Tower of Fire (Parallel Magic Book 3)

by Emma L. Adams

  “Wish I could see the wyrm drop her in the middle of nowhere,” said Miles. “Ah… they’re back.”

  A loud cheer rose from elsewhere in the grounds, prompting me to look for the source. “Who’s back?”

  “I sent a couple of Spirit Agents to tell the others Shawn is dead,” he explained. “Honestly, I’m all in favour of ignoring the Family for tonight and celebrating our victory.”

  “The elves are safe,” said Ryan, when Trix’s expression turned anxious. “We’ve done all we can for them. And Bria made it back from her solo rescue mission in one piece, which is another minor miracle.”

  More cheering ensued as a pack of Spirit Agents walked in our direction, and I found my heart lifting despite my lingering worries. With Shawn dead, his plan to take over the Spirit Agents had come to a decisive end. The others seemed thrilled at this development, running around high fiving one another and generally not being sad in the slightest about the loss of their former second-in-command. A group of them dive-bombed Miles and dragged him over to demand he tell the story again, while Ryan and Trix retreated away from the noise. I, meanwhile, spotted Liv standing nearby, along with Harper. The latter wore a perplexed expression on her illusory human face.

  “What is going on?” she asked me. “I heard there was an attack in Elysium… but everyone’s celebrating?”

  “Turned out to be a false alarm,” I said. “An ex-Spirit Agent turned on the transporter, not the Family. Miles killed him.”

  “Good,” said Liv. “We have enough crap going on here already. What’ve you been doing? I haven’t seen you since you got back.”

  Was Liv… trying to make friendly conversation with me? “What have I been doing? Visiting elves, avoiding my evil relatives, and taking down an ex-Spirit Agent who wouldn’t quit.”

  “So just like a regular day.” Miles walked over, having shaken off his questioners, and casually slid his hand into mine. A thrill jolted through me at his open display of affection, and Liv’s brows lifted a fraction. “The others are ordering takeout and planning a low-key celebration in the castle, but I figured you’d want to change out of those muddy clothes first.”

  “Speak for yourself.” He had a point, though. Mud covered me from head to toe and blood smeared one side of my face, though my bruises had faded without my paying any attention. “All right. I’ll go clean up. See you later, Liv. And you too, Harper.”

  As Harper waved me off, I walked back into the castle via the back door. Miles followed close behind me, and when we were alone, he said, “Bria… I wanted to ask whether you’re okay with what I did to Shawn.”

  “You’re joking, right?” I halted in front of the door to my suite, digging in my pocket for my keys. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I figured you’d seen enough trauma,” he said. “You know, the reason I started the Spirit Agents was because of him.”

  “Oh?” I glanced at him, the keys dangling from my fingers.

  “Yeah, it was his idea,” he said. “Before that, we were a group of mismatched orphans or disowned teenage spirit mages. Even when Greyson joined up.”

  “You mean the Death King.”

  He dipped his head. “Yeah. He was way better connected than the rest of us… he even went to school at the Order’s academy on the other side of the nodes, before he fell under the House of Spirit’s curse. Anyway, Shawn was the one who suggested forming the Spirit Agents as our own equivalent to the Houses. I think he was always jealous that I got voted in as the leader instead of him, even though I won the position fair and square.”

  “I can see why the others picked you as their leader.” I turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door to my suite. “They trust you.”

  “Hmm.” He caught my hand, and a frisson of warmth sparked inside me. “You always know the right thing to say to me.”

  “If you’re being serious, it was by total accident.” Heat rushed to my face. “I’m not good at complimenting people.”

  “You’re not good at accepting compliments,” he corrected, drawing me closer to him and kissing me on the mouth. “Not that I’m giving up that easily.”

  I kissed him back, the warmth within my chest intensifying, along with the desire to strip off my filthy clothes for a very different reason. Ah, screw it. “Want to come try out the fancy shower in my room?”

  He grinned. “I’ll grab a change of clothes. Be right back.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” I walked into my room and discarded my coat. As I kicked off my equally muddy boots, a knock came from the door.

  “Who’re you?” I opened it. “I don’t remember ordering a spirit mage.”

  “Sure you didn’t.” Miles stepped into the room and tossed a pile of clean clothes onto an armchair. “Damn, this place really is fancy.”

  “Only the best for the Death King’s Elemental Soldiers.” I closed the door firmly and put the latch on from the inside so nobody could barge in. “Though I’ve really not spent as much time in here as I’d have liked.”

  “We can explore.” He shrugged off his coat. “In fact, we can get up close and personal with every inch of the place.”

  “Let’s start with the shower.” I walked to bathroom and turned on the water, the sound hiding my thudding heartbeat as Miles strode up behind me and spun me around to face him.

  His lips met mine, his hands caressing my neck with faint touches which made me shiver with anticipation. His fingers found the pendant, his touch questioning. In answer, I pulled the pendant off and placed it beside the sink, catching sight of my pointed ear in the mirror. I wasn’t wearing the illusion spell. I’d forgotten to turn it back on after the last time, and self-consciousness urged me to pick it up again. “You might have to get used to me looking like this.”

  Miles caught my face in his hand. “You’re perfect to me.”

  I leaned in for another kiss. “Maybe I can get the hang of the compliments thing.”

  “I’ll be persistent.” He stripped off his shirt, grabbing the door handle and pulling it shut. I hesitated for a heartbeat before fumbling my own shirt over my head. As I shook my hair loose, Miles’s fingers cupped my chin again, his other hand undoing my bra strap. Our mouths crashed together, bare skin slick with water, and the need built between my thighs as he eased off my jeans and underwear at the same time.

  Divested of my clothes, I felt more vulnerable than I’d anticipated, but the heat in his eyes ignited my own desire, and he was more than ready for me with quick fingers and a sinful tongue, while the pounding of water swallowed my cries of ecstasy. By the time he’d removed the rest of his clothes, I was too far gone to care for the water flooding the bathroom floor and the fogging reflection of my pointed ears in the mirror.

  I didn’t expect our victory to last, and sure enough, the sound of someone pounding on the door of my room woke me several hours too early.

  “What?” I called, from where I lay tangled in Miles’s arms on the bed. Admittedly, it was our own fault that we hadn’t got much actual rest the night before, but the sleepy smile he flashed in my direction made it worth the indignity of being yanked out of bed.

  “We need you at the gates,” Ryan called back. “We have a situation the Death King needs you to help with.”

  I groaned. “Is it the sort of situation that literally anyone else in the castle can handle instead?”

  “Trust me, you need to be there.”

  That didn’t sound promising. I scrambled around the room looking for my clothes and weapons, having the distinct feeling our brief reprieve had come to an end. Miles seemed to think so, too, and while the kiss he placed on my lips before we left the room brought back memories of the previous night, all my old worries returned upon leaving the castle.

  A large crowd gathered near the gates, a mixture of Spirit Agents and liches and Elemental Soldiers, forming a barrier which prevented me from seeing what awaited on the other side. Another dead lich or two, perhaps a threatening note from the Family--or
worse. When they saw me, the crowd quietened, and then parted on either side at a command from the other Elemental Soldiers.

  Through the gap, Adair entered the castle grounds with his hands raised above his head in surrender.

  17

  I stared openly at Adair, unable to believe he had the audacity to set foot anywhere near the Death King’s territory. Not only had he attempted to make us believe he’d surrendered, he even wore a blindfold over his eyes as though to imply he wasn’t going to mind-control anyone. All my ‘bullshit’ instincts flared up in warning.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I demanded. “Do you think we’re dense enough to believe a scrap of fabric means you mean us no harm?”

  “No,” he said. “I’m wearing this so I can’t look you in the eyes. I’m not manipulating you. I want to surrender.”

  “Right.” It was as if he’d overheard my plans from yesterday to infiltrate the Family’s house by tricking him into thinking he had me under his spell, though of course he couldn’t have. Then again, we’d been raised by the same people and it shouldn’t have surprised me that the same duplicity lived in both of us even as we stood on opposite sides of the conflict. “The gate is that way. I’d advise you to take off the blindfold when you walk through the swamp, though it’ll be entertaining for the rest of us if you don’t.”

  “I’m not screwing with you,” he insisted. “I want to help.”

  “Stop that bullshit,” I said. “Everyone here remembers how you sat there in the Death King’s jail and laughed at me as you forced my best friend to put a cursed cantrip in my hand and manipulated me into setting you free. Just because being stuck in the elves’ prison hurt your ego—”

  “I didn’t know,” he interjected. “I didn’t know what Lex and Roth did. How they created us. I didn’t know they stole the Akrith from the elves either.”

  “Nice try,” I said. “That’s exactly what you’d say if you were trying to emotionally manipulate me into giving you a second chance.”

  “I’m not manipulating you!” he protested. “If Lex and Roth find me here, they’ll kill me. I only managed to sneak out the house because Lex isn’t around, and Roth went out looking for her.”

  “She’s rotting in a field somewhere,” I told him, with a twinge of satisfaction. “I ordered a wyrm to crush her into paste and then dump her body as far away as possible, and I’d gladly do the same for you.”

  Adair grimaced underneath the blindfold. “I know you have a good reason not to trust me.”

  “More than one good reason,” Miles said. “In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ve betrayed every single person in this castle, and none more than Bria.”

  “Are we letting him go, then?” said Shelley. “I wouldn’t put it past him to have brought his allies ready to attack us when our backs are turned.”

  “Good point.” I turned to address Miles and the Spirit Agents, as well as the Elemental Soldiers. “I’d say we should leave him with the liches for now, while we vote on what to do with him. Oh, and we should tie his hands behind his back so he can’t remove that blindfold.”

  It’d be nice to believe he’d had a change of heart, but this whole situation stank of foul play. His claims that Lex and Roth had left the house weren’t necessarily accurate, either. Which was a shame, because getting the Elders’ Akrith back would be a damn sight easier if I didn’t have to fight my way past the Family in order to do so.

  When the liches had Adair surrounded, the rest of us gathered far enough away for him not to overhear us debating his fate. The Spirit Agents and the Elemental Soldiers all looked equally distrustful of our new visitor.

  “This isn’t happening,” I said to the others. “There’s no way we can trust him in any capacity.”

  “Agreed,” said Ryan.

  Trix stepped in. “But what if he’s being truthful? You didn’t know what your family did before you went to the elves’ realm either, Bria.”

  “I didn’t, but I’m not a manipulative sociopath like he is,” I said. “This is the guy who tricked me into letting him out of jail. He kept my best friend under mind control for weeks. He’s the reason she died.” My voice cracked on the last word. “I can’t trust him.”

  “I understand,” said Trix. “I don’t think we should let him walk free, though. Why not keep him under close watch in the castle? It’s better than sending him back to the Family.”

  “You want to lock him in jail?” asked Shelley.

  “No,” I said. “Last time he threw temper tantrums and then manipulated me and Tay into letting him out before stealing my cantrips to escape the grounds.”

  “He’s too dangerous to leave anywhere in the Death King’s territory without someone watching him,” said Tate. “Even the jail.”

  “Agreed,” added Ryan. “With liches guarding him and not humans, he can’t use his mind-control talent, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t got more surprises up his sleeve. Are you positive the rest of the Family aren’t in the area?”

  “No,” I said. “But I had that wyrm take Lex as far away as possible, and I’m not certain Roth would leave their base unattended, whatever Adair claims. I think he did come here alone.”

  Didn’t mean he’d told the truth about anything else, though. Especially the part where he’d claimed the elves’ revelations about Lex and Roth had changed his views on them. He’d never objected to any of the depraved things they’d done in the past. Why should stealing the Elders’ Akrith have been any different?

  No. I couldn’t afford to believe a single word he said. For all I knew, he’d come here to divert my attention while the Family went after the elves again, and while it might be tempting to believe his stories about the Family’s house being empty, over my dead body was I getting myself locked up in their prison again.

  The others began to argue among themselves, so I approached the steps leading to the castle. “I’m going to ask His Deathly Highness if he objects to us taking a new prisoner. Back in a second.”

  Ryan tailed me through the doors to the castle’s entrance hall, which was empty. Even Dex wasn’t guarding the door to the hall of souls as he usually was.

  “Bria, the Death King isn’t in the castle and neither is Liv,” Ryan said in a low voice. “They’re dealing with something urgent at the Order’s headquarters.”

  “Damn.” That would explain why neither of them had come outside to see Adair’s arrival. “So they don’t know Adair’s here.”

  “Unfortunately not,” said Ryan. “We’ll either have to wait for them to come back, or deal with him ourselves. Did you say the elves managed to imprison him in their realm?”

  “Before Lex got him out,” I said. “I’d hoped to use him as bait to lure them into a trap, but that plan imploded when they attacked the elves and helped him escape. Do you have any more ideas?”

  “Me?” they said. “I’m not in charge here.”

  “You’re basically the Death King’s favourite Elemental Soldier, the one he sends on all his important missions,” I said. “Aren’t you?”

  “That,” said Ryan, “is because Felicity is too nice, while Cal is too unfriendly. And you…”

  “I’m an untrustworthy ex-criminal who also happens to be a half elf with a weird and twisted family.”

  “You’re new here,” Ryan corrected. “Also, I don’t think you’re an untrustworthy ex-criminal.”

  “Seriously?” I arched a brow. “That’s as good as a declaration of loyalty for life coming from you, isn’t it?”

  “If you like.” A smile played on their mouth. “Anyway, I think the elves have more cause to inflict punishment on him than anyone else, considering he brought a war to their doorstep. I doubt he’ll expect us to hand him back over to them… and I doubt the Family will, either.”

  “Fair point.” It’d go a long way towards rebuilding trust with the Elders if I gave them their prisoner back. It wasn’t like the Family had any intention of leaving them alone either way. “Okay, I need the A
krith… oh, damn. I can’t get into the hall of souls.”

  “Yes, you can.” They reached out and pressed a key into my hand. “This is from the Death King.”

  I stared at the small metal key. “You want me to take the key to the hall of souls?”

  “The Death King said we can all use it, yes.”

  I turned the key in the lock, unable to hold back a grin. Thankfully, the Akrith was easy to spot on a shelf near the door, while the other shelves in the room were covered with carved soul amulets. Once, I might have found them creepy, but the Death King’s hard-won trust in me was like a flame burning inside my chest. I’d never thought the sense of belonging I’d always craved would come in a castle decorated with pillars of skulls and full of the souls of the damned, but I wasn’t complaining in the slightest.

  Ryan’s voice drifted from outside. “I’ll get some of the Death King’s super-strength restraining spells to use on Adair.”

  “Good idea.” I pocketed the Akrith and then locked the door to the hall of souls before leaving the castle and joining Miles at the foot of the stairs.

  “You’re going to speak to the elves now?” asked Miles, eyeing the stone-shaped lump in my pocket.

  “Once we have our hostage secured,” I said. “Ryan will be back in a second to restrain our guest.”

  “You’ve decided to take him to the elves, then?” said Miles.

  “Recapturing their prisoner might put them in a better mood,” I said. “I don’t want him near the castle.”

  Especially with the Death King absent. Not that I wanted Adair to know he wasn’t here, but something about his apparent surrender struck me as ominous. So did his claims that the Family had vacated the house. If I didn’t need the Elders’ Akrith so badly, I wouldn’t consider going near the place… yet the temptation remained in the back of my mind. How many opportunities would I have to retrieve what they’d stolen?