by Leia Stone
“Lovable. Kind. Caring. I know. But they’re also weak sauce.” Sipping at her coffee, she glared at me over the rim.
“Why are you mad at me?” I huffed, pushing the afghan to the end of the couch while trying to detangle my legs.
“Because. I only had two hours of sleep—” she raised her eyebrows “—because of you. Kian and Snade had a pair of henchman sniffing around the spirit compound, probably trying to take you out before you could complete the initiation.”
My eyes widened.
Take me out.
“How do you know it was Kian … and Snade. Also, who is Snade?”
“Snade is the high mage of fire,” she said, sitting at the now empty space on the couch. “His cousin is Master Carn—from Alpha Academy.”
I scowled at the mention of my lame-ass fire teacher.
She waved me off as if she knew I’d have a million more questions. “And as for the henchmen, Bruno and Max got them, so thanks for your concern.”
“Sorry—”
“I know it’s not really your fault. Still, whenever they catch one of those bastards, it makes me paranoid, so I stayed up roaming the halls to make sure no one else got in.”
I gulped. “Who are Bruno and Max?”
She grinned—a fierce and wild look that made me draw back. “Magicked-Dobermans. Meanest suckers in the entire realm. Remind me to introduce you and the black furball to them so they know you’re friendly. It’d be bad news if they killed you, thinking you were an intruder.”
Honor peeled back his lips and snarled.
“Are you serious?” I asked as my eyes narrowed. “Or do you have a really sick sense of humor?”
“Both,” Reyna said and took another long drink of her coffee before she stood. “The summons said to be in the quad at 6 o’clock. You’ve got twenty minutes to eat, shower, and be ready to rock and roll.”
Summons? Twenty minutes!
I burst from the couch and ran to the kitchenette, only to see she’d brewed an entire pot of coffee. Scrambled eggs and buttered toast sat in a skillet on the hotplate as well, enough to feed at least three of me, and I furrowed my brow as I tried to figure out the second eldest alpha heir from Harvest Clan.
“May I have this?” I wouldn’t touch it if it was her breakfast—even though I wanted to.
She nodded. “I made extra.”
A smile pulled at my lips. “That was sweet. Reminds me of Kaja.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “I put some of my battle clothes on the counter in the bathroom.” She shooed me. “Now, hurry up and get ready. I’ll meet you outside.”
Then she left the office and shut the door.
Did she say battle clothes?
Hah. Gramps was right. Reyna was a total sweetie with a hard exterior. Well, maybe not total sweetie, but I liked her.
I shoveled eggs and toast into my mouth in between gulps of the lukewarm black coffee. It all tasted meh, but I was beyond caring right now. This initiation was the only thing standing in the way of me getting to see Rage, and I needed to make sure he understood why I left.
After setting the mostly-full skillet on the ground for Honor, I jumped into the shower.
Reyna had left me stretchy black pants that looked and felt like leggings, as well as a long sleeve cotton shirt. Both the top and pants had leather pieces sewn into the fabric placed strategically on the elbows, forearms, upper arms, chest, thighs, knees, and shins. There were even pads built into the clothes. Geeze. What kinds of things were involved in this “initiation?”
I guess there was only one way to find out.
Once I was ready, Reyna escorted me back to Grandpa’s castle at a full-on sprint.
“If you’re so much as a minute late, you can bet your ass Kian’s going to pull a stunt,” she said.
Was a day off from life-threatening danger too much to ask? Or maybe even twelve hours? Apparently, for me, the answer was yes.
“Kian’s going to pull a stunt no matter what time I show up,” I said, pulling to a stop when my side twinged. “If I don’t slow down, there’s a good chance I’ll throw up my breakfast.”
She reluctantly slowed.
“How’s Gramps?” I asked, keeping a brisk pace.
She swallowed hard. “Still asleep—or he was when I left. He gave strict instructions to not be disturbed until it’s his turn for your initiation.” We stepped into the night-darkened foyer of the castle to find my aunt pacing and muttering to herself as she wrung her hands.
“If she’s not here soon…” Sariah said as she reached the end of the room and spun, her gaze brightening as soon as she saw me. “There you are!” Sariah raced over to me, tugging me close for a tight hug.
The scent of freesia and cocoa powder clung to her, and she patted her hand down my back, almost like she was assuring herself that I was all in one piece.
“I wanted to come say hi to you when I got home but knew you needed your rest.” She pulled back and studied me. “You look so much like your mother.”
Her words gave me sentimental whiplash, and emotion clogged my throat. I was so happy to see her again.
“So do you,” I told her, taking in her silvery hair and sharp chin. I was long overdue for a visit to the spirit realm to actually get to know my mom and bio dad, but that was one more thing on my to-do list that’d have to wait. 98.5% lame.
She grinned.
Reyna cleared her throat, and Sariah jumped.
“Oh dear. You need to hurry. You’re going to be late.” She raised her gaze to Reyna and said, “The high mage of water will meet you in the quad. He’ll take Nai for the first part of her initiation. After you drop her there, come straight back. Don’t let Kian or his men bait you into staying. It’s against the rules, and we have to play by the rules.”
Reyna nodded sagely. “Yes, ma’am.”
Then my grandfather’s shield pulled the front door open. The early morning sky was still pitch black overhead, but in the east, the darkness had been wrung from the horizon, and the sunlight continued to leach away the depth of night. The cool morning temperatures kissed my hands and face, and my heart flipped with anticipation.
Soon enough, I’d be done with this and racing back to Rage.
Sariah kissed me on the cheek and then whispered, “Be respectful, but don’t cut them any slack if they get out of hand.” She looked me in the eye. “Elia said one of them tried to kill her during her initiation. There’s no such thing as benefit of the doubt.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t trust them a bit.”
She smiled, and I turned to follow Reyna, who was already down the steps and waiting for me a dozen paces into the courtyard. More bushy hedges lined the area, and several breaks in the flora indicated wandering paths. The deciduous trees were stripped bare of their leaves, but the evergreens rose into the sky. On the other end of the courtyard was a stone wall at least twenty feet high, and a wrought-iron gate was guarded by two massive Dobermans—each one as big as Rage’s wolf.
As I bounded down the steps to meet the guard dogs, Sariah gasped behind me. I leapt down onto the flagstone patio and spun to face her, my eyes wide with concern.
She offered me a guilty smile. “I can’t believe I almost forgot to tell you. Your mate, King Courage of Midnight, came to the portal last night trying to find you. I couldn’t tell him anything, but he wanted me to give you a message.” She squinted as if she were trying to remember something. “He said, ‘Tell her I love her, and … please, please come home to me.’”
Home. Rage.
I closed my eyes and let his message sink into my soul. My eyes pricked with tears. I missed him so much it hurt. Even knowing why I left and the importance of my purpose here, guilt sank into my chest. Swallowing back the emotion, I blinked away the tears and gave my aunt a watery smile. “Are you going back there today?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I was, but today is my day off.”
“I understand,” I said, forcing
a smile. “Thanks for the message.”
“Nai!” Reyna hollered. “You’re going to piss off all the high mages if you don’t hurry.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure me being alive, not to mention me being here, pisses them off already.”
My aunt burst into laughter. “I’m sure that’s true. But really, you should go. Good luck.”
Bolstered by Rage’s message, I set off, determined to face whatever obstacles they threw at me and return to him tonight.
Bruno and Max might be fierce—but they showed nothing but enthusiasm for me. As I approached the gate where Rey waited, both of them spun to face me. Then the one on the left whined at Reyna.
“You can play with her later. She’s late!” she told the dogs, and we set off outside of the castle gates. By the time we were halfway across the quad, the sun had peeked over the horizon, and I noticed four more castles, each one spaced an equal distance from its neighbors.
All of the castles had high walls around them, including Grandpa’s. We approached one of the castles, set on a hill, and the sloping elevation drew the eye to the building and not the blockade around it.
“You’re late,” Kian snapped, stepping out from the gate, his blue robe billowing out behind him. “The summons clearly said six o’clock, and timeliness—”
“If you’re going to say timeliness is close to godliness—” I started.
“Timeliness is a mark of respect,” he snarled.
Oh, bite me, you asshat! I wanted to scream.
I looked at Reyna and rolled my eyes. She rewarded me by sucking her lips into her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
I squared off against Kian and folded my arms. “Shall we do this? Or should I go and get my grandfather and tell him you’re refusing to test me?”
He narrowed his eyes at me and growled. “This way.”
Kian merely waved for me to follow him through the gate and into his courtyard. “Your first initiation course is with me.” He pointed at a stone table with a small bench on either side. The top was empty except for one empty drinking glass. To the left, a fountain chortled and bubbled, but instead of being crystal clear, the water appeared brackish and dark with algae. “Please sit. We’ll assess your water knowledge first, and then you’ll proceed to the other elements.” His gaze flicked up to Reyna. “Would you like to stay? Take a seat.”
She pinned him with a glare. “Nice try. You know that’s not allowed. She’ll do this on her own.” She then looked to me, and I nodded nervously. This place looked benign enough, but what if Kian decided to strangle me with a garden hose?
I took a deep breath and shrugged. “Let my grandfather know I’ve made it safely to High Mage Kian’s grounds to start the initiation.”
Reyna let her gaze scan the grounds before returning to me. Then she winked. “I’m sure he’ll keep an eye on you. He does love to spirit walk.”
I turned to Kian just in time to catch his pinched expression before he smoothed it out.
“There’s no need for Geoff to spirit walk. Each obstacle is magically recorded.” He waved at the sky where an iridescent orb floated. “All the masters can watch your progress at their convenience,” Kian said as he led me to the table. He then took the seat nearest the fountain.
As I walked to the other side of his garden bistro table, I tried to not think about the weird drone orb recording us. Maybe that was a good thing, right? Like, if he tried to kill me, all of the high mages, including Gramps, would know it.
“Tell me, mage heir,” he said, clasping his hands on the table. “Have you had any training with water at that alpha school?”
I decided to treat him like a normal professor and not someone who had tried to kill me. If I was going to make it here, I needed to be fake nice to everyone, at least, for now. Politics, right?
“Yes, sir.” I gave him a sugary smile.
“You know, I’m curious: how were you able to exhibit so much power at the capture the flag final on Alpha Island?” He leaned forward, pressing into my personal space. “Do tell?”
My guard went up. Maybe that power wasn’t something I was supposed to have.
“That’s the weirdest thing,” I said, giving him a wide-eyed fake smile. “I have amnesia about that night. Maybe all the stress? Or maybe I fell and hit my head.” I shrugged. “What power do you mean?”
His expression morphed into a visage of anger.
Did I trust him? Not even 0.1%.
He gritted his teeth and gestured to the empty glass on the table.
“Fill it. This is your test.”
What the mage?
“That’s it?” I asked, letting the mass of power within me relax. I teased out my powers, thinking of cool spring water, blue, buoyant, and soothing. “You just want me to fill the glass with water? No tricks?”
“No tricks,” he said, pointing to the fountain behind him. “Just pull enough water from there to fill the glass—” he waved, and a stream of the brackish water curled through the air and poured into the glass, stopping an inch below the rim—“like that.”
I watched as most of the green and brown sediment settled to the bottom, but the water remained silty and cloudy.
Kian grabbed the glass and emptied it onto the ground, and the liquid seeped into the dirt at my feet. Then he sat the empty glass before me on the table.
Okay, here goes nothing. My gaze flicked to the orb floating above me, and I wondered if Gramps was watching.
After a deep breath, I relaxed and teased out bits of magic from the dense sensation of power within me: loamy earth, refreshing water, and crisp, cool air. Then I reached out with my water power, funneling it toward the fountain where a colorful, iridescent, magical netting seemed to overlay the entire surface of the water.
Weird.
I unfurled my magic toward the surface like casting a fishing rod—
Bam!
Something cracked, and my power recoiled, snapping back into me with such force it felt like a punch to the solar plexus.
I sucked in a sharp breath, gasping and bending forward.
“Mage heir?” Kian said, his faux concern as convincing as if he’d declared adoration. “Do you not know how to cast magic through a simple protection spell?”
He knew I didn’t. Asshat. At least, the douche was consistent.
I waved for him to back off while I focused inward, regaining my breath. This time, I didn’t bother to tease out any threads of my magic. I didn’t even bother trying to isolate my separate powers—after all, there was a frickin’ rainbow of colors on the barricade over the fountain’s bowl. Maybe I needed all of them. Wasn’t that what being a high mage was all about? Having a small amount of all of the elements?
Instead, I imagined the tangled ball of energy that was my magic to be a solid mass. Like Thor’s huge hammer.
And then I swung my magical sledgehammer at the shimmering obstruction.
A massive explosion pushed outward and threw me backward in my chair and then outward into the air. I flailed and then crashed into a bush, immediately curling into a ball as pieces of stone and concrete rained down.
Kian had been thrown into the air as well and landed somewhere near me.
My ears rang, and I pressed my hands over them, hoping to regain my hearing before the next test. Raising my head, I blinked, trying to see through the silty air, choking on my breath.
The air smelled as nasty as Kian’s water.
With any luck, the douche would be dead … but I doubted it.
And somehow, I still needed to complete his obstacle course.
“That’s one way to break a protection spell,” Kian grumbled, standing. He glared down at me, and I winced at the sight of the broken glass and marble. His courtyard was in utter ruin.
I stood angrily. “Don’t make a protection spell if you don’t want me to break it.” Something was up with that; he’d totally sabotaged me.
“Well, you can’t fill the glass now.” He glanced
at the broken glasses pieces on the ground and crossed his arms with a smirk. “You’ve failed.”
That self-righteous bastard!
The glass was clearly broken, but I wasn’t giving up yet.
“Give me a minute!” I snapped, remembering Sariah’s words about not letting them bully me. I closed my eyes and relaxed, loosening any restrictions on my tangled ball o’ power. It could just scuttle out over the rubble and find all of those minuscule shards of glass and fuse them together with a bit of heat from my fire power, right? And while my magic was out there, the water elemental magic could suck up a bit of that slimy pool, too. I imagined the pieces of glass coming together into a squatty tumbler, right smack in front of Kian’s face … and then the nasty green water could wring from the air and fill the cup, spilling over the top onto Kian’s shoes.
A breeze kissed my skin, and I blinked my eyes open just as the brackish water dribbled over the top of the rim.
Ha!
An oddly shaped glass—that looked like a six-year-old had made it—hovered in the air right in front of Kian. It was filled with water, the rest dribbling down onto his shoes.
“Looks like an A-plus to me, teach.” I smiled sweetly at him, pointing to the glass, and gave him a thumbs-up.
He merely growled in response, jaw clenched.
One down.
Four to go.
Chapter Three
As I crossed the quad, Reyna raced out from Grandpa’s courtyard to meet me.
“You all right?” she asked, holding out a bottle of water and something wrapped in waxed paper.
I nodded and uncapped the bottle, chugging the clean lukewarm beverage. I unwrapped the paper and found a homemade granola bar. After taking a large bite, I met Rey’s gaze. “Kian’s trial was tough.”
She pursed her lips and then nodded. “The high mage of earth is next,” she said, pointing toward a large squatty castle made of red sandstone. “His name is Heath.”
I devoured the rest of the bar without even tasting it. Somehow, I knew I’d need every ounce of energy I could get before the day was done. “Is he as … lovely … as Kian?”
Rey snorted. “Heath is nothing like Kian.”