by M Guida
Mina narrowed her eyes. “And you didn’t?”
Anger flared in Rhys’ eyes and his face turned purple. “I don’t plan on getting myself killed. Alone, we will be picked off one by one. We need to work together that’s what the Path of the Burning Flame means. Ryker is hoping we lose our heads.”
“Sorry. I don’t want him to suffer the same fate as my dad.” Mina mumbled. “I just hate to think he’s out there all alone.”
I sat down in a velvet chair before my legs gave out. “So, he hasn’t gotten Anton’s letter?”
“I just saw him before Dad and I left.” Rhys slid the cork back on top of the High Tempest bottle. “He knows about the letter and we both assumed he was sent one too.”
I gripped the chair’s armrest, waiting for the news that Xavier hated me too. “And?”
“He doesn’t blame you, Raven, if that’s what you’re wondering. He’s coming here.”
I sat up straighter. “He is?”
“Without his father’s blessing, so I’m not sure what Anton will do.”
“Contact his father. What else?” A sharp voice made us jerk around.
King Finbar stood in the doorway with a deep scowl on his face. The kindness had vanished from his narrowed eyes.
Rhys’s face paled, and a flush rushed over mine. I wasn’t sure if it was from being embarrassed or the High Tempest.
King Finbar waltzed into the room and grabbed the bottle out of Rhys’s hands. “I thought I told you not to bring this.”
Rhys moistened his lips. “You did. I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not. Don’t give me that.” The king studied both me and Mina. “Can you two girls walk back to your room?”
“Yes,” we both mumbled, but my answer was a sloppy slur compared to Mina’s straight one.
Mina clasped my arm. “I’ll get her home.”
“Good. I need to have a word with my wayward son.”
Rhys cast a pleading look at us, but we were in no shape to save him. When we came out of the room, Anton was waiting as usual.
Mina squeaked, and her grip tighten on my arm. “Anton.”
But Anton didn’t look at her. His and my gaze clashed. I’m sure he knew about Xavier. Anton always knew things before anyone else.
“Will you make Xavier return to his father?” I hiccuped.
“As King Finbar said, I will contact his father, but that doesn’t mean I’ll force him to return home.”
“Good.” His face blurred and my eyes fluttered shut.
Someone caught me, and that’s the last thing I remembered.
Chapter 11
“Raven.” Someone gently shook my shoulder. “You need to get up. They’re here.”
I winced as a dull pain throbbed in the back on my head and my mouth was as dry as a bone. Damn, High Tempest.
“Come on. You’ve got to get up.”
Something bright and warm hit my face, and I groaned. I peeked open one eye to see Mina standing at our bedroom window, looking outside.
“Did you hear me?” She glanced over her shoulder. “They’re here.”
“I heard you.” I crossed my forearm over my face to block the dreaded sunlight.
She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you get it? King Gregori’s here.” She gestured toward me. “Do you want to face him hungover?”
“No,” I grumbled. Truth was I didn’t want to face him at all. Montae’s words haunted me. He wasn’t as forgiving as King Finbar.
I carefully kicked off my covers. “Did Anton carry me in here last night?”
“Yes. You’re lucky you’re not at his quarters, because then you would be sharing them with King Gregori.”
I glared but didn’t bother arguing––not when she was a hundred percent right. Gently, I sat up, rubbing my pounding temples with my trembling fingers. “I’m never going to drink another High Tempest as long as I live.”
She folded her arms and sat on her bed. “You always say that and every time you try to drink it as if you were a Fae.”
“You didn’t scrounge up any coffee, did you?”
“Sorry. No. You’d better hurry and get dressed before they send for us.”
I grabbed some clean clothes and slowly got into the shower, not wanting to jerk my head around and then end up emptying my stomach into the nearby toilet.
Angry water pulsed on my splitting skull. My stomach swished uneasily, and I gnashed my teeth to keep my gut from revolting. It took me longer to shower than normal, because I didn’t want to make a mad dash to the porcelain god.
When I finally finished my shower, was dressed and opened the bathroom door, Mina wasn’t alone. Professor Soto was with her and rather than the comfortable clothes she’d been wearing, she had on her robe with the words Legacy Academy embroidered in gold thread over her right breast.
She cast her gaze over me. “Anton sent me to fetch you both. King Gregori has arrived.” Her words were the last thing I wanted to hear, especially facing the king without coffee and a bottle of Ibuprofen.
A tremor rippled through my body and the thumping inside my head threatened to split my skull in two.
Mina and I followed Professor Soto out of our room. Our footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor and reminded me of the snare drums announcing a Royal hanging.
Outside, the same white tent was still up and this time, Anton, King Finbar, Rhys, and King Gregori sat around the fire pit. Luckily, Montae wasn’t there. Or was he? I remembered Lucien said that Montae could make himself invisible.
The two kings flashed their gaze over us, and I could feel beads of sweat breaking out over me. I wished we were in Anton’s tower with air conditioning. Not that it was really hot out here under the shaded trees, but with the kings’ fierce gaze and the morning sun, I felt like I was going to melt into a puddle of butter.
Under the tent there was a table with silver trays and a coffee urn. I was half tempted to rush over and get some fuel, but King Gregori’s steely gaze stopped me in my tracks.
King Gregori was as I remembered him–a tall, muscular, grumpy motorcycle gang leader. He had on the same scowl, same black leather jacket, same dark jeans, and high boots. He wasn’t someone I wanted to meet in a dark alley.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were about to face a firing squad.
Anton smiled and bowed slightly. “Thank you, Professor Soto, for bringing Raven and Mina.”
“If you need further assistance, let me know.” Professor Soto nodded. “Your Majesties.”
Both Kings gestured with their fingers in a gentle salute as she left the gathering. I thought it strange that Professor Soto wasn’t asked to stay. The foreboding growing inside me pushed against my ribs.
Mina and I both bowed our heads. “Your Majesties.”
“Welcome to the council of secrets,” Rhys murmured under his breath, but when his father cast him a sharp gaze, he lowered his head and gripped the armrest of his chair tightly.
Returning his gaze to us, King Finbar smiled warmly. “Raven, I hope you’re feeling better today.”
King Gregori cocked his eyebrow and flashed his gaze over me, making me want to hide behind Mina, but I forced myself to smile.
“I’m feeling much better, thank you, your Majesty.”
King Finbar motioned toward two seats that were across from them. “Please, sit.”
Mina and I did as he requested.
Anton looked at each of us. “We have much to discuss.” He turned to Mina and I. “Now that King Gregori has arrived, King Finbar will reveal what he has learned.”
King Finbar looked between me and Mina. “What do you two know of the Unseelie?”
I frowned and shook my head. “Not much.”
Mina’s face paled. “Nothing good.”
My gut tightened at their pinched faces. Even Mina and Rhys looked as if they were afraid the Grim Reaper was coming. Or maybe he was? Feeling like an outsider, I asked, “What are the Unseelie?”
King Gregori f
rowned. “How is it you’ve been here for three years and you have not heard of the Unseelie?” The disdain in his voice made my cheeks flame.
I squirmed in my seat as if I had done something wrong.
Anton’s eyes burned red and he gave King Gregori a haughty stare. “In defense of Raven, King Gregori. The study of the Unseelie is not until the fourth year.”
“I beg your pardon,” King Gregori murmured.
Once again, Anton came to my rescue. I gave him a warm smile. I don’t know what I would have done without him.
King Finbar nodded. “Very true. Not even fourth years know all the terrible sins the Unseelie have committed.” His kind voice helped me take a deep breath and relax in my chair.
I avoided King Gregori’s scowling face and concentrated on King Finbar’s gentle one.
“Unlike my people,” King Finbar continued. “The Unseelie do not want to live in peace with the other supernaturals or the humans. They believe they are destined to rule and conquer. Hundreds of years ago, my people and the Unseelie were at war and we managed to banish them into the Elder Dimension, but it was a bloody war and we lost many lives. The Elder Dimension is a mirror to this world, except there are no other supernaturals or humans, but it is where King Cormac’s dark magic burns brightest. We hoped that this would satisfy the Unseelie’s lust to rule.”
He let out a soft sigh, and a faraway look clouded the stars in his eyes. None of us spoke and allowed King Finbar the time to gather himself. The smell of coffee and fried bacon made my mouth water, but I remained rooted in my seat.
King Finbar blinked, driving away whatever terrible memories that seemed to plague him. “My people have been able to keep them from crossing a portal into our dimension, but we have learned the veil has been penetrated. Our only saving grace is that Cormac isn’t as powerful as he was during the first war. I suspect he can’t draw on all of his magic, thanks to the veil.”
Anton rubbed his chin. “But he’s still powerful. He must have found another source to fuel his magic.”
“That is my fear as well,” King Finbar agreed.
The lines around King Gregori’s eyes tightened and his brows crinkled. “We must find the source and find a way to shut the portal before King Cormac becomes unstoppable again.”
Only one person would want this to happen. “You think Ryker helped King Cormac crossover?”
King Finbar nodded. “I believe so.” He glanced up at the sky, scanned the grounds, and then lowered his voice as if he was afraid someone would hear what he was saying. “I fear Ryker used the Pestarmus, demon spell book, to lift the veil to allow King Cormac and his followers through. Reports indicated he formed an alliance with King Cormac, but King Cormac and the Unseelie are extremely dangerous. They practice necromancy, the manipulation of the dead. The Unseelie do not make pacts without demanding something in return.”
“That’s lunacy.” Rhys jumped to his feet. “Ryker couldn’t possibly have been so daft to do such a thing. ”
King Finbar tapped his son’s arm gently. “Sit down, Rhys. Try not to let your emotions to get the best of you.”
Rhys obeyed, but the look of fear in his eyes unsettled me. This King Cormac sounded ten times worse than Ryker.
Rhys sat straighter and took a deep breath. “So Ryker the fool violated the Treaty of Protection?”
Anton glanced over at me. “The Treaty of Protection was after the first Supernatural War and when King Cormac and the rest of the Unseelie were pushed back into the Elder Dimension. All the supernaturals, including the demons, agreed to never violate the veil.”
“This was before Golden Demons?” I asked.
Anton nodded. “Yes.”
The hairs on the back of my neck and my arms stood straight up. “So, the Unseelie are immortal?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Rhys said. “They’re like spiders that never die.” He crunched his heel into the grass as if to smash an unseen bug.
Mina gasped. “I can’t believe King Cormac is really here. We’re in real serious trouble. He has the ability to raise the dead. Do you think…do you think he killed my dad?”
“I don’t know, child,” King Finbar said gently. “It would depend on whether or not Cormac found your dad to be useful.”
“You’re not saying he can make zombies, are you?” I couldn’t keep the fear out of my voice. The last thing I wanted was to star in a zombie movie where the creatures wanted to eat my brains.
Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.
King Gregori smiled for the first time, this time with a flicker of genuine humor in his eyes. “If you’re thinking of the zombies that crawl out of the graves, that’s not we’re talking about.”
Two balls of heat burned on my cheeks. I shut my trap. Unseelie magic was definitely way over my head.
The humor left his eyes, and his smile vanished. “These zombies are ten times worse. They’re cunning. They’re not full of decay and look exactly like they did when they perished. It’s very difficult to tell them apart unless you’re gifted in Intuitive Perception.”
Intuitive Perception was the ability to analyze and comprehend anything supernatural and knowing how to detect their weaknesses.
I broke my own oath. “So, they’re like doppelgängers.”
“Doppelgängers make you feel uneasy, but you wouldn’t notice the undead King Cormac conjures up,” King Finbar said. “You wouldn’t know they were undead, but shifters can sense it, especially the wolf shifters. The undead emit a hint of rotting decay, but humans and most supernaturals wouldn’t notice it. Not even vampires.”
I looked at Rhys. “Then we need to find Xavier.”
Rhys shrugged. “After he left Starlight Kingdom, I don’t know where he went.”
Sorrow flickered in King Finbar’s eyes. “His father, King Erick and his pack were tracking him, but they couldn’t pick up his trail. King Erick was beside himself and I suspect he had changed his mind after his son fled his kingdom.”
“Or he may not,” Anton said.
“If we can’t rely on the wolves to help us,” King Gregori said. “We’ll need to bone up on our Intuitive Perception.”
Mina gestured with her hand toward me. “Raven is really good at that.”
King Gregori cast a skeptical look over me. “But it’s not just Intuitive Perception that you need to know how to do. You must know how to wield Magic Reflection. Only then when the undead unleashes their power on you, can you turn the tables and use their magic against them, killing them.”
Anton smiled, and he puffed out his chest. “King Gregori, Raven is gifted in Magic Replication, Magic Negation, Magic Absorption, and Magic Reflection. This is why she was the leader of the Defenders. Without her, they wouldn’t have defeated Ryker so many times.”
“King Jackson begs to differ,” King Gregori murmured.
A silence rolled over us. A breeze blew the tops of the trees and a yellow and black tiger swallowtail butterfly fluttered over the table and landed on a bottle of wine. I bowed my head. King Gregori must enjoy pushing the thorn deeper and deeper into my paw. He needn’t bother, because the guilt of Bo’s death haunted me wherever I went and I would never forgive myself for his death.
“People die in wars,” King Finbar said bluntly. “As kings, we send our sons to Legacy to learn how to fight and to lead our people, but the risk of their death is always a possibility. It’s a cross we all must bear.”
I raised my head and met the gentleness in his eyes. Besides Gregori and Jackson, I couldn’t help but wonder what King of the Vampires or the King of the Wolves were like. Were they kind and forgiving like Finbar or cold and distant like Gregori?
“I have some more dire news.” King Gregori’s eyes softened for the first time. “Your father, Raven––the Golden Phoenix and his team were doing a reconnaissance mission to discover what price King Cormac has demanded.”
The kings were hiding something. The only one who met my gaze was Anton.
A tickle of fear whisked down my spine. “What happened?”
“We don’t know,” King Gregori said grimly. “He and his team were supposed to report back to Havenwood and come with us back to Legacy, but they never came back at their appointed time.”
I slumped back in my chair. “That isn’t good.”
Aaaaaaaooo
My body perked up. I knew that howl. Rhys, Mina, and I all looked at each other.
Aaaaaaaooo
“Xavier,” we all said at once.
We jumped out of our seats and rushed toward the gate. Shouts were behind us, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was Xavier. He was here.
Outside.
Where shadow demons lurked.
Chapter 12
AAAAaaaaoooo
Another howl sent fear rushing down my spine. This one seemed desperate.
As I rushed toward the gate with my arms and legs pumping, I yanked off my clothes. The crisp morning air made my nipples bud and my skin turned into gooseflesh, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to let Xavier die.
“No, Raven, stop.” I ignored King Gregori’s pleas. “It’s too dangerous.”
Rhys raised his fist. “Go get him, Raven.”
Once I was naked, I shifted into a dragon and flew above the gate. I didn’t trust Montae’s guards to raise the portcullis and let Xavier in.
Please, help.
My silver dragon flashed in my mind.
I will. Trust in yourself and inhale.
The ghostly shadow demons were hissing and chasing something in and out of the pines and aspens. It was a large gray timber wolf. I recognized that wolf anywhere. It was Xavier. He hurried toward Legacy, but the evil red-eyed devils cut him off and threw red spears at him.
My heart clenched. Xavier dodged the zinging red spikes that skimmed over his fur. His tongue dangled from his mouth and the whites of his eyes nearly reached his eyelashes.
I shrieked and let out a stream of ice toward the demons, freezing the trees. They halted in the pines closest to Legacy when they saw me. I inhaled, drawing on their power. The imps caught on fire and black smoke rose from their misty bodies, swirling up into the air and then pouring down my throat, scalding and burning me.
