“Right on time,” he said to Tank, and I frowned.
“On time for what?”
Slade laughed darkly, and my stomach dropped. “Oh, you’ll see, but Tank’s going to be your teacher on this one. Sadly, he’s better with blades than I am.”
“Wait, I’m sorry, did you just say blades? Slade?”
“You heard him, girlie,” Tank said as he sauntered into the training room with Jared, heading towards a table on the far wall. “Our kind doesn’t use guns, and when we can’t shift, we like to use knives.”
“Why no guns?”
“Guns run out of ammo,” Slade muttered. “They jam, they’re loud. We use knives.”
I had never held a knife in my life, but then again, I never thought I’d be able to take down Slade and these past few days he had not gone easy on me. I guessed it was better to make headway with at least one skill set, since my magic was still giving me a hard time. Tank waved me over to join him and Jared while Slade plopped down on the floor, his back to the wall.
“You’re really just going to sit there and watch?” I asked.
He gulped water then wiped his mouth with his hand and said nothing, just kept on grinning. That intense blue gaze turned hot, and the room was suddenly very, very warm.
I cleared my throat and turned my back before my face could get any redder, and his laughter followed me. There was an array of different daggers laid out on the table and Tank spent a few minutes going through which ones were which and the best way to use them all.
I thought a knife was a knife, but apparently not. I worried he was going to have us use the real blades at first, but then he pointed out some wooden ones to use as practice. The last thing I wanted to do was accidentally stab myself, or Jared.
“Get ready,” Tank warned as he crossed his arms and stepped back so he could instruct Jared and me. “It’s going to be a grueling few hours.”
“Ow. Careful, I’m fragile,” I groaned as Slade gave me a hug later that evening.
My arms screamed in pain, and all I wanted to do was collapse on my cot and sleep, but Slade had come to find me to make sure I ate something before I crashed.
“Can’t be that bad.”
“It is.” I leaned back against his chest, yawning. “He’s a harder teacher than you are.”
“Hmm, that sounds like a challenge.”
“Nope, never mind I lied. Tank’s a lousy, a softy.”
He kissed the top of my head, and I warmed from that spot all the way down to my toes. I was far from a romantic, and this felt so much more than that. This felt just… more. I didn’t even know what to say about it, and didn’t need to. I would enjoy whatever we had for as long as I could. It was good for me, but it seemed to really be helping him as far as opening up and moving on.
“Come on,” he said, tugging on my hand.
“What, where are we going?” I hoped we were just going to find a comfy spot to sit down and talk for a while, maybe hang out with Amelie and Jared, but then he changed direction, and we headed back to the training room. “Oh, come on, Slade. This is just torture now.”
“We’re not sparring,” he promised, but I could tell this wasn’t going to be some cute date night thing away from everyone else either. He had that intense gaze back in his eyes, completely focused on whatever idea was in his head. “Just trust me.”
“I do, with my life,” I said quietly, and he paused, turning back to look at me.
We were alone in the corridor, the voices of the rest of the Underground falling into the background as he closed the distance between us. When I was little, I liked the idea of finding a boy who was cute that would make me happy. Every little girl dreams of love, but I never expected to find it, certainly not after being dragged into the middle of a war.
From the first time Slade saved my life, I knew he would be a part of my journey onwards. I couldn’t explain how, but I just knew it. When he’d been attacked on campus, and I threw myself into that fight to save him, I hadn’t even stopped to think. Just did it.
Wasn’t that what you did for someone you loved?
All those thoughts raced through my mind as Slade stared back at me and my mouth dropped just a little to see my emotions reflected right back at me. We moved towards each other at the same second, this kiss more intense than any before it and I wished we could just disappear. He drew back too soon, and I caught a flicker of regret on his face before his typical smile was back on his face and he had my hand in his again, guiding me down the hall.
Once inside the training room, he closed the door and pulled me to the center of the room.
“I was talking with Amelie,” he said, and I wondered if I’d manage to sneak out of the room before he gave me a lecture. “I thought we had a breakthrough, but she said your magic is still flickering in and out.”
“It’s a work in progress. Apparently, I’m better at kicking ass than I am at using magic,” I muttered.
“You are the daughter of Mahlia Somerset,” he said as if I needed reminding. “You’re a Descendant. That power is within you, and all you have to do is find the right motivation to bring it out.”
“Like anger?” I said, throwing him a sarcastic grin.
He shook his head. “Magic is different.”
“How would you know?” I snapped, then hung my head. “Sorry, it’s just… I expected it to come easy to me, but it’s like there’s a cage around my magic or something. I’d been able to do some of it on campus, but now… now I feel like it’s resisting.”
“When you’re fighting with your fists,” he said, taking my hands in his, “anger can be what saves your life. What gives you that rush of adrenaline, but magic is sensitive to emotion.”
He positioned our hands, so they were palm to palm, then shifted so he cupped my open palms, facing the ceiling.
Violet mist appeared in each hand, but the second I focused on expanding it, growing it into something more useful like a weapon or a shield, it sputtered and vanished. I grunted in annoyance, but Slade didn’t let me storm off as I’d done too many times to count while training with Amelie and the other witches.
“You have to switch from anger to something stronger,” he told me sternly.
“Like what? Anger is pretty prominent for me right now.”
“Trust me, Everest, I know you think you have reason to be angry, but you have yet to deal with the rage I’ve faced,” he said quietly, not condescending either, just honestly blunt. He’d been in this war since he was born. He’d lost people.
I, thankfully, hadn’t yet. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Don’t get me wrong, you can be angry for those bastards trying to kill you.”
“And you,” I chimed in, and he gave me a warm smile.
“And me, but there’s so much more open to you. You just have to feel it. Now tell me, what else do you feel right now.”
I shuffled my feet and glanced everywhere but his face. “Quite a bit.”
“Like what?” he asked, and I heard the smile in his words.
Screwing my lips to the side, I glanced up at him, and he laughed.
“Alright, fine keep it to yourself, but whatever emotion is strongest, I want you to focus only on that,” he instructed. “And at the same time, draw on the magic within you.”
I thought of simply focusing on how happy I was, despite how the world was falling apart. I had my parents back, I had friends with me, and knew where I came from, but all of that paled in comparison to what I felt at this very moment, standing with Slade.
Without a doubt, I knew he would do anything to keep me safe, and though he might hate it, I would do the same for him. I cared for him more than anything else in my life. My nightmares reared their ugly heads again, watching Radnak kill Slade right before my eyes. I was strong though, stronger than I knew, that’s what Slade told me, and he was right.
A rush of warmth washed over me, and all I could think of was protecting Slade, keeping him safe the same way
those witches on the backs of dragons did in my dreams. They protected their own, and that was exactly what I would do.
“Everest, look,” Slade said in awe.
I swore my eyes were open, but I blinked and wondered what he was talking about until I noticed the violet hue surrounding the both of us.
“Oh wow,” I whispered, admiring the network of violet trails of magic forming a shield.
He reached out, running his hand through it, and it glimmered as it settled back into place.
I wondered how well it would hold up against an attack, and yelped when a dagger came flying at us, but bounced right off, landing harmlessly on the floor.
I turned around to see Tank nodding with approval, tossing and catching another dagger, end over end.
“Well done, Everest,” Slade told me. “I think you’re one step closer.”
“One step closer to what?”
“To being able to shift.”
The shield sputtered out in a shot, and I backed away from him shaking my head. “No, I mean no, it’s not going to happen.”
“Why not? You just saw what you can really do,” he urged.
“In a completely calm environment. But shifting, I’m not ready for that.” I ran my hands through my hair as I paced around the room, heart pounding hard and my palms growing sweaty.
I’d seen how massive a Shadowguard was, how powerful. Would I love to be like that? Yeah, yeah, I would, but the idea of shifting like that scared the crap out of me at the same time.
“You are a Shadowguard whether you want to believe it or not,” he reminded me.
I was ready to argue ‘til I was blue in the face, that we were moving too fast when an alarm blared over the loudspeakers, and red lights flashed along the ceiling. I jumped at the noise.
Slade and Tank immediately moved to flank me as they pulled me from the room.
“Are we under attack?” I asked, shaking with a rush of adrenaline at the idea of Black Diamonds being here with so many innocents needing to be protected. “Slade?”
“I don’t know. Just stay close.”
The Underground was in an uproar, the sirens growing louder when we reached the central hub. I spotted Jenny and Preston on the metal platform, my parents alongside them with a few others in charge of this outpost. Slade told Tank to stay with me as he raced over to the platform, launching himself up the steps to figure out what was happening.
“Don’t worry,” Tank advised me. His eyes roved the room as if he expected an attack to come at any second. “It may be nothing.”
Too bad I didn’t believe him. Amelie and Jared found us and rushed over. “Hey, what’s going on?” Jared asked, but we shrugged, not sure yet ourselves.
The next few minutes were tense as everyone held their breaths, waiting, just waiting. Finally, the siren was shut off, and the red lights stopped flaring.
Jenny stepped to the railing of the platform and raised her hands for silence. “We have a situation on our hands. The Underground is safe, but I need all able-bodied fighters to join us in the war room in five,” she announced.
“War room, I didn’t know you guys had a war room,” Jared said to Tank.
“Don’t get too excited, nothing really in there. You coming?”
Jared seemed surprised, but nodded. “Definitely, if you’re going to need fighters.”
I was about to argue with him, but Slade was coming towards me, reaching for my hand. “You can come with me. I’m not about to let you out of my sight right now.”
“What’s happening?” I asked as we followed a crowd of dragons and witches down another corridor I hadn’t been given a tour of yet.
“One of our outposts that just rescued a new set of refugees a few days ago is under attack.”
“Is it bad?” I asked, and the set of his jaw told me just how bad it was. “Are you going, too?”
“Most likely, but you are staying here.”
“I can help,” I argued, but he pulled me to a sudden stop, and I clamped my mouth shut.
That look in his eyes said this was not open for discussion, not even close. If I went, he would worry about me more than those we would be going to save. My chest tightened with the fear of something happening to him, but I nodded, and we continued on our way.
The war room was crammed by the time we reached it and once all inside, the doors were shut. I expected to see Elsa or Fredwin amongst the group, but Jenny and Preston must not trust them quite yet.
“We have little intel,” Preston stated. “All we heard in the call was a force of Black Diamonds and Blood Moon Priests were spotted. There was an explosion and then the message cut off. We’re going to be going in blind, people, so if anyone does not want to go, I understand.”
Not a single person made a move to leave the room, and Preston bobbed his head.
“The witches will open a portal just outside the clearing,” Preston added.
I assumed this outpost was in a forest somewhere. The map on the table appeared to be of northern Maine area, in the middle of nowhere.
He continued, “It’ll be a hundred yards to the actual outpost, but should give you a chance to get a view of the place before you charge in. We’ll have one team guard the portal while the rest move in. You get the refugees out first, followed by the fighters, and then you haul ass to get back here. No sticking around to kill them. We will live to fight another day.”
There were a few disgruntled curses, but one glare from Preston and they stopped.
“This is not the final battle. We must save our strength for that day. No unnecessary risks. Understood?”
I glanced around the room. Every head nodded once in solidarity. This was not their first time walking into battle. It should’ve made me feel better, but instead, I grabbed Slade’s hand and squeezed it harder.
“Meet with your leaders and prepare to head out. Dismissed.”
Everyone filed out of the room, talking and shaking hands with others as they discussed what weapons to bring, or potions the witches could gather up and take with them on short notice.
I spotted Mom hug Aiden close; he was going with them, too. Three people I cared about were going to be walking into an unknown fight. The notion turned my stomach, and I would’ve given anything to convince Slade to stay behind, or take me with him. Neither would happen.
We exited the room, and he pulled me to his alcove. “I have to get a few things,” he explained after we stepped inside. The second he pulled the curtain closed, though, he drew me into his arms, and I hugged him as hard as I could. “I’m coming back.”
“You better,” I said, my words muffled against his shoulder. “Or I’m coming after your ass.”
“Everest, if anything happens, you have to swear to me you will not leave the Underground.” He gripped my shoulders firmly as he held my gaze. “I’m serious. You can’t risk yourself like that.”
“That’s not fair,” I snapped. “I can’t.”
“It’s not meant to be fair.” He cupped my cheeks and kissed me, almost like he was telling me goodbye.
I wanted to hug him or hit him for making my fear grow, but then he grabbed up his black, leather jacket that went to his knees, tucked two knives at the holder around his shoulders, and was gone. Just like that.
“Slade,” I yelled as I ran after him, but lost sight of him in the crowd. “Damn it.”
I dug my nails into my palms to stop myself from having a complete freak out as a portal opened and the dragons and witches disappeared through it, off to battle.
Just when I feared I wouldn’t see him again, his blond head appeared, his body outlined in the glow. He bowed his head once to me, then he stepped through, and it was like an immense weight collapsed on my shoulders.
“Everest?” Mom stood beside me, holding my hand. “They’ll come back, sweetheart. They will.”
I spotted Jared go through a few moments after and cursed. “They all better,” I whispered, not ready to imagine losing them all so quick
ly. “They damned well better.”
Six
Slade
As soon as my feet touched down on the other side of the portal, I knew something was wrong.
Screams filled the air and smoke rose into the night sky.
I darted to the left and crouched, waiting for Jared and the other warriors with me to fall in line. Tank had to stay behind, still healing from his injury, but damn, I wished he was here with us.
The trees made it too hard for us to shift so we would have to go in on foot. That and shifting into our dragons would give away our position. We had no way of knowing if any of the dragons attacking were fire or ice breathers, and I was not going to risk any of our fighters flying into that mess.
“Weapons ready,” I ordered, and once everyone was good to go, we moved forward in a line, divided into our designated attack parties. I lead one, Aiden another, and three other warriors took care of the rest of our small army.
The screams brought back memories I tried to bury of my past. The Black Diamonds killing our kind for the fun of it, torturing them in front of their families, their friends. They liked to play with those in their care, no matter if they surrendered or not. Smoke burned my eyes, making it hard to see, and I had to use my hands to feel my way around the trees appearing out of the haze before me.
“Slade,” Davis said from behind me. “Smoke’s too heavy.”
“You’re right.” We could be walking into anything. “Get the witches, tell them to clear it without drawing attention to our position.”
He nodded and fell back to the witches bringing up the rear of our group.
I raised my hand, and the rest of us held our position. Each cry that pierced the night set my blood boiling, and I rolled my shoulders, wanting to shift so I could rush in there and take them all out, but until we knew how many and if they were already taking prisoners, I could do nothing, but wait. I gritted my teeth, trying to tune out our people dying, and listened to the Black Diamonds attacking. Several yelled out orders and I sat up straighter, desperate to see the scene before me.
Dragon Guard Page 5
