“But you didn't know about the end of the world prophecy until now,” I said. “Are you saying before that, your only motivation was the dishonorable nature of the vampires’ deaths?”
“As I told you before, my oracle saw Sela in a vision and told me she seemed important to my fate. That led me to Nonesuch, which led me to…” His eyes met mine and he halted. “To the death of the vampires.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That's not what you were going to say. Led you to what? What else are you hiding from me, Declan?”
He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and heaved a reluctant sigh. “To you, Mia. Led me to you. And I haven't wanted to be anywhere else since then, but I knew once you discovered my identity, you’d react…like this. Everyone does.”
I brushed past him and kept walking. “You can’t honestly expect me to feel sorry for you.”
“Where are you going?” he called after me.
“Anywhere but here!” I could feel the warmth of my face as angry heat radiated through my body. I marched ahead, putting as much distance between us as I possibly could.
Chapter Sixteen
Large black wings folded over me. At first they felt silky and comforting, but it didn’t take long before they began to suffocate me. I choked and gasped for air, trying to rip the wings apart. They held firm and I felt the pressure building in my chest. I focused on the energy around me and tried to summon my air magic. Nothing happened. A crow cawed in the distance.
I reached for my wand, but it wasn’t there. I couldn’t conjure other spells without my wand, I could only command the air. I tried again. This time, I concentrated on the small quantity of air around me. I didn’t need to make a bold statement. I only needed to survive.
Magic sparked within me and I pulled it into a tight ball of energy before it dissipated. I closed my eyes and imagined it growing larger and larger. The ball expanded and the magic burst from inside me. The wings blew apart, scattering feathers everywhere. There was no sign of an actual bird, only the wings. It quickly became apparent that the wings hadn’t been my only prison. Golden bars surrounded me. I hovered far above the ground, dangling from the branch of a huge oak tree.
I was trapped in a gilded cage.
Voices grew louder and I yelled to alert them to my presence. To get help. The voices came and went and I remained stuck in the cage. I had to find a way out of this feathered prison.
How did I get here? I didn’t recognize my surroundings, only that I was in a tree and there was a footpath path visible below. The moon shone overhead. I tried to call to Pepper telepathically. My familiar could climb trees. She’d be able to help.
When Pepper didn’t respond, I began to worry. What if no one came? What if no one knew I was trapped here? I wasn’t willing to die in a cage.
If I couldn’t command the wind, then I’d try another method. I began to rock back and forth, forcing the cage to sway. Maybe I could knock it from the branch. If it hit the ground from this distance, the cage might break and allow me to escape. There was a chance I’d be hurt—or worse—in the process, but it was better than staying here and starving to death.
“There is no escape from your fate,” a voice said from above me.
Above me?
My chin jerked up. On the next branch up sat a crow.
“And what fate is that?” I asked.
“Where’s the fun in spoilers?” the crow replied.
“Were those your wings I destroyed?” I asked, although this crow seemed too small to have held me and its wings were visibly intact.
“Those belonged to my sister,” the crow said. “You shouldn’t tarry if you mean to escape. My other sister will be along soon. She has quite the mean streak.”
“And what about you?” I asked. “Why don’t you try to keep me here?”
“This is not the part of the battle that interests me,” the crow replied. “That shall come later, unless my sisters fail to deal with you and yours.”
The cage swayed harder as I continued to rock. “No one’s dealing with me,” I said. “Not you or your sisters.”
“Make no mistake, witch,” the crow said. “The three of us together will be your doom.”
I heard a loud snap as the cage detached from the branch and began to fall. The crow’s shrill laughter followed me as I plummeted to the ground, an eerie reminder of Monica’s banshee-like cry at the end of her vision.
I braced myself for impact.
“What?” I said, confused. The cage stopped in mid-air, hovering a little over six feet off the ground. Had the cage been caught by another branch on the way down?
“Mia, are you hurt?”
The cage lowered to the ground and I recognized my rescuer. Declan. He smashed open the cage door with a powerful fist and I stepped through the opening. Moonlight cascaded through the branches and illuminated his face. Right now, he seemed more like an angel than a demigod of war. The rugged jawline. The fair hair. The green eyes that looked at me the way no one had ever looked at me before.
“How?” I asked.
“I saw you up there,” he replied. “I was going to climb up and get you, but you managed to knock the cage free before I could make a start.”
“No, I mean how did you see me?” No one else had. They passed right by without a second look. I fought back tears. Keepers didn’t cry because no one noticed them. Keepers had confidence that they could get out of deadly situations. Keepers were destined to do important jobs such as save the world. I couldn’t even save myself.
“I see you, Mia,” Declan said, as though that simple statement explained everything.
I shook my head. “No, you saw a damsel in distress,” I said. “That’s your type, right? A war demigod like you. A hero to everyone in battle.” He couldn’t possibly be interested in a basic witch.
Declan inched closer. “I would never see you as a damsel in distress. And I don’t care about your species or your title. I said I see you. The spirit encapsulated by the body of Mia Holmes, not an agent or even a witch. It was my soul that identified you as someone I cared to know, not my eyes.”
I was beautiful inside and out. “You don’t talk like a demigod of war,” I said.
“I told you I was raised by my mother,” he said. “Her enduring love and wisdom became my strength.”
A black feather drifted to my open palm. “The crow,” I whispered.
A strong wind blew the feather from my hand and I clawed at empty air in an effort to recover it.
“It’s gone,” Declan said in a hushed tone. “It’s all gone.”
I looked around to see that he was right. The trees were gone. The cage was gone. Even the moon was gone. We stood in an abyss.
“What now?” I asked.
The intensity of his stare produced goosebumps on my arms. “Now you wake up.”
I woke up in my bed, with the morning light streaking through the window. Pepper was wedged against my hip, still asleep. The door clicked open and my roommates entered, dressed for the day. I bolted upright.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Don’t worry,” Bryn said. “We only went to breakfast. You didn’t miss much.”
“We didn’t want to wake you. You seemed to have a disturbed night,” Cerys said. She approached my bed with caution. “Is everything okay? I worried that you were having nightmares about Lucille.” Cerys was no stranger to nightmares, although they’d lessened considerably in recent months.
I hadn’t told them yet about my visit to the oracle and the prophecy. Now was as good a time as any. I’d spent most of last night processing the information and couldn’t keep the news to myself. If anyone could help me navigate the gloom and doom waters, my roommates could.
“Unfortunately, there are worse nightmares to be had right now,” I said.
Dani climbed to the top bunk to pet Clementine, her familiar. “Like what?”
I told them about Monica and the end of the world. No one spoke for a full minute, dig
esting the news. Finally, Cerys responded.
“We need to report the prophecy to Chancellor Tilkin,” Cerys said. “She’ll want to know.”
“I’m planning on telling her today,” I said. “I have to let the AMF know, too. I don’t want to tell Nick while he’s still on suspension, though. He’ll jump back in and get himself fired.”
“Can’t say I blame him,” Bryn said. “This is pretty serious. End of the world.” She whistled. “Pedicure lady was quite the oracle with her foot spa of crazy.”
“Not just crazy,” Dani interjected. “Lots of birds, too, apparently.”
Cerys held up a finger. “Symbolic birds.”
“You should’ve at least gotten your fingernails painted,” Dani said. “Might have put you in a better mood.”
I bit my lip, debating whether to tell them the rest of the story. I wasn’t sure what they’d think about Declan’s revelation. I still hadn’t decided that for myself. If he was the tall, handsome stranger in Monica’s vision, then I strongly preferred he not be on the side of evil.
“How did Brown Coat know the vision meant the end of the world?” Dani asked.
“He recognized the lines from an ancient prophecy,” I said. Probably because he was the son of an ancient war god.
Cerys offered a bright smile. “Smart, handsome and stylish. I think you should go for it.”
I blinked. “Go for what?”
She nudged her familiar aside so that she could rotate her collection of rune rocks on the windowsill. The cat gave her a resentful look before leaping to the floor. “What do you think? The smart, handsome and stylish…” She paused to look at me. “What is he again? A glamoured minotaur?”
“Guess again,” I said. Pepper wrapped her body around my leg and I bent down to stroke her. Sorry, I know I’ve been out a lot, but you’ll have to get used to it. Keepers don’t take their familiars to work with them. Kind of interferes with the whole secret agent thing.
You’ve needed me and I haven’t been there, Pepper said.
I scratched behind her ear. I’ve been fine. I need to build my confidence. Taking you everywhere with me isn’t the way to achieve that. You’re not a security blanket.
“Why do I get the sense you’re not happy with whatever he is?” Dani asked.
“Because he’s a demigod,” I blurted.
“Demigod of what?” Bryn asked. “Brown leather?”
“No, he’s a demigod of war at a very inopportune time,” I replied.
The other witches gasped.
“Did he just tell you that?” Bryn asked.
“He didn’t tell me at all,” I said. “The oracle did.”
“Yeah, that’s not ideal,” Bryn agreed.
“Why didn’t he tell you?” Cerys asked. “He must have had a good reason.”
“We didn’t get into it,” I said. “He suggested that it’s baggage for him.”
“I can understand that,” Bryn said.
“Me, too,” Dani said.
I sighed. “I knew you’d both feel that way.” I plucked an invisible thread on my blanket. “I just need time to process.”
“Do you think he’s really involved in the plot to end the world?” Cerys asked.
My intense gaze threatened to burn a hole through the blanket. “No,” I finally said. “Not if I’m being honest. He’s been nothing but helpful and kind and considerate.”
“And hot,” Bryn said. “Don’t forget hot.”
“I vote that we bring this issue to the chancellor right now,” Cerys said.
Bryn raised a finger. “And then stop at the cafeteria on the way back. Fear has a way of making me hungry.”
“Fear?” Dani scoffed. “Breathing has a way of making you hungry.”
“You just came back from breakfast,” I said.
“Haven’t you ever heard of second breakfast?” Bryn asked. “All the best creatures enjoy second breakfast.”
“Bryn’s right,” Cerys said.
The water witch’s head swiveled. “I am?”
“Not about second breakfast,” Cerys said. “The chancellor. She has friends everywhere. It sounds like we might need all wands on deck for this one.”
“I’ll shoot Gray a message,” Bryn said.
“What about Warden Armitage?” Dani asked.
“We’ll let the chancellor decide about everyone else,” I said. “I imagine the League would be interested, but I’d rather have more information to pass on than a vague reference to an ancient prophecy and a bad dream.”
“I’ll hold off on Callan then,” Cerys said. “He’s a werewolf. You know what he’s like. He’d want to run headfirst into whatever apocalyptic train was coming his way.”
Bryn opened the window to let in her familiar, Icarus. The snowy owl was known to disappear for days, but he always returned. He’d never quite grown accustomed to sharing a room with three cats. I suspected he’d be happy once Bryn finally moved on from Spellslingers. It had been just the two of them for a long time before they arrived during our first year at the academy. Of course, he’d have Gray to contend with after graduation, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t mind the vampire. Not when Bryn loved him as much as she did.
“I hope Hazel’s there,” Bryn said.
We filed out the door and Cerys closed the door behind us. “Why?” the earth witch asked. “Because she’s willing to offer baked goods and lime fizz at any hour?”
Bryn shrugged. “Pretty much.”
We ventured down the long hall and left the dormitory wing. Witches and wizards flew over Mercer Lake, playing some sort of airborne game of tag. If they only knew what was on the horizon.
We found the chancellor in her office, shrugging off her blue-grey feather cloak. She must’ve just come from somewhere far away because she only used the cloak for teleportation. She hung it in the wardrobe and smiled at us. “What an unexpected surprise.”
“You’ll understand why in a second,” I said ominously.
Her pleasant expression faded. “Yes, I see four grim faces. What news of mystery and mayhem do you bring me this time? There always seems to be something amiss where you’re involved.” She smoothed the front of her top and took her seat.
The four of us looked at each other with apprehension and Cerys poked me gently in the back to speak.
“There’s a situation, Chancellor,” I said.
The chancellor’s unblemished brow lifted. “And does this happen to relate to your AMF assignment?”
I exhaled more loudly than I intended. “It does.”
“I see.” The chancellor motioned for us to sit. “I have a feeling this will be a long conversation. Shall I summon Hazel?”
“Yes, please,” Bryn piped up. “We’re always happy to see Hazel and her refreshments.”
The chancellor’s mouth quirked. “Naturally.” She rang a soundless bell. “Now, tell me about this situation, child.”
I updated her on our visit to the oracle and Declan’s understanding of the prophecy.
“And he believes the vampire deaths are connected to the prophecy?” the chancellor asked.
I nodded. “Every evil. Every disease. Every vengeance.”
She tucked a loose strand of white-blond hair behind her ear. “Yes, it sounds vaguely familiar.” She paused, thinking. “And there’s been no progress on the vampire front?”
I swallowed hard, remembering Sela’s lifeless body. “We reached a dead end. That’s why we went to see the oracle. Declan’s regular oracle is in another quadrant.”
She eyed me curiously. “His regular oracle? Pray tell, who is this mysterious Declan?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “He’s a demigod.”
“A demigod,” the chancellor repeated. “My word.”
“She only just found out,” Dani said. “He didn’t tell her.”
“Like Peter didn’t tell you he was a Death Bringer?” I shot back. “No, Dani. He didn’t tell me. He was worried about my response.”
�
�It’s different, though,” Dani argued. “Peter wasn’t endangering anyone by withholding that information.”
“He carries a staff that can kill someone with a single touch,” I countered. “I’d say that qualifies as endangerment.”
“He’s my boyfriend,” Dani said. “He wanted to protect me.”
I felt my cheeks burning. “I trust him, okay?”
“You’re into him,” Bryn said. “He’s hot. Powerful. Smart. I get it. Been there myself.” She smiled. “Still there now, in fact.”
“It’s okay,” Cerys whispered. “Emotions aren’t rational. You feel how you feel, no matter who or what he is.”
“His father is Cicoluis and his mom was human,” I said. “He’s as invested in preventing the end of the world as the rest of us.”
“I believe you, child,” Chancellor Tilkin said. “And how did he find himself involved in this investigation?”
I explained about the original oracle’s vision of Sela. “I would say that his fate is probably connected to saving the world.” No matter what he suggested about his fate being tied to me.
The chancellor drummed her elegant fingers on the desk. “Someone is trying to trigger the end of the world by killing vampires with a form of disease.”
“And here we’ve been worried about it eradicating vampires and spreading to humans,” I said, “when in reality it can mean the end for life as we know it.”
“How, though?” Dani asked. “Will there be another attack on vampires? A new kind of attack on a different species?”
The chancellor rose to her feet and moved to the nearby wall where she waved a hand. A map of the four quadrants shimmered in place of the blank space. “I have heard reports of other suspicious deaths.” She pulled out her wand and tapped the Southern Quadrant. “A group of vampires died while traveling through Mystic Jungle. Their bodies were discovered by werewolves.”
“How did they die?” I asked.
“Cause unknown,” the chancellor replied. “The symptoms, however, are similar to those described in connection with Nonesuch.”
I jumped to my feet and moved closer to examine the map. “Do the wardens know?”
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