by Ioana Visan
Rafe drew in a breath, preparing for another blast, and took a step forward. Fabian’s repelling force made it hard to move. If only he could get close enough to jump at Fabian and reach him with his blades… His skin prickled when he inhaled. He marveled at the feeling because, although he didn’t have any wings, he was absorbing magic from his surroundings the way Fairies did. And he had three sources of magic nearby, Alise, Vale, and Fabian. Even Gorem had his fair share.
Another breath, another step.
Rafe pulled magic in from all of them, grabbing onto everything that leaked out and more. Alise whimpered, but gave no resistance. Vale groaned, fixed Rafe with his eyes, and released his control on the magic. Gorem showed no sign that he was aware of what was going on, but his magic was weak and unsatisfying. Vale was losing strength fast, Alise had become a mere shadow on his magic radar, so Rafe locked on Fabian. The skin cracked along his arms, and old wounds he’d forgotten about tore open, although his hands never shook.
Alise let out a sob. Vale twitched. Fabian frowned.
“Can you feel it?” Rafe grinned and drew in even more magic. His hands were glowing. “And you have nothing to say?”
Fabian took a step back, a stricken expression on his pale face. “You’re not supposed to be able to do that.”
“You’re not supposed to fight me, so I can do whatever the hell I want.” Rafe advanced towards him. His blades turned golden, and the suns on the back of his hands flared. “This would be a good time to run.” The tip of his blade pointed at the Wizard’s heart. He wanted to fight Fabian, but he wanted Gorem more.
Fabian’s eyes swept over his audience, stopping briefly on Gorem before returning to Rafe. Magic hissed and crackled around him while his body shook and sweat covered his temples. His lips trembled when he spoke, “This isn’t over.”
He stepped back and leapt into the vortex. The purple swirling hole roared silently and closed, leaving only static behind.
“Nooo!” Cassie wailed, stretching out an arm after Fabian. “He’s still got Sarah!”
“And we’ve got him.” Rafe nodded at Gorem.
“But…” Cassie’s protest came out like a combination between a sob and a whisper.
Vale picked himself up from the ground, groaning, and watched Gorem warily. His blades had never left his hands, so he put one away to open a green vortex in the same place where the purple one had been.
Cassie gasped at the pretty colors.
Rafe grabbed Alise by the arm and pulled her to her feet. “Is this the man who took your wings?” It didn’t matter that he already knew the answer. The protocol required her to make a formal accusation, and he was in a hurry to be done with it. Their world called to him.
She swayed by his side, but when her gaze fixed on Gorem, her eyes filled with more hatred than fear. “Yes. It’s him.”
“You’re summoned to appear in front of the Council for your crimes,” Rafe told Gorem. “Take him away,” he said to Vale.
As Vale gestured for him to step into the vortex, Gorem gave Alise a long look, accompanied by an elusive smile. “I’m glad you’re still alive.”
He bowed his head, turned around slowly, and crossed to the other side at the same time as Vale.
“Well, that was easy,” Rafe said, despite the cracked skin on his arms and torso. Flesh wounds. He was used to those. Pain didn’t matter, not his anyway. But hers did. “Ready?” he asked Alise. “This will get worse before it gets better.”
“As ready as I will ever be,” Alise said, but her grasp on Rafe’s arm tightened.
“What’s going to happen now?” Cassie asked, sitting on her knees.
“We cross over and present our case to the Council,” Rafe said, adding before Cassie could protest, “And then we go after Sarah. The Council will send us after Fabian anyway.”
Cassie hurried to get up. “I’m coming with you!”
“You don’t trust me?” Rafe feigned a hurt look.
“Oh, I trust you to protect her.” Cassie nodded at Alise. “I don’t trust you that much with anything else.”
“Well, you’re not coming.” Rafe shook his head. “I’ll be too busy to babysit you.” Not to mention that answering thousands of questions—and she would probably have more—was exhausting. And Alise would be too sick to see to her human friend.
“I am not a child!” Cassie inhaled deeply and pursed her lips. “Besides, it’s my right. She owes me. When helped by humans, you magic people are in debt to us, right?”
Rafe sighed and stage whispered, “I wish she didn’t learn so quickly…”
“She has a point…,” Alise murmured, suspiciously quiet.
He’d expected her to protest louder than that. Maybe she was tired of fighting, just like he was. Her dark vines were striking on her discolored skin. Fearing she’d collapse any moment, Rafe wrapped an arm around her waist.
“I want to speak to the Council,” Cassie’s said, lifting her chin up. “I want to urge them to find Sarah. If anything, I was a witness. I can testify about Gorem’s and Fabian’s attempts to kidnap Alise, and the disruption they brought into my world. And I can make people tell the truth.”
Alise leaned harder on Rafe, trembling against his side.
“You’re lucky I don’t have time to argue with you,” he muttered. “Fine. Come on. But don’t blame me if you don’t like it there. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.”
Rafe slipped an arm under Alise’s legs and lifted her up. “Brace yourself. This is going to hurt.”
His gentle voice was repaid with a weak smile as Alise rested her head on his shoulder.
“Okay, kiddo. Hold onto me,” Rafe told Cassie. “You don’t have enough magic to cross over by yourself, so don’t let go.”
Cassie looked over Rafe in search of a place where she could touch him. He was a mess, blood still dripping from the wounds that should have closed by now. She rested her hand on Rafe’s shoulder on a patch of his shirt that wasn’t soaked in blood.
He winced.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Ready?” Rafe asked her, and she nodded.
They stepped forward, and air trembled around them. Alise felt weightless in Rafe’s arms. Another step and the world exploded, the light and colors becoming ten times brighter.
Cassie’s eyes opened wide in wonder.
Acknowledgments
This was the first novel I wrote in English with the vague intent of publication at the time. Being a so-called debut novel, I knew it needed a lot of work, so I kept rewriting it in between writing and even publishing other things. At one point, I started working on the second book in the series, but I couldn’t finish it because the first wasn’t officially completed.
Finally, after four years, I told myself enough was enough. The story was there and getting it through a dozen more drafts was not going to make it any better, so I contacted my editor. Now I could finish the second book, then write the third and final, and figure out how the story ended because, you see, I was curious, too. You’re welcome!
As usual, many thanks go to my critique partners, Aheila, Ardyth, Boringname, Cabreeden, Cam, Darrylb, Ek89027, Kelleyanne, Pranabow, Skipperz, Skywoman, Spaceysund, Sprites, and Themedi8or, my editor, Kim Young, and my illustrator, Vega Mandalika.
Thank you to my readers and reviewers, too. If you got this far, please take the time to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads to show your support. I will be forever grateful.
And let’s not forget Mom, Dad, little brother, Grandma, and the cat.
See you in the next book!
About the Author
Award-winning writer Ioana Visan has always dreamed about reaching the stars, but since she can’t, she writes about it.
After fighting the apocalypse aftermath in Human Instincts, she played with shapeshifters in Blue Moon Café Series: Where Shifters Meet for Drinks, she dealt with vampires in The Impaler Legacy series, and she designed prosthetics in Broken People before tackling
longer works like a fantasy trilogy and a science fiction series.
Aside from publishing short stories in various Romanian magazines and anthologies, she published a Romanian short story collection, Efectul de nautil, and the Romanian edition of Human Instincts.
She received the Encouragement Award from The European Science Fiction Society at Eurocon 2013.
For more information, go to
http://www.ioanavisan.tk
Connect with Ioana online
Blog:
http://weirdvision2001.blogspot.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorIoanaVisan
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/weirdvision
Books by Ioana Visan
ENGLISH BOOKS
Human Instincts
Blue Moon Café Series:
Where Shifters Meet for Drinks
The Impaler Legacy Series:
The Impaler’s Revenge
Sweet Surrender
A Victory that Counts
Casualties of War
Order Restored
The Third Wheel
The Impaler Legacy Omnibus
Broken People Series:
The Nightingale Circus
Broken People
The Stolen Wings Series:
The Weight of a Wing
ROMANIAN BOOKS
Efectul de nautil
Instincte umane
ROMANIAN ANTHOLOGIES
Dansînd pe Marte şi alte povestiri fantastice
Steampunk: A doua revoluţie
Venus – povestiri erotice science fiction
Cele 1001 de scorneli ale Moşului SF
Zombii: Cartea morţilor vii
Călătorii în timp. Antologie de povestiri SF
Ferestrele timpului. Antologie de ficţiuni speculative
Bumerangul lui Zeeler. Antologie Gazeta SF 2014
Best of Mystery & Horror #1 - Revista de suspans
Xenox. Contact între civilizaţii
www.ioanavisan.tk
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Ioana Visan
