I stared at him. “This isn’t you.”
He laughed gaily. “Who is it then?” He swayed back and forth. “Shall I jump?”
I threw out my hands. “No!”
Folant dropped down and I screamed. He caught the branch with both hands and began to swing, enjoying himself.
“Folant, please climb down,” I said. I heard the fear in my voice. Why was I so scared if this wasn’t real? My brother couldn’t die twice.
Except he did.
Sort of.
I injected the authority of an older sister into my tone. “Folant, come down now.”
He flashed a cheeky grin. “But I’m having fun.”
“At my expense.” My hands clutched my hips. “Don’t make me use my magic.” If only I’d been there that fateful day, I could have saved him. Although I was here now, what did it matter? Folant was already dead and buried, along with my memories of a happy family.
“Use your magic,” he urged. “Go on. It’ll be fun.”
I called my magic to me, but nothing happened. I focused again, this time on the oak tree. There had to be energy running through the sturdy roots.
Nothing.
Folant began to lose his grip on the branch. One hand fell away and he swung helplessly, trying to grab the limb again. Bark fell away as he missed.
“Folant, stop!” He was going to fall and there was nothing I could do to save him. My magic was somehow cut off.
The other hand slipped off. I watched in horror as my brother plummeted to the ground. My feet moved before I had a chance to think. I was by his side in the blink of an eye. His eyes were closed, but a small moan escaped him.
“Folant, tell me where it hurts.” If I could identify the injury, then I could figure out how to treat him.
“My back,” he murmured. “My spine, I think.” His eyes fluttered open and closed again.
“Stay with me,” I said. I glanced around in a panic. No one was around to help me. I wasn’t even sure where I was anymore. Confusion lodged itself in my brain. This was our grandmother’s yard, wasn’t it? No, it was my parents’ house. How could I not be sure?
“Cerys, don’t do it,” my brother whispered. I felt his fingers twist around the hem of my shirt.
“Do what?” I turned back to look at him. He was no longer my brother. I scrambled backward when I saw the face of the monster that my parents had produced when they brought him back to life.
“Please don’t kill me,” the monster said. “I’m your brother. Your only brother.” In one languid movement, he blinked away hope and my heart split open.
“Cerys, what are you doing with my sword?” My father stood behind me, his brow furrowed in dismay.
I glanced at my hand where his sword now rested. “I don’t…I didn’t…” I choked back tears. I couldn’t go through this again. Even with all the work I’d done with Alana, reliving it in any form would break me.
“Your brother is our baby,” my mother said. She held my father’s hand in a show of solidarity.
“I’m your baby, too,” I cried. “I shouldn’t have been forced to make this decision. I was a child!” I didn’t want to be in charge. I wanted to be taken care of, the same as my siblings.
My brother’s new form writhed on the ground. The creature foamed at the mouth. I gawked at him before turning back to my parents. “This is your mess. You clean it up.” I tossed the sword at my father’s feet and took off. I sprinted through the trees, trying to fight my way back to reality.
Abraxas was already dead.
My brother was already dead.
But I was alive.
My ankle grazed the thorns of a bush and my skin bubbled with blood. Blood.
That was the reason I was here. The League had identified Zane Amon’s blood mixed with jihoon. The legate was a Shaitan, known throughout the realm for being tricksters. The more devious ones played mind games.
I stopped running.
This was psychological warfare and it was being waged against me right now.
The djinni was trying to break me. I straightened my shoulders and headed back toward my false reality. I couldn’t let him win. I strode back to the blue oak tree and to my family with fire in my heart.
Zane Amon would not beat me.
When I returned to the tree, my parents were still there as though I hadn’t left. The sword still lay at my father’s feet. I ignored it. Instead, I looked directly at my father.
“I forgive you,” I said. “Truly, I do.” Then I faced my mother. “You, too, Mom. I love you both with all my heart. I would like nothing more than to be a family again.”
My father’s gaze flicked past me to the creature at the base of the tree. “Aren’t you going to do something about that?”
I didn’t bother to turn around. “No, because it isn’t real. None of this is real.” Except my love for them.
“You have to kill that monster or it might kill our whole family,” my mother said, her voice quivering.
“The real monsters have been dead for years,” I replied. “It’s time to let them go.”
With those words, the world around me dissolved into mist. When the fog cleared, I was back in the locked room at the castle. My wrists and ankles were still shackled.
“Thank the gods,” Callan breathed.
Relief rushed through my veins at the sight of him. As much as I wanted to cry, I held it together. We had to get out of here.
“Mind tricks, right?” I said.
A dark look passed over his handsome features. “Shaitans are known for distorting reality. I’m surprised we didn’t encounter it sooner.”
“Zane could be altering the king’s reality,” I said.
“I don’t think he’s using Shaitan magic on his own kind,” Callan said. “The king would be able to see through the illusion. Besides, no need for magic when his only son is missing. I think grief is every bit as powerful.”
Yes, it was. “If you can’t shift and I can’t do magic, what are our options?” Even if I could reach my wand, it wouldn’t be any good to me. The chains cut off my access to magic.
Callan strained against the chains, trying to pull himself free. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He finally collapsed on the floor.
The pounding sound of footsteps in the hallway drew my attention. “Callan, someone’s coming.”
The werewolf had overexerted himself. He was having trouble getting up. Oh gods, what if Zane was coming to finish us off?
The door burst open and Riffat stood in the doorway, looking every inch an armed and dangerous warrior. She unsheathed her sword.
“Riffat, no!” I yelled.
“No what?” she replied. She hurried to stand beside me. “You do not want me to free you?”
My body relaxed. “How did you know we were here?”
Riffat sliced through my chains in four easy strokes. “I overheard Zane Amon ordering guards to stand watch at the end of the corridor. I was curious as to why and waited until he walked away to ask them.” She broke Callan’s chains and he rubbed his raw wrists.
I studied her. “Why didn’t you ask Zane?”
She pressed her lips together. “He has not been acting like himself lately,” Riffat said. “No one has been willing to acknowledge it, but this impending war has made it clear…It is not the Zane Amon we know.”
Something snapped inside me. “No, Riffat. You’re absolutely right. It isn’t the Zane you know at all.”
Chapter Sixteen
We fled the room and Riffat escorted us past the posted guards. She pretended to have orders from Zane to deliver us to the king. No one dared question King G’lur’s favored personal guard.
“We need to see the queen,” I whispered. “She’s our best bet.” The king would be too distracted by grief and the impending war to listen to us.
Riffat gave a curt nod and marched forward. She did her best to look official and it seemed to work. No one raised an eyebrow as we passed by several mor
e guards and servants.
“Her Majesty’s private study is here,” Riffat said. She knocked on the door.
“You may enter.” Queen Enova’s voice drifted into the corridor.
Riffat opened the door. The room was large for a study. Queen Enova sat in a chair covered in crushed velvet in a deep shade of orange. Her eyes widened when she registered our presence. “What is this? Why have you returned to us?”
I hustled to her side. “Your Majesty, we have critical information about Zane Amon. He’s been manipulating your husband to create this conflict with the Ghul colony.”
“I found them shackled,” Riffat said, nodding to Callan and me. “Zane was trying to prevent them from telling you.”
The queen blinked rapidly. “The king and Zane have been close friends since childhood. What reason could he have other than sharing our outrage?”
“Because there’s something you don’t realize. This isn’t about justice for Prince Wuhaib,” I said.
The queen’s eyes met mine. “Then what?”
“Seize them,” Zane boomed and my stomach dropped.
Guards rushed into the room. Callan shifted and the wolf went on the attack.
“Riffat, protect the queen!” I yelled. I didn’t want anything to happen to her in the crossfire. This Zane Amon had no allegiance to the Shaitan royal family.
“Stand down, Riffat,” Zane ordered.
She raised her chin in defiance. “I will not.” She positioned herself between the queen and everyone else.
The queen stood. “What is the meaning of this?”
“The foreigners are responsible for the disappearance of your son,” Zane said. He shook his staff, agitated, and my eye went directly to the glittering red stone.
It called to me.
“He lies, Your Majesty,” Riffat told the queen.
Queen Enova smoothed the front of her dress. “I do not understand any of this. Why would Zane be untrue?”
I struggled to listen as I fought back the guards. My magic was intact once again, thank Hecate. I pulled as much energy as I could. It helped that the castle was primarily made of stone. I formed a protective shield around me. I had to make sure the legate didn’t use his staff again. No more mist, though I didn’t think he’d risk playing mind tricks on the queen. Not yet. I had no doubt his plan was to get rid of us and convince the queen of our deception once we were gone.
“Take the queen out of here,” I called. “To the king. Tell him Zane Amon is an imposter.”
Zane’s nostrils flared in response. “Filthy lies! You cannot believe an outsider, Your Majesty. You know me. We are old friends.”
“The real Zane is your friend,” I said. “This djinni’s name is Martyn.”
Callan’s wolf form pinned another guard to the floor. I pulled magic from the stones beneath our feet and forced the other guards back against the wall, holding them in place.
“Martyn is a hybrid,” I continued.
“A hybrid,” the queen said, aghast.
“His father was a Shaitan,” I told her, “but his mother was a Ghul.”
Something cracked the side of my skull and I cried out. Through my blurred vision, I glimpsed the serpentine staff. Martyn’s magic was apparently strong enough to break through my protective spell.
“Help her, Riffat!” I heard the queen command. Riffat’s sword came crashing down on the nearest guard as she moved toward me.
“Your Majesty, assisting the foreigners would be a grave mistake,” Martyn said. “I do not wish to harm you.”
The queen’s eyes blazed with indignation. “Harm me? You forget yourself, Zane Amon. I, too, am a djinni.” She rubbed her hands in what initially appeared to be an anxious gesture, but I quickly realized she was conjuring something.
“Do not stand against me, Your Majesty,” Martyn said through gritted teeth. “Or you will regret it.” So much for continuing the deception. There was no going back now.
I was pleased to see that Queen Enova was no shrinking violet. A swirling purple sphere appeared in her hands and she cast it at Zane. It struck his shoulder and burned through the fabric of his tunic. The queen shot me a worried look. “If he is in Zane’s form, is it best not to hurt him?”
“It’s an illusion,” I called back. “Martyn is the one here. We just can’t see his true form.”
“Like Kystra,” Riffat said, understanding.
The queen fired off another ball of magic that sailed over Martyn’s head. “I do not understand. We are Shaitans. We should be able to see through any glamour of our own caste.”
“But he’s only half Shaitan,” I said. “His Ghul blood prevents you from seeing through the illusion.” I had no doubt he’d also performed another layer of magic to protect his deception. Martyn was clearly a skilled djinni. What a waste.
With the guards out of the way, that only left Martyn to contend with. He bolted from the study and I chased him down the long corridor with my wand at the ready. Streaks of energy shot from the end of my wand. I was glad to have kept it in my pocket rather than the bag Martyn had taken when we arrived.
Martyn ran through an open doorway and I quickly followed. I caught a glimpse of him as he shot through an open window, his bottom half twirling like a twister.
Where was Mia when I needed her?
I stuck my head out the window in time to see Martyn rising to the top of the castle. Great. Now I had to battle my fear of heights and Martyn at the same time. At least I’d be outside where my magic was stronger.
I conjured a spell to apply viscid threads to my hands and feet and climbed out the window. The wind whipped my back as I ascended like a spider. I was moving too slowly if I intended to catch the fleeing djinni. I had to hurry.
Then I remembered the rune rocks in my pocket. There was one for speed. I paused and carefully pulled a hand off the stone wall so I could access the rock. I rubbed my fingers over the rune and whispered the ancient Etruscan word for speed. My body shot to the top of the castle and vaulted onto the rooftop.
Martyn was waiting for me there.
His staff whacked me in the face before I had time to react and I nearly fell backward. Pain radiated from my nose and mouth and I tasted blood. It took a moment to regain my vision.
It was just in time.
I conjured a protective bubble as mist flowed from the serpent’s mouth. I concentrated on the gemstone. There was powerful magic in there. I sensed it. I had to get my hands on that staff, if only so he would stop bludgeoning me with it.
He moved to strike me again and I cast a freeze spell. His arm stopped in mid-motion. “Do you harbor that much hatred in your heart, Martyn?”
He managed to form a sneer as he fought against my magic. “You know nothing of my suffering, witch,” he forced out. His nose twitched.
“I have a sense of it,” I said. “It must’ve been hard, growing up in a place that doesn’t accept differences. A Shaitan father and a Ghul mother. You blame the king for sending your father as a spy in his Ghul form. And this is your final revenge.” I threw my arms wide. “Stirring up a war between your two halves. An external expression of your inner conflict.”
“How do you know any of this?” he said through his clenched jaw.
“I met your grandmother,” I said. “Yessica.”
He continued to fight my magic. I could feel his power pushing against mine. “She lives?”
“She lives,” I replied. “She’s been searching for you. She told us about jihoon. She was a font of knowledge, in fact. You should have stayed with her. You might have learned to use your magic for good instead of revenge.”
“I learned all I needed to,” Martyn said. The moment the freeze spell broke, I felt it. The magic crashed over me like a powerful wave. Martyn was right; he’d learned plenty during his time away from his grandmother.
He gripped his staff, which seemed to be the source of much of his magic. Again, I felt the tug of the red gemstone that glimmered in the serpent’s
eye. I called to my magic and felt it swell within me. As Martyn raised the staff for another blow, magic tore from my body. I hurled all my energy, not at Martyn, but at the staff. A brilliant streak of energy blasted the staff into pieces.
“No!” Martyn boomed. He reached for the gleaming red gemstone amidst the debris, but he wasn’t quick enough. Thanks to another dose of my speed rune, I beat him to it. I pocketed the stone and attempted to run. I felt pressure from behind and went sprawling forward across the rooftop. Djinn magic.
“Would you like to experience another mindbender?” Martyn asked. “Because that can be arranged.”
I remained on my stomach, still holding my wand. Quickly and quietly, I performed the manifestation spell that Bryn had taught me. I imagined the object I wanted. I knew every nook and cranny, every imperfection. When something appeared in my hand, I didn’t have to look for confirmation. All I needed to do was glide my finger over the rune and say the magic word.
As Martyn stomped toward me, I flipped onto my back. “This is for Lumin Nasaaf,” I said. I tossed the gravity stone at him and he did exactly as I hoped.
He caught it.
His eyes popped when he felt the weight of it pressing him downward. He tried to drop it, but I cast a sticky spell on his hand—the same sticky spell I’d used to climb up the side of the castle. He staggered a few steps backward, struggling to remain in place, but he was no match for the force of gravity. He toppled over the edge of the rooftop and fell.
I scrambled to look over the side and made it in time to watch his body dent the earth below. I heard a sharp intake of breath and realized it came from me.
A familiar face below called to me. “There you are,” Callan said. “I followed your trail but it ended at the window.” He turned to look at the ground where Martyn had fallen. “I hope that’s not the real Zane.”
I pulled the red gemstone from my pocket and flashed it at him. “No, thank the gods. I’ve got the real Zane right here.”
I climbed down from the roof and was met in the corridor by Callan and Riffat.
“The king and queen would like to see you,” Riffat said.
Outlaw: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Enforcer of the East Book 2) Page 16
