by Linsey Hall
I’d spent five years as a captive to evil gods. I’d learned how to suck it up and keep going, and that’s what I was going to do.
Just before I dragged my gaze away from him, he looked at me.
Recognition flashed in his eyes. Then something else.
Heat?
An impossibly small smile quirked at the side of his mouth, but was quickly gone.
I frowned. Did I imagine that?
Then his gaze hardened, and I knew I wasn’t imagining that.
Yep, this guy was wondering what the hell I was. Join the club, buddy. I had no freaking idea, either.
He strode over to join Jude, his powerful legs eating up the ground. For such a big man, he moved with leonine grace.
Next to me, Lavender whispered something to Angus. Whatever it was, the kid blushed.
If she was saying that the gladiator was totally hot, I had to agree. I didn’t want to agree, but it was like saying the sky was blue. It was just a fact.
He stopped next to Jude and folded his hands over each other in a relaxed waiting position. His gaze swept over the crowd of students. There were only five of us, so it didn’t take long.
When his gaze landed on me, it lingered. I scowled at him, determined to keep the blush at bay. It probably wasn’t the smartest move, given that I wanted to fly under the radar, but he got my back up.
Jude shot him a glance, then turned her gaze to the crowd. “This is Maximus Valerius. He’s here to help us with our fighting skills.”
Maximus.
I’d called him a gladiator in jest, but maybe I wasn’t that far off.
A murmur rolled through the crowd, as if they recognized the name. I sure didn’t. He was powerful enough to be famous, but I didn’t know for what.
Unfortunately, Jude didn’t provide any more explanations. And Maximus seemed to be the strong, silent type. If I wanted to know more, I’d probably have to ask Lavender, who seemed to recognize his name.
No way in hell.
“We’ll start with a fighting exercise to examine your strengths and weakness,” Jude said. “You’re all welcome to use your magic.” Her gaze turned to me. “Or not, as the case may be.”
I shifted, slightly uncomfortable at being called out. But whatever. I was used to it.
Maximus waved his strong arm, and magic sparked on the air, smelling of cedar and sounding like a crashing waterfall.
In the middle of the massive room, the air began to shimmer. Objects appeared, huge towers and low boulders. A dozen of them soon dotted the space, providing cover for our fight.
Damn, he was powerful. Conjurers could create things out of thin air, but creating stuff this big? That took a lot of power. What the heck was he, besides a conjurer and general badass?
As he worked, conjuring more objects, Jude approached. She had a bag in her hand, along with a short, blunt sword. She held them out to me. “Since you don’t fight with your magic, I thought you could use these.”
I took the sword, the use of which was obvious, but had to dig into the bag to figure out what was inside. My hand closed around a smooth glass sphere, and I pulled it out.
“Meant to simulate one of your potion bombs,” she said. “Filled with a temporary sedative. It won’t put your target to sleep, but it should weaken them enough that they can’t walk well. You can finish them off with the sword.”
I grinned at her. “I can work with this.”
“I thought so.” Her gaze turned briefly to Maximus, who was still working on creating the setting for the fight to come. “We’ve brought Maximus here specifically for you, Rowan. If you aren’t able to access your magic, your fight skills will need to be unparalleled if you want to pass the Academy and join the Protectorate.”
“I do want that.” It would secure my place here, allowing me to join my sisters in the ranks of the Protectorate staff. It was a position I wanted desperately. Not just for the security, but because I liked the idea of helping people. I’d been helpless for so much of my life; I wanted to turn the tables and be the one in control. The one making things better.
“Good.” She nodded. “Then try hard today. It was difficult to get Maximus to agree to come here for training. It’s not his usual. You’ll need to impress him to get him to train you.”
I swallowed hard, really not liking the sound of this. One, he was hot and I was shallow, so it was hard to focus around him. Two—and much worse—he’d seen my new dark magic. This was the guy I was supposed to convince to help make me more dangerous?
Sounded like a tall order.
Jude turned and left. Maximus was done creating the layout for our faux battle, and he and Jude were talking in low voices. My competitors were splitting up to find hiding spaces, and I needed to join them.
I slung the bag of potions over my back and hiked it toward high ground, climbing onto one of the towers in the middle of the space. From there, I could spot a half dozen large rocks that provided shelter, along with four other similar towers. Fake trees provided more cover, and through the branches of one, I could spot Angus’s red hair.
Target number one, sighted.
I crouched low, concealing as much of my form as I could. Tension thrummed in the air as we waited for the fight to start. My gaze darted toward the gladiator.
His eyes were right on me.
A shiver raced down my spine, and I looked away.
“Ready.” Maximus’s deep voice cut through the room. It was the first time I’d heard him speak, and woo boy, did he sound like sex on a stick. No. Bad, Rowan. “Set. Go!”
As if a switch had been flicked, I launched into fight mode, jumping up and hurling my potion bomb at Angus. All the practice paid off, because the blue glass ball flew through the air, slipping between the fake tree branches and slamming into Angus’s back.
Moron.
I leapt down from the top of the tower and landed in a crouch. I’d spent the last six months acting like some parkour nerd, leaping off ledges and learning to move quickly through impossible scenarios.
This was cake.
I raced toward Angus, my sword gripped in my hand, and found him lying facedown at the base of the tree, his head turned slightly so that he could glare at me.
I tapped the tip of my sword to the back of his neck. “Gotcha.”
“Bitch,” he managed to hiss.
“Right on the first try.” I grinned, then spun and sprinted away.
Sure, I was never going to make friends if I kept behaving like this, but I already had my sisters.
Something flashed out of the corner of my eye. A large rock was flying right toward me.
Shit!
I dived low, barely avoiding the stone as it flew overhead and slammed into the castle wall. The whole room shook, and I scowled.
Seriously? Jude gave me a fake sword and potion bombs when Lavender was allowed to use her telekinesis with such deadly force?
Not fair.
And I was jealous. I believed in intellectual honesty, and sure as shit I was jealous of Lavender’s telekinesis. That used to be my power.
I shoved away the useless emotions and scrambled to my feet, whirling to find her.
Boulders, fake trees, and wooden towers blocked my view. Not a single glimpse of that jerk. Quickly, I darted behind a rock, making sure it was a big one. Too big for Lavender to pick up with her magic, at least.
I took a moment to catch my breath, then peeked out from behind the rock.
Where the hell was she?
And where were the others?
All was silent out there.
If Lavender was stalking me, the other two should be fighting, right?
But I heard no sound of combat. Smelled and tasted no flaring magic.
Quiet footsteps sounded from far off on the left. The right, as well. I had good hearing, thankfully. Nothing like Bree’s, but good.
And right now, it indicated one thing.
They were ganging up on me.
My skin chilled.
&nbs
p; This was fake combat, but still. It made me nervous. I felt like prey.
Anger surged warm under my skin, driving away the fear. I hated being afraid. I’d spent five years being afraid. That was enough for me.
They wanted to gang up on me?
Fine.
They wouldn’t like the results.
Slowly, I sucked in a calming breath, reaching with my hearing to try to locate my stalkers. I searched the area behind me, briefly catching on Maximus. He watched me, his gaze steady.
I wanted to give him a show. No way I was going to let these jerks get the upper hand on me.
My senses revealed that two opponents were closing in on me in a pincer-like movement. I couldn’t hear the third—who I’d bet big money was Lavender. If it was her, she’d be up high, wanting a good vantage point from which to use her telekinesis. It was what I would have done.
Once I had a bead on the two who were closing in, I drew a potion bomb from my pouch. Ready, I scrambled on top of the rock, my gaze going right. It landed on Carl, the dark-haired guy with fire magic. His startled gaze met mine just as I hurled my potion bomb.
He was quick, throwing his blast of fire before my bomb collided with his chest. I leapt off the rock, rolling on the ground to hide behind a tree trunk. Carl shouted as the potion bomb slammed into him, and I heard him hit the ground.
One down, two to go.
I still had a pretty good idea where the other attacker was. To the left, about ten yards away. Probably hiding. Wimp.
I grabbed another potion bomb and lunged out from behind the tree. Magic flared on the air, and I looked up just in time to see a rock the size of a football flying toward me. In the distance, I caught sight of Lavender’s dark hair.
Jerk.
I dived right, avoiding the rock as it plowed into the tree. Another followed soon after, and it was clear that Lavender was going to throw everything she had at me.
I played a game of Frogger, sprinting across the fake forest as Lavender threw rocks at me. When a spear of ice flew from between the leaves of a large fake bush, I knew exactly where the other fighter was hiding.
Hiding. As if that would work.
“Just freaking hold still!” Frustration sounded in Lavender’s voice.
I stifled a laugh. That would definitely get points docked off. Deadly and silent, that was the way to be.
I dodged another icicle and finally caught sight of a pair of eyes peering out from between the branches. Then they darted away. He was running. I pursued, following Lorence to the left. Just as he darted out from behind the bush, I hurled my potion bomb.
It exploded against his side, and he went down in a tumble of limbs. I sprinted toward him, tapping him with my sword, then whirled to find Carl. He should still be down, and the kill wouldn’t count if I didn’t tap him with my sword and take him out.
Lavender hurled rocks at me as I ran through the fake forest. I’d take out Carl, then I’d finish with her.
One of the small boulders whizzed past my face as I neared a tree, and I realized I was getting sloppy. I spared Lavender another glance, just in time to see a second rock head straight for me. I spun out of the way, taking an indirect hit to the shoulder.
Pain flared, but I ignored it.
Lavender crowed in delight, and it was almost impossible for me to ignore that.
Instead of heading for her, I sprinted the last few feet toward Carl, who was struggling to sit. Whatever freezing potion Jude had put in these bombs, it wasn’t lasting long.
I tapped my blade to his throat, and he glared at me.
I indulged myself with a smirk, then turned to go after Lavender.
There were no more rocks flying at me.
That was trouble.
She was getting smarter.
Warily, I searched my surroundings as I raced on silent feet toward her. When the tree to my right began to creak and lean toward me, my heart leapt.
Crap!
The tree picked up speed, falling in my direction.
I dived forward and skidded on the ground as the tree slammed down behind me. A quick glance up showed Lavender leaning over the railing on her tower, her eyes bright on mine.
“Is that all you got?” I asked, unable to help myself. There was no need to be silent anymore. My target knew where I was.
She scowled and raised her hands, magic flaring.
Okay, time to end this. Playing with my prey wasn’t smart.
I surged to my feet and sprinted toward her, wanting to finish hand to hand. The tower that she stood upon was about twenty feet tall, mostly smooth sided except for a series of protruding boards. They were like little notches, perfect for climbing. There should be stairs around the back, if it were like all the other towers in the room, but I didn’t have time for that.
I leapt toward the notches on the side of the tower, using them to scale the thing as quickly as I could. Lavender’s startled eyes met mine, and I pushed myself harder. I leapt over the railing just as she made a massive boulder levitate near my head.
She was going for a kill shot. This was bullshit.
I ducked beneath the rock, feeling the thing skim the top of my head and probably take out a few hairs. Then I swung my sword, tapping her on the side of the neck.
“Dead.” I nearly snarled the words.
She hissed at me. An honest to fates hiss.
In the distance, my gaze caught on Maximus. His appraising expression ignited my curiosity, but I had to deal with Lavender first. Except I didn’t have time for a response.
“Attack!” a familiar voice called from behind.
I turned.
Florian Bumbledomber, the ghostly night librarian, stood in the doorway, his nearly transparent eyes wild. As usual, he wore an old-timey outfit that featured lots of ruffles and brocade. The tall, curly wig on his head was slightly askew, and next to him flew Mayhem, the ghostly pug with wings. Mayhem was Bree’s sidekick, but she often spent time in the library.
Jude strode toward Florian, her starry blue eyes suddenly serious. “What kind of attack?”
“In the Grassmarket. A murder, out in plain sight, right in front of the Whiskey and Warlock. Ali and Haris just delivered the news.”
“Who was killed?” Maximus’s voice cracked like a whip from the back of the room.
“I don’t know.” Florian twisted his ghostly hands. “The body was mauled beyond recognition. They’re requesting the investigative team.”
Mauled? What the hell? The Grassmarket was in the city. Mauled was the word you used when a bear got to you. Or some other giant animal. Not a city murder.
The memory of the giant monster flashed in my mind.
Could it be?
Jude didn’t waste time turning to look at us. “Class is over.”
With that, she strode out, her dark braids bouncing. I turned to find Maximus, but he was already gone, too. I hadn’t even seen him leave.
Without sparing a glance at Lavender, I scrambled down the tower and sprinted out of the room.
If the winged monster was back, that meant the demons might be, too. The demon who said I was like them.
This was obviously somehow connected to what was happening to me.
More importantly, I’d failed.
There had been a murder, and I’d missed it. We might have foiled it last night, but they’d come back.
I had to find out what the hell was going on.
4
I followed Jude at a discrete distance, hurrying through the halls of the Protectorate. I’d practiced moving silently, and it was paying off. She didn’t look back once.
I couldn’t see Maximus, however. Wherever he’d gone, he’d gotten there in a hurry.
Jude made quick work, cutting through the wide, stone hallways of the castle and across the lawn. I tucked myself into a nook in the exterior of the castle until she moved into the forest, then I darted across the lawn after her.
Despite the bright morning sun that hovered in t
he sky, the forest was dark. The gnarled old trees cut out the light until the only illumination was provided by the fairy lights that fluttered in the air.
By the time I reached the clearing where the portals were situated, Jude had already disappeared through the one leading to Edinburgh. There were three portals in the forest, or at least, there had been three. The one leading to the faerie realm was now dead and closed, a mere shadow of itself. The other two portals glowed healthily, though. The blue one led to Edinburgh, and the white to Magic’s Bend, Oregon, a large supernatural city where a few of my friends lived.
I slipped through the portal, feeling the ether grab me and suck me through space. My head spun briefly, then I was spit out in the darkened alley in the Grassmarket.
I snuck out onto the street, keeping close to the buildings and hiding behind the crowd of people on the sidewalk. Murder drew a crowd, which was no surprise. The place was teeming with supernaturals who wanted a better look. It was easy to keep myself hidden amongst such a large group.
I slipped through the people, seeking the scene of the crime.
When I came upon it, my stomach turned.
Two men lay on the ground in front of the Whiskey and Warlock, my favorite pub. They were different men from last night, and not nearly as lucky. Their intestines were spilled on the ground around them. For all the fighting I’d done in my life, I couldn’t quite remember seeing intestines outside of someone’s body.
I swallowed hard and studied the scene, my skin chilling.
This was the work of that giant monster. It had to be. It might have even eaten part of the men, but it was hard to tell.
No weapon did damage like that. It was too rough, too aggressive. Swords could do serious damage. So could magic. But this really looked like a beast had gotten the men with its giant beak or claws.
Which meant that the demons had probably been here, too. What were they doing with this giant monster? Training it to kill?
My gaze scanned the crowd, hoping to find one, though I knew it was unlikely.
Jude was leading part of the investigative team in setting up the scene. Caro, the water mage, was stringing a rope around the site, her short platinum hair bright and messy. Ali and Haris, the djinn twins, were searching for clues, their eyes keen on the ground around the bodies. Their dark hair gleamed in the sunlight. Caro, Ali, and Haris were three of my favorite people at the Protectorate.
