by Gwen Knight
“Hit her with it as hard as you can.” Markos demanded, pacing a large circle behind Oren.
“You sure about this?” Oren asked me.
But I nodded. Nothing was getting past my wall.
“All right…” He stepped back and pulled back his arm, then he pitched the fireball at me with all his strength.
The moment it took off, I realized he’d put some magic into it. The force of the thing flying at me would have been enough to knock over a horse. Instead, it glanced off my wall and fizzled to nothing, much like the last.
Oren’s laughter startled me. “Astounding.”
Markos stalked toward me, his one eye slitted as though considering my abilities. “I’m going to step in front of you. I want you to project your wall out toward me. Imagine it as a battering ram. Don’t stop to think about what you’re doing. Just lash out.”
“You want me to hit you with it?”
“If that’s how you need to envision it,” he commented. “Some people who are efficient at shields can sometimes strike out with it. Imagine I’m Dask. I’ve realized magic isn’t working, so I’m about to resort to brute strength. I tower over you, I’m stronger, faster, and have been trained. I’m going to grab at your shoulder, and when I do, I want you to force me backward. Use your wall and project it outwards. Throw it at me.”
I bit down on my bottom lip but nodded. The concept sounded easy enough, but I didn’t like the thought of him touching me. Oren’s words from last night had left a sour taste in my mouth for him. But this was important. If he had an ulterior motive, or some plan to remove Oren and take the throne for himself, I would need to step in. I liked Markos’ dream of free witches, but I didn’t trust him. He possessed that same hard edge as Arik—the same any means necessary type approach. Oren was grounded, reliable, trustworthy. Three qualities I didn’t get from Markos.
He came at me. His hand came down on my shoulder, but before he could grab me, I threw the giant brick wall at him. I felt the moment it connected with him. But it was the sight of Markos flying through the air and landing in a pile of fluffy snow that stole my breath.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
I dropped the wall completely and ran after him, apologizing over and over.
“Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled as he pushed to his feet and dusted off the snow. “Blessed winter, it felt like I’d actually run headfirst into a wall.” He rubbed his chest and cleared his throat.
“I didn’t think it’d be so forceful…”
“Keira, it’s fine,” he laughed. “And it’s great to know you have the means of protecting yourself. The most important thing tomorrow is to keep you out of Dask’s grasp. He won’t hurt you, but he’ll try to control you. If he manages that…” Markos’ eyes shifted toward Oren. “That’d be bad news for us all.”
The three of us stood silently in the snow. I knew how to read between the lines. It was clear he was worried about Oren’s and my developing relationship, and I had to admit, I didn’t blame him. If something went wrong…if Dask managed to capture Oren, he’d have control over me. The one thing Dask wanted above all else.
“All I have to do is touch him,” I whispered. “That’s simple, right?”
“We can only hope,” Markos commented. “Before we head out tomorrow, I’d like if you could spread all your atern around to my people. They’re going to need a boost before we head out.”
I nodded. Truth be told, I was eager to give some of it away. Too much power made me feel antsy.
“Good. Keep practicing. It’d be nice to know what else she excels at before we go,” Markos dictated before he turned and started toward the house.
I watched as he headed home, then froze at the sight of Logan standing in the doorway watching. I took a step toward him, intending on smoothing things over, but the moment I did, he pushed off the door frame and stormed off.
“Don’t worry about him,” Oren commented. “Right now our only focus needs to be on Dask and infiltrating the estate. Everything else can come later.”
If there was a later. I understood Oren’s words, but a part of me longed to go after Logan. Fix things between us, settle this ache I felt beneath my breast. If tomorrow went sour, now might be my only chance to make things right.
“Keira.” Oren’s fingers brushed against my arm.
I turned toward him with a soft smile. He was right. Now wasn’t the time. I had to focus on learning as much magic as I could between now and tomorrow. A tall order. One day certainly wasn’t enough to perfect any sort of skills, but Markos didn’t want to wait any longer. Apparently, some were already beginning to question Arik’s and Oren’s absences.
“I will be with you every step of the way,” Oren assured me. “I have no intention of you taking Dask on. I intend to distract him, which will allow you to come up from behind and touch him.”
“And his guards?”
A sick look crossed his face. “If everything goes well, the guards will be off doing guard things. Hopefully the others will be able to distract them all.”
“If everything goes well…” I repeated. That sounded like a bad omen. “What are the chances of the guards leaving Dask without protection when the estate is under siege?”
From Oren’s grimace, the chances weren’t great.
16
The Crossing was certainly a devastating event for Osvea. Whereas the city once thrived off magic, it is now barren and empty. The skies were once aglow with the power we hoarded here, with the people clad in their best clothing and adorned with the most beautiful gems. Osvea sparkled near and far. Those within Faction Fourteen often travelled miles to take in the splendor of their capitol. But with The Crossing came a severe change. The skies grew dim and dormant, and soon a thick layer of snow covered the entire faction. But Osvea was hit the hardest. We all await the day when this damned winter will come to an end.
— From Osvea: A History, by Michal Humner
The moment someone knocked on my door, I knew to expect Oren on the other side. The night before the big event—I had a feeling he’d come to me. So, when I opened the door and found Logan on the other side, I was speechless.
“Can we talk?” he asked, his voice quiet.
I closed my mouth and nodded, then stood aside and allowed him to enter the room. He strode in, his focus narrowed on the bed and his mouth grim.
His reticence stretched into an uncomfortable silence, one that had me fidgeting next to the door. When I couldn’t take it any longer, I half-closed it.
“You know, I always forget you were raised among them.”
I drew in a deep breath. So that was how he wanted to start this? I strode to the bed and sat down, pulling a pillow onto my lap. “I wasn’t raised among them, Logan. I was their hostage.”
My words seemed to spark a fresh wave of anger. “Then how can you…” He gestured toward the bed, a disgusted sound slipping past his lips.
I sat back and considered my words. I contemplated telling him whom I slept with was none of his business, but it was. He was my best friend—my only friend. He had every right to be concerned about me.
“He took advantage of you,” Logan spat.
His words took me aback. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”
“Your father just died! And he was on you that same night.”
“Well, the next day,” I clarified.
Logan’s eyes widened. “You think this is funny?”
“A bit.” All right, I reined my smile back in. “Logan, Oren didn’t take advantage of me. Not in the least.”
“He waited until you were vulnerable! What kind of a man does that?”
“The kind who simply laid here all night with me and let me cry on him.” I responded. “Oren did not take advantage of me. You haven’t been with us since the beginning. Why do you think I went back to help him in the Foundry? There’s been something between us for a while now.”
“A while.” Logan sneered and turned awa
y from me. “You’ve known him for, like, a week.”
“True. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”
“But you’ve known me your whole life!”
“It’s not as black and white as that. You were my best friend until I was fourteen. But you’re twenty-six now. That’s a long time apart.”
He whirled back toward me. “But I never stopped caring about you.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“For you to just…jump into bed with him. A fae.”
“That fae risked his life to free me—”
“Sure, when it was convenient to him!” Logan shouted. “Where was your knight in shining armor before that?”
Ouch. But if he wanted to play that way… “And where were you?”
Logan froze. “What?”
“Oren wasn’t the only one who never tried to help me.”
He stumbled back a step. “Y—You made a choice. You went to Osvea willingly.”
“There was nothing willing about it.”
“All right. But I tried to convince you to run away.”
“Yes, once. A horrible plan that wasn’t thought out. Where would we have gone? How would we have removed the bracelets? What would we have done if Arik found us? Which he would have. Oren had a plan. A means to remove the bracelets, a place to go.”
“So you slept with him.”
I sighed and threw the pillow back against the bed. “I slept with him because I care about him. Do you understand that?”
“You used to hate the fae.”
“Yup.” I pushed to my feet and closed the distance between us. “And then I realized things weren’t so black and white. These people are nothing like the ones I’m accustomed to dealing with. They want our freedom, and they want to help us. Not every fae is the same. Much like how not every human is the same. Remember the humans who tried to lynch me the last time I was in the Foundry?”
“And what about afterward? Have you given any thought to that? You think the fae are going to let you rule alongside Oren?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”
“Didn’t think about that, did you?” A snide grin crossed his face. “You’re human. No way they’re going to let you rule beside him.”
“I—I never intended to.”
“You intend to put him in control of Osvea, don’t you?” When I didn’t respond, Logan pushed forward. “They’ll never accept you.”
“They’ll accept her.”
I turned toward the voice, surprised to find Oren leaning against the door frame. I hadn’t noticed him there. How long had he been listening?
Logan spun toward him, his face a tight knot. “Really. Because they’ve been so welcoming before.”
“They’ll accept her once they see what it means to integrate witches into society again. My people miss the days before, when our city shone with magic and power, when we were a people of splendor. With the witches free, they can return to that lifestyle.”
Logan scoffed under his breath. “And you think just tossing Keira into the mix will fix everything?”
“No. It’ll take time. But I have faith in my people. I have faith that we can fix what was done. Is it such a terrible idea to try?”
Logan’s mouth twisted. “I will never live among your people.”
“And that’s your choice.” Oren pushed off the frame and entered the room, coming to a stop at my side. When he brushed against me, I felt a swell of comfort rise within me. “The whole point of this is to give your people something you’ve never been given before. A chance. But it’s your choice if you want to take that opportunity or not. I won’t lie. We’ll need as many witches as possible to restore Osvea. I plan on petitioning some other cities and requesting some of the witches, with the knowledge that they’d be freed.”
I stared up at Oren, shock rendering me speechless. “You are?”
He glanced at me, a soft smile curving his lips. “I made you a promise. I intend to keep it.”
Logan strode toward the door. “You two are living in your own little world if you think this is going to work. They will never accept you, Keira. Never.” Without another word, he strode out of the room, his anger following in a heated wake.
“Wow,” Oren finally murmured after a moment’s pause.
“There will be others like him,” I murmured. “Afraid to take the first step. Those who can’t let go of the past.”
“We’ll overcome it,” he promised me. “I know we never talked about what us being together means for Osvea—”
“And let’s not,” I said. “At least not right now. It’s too mindboggling. I just want to get through tomorrow. We’ll worry about the rest once you’re the one in power.”
“Sounds like a plan. But in the meantime…” He waggled his brows and shot a longing glance toward the bed.
Laughter bubbled up in my throat. “Shouldn’t we be sleeping? It’s sort of a big day tomorrow.”
“We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he teased, though his words carried a dark undertone.
Throwing caution to the wind, I stretched onto my tiptoes and slipped my arms around his neck. “So, what are you waiting for then?”
“Why, the magic word, of course,” he teased.
Laughing we tumbled down onto the bed. It wasn’t until Oren had me half-naked that we realized the door was still propped open. A little magic and the door slammed shut.
Oren stared down at me, amazement shining in his eyes. “You’re going to be a force to be reckoned with one day, little one.”
“Ah, it’s just a little magic.”
When we came together, we made our own kind of magic. I’d chosen Oren, and it was the right choice.
Osvea stood in the distance, the estate reaching up into the ashen sky. It stood apart from the rest of the city, which would work in our best interest. Easier to sneak in when we didn’t have to hide from the many peering eyes. As it was, we had to skirt around the edge of the market. An easy task for our fae friends, but more challenging for the rest of us.
Thankfully, it was quite early, and the streets were practically bare. Markos had figured it best to attract the least amount of attention, and we’d agreed. Currently, only a few fae stood in the market. The plan was to send in Taly and three others to distract them, while the rest of us hurried through the alleys. I’d already drawn out a map for Logan and Gavin to lead the others through.
Meanwhile, Oren and I were to sit back and wait until the guards were successfully distracted before making our way into the estate. We were the final part of the plan.
I only hoped it worked.
We stood within the thinning tree line and stared out into the market through the hole in the fence we’d just cut. As a group, we didn’t seem very large, but I had faith this would work. There was no other choice.
This morning before heading out, I’d spread out the extra atern amongst the fae. Logan, myself, and the others didn’t need a boost. Not anymore, thanks to our lack of bracelets. I’d never felt anything quite so freeing—to be able to use my magic without consequence, to feel one with myself. That was the future I was about to fight for. We all deserved this chance.
Oren’s fingers slipped between mine, and I lifted my head, meeting his smile with one of my own. He’d woken this morning, a shining beacon of confidence and strength. We would win the day, he seemed so sure of it. And I could only trust in him.
“All right.” Markos stepped forward, his face a tight knot as he eyed each of us. “You know the plan. Launch the attack, keep the guards busy. Don’t allow them to return to the estate. We need Dask vulnerable and without so much protection. If you can incapacitate the guards, do it, but try not to kill them. They’re only doing their job, after all. Keira, Oren, use the same exits Keira did whenever she slipped out of the estate. Dask won’t be expecting that. Find him, take him out.”
My brows lowered. I’d never told Markos about the specific exits I’d taken when escaping the estate, but perhaps t
hat wasn’t important. Oren had probably already informed him when they’d been sketching out the plan. Which, as a whole, sounded simple enough. Distract the guards, sneak in, reap Dask. Of course, I knew better than that. Nothing was ever as simple as it sounded.
But, as a group, we nodded.
“I’ll accompany Logan and Gavin,” Markos informed us, “in case there are any issues.”
That was new. I glanced over at Logan to see how he felt about that. I offered him a crooked smile, hoping for a similar response. Instead, he turned his gaze back toward the city with a grim expression.
“Let’s do this, people. In a few hours, we’ll have Osvea under control.”
A series of agreements rose up, and then one-by-one, Oren and I watched as everyone dispersed until only the two of us remained.
“You know, during our epic escape, I never imagined us breaking back into Osvea,” I teased.
“Mmm, and it was epic. You could barely stand to touch me then.”
I laughed as the memory swept me up. At the time, even touching his arm had disgusted me. Strange to think so much had changed since then. It felt like a lifetime ago, when in truth, it’d been just a little more than a week.
“Keira…”
I shook my head. I knew that tone of voice. The if we don’t make it tone, and I didn’t want to hear it.
“No, I want you to listen to me.” He brushed his knuckles against my cheek as his bright eyes burned into mine. “If something goes wrong, if I die…”
My breath hitched.
“I want you to find Logan and the others and get out of Osvea. Don’t trust Markos. Don’t let him sway you into trying again. Understand?”
I frowned. “What? No. Nothing is going to happen to you—”
“I’m serious,” he snapped. “My uncle is just as power hungry as Dask. If we fail, if I die, it’ll either be by Dask’s hand, or Markos’. And you might not be able to know which. Don’t trust him. Reap Markos if you have to. Just get out and find some place safe. Don’t let them steal the rest of your life.”