The High Priest's Daughter

by Katie Cross

  He agreed with a tilt of his head. “With good reason. He’s more protective than a mama bear.”

  “Well, to be fair, they’re probably afraid of me too.”

  My victory against Miss Mabel in a magical fight last summer put a damper on interested male prospects. I wasn’t exactly a simpering, submissive female.

  “Definitely afraid of you,” Merrick said with a lazy grin.

  “Why aren’t you out courting a girl?” I asked, scowling. “I’ve never seen you take a girl to the opera before.”

  His eyes flickered. “Let’s just say it’s complicated.”

  “Oh?” I asked, forcing disinterest into my tone.

  “Besides, my idea of courting doesn’t have anything to do with the opera.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “An awkward dinner and the opera? No thanks. I’ll pass. There are plenty of other things I’d rather do.”

  “What else is there?” I asked. “Courting is doing stuff like dinner and the opera. Camille and Brecken sometimes switch it up by visiting new places or eating dinner with his family, but, you know. That’s basically it.”

  He laughed in a deep, rolling wave that made his eyes crinkle. My stomach curled in a nervous little ball. Why did he have to be so attractive?

  “Courting doesn’t have to be what everyone else says it is,” he said. “Since when do you go by popular definitions anyway?”

  I opened my mouth to respond but didn’t know what to say. While I had never defined my life by what everyone else did—I’d never had the luxury—it hadn’t occurred to me that my attitude could extend to courting.

  “I don’t … I mean … I don’t understand what you mean by all this.”

  He grinned, enjoying my confusion. “All I mean is that I’m not interested in courting if it means I have to do it by someone else’s rules. I’d rather do my own thing. And finding a girl who is up for it is challenge enough.”

  “Like what, hunting a bear with your bare hands?”

  “If I thought the girl would join me, sure. Sounds like a good time.”

  My eyes widened in disbelief before I saw hints of a mocking smile. I glared at him, and he laughed.

  “Don’t you want to get married?” I asked, thinking of Papa’s admonition not to ruin Merrick’s career by distracting him. But what if Merrick wanted a marriage? What if courting him was an option? “Or are you holding off because you want to become Head of Protectors?”

  He paused to think it over. “That would depend on what kind of girl I meet.”

  My breath caught in my throat. What about me? Hints of a beard stubbled his face in a sandy golden shimmer. I wanted to run my fingertips across it.

  “I think there must be a witch out there worth giving up such a high position for,” he said, his eyes focused intently on mine. “If I found her, I’d give up the idea of serving as Head of Protectors. She’d have to be brave enough to pass a test first, of course.”

  “Oh? And what exactly is this test you’ve conjured up?”

  “She’d have to run with me.”

  My heart thudded double time. “No girl would be crazy enough to run with you.”

  He grinned, and suddenly we weren’t standing all that far apart. The wall grazed my back, trapping me close to Merrick’s broad chest. He braced his hands on either side of my head and leaned in close. His masculine pine scent filled my lungs. I could feel the warm caress of his breath on my cheek.

  “You run with me.”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “I guess I do.”

  If my heart had been pounding before, it was nothing in comparison to the way I felt now. I studied him, my breath coming fast and uncertain. His jaw tightened while he stared at me with an uneasy blend of amusement and challenge. I wasn’t used to a look so open, as if I were less Derek’s daughter and more … an actual girl. My powers flared, and a torch nearby brightened.

  “I have a feeling your father wouldn’t appreciate my showing interest in you.”

  “No, he wouldn’t. But I’m not sure I care.”

  He smiled softly and touched my cheek with the back of his knuckle. His eyes darkened, like a green cloud roiling with thunder.

  “I won’t betray your father, B. I can’t do this. I promised him.”

  My throat thickened. So Papa had spoken to Merrick about his concerns. A storm of emotions grew in my chest, and I feared my magic wasn’t stable.

  “But you need to know that I would if I could,” he continued. “Oh, how I would.”

  But he couldn’t because Papa had forbidden it. Papa who wanted to protect me but didn’t even write. Papa who’d been gone trying to save the world on his own. The injustice burned deep in my chest. The torch next to us sparked. Magic surged through me, stirring my blood in frustration.

  “Will you take me on a run in Letum Wood?” I asked. “Please?”

  A moment of confusion flickered in his eyes. “A run?”

  “I haven’t been in weeks, and my powers are getting out of control. Especially now. Especially … please?”

  If I could just run and let it out, I could deal with Papa’s long absences, the war, my sudden, frustrating attraction to Merrick that I could do nothing about. Letum Wood called to me.

  “I … I can’t.”

  “Merrick, I have to do this,” I said, pleading. Magic swirled in painful agony through my chest. Pictures of Papa’s weary face whipped through my mind. Mama dying. The torches blazed again and again. “If I don’t, I won’t be able to keep it under control, and we both know what happens then.”

  I saw the slow crumbling in his eyes. “Is it that bad?”

  “Can’t you feel it?”

  He scowled and shoved away from the wall. The absence of his warm body left me feeling cold. “Fine. Let’s go now before it gets too dark. Don’t worry about changing. You’ll just have to run in that.”

  Fifteen minutes later, spirals of budding green leaves coated the trees around us as we sped through Letum Wood. The ground, warm on my bare feet, felt soft and pliable from spring rain, absorbing every footfall. My heart soared, and the magic released. Flowers bloomed on the trail behind me as I ran, faster and faster, addicted to the rush I felt in my newfound freedom. My pulse reverberated through my legs and bones in a rhythmic pattern. Boom. Boom boom. Boom. I could leave it all behind out here. All the frustration, all the angst, all the attraction I couldn’t act on.

  “Slow down!” Merrick called from behind me. “There’s still mud on the trail. You’re going to fall again.”

  Ha! I wanted to laugh. Slow down? Never.

  I soared through the forest, leaping over boulders and ducking branches. It felt wonderful to leave my breath far behind and take in a fresh, new gasp of air. I never wanted to go back to the castle, to my entrapped life within its walls. I hadn’t felt this good since before the war started.

  Something to my left caught my eye, stopping me. A skinny brown trail snuck off to the side. It could hardly be called a trail—more like a footpath worn into the ground by who-knew-what kind of creature.

  “Let’s go this way.” I motioned to the path with a nod, bracing my hands on my hips to catch my breath.

  Merrick’s brow furrowed. “Is that a new trail?” he asked, peering into the trees. “I’ve never seen it before.”

  Neither had I. Nighttime had started to fall, leaving long shadows to cover the spongy ground, green with fresh growth. But even so, this trail was definitely new. Papa would never allow me to take a new trail at a time like this.

  “Let’s try.”

  He hesitated, but I felt an undeniable pull drawing me closer to the path.

  “I don’t know, B. We shouldn’t even be out here.”

  “It heads back to Chatham Castle, see? I’m sure it probably just cuts back to a different part of the gardens.”

  “Fine,” he said, looking relieved at the prospect of cutting short our adventure. “You have five minutes. If it’s not clearly going back to th
e castle, we transport.”

  I stepped onto the trail and the pull strengthened. The closer I moved toward it, the stronger I felt it. The path ran between a thick cluster of trees. Their branches trembled when I looked at them. A sweet breeze towed me closer. The odd suspicion that Letum Wood was trying to communicate with me crept through my mind. Almost like the day I escaped the West Guards by finding a path in the forest that didn’t exist, leading me and the little girl to safety.

  I shook the thoughts away. Absurd. Forests didn’t communicate. Besides, I recognized magic when I saw it, and this strange feeling had magic written all over it. Forests didn’t have magic. At least, I didn’t think they did.

  I ventured forward, taking the lead. The skinny dirt trail disappeared just through the cluster of trees, but branches and deadwood moved aside to let us through as soon as we approached. I obeyed the haphazard trail that opened as we came upon it, just wide enough for us to pass.

  “At least it’s taking us back to the castle,” Merrick said, eyes on the canopy. Still, he didn’t relax.

  The branches around me rattled, so I held up a hand to silence him. “Just a little bit more,” I mouthed, though I didn’t understand why. Merrick shot me a strange glance but followed without question. “Something is different,” I mouthed, gesturing around. “Can’t you feel it?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing is different,” he mouthed back. “I can’t sense any magic.”

  I brushed him off as I started forward again. It wasn’t someone—or something—using magic that I could see. An uneasiness filled me, sending me onward again. Merrick moved closer, only a breath away from me.

  Just when I’d started to worry we were on a dangerous magical path set by an unknown creature native to Letum Wood, the trail disappeared, ending at a wall of branches that didn’t move out of our way like the others had. I skidded to a stop with my heart in my throat. On the other side of the tangled mat of sticks stood four burly men. Merrick halted just behind me, standing so close his chest touched my back. Both of us stared between the branches without uttering a word.

  The broad, strong witches wore familiar linen pants and robes over bare chests that I’d seen when Miss Mabel transported me to the Western Network. The synchronous clicking of their words, though spoken in hushed tones, confirmed my suspicions.

  West Guards.

  Merrick and I crouched down until our knees rested in the dirt. Through the deadfall above, the turrets and spires of Chatham Castle could be seen, partially obscured by trees. We’d followed the trail so far we’d nearly circled back to the castle.

  The West Guards crouched over what appeared to be a map, gesturing to the castle and then motioning to the rolled parchment. I couldn’t see any signs of magic, which meant they likely knew they couldn’t use it without drawing the attention of the dragons or patrolling Guardians. My eyes darted around the forest to find another group of them to the left, hidden near a clump of trees. I could hear three far to the right. At least ten had come.

  The West Guards in front of us ripped a few branches off a nearby tree, creating a symbol with them on the ground to mark the spot. Another cold breeze trickled by, brushing against the back of my neck.

  The West Guards were staking out Chatham Castle.

  Merrick squeezed my arm just above the elbow, and I glanced over at him warily. He motioned back with his head, and I nodded. We’d have to walk back or the West Guards would sense the magic we used to transport away.

  Just as we were about to move, one of the West Guards flipped around to stare right in our direction. We froze. Another burst of wind swelled up, stirring leaves and bits of bark into the air in front of us. The West Guard ran his eyes across the thick brambles surrounding Merrick and I, seeming to stop right on me. After he stared at me for a moment or two, his eyes continued to the left in a studious sweep. I held my breath in disbelief.

  He didn’t see us.

  Vines and dead leaves had sprung up on the sustained gust of wind, obscuring the branches we already hid behind. Merrick squeezed my arm again, and we hurried away, crouched low. Once we were far enough they couldn’t see us, Merrick stopped.

  “I’m going to tell Zane,” he whispered. “We need to stop them right now, and try to take a few prisoners if we can. Go for Sanna.”

  My eyes widened. “Sanna?”

  “Tell her the dragons have a few visitors to deal with. They’ll know what to do. And Bianca, whatever you do, do not come back here.”

  “Sanna!” I cried. “Sanna!”

  I landed a few paces away from the brook trickling past her little cottage in the woods. Without a moment’s hesitation, I sprang over the small bridge and ran up to her dilapidated house. Sanna sat on the porch, holding a silver flask—likely filled with one of the strongest ipsums in the Central Network. I went to step onto her porch, but a sudden burst of heat and a roar stopped me.

  “Wouldn’t move if I were you,” she said jovially, wiping her lips with the back of a hand. “The red is out, and she’s surly.”

  The red. I’d forgotten. Michelle had mentioned that she and Nicolas meant to work with her tonight.

  I slowly spun around to see Nicolas standing in front of the fierce red dragon that had wanted to eat me since the first time I stumbled onto her in the forest. She gnashed her teeth in my direction, sending a second spurt of fire toward me that would have burned me if I hadn’t recoiled from it.

  “Oy!” Nicolas yelled from where he stood below. He hollered something else in a language I didn’t understand, and the red backed away. She retreated a few steps but kept her slivered yellow eyes on me. Fire glowed in her nostrils whenever she released a sultry breath. The blue slunk through the tree line. His trust for me, while much greater than the red’s, remained limited. No doubt my still-agitated magic influenced their snappish behaviors.

  “Sanna, we need you right away!” I said, stepping away from her porch. The red snorted once I put space between myself and Sanna but kept her vigilant observation of me.

  “What for? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

  No doubt sensing Sanna’s annoyance, the blue slipped out of the trees to stand next to the house, his nostrils flaring. I stumbled back. The red let out another high screech, lowering her head to the ground like a slithering snake.

  “West Guards are in Letum Wood, near the castle.”

  She perked up. The dragons followed suit. “What?” she barked. “West Guards in Letum Wood?”

  Nicolas swung around to stare at me. Michelle, who stood off to the side, moved forward.

  “What do you mean, Bianca?” Michelle asked in her usual calm voice. The red, seeing her, let out a low purr but kept her angry eyes on me. Michelle calmed the giant beasts, while I riled them into a frenzy. Seemed about right.

  “I just saw them! Merrick and I were on a run. There’s at least ten. They have a map and are in the forest near Chatham Castle. I—”

  “Impossible,” Sanna said. “The green is patrolling and would have detected them by now.”

  “They aren’t using magic. They must have snuck in on foot somehow. They hardly even spoke. Merrick didn’t even sense them.”

  Sanna thought it over for a moment. “Bloody monster West Guards,” she yelled, raising a fist in a way that reminded me a bit of Tiberius. “We’ll teach them a lesson for coming onto our land to attack our castle!”

  Nicolas stepped forward, moving between the red and me. His heavy forehead creased. The red swayed behind him, her eyes narrowed on me again. “Are you sure, Bianca?”

  “Without a doubt. Merrick sent me here. They want to take a few prisoners, so don’t kill them all. I think he went to get more Protectors, but I’m not sure. Look, we don’t have a lot of time and—”

  “Sounds like we might need to take care of a problem, Sanna,” Nicolas said, grinning.

  “Oh ho!” Sanna cried. The silver flask fell to the ground when she stood, and liquid glugged onto her porch, smoking as it poured between t
he slats. “A little evening snack for my babies, eh? Nicolas, you take the red this time. She’s starting to trust you. I’ll take the blue. The red’s going to be excited once she gets there, so keep her under control. But let her have a little fun.”

  “Keep at least one of the West Guards alive!”

  “Dragons make no promises,” Sanna snapped. “Now let us do our business.”

  By the time Sanna made it to the edge of the porch, the blue awaited her, his body pressed close to the ground and wings twitching in anticipation. I had to stumble back to avoid being smacked by his long, supple neck. Sanna used magic to lift herself onto his back, then settled astride, her skinny old legs suddenly strong. Nicolas murmured something to the red, who still stared at me in suspicion. Apparently deciding the prospect of a snack sounded better than dealing with me, the red used her head to bop Nicolas onto her back. Sanna called out an order in a different language and cackled.

  “They’ve got their noses on now,” she cried when the dragons lifted their heads to the sky, their massive nostrils flaring wide. “Let’s go kick some West Guards out of our Network, eh?”

  The two dragons pushed off from the ground with their mighty legs and took to the sky, expansive wings unfurled. I watched them go for only a few seconds before transporting away myself. This was one fight I wouldn’t miss.

  Dragon Fury

  Whether due to the intensity of my excitement or just good luck, I transported to the exact spot I wanted: the top branches of the forest.

  The West Guards would be less likely to detect my magic so high. Based on the pristine view of Chatham Castle from my spot, I imagined myself to be right above the intruders and slipped down the tree like I was a ten-year-old girl again. The branches supported me without moving or creaking, which seemed odd considering how thin they were at this height.

  When the heads of the West Guards appeared below, I stopped. All ten had converged into a small group, as soundless as a dark winter day. Their robes blended in with the forest floor, but that wouldn’t matter to the dragons. They knew what to look for. Evening had replaced daylight, leaving the forest particularly dark. The strange pull that brought me to this spot had faded.