by Evelyn Skye
At least the nap had done her some good. She still didn’t know how the four of them could save a kingdom, but she wasn’t drowning in utter despair anymore. The wheels in her brain creaked, eager to turn and come up with a plan.
But there was also something else. Sora finally understood Empress Aki’s imperial crest, the one with the crowned tiger and the words “Dignity. Benevolence. Loyalty.”
It was about giving yourself to something bigger.
Sora took a deep breath. What lay ahead of them was going to be the most difficult task they had ever faced. She had to be prepared.
“We should start brainstorming our next steps,” Sora said.
“I’ll wake Fairy and Wolf.” Broomstick rose and headed to the back of the hall.
A few seconds later, he yelped.
Fear rose like an alarm in Sora’s chest as she sprinted to help him. Were they being attacked?
When she reached Broomstick, though, it was apparent he didn’t need help. At least, not in the way Sora had imagined.
Fairy was still next to Daemon, but he wasn’t a furry, electric-blue wolf anymore. He was six feet two inches of stark-naked, tautly muscled boy on a bed of tablecloths. The only hint of his wolfishness was his hair, which had lost its black taiga dye in his transformation and was now its natural midnight blue.
Sora’s jaw dropped, her pulse beating traitorously at double time.
“Good gods, you two!” Broomstick said. “I don’t normally care what you do on your own time, but here? When Spirit and I were twenty yards away?”
Both Fairy and Daemon seemed just as shocked as Broomstick and Sora, though. Daemon curled up into a ball and desperately heaped tablecloths on himself to cover up. Fairy had sprung to her feet and leaped away from him, her eyes wide.
“It’s n-not . . . ,” she said. “We didn’t . . .”
“When did I turn back into a human?” Daemon asked, curling more tightly into himself.
The four of them stood frozen for another moment, brains trying to catch up with the scene before them.
Suddenly, Broomstick snorted. “You had no idea he was naked, did you?” he said to Fairy.
“None.” She shook her head to emphasize the point.
The real evidence, though, was the hot rush of Daemon’s embarrassment through his and Sora’s gemina bond. He was absolutely mortified.
“Oh, Daemon.” Sora summoned her cloak from the other side of the room. It flew swiftly to him, and he yanked it to his body. Her poor gemina. He was possibly a demigod, but he was also still the boy she knew, self-conscious and uncertain in his magic. They didn’t know the extent of his powers or how to control them, and this surprise was an unfortunate result.
“We’ll find an extra set of clothes for you in the councilmembers’ rooms,” Sora said. “You can join us when you’re, uh, ready.”
“Thanks,” Daemon said, his embarrassment still burning through their bond.
Sora began to walk away, with Fairy and Broomstick right behind her. She almost expected a joke from one of them, Broomstick especially, about how teasing Fairy and Daemon was part of his sacred duty as a best friend.
But there wasn’t a single word. Their usual lighthearted banter was gone, as if the weight of Prince Gin’s fledgling reign was already taking its toll.
Everything had changed.
Chapter Four
Sora sat cross-legged on the floor and nibbled on a piece of fish jerky. Broomstick restrained himself and ate only half a package of rice crackers, saving some for the others. It was all they could find in the pantry, since most of the food left behind after the ryuu’s attack had already spoiled. Fairy scrunched her nose as she took a piece of jerky. “I miss sweet red beans and pancakes from the mess hall.”
Broomstick nodded. “And pork sausages and fried eggs and steamed rice with breakfast pickles.”
“Rose-apple jam and buttery rolls,” Fairy said.
“Forest mushroom tarts and seaweed scrambles,” Broomstick added.
Sora’s stomach rumbled. Of the four of them, she was the one who usually waxed poetic about food.
Daemon walked toward them, fully dressed now, and dropped beside Sora with a heavy sigh. He folded his long legs beneath him.
Everyone shifted awkwardly, as if the noise of their shuffling would spare them from having to talk about the earlier incident.
Broomstick was the first to speak. “Stale cracker?” He held out the package.
Daemon shook his head and sighed again. The sensation dribbled through Sora’s gemina bond, a mixture of frustration and resignation, like soggy autumn leaves being trampled in the mud.
“I didn’t mind being an electric wolf in the middle of battle,” he said, “but gods dammit. I’d really like to get a handle on what these powers are and how to control them so I can avoid . . . well, you know.”
Sora reached over and patted his knee. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
“Yeah,” Daemon said without much conviction.
“You should really eat something,” she said, taking the rice crackers from Broomstick and pressing them into Daemon’s hand. “Everything seems worse when you’re hungry. At least that’s true for me. But don’t worry, the four of us will work this out.” She managed to dig up a smile for his sake.
“And I’m sure Spirit has already thought of a plan,” Fairy piped up. “She’s always got something up her sleeve. Right?”
Sora worried her lip. “Well, sort of. We obviously need to destroy Prince Gin. If we can kill him, we cut the head off the dragon, and the body can’t function without him. No one else can control minds like he can. Without a leader, maybe the ryuu will fall apart. Plus, that will free the taigas from his hypnosis.
“We also need to figure out if Empress Aki is still alive. If she is, we’ll have to rescue her.”
Daemon let out a scoff of a laugh.
“What?” Sora said.
“That’s too much to expect of us.” He sat hunched over, looking smaller than usual. “We can’t do it.”
“I admit I’ve thought that, too,” Fairy said. “But we don’t have a choice. We have to save Kichona.”
“Are you listening to yourselves?” Daemon asked. “There are only four of us. Prince Gin has an entire army with superior magic. He hypnotized two hundred people—civilians—to murder themselves. And he captured the empress. Don’t you see? We’ve already lost.”
“And what should we do instead?” Broomstick asked, crossing his arms across his chest. “Flee from Kichona to save ourselves? Those are our friends back there. We grew up with them in the tenderfoot nursery, sparred with them since we were old enough to hold weapons and cast spells, and stayed up way too late playing cards and drinking cheap rice wine. You really want to abandon them all?”
“You’re making me sound like an asshole,” Daemon said.
“That’s not what he means,” Sora said. “Trust me, we’re all beaten down, too. You say we’ve already lost. You’re right. If the four of us don’t step up, then every single one of our friends is lost. Right now, Prince Gin has control of their minds. He’s brainwashed them to love him, to want to charge into battle and die for him.
“Maybe we’ll fail. But if we don’t try, then it’s all over for everyone we know and love. We owe it to them—and to Kichona—to take down the Dragon Prince and restore our kingdom to how it’s supposed to be.”
They were quiet for a minute. Then Daemon let out a long breath. “I feel sorry for our kingdom that all they get is our ragtag crew.” But there was a slight lift in the corner of his mouth, and she knew he was in, even if reluctantly.
“We don’t look that bad,” Fairy said.
“Actually, we do,” Sora said. “But no one said heroes had to be pretty.”
“Wait a minute,” Broomstick said. “You want to rescue Empress Aki. How do we even know she’s alive? She might be dead.”
“If she is, then the Dragon Prince is the true ruler of Kichona,” D
aemon said, “and even without being compelled, the people would be obligated to carry out every one of his deluded, twisted wishes.”
Reality killed the momentary high Sora had felt from rousing her friends. She frowned. “We don’t know that the empress is alive. But until we’re certain she’s dead, I think we should assume the opposite and that she needs our help. The last time I saw her, she had a knife at her throat, but they didn’t kill her. If Prince Gin wanted his sister dead, wouldn’t he have done it then? It would have had greater effect at the Ceremony of Two Hundred Hearts, in front of a crowd.”
Broomstick nodded slowly. “Good point. But how do we find her?”
“The Imperial City seems like a good bet,” Sora said. “Not much time has passed—she could still be there.”
“Return to the dragon’s den so soon after we escaped?” Daemon asked. “That’s suicide.”
“We could save a lot of lives if we go back,” Sora argued, waving a piece of fish jerky for emphasis. “Not only the empress’s, because we’ll also kill Prince Gin if we can. He’s bringing war to Kichona. If we thought the Ceremony of Two Hundred Hearts was bad, just wait until he antagonizes all seven of the kingdoms on the mainland. Their armies and navies will fight back by coming here and slaughtering millions of innocent Kichonans. We have to stop Prince Gin.”
“I say we blow up that mind-stealing bastard.” Broomstick’s fingers moved as if already imagining the explosives he’d rig for the purpose.
Daemon groaned. “Couldn’t we find somewhere quiet and let me work on my magic first? We don’t stand a fighting chance if we face the Dragon Prince right now.”
Sora shook her head. “What if it takes us months to figure out how to change you from wolf to human? For you to hone your electricity into a weapon? How much damage will Prince Gin have done by then?”
Daemon sagged as if deflated. Dammit. Sora should have known better. He’d never been great with magic, and now she’d basically said as much, demigod power or not. It was like hitting an exposed nerve with a sledgehammer.
“I’m sorry,” Sora said. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine.” He huddled over his knees.
“No, it’s not.” She moved over to him and held him by the shoulders, forcing him to look her in the eyes. “You’re more powerful than ever before, and you’ve already saved us, twice, in the short time since you discovered your abilities. You’re invaluable. I’m sorry that what I said came out the wrong way. I only meant that we don’t understand what your magic is yet, and it’s going to take time to figure it out. Together. But we can’t lose the element of surprise while the ryuu are regrouping—it’s all we have right now.”
He held her gaze for a moment, in a way that made Sora tingle, as if the sparks from his wolf form were still somehow inside the human version of him and traveling through their gemina bond. He was strong in ways that she wasn’t and vulnerable in other ways that she could complement. If he was the sky at night, she was the earth in the day, and together, they were one.
But then Fairy said, “She’s right, Wolfie. You’re incredible.”
Daemon blinked. He looked over at Fairy and actually smiled.
He may be mine in some ways, but he’s not in others, Sora reminded herself. And I’m happy that he has Fairy. She’s brave and bold and beautiful—everything he deserves.
However, it took more effort than Sora wanted to convince herself of that. But what could she do? She couldn’t have Daemon. It was against Society Code. And he didn’t want her; he was with Fairy. If Sora was a good friend, she’d stop whining to herself and be happy for them.
Sora swallowed the truth, but it went down like bitter tonic.
Broomstick chewed on his nails, studying all three of them. He made a small noise under his breath.
“What?” Sora said.
“Nothing.”
She frowned.
But he just moved on. “Really, it’s not important. Tell us the plan. That’s what matters right now.”
Sora sighed. He was right.
“We’ll go back to the Imperial City,” she said, “and cross the Field of Illusions together. Once we’re all across, I think we should split up into pairs. Fairy and Broomstick know every room, corridor, and hidden passageway in the Citadel, so they’ll search for Empress Aki there. Daemon and I will look for her in Prince Gin’s castle.”
“How long until we regroup?” Broomstick said. “We should set a rendezvous time.”
“Good idea. Is four hours enough?”
“Too long,” Daemon said. “We don’t know what we’re walking into. Although it’s probably a death trap.”
“Come on. I know it’s daunting, but we can do this,” Sora said. “Besides, they’ve just taken over the Imperial City. They’re probably still cleaning up after a massive battle, shepherding newly converted taigas into training, and settling into a new castle. The ryuu can’t possibly be organized yet.”
Fairy leaned in. “How about three hours? It’s enough time to cover the most likely places the empress could be kept prisoner. And if anything seems even a little suspicious, we abort.”
“I like it,” Sora said. “Three hours from when we split up, we’ll meet in the chestnut grove in Jade Forest. Remember, the number one priority is rescuing Empress Aki.”
“And if we have a shot at killing the Dragon Prince?” Daemon asked.
Sora swallowed. “If we have a chance to kill Prince Gin, we take it.”
Chapter Five
Daemon’s clothes were only a little damp by the time they reached the Imperial City. They’d wanted to come back right away, but because he couldn’t yet summon his wolf powers at will, he couldn’t fly them there, which meant they needed to budget enough time to swim across the channel from Isle of the Moon to Kichona’s main island, then make their way on foot from the coast to the Imperial City before infiltrating the Dragon Prince’s castle. Even with sailfish and cheetah spells, the journey would take a couple hours. Plus, there was the time required to actually search for Empress Aki and, hopefully, kill Prince Gin. Besides, this wasn’t the sort of mission one rushed through. So they’d decided to wait until sunset to break into the city.
Honestly, Daemon still doubted their ability to save the kingdom on their own, but if the rest of them were in, he was, too, and he would do everything he could to keep them safe.
Now, as the cloak of night settled over the kingdom, he, Sora, Fairy, and Broomstick stood on the edge of the Field of Illusions. Its black-and-white sands shifted incessantly in dizzying optical illusions. Sometimes there were whirlpool-like spirals that seemed to suck the sand into the ground. Other times, diamond fractals kept changing color, making them hard to keep track of. And then there were the constantly moving black-and-white waves that rocked the brain into a kind of psychological seasickness. Only taigas could traverse the Field of Illusions successfully; any non-taigas who wanted to enter the Imperial City needed a warrior to escort them across. Otherwise, they’d lose their way.
“How do you want to do this?” Sora asked. There were many ways to approach crossing the obstacle; the only common thread was not to look at the changing patterns, because they were meant to cause confusion.
“Broomstick and I are going to use mole spells,” Fairy said.
“I don’t really feel like digging tonight,” Sora said. “But you two go ahead.”
Daemon knew that wasn’t why she objected, though. She did it for him. Mole spells allowed taigas to burrow beneath the illusions and travel quickly, but for a boy who constantly craved the openness of the sky, being buried under several feet of sand was more than a little anxiety inducing for Daemon. Sora had spoken up so he didn’t have to admit yet another weakness. Gratefulness overflowed in Daemon’s chest, like a mug of beer filled to the brim, foam spilling out of the glass.
He looked at the Citadel, several hundred yards away. With the onset of night, the ryuu had lit torches on the tops of the fortress walls. “We can
use hydra spells,” Daemon said to Sora. “We’ll be blind to the shifting sand but drawn by the torchlight.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They pinched their fingers into their respective mudras and chanted the spells. Sora’s, Fairy’s, and Broomstick’s took immediately, but Daemon’s spell didn’t. I really wish I could just turn on some wolf magic whenever I wanted it, he thought. Finally, after the fourth attempt, he got the mudra right.
His vision darkened, as if he was looking into an endless cave. But in the distance, flickers of light glowed, and Daemon was drawn to them as if by magnetic pull.
“We’ll meet you at the Citadel wall,” Broomstick said.
He and Fairy dove into the Field of Illusions, spraying sand on Daemon.
“Ready?” Sora asked.
“Ready. Focus on the torchlight.”
It took them thirty minutes to cross, although it felt twice as long. When they finally reached the base of the Citadel gates, Daemon and Sora hurried to where Fairy and Broomstick were pressed against the fortress walls to avoid being seen by guard patrols.
“We have a problem,” Fairy said when Sora joined them. “How do we get in?”
The looming gates were meant to admit only those who were supposed to enter. Which, at the moment, did not include the four apprentices trying to take down everyone behind said ten-story gates.
Daemon looked up, and up. Even with the stone staircase the ryuu had built in their attempt to breach the Citadel during the battle here, there was too much distance left to the top of the fortress. The walls were as slick as if they’d been greased with oil. They couldn’t just cast gecko spells to scale them.
It’d be awfully helpful if he could fly. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember what it was like the moment he’d turned into a wolf, how the magic had coursed through him like rivers of electricity and how he’d hurled himself into the air on instinct and managed to stay there. But try as he might, Daemon couldn’t recall the exact moment of transformation. In fact, he hadn’t even realized he’d changed from human to something else until after he’d rescued Sora from plunging to her death. So it was impossible for him to re-create the feeling now.