by Jordi Burton
Turning, he caught the next guard in the stomach. Hayde and Chris took down the next two, and Dani—to William’s utter surprise—leapt onto the back of a guard, used her body’s momentum to drive him to the ground, and cut his throat with one quick swipe. It seemed in the months since he’d seen his little sister, she’d become a formidable warrior.
As more guards descended on them, Durse turned to William. “Anastasia’s in the north tower. You need to go to her.”
Nodding, William unfurled his wings and leapt into the sky. A few guards pursued him, chasing him to the north tower. When he landed, he drove one into the stone wall, stunning her. The other two he quickly dispatched; they were reckless and untrained.
He kicked in the window to the tower and landed in the dark room. “Anastasia?”
A groan answered him. Even with the shattered window it was too dark to see. He felt his way forward, until he reached a chair in the middle of the room. Feeling someone tied to it, he quickly dropped to his knees and began cutting the ropes. Gods and Angels, what had Joey done to her? He pushed his panic aside and focused on freeing her.
Once the ropes fell away, he scooped her into his arms and returned the way he came. She felt limp in his arms, like the way she had when she’d been dying from Joey’s torture in Sehir.
“Gods and Angels,” he breathed. “Stay with me, Anastasia.”
Landing on an empty balustrade, he put her down. Feeling her pulse, he began to panic. She was dying. But her body looked pristine. There was no blood, no scratches, not so much as a bruise. She looked as though she’d simply gone to sleep. But he knew this was one she wouldn’t wake up from.
A sound behind him drew his attention. He found more guards running towards them. Leaping to his feet, he fought them back. Thankfully, the balustrade pathway was narrow, so they could only rush him one at a time. But each time one fell, and the next guard climbed over their fallen guards, they pushed William back towards Anastasia.
By the time he felled all the of the guards, he was covered in blood. Some of it his own. He dropped to his knees beside Anastasia and felt for a pulse. When he didn’t find one, he shook himself.
It couldn’t be.
A crack sounded a moment before pain seared across the back of his head. His vision flickered, and he pitched forward. Had someone snuck up on him? It didn’t really matter, he supposed. Anastasia was gone. He’d been too slow to save her.
As unconsciousness dragged him under, he pictured her face, smiling down at him. It soothed the heartache.
William awoke sluggishly. With a groan, he rolled onto his side. He’d been having the nicest dream. He’d been standing in the throne room in Sehir, dressed in elaborate finery. All of his friends and family had been sitting in pews, looking up at him. Chris and Mohan had stood to his right, while Dani and Lili had stood to his left. Flower petals had been strewn down the middle of the aisle, giving off a faint scent. But just as the doors had opened to reveal his bride, he’d awakened.
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he looked around. He was inside a small cell, complete with a slab of a bed, a hole in the floor to relieve himself, and a small candle in a window no bigger than his hand. Getting to his feet, he rushed to the door.
“Anastasia!” he shouted. “Anastasia!”
But she wasn’t by his side. Then he remembered, she’d never be by his side. Déjà vu struck him like a physical blow and he staggered back. He’d done this before. This exact thing.
Peering through the window on the door, he saw Dani. Down the hall, he knew Mohan would be there. As would Chris, Vlad, Hayde, Ericcen, Aelnold, Norden, Gerrard, Lili, and two sorcerers he didn’t know. So did that mean they’d been caught, and he’d had the same dream about his wedding? Or did it mean that Durse hadn’t come to free them? They hadn’t battled the guards? He hadn’t escaped?
A voice behind him said, “It’s a little of both, really.”
Whirling, he found Joey standing behind him. “What’s going on?”
“I learned a lot of things in my time with Adrian. They really do come in handy.”
“Where’s Anastasia?”
Joey chuckled. “You mean you don’t remember?”
William followed his gaze, finding Anastasia’s body crumpled on the floor at his feet. Her blood coated his hands. He could see bruises on her neck that matched his fingers. He’d strangled her?
“This is a trick,” he said. “I’d never hurt her.”
Joey smiled. “Is that so?”
Unbidden, he thought of the time he’d been possessed by the Shadows, when he’d wrapped his arms around Anastasia’s throat, trying to choke the life from her. If she hadn’t found a way to stop him, he would’ve killed her.
But he hadn’t been possessed. Not this time. And yet, a small voice in the back of his head wondered if he would know if he had? Would he remember? He shook himself. Of course he would. This was Anastasia they were talking about. He loved her more than anything in this world. If he’d done anything to hurt her, he’d remember. He’d know. This was all a mind game. He wouldn’t let Joey break him.
“This isn’t real.”
Joey grinned. “You’ll soon find out that reality is subjective.”
He snapped his fingers and a cloud of thick black smoke engulfed William. He struggled to breathe, clawing at his throat, but, ultimately, the smoke won out and he fell into cloying unconsciousness.
CHAPTER THIRTY
A nastasia awoke for the second time tied to a chair. This time, however, someone was cutting her free. She groaned as pain lanced up her arm. Memories of her time with Joey flashed through her mind and she bit her tongue, worried he’d start hurting those she cared about.
“It’s alright, Your Highness. Just stay with me.”
Forcing her eyes open, she glanced down at the young man kneeling before her. He had dark hair, that matched the black swirls on his skin and the wings that stretched from his back.
“What are you doing?”
He looked up at her and she gasped, recognizing his flinty eyes. Durse Follant. The last she’d seen him, he’d broken out of the dungeons in Sehir and hidden in Ostana’s chambers. How in the name of the Gods and Angels was he here? And why? Was he working for Joey? It wouldn’t surprise her, considering he’d been arrested for letting Shadows into the city. But… she then remembered that it had been Ostana that let the Shadows into the city. So what had he been doing?
She winced, biting back a cry of pain, as he pressed a gel to her raw fingertips. Gently, he wrapped bandages around her hand. Sweet, blessed numbness stole up her fingers. She slumped back against the chair, taking a deep breath.
“I bet that feels better.”
She glanced at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I have a lot to explain. But let’s get out of here first.”
Tying off the bandages, he grabbed his knife and sliced through the rest of the ropes tying her to the chair. Getting to his feet, he peered through the bars on the door.
“Come on,” he murmured, stepping out into the hall.
Anastasia wordlessly followed him. They moved through narrow servants’ halls, until they spilled out into a courtyard. Squinting in the darkness, Anastasia peered out at the castle yard beyond. They stood close to the wall, crouched low to the ground. Durse led her to a squat stone building just west of the tower they’d exited.
When they reached the door, Durse turned to face her. “You have a dagger on you?”
Reaching for her belt, she felt the daggers William’s father had given her. It seemed Joey hadn’t expected her to get free of his bonds.
“I’m good.”
“Will you trust me?”
She looked him up and down. What other option did she have? If she ran, she’d likely get lost and stumble upon Joey accidentally. Besides, she doubted Durse Follant could be any worse than Joey had been.
“Yes.”
Slowly, so as not to hurt her, Durse clasped her hands beh
ind her back. Leading her forward, he knocked on the door in front of them. It swung open a moment later to reveal a Nadmilise with a crossbow slung across his back. He eyed Durse before inclining his head. It seemed Durse had some sort of sway over these people.
But then the guard’s eyes slid to Anastasia. “Gods and Angels, I didn’t know she was going to be held here.”
“Change of plans,” Durse grunted. “I’m to take her upstairs.”
The guard stepped aside, letting them in. Rows of cells filled the room, and a spiral staircase led up to a second floor with more cells. Each door was bolted shut, the sounds of kept prisoners emanating from within.
In the center of the floor sat a table of weapons. Anastasia spotted daggers, a small knife, Chris’ bo staff, Lili’s bow and arrows, Gerrard’s hammer, Mohan’s belt of potions, and a scepter.
“I’ll need to take these,” the guard said, reaching for Anastasia’s weapons belt.
Instantaneously, Durse dropped her hands. Anastasia reached back with her good hand, unsheathing one of her daggers. In one fluid motion, she flipped the blade and drove it into the guard’s neck. He dropped to the ground, blood spurting from the wound. Durse leapt around her, running at the other guards that charged them. Anastasia yanked her blade free and dropped to her knees, searching the fallen guard for the keys to the cells.
Finding the key ring, she ran to the nearest cell and unlocked the door. It hardly mattered who was being held in these cells; whoever was a prisoner of Joey’s deserved to go free, regardless of who they were.
When Durse finished off the guards, he circled back to help Anastasia. In a matter of moments, they’d opened every cell in the building. Chris, Ryke, Mohan, Vlad, Gerrard, Lili, Dani, Hayde Zand, Ericcen, Aelnold, Norden, and two sorcerers congregated together, while the other prisoners made a run for it.
“Anastasia!” Dani exclaimed.
Mohan turned. “Oh, am I glad to see you, love.”
They all embraced. When they stepped back, Dani motioned to the female sorcerer standing beside her. “This is Mira. She was with me in the Sand Isles.”
The other sorcerer held out his hand. “And I am her brother, Balan.”
Dani glanced around. “Where’s William?”
“I thought he’d be here with you,” said Anastasia.
“Joey has him somewhere in the castle,” said Durse. “As well as the baby.”
Anastasia went cold all over. Joey had Aagney and William. She clenched her fists, rage flooding through her. If he harmed a single hair on either one of their heads, she’d kill him herself. The Nadmilise flinched back from her, clearly feeling her anger.
“What do you mean ‘the baby’?” Vlad asked, an edge to his voice. “You can’t possibly mean my son.”
Anastasia deflated. She’s willingly brought Vlad’s son here. Gods and Angels, why would she have ever brought him along? She should’ve foreseen the danger, should’ve known what would happen.
“You brought my son here?” Vlad demanded of Anastasia.
Mohan rested a hand on Vlad’s shoulder. “They have to be safe for now. Joey will be waiting for us to come find them, so he won’t hurt them. They’re bait. Right now, we need to focus on getting the Vatis.”
Anastasia took a breath. He was right. That was the reason they’d come to the castle in the first place. The sooner they found the Vatis, the sooner they’d be free of Joey’s spell.
Vlad skewered Anastasia with a look. “If he touches one hair on Aagney’s head…”
“You found the Vatis?” Dani asked.
“Sort of,” said Mohan. “We did a location spell that sent us here. But we aren’t sure of the precise location or identity of the Vatis.”
Gerrard stepped forward. “Could you do another location spell?”
Mohan shook his head. “I don’t have enough ingredients.”
“What do you need?” asked Balan.
While the two sorcerers bent their heads over Balan’s collection of herbs, Anastasia studied the people with her. It was very possible one of them was the Vatis. And if Mohan was right about the Vatis being connected to ancient Nadmilise bloodlines, then it could easily have been Durse Follant, Hayde Zand, or Dani, who were all present in the castle when Mohan did the spell.
A moment later, Mohan and Balan were pulling out a chalice and apatite crystal. Ryke and Durse took up positions in front of the door, peering out into the evening. Hayde and Dani grabbed the weapons from the fallen guards, handing them to those that were unarmed.
Spreading out the map he’d brought, Mohan peered at his grimoire. Anastasia offered her blood this time, instead of William. Just thinking of him set her on edge; there was no telling what Joey could be doing to him, or to Aagney. Surely, he wouldn’t hurt an infant? She’d been so stupid, bringing him here. And poor Vlad. His son was in the arms of a killer, one they all once called friend. And she’d been the one to bring him here. If only she’d known.
Mohan looked up at them. “It says the Vatis is in this room.”
They all looked at each other.
Gerrard frowned. “Is that even possible?”
“Look,” said Anastasia. “Only Dani, Hayde, and Durse were in the castle when we did the last location spell. They’re the only choices.”
Ericcen shook his head. “So how do we find out who it is?”
“We cast a circle,” said Mohan.
Anastasia watched as he and Balan drew a circle in the dirt. Inside it, he drew four pentagrams. At the head, they drew a circle inside a triangle. Stepping back, Balan and Mohan shared a look.
“What?” asked Lili.
“We need physical representations of the elements,” Balan explained.
Mohan considered them for a moment. “Dani, grab a handful of dirt; you’ll stand in for earth. Hayde, take the chalice; you’ll be water. And Durse, take the candle from inside one of the cells; you’ll be fire.”
“What of air?” Balan murmured.
“As the connection to the ancient bloodlines, Anastasia can stand in for air. Her pendant will suffice.”
Slowly, Dani, Hayde, Durse, and Anastasia grabbed their totems and took their places in the pentagrams. Mohan stood in the triangle in the middle, flipping through the pages of his grimoire. Everyone else—except Ryke, who kept an eye on the door—stood around them, watching with wide-eyes as Mohan raised his hands and begun.
He strode three times around the circle before stopping in the center. Wind kicked up around them, swirling the dirt around their ankles. A tingle raced across Anastasia’s skin.
“We call Earth to the circle, so we may be grounded,” Mohan said.
The pentagram beneath Dani’s feet lit up with bright green light. The wind blew harder.
Turning, Mohan continued, “We call Fire to the circle, so we may be unafraid.”
The pentagram beneath Durse’s feet lit up with red light. Anastasia swore she could smell the spicy waters of the Fire Lake. She felt the surprise and uncertainty of the people around her. Thankfully, she heard Lili faintly describing to Chris what was happening.
“We call Air to the circle, so we may open our minds.”
As the pentagram beneath Anastasia’s feet lit up, she felt a rush of cool air. Gooseflesh erupted across her skin.
“Finally, we call Water to the circle, so we may find our way.”
As soon as the pentagram beneath Hayde’s feet lit up, Anastasia felt a rush of energy. A bright light engulfed them all, blocking out the cells around them. Anastasia shielded her eyes, unable to move. The others’ uncertainty trickled through her, making her uneasy. She centered herself, trusting in Mohan’s ability.
When the wind died down, she opened her eyes to see she was standing in the atrium within the large tree, the one in which she’d gone to receive her tattoos. Just as before, the large circular window gave her a glimpse of vibrant fields, but it was too bright for her to look at for long. The thrones of the Gods and Angels were empty, as well, and the table
of objects was gone.
Turning, she was surprised to see Chris, Dani, and Mohan standing with her. But they looked incorporeal, transparent like ghosts. And they were dressed strangely.
Chris was clothed in black boiled leather from head-to-toe, complete with thick gloves and forearm bracers. A thick belt held his batons at his waist, while a thinner belt slung across his chest held a dagger. Most strange was the crest on his chest: chains wrapped around a crown.
Beside him, Dani wore a simple orange gown and shawl, embossed with the image of a swan. Strands of beaded necklaces, gold rings, and a brightly-patterned headdress decorated her.
Behind them, Mohan was dressed in all green with polished metal accents. A long, flowing shawl hung over a fitted vest, geometric-patterned flared trousers, and metallic platform boots. A splayed hand was embossed on the front of his chest, which seemed to glow as he moved.
Looking down at herself, Anastasia saw she was dressed in a snow-white gown of tulle and lace, with a golden harp embroidered on the front.
“What is all this?” Mohan asked.
But before any of them could respond, bright light flashed through the room. When is dissipated, Isidora Spiros, Hughie Roth—the prince of the ghosts—and the Fairy Queen stood before them. They, too, were dressed strangely. Shock slammed through Anastasia when she saw them. What were they all doing there? And why?
Hughie looked down at his deep blue robes—embossed with a vibrant phoenix—and strings of beaded necklaces with a frown. “Where are we?”
“It seems we’re in the realm of the Gods and Angels,” said Dani.
Isidora twirled in her flowing gold gown with the image of a fox. “Why are we dressed like this?”
“All we know is that Mohan casted a circle, to try and find an ancient being called the Vatis. And now we’re here.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” the Fairy Queen asked.
She was dressed in a resplendent silver gown, with an acacia branch circlet around her head. She looked more human than Anastasia had ever seen her, with pale skin and long, flowing hair. Instead of being roughly five inches tall, she now stood head-to-head with Anastasia.
