by Simone Pond
He stopped and pulled me close to him, glancing up to the black sky sprinkled with stars. “I could use a kiss.”
I bit my lip and lowered my chin, feeling shy, and then silly for feeling that way. We’d been through so much already, why was I feeling vulnerable in his presence? Maybe it was exhaustion setting in. Or the way he was staring at me like he was trying to open up my heart and see inside. It was the first moment of peace we’d had in a while, and I didn’t know how to settle into that space with him. If I let down my guard, something horrible might happen. Counselor Magnus might attack. We could lose another ship. There could be more deaths.
Matthias lifted my chin and held my gaze. “What is it, J? Is everything too calm for you?”
I laughed. “Exactly. I’m not sure how to just be. I’m used to action and more action.”
He took my hand and guided me along the deck toward my cabin. “I know how to help with that …”
The second we crossed the threshold to my cramped quarters, Matthias’s lips were on mine. We dropped onto the small cot, the springs of the mattress poking into my back. But I didn’t care. All I cared about was feeling Matthias close to me. His hands rubbed my shoulders, then stroked the length of my arms. He gripped my waist, yanking me even closer. I wrapped my legs around him and our bodies intertwined perfectly together. Our magic collided, blended, and spiraled into funnels of pure ecstasy. With the pedal pressed all the way down, we accelerated into a state of hyper bliss, taking momentary breaks to suck in gasps of air. My hands worked under his shirt, rubbing his muscular chest and rippling abs. I kissed his neck … his shoulder … his collarbone …
“This … is … everything,” he whispered, removing his shirt.
“I want you so badly,” I told him, kissing his chest … his abs …
We struggled to remove our trousers, laughing as we tried tugging off each other’s boots. The laughter was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a trumpet. I ignored it at first and kept tugging my feet out of my boots. I just had to feel Matthias’s bare skin pressing against mine. It was the only thing I wanted and needed. And he wanted it too. The combustion in our bodies reached a fever pitch.
The trumpet sounded again.
I sat up. “We have to go.”
Matthias fell back onto the mattress and tugged his pants back up, groaning. I tossed his shirt over to him and tightened my ponytail. The fun and games were officially over. I made an attempt to smooth out his unruly dark waves.
“Useless,” he said, laughing.
“You’re untamable.”
He got up and opened the door for me. “As are you, J. As are you.”
We rushed to the upper deck to meet up with the elders and find out why the alarm had been sounded. My body still trembled with desire and the longing for Matthias reached new depths I didn’t know existed. I could still feel the scorching heat from his touch prickling through my body. I wanted to savor it, but I pushed it away—we had work to do first.
When we reached the others, delight and jubilation filled the upper deck. I glanced ahead to see why everyone was so happy.
“The Rankin Canal!” shouted someone.
“We’ve arrived!”
I grabbed Matthias and hugged him. “We made it. We actually made it.”
“I’ll go get Isabella and Benjamin,” he said, running off.
I ran to the bow of the ship and stared ahead at the massive wall that was blocking us from the Rankin Canal. On the other side was the continuation of the River Elin, to wherever the four channels met and where the portal awaited. The structure stretched across the river like a dam of gleaming marble, as tall as a fifty-story building and twice as wide. If we didn’t have Isabella, getting our two ships through such a barrier would be virtually impossible.
Matthias came running up with a ghastly look on his face, the rosy glow from minutes ago gone. He yanked me away, dragging me toward the stern of the ship.
“What is it?” I yelled as we shoved through the celebrating crowd.
He didn’t say anything. He just kept running toward the back of the ship where Benjamin, Isabella, CeeCee, and Chloe stood staring silently out to the river. When I reached the railing, my heart hitched in my chest and I couldn’t breathe.
Is this a dream?
It had to be a dream. Otherwise it meant that the fleet of thirty-plus operative attack cruisers surrounding both the Jericho and the Sinai were real.
Chapter 22
The balloon of joy I’d felt upon reaching the canal filled with cement and dropped into my gut. How had Magnus pulled off such a stealthy approach? Nobody had seen it coming. Not even Chloe, who was gifted with the ability to perceive these types of things.
I glared at the waif like this was her fault. “Why didn’t you see this?”
She only shook her head. The sick green hue of her face told me she was just as shocked. Magnus had used some serious magic to cloak his approaching armada from two ships of Ancients. I looked over to the Sinai for Levi, but he was nowhere in sight.
“Where’s Levi?” I asked, grabbing Matthias.
“He and his men are already in position. We’re ready to fight whenever you are. What’s next?”
My first instinct was to try and destroy the entire fleet with my remaining golden star. But Magnus had made that impossible by strategically scattering the cruisers in an offset formation. I glanced up to the sky—to the guiding star—calming myself. I’d do whatever I could to protect my people, but I needed help.
“Oh, there’s one more hitch,” said Benjamin.
Of course there was.
“Magnus has Haggai and Daniel.” He pointed to the cruiser closest to our ship.
“Again?”
On the upper deck, a row of operatives held silver wands to the temples of Daniel and Haggai. The counselor knew just where to dig his knife. There was no way I’d attack while Matthias’s father and brother were being held hostage.
I looked at Matthias. “You’re willing to sacrifice your father and brother?”
“I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. I was going to … maybe try to …” Matthias stopped talking.
In the silence, we could hear the cheering in the background. The Ancients had no idea what was about to go down. Even if we could muster up our people to actually fight, the enormous number of operatives—and who knows what else—would have the upper hand. The loss would be too great. What would the point be of reaching Shteim'esrei with only a handful of brokenhearted Ancients?
“I will not sacrifice them—or any more of our people,” I said.
“What’s the plan then?” asked Matthias.
“I’m going over there to negotiate. Obviously the warlock wants something, otherwise he would’ve attacked by now. And I have a pretty good idea what that is.” I glanced at Isabella.
“No,” said Benjamin. “You can’t take her. She’s been through enough already.”
Isabella gently stroked Benjamin’s cheek. “Jordan is right. If he has me, the prophecy can never be fulfilled. He wins.”
“But you lose. We all lose!” he said.
Isabella smiled and took my hand. “I trust who the Ancient One selected to be the Chosen One. As I said before, I’m a fan of Jordan Temple.”
“She’s right, Benjamin,” I said. “If you think for one second I’m giving up on fulfilling the prophecy, then you’re forgetting everything we’ve been through up till now. This is just one more test, and I refuse to fail it. I have all of you. A ship of powerful Ancients. This beautiful Overseer. We’ll figure out a plan. But for now, we have to make this sacrifice and trust things will unfold in our favor.”
Benjamin kissed Isabella’s cheek and walked away without another word.
“You sure about this?” asked Matthias.
“I’m sure I want to do right by the Ancient One, and that’s pretty much all that matters,” I said. “And I have one remaining golden star. If something does go wrong, I’ll use it.”
He hugged me and stepped back. “I’ll talk to the elders and make sure they get organized for a potential attack. And I’ll clue in Levi.”
Chloe reached out and held my arm. “I might not have seen this coming, but I know we will find a way.” Then she hugged me, which was entirely out of character. But it was nice, so I forgave all her past transgressions toward me. Bygones and all that.
I gave the pretty blonde a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Why don’t you go do your shepherding thing and make sure the kids and families get safely back to their rooms.”
CeeCee came over and gave me a nod of encouragement. “Anything goes wrong, we’ve got your back,” she said.
“Let’s go throw down some bargaining chips with a warlock,” I said to Isabella.
“Are you calling me a bargaining chip?” She smiled.
I held the enchantress’s hands and closed my eyes, visualizing the upper deck of the cruiser. Within seconds the two of us lit up and quickly materialized in a nova of violet and pink on the cruiser. We faced the Topaz operatives who were holding Haggai and Daniel hostage. They both looked completely out of it as the silver devices drained their magic. My magical shield went up around me and Isabella. The operatives might try to use those weird black pyramid devices on me, but I didn’t care. I could feel the strength of my magic surging through my body. Their devices would be futile against me.
I noticed some familiar faces in the background; fellow graduates who considered me a traitor to the city of Mysterium. In a way that was true. But I knew I was on the right side. I would never work for Magnus. Or bow down to Ashtar. And that’s what Mysterium—the entire Confederated Six—epitomized.
“Is he here?” I yelled to one of the lead operatives.
“Of course I’m here. Wouldn’t miss this soiree for anything, Miss Bachar.” Magnus’s voice crept from behind the formation of men.
“Told you, it’s Temple. Jordan Temple,” I called out.
The thwack of Magnus’s shoes struck the deck as he made his way over to me. The operatives respectfully moved aside. Magnus’s long black coat flapped in the wind as he stopped and stood to face me twenty feet away. His greenish-yellow panther-like eyes bored into me. They seemed more vibrant than usual, like he’d been soaking in high-octane magic for days on end. He stroked the old scar above his right eye, then caught himself and stopped. He gripped his cane, Glendora’s baleful Red Ruby glowing between his clasped fingers.
“Ah, yes, Miss Temple. The one who thought she got away …” he said.
“What do you want, Magnus?”
“Seeing as you brought the witch with you, it appears you already know what I want.”
I chuffed slightly. “You’re not that complicated, Counselor.”
He didn’t appreciate that comment, so he motioned for the operative next to Haggai to turn up the intensity on the silver device. Haggai’s knees buckled and he howled in agony. I started to go after my friend, but Isabella clenched my hand.
I sucked in a deep breath and caged my temper. “So, if I hand over the girl, you’ll give me back my people and send your cruisers away?”
Magnus laughed and shook his head. “If only it were that simple.”
Great. The High Warlock wanted to play games at the eleventh hour. I really wanted to wing my last gold star into his chest and end his existence right then and there, but I’d already been burned twice by his witch cousin. I wasn’t about to lose my last star in some trap. And if I did kill him before I had Haggai and Daniel safely by my side, the operatives would waste them and attack our ships in a heartbeat. This wasn’t the right time.
“So what else do you want, Magnus? Me?”
“At one point that would’ve been music to my ears,” he said. “But now that I have the Overseer, you’ll never fulfill that trite little prophecy of yours. It’ll be more pleasurable keeping you alive to suffer. You’ll live out the remainder of your pitiful existence in the Madlands with the rest of those odious Ancients, ruminating upon your colossal failure. They’ll grow to detest you. And if they don’t kill you first, you’ll end up killing yourself. Or going mad. Or both.”
His words wormed like bitter bramble through my ears and seeped through me, tangling around my heart. What if his scenario did play out?
“Don’t listen to him,” whispered Isabella. “He’s poisoning your mind with his black magic.”
I knew exactly what the counselor was doing, but I still couldn’t stop the dread from contaminating me. If I wasn’t able to fix this mess, the Ancients would suffer. I couldn’t fail them or the Ancient One.
Daniel coughed. I glanced over at him and his tilted newsboy cap—in his delirium, he was able to mouth something. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure but it looked like he said, You’re not alone. Either way, that’s what I chose to believe. I didn’t need to worry about what might or might not happen. I just needed to trust that the Ancient One had chosen me for a reason and that I wasn’t alone.
I came up out of my fog. “So our little love affair is over. I’m fine with that. What else do you want in addition to the girl?”
Magnus wore the grin of someone who was wicked enough to kill their own mother, which he had. “You may bring only one of your friends back with you.”
Blow to the gut. But I should’ve expected something diabolical like this. “This is between me and you. Not them!” I clenched my fists so hard, I almost dislocated my knuckles. My magic shield began to spark and flicker. The operatives scooted back a few feet.
“I don’t care. Make a choice. The boy or the father. And while you’re pondering that decision, hand over the girl.” He pointed his cane toward us.
“No dice. You don’t get the girl until every last cruiser is down the river.”
He rubbed the scar above his eye a moment. “Very well.”
Then he waved his cane above his head, and one of the operatives spoke into his earpiece to instruct the fleet.
We waited in an awkward silent standoff as the cruisers started their engines and began to depart. Magnus’s cloaking spell went into effect and they vanished from sight, leaving only their wake as evidence of their departure.
Finally, Magnus broke the sound of the river’s rushing currents by slamming his cane upon the deck.
“The witch.” He stretched out his hand.
Isabella kissed my cheek and stepped outside of my shield. “You come back for me … Jordan Temple.”
The tightness in my throat strangled my vocal cords. A team of Topaz operatives approached and snatched Isabella, then marched her away.
“Have you made your decision?” asked Magnus.
I glanced at Daniel and Haggai. My heartbeat kept a solid ticking beat as the fate of my decision neared with each passing second. What the hell kind of choice was this? Haggai was one of the most important elders of all the Ancients. And Daniel was just a boy. I looked up to the dark purple sky for the guiding star, hoping for a revelatory moment. Not a single light sparkled from above, as though Magnus had shrouded the sky with blackness. It didn’t matter, I wasn’t alone. But I was out of time.
“Daniel.” I held my voice low and steady, clenching my jaw so tight my face throbbed.
Magnus pondered my choice, then slammed his cane onto the deck again. The operative restraining Daniel released the silver wand from his temple and shoved him forward. The boy collapsed onto his hands and knees. Another operative—a boisterous jarhead I remembered from the Academy—kicked Daniel with his heavy boot, forcing him to crawl toward me. I stepped forward and pulled my friend inside the shield of protection.
“Don’t watch,” I warned him.
But Daniel—brave Daniel—pulled himself to standing and looked at his father.
Magnus circled his men, then stood before Haggai. “A shame to lose such a powerful resource, but your Chosen One thinks you’re worth sacrificing,” said Magnus.
The warlock held out his cane, aiming the gleaming Red Ruby directly at Haggai. He fired fier
ce red electricity into his forehead, causing Haggai to jerk and drop to the deck. He went into violent convulsions, flopping around. Magnus continued firing the red lightning into the poor man, though it was clear he was dead. Only when Haggai’s body combusted into flames did the warlock stop his vicious onslaught. Magnus gazed with satisfaction as the orange fire burned away Haggai’s flesh.
Daniel buried his head in my chest, and I wrapped my arm around him, holding him close. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling the hot tears rolling down my cheeks.
It took every bit of restraint to keep from lunging forward and impaling Magnus with my last golden star. The cruisers were gone and I had Daniel. What was stopping me? Other than the fact that he now had Isabella stowed away somewhere and she was the only way through the canal. If I killed Magnus now, there was undoubtedly an order for her to be immediately terminated. He’d have a safeguard. I needed to exercise some patience—an area I hadn’t realized was so difficult until I had to put it into practice. But looking back, I could see a string of events where my flying off the handle, as Matthias so kindly put it, hadn’t always helped the cause. Something bigger was coming. I knew it. And so I promised myself—for the sake of my people—to keep that golden star tucked away. The perfect time would come.
Chapter 23
Back on the Jericho, I looked out to the river just as Magnus’s cruiser vanished into thin air.
I brought Daniel to his brother’s cabin and knocked on the door. The ship was quiet now. Chloe had successfully herded the passengers back to their rooms and hopefully everyone was sound asleep. Matthias wasn’t; he opened his door before my knuckles tapped down a second time. He stood in the doorway staring at Daniel as I briefly explained what happened.
After I finished, I couldn’t look Matthias in the eye.
“You made the right choice. My father would’ve agreed,” he said, though he couldn’t look into my eyes either.
Would he grow to detest me as Magnus had said? Holding his father’s death against me the rest of my life? Whether it was right or wrong, it was the choice I’d made. And now Matthias would be the head of his family. He wrapped his bulky arm around his younger brother’s narrow shoulders and they stepped inside the cabin, shutting the door behind them.
