
“It’s almost time, Jax. The Dark Queen is closing in on what she seeks.”
“You don’t know what it is?” Jax asked.
“The vision I had was short, but I know it is going to end our world as we know it if we cannot stop her.”
“Then please help us get to the Praetorium,” Marie begged with a sudden urgency.
Aradia nodded and rushed toward a small table made from large rocks and logs. Grabbing a small wooden bowl and several glass bottles filled with strange plants and liquids, she added ingredients to the bowl one by one, chanting strange words. A white mist billowed from the bowl and Aradia held it out to them.
“You must drink it before you can pass through the barrier.”
Marie took the bowl and sipped the thick, pasty potion bubbling in the bowl. It burned her throat all the way to her stomach. Quickly, she passed it Laura as the liquid seemed to fill her veins with fire. Then her body took on a strange weightless sensation. Laura was gasping next to her, turning her palms in front of her eyes. Her skin was nearly translucent and Marie tried not to panic in fear of frightening Laura even more.
“What…did you do to me?”
“It is just so you can pass through the barrier. You don’t want it to kill you, do you?” Aradia said, cocking her head as if confused why Laura was having such a difficult time understanding.
Laura’s eyes widened and she seemed ready to scream, but Marie interrupted.
“Aradia, please get us out of here.”
She held up a small black book with pages covered in burn marks only powerful curses could create.
“Aberto a porta, recibir a carga…” Aradia sprinkled a black powder over their heads causing Marie’s skin to burn as if hundreds of pins were piercing every pore. Aradia repeated her words and sprinkled more dust. Marie gritted her teeth against the pain and tried to ignore Laura’s cries.
The room filled with a thick black mist and Marie breathed a sigh of relief hoping the track was finally opening to take her away from Aradia’s painful spell.
“What is this…” Aradia’s voice trailed off and Marie’s stomach clenched when Blake emerged from the mist, his dark eyes blazing in evil hatred.
Before she could defend herself, Blake thrust a jagged sword deep into Aradia’s stomach. The old witch grabbed his shoulder for support and stared at him in disbelief. He smiled wickedly as he pulled the sword out and pushed her backward onto the stone floor.
Jax cried out and lunged at Blake as Aradia released her last breath. Blake held out a hand; glaring at Jax; he lifted him from the ground as if he was tied by an invisible robe. Balling his hand into a fist, Blake threw Jax across the room until he hit the rock wall and fell to the ground in a heap. Joshua raised his crossbow; Blake smiled wickedly and soon the metal rolled in on itself rendering the weapon useless. Blake held his hand out toward Joshua and the young Ignisian choked and coughed as his knees buckled beneath him. Marie screamed for him to stop, but it was too late. Joshua lay on the rocky ground, his lifeless, flameless eyes staring up toward the ceiling. Before the women could move, Blake whirled around and held his palms out forcing them to stay in place.
“Well, this was a stupid move, Marie. I thought you would be a little smarter, but you insist on playing with people’s lives,” he said glancing toward Laura.
Marie opened her palm in a desperate attempt to block him, but he moved too quickly. With one swipe of his hand, both women were pushed against the stone wall, unable to move. The crushing force of the binding spell seemed to crush the air from Marie’s lungs, but she kept her eyes on Blake.
“Jax, Jax,” she breathed out in a small voice.
“I wouldn’t be worried about that useless Ignisian right now, Marie,” Blake threatened.
She smirked and flattened her expression. “It seems Maurelle is sharing her power with you. What a shame you can’t produce any skill on your own.”
Blake’s lips twisted into a wicked snarl and he pushed the force against her harder until she gasped for air.
“Blake, please—this isn’t you,” Laura begged through sobs, turning his attention from Marie. “You don’t have to hurt us.”
He laughed and wrapped his hand around Laura’s chin. “Laura, dear, this is me; the kid you knew was the true mask. I’ve waited years for this moment, but I’m afraid you aren’t going to live to see how it all plays out. We’ll just have to see how good of a girl you are to determine how long you live.” He shoved her head hard against the wall, knocking her unconscious.
“Let her go, Blake. I’m enough leverage to get Killian out of the Praetorium. You’re just torturing her for your own sick pleasure.”
He smiled and said playfully, “You’re probably right, but, Marie, it’s just so much fun.”
Wrapping his hand around her throat, he squeezed hard until not even a gasp could escape. “Now you’re coming back with me and you’ll behave, or I’ll kill your husband, dear old daddy Miller, and Killian. Please misbehave, Marie; I would love to follow through on that threat.”
She glared at him, trying hard to hide the fear that flashed across her eyes. He smiled cruelly. “That’s a good girl. Now let’s go.”
In a powerful blast, the thick black mist swallowed the three of them up and pulled them from the protection of the cave.
Chapter 9
Civil War
Owen was hunched over a steel table in the back of Connor’s lab. Connor had been dragged to an engineering meeting on building more defenses around the Praetorium, and since he had to stay with his supervisor, he’d been taken away reluctantly.
“I heard you wanted to show me something,” Killian said, stepping into the room.
“Yes,” Owen said excitedly. “I think I might have found the break we’ve been waiting for.”
Owen tossed a small brown book in front of Killian and pointed to the open page. Killian scanned the drawing of a long necklace with a fiery red ruby on the end.
“What’s this?”
“This is Merlin’s final protection for the Hemisphere—his last sacrifice, after creating the relics. You understand he put portions of his magic inside each relic.”
Killian nodded.
“Well, after he created the relics, something pushed him to create something else, something powerful enough to stop an unimaginable strength. He put his remaining magic in this ruby.”
Intrigue lifted Killian’s eyebrows. “What would that do to a Cimmerian—sacrificing all their mag
ic?”
Owen shook his head. “From what I’ve read, they die…slowly. It’s as if the ability to thrive goes with their magic, and no matter how much they try to live, their bodies eventually shut down. Merlin died for this ruby.”
“It must be powerful then. Where is it?”
Biting his lip, Owen came around the table and stood in front of Killian. “That’s the problem. I have no idea. But I have a feeling the Trinity will do anything to keep us from it. If I’m right, I bet Egan’s baby brother knows where it is.”
“I haven’t seen Egan since he spoke with Bant.”
“Let’s go talk with him,” Owen said, clasping the book close to his chest.
“Who, Bant? He won’t talk with anyone else except Egan.”
“No, Egan. He’ll tell us what his brother said.”
Owen left the lab in a hurry and Killian practically jogged to keep up with him. They rode the swift elevator up to Egan’s floor
As they walked along the hallway toward his room, Owen peered at Killian and cleared his throat. “So, how are you doing…I mean with everything that’s going on?”
Killian shrugged. “I’m as good as I can be.” Owen smirked. “Really, Owen, I’m fine.”
“You know, it’s fine with me…you know…if you want, you can call me…dad…if you want.” Owen cleared his throat again and Killian was overwhelmed with a wave of anxiety Owen released unintentionally.
“Oh, uh…yeah, okay, it’s just I’m not really…you know, used to−ˮ
“Forget it.” Owen waved his hand in front of his face. “Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. Well, here we are.”
He knocked loudly and waited outside the large black maple door. Egan opened the door, his white hair hanging over his ears and the white flames behind his blue eyes billowing furiously once he recognized them.
“Killian…Owen…what can I do for you?” his voice boomed.
“Egan.” Owen nodded and invited himself inside the enormous room.