Cherished

by Christina Bauer

  “Let me run through this for a moment.” I pointed to the opened chest. “You just so happen to have a trunk filled with leathers for a lady Caster.”

  “Right.”

  “And they’re all in my size.”

  “Right again.” Rowan pulled on his jacket. “The green bureau is filled with formal dresses for you as well.” He winked. “What can I say? I’m a confident man.” He raised his right hand. Our mating band shone on his finger.

  Confident. I was glad one of us felt that way. I wasn’t sure either of us would live to see another day.

  Even so, I couldn’t stop my smile. “Thank you.”

  “Any time.”

  Returning my attention to the trunk, I picked up the black leathers. They were incredibly soft and made with meticulous stitches. A pang of guilt moved through my stomach. Rowan had trusted in us so completely, he’d gone ahead and filled his chambers with clothing for me. And yet, I didn’t fully return the confidence and trust, and so, we were unable to truly activate our bond. I was a failure.

  Keep your mind on the battle, Elea. Worry about the rest later.

  Shaking my head, I refocused on changing into my fighting gear. Rowan’s eyes followed me as I pulled on the trousers and slipped into the jacket. Unlike my other set of leathers, these fit perfectly. Rowan stepped around me slowly.

  “Shouldn’t we be going off to parlay with your mother?” I asked.

  “In a moment. I’ve spent a lot of time imagining you wearing these leathers.”

  I spun about to give him a better view. It was still night outside, so I took care to stand by a candle. “And does the view match your expectations?”

  “Exceeds.” He took my hand in his. “Now, let’s face my mother.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Rowan and I stepped out of his chambers to find Kade waiting for us in the outer vestibule. I scanned the small space and frowned. “Where is everyone?” Typically, there were at least two guards present at all times. The space looked especially dark and lonely, even for nighttime.

  Anger tightened Kade’s features. “All the castle workers are outside, per Zoriah’s mandate.”

  I turned to Rowan. “But you’re Genesis Rex. How can your mother order anyone around?” I raised my arm palm forward and took a deep breath. “Forgot I asked that. The better question is, what lies has Zoriah been telling the crowd?”

  Kade frowned. “She says it’s all your fault, Elea. You’re a powerful witch whose evil spell made Shujaa wither up and die.”

  “I am not a witch. Why does everyone keep saying that?” I took in another calming breath. “You don’t need to answer that, either. Where is Zoriah right now?”

  “Waiting you and Rowan outside the castle’s drawbridge. All the Casters are waiting in the gardens to watch what happens.”

  Rowan gripped the hilt of his short sword. “Elea and I will speak with Zoriah.” He rounded on Kade. “But I want you, Amelia, Veronique, and Jicho to leave the castle immediately. Hide out in of the tree bases in the Genesis Vale.”

  Kade jutted out his square chin. “Absolutely not. I’m your second. I won’t leave you to face Zoriah alone.”

  “I won’t be alone. Elea fights at my side now.” Rowan lowered his voice. “And that wasn’t a question, Kade. It was an order from your King.”

  Kade frowned. “As my Rex commands.” After giving us a quick bow, he sped down the shadowy staircase. His footsteps and outline were quickly swallowed up by the darkness.

  Rowan turned to me again. “This is your last chance. You don’t need to face down my mother.”

  I set my fist on my hip. “But I’m doing it, and there’s no stopping me.”

  Rowan took my free hand; I loved the warmth of his touch. “As my Regina commands.” Together, we descended the castle staircase. With every step, I questioned my advice to Rowan. Was it really a good idea for me and Rowan to face down Zoriah and her entire army?

  Whether it was or not, we’d find out soon enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Rowan and I made our way to the castle’s entrance. Every step felt like I was slogging through chest-deep water. I still hadn’t fully recovered from the battle with Shujaa. Meanwhile, Rowan didn’t look much better than I did. His breathing was labored, and the bruises along his neck were deepening.

  In other words, we weren’t ready for a fight.

  As we stepped through the empty corridors, muffled voices echoed in through the open window holes. Some were even raised in song. The people were doing more than watching a moonlight parade of the golden army; they were having a grand old time.

  I shot Rowan a questioning glance. “That sounds like quite the celebration on short notice.”

  “Always.” He shrugged. “We’re Casters.” He paused by the castle’s main entrance. The huge wooden drawbridge was pulled up tight. “Besides, we’ve been without mages for a long time. Now the golden army has arrived, and all our troubles will supposedly be over. People like an easy answer.”

  “But you don’t.”

  “Oh, I like the idea of easy answers well enough.” He shot me a side-eyed glance. “I just don’t believe they work.”

  “Your people should have more faith in you.” The moment the words left my mouth, I wished I could take them back.

  Wasn’t that true for me as well? I still held back my faith and trust in Rowan.

  Rowan met my gaze straight on. Somehow, he knew exactly what I was worried about. “There are no easy answers, Elea. That means waiting when it’s important, and as I said, I’m a patient man.” He ran his fingertip along my jawline. My chest heated with warmth and affection. “Now, are you ready?”

  “After that touch? I can do anything.”

  Rowan gave me a crooked smile. “The same is true for me.” He gripped the rotary wheel and slowly lowered the bridge. “Let’s meet my mother.”

  Moving together, Rowan and I stepped across the threshold. Here, the castle’s drawbridge spanned a moat. Beyond the water, a wide pathway led into the gardens beyond. A full moon cast the entire scene in a bluish light. Every inch of the castle grounds seemed to be packed with Caster families in traditional leathers.

  These must be the clan leaders and their families, coming for the celebration just as Zoriah requested. Some of the revelers held gourd-lanterns. Others played flutes or beat on small drums. Children ran through the sea of bodies while waving tall sticks topped with ribbons. Throughout the crowd, Zoriah’s golden warriors stood still as statues. I scanned them carefully. Some of the Casters were dancing around their own lost family members, only they didn’t know it. The Shadow Family were here, too. That led to one conclusion.

  I couldn’t wait for this fight to begin.

  Zoriah stepped out from the throng of revelers to stand at the spot where the drawbridge met the other shore. She wore her black Seer robes and a look of total triumph on her lovely face. The moment we opened the front doors, she raised her arms.

  All the revelers fell silent.

  “Rowan,” declared Zoriah. “How brave of you to face your people after your lying witch killed your brother.”

  Rowan lifted his chin slightly. “Greet the Tsarina properly.”

  Zoriah widened her eyes as if seeing me for the first time. “Elea. You’re still here.”

  Rage burned through my soul. “I’m hard to move.”

  “Obviously.” Zoriah sniffed. “My son, our people accept that you’ve been bewitched by this, ah, Tsarina. They are willing to allow the both of you to leave in peace as long as you hand your throne over to me. I shall rule in place of our lost hero, Shujaa. What do you say?”

  “No,” said Rowan. The word echoed in odd ways through the darkened gardens.

  “But everyone is ready to start this new age of Caster power.” Zoriah gestured to the crowd behind her. “You can see how the people already celebrate my future rule.”

  “Leave now,” said Rowan carefully. “And you’ll be allowed to live.�
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  Zoriah took a half step backward. “You can’t threaten me. I’m your mother.”

  The crowd quieted. A thick sense of tension filled the air.

  Rowan unsheathed a short sword and raised it high. “Leave or die.”

  “How dare you?” Zoriah set her fists on her hips. Black veins lit up in her neck as she gave a magickal command. “My army. Stand at attention.” Moving as a single unit, all the golden warriors shifted to stand facing me and Rowan. I fought back a gasp.

  If Rowan was shocked by this, he didn’t show it. He simply raised his arms and addressed the crowd. “My people, I stand before you as your rightful King. Beside me stands Elea, my true mate. Zoriah has told you nothing but lies. Shujaa made his own magickal pacts in the hopes to gain power. He died in a trap of his own creation. And this golden army you admire so much? They are the Shadow Family that you’ve all lost, only twisted by stealing my own magick. I have waited months for my chance to stop this atrocity, free my people, and make those responsible for your torment pay the penalty. That moment has come. As such, I command you to depart the castle grounds immediately.”

  The people only stared at him, open-mouthed.

  Rowan raised his right hand. His veins glowed red with Caster power. “Act as your Rex commands.”

  They still didn’t budge.

  This wasn’t good.

  I addressed the crowd as well. “You really need to leave.” My words didn’t help at all. Rowan’s people wanted to believe Zoriah’s story. It would be funny if it didn’t mean that we were about to fight Zoriah with a crowd of innocent families standing by.

  Zoriah lowered her arms while whispering a fresh incantation. This time, the black smoke poured off her palms and spread across the moonlit grounds. Small bits of red lightning sparked in its depths.

  Zoriah’s voice grew louder as her incantation took hold. The language wasn’t one I knew, but the results of her spell were obvious.

  The golden army began to melt.

  Or, it only looked as if they were melting. In reality, some of the tiny golden beetles on their bodies were crawling away. After that, the insects disappeared onto the fog-covered ground. Between the smoke and darkness, it was impossible to see anything else that was happening.

  Rowan and I exchanged a confused look. What was Zoriah doing? She couldn’t be giving up. Every instinct screamed for me to start casting a spell, but I didn’t know what to cast. And the few incantations that I thought might help could easily end up injuring an innocent bystander.

  All of a sudden, screams sliced through the night air. Finally, moonlight reflected off the Caster populace. Now, golden beetles were crawling up the bodies of every man, woman, and child in the gardens. Just like I’d seen with Shujaa in the burned-out village, the beetles melted down into smooth metal coating. It only took a matter of seconds before all the Casters were frozen in place.

  I blinked hard, not believing what I saw. The gardens appeared to be filled with golden statues, all of them in different stages of screaming or running away. It was horrible.

  Zoriah grinned. “Dear people, as you’ve now discovered, my son was indeed telling the truth. My golden army isn’t made up of magickal warriors. They are Casters just like you who were transformed with hybrid magick from Viktor.”

  “Release these people,” said Rowan, his voice deep with rage. “Now.”

  “Why? I’ve given them exactly what they wanted: to be part of a golden age of Caster power. And as you can see, I have kept my word. They’re all perfectly encased. They aren’t good enough to be golden warriors, but it’s time we cleaned up the unworthy.”

  I scanned their faces in the moonlight. Despite the fact that these people couldn’t move, the terror shone in their poses. When I spoke again, my voice was barely a whisper. “You’re suffocating them.”

  “Yes.” Zoriah rounded on me. “And you’re next.”

  Quick as a heartbeat, golden beetles sped up my legs and encased my body. I frantically tried to pull in air. There was nothing. I couldn’t move, let alone breathe. Panic twisted through my soul.

  Although I was encased in gold, I could still make our Zoriah’s muffled voice. “Ask me what I want, Rowan. As you know, we Seers always hold our engagements.”

  “Fine, Zoriah. What do you want?”

  “Since you won’t step down peacefully, I ask you to accept my engagement to challenge your rule.”

  My lungs burned for air, but breathing wasn’t the only thing I was worried about. How I wished I could warn Rowan right now. Zoriah was setting up some kind of trap. I still had Necromancer magick stored up in my arm, but it took longer to cast a spell without being able to speak.

  Much longer.

  Possibly too long.

  “Set everyone free,” said Rowan. “And I will accept your challenge.”

  Zoriah tapped her chin. “And who will be your second in our fight? Your little Necromancer?”

  “Her name is Elea, and yes.”

  “Then it’s agreed,” said Zoriah. “I will free our people.” She put special emphasis on the words “our people.” I didn’t like that part at all.

  Inside my rib cage, my lungs convulsed for air. At last, I managed to clearly think through the words to an exploder spell. My hand glowed blue as the gold burst off my body. At last, I could move again. Meanwhile, the metal casing that had trapped me turned back into golden beetles again. The insects now crawled back across the drawbridge and disappeared into the black cloud that still covered the castle grounds.

  The golden beetles slid away from the crowd as well. The moment they were free, the mob began a mad rush for the gates. I felt sorry for the frightened children, but the adults didn’t upset me as much. They should have listened to Rowan. Even I trusted him enough to run when he told me to.

  Usually.

  Zoriah raised her arms once more. “Let the challenge begin!”

  I still had some magick left over from my last spell. Even though I was still gasping for breath, I cast a quick incantation over me and Rowan. Blue smoke danced across our skin and soaked into our souls.

  Rowan leaned over me. “Elea, are you all right?”

  “Fine.” I finished the protection spell as I sucked in more air. “Now we won’t…Get caught…Under golden beetles again.”

  Zoriah clapped her hands. “Pay attention, children. I’d like you to meet my second.”

  A huge form rose out of the black smoke that covered the castle grounds. It was a massive warrior made entirely of wasps. My mouth fell open.

  Wren had returned.

  “I’d hoped she’d stay away a little longer.” My voice came out as a murmur. “And now, we have to fight both your mother and a wasp monster.”

  Rowan gave me a dry look. “That sums it up pretty well.”

  “You mother really is horrible.” Which reminded me of Rowan’s family members who weren’t here. I could only hope that Kade, Amelia, Veronique, and Jicho got to safety.

  The Giant-Wren turned to us, roared, and raised her huge booted foot. The ear-splitting done of wasps broke the still night air. Hundreds of stingers glinted in the moonlight. There was no question about it: Wren aimed to squash both me and Rowan.

  Now, there’s nothing like a massive waspy boot coming toward your head to put priorities in order.

  For a massive monster, Giant-Wren moved quickly. Her boot was only inches above my skull when I moved into action and leapt off the left-hand side of the drawbridge. Rowan jumped alongside me.

  Giant-Wren’s boot slammed down through the front of the castle. Stone shards flew in every direction. Where there had once been an entryway, now there was nothing but a pile of rubble.

  She had barely missed us.

  Rowan gripped my hand. “We need to make for the Genesis Vale.” Like me, Rowan had been banged up and cut from the rubble, but he was still in one piece.

  We raced toward the back of the castle. From there, we broke into the jungle beyond. Behind us, I
could hear the thud-thud of the Giant-Wren as she tracked us through the darkness. As we sped through the undergrowth, more of Zoriah’s golden army chased us through the rainforest that separated the castle from the Genesis Vale. Everywhere we turned, there were more of their blank faces and grasping arms.

  Wren may have been Zoriah’s second, but we weren’t in the Genesis Vale yet. That meant we were fair game to whatever Zoriah sent in our direction.

  And she had an army.

  We kept dodging through the undergrowth, racing toward the edge of the crevasse. We leapt over a nest of vines, releasing a swarm of bats into the sky.

  The sight gave me an idea.

  “We need to even the playing field,” I said. “Now that Shujaa is gone, we can cast a whole new set of spells on Wren.” Shujaa’s protection from spells had been extended to Wren. Now that Shujaa was dead, Rowan wasn’t limited to sun surges any more.

  Rowan leaped over a moss-covered log. “Go on.”

  “Do you have enough power to summon bats?”

  “Easily.” Rowan led us through a dense thicket. Behind us, the ground shook with every step that Giant-Wren took. I glanced over my shoulder. Moonlight reflected off the metallic bodies chasing us through the heavy ferns and vines. The golden army was tracking us down.

  “Bats eat wasps,” added Rowan. “Is that what you’re thinking?”

  “Exactly. That should kill Wren once and for all. Can you cast and run at the same time?”

  “One of my specialties.” As we rushed through the darkness, Rowan raised his right hand and bellowed out an incantation.

  “Wing and night

  Take your flight.”

  Red mist appeared on Rowan’s palm. A second later, the haze quickly solidified into the shape of a red bat. The animal flew off into the night sky. Then, a second bat appeared and a third. Soon, the air was darkened with hundreds of crimson bats. They converged on Giant-Wren, swooping around her in a loose column.

  Wren screeched with rage as she kept racing toward us. The bats kept up their furious attack, gnawing at the bugs that made up Giant’s-Wren’s limbs. Her right leg buckled; Giant-Wren fell to the ground with a great thud. Rowan’s bats swooped in and covered the body. Within seconds, they flew back off into the night sky.