by Candy Crum
“Actually… yes,” Arryn said.
“What is it?” Amelia asked.
“Obviously, he’s been murdered. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out.” She pushed a little harder, searching a larger area around the body with her magic. “But he wasn’t murdered here.”
“Are you sure? There’s blood all over the rocks. There’s plenty—” Amelia began, but Arryn shook her head, interrupting her as she made eye contact.
“No. There isn’t. It’s hard to explain, but I can feel what’s left of his energy, but there isn’t much. There’s no matching energy in the earth around him, meaning the blood is only on the rocks. There wasn’t enough to drain into the ground below. With a wound that big, he’d have bled out pretty fast. He’s lost almost all of it, but the ground is dry.”
Arryn pulled her hands away and stood, doing her best to avoid the dead stare in the man’s eyes.
“So, someone dumped him here. Like trash?” Amelia's fingertips came to rest on her lips for a moment as she closed her eyes. It was clear to Arryn that she was trying to collect herself. The Chancellor took a deep breath before exhaling heavily. “OK. Guard, we’re now looking for the original site of the murder.”
“Now, it might be easier for you,” Arryn said. “Him being killed here left the possibilities open to anyone in the entire city. Since he wasn’t, you’re probably looking indoors. Everyone is still a suspect, but the bloodstain left behind won't lie. Just look for that. If you find where he was murdered, then you’ve probably found the killer.”
“Good point. Thank you for your help, Arryn,” Amelia said. “Not even a full day here, and you’re already making a difference.”
Though it was only a simple little thing, her compliment, it meant a hell of a lot more to Arryn than what the Chancellor could ever know.
***
Marie stood with Samuel in front of a group of volunteers. Noble magicians. Unlawful magicians. Men, women, and teenagers from the Boulevard. Everyone gathered, a surprising group of fifty stood before them, ready to work. Each one of them united.
It brought a smile to Marie's face. It had taken a few days to get everything in order, but it was something she never thought she’d see in her time in Arcadia.
Marie stepped forward. “I’d like to personally thank each and every one of you for taking the time to come here and volunteer. You might think it’s natural for you to be here, but I’ve seen how many people walked away from the city when they realized they’d have to work to get back to their peaceful lives. There are many things you could’ve done with your time, but instead, you chose to be here. So, thank you.”
“I can promise ye this won't be easy work, lads and lasses,” Samuel said. “I don't mean ta brag on meself, but I'm one of the hardest working bastards you'll ever meet. I expect the same outta the men and women I work with. All us laborers need ta stand back for a few minutes and let these magicians do their… whatever it is they do. Everybody got it?”
The crowd cheered, and Samuel stepped out of the way, the magicians all stepping forward.
Without another word, Marie turned her back to the people, her eyes going black as she stared at the massive destruction that was once the Arcadian factory. Others followed suit, coming to stand next to her, their eyes also turning black.
Marie focused, pushing everything away from her except the overwhelming sense of responsibility for the people standing around her. She allowed that to fuel her magic. She and everyone standing next to her lifted their hands, palms facing outward as they began to push their magic toward the rubble.
“Whoa!” Samuel said. “Brace yerselves, boys and girls. It's gonna feel like an earthquake.”
The combined magic of over twenty people washed out over the sea of shattered glass, exploded containers, broken walls, and busted floors.
The ground began to quake, and Marie could hear glass breaking into smaller pieces and falling to the ground where it would be safely out of the way of hands. The clanging of smaller pieces of metal and wood rang out as they fell to the ground as well.
Marie was the first to put her arms down, her eyes fading back to their normal blue. Soon, all the other magicians followed suit. “I'm not sure that took care of all of it or not. But I'm sure it's a damn good start.”
“Alright, men,” Samuel said. “Let's get our arses in there and get ta work. Wear gloves. If ye come ta me with cuts on yer hands, and the gloves ain’t bloody, I'm not gonna feel a damn bit sorry for ye.”
***
Elysia stood in the middle of the trial pit, staring up at the wide-open sky. It had been a few days since Arryn and Cathillian had left, and she was already feeling it.
She thought back to what she'd seen Arryn do in her trial. It was remarkable, something she'd never seen. There were very few druids strong enough to conjure a storm.
Druids learned nature magic as a whole, never really specializing in anything other than what was needed to survive. Growing plants, cultivating the ground, making sure that the temperature of the ground was right for whatever they may have been growing was all they really needed.
Elysia had never taught Arryn how to conjure a storm, though the girl had seen Elysia do it a time or two when the heat had grown exponentially during the summer months. They hadn't seen a season like that in well over a decade, and rain was scarce. Crops would die if nothing was done.
So, Elysia had taken Arryn to the trial pit, where the skies were wide open, and the trees didn't block the sun. But even though Arryn had seen it, it didn't mean she should know how it was done. That was something that took Elysia a long time to learn and even longer to master.
“What troubles you?” the Chieftain asked as he wandered over.
Elysia looked up, startled. “I didn't even hear you walk up.” She shook her head. “Nothing troubles me exactly. I just can't figure out how she knew how to do it. We never taught her the things she did.”
The Chieftain smiled. “This again?”
“No, now, be nice,” Elysia said. “I'm not worried. Chaos came back. They made it there unscathed, though there was a note. They were attacked by some lycanthropes on the way. It seems they took on four and lived to tell the tale. It was time to let them go, and that proves it. Still, I can't help but be fascinated by her. I'm just sorry I didn't see it sooner.”
The sound of horse hooves running toward them echoed through the air. Before the horse even completely stopped, Maurice, another druid warrior, jumped off, running up to the Chieftain and Elysia.
He bowed and placed a closed fist over his heart. “Chieftain, Elysia.”
“Whoa, Maurice,” Elysia said, stepping forward, concern all over her beautiful face. “Calm down and tell us what’s wrong.”
Maurice held out his left hand, and for the first time, Elysia saw that he was holding something. Her eyes immediately lifted, locking on Maurice.
“Where did you find this?” she asked, her expression turning serious and voice grim.
“We found it just inside the barrier,” Maurice replied.
Elysia's eyes narrowed. “Inside the barrier?”
Maurice nodded. “We were just as surprised, especially given just how far inside it was. It couldn't have been shot over the wall. There's no way they could have been able to get in, but they did.”
“Take a group of ten men,” the Chieftain ordered. “Take the fastest horses and scout the border. Inside and out. No one goes outside the barrier unless all of you are together. Take no chances. This was quite obviously a warning, so if you sense there's a trap, get inside. I refuse to lose anyone. Especially to the likes of them.”
Maurice nodded and bowed.
“Make sure to take Nika with you,” Elysia ordered.
Maurice nodded once again before turning to carry out the Chieftain’s orders. Elysia looked down at the object in her hand, a solid black arrow. The wood was warped and charred, but still somehow strong.
She could feel the death inside
the arrow’s shaft. She knew without a doubt it had died from dark magic and not by normal means.
She looked at the Chieftain. “How is it possible they could've gotten through?”
The Chieftain shook his head. “The dark druids use magic we can’t understand. It’s darkness. Death. It’s the exact opposite of ours. Our barrier should be able to keep them out, but if they had help from someone who understood our magic…” His lips pressed into a thin line as his brows lifted. She knew he was leading her to the answer, but she already knew what he thought.
Elysia’s shoulders fell, along with her expression. “Oh, no. Jenna’s brother, Aeris,” she said, her mind turning back to when he’d left shortly after Arryn’s arrival.
Having an outsider in the tribe had been too much—no matter how tragic Arryn’s story was—and he’d taken off, betraying everyone in the process.
The Chieftain nodded. “Unfortunately, I think so. All this time, they’ve never been able to breach the wall. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”
Elysia's eyes narrowed as things unfolded for her. “Aeris has been gone for nearly ten years. He left just a few months after Arryn got here. Explain to me why this move would be made now?”
“What’re you trying to say?” the Chieftain asked.
“Do you not recall how angry Jenna was when we allowed Laurel to go with the Arcadian's? Do you not recall how pissed off she was when Arryn won the Versuch? Her brother left because his parents raised him to believe our laws were absolute. There are no grey areas with them. There are no exceptions.”
Elysia looked to the sky for a moment as she twisted the arrow in her fingers. “To them, rules are rules and to break them is treason. He left when he couldn’t understand how we could take an Arcadian in. And now, his sister despises everyone here because we didn’t treat Arryn like an outsider, but Jenna didn't seem to notice that we didn’t treat Arryn as we would a native druid either. I think we need to have conversation with Jenna.”
“Chieftain. My lady.”
The Chieftain and Elysia turned, staring none other than Jenna's parents, Amara and Flynn, right in the face.
“What a coincidence…” Elysia began. “We were just about to come see you and your lovely daughter.”
The husband and wife looked back and forth to one another, worry on their faces. They drop to their knees. “Please forgive us. We had no idea.”
“No idea of what?” the Chieftain asked.
Flynn looked up. “Jenna came to us. She told us she'd seen Aeris. She sensed him outside the barrier and then went outside the Dark Forest. She asked us to go with her to see him.”
Amara glanced over, tears in her eyes. “It's been ten years since I've seen my son. Ten years I've worried. Wondering if he was dead, alive, turned into whatever they are. I needed to see my baby.”
“What came of this meeting?” the Chieftain asked, his eyes icy and his voice authoritative. The normally playful demeanor was long gone.
Flynn spoke. “We didn't think anything of it. He just kept saying he was OK. That everything is OK. That everything would be OK. We just thought that meant he was happy where he was, wherever that may be.”
“And what makes you come to us now?” Elysia asked, doing her best to bite her tongue from saying things she truly wanted to say.
Amara was in a full sob now. Between painful gasps and wiping her nose, she said, “Jenna’s missing now. We think she might’ve left with him.”
Elysia turned to the Chieftain. “When a druid goes dark, their magic changes. There’s a transition period, but he’s well beyond that now. There’s no way he could get through that barrier alone. Jenna went with him and must’ve been the one to let them inside. Our walls have been compromised.”
The Chieftain looked to the husband and wife kneeling before them. “And what on Irth do you think that I should do with the two of you? I warned you about your hatred years ago. We didn't come to the woods because we hated everyone else. We came to the woods to live in peace. We came here to live a life where we were free of such things.”
He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in before continuing, his voice growing even colder. “You brought your children up in our peaceful home, teaching terrible things like having enemies. Hatred. Personal gain. Do you see now why I warned you? Do you see now why I spoke out against you and teaching prejudices all those years ago? How many of our children have turned against us?”
The mother doubled over, loud, painful sobs escaping her. “Two.” Her entire body shook with every painful cry. She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to sit back up. “Two druid children have turned against us.”
“Yes,” the Chieftain said, nodding and pointedly leaning over to look her directly in the eyes. “Two children have turned against us. What a coincidence they were both yours.”
Amara broke down again as the Chieftain rose, this time completely inconsolable. Flynn wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. Elysia could hear his tears now, no doubt wondering what would become of them and their children if they were ever caught.
"Elysia,” the Chieftain said, his voice stern. Elysia turned her head to face her father. “Things have changed. Gather every warrior. Move to the other two villages and gather them, too. We need to inspect every square inch of our barrier and reinforce it.”
Elysia nodded. “Should we make it thicker?”
“Yes. Grab seedlings, and take water with you. Make sure everyone is rested up. You can heal yourself a little as you cast, but they can’t. We need to regrow the wall, bigger and stronger than ever. I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ll see of the dark druids.”
“What about Arryn and Cathillian?” Elysia asked.
“They’re safe where they are. They don't need to worry about this. They’re just beginning their new lives, and while I have hope they won’t stay there forever, I hope they don’t return anytime soon.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It had taken a couple of days to get to Cella, but when Talia arrived, she found warm welcomes as soon as she reached the gate.
The Cella guard smiled, having remembered her visiting often when in need of supplies to take back to the farm she shared with her mother outside of town. She’d always been talented in the art of manipulation.
“Talia, is that you?” Paul, one of the guards, asked.
She smiled as she approached. “Yes! I've been away for quite some time. Well, I suppose not too long. I've been in Arcadia for a few weeks. I've accepted a position as the Dean of students there.”
Paul's eyes lit up. “That's great! After all they went through, they need good people like you. Though, so do we. And you're definitely one of the finest.” He winked with that last comment, and Talia faked a girlish smile.
“Aw, Paul, you sure know how to make this girl blush.”
The man laughed, suddenly full of himself. It made Talia want to puke.
“So,” Paul said, “other than flirtin’ with me, what brings you to Cella? Isn't Arcadia gettin’ back on its feet by now?”
“Actually,” she replied, “it doesn’t have much of anything. If I'm honest, I'm here brown nosing. I'm new to the city and my position, and I want to make a big difference. So, I came here to see if I might find a group of good men and women who would be willing to come back with me and lend a hand to Arcadia. I know she’d be very grateful for it.”
Paul smiled. “With that pretty face of yours, I don't think you'll have problems of any kind getting anybody to do anything you want. Myself included. Count me in. Whatever you need, I'm yours if the Governor is good with me taking off.”
Talia gave a wry smile, faking her interest in this large, sweaty man. “Anything, huh?” She winked. “Glad to hear it. Would you mind asking a few of your guard friends for the help? That would make me very happy.”
He nodded, clearly lost in her charm. “Sure! I'd be happy to ask. I'm sure there are several guys I could round up.”
; “Are there a lot of rearick in town right now?” she asked. “Because I hoped to find more than a few. They work hard and have the backs for cutting trees. We can use all the help and all the resources we can get.”
“Talk to our Governor. He’s a good guy, and I’m betting he’d be willing to help out. How could he say no to you? He wouldn't want to lose trade with Arcadia, and it’s already slowed down too much. We thought you guys were on the verge of being back on your feet. He never was a big fan of Adrien, but he traded with him because we needed the supplies. I'm sure that lady Chancellor of yours is much more agreeable.”
“Oh, she is,” Talia said with a fake smile. “She’s just amazing.”
He nodded. “Good. Glad to hear it. I'm sure you remember where it is, but if you head up the main road here and take a left, you'll find the Governor all the way down there, last house on the right. After all, the factories we have here are small. There's no way we could sustain ourselves and all the farmland around us without Arcadia.”
Talia smiled. She was already looking forward to her trip. It seemed to be going well so far. As expected, the guards waved her through, and she made her way down the street, heading toward the Governor's house. Without a doubt, she knew she could convince the Governor to do anything that she wanted.
After all, most of the men in the Arcadian Valley were completely lost when it came to beautiful women. It wouldn't be hard for her to smile and flirt her way into whatever it was she wanted. Sometimes a woman’s magic was far more effective than all the fireballs in the Academy.
She'd been traveling through town for about ten minutes when a woman stepped out from behind a building and directly into her path. “Hello, Dean,” she said.
Talia's brows furrowed for a moment, immediately recognizing the woman. It was one of the three that she’d hired for teaching positions at the Academy. Scarlett. She was the one that had seemed rather off to her.
