by Brenda Drake
It felt like I was in slow motion, even though I sprinted across the landing behind Kale and in front of Uncle Philip. We bounded down the back stairs. At the bottom, the moonlight coming from the back door lit up a small hall. I created my battle globe and tossed it at the entry; a pink membrane sealed the hallway and trapped The Red and the two men out back.
Kale tossed stun globe after stun globe as we burst into the tavern. Men sitting at tables slumped in their chairs. Men and women standing at the bar fell back onto to the floor. A man formed a green sphere on his palm, and I flung my pink globe at him, knocking him back and disabling his globe. I lobbed my globe at anyone who wore Sentinel gear, crippling his or her globes.
Turning to face the crowd in the tavern, Kale waved me to go past him to the exit. I yanked open the door and pounded down the steps, with Uncle Philip close behind me. Kale slammed the door behind him and joined our race down the cobbled road.
Behind me, I could hear The Red’s pack chasing us. A lightning globe exploded between Kale and me; bricks shot up in the air and pelted us, separating me from him and Uncle Philip. Another one exploded, almost hitting Kale and knocking me sideways. I slammed into a column of a building.
Kale made to come for me, and I screamed, “Get Uncle Philip to safety. I’ll catch up with you.”
The look on his face said he was going to refuse my order.
“Go already!”
He gave me one last look of concern before he ran off.
I struggled to my feet, taking deep breaths, trying to push through the pain. When I felt steady, I hurried as fast I could down the alley to my right, weaving through breaks in buildings, like running through a maze. Several times, I came to dead ends and had to backtrack. Somewhere in the labyrinth of twisted alleys and small roads, I could hear The Red’s pack, hunting me, getting closer. I had to get off the roads. Every door I came across was locked.
“Jeesh, doesn’t anyone trust anyone around here?” I wasn’t thinking rationally. Of course they would lock their doors during an attack.
Something hit my back, hard, and I sucked in a sharp breath. My skin glowed blue and my muscles froze. I fell over like a cut-down tree, smacking against the cobblestones as I landed, my head hitting a rock. I lay unmoving on the ground, pain cutting through my body, struggling to breathe.
Chapter Twenty-one
It felt like boulders were on my chest, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Sweat ran down my face, burning my eyes. My screams stuck in my mind, unable to release, burning inside me. A rock on the ground, I waited to die.
“Remove the stun,” The Red said.
“Do you wish to kill her?” a craggily voice said. “She is the one of legend.”
“No. She’s Gian’s heir.”
Something dropped on my stomach and air rushed into my lungs. I rolled over and wrapped my arms around my stomach, coughing and wheezing, gulping at the air as though I was hungry for it.
“Where’s the professor?” The Red said.
“He got away with that other one.” The man’s voice was ugly and deep.
Kale and Uncle Philip made it. They’re safe.
“What should we do with the girl?” the bat-like man asked.
“Let her go,” The Red’s deep voice resounded against the buildings.
My gaze shot up to meet his. Let me go? Just like that? I slid my hand to the hilt of the Chiave. The handle was larger than the one on my sword.
“We must get out of here,” he continued. “The alert is out. The Talpar will get us safely to Darkten.”
Light globes lit up the alleys nearby. Carrig called out my name from somewhere in the maze of streets. I struggled to my feet and cocked an eye, trying to see through the sweaty, bloody blur, barely able to hold my head up. The pain across my body was almost unbearable.
The Red stared at me. “She’ll be fine.”
“Why—?” It felt like sand clogged my mouth. “Why did you kill Merl?”
“They near,” the bat-like man growled.
The Red turned, but before running off with his men he added, “Not all is always what it seems.”
“Wait,” I said. “Faith. You know her?”
He shot a puzzled look at me.
“Why did you kill her parents?”
“She is my sister.” He let out a kind of feral growl. “Where is she?”
What? He’s her brother?
“Now, Master,” one of his men urged. “They’re nearing.”
I stood there watching as The Red and his gang disappeared into the adjoining alleyway, processing his words, not knowing what to believe. The light from the Sentinels’ globes as they entered the ally engulfed me. I slumped to the ground, unable to hold myself up any longer.
Faith.
...
Athela stood at a window, the sky outside angry and dropping rain. She was older. Her hair streaked with gray, skin loose on her jawline.
“Milady?” I recognized the servant from the picnic. She looked nervous and unsure of approaching Athela.
“Has he been found?”
“No. I am truly sorry.”
Athela turned from the window. “Do not be. He is safe from those who wish him dead.”
...
I opened my eyes. Sheer curtains fluttered at the side of the window. Birds chirped on the trees outside. The dream, though confusing, was a welcome change to my nightmares of The Red. I adjusted my pillow. The past week had gone by slowly with my mandatory bed rest, but I was feeling much better.
I rolled onto my side. Faith sat on the fancy chaise across the room from the bed. She held a ripped envelope in her hand. I got out of bed and sat beside her.
“Is that the letter I sent you?”
She glanced at it. “It is. He said he was my brother?”
“He did,” I said, uncertain at how to take the solemn look on her face.
Her fingers shook as she removed a faded photograph from the envelope. It was of a Laniar family. I recognized Faith standing next to an older woman. Faith must’ve been twelve or something. Beside the woman was a man, and beside him was a teen boy. The boy’s facial features resembled The Red. So did his deep-set eyes and red hair.
She touched his face with her index finger. “This was my brother, Falto. He’s dead.”
“Have you ever seen The Red?”
“No.” Her voice was so tiny, her face drawn. At Merl’s funeral, she wailed like an injured animal the entire service. I wasn’t sure about telling her the truth, but she had to know.
“The boy in the picture is The Red.”
Her head snapped in my direction, her eyes wide, and she strangled the envelope. “Are you certain?”
“I am.”
“Then he’s alive.” She lowered her head. “But he’s a monster.”
“Yes,” I said. Her face twisting with sadness and confusion broke my heart. Whatever she’d gone through the day her parents and coven were butchered must have been horrific. How could a person recover after witnessing that?
She stood and crossed the room. “I must go. There’s a meeting for security today. Thank you for letting me know about my brother. I’m not sure what to think. He’s been dead all these years to me. He killed my parents, left me to die, and I’d rather think of him as dead instead of as this monster.”
“You need time to process. I get it.”
Lei poked her head through the opening of the door. “You’re up. Good. We have to get dressed.”
“I’d best be going. We’ll talk another time,” Faith said, stepping around Lei then slipping out the door.
Lei shut the door. “You should probably bathe.”
“Why all the fuss? You’d think someone was getting married.” I stretched my hands over my head, trying to loosen my muscles. “Do we really have to wear long dresses?”
“Yes, you do. And a High Wizard coronation is like a wedding. It’s too bad Nick couldn’t be here.”
“Yeah, too bad,” I said.
>
Nick could’ve come, but after the humiliation at Toad’s trial, when Ellen Arkwright attached Conemar’s surname to his, he feared the havens. Feared what the Mystiks thought about him. Feared they would think he was evil like his biological father.
Lei plopped down beside me. “I’ll do your hair and makeup.”
“Well, why didn’t you say that in the first place?” I was all up for being pampered.
“This is the third ceremony,” she said, twisting my hair. “And three funerals. There’s so much unrest in the havens.”
Talking with Faith about The Red reminded me of what Pia had said before the guards dragged her off. “Have you heard of a group of humans who know about the Mystik world and want to destroy it?” I asked.
Lei stopped braiding my hair. “Yes. How did you hear about them?”
“Pia mentioned them.” I turned on the bed to face her. “So it’s true?”
“No one knows if it’s true. This rumored group has been around since the seventeenth century.” She grabbed my shoulders, turning me to face the other way, and continued working on my hair. “It is believed the group hunts and kills any Mystiks they find in the human world. They used to kill witches, but that was centuries ago.”
“I see.”
“You needn’t worry about them. The group is a myth. Probably started by parents wanting to scare their Mystik children into staying away from the human world. If they did exist, humans can’t jump through the gateway books or enter the Mystik world on their own, so they can’t reach us. Besides, we have spies out there who keep watch for any threats to our world.”
“I see.”
Maybe Pia was right. Why would the Council have spies watching out for this group if they were just a myth? And I didn’t feel comfortable asking Lei if the Wizard Council was corrupted. I’d have to figure that out on my own.
When she finished, my hair was in tons of braids intricately arranged on top of my head in a beautiful design. My silver taffeta dress with a long, flowing skirt and beaded capped sleeves felt expensive. Lei wore a bright yellow dress, with her hair curled and piled high on her head. If she nodded, I feared she would tip over.
The colors of Asile, red and gold, flew from every window, decorated the walls, and clothed the guards. On the field of the Asile Academy, Mystiks, wizards, and Sentinels prepared to watch the coronation ceremony on the stage.
Sentinels from all the havens had descended on The Red’s camp, but he had escaped before they got there. The rebels from Mantello had disbanded, their leaders arrested. Everyone spoke of peace. They believed the threat was over. I had my doubts, but I did enjoy the quiet.
Horns blasted through the murmurs coming from the audience. The high wizards of each haven walked onto the stage, wearing colorful tunics and capes representing their havens, followed by Uncle Philip. He was the youngest man up there.
“Isn’t this amazing?” Lei said. “Why do you suppose Bastien is avoiding us?”
“He’s here?” I spun around, searching the crowd.
“My point exactly. If you aren’t even aware he’s here, then he’s dodging us.”
I got on my tiptoes and strained to see over the people. He was sitting in a special reserved area for the high-ranking wizards. He wore a similar tunic as the high wizards on stage, but his was better suited for his muscular body compared to the older wizards’ softer frames.
“Hullo,” Arik said from behind us.
“Hey,” I said, landing back on my heels.
He looked amazing in his elegant suit. It reminded me of an old uniform. Like a Red Coat from the Revolutionary War.
Kale, Demos, and Jaran were right behind him. All drool-worthy in their uniforms. Kale wrapped his arm around Lei’s waist and nuzzled her neck.
“Gia, you’re rocking that dress,” Demos said. “Now that you’re single, we should spend more time together.” For some reason, when he tried to talk like an American, it sounded completely wrong.
“How about no,” I said, keeping my eyes on the stage. I couldn’t see Bastien over all the people.
“Well, when you’re ready,” Demos offered.
“It would be like dating a brother,” I said. “Not happening.”
“We should have come earlier,” Lei complained. “I can’t see a thing.”
A man trying to get closer pushed Jaran into me.
“Hey, watch it. You needn’t be rude,” Jaran said. “You’d think this was a rock concert.”
“It sort of is,” Arik said.
Lei swept a strand of hair behind her ear that had come loose. “Yeah, Asile hasn’t anointed a new high wizard in decades. Not since Merl.”
Everyone’s smiles slipped. We’d just buried Merl and here we were a week later celebrating a new high wizard. It felt wrong, yet right at the same time.
“Can you even hear them?” I said, trying to draw their attentions back to the ceremony and off Merl’s death. “I can’t make out anything they’re saying.”
Demos hopped up several times. “Can’t see much, either. We should be up front. After all, we protect this haven.”
“Follow me,” Jaran said, grabbing my hand and snaking through the crowd. “Excuse us, please, Gianna Bianchi coming through.” He used my great-grandfather’s surname, most likely because no one in the havens knew me as Gia Kearns.
It was like the sea of people split open in front of us. I glanced back to make sure Arik and the others were following. People touched me as I passed, mumbling words of gratitude and praise.
Uncle Philip was crossing the stage at the same time as we came out of the crowd to the front row. He sat down on a high-back chair in the middle. When he spotted me, he nodded slightly. I was his closest relative here. Well, except for Auntie Mae, who was asleep in the front row of the royals’ box a few seats down from Bastien.
Bastien and I locked eyes. He mouthed something I couldn’t make out because he was too far away. I could never read lips and didn’t understand why people even tried to mouth words. I shrugged my shoulders at him. He frowned, leaned over, and said something to his mother. She riffled through her purse and handed him a pen and card. He scribbled something on it and passed it to the person beside him, saying something as he pointed down the row at me.
The new head of the Wizard Council, a lean man from the African haven, Veilig, approached the podium. After seeing many photographs of the beautiful haven, I wanted to visit there one day. The entry was through Port Elizabeth Public Library in South Africa. “We gather today to anoint Asile’s new high wizard,” the man’s voice blasted through the speakers. “Philip Ralston Merlin Attwood, formerly Head Wizard of Education.”
I watched the card make its way to me. An older man handed it to Arik with a disdainful look, probably for distracting the ceremony. Arik gave the card a curious look before passing it to me. His eyes met mine, and I smiled. There was a look in his that caused me to pause.
Was he upset? No. That couldn’t be it. I was imagining things. He probably was irritated at the disruption as the old man had been.
“Thank you,” I said, shaking off my thoughts before reading the card.
You’re a vision of beauty today. I must leave with my mother directly after the proceedings, but will come visit you soon.
Bastien
Feeling as if I’d lift off the grass and float away, I smiled at him.
He grinned and bowed his head slightly before returning his attention to the stage.
The head of the council said the anointment in Latin, and when he was finished, he handed Uncle Philip a jewel-encrusted baton.
“Inhabitants of Asile, I give you your new high wizard, Philip Ralston Merlin Attwood. May he govern with his head and show empathy to those he rules.”
The field erupted in cheers. Many of the people and Mystiks surrounding me cried. The ceremony was a farewell to one beloved high wizard and a welcome to a new one. Many whispered that Uncle Philip would be better than any high wizard who had come before
him. Uncle Philip moved among the people instead of distancing himself from them. I cared for Merl, but I didn’t know him that well. He was standoffish. Uncle Philip had risked his life to save Asile. He would never hide behind the walls of the haven.
It was that thought that made my eyes teary. I looked over at Arik, his head hung low. He had known Merl better than most, and so had Faith. To those Merl had let in, he was a father.
I gave Arik’s arm a slight squeeze to show my support.
A sweet smile twitched on his lips. He gazed into my eyes with the saddest look on his face. “All is how it should be. That is what Merl would say.”
“I’m so sorry, Arik. He was a great man, and he was proud of you.”
“I know. He made certain I knew his feelings. He would have been proud of you, as well. Because of you, there is peace,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I have never admired or respected anyone more than I do you in this moment. I will never fail you again, Gia.”
“You didn’t fail me.”
“I did. I let my emotions at seeing Merl—” He sucked in a sharp breath.
My hand found his arm again. “Stop. If it were Uncle Philip it would have paralyzed me, too.”
“You’re too kind.” He lowered his head and swiped the tears away from his eyes.
“Thank you.” Uncle Philip had made his way to the podium. “It is with a heavy heart that I come before you today. My mentor, my friend, has gone to a place where those from both worlds reside. I revered him as a father. I trusted him with my wellbeing, just as each of you trusted his rule.
“Bounty hunters have captured The Red and his gang, and they have been sent into the Somnium. The Mystik world has entered a time of peace.”
The crowd cheered.
His eyes traveled over the people and stopped on me. “I haven’t always been a gentle or forgiving man.”
The crowd laughed.
“It took a young woman with a fighting spirit to bring it out of me. I am thankful for her each day. If it weren’t for her, we would not be here today. Gianna, al caldo il mio cuore.”
You warm my heart.
Tears broke free from my eyes, wetting my cheeks. I released Arik’s arm and wiped my eyes with my fingertips. I wanted to tell Uncle Philip that he warmed my heart, too, but I could save it for later.
