by Leia Stone
“I hereby release you from your shield oath, Reyna Harvest,” Grandpa said, his voice strong and steady.
Reyna’s eyes widened, and she glanced down at the droplets of blood at her wrist. “No!” She gasped and then clutched her chest as if in physical pain.
What the hell? I looked at her and then at Gramps wild-eyed. Why would he? Unless…? Oh.
“Go,” I told Reyna. “Check on everyone. I’m right behind you.”
She clutched her wrist, tears streaking down her face. “Geoff Drudner, it’s been my honor to serve you,” she said to my grandfather.
“The honor was mine, dear.” He reached out and caught a tear falling from her cheek.
With a whimper, she spun and took off running. My heart shattered as I watched her dart away, faithful in all my grandfather had commanded.
“I’ll help you fight,” I told him, looking him firmly in the eye. Knowing he’d just released Reyna so that he could join Orion, Heath, and Snade.
“No. You must go, Nai,” Gramps said.
Why did he sound so weak?
I peered down the hall to see Reyna, Sariah, and Donovan all disappear with Rage into the portal door, and I exhaled with a measure of relief.
I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes. “I’m not leaving you here.”
I peered over my shoulder. Heath, Orion, and Snade had held the line for everyone else to escape, but now they were wobbly on their feet.
I dragged my grandfather down the corridor against his wishes, not ready for the goodbye I knew was coming. Why else would he have cut Reyna free?
My grandfather was slow, and I was exhausted. That blast of magic, just like at the midyear games, had cost me.
“Nai,” Gramps rasped beside me.
“No.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and my throat clogged with emotion. “Don’t you dare say it. I’m not ready!”
There was a collective shout, and then silence settled in the library behind us, and I glanced over my shoulder—immediately wishing I hadn’t.
Nearly a hundred blood mages stood at the head of the hallway leading to the portal, watching us. Three dead bodies lay at their feet. They’d killed the three high mages of earth, air, and fire.
My legs trembled as brown, orange, and white magic lifted off of the bodies of the fallen high mages and zoomed down the hall and through the portal.
Was that? Holy hell…
“Nai—” My grandfather shook me from my stupor. “This is where my journey ends.”
This … this was too much death.
I shook my head, too shocked and too numb to say anything. Instead, I raced forward, dragging him with me while I groaned against his weight.
“Always remember that I love you,” Grandpa said. “Always.”
I tightened my hold around his waist. Just a bit farther. We were almost there.
There was a loud hiss and the stomping of feet…
With a shift in the air, I could feel the weighty presence at my back. The blood mages were closing in.
My grandfather planted his feet and shoved me away with surprising force.
“Go!” he commanded, and then the air crackled with his power.
I lurched forward then stumbled, catching myself before falling to the floor. I straightened and then turned.
My grandfather stood before the wall of blood mages, arms out as a clear bubble of magic, like a shield of protection, burst forth from his palms. The wavy lines of magic wobbled in the air as the blood mages pounded their fists on the protective layer. Gramps groaned as he fell to one knee, and I reached for him. But before I could get to my grandfather, someone grabbed me from behind.
“No!” I screamed, struggling to break free.
“I’m sorry,” Rage said in my ear as he dragged me back into the library. “I’m so sorry, love.”
A flash of light, a million times brighter than the one I’d sent at the blood mages, lit up the entire high mage library then and bled into the hallway. My vision disappeared, and I sagged in Rage’s arms.
Then Rage was whispering … or was he yelling?
Darkness swam in at the edges of my vision as the bright light faded, and then a cloud of silver light flared before me, sucking into my chest. My entire body seized. Power, unlike anything I’d ever felt before, slammed into me. I arched my back as the energy poured in, filling each and every cell … searing me with the unbridled power of spirit. The soul stone in my pocket burned with a fervent heat.
“Oh. My. Mage,” Rage said.
I let out a wail of grief, and Rage clutched me to his chest. I knew what this was, what this meant. My grandfather had died, and spirit had chosen me.
My vision returned, but my body was weightless. I could hardly lift my head. My stomach churned when I saw Justice dragging my grandfather’s body into the library before collapsing next to him … lying inert on the stone floor … his clothes covered in ashes…
Someone in the Alpha Academy library screamed, and my gaze flicked to the still-open door Justice had just dragged Gramps through.
A hundred more blood mages appeared at the other end of the hallway—someone I recognized at the head.
Kalama.
How were there so many? What the mage hell was going on?
“Nai of Crescent Clan,” Kalama said, her lips pulling up into a mocking sneer as she strode closer to the Alpha Academy library. “Who would’ve known spirit would choose you?”
“Close the door,” someone shouted. “Close the door, and seal it!”
Rage dragged me farther into the library. I tried to protest, to shout that I could do something to help, but my voice was gone.
“She’ll be okay,” Sariah said. “She just needs rest.”
I wanted to protest…
I wasn’t okay. I might never be okay again.
The library door slammed shut. I blinked, and Sariah, Jane, and an advanced mage I didn’t recognize placed their hands on the door. There was a flash of light around the edges, and then they all stepped back.
“It’s sealed,” the advanced mage said.
Then a loud crack shattered through the library, and all of our attention went to the black onyx door as a giant split appeared down the center of it.
“What the hell?” Justice growled.
“That’s … not possible,” Sariah muttered, looking terrified. I knew my aunt worked with portals every day. If she looked scared, we should all be.
Rage paled, but I couldn’t fathom why until he spoke.
“Kalama. She … I gave her my blood, and she did some spell work on the door,” he muttered under his breath.
Sariah held Donovan to her chest and pointed at the splitting door. “Rage, we need to evacuate the island. Now.”
Her words shook him, and his arms tightened around me.
What the hell had just happened? One moment, we were sleeping after having make-up sex, and the next … we needed to flee our home? Gramps was dead…
“Yes, you’re right.” His voice held defeat—resignation—and the sound wrung my heart. Then, through the incessant pounding at the door appeared another crack.
“Everyone to the docks,” Rage shouted. “We need to evacuate!”
My mind went to Kaja, my father, Mack, Lona, Rue, Fiona … so many people on this island that I cared about.
“My dad,” I whimpered, struggling in Rage’s arms as weakness and fatigue kept trying to pull me under.
All around us was the cacophony of mourning. People sobbing, screaming, wailing. There was so much death, I just wanted to fly away.
‘Shhh, my love. I’ve got this. We’re not giving up. I need everyone safe. Then we can plan. They’ve messed with the wrong king.’ Rage deposited me into Justice’s arms and brushed his lips against mine. Then he took off running.
I tried to keep my head up, to look around, take it all in, to do something to help.
Reyna sat with her head in her hands, bawling. Kian’s son Julian stood leanin
g against a bookshelf, staring at the cracking door. The three other asshats who’d tried to kill me were slumped next to one another, possibly in shock, and all looking at the floor. Others shoved their way out of the alcove and into the library. I blinked, and my head suddenly weighed two hundred pounds.
Oh.
The blank stares on the other high master heirs made sense as a heavy weight settled over me, pushing into my very being. They were reeling with their new power too. And like me, they’d just lost their fathers or grandfathers.
“My dad. Kaja,” I whimpered, jerking my chin up as I fought to stay awake. My limbs grew heavy.
“Shhh,” Justice cooed. “Rage won’t let anything happen to them. I promise.”
I had to trust him because sleep captured me into its sweet embrace, and the world and all my worries disappeared.
Chapter Twelve
As I came to, the first thing I recognized was the hushed voices of Rage and my father.
Thank the mage they were okay.
My eyes popped open, and I scanned my surroundings. I lay wrapped in a sleeping bag, on a cot in a cream-colored canvas tent. Sitting up, I trembled with the power coursing through my veins, and I bit my tongue to keep from sobbing.
Grandfather.
He’d … saved me. He’d saved us all.
The momentary pride I felt—that spirit had chosen me—was squelched by his death.
“She’s fine, sir. Sariah said Nai will need rest as the spirit power settles into her … or something like that.” Rage spoke in a hushed tone that was conciliatory but firm.
“Now, listen, Courage. I need to see that my daughter’s okay.” My dad’s voice trembled, but the words came out with sharp edges that brooked no argument. I knew that tone.
More importantly, I didn’t want the two most important men in my life to argue. Not now. Not ever. But especially not at a time like this when so much was at stake.
“Dad? Rage?” I called out as I scooted to the edge of the cot.
Whoa. I had no idea how long I’d been out, but my voice was still weak and crackly.
The flaps pulled to the side, and my father and Rage both stepped inside, looking down at me with twin expressions of concern.
I peered past them, and my mouth popped open at the sight of hundreds of tents shoved in the alleyways and open spaces of…
“We’re in the selkie village?” I asked, struggling to stand. My legs nearly gave out on me. I swayed before I stood firm.
My dad burst into the tent, knocking into me as he pulled me into a tight hug. “You scared the crap out of me, kiddo.”
I squeezed him back as tears fell down my cheeks. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
He pulled back, and my attention jumped to Rage as he drew near.
“Kaja and the Harvest sisters?” I asked him.
“All fine.” Rage nodded. “We got everyone off before…”
Rage and his dad shared a look, and the hairs on my arms stood up. “Before what?”
My dad sighed. “The blood mages broke through the portal. They’ve taken over the entire island.”
Anger flooded my system, and I stiffened. How dare they!
“How did they get through the first portal? And how are there so many of them?” I seethed. My head started to throb. “I … I think I need to sit.”
Rage helped me back onto the cot and then knelt before me. “Kian. We saw him as we fled on the boats.” Rage shook his head, his jaw tightening. “Kian’s working with them.”
That rat bastard!
I knew he was upset at the way things were going, but to turn against his own people … and for what? “Do they have demands? I mean, besides taking over the island … what more could they want?” I growled.
Rage shook his head. “No demands. At least, not yet. Obviously, they want the power of the island.”
“I can’t believe Kian—”
“That high master of water looked a bit shaken,” my father said, his eyes wide.
“I don’t think he expected that many blood mages,” Rage responded. “I don’t think any of us did.”
“They must’ve been growing their race this entire time,” my dad mused. “Twenty years ago, there were stories of the blood mages, but we envisioned the queen and her two heirs hiding in cliffs near Dark Row with a few survivors. And by few, I mean five of them, tops. I never thought there were hundreds of them.”
Rage nodded. “That was a total ambush.”
Something about what my father said triggered something in my mind. “Queen and her two heirs?”
My dad nodded. “The blood mage queen had twin daughters.”
Rage blanched, and my jaw gaped. Why didn’t we see it before? Right under our noses!
“Surlama and Kalama?” I asked, hoping I was wrong.
Rage nodded. “They’re twins. Dammit!”
“So does that mean Kalama is in charge now?” I was trying to get as much information to work with as I could.
Rage chewed his lip before responding. “We don’t know anything at this point. We’ve detained Kian’s son, and I was hoping you and the other high mages could give my men permission to question him.”
“No. I’ll do it with you. And … we should probably ask the other high mage heirs … er, high mages—” I stopped as I remembered that those heirs who tried to kill me not so long ago were now my fellow high mage councilmen. “We should ask them to come too. We need to work as a team.” I stood, and my legs felt only slightly wobbly. “Where is Julian?”
Rage’s green gaze bore into mine. “Are you sure?” he asked. “The guy’s a—”
“I know,” I said. I needed to do something productive or I’d lose my mind. “Please, lead the way.”
Gramps was dead. Orion, Snade, and Heath were too. The high mages got decimated, but conveniently, Kian was still alive. This was highly coordinated, which meant Kian must’ve been meeting with the blood mages for a while. If his son had seen or heard something, we needed to find out.
I stepped out of the tent, taking in the barrage of people, shifters, and mages as well as the sounds and smells of the crowd.
“I’m going to check on our pack,” my father said, stepping away. “Come see me later.”
I waved and nodded before scanning the throng of displaced peoples. Wolf, bear, hawk, and the other shifters were crowded throughout the space in a mishmash of lost people, including various mages from High Mage Island. There were fewer shifters than I would’ve anticipated, but many had probably returned to their previous homes. I shook my head, thinking of all of the work they’d done to move—and then they’d lost most of it by joining the wolves.
“Nice of King Ozark to allow us to stay,” I said to Rage.
“Yes, he’s been a great ally, but I fear we won’t last long here. There isn’t enough infrastructure to host this many, not to mention the issues we’ll have with a limited supply of food and water.” Rage weaved in and out of the crowds as we walked toward a meadow and a small garden shed that sat nearby. The meadow was full of tents where others slept on bed rolls, and some people even slept on the ground.
I swallowed hard. “Maybe we could go to Montana for a bit and regroup. There’s a water well and corn crops—”
Rage stopped, and I almost smashed into him as my body jerked back from his. He caught me and then, reaching out, cupped my chin.
“Nai.” He peered into my eyes, his gaze burning into my soul. Through our bond, I felt a deep sadness… “We are the leaders of our people now. We can’t hide. Nor can we let this stand. We won’t go down in history as leaders who allowed their people to be slaughtered, our lands stolen, and we did nothing.”
His words shamed my petty fears. But more than that, they stirred something deep inside my heart—inside my soul. He was right, of course. I didn’t know how we’d take back the island, but I knew we would. We wouldn’t allow this injustice to stand. “We’ll find a way. Together.”
Rage nodded, brushing a
kiss to my lips, and then he led me to the shed where the three other high mages who’d tried to kill me were waiting outside.
Well, well. This had a 99.7% chance of being extremely uncomfortable.
None of the high mages were heirs anymore. We were all high masters of our element, and we’d each just lost our father or grandfather. There was a somber weight in the air, but this group seemed to be encased in a cloud of gloom. They sat against the shed’s wall with their heads hung low.
I looked at Rage and tipped my head to the trees. ‘Give me some time with them.’
He nodded. ‘Julian is inside the shed, awaiting questioning for his involvement.’
‘Thanks.’ I took a deep breath and crossed the distance to the group.
“Your fathers were heroes.” Might as well start off with an olive branch. “They saved everyone.”
Jane raised her chin, her black hair framing her face. She swallowed hard, and her eyes glistened with tears. “So was your grandfather.”
The other two boys chimed in with their condolences as well. The seconds dragged on until we reached Awkwardville.
“Look, I know we’ve had our differences.” Like when you tried to freaking kill me yesterday. I kept the latter part to myself as someone needed to take the high road. “But … we’re the High Mage Council now, and, I figure, we—” I pointed in a circle to include each of us—“can choose to do things differently than our predecessors.” My announcement was greeted with silence, so I stated the obvious. “We probably don’t want to start the next thousand years or so with a feud.”
One by one, I saw understanding dawn on each of their faces. Yep, that’s right. We were going to live and reign for a long-ass time together.
“Sorry about … the attack yesterday,” the girl with black hair said. “Not that it makes it okay, but Julian put us up to it. I think … I think it was his father’s doing.”
Shocker.
“Anyway, I’m Jane, high master of air.” She knew I knew her name, but she reached out her hand like she was hoping for a fresh start, a new first impression.
After a deep breath, I shook it. After all, this was what our people needed—even if part of me still wanted to punch her. “Well met, Jane. I’m Nai.”