“I can do that,” I said, “but I’d like to know what the catch is. You don’t just want me to defend the castle, do you? You hired me for a reason.”
The Death King looked at me. “I need someone to infiltrate the Houses of the Elements and ensure they don’t take the side of the enemy in the oncoming war.”
He wants me to spy on the House of Fire? “You want me to be a spy?”
“I want you to do what you do best,” he said. “You already helped me by bringing your Spirit Agent allies to assist in the fight. I understand that despite your gifts, you aren’t a spirit mage, but it would be beneficial for me to retain that connection.”
“I can try,” I said, “but I can’t promise there aren’t still enemies within their ranks.”
“That’s a problem I’m familiar with myself,” he said. “Oh, and your friend, Harper, is welcome to stay. I believe she’d be more comfortable here than living among humans.”
Poor Harper. Her brother’s death had hit her twice as hard now the aftermath of the battle was over, and she hadn’t spoken much to me since. I still didn’t know what her eventual decision would be, but I wouldn’t get in her way.
As for Tay, I’d give her time to think on her mistakes while in the House of Fire’s jail. It was the safest place she could be, really.
“Go with Ryan,” the Death King added. “They’ll take you to get your uniform.”
Uniform? I’d get some of that fancy armour the other Elemental Soldiers wore? I wouldn’t say no to that, for sure, but part of me was still convinced this was some kind of elaborate prank. I mean, the non-humans had been kicked out in the first round of the trials. He must know what I was, and he’d given me the job anyway.
Dazedly, I followed the Air Element out of the room. A moment passed before they spoke.
“Did you really go head to head with a full-grown wyrm?” they finally asked.
“Yes,” I responded. “If you’re asking where it went, I haven’t a clue. I imagine it flew away to freedom. Where was the Death King through most of the battle, anyway?”
Their eyes shadowed. “If I were you, I wouldn’t ask him. The enemy got away, and someone close to him was badly hurt.”
“Oh.” I was doubly glad I hadn’t pressed him for details. “Same happened with me.”
“That Harper… she’s a lich, isn’t she?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
“It’s hard to adjust, I gather,” they said. “A close friend of mine ended up the same way. I’m still not sure which decision she’ll make.”
“Sorry to hear that.” It was a hell of a depressing thing to bond over, but then again, wars had a way of doing that. As well as destroying lives and ripping apart families.
Except for mine, regrettably. My weird, messed-up magical family was still out there, no longer contained. If anything, the Court of the Dead was the safest place I could possibly hide… for me, and for them.
I surveyed my reflection in the mirror once I’d changed into my new uniform. Not only did I get armoured clothing, I also got a snazzy crimson-lined cape embossed with the Death King’s personal seal—four elemental rings surrounding a symbol of a skull representing the Court of the Dead. The new uniform was a definite plus, but the other Elemental Soldiers would be reluctant at best to accept me as one of their own. The Air Element had been civil, but the others hadn’t said a word to me yet.
“Is she even a fire mage?” I heard Cal, the Earth Element, saying to Felicity, the Water Element, as I went to join the others in the break room.
“Yes, she is,” said Felicity. “She got the job fair and square.”
Shoulders tensed, I let the door close behind me and took in the sight of a room filled with plush sofas and gleaming fittings. I had to admit, the place was pretty fancy, considering it was a castle designed for the dead rather than the living, but it would be nice if the inhabitants were a bit friendlier.
“Hey, Bria,” said Felicity. “Glad to see you accepted the job.”
Okay, maybe one of the other Elemental Soldiers wanted me here. The Earth Element would take longer to convince, I could tell, but I had time to work on him. As for the liches, they tended to keep to themselves, none more so than their leader.
As though conjured up by my thoughts, a lich entered the room behind me. “What the hell is she—?”
The Death King strode behind the lich, “I need to talk to you.”
The lich shot me a look I could have sworn was a glare, then walked off behind the Death King. Guess not all the liches are pleased that I got the job, huh.
“Sorry about that.” Felicity rose to her feet and held out a key. “This is for your quarters.”
“Thanks,” I siad. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“House rules?” said Cal. “Don’t steal my shit from the cupboards. I’ll know. Also, the chores rota is back there.”
I scanned the kitchen area at the back of the break room and spotted a piece of paper affixed to the fridge. “We have to cook? Seriously?”
“What did you expect, the liches to do it for us?” Cal gave an eye-roll. “Felicity is the only one of us who can cook worth a damn, so we mostly live on takeout.”
“Yeah, it’s not my strong point.” I hadn’t foreseen chores being part of my job description, but then again, I still hadn’t adjusted to the idea of being in the Death King’s employment at all. More to get away from the others’ stares than anything, I said, “I’m going to check out my new room. I’ll be back soon.”
I headed for the door and made my way to the Elemental Soldiers’ quarters. The door to my own room was unlocked, so I dropped off my bag inside. It was the nicest place I’d ever lived, yet utterly empty. I sat down in one of the plush armchairs, then stood up again.
What the hell was I thinking?
I should at least have said goodbye to Miles before I’d taken off on him. Not that I’d expected to get the job, or the perks that came with it…
A faint breeze ruffled my hair, and I turned my head. A lich had floated through the door, facing me across the room.
“Hey,” I said. “I’m assuming you’re Harper, because this would be kind of awkward if you weren’t.”
“Yes, it’s me,” said Harper. “Nice outfit.”
“Isn’t it?” I gave a twirl in the cape. “Gotta get some perks from the job, considering this is my home now. If I want to keep everyone safe from my nutcase family, anyway.”
“What about Miles?” she said.
“What about him?”
“You and he hit it off, don’t deny it,” she said. “I’m surprised you didn’t stay there with the Spirit Agents.”
“His friends don’t like me,” I responded. “Okay, some of them do, but you’ve seen the number of enemies who have me on their hit lists. I’m better off staying here. Besides, he’s a spirit mage.”
“You’re not an ordinary fire mage,” she said. “You can tell me the truth, you know.”
My gut clenched at the memory of Tay’s betrayal. “People who get close to me… bad things tend to happen to them.”
“I’m dead,” she said. “Can’t get much worse than that.”
I looked away. “I’m sorry. For what happened.”
She was silent for a moment. “It’s really not that bad. Might be because everything seems kind of… muted, since I turned. I always thought liches were inhuman, but… it’s kind of true.”
“You’re still a person,” I said. “You just had an upgrade.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” she said. “I’m not sure Percy would have made the same choice. He never liked the liches. Or this place.”
“But do you?”
“Not sure I’d use the word ‘like’,” she said. “I guess it’s fitting for the living dead, though.”
“And a few of the living.” I walked across the room to the door. “I’m going for a walk.”
Harper drifted alongside me as I left the castle via the back
door. The grounds were deserted, aside from a few liches, and…
Miles. Here in person, no less.
“How in the world did you get in here?” I asked. “You walked in through the gates?”
He must have done. The node was off-limits, and he didn’t have another transporter spell, as far as I was aware.
“The Death King gave me permission to come in,” he said. “Hey, Harper.”
“Hey.” Harper floated past. “Don’t mind me. I’ll leave you two alone.”
I turned back to Miles. “Sorry I took off on you. I’m surprised the Death King let you in.”
“Hey, I had to come and congratulate you on the new job,” he said. “Also, you ran off without saying goodbye.”
“I hardly expected to be offered a job, did I?” I said. “I thought he was going to chew me out and send me packing. Besides, I’m still having second thoughts about the whole thing.”
“Well, you have a room back at the Spirit Agents’ place, if you ever want to use it,” he said. “Harper, too.”
I tilted my head. “And there I thought you were giving me special treatment.”
He grinned. “Nah, but Harper’s watching us right now.”
So she was. “That might be another of the Death King’s liches. They look pretty similar.”
“She’s staying here, then?”
“Yeah, she needs to learn some tricks from the Death King.”
“Bet he’ll teach you some, too,” he said. “Except for the ones you already have.”
I fingered the pendant around my neck. “I guess you heard what my brother said.”
His gaze went to the pendant. “Which part? He’s in jail, by the way… I thought you ought to know.”
“He got out once already.” I slid open the pendant and revealed the cantrips inside it. “You know I’m not fully human.”
“You said,” he said. “It’s fine. I don’t judge.”
I flicked the cantrip. The illusion around me dimmed, revealing pointed ears, finer features than I let the world see. Miles’s gaze panned over me, but he didn’t speak.
I turned the cantrip back on. “I need to replace the cantrip every month or so, but it’s long-term. Figured the elf side of me was easier to hide than the rest.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” he said. “Not here. I mean, that castle is ruled by a zombie. Pretty sure he’d be fine with a half-elf Fire Element.”
“You aren’t wrong.” A sense of lightness descended, as though telling him had removed a heavy burden from my shoulders. “So… still want to associate with a freak of nature like me?”
“I wouldn’t object if you came to visit me during your time off,” he said.
“Considering my new job is to spy on the House of Fire?” I said. “I might need your help.”
Despite the risk, I was warming up to the idea of being the Death King’s Fire Element more and more by the second. It wouldn’t be an easy job, with the sheer number of enemies out there for both of us to handle. The rogue spirit mages seemed to have been dealt with for now, but the fact remained that the Family were trying to instigate a second war, and they wanted me to be on the battlefield at their side.
But with the Death King at my back, I’d be able to keep them at bay. And with a little luck, I’d be able to bring down the House of Fire and the Family all at once.
Thank you for reading!
The story continues in House of Fire (Parallel Magic #2), available now. Get it here: https://books2read.com/u/38MneB
Liv’s story starts in the Order of the Elements series, beginning with Thief of Souls. Get it here: https://books2read.com/u/mKD7JV
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About the Author
Emma is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the Changeling Chronicles urban fantasy series.
Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing fantasy novels. When she's not immersed in her own fictional universes, Emma can be found with her head in a book or wandering around the world in search of adventure.
Find out more about Emma’s books at www.emmaladams.com.
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