by Devri Walls
“A sword is not worthless,” Kiora said, her voice a mere whisper.
The king laughed. “What was that, oh great Solus?”
“I said a sword is not worthless!” The sword appeared in her hand and she plunged it through his stomach, twisting it as roughly as she could. He released her, gasping as he fell. His followers cried out in shock.
She stumbled backwards as a cackling laughter echoed through the room. Everyone stilled, hesitantly looking up at the black cloud that swirled on the ceiling. From the center of the cloud, two green eyes stared down.
The king grunted. A silent plea formed on his lips.
“I will not be manipulated or blackmailed, Aimon,” Jasmine said. “I warned you of that years ago. And now, you have failed me again. I have chosen a new commander.”
Enzo stepped through the group, smiling down at the dying king. “A new era dawns, Aimon. The Shadow has chosen another, one who will not disappoint her.” The eyes from the ceiling faded into nothing. “And I will prove that, starting with the Solus. You held her life in your hands but took time for your own glory, and you have paid for it.”
Kiora frowned, rubbing her neck as the truth began unfolding around her. The opened balcony, the comments in the meeting, Enzo leaving the room after he had felt her bubble.
Kiora looked into the face of the new commander. “You let us in,” she whispered.
The commander grinned as the old king gave his last breath, his head dropping to the side. “The Shadow needed to dispose of Aimon, and she wanted to see what you were capable of doing.” Enzo casually strolled toward Kiora, his eyes never leaving her. “Aimon failed to find you. Not once, but twice, you slipped through his fingers. So yes, we let you in. And now I shall prove myself capable of doing what he could not.”
Emane came to, shaking his head with a groan. Kiora had only one idea that could get them out of this, and she needed to make it believable. She released her hold on the doors and more Taveans flowed into the room.
The new commander smiled at her. “Truly out of magic now, are we?”
“And so are you.” Kiora jerked the talisman from underneath her shirt and pulled the mesh from the top. The group froze, looking around in confusion—looking for the Shadow.
“I took your magic. The only one here with any power now is me.”
The new commander looked dubious, as expected. Kiora used her lingering magic to raise the staff from the ground and send it back into Alcander’s hands.
“My magic returns quickly.” She smiled to portray confidence.
There was hesitancy in Enzo’s next statement. “There are hundreds of us and only three of you.”
“Little good it will do you when I bury you under this castle.” Kiora reached to the earth, rumbling it beneath them and sending the room swaying and cracking in protest. “I can control all four elements. You will not reach us.”
Emane limped over to Alcander, pulling Alcander’s arm over his shoulder to give him some support.
The group murmured at her claim. Kiora prayed her power would hold out for this tiny display. She still had to get them out of here. The water around the room started creeping forward, pulling itself up into a wall of water between her and them. A moment later, fire danced across the surface before she sent a gust of wind swirling forward—spraying water and searing drops of fire.
Kiora, Alcander’s thoughts came again. Let me speak to them. When I hold up the staff, I need you to sheath the talisman.
Kiora’s head jerked at the pictures that came with Alcander’s thoughts, her mouth nearly falling open. She gave one slow nod to show that she understood.
Alcander hopped forward under Emane’s support, his face turning slightly green with each jerk of his leg. He moved closer to Enzo until he stood in a silver circle on the floor. Kiora had not noticed until now the indentation in the middle.
Alcander held up his staff. “I, Alcander, son of Alaric, grandson of Adair, do claim my right to the throne as king of Tavea.”
There was a rustle of disgust, but no one moved. Kiora had a sudden realization about just how right Emane had been. When magic is taken from someone, they underestimate their power without it. The throne room was filled with the enemy, who could easily have overpowered them if they chose. But without their magic, they didn’t know their own strength.
Alcander continued, “You have proven yourselves to be traitors to the ideals and beliefs of the Tavean people. You have murdered, plundered, and imprisoned those who would not join you. As the king, I convict you of your crimes. And now you shall be punished.” Alcander raised his staff to the aghast stares of his people and Kiora slid the mesh back over the talisman. When the magic returned, Emane grabbed Alcander’s leg, healing, as Alcander slammed the staff into the hole in the ground.
The walls around them instantly began to move. The vines Kiora had noticed earlier wiggled beneath the paint, ripping themselves from the walls and whipping across the room. Thousands of vines slashed at the Taveans Alcander had just convicted. They picked them up, tossed them, squeezed them, and ripped arms and legs from sockets.
Alcander turned. “Run!”
Kiora headed toward the door that would get them to the crypt the fastest. They sprinted into the hall. She could feel Tavean threads approaching from both directions. “I can’t use the talisman,” she shouted. “It will free up everyone in the throne room.”
“In here!” Alcander grabbed her arm, steering her into a room on the left.
“What now?” Emane asked, looking around at what was clearly not an exit.
Alcander pulled some wind, shoving it at the window. The panes rattled, but Alcander was running low on magic.
“Together!” Kiora grabbed more wind and joined Alcander. The window shattered and the three leaped through. They landed in the castle gardens and started running.
“Did Lomay get them all out?” Alcander yelled as they ran.
“Yes,” Kiora said. “I can’t feel any more threads in the dungeons.” She could feel all the threads in the castle converging on the throne room, no doubt trying to help their countrymen.
“What happened back there?” Emane yelled as Alcander led them through the hedges and flowerbeds.
“A protection system built in for the king. It was a family secret until now.”
“That is some family secret,” Emane grunted, hurtling over a small hedge.
“No bigger than yours,” Kiora said, referring to the knowledge of evil Emane’s family had kept from the people for a thousand years.
“Fair enough. Anyone have enough magic left for a bubble?” Emane asked.
“No,” Kiora said. “We need to save what we have in case we run into any more trouble.” Her magic was coming back, but she had used far too much in there. The wall-to-wall shield had required an enormous amount. She hadn’t realized what a mistake it was until she created it. That was the second time she had been so foolish, but what other choice did she have? Had she not, they would have been overrun in seconds.
Reaching the tomb of the kings, Alcander used his staff to open the door. Once inside, he paused at the bottom of the steps, looking at the place where his father had fallen. Then he placed his staff on top of the center tomb, unlocking it.
Inside was a glass coffin, just as she had seen in the Wings. Alcander popped the latches on the sides, opening the top. The skeleton of the first Tavean king lay undisturbed, the Light next to him.
The Light was dull, with magical cords wrapping around it. Although she had been told that no one could trace the magic through the bindings, she had expected to feel something—the power it contained was that of the Creators, and she was standing right next to it. But there was nothing. She brushed her finger across one of the cords, hoping for something—a flare of magic, a response. But again, there was nothing. If she didn’t know what she was looking at, she would have never associated this dull ball with anything born of magic.
Taking a deep breath, she w
rapped her fingers around it, lifting it free of the tomb. Awe overcame her. They had done it—retrieved a Light! She grinned up at Alcander and Emane.
Alcander looked as amazed as she felt, but Emane was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes flickering between the Light and the stairs behind them.
“Come on,” he said. “We can look at the Light when we get it back to the city.”
Kiora nodded, tucking it under her arm. Rushing up the stairs, she muttered the incantation to call Lomay. We have it. Are you ready?
There was no response, but a bubble dropped overhead and Drustan swooped to the ground. Lomay looked…older. He slumped over Drustan’s back.
“Lomay!” Alcander sprang to his side.
“That took a considerable amount of magic,” he wheezed. “Putting up that enclosure after bubbling so many has almost wiped me out. It feels like you are about out as well.”
Alcander looked nervously at the castle. The threads were beginning to move out of the throne room, no doubt looking for them. “Take Emane.”
“What? No,” Emane protested. “I am not leaving you two here without any magic.”
“I can take two of you,” Lomay said apologetically. “But that is all. Any more and I risk dropping the bubble and this will all be for naught.”
“It’s all right—I can call Arturo. I have enough for a small bubble,” Kiora said. “But we have to go. Now.”
The doors at the back of the castle burst open. Alcander helped Emane up as Kiora called Arturo. Lomay bubbled them right away to keep the Taveans from knowing in what direction they had fled.
Kiora felt a little guilty, knowing that Alcander and Emane would immediately realize she had intentionally misled them about the amount of magic she had. She had enough to bubble her and Arturo on the way out, but that was it. She turned and ran.
Kiora! Alcander’s voice roared through her mind.
I will be fine—Arturo’s almost here. She clutched the Light to her chest as she leaped over a small creek. I will meet you at the enclosure.
Arturo’s thread was approaching rapidly from a height she would much rather never visit again. A bolt of magic crashed into the ground behind her.
Arturo swooped down in front of her and Kiora swung herself on his back before he had fully stopped. As they took to the air, Kiora glanced back at the Taveans pouring from the castle.
Do you have enough left to bubble?
Kiora steeled herself, pulling from the tiny core of magic she had left, and threw a bubble. I hope we can make it.
They hadn’t even cleared the top of the castle when a vision rushed in hard and fast.
Jasmine stood by the tree that marked the entrance to the city. The Illusionist was gone, and the earth was marked by the battle that had taken place not that long ago. She was not hidden by her shadow. Whether she had discarded it, or whether it just appeared that way now that Kiora knew who she was, she wasn’t sure. Jasmine vanished, appearing again where Lomay had met them with the women and children. She looked around at the hidden doorway, running her finger over the edges, her green eyes narrowing in thought. Vanishing, she then appeared at the edge of the lake. She looked in the direction of the tree and then in the direction of the other door, a smile spreading across her face.
Jasmine’s beauty bothered Kiora. It seemed that her outsides should match her insides, as she had seen happen with the Taveans and Fallen Ones. But Jasmine’s dark core had not affected her outer beauty in the slightest.
“Clever, Father,” Jasmine murmured, bending down to run her finger through the water. Standing up, she took a step into the lake, and then another, her red cloak swirling on top of the water. “Your little exception will be too late, I fear.” The grin that lashed across her face was cruel and evil.
Kiora could feel Arturo banking beneath her before the vision faded.
Faster, she urged as they headed toward the city.
Kiora, you are out of magic.
I know.
You are in no state to fight her.
What do you want me to do? What if she discovers a way in? We have to get them out.
As soon as they were out of the Taveans’ range, Kiora dropped her bubble, trying to hold on to the last bit of magic she had. The magic flowed to her, trying to fill the void, but the imminent meeting with Jasmine made it painfully apparent just how large the void was.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Loss
ALCANDER TRIED TO IGNORE Emane’s anxious pacing around the perimeter of the barrier. His nerves were already on edge as it was. Kiora should have been there long before now.
Trying to distract himself with his duties, he moved from person to person, talking to them and shaking their hands. The adoration in his people’s eyes humbled him.
Alcander knelt down next to a girl who looked to be about his age. Her white hair was dingy and her fingernails were caked with grime. She looked up at him with hope. “Is it over?” she asked.
Alcander wanted to tell her “Yes,” but there was a sick dread creeping in. Something was wrong. He took her hands and gave the best answer he could. “I hope so.” He was about to move on to the next man, whose eyes were pleading for a chance to grasp his hand, when he saw Lomay stiffen. He knew that look. Quickly, he moved to the old man’s side, waiting for him to finish his vision.
Lomay’s face was grave.
“What?” Alcander asked. “Where is she?”
“I didn’t see that for sure.”
“But?”
“If she saw what I just saw, I know where she is going.”
Emane strode up next to them, his fingers running over the hilt of his sword repeatedly as if the action was somehow calming him. “Well?”
“Jasmine may have found a weakness in the city,” Lomay said grimly.
Both boys were silent until Alcander frowned. “Jasmine is there?”
Lomay nodded. “Or will be soon. It’s hard to tell.”
Emane clenched his fists. “Kiora went after her, didn’t she?”
“I truly don’t know, my boy,” Lomay said. “But she is not here.”
Alcander turned, sprinting toward the edge of the boundary. Lomay called out to Drustan. “Stop him!”
Drustan leaped up, wrapping arms that were much too large for the rest of his body around Alcander.
“Let go of me, Shifter!” Alcander said roughly. “Or I swear I will throw you in with the rest of your kind when this over.”
“Why am I holding him?” Drustan yelled.
Lomay hobbled over to them as quickly as he could.
“If you step out of the barrier, your people will die,” Lomay said. “You have almost no magic and no way of getting to the city. Think, Alcander.”
Alcander stilled in Drustan’s arms, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“What are we going to do?” Emane asked, the wobble in his voice betraying his worry.
Alcander thrashed again. “Let go of me, Drustan!”
“He called me by name. Does that mean he is calm enough to let go?”
Emane cracked. “Drustan!” he roared. “This is not the time for jokes!”
Drustan released Alcander, who smoothed his shirt down with shaking hands. “We can’t just let her fight the Shadow by herself. She doesn’t have anything left either.”
“We might not have a choice,” Lomay said, staring out in the direction of the city. “We can’t go anywhere until we have enough magic to get us there undetected.”
***
THE MOMENT KIORA FELT the precious little magic she had draining, she pulled the mesh sleeve off the talisman and put up her bubble. They were getting very close to the city, and obviously Jasmine was already there. Kiora cursed the timing of her vision. Why not yesterday?
At least with Jasmine so close, the magical defenses in the villages would be down and Kiora could use the door at the tree. The last thing she needed was Jasmine knowing the location of another exit.
As the
y came over the village nearest the entrance, Kiora’s mouth went dry. Jasmine was striding into the lake, just as she had seen in her vision. But what she had not seen was the water peeling away from the lake floor, pulling up into walls of water on either side. With every step she took, more water swept out of her way, adding to the ever-growing walls. Kiora had done something similar in Meros, but nothing so grand.
Arturo sped toward the first entrance, nearly falling to his knees when he abruptly dropped to the ground.
Kiora fumbled the talisman into the notch, holding the Light with her other arm. “You will have to come in,” Kiora said as the door swung open.
Underground is no place for a Pegasus. I will go back for the others.
Kiora just nodded as she stepped through Nestor’s security check. She kept her thoughts guarded as Arturo flew off. She wasn’t worried about him being seen—no one had any magic to attack with anyway—but she was worried about him making it back in time. Dread seeped through her as the magic released her, a dread that she couldn’t explain.
Screams erupted from the long corridor. She ran. Entering the main chamber, she looked up, stopping short. Where water had once been and fish swam lazily back and forth stood Jasmine, glaring down at the magical barrier.
Water towered hundreds of feet on either side of her. She was not only controlling the water, but pulling wind to secure it. A whirlwind screamed through the tunnel of water, sending Jasmine’s hair snapping around her, her cloak twisting and turning like a river of blood.
The panic from the women and children in the main chamber seemed to lessen upon Kiora’s appearance, which made the dread infinitely worse. She could tell Jasmine wasn’t sure what to do yet, the way her eyes were shifting around the barrier, looking for a way to thwart it.
All eyes were fixed on Kiora as she walked through the terrified silence into the middle of the courtyard right beneath Jasmine’s feet. She could see the questions in their eyes, asking her what they should do. She didn’t know. With Jasmine blocking magic, none of them could bubble. Sending them running out of the exits was certain death. And she couldn’t ask for help. With both talismans in use, it was just her and Jasmine.