“If anything, that’s reason enough not to set you free.”
He had a point though: the node inside the castle grounds was under close watch. Even the one outside the fence was, if Liv’s response to Sledge’s arrival had been any indication. That meant the spirit mages would have to astral project to get in… and in that form, they couldn’t lay their hands on the Death King’s soul. They needed a living person, and thanks to me, Bark was out of the contest as well as Sledge.
Harper approached us, Mav perched on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
She nodded. “Yeah. Mav was hiding in here. I think something spooked her.”
An air of wariness surrounded her, but her tone wasn’t openly hostile anymore.
“I’m going to try to stop Shawn and the others, but I need help,” I told her. “They need a living person to steal the Death King’s soul. That means either they have another insider, or they’re planning to find one.”
“They also need to get past the security sprite guarding the hall of souls,” she said. “But Shawn might have cantrips, too. They… we… all do.”
Sledge swore. “You, too?”
My mouth fell open. “Wait, Shawn is the one who’s threatening your family?”
Shame flushed her cheeks. “Liv, I’m sorry, but if he’s calling himself a Spirit Agent or whatever, it’s a total lie.”
“I know it is, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s coming here today,” I said. “Sledge didn’t get in without being caught, and Bark got kicked out, but there might be others.”
“I’ll help turf them out.” Her jaw set. “Shawn didn’t send me here himself. I came here to avoid him. I didn’t know the bastard had so many fire mages at his disposal.”
“Nor me,” I responded. “We’d better go.”
“Hey!” Sledge said indignantly. “You can’t leave me here.”
I ignored him, my thoughts spinning in circles as the implications of Shawn’s treachery sank in. Once Harper and I had the invisibility cantrips turned on again, we made our way to the doors, checked no liches were outside, then left the jail behind. We crossed the grounds, ignoring Sledge’s shouts, until we were at a safe enough distance away to turn visible again.
I turned to Harper. “Was Mav the one causing everyone to lose their magic?”
“Not deliberately,” she responded. “She was trying to warn me, I think.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I can help fix this, but I won’t lie, Shawn and his friends strike me as persistent. As well as pathological liars.”
“They’re complete scum,” she said. “I can’t endanger my brother, but I can at least see to it that Shawn doesn’t get near the castle again.”
“Okay.” I drew in a breath and moved closer to Mav. “Can you do me a favour and find Dex? Warn him someone else is coming to the castle to take the Death King’s soul amulet? He won’t hurt you, don’t worry.”
“He won’t,” added Harper. “What about you, Bria?”
“I’ll warn the Death King’s people to expect an attack from the node, and otherwise get their security in gear,” I said. “I already hinted as much to the Air Element, but I was about five seconds from being arrested back there anyway—
A yelp of panic from Mav drew my attention to the node… and the transparent figures emerging from it. It was too late for a warning after all.
The Spirit Agents had arrived.
12
At a nod from me, Harper bolted, turning on her invisibility cantrip again. I didn’t blame her for getting out of sight, but all I could think of to do was to stall them until the Death King’s forces stepped in.
Keeping my own cantrip concealed in my hand, I walked out in front of the group and met Shawn’s eyes. “Really good job there weren’t any liches hanging around the node. There usually are.”
In fact, there would have been… if Harper and I hadn’t set them on fire on the way into the jail. Oops.
Shawn studied me. “Have you decided to help us out, then?”
“There’s been a change of plans,” I said. “One of the candidates who got knocked out of the contest tried to attack the Elemental Soldiers, so they upped security and shoved him in jail. There’s also more than one sprite on guard duty.”
“Damn,” he said. “The Death King must be getting desperate if he’s hiring sprites instead of people.”
“I’m told some of his liches are breaking ranks,” I added. “And leaving to go with whoever wants to dethrone him.”
He paused for a long moment. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t keep tabs on the liches.”
That’s not what Sledge said. I held my tongue, knowing I’d be in far more trouble if I contradicted him now. Shawn might not be here in physical form, but he had enough magic at his fingertips that he and his buddies could turn me into an undead puppet if they were so inclined. I never should have trusted a single one of them. They were all in on a shared plan, and they thought I was, too. Worse, Liv was nowhere to be seen. Of all the timing.
“Well, go on,” Shawn said to me. “Show us to the hall of souls. We can take on a couple of sprites.”
I glanced towards the castle, wishing I’d had time to think my plan through before confronting them. The Elemental Soldiers were nowhere in sight, but even their elemental magic couldn’t permanently get rid of a group of astral projecting spirit mages unless they found where their real bodies were hiding. “You should go in through the front door, that’s quicker. I’m more conspicuous than you are, so I’ll have to go in the other way and meet you on the inside.”
Suspicion laced his voice. “What other way?”
“The back entrance,” I said. “There shouldn’t be anyone in the lobby, but I can’t walk through closed doors like you can. The hall of souls is through a door on the righthand side of the lobby. Shouldn’t be too hard to spot. It’s the one covered in locks, and it’s spirit-mage-proofed.”
“Figured as much,” he said. “Go on, then. We’ll meet you on the other side.”
Here we go. He floated upwards to the stone steps, accompanied by the others. I, meanwhile, jogged around the castle to the back entrance and through the door.
A commotion came from the direction of the dormitories, and smoke poured out into the corridor. Had someone started a fire as a diversion? I didn’t have time to check, so I hurried down the corridor and spotted a tall figure walking towards the lobby. Bark. Sledge’s friend must have sneaked back in, and he was on his way to the hall of souls to help the Spirit Agents.
Not happening.
I put on a burst of speed and tackled him from behind. We crashed into a heap, and I pinned his flailing arms to the ground.
“Hey!” His eyes bulged as I caught him in a headlock. “Let go of me!”
The door crashed open behind us, and the three Elemental Soldiers ran into the corridor. About time they showed up. Bark shook me off, his eyes blazing with fury, but he didn’t move any further. If he went into the main hall, he’d expose his intent of robbing the Death King in front of witnesses. He knew he was stuck.
“Bria, get off him,” the Air Element commanded. “Come with me. Felicity, please escort Bark from the premises.”
I climbed off Bark and addressed the Air Element. “He was on his way to rob the Death King. Shouldn’t he already be locked up?”
“When Felicity is done with him, he’ll wish he was.”
The Water Element walked past us, her jaw set, pushing Bark in front of her. There came another loud exclamation from the direction of the hall. I think Shawn and his friends got caught.
“Come with me,” the Air Element commanded, heading for the back door out of the castle. I was all too happy not to get caught in the backlash when Shawn realised I’d led him into a trap, so I hurried along behind them.
“One more thing,” they said. “Don’t tell Liv.”
“Why not?”
They shook their head. “I meant it when I said Liv is
dealing with a lot, and this isn’t something she needs to worry about.”
We walked through the back door of the castle and around a corner. Liches swarmed across the grounds, surrounding Shawn and his friends as they tried to flee down the stone steps at the front of the castle. A brief flare of triumph rose within me, extinguished almost immediately when a shadow fell over me from behind.
The Death King glided into view, towering over the other liches. Tall, imposing, and utterly terrifying.
The Air Element stepped back. “You deal with her, Death King.”
What? No. There was no use in running, though. Shawn and his friends scattered, pursued by the liches, but the King of the Dead made no move to go after the intruders. Instead, he turned to me, and beckoned several liches to join him until they had me utterly surrounded. Coldness seeped into my bones, and my fire went completely out. I was in trouble now.
The spirit mages had disappeared from sight, leaving me alone with the forces of the dead.
“So you’re the one who broke into my former Fire Element’s quarters,” said the Death King. “Given your background, it didn’t surprise me. I have to admit, though, it did surprise me that you’d have the nerve to help those intruders access my castle when you must know it’s protected against spirit mages.”
Oh, damn. He even knew about my meeting with Shawn in Davies’s old room?
“I’m not working against you,” I whispered. “Shawn and his friends tricked me into thinking they were my allies. They didn’t just do it to me, they did it to half the contenders, too. I was too late to stop them from getting in here, but I tried to warn your Elemental Soldiers first.”
My excuses sounded fake to my own ears. What choice did I have, though? If I’d told them about the upcoming attack outright, I’d have joined Sledge behind bars.
“Forgive me if I don’t take your word for it,” said the Death King. “Considering your history. Tell me the name of the people those spirit mages are allied with?”
The words felt leaden on my tongue. “The Family.”
“The Family,” he repeated. “The same Family who you once lived with.”
He knew. He’d known all along. My whole body locked up and fear trickled down my spine. “If I’d had the choice, I wouldn’t have. They were my guardians.”
I used the past tense, though it wasn’t accurate. They’d survived, though they shouldn’t be walking free. They certainly shouldn’t be recruiting spirit mages.
“You ran away from them as a teenager,” he went on. “You even went as far as to get yourself locked up by the House of Fire in order to ensure your own safety. Then you talked your way out, and you’ve earned a living ever since by working for criminals, relying on anonymity to survive.”
I swallowed hard. “I swear I didn’t know who Shawn and the others were. They tricked me into thinking they could help me rescue my best friend. The House of Fire has taken her captive.”
Except maybe they hadn’t. Maybe the Family had instead, whoever was giving orders on their behalf. The only way to know was to survive long enough to ask Shawn himself. If he’d got out in one piece and hadn’t been slaughtered by a lich during his escape.
“I see,” he said. “You strike me as more intelligent than their usual targets. I expected their spirit mage allies to put up more of a fight, too, but perhaps they didn’t foresee their allies’ capture.”
I frowned. “Are you saying you knew they’d break in?”
“What do you think?”
“I’m guessing you didn’t tell the others?” No wonder Liv had taken off, because she’d have stuck around if she’d known spirit mages were going to attack the castle. The Death King was one devious bastard, that was for sure.
“No,” he said. “I find it hard to believe that you didn’t know who they were.”
“They claimed to be with the Spirit Agents,” I said. “It’s not like I’d ever met one before. Anyway, I think that was a ruse. There’s another Spirit Agent I know who isn’t involved with them.” At least I didn’t think he was. Miles had been nowhere to be seen since he’d helped me deal with those vampires at our old hideout.
“Given what I know of the Spirit Agents, those people are more likely defectors,” he said. “If it’s possible for you to get a message to the real Spirit Agents, however, I may be in need of their help.”
“Oh?” I said warily. For the first time, hope that he wouldn’t kill me outright began to rise within me. “Want me to find them?”
“If you can,” he said. “But there’s another more important task I have for you first.”
He isn’t going to take my soul. He still needs me. “What is it?”
“As it happens,” he said, “I find myself in need of a spy. If you can speak to those defecting spirit mages and convince them you’re on their side, then I’ll let you stay in the contest. If not, then you’ll leave the castle, tonight, no matter who may be chasing you.”
He turned his back and walked away, leaving me reeling on the spot. Crap. What in the world am I supposed to do?
In the end, there was only one answer. I’d lost too many people already. I would not let Tay be one of them.
I just had to hope she wouldn’t mind me throwing her on the mercy of the King of the Dead.
13
After the Death King’s departure, I went in search of Harper and found her in the dormitory sporting a bloody nose and a grin. “I got two people kicked out when I caught them trying to cause a diversion to lure the Elemental Soldiers away when the spirit mages attacked.”
“Bet it was them who let Bark back in,” I said. “The Elemental Soldiers took him with them, but the spirit mages got away.”
“Figures.” She dabbed at her nose with her sleeve. “What now?”
“What now?” I repeated. “I’m going to find them.”
“Find…” she trailed off, her eyes widening. “You mean Shawn. Why?”
“The… the Death King told me to,” I admitted. “On pain of a horrible fate. Don’t worry, I didn’t mention you were involved.”
She slumped back, her face turning pale under the blood. “I guess he’s watching us after all. His sprites are, too.”
“There’s more than one, aside from Mav?”
“Dex has a girlfriend,” she responded. “I saw her with him when the spirit mages got into the entrance hall. They’re the ones who chased the mages out of the castle. I was invisible, so they didn’t see me, but you… if you go back to Shawn, he’ll kill you.”
“If I don’t, Tay dies.”
She lifted her head, noting the name. “Tay. Is that who you’re protecting?”
“Yeah.” My throat closed up. “I swear I won’t be long. I’m going to follow Shawn and give him some bullshit excuse for not backing him up, and then come back here before the Death King sends out a search party.”
The odds weren’t on my side. Not only had I got Shawn and his allies suspicious that I was working against them, but the King of the Dead himself had Tay’s life at the end of a rope. Add in Harper’s dilemma and I was starting to understand why the Air Element had told me not to tell Liv any of this. One more problem and I might well lose my mind.
I waited until the path to the node was clear before heading that way and using my transporter to travel to the middle of Arcadia. Shaking off the pain of the crossing, I headed towards the citadel. While I hadn’t been able to get in there last night, I had an extra incentive to be stubborn enough to stick around this time.
I knocked on the door twice, and Shawn answered. “Thought it was you. What do you want?”
“To talk,” I said to him.
To my relief, he backed into the lower room, leaving the door open. I walked in and was greeted by the sight of a huge monster. Ten feet of scaled worm coiled up like a snake, encased in a mesh net-like construction which pressed its leathery wings to its scaly spine. When it spotted me, it growled and snapped its jagged teeth.
My mouth dropped o
pen. “Is that a wyrm?”
One of the larger cousins of the beasts the Death King had brought into the arena—with added wings. What were the spirit mages doing with that thing, training it to attack trespassers? I walked up the staircase behind an uncommunicative Shawn, unable to believe he’d got that creature in here without someone losing a limb.
On the other side of the door, several other spirit mages crowded inside the upper room, and every one of them glared at me.
“You,” said one of Shawn’s friends. “You have some nerve showing your face here after you screwed up our plan.”
“You didn’t tell me I wasn’t the only insider in the contest,” I retaliated. “Someone started a fire in the dorms, and by the time I got outside, you were already running off to leave me to take the fall.”
“We were outnumbered,” the spirit mage protested. “You don’t know what a lich can do to a person.”
“I have a good idea,” I said. “And what in hell is with that monster downstairs? Is that your next big idea—set a giant wyrm loose on the Death King’s territory?”
“Does it matter?” Shawn’s friend said. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, but we need all the allies we can get.”
“Yes, because you keep betraying the ones you have.” The words spilled out, regardless of my attempts to reel them in. “I wasn’t aware that I’d be up against a dozen other challengers who also had instructions from you. Why didn’t you tell me? We could have worked together.”
The guy walked closer, paced around me. “Whose side are you really on?”
“Mine,” I told him. “Got a problem with that?”
Shawn shot his friend a disgruntled look. “Ignore Garber, Bria. I don’t know what lies the Death King told you, but they’re not true.”
“You’re talking bollocks,” I informed him. “Miles is the only one who at least tried to be straight with me.”
Cage of Fire (Parallel Magic Book 1) Page 14
