Stone Blood Legacy: A Shattered Magic Novel (Stone Blood Series Book 2)

by Jayne Faith

  I swallowed hard and glanced around. There were three trident men for every Order soldier in the courtyard. Our people were on the ground, all but incapacitated by the electric assault. Oliver and the rest of the legion was gone, off to aid Titania in the Summerlands. We were in deep shit.

  I looked up at Periclase. “What do you want?”

  He extended a hand to me, offering to help me up. I flicked a glance at it but didn’t move.

  “What do you want?” I asked again.

  “Take my hand,” he said. His eyes were challenging, his face hard.

  I was in no position to resist. I could only hope that someone had reached Marisol in time and she’d sent word to Oliver to return to the fortress. The best I could do was stall Periclase.

  I slowly reached up and grasped my blood father’s hand. He pulled me to my feet and then let go. A handful of Undine men kept their tridents trained on me, primed with little bolts of electricity zapping between the forks.

  “So you’re in bed with the Undine, too,” I said with unmasked disdain. “That must mean you’re a pawn in Finvarra’s game.”

  “Finvarra does what he wants,” Periclase said. “I do what I want. One does not necessarily have to do with the other.”

  “Why are you here?” I demanded.

  My strength was returning. I knew if I made a move the Undine men would fry me, but if I had an opening I was going to take it.

  Periclase regarded me stonily. “I’m here to introduce myself as your new sovereign. The Stone Order is no longer. The New Gargoyles are now Duergar subjects.”

  I felt the blood drain from my face. Had Finvarra already taken the High Court and granted Periclase his petition to absorb the Stone Order? Or was Periclase acting on his own?

  He raised one hand as if making a little wave. It was a casual gesture, but the Undine men responded almost as one, and every New Garg weapon in the courtyard received a bolt from the tridents. It wasn’t a paralyzing shock, but it was startling enough that those of us holding our weapons fumbled or dropped them, myself included.

  Mort clattered to the stone pavers, and I dove after my broadsword. When I touched the grip, sparks flew and white-hot pain lanced through my hand and up through my arm. The muscles spasmed, and against my will, I lost hold of my prized weapon.

  I tried again with the same result. A hard magical vibration emanated from Mort, as if the sword was echoing my frustration. The trident men had somehow electrified it with their lightning magic, making it impossible for me to handle. Slowly I rose to my feet and watched the other New Gargs in the courtyard going through the same motions with their weapons, with the same fruitless results.

  Our stone armor was all but useless against Undine lightning magic, and the trident men had turned our weapons against us.

  It seemed we were a little bit fucked.

  Under Periclase’s direction, the Undine began rounding us up, prodding us with their tridents as if we were cattle. I tried to use the shuffle of movement to change my position and get closer to Shane, but I got zapped in the chest for my trouble. Once my pulse righted itself, my heart lifted a little when a scan of the courtyard revealed Emmaline wasn’t there. Maybe she’d gotten to Marisol. Or maybe she’d made it out of the fortress and was going for help.

  I twisted to look back at the courtyard as we were forced to the doors. Remnants of the fountain lay scattered around, and among the cement chunks, our weapons looked like a bunch of discarded toys. Lightning magic arced along the swords with soft crackles every so often. Magic emanated from Mort in a throbbing pulse, as if the sword were wounded and gasping for breath. My chest tightened as I lost sight of my spellblade.

  Periclase and his borrowed army marched us through the fortress, taking us down to the basement. I managed to maneuver to a spot behind Shane.

  “Where’s Marisol?” I hissed at him.

  He gave a slight shake of his head. “We thought it was a servitor attack at first. She made it into her lockdown room, I think. But she won’t stay there once she learns what’s going on.”

  “Emmaline’s not here. Did she get out?”

  “I hope so.”

  We were herded to the fortress jail, where Patrick, who must have been the jail attendant on duty, was being held by a couple of Undine.

  All of us New Gargs were searched and relieved of our smaller weapons and then forced into the lockups, six or seven of us to a cell. I managed to keep close to Shane, so we ended up in the same one.

  He pushed his fingers into his short dark hair and stared at nothing. He looked as stricken as I felt. We’d been jailed along with four other soldiers from the battle ranks—two men and two women. They were all pale and glassy eyed.

  The Stone Order had been seized by another sovereign. Whether it had been by approval of the High Court or not, it hardly mattered.

  “What the hell are we going to do?” one of the women asked. She was the same one who’d rushed into the courtyard right after me, one of the first on the scene when the Undine’s doorway had begun to form in the fountain water.

  I could invoke my spellblade. It might kill me to do it again so soon, and I wasn’t sure it would do the others much good to bust out of the cell when there’d be a bunch of tridents waiting for them, but I couldn’t stand just sitting around.

  “Anybody manage to make it in here with something sharp?” I asked. “I can use spellblade magic.”

  We all searched our pockets and then scoured the cell, but the best we could come up with was zippers on our clothing. That wouldn’t work. The magic required a large volume of blood quickly. It would do no good to try to bleed myself with shallow scrapes.

  We took turns activating our rock armor and beating against the cell locking mechanism, but we only managed to bruise ourselves and leave some scrapes and shallow dents in the door.

  With a strangled noise of frustration, I kicked at the door with my heel one last time and then released my magic. No use wasting more strength.

  One of the men sank to the bed, dejected. He shook his head. “How did this happen?”

  “Periclase couldn’t have gotten in here without the Undine,” I said. “Nothing in the Duergar bag of tricks could have breached the fortress, but somehow the Undine managed to form a spontaneous doorway using the water in the fountain.”

  “I didn’t know that was even possible,” he said.

  “The Undine are a shadow kingdom. There’s probably a lot we don’t know about their magic. Obviously they can command water in ways we wouldn’t have expected.”

  The woman who’d been beside me when the Undine started pouring through the water doorway peered at me. I didn’t like the look on her face.

  “What?” I asked irritably.

  “King Periclase called you princess,” she said. “What did he mean by that?”

  The others had raised their heads to stare at me.

  I couldn’t lie, but I could evade. “You’d have to ask him.”

  I could tell she was unsatisfied with my answer, but I locked gazes with her and waited until she looked away. I wasn’t in the mood to be questioned about Periclase’s wayward comment. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to reveal that I was his daughter.

  But it turned out that I wouldn’t have a choice in the matter of keeping that secret.

  Maybe an hour later, there came the sounds of people moving in the corridor outside the cells. Our door released, revealing half a dozen trident men.

  One of them stood in the doorway, his eyes roving over us and coming to rest on me.

  “Petra Maguire. You’re summoned to audience with your father and sovereign, King Periclase.”

  My lips parted, and for a split second, I couldn’t move. Then the Undine man brandished his trident at me. I forced my feet into motion, having no choice but to comply with the summons.

  Feeling like an unwitting traitor, I stepped out into the hallway. The trident men surrounded me, and the cell door slammed shut behind us, the sound o
f it echoing heavily.

  Chapter 23

  THE UNDINE MEN kept their tridents trained on me as they escorted me up from the basement and through the hallways of the fortress. It was eerily quiet with no New Gargs in sight. None of the Undines we passed uttered a word. After a few turns I gathered we were heading toward the administrative wing. When we arrived at Marisol’s office, I saw for the first time that other Duergar had come.

  Darion, Periclase’s brother and the man I’d nearly killed in the battle of champions, stood with a group of Duergar officials in the anteroom of Marisol’s inner office. Jasper wasn’t there. Not that he would have been included in such a group, as he was a military man, but part of me kept expecting to see him. There were no Duergar soldiers in sight, though a few royal guards stood near the doors. It seemed that Periclase was solely relying on the Undine for muscle. Perhaps he’d sent his own army elsewhere, as we had with some of ours. Oliver could be clashing with the Duergar in the Summerlands at that moment.

  When the trident men marched me past Darion, his eyes hardened. Across his neck was the purple-red line of a fresh scar. A souvenir from Mort. Even Darion’s New Garg blood couldn’t fully heal such a serious wound.

  In Marisol’s office, trident bearers stood guard over the lady of the fortress, Maxen, Marisol, and Raleigh, the non-military head of security for the Stone Order. Marisol was pale, but her eyes flashed and a red blotch of fury bloomed on each cheek. I couldn’t fathom the outrage she was feeling. Losing the Order to another kingdom was her worst nightmare.

  Maxen had a cut over one eyebrow that was still seeping blood down his temple. We exchanged a look, and he seemed relieved to see me, though his expression echoed some of his mother’s anger.

  King Periclase emerged from the adjoining room that was normally used for Stone Council meetings. Inside, I glimpsed several Duergar officials. He was wearing a floor-length cape over navy trousers tucked into brown studded-leather boots and a billowing white silk shirt. Atop his head perched a heavy-looking brass crown studded with green gemstones. Faerie rulers rarely wore actual crowns, except for ceremonies. He was obviously trying to make an impression.

  He came to an abrupt stop when he saw me, and his cape swirled dramatically.

  “You’ve arrived,” he said. “Good.”

  “Did Finvarra grant your petition to absorb the Stone Court?” I demanded.

  “What does that matter? This is happening regardless of the means,” he said distractedly. His gaze shifted beyond me, his expression sharpening in a way that made me twist around to see what he was looking at.

  It was my sister. Nicole was being prodded along by three Undine men. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying. When she caught sight of Periclase, some of her fear flashed into anger.

  The Duergar king beckoned to her. “Join us. We have important things to tell your former leader.”

  Nicole’s eyes flicked to mine, and I tried to give her a reassuring look. Not that that I was really in a position to reassure anyone.

  He crooked his index finger at us, indicating we should go to him. When I hesitated, I got a brief shock in the small of my back that was enough to make me jump forward. I glared over my shoulder at the Undine man who’d zapped me. Periclase waited until the trident men had prodded me and Nicole over to stand at his side.

  “Now, face your former monarch,” he commanded.

  I’d been looking at Maxen, trying to judge how bad his head injury was, but I shifted my gaze to Marisol.

  “I introduce to you my blood daughters,” Periclase said. “Princesses of the Duergar royal line.”

  At his pronunciation, bile rose in my throat. I swallowed sourly.

  Marisol’s lips parted as she stared at me. Her face twisted up as if she were bracing for a slap across the face. “Petra?”

  Many things passed through my mind, but I knew denial would do me no good. Somehow, Periclase had discovered that I was his. Melusine had given me proof. The truth of my blood father was out.

  “It’s true,” I said, hating the sound of my own voice.

  “You shouldn’t have taken my changeling daughter,” the Duergar king said to Marisol. Then he smiled darkly. “But in the end, it didn’t matter because I’ve reclaimed her, and I’ve gained another. And now I have all of the Stone Order, too.”

  Maxen looked horrified. Shock still froze Marisol’s face.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Periclase said. He gestured to me and Nicole. “This has nothing to do with fatherly feelings. I’m not a man of any such sentiment. It has everything to do with the usefulness of two more Duergar princesses. That is an enormous gift.”

  My hands clenched at my sides. “If you think you’re marrying us off to some royal douchebag buddies of yours, you’re out of your mind,” I ground out through clamped teeth. “You’re not our sovereign.”

  One of the Undine men raised his trident and let loose with a few quick bolts straight into my chest. I groaned and doubled over, barely managing to stay on my feet.

  “But you understand this, don’t you, Lady Lothlorien?” Periclase continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “Your own son was to be used in advancing your cause. Your only child was to play a key role in your plans. Act as an important piece on the game board of your political career.”

  I stood with one hand braced on my knee, trying to regain my breath. I had to hand it to Periclase—he’d definitely called it right when it came to Marisol’s plans for Maxen. But Periclase wasn’t done. Oberon’s balls, I’d had no idea the Duergar king was such a windbag.

  He moved a few steps toward Marisol. “We’re not so different, you and I. I’m simply playing the game much better than you are. I have a sizeable kingdom under my rule. I have powerful friends like the Undine. And, of course, I have several children to marry off to improve my relationships and position. You have none of those things. Did you really think you were going to succeed?” He tsked and shook his head. Then he leaned in. “Did you not sense the chill in the air? You should have at least had the foresight to align yourself with the Unseelie while you still had the choice. The season of Oberon and the Summer Court is coming to an end.”

  I could see Marisol’s face from where I stood. As I took in the hatred that flashed in her sapphire blue eyes, it dawned on me that there had to be history between her and Periclase. The animosity between them went beyond Seelie-Unseelie rivalry, even beyond a small order trying to resist a large kingdom. I had no idea the exact nature of their past but felt slightly stupid for not realizing before that there was something more to all of this. I should have known. Grudges ran deep and lasted long in Faerie.

  Marisol took half a step forward, drawing herself up to her full statuesque height. If she were only a bit taller, she’d be nose-to-nose with Periclase.

  “You won’t win,” Marisol said, her voice cracking not with fear but with the passion of conviction. “Oberon will return, and when he does, you and Finvarra and the Undine and everyone else involved in this travesty will pay. Look outside. The trees are still green and birds still sing. Winter has not come to Faerie. You won’t win.”

  My stomach twisted. Whatever had occurred between Periclase and Marisol, it had to date back to before I was born. But everything that had happened recently, including stealing Nicole from the Duergar and my defeat of Darion on the battle of champions, had fueled the animosity.

  I glanced at Maxen. Did he know anything about Periclase and Marisol’s history?

  Nicole snapped me back into the moment when I realized she was trembling. I shifted closer to her, so our upper arms touched. She glanced at me. She looked terrified.

  “It’s okay,” I mouthed at her. I squeezed her hand once and let it go.

  It wasn’t okay at all. Nothing was okay. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit back and let all of this happen. I just had to figure out what to do next. I hoped to Oberon that Oliver and the rest of the Stone Order’s legion hadn’t been captured—or worse—but I had no way t
o contact him.

  Periclase chuckled at Marisol. “Your High King is gone. He’s abandoned you. And Titania won’t hold the High Court alone. She’s made too many enemies among the Old Ones over the generations. They’ll soon see the writing on the wall and realize they should align themselves with Finvarra. She’ll be lucky to last a day.”

  At least we knew the Summerlands hadn’t fallen to Finvarra yet. Periclase turned away from Marisol to face me and Nicole.

  “Now, my girls, it’s time to go home,” he said. He beckoned to the Undine men who’d brought in me and then Nicole.

  Home?

  My face twisted as I realized what he meant. He was taking us to the Duergar palace.

  With a desperate, reflexive lashing out of my magic, I searched for Mort. The thought of leaving without my broadsword made my chest constrict. It was an irrational longing—the Duergar wouldn’t allow me to be armed—but I couldn’t help reaching out anyway.

  My heart thumped with alarm. I couldn’t even sense the vaguest twinge of the location of my spellblade. Maybe the Duergar or the Undine had encased it in some kind of magic shield, because I should have been able to feel something. Some sense of Mort’s presence. But there was nothing. And the emptiness of it sent a swirl of vertigo through me, as if I were freefalling through space.

  I felt sick as the Undine men forced me and my twin from Marisol’s office. A tiny spark of hope lit in my chest when I thought we might pass the courtyard where Periclase and the trident men had breached the fortress. If I could just get a glimpse of Mort, at least I’d know whether they’d manipulated the spellblade to cut off the magic that bound us.

  But the trident men took us a different way, to the training yard. I’d never seen it empty before. There were no bodies, but with no one in the sparring courts, no clang of weapons or calls from instructors, somehow it felt like a battlefield where we’d suffered a great defeat. Or maybe it was just the hollowness of it. All of that work. Years of honing skills. So many of us had dedicated our youths to training with our weapons. New Gargs were supposed to be the fiercest fighters in Faerie. But at the moment, it felt as if it had all been for nothing.