by Candy Crum
"Unfortunately, yes. I've taken enough of your evening. I should get out of here and tend to my duties. It was great meeting you… Wow, I didn't even ask your name."
"Cathillian. And it was nice to meet you, too, Talia. Thanks for stopping by, and for the warm welcome."
Talia smiled as she turned to head towards the door. She opened it, stopping for just a moment before turning back to Cathillian. "You know, Arryn is very lucky to have someone like you in her life. Someone so dedicated. Concerned. And… incredibly attractive, of course. After everything she's been through and everything she's lost, I'm sure you mean more to her than anything. I know I’d have a hard time not being close to you."
Cathillian wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that.
Before Cathillian could thank her, she gave one last smile, stepped out the door, and closed it behind her. He wasn't exactly sure what the hell had just happened, but whatever it was, he was happy it had.
***
As Talia walked down the street, she watched for her friend to pop out of the shadows. It seemed to be what she was best at. She'd been traveling for several minutes when Scarlett finally caught up with her.
"Well?" Scarlett asked. "How did it go?"
Talia looked at her incredulously. "Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? You're the one who was in his head."
"Luckily, you're charming enough that I didn't have to do a lot. All I had to do was suppress the inherent defense that all nature magic users have. He's pretty strong, though I doubt he knows how to fully tap into his energy. He sure as hell had no idea I was in his head. Anyway, I made sure he felt nothing but butterflies and excitement. You took care of the rest by laying it on so thick. He absolutely loved you."
Talia smiled, her satisfaction in a well-executed plan rising. "Good, now let's see what happens. When she finds out that he not only accepted a gift from me but he likes me, things are gonna go very badly for her."
"We just have to alienate her. Once we put her out of the minds of everyone around her, it'll be easier to take her down. All we have to do is pin something on her, and whatever residual trust everyone has in her will crumble. It'll take longer than just killing her like I'd like to do, but it'll be effective."
"I think this will end up being much more fun than just killing her. She’s been planning to destroy me from the moment she met me. I'm going to enjoy watching her suffer."
***
When Arryn walked in the door that night after school, Cathillian was sitting on the couch reading a letter, Echo perched on the chair across the room. She must've brought back word from Elysia.
Arryn was happy that he was busy, because she was a woman on a mission. Once again, she’d felt that familiar buzz in her head nearly the whole day, and had then run right into none other than Scarlett and Talia.
The buzz in her mind had kept her distracted enough that she wasn't able to completely hear their conversation, but when she was close enough, she was almost positive she’d heard one of them say something about getting rid of someone. She thought she’d heard nature bitch, but that couldn’t have been it, right?
"Hey!" Cathillian exclaimed. "You just gonna walk right by me? Not even say hi?"
"Sorry," Arryn told him. "Not really in the mood. I have a lot of shit to go through in that box. I'm trying to take your advice and even Amelia’s and be patient while going through it, but not after the day I’ve had. My head is pounding, and I feel exhausted, but now I'm almost positive Talia is up to something."
"This again?" Cathillian asked, concern crossing his face. "Arryn, I'm starting to worry about you. You’re obsessed."
"Obsessed?" Arryn asked, her expression turning angry. "I went downstairs between classes to check out the room Amelia had mentioned using as a training room for fighting class. I wanted to see if it was big enough, and how many students I could have. The entire time I felt like I was drunk on the Chieftain’s wine. I felt so lightheaded, and I’ve felt that way the entire time I've been there. Not consistently, but at least once every day. Usually more."
Cathillian shrugged. "Maybe you're allergic to something in there. Have you thought about that? Maybe you're allergic to the city. We should just go back to the Dark Forest, I guess, right?”
Arryn put her hands on her hips. "Yeah? Are you ready to give up your hot showers?"
A disgusted expression went across Cathillian’s face as he turned slightly in his seat. "Oh, hell no. I didn't really think that statement through. Carry on with going bat-shit crazy."
"I'm not crazy!" Arryn shouted, "though you certainly make me feel that way."
Cathillian strode across the room to stand before her. "What if I told you that I'd met her?"
Arryn's eyes narrowed as she studied his face. "What? What are you talking about?"
"What if I told you I'd met her? Not only that, but that she was actually pretty nice."
Arryn's jaw fell open, unable to speak as she contemplated his words. "You can't be serious. Are you? Or are you just fucking with me?"
Cathillian sighed, grabbing Arryn’s hand. "Come with me. I have something to show you."
Cathillian led Arryn into the kitchen, where a large fruit basket was sitting on the table. For food grown without nature magic, the fruit looked surprisingly good.
"What the fuck is this?" Arryn asked.
Cathillian pointed at the elaborate basket on the table. "That was a gift from your evil boss. She came by here to drop it off for you for when you got home. She didn't want you to have to carry it all the way here. She said she wanted to give you a welcome not only to the Academy, but to the city."
Arryn couldn't help but stare at it, shocked that it was there. The fact that Talia knew where she lived bothered her, the gift even more so. At that moment, she noticed that the sheer fabric that had been used to wrap it had been tampered with.
"Did you open it?" Arryn asked.
Cathillian exhaled, clearly exasperated. "Yes, I did. I opened it a little while ago, and I even ate an apple out of it. Do I look dead? Because I'm assuming that's where you're going with this. That she could've poisoned it. There were at least ten other people on the street when she left here, meaning that there are probably just as many that saw her when she carried that basket here. If you or I died, it would have been obvious that she was the one who caused it, so stop that right now."
Arryn shook her head, tears threatening to fill her eyes. She couldn't explain it. She'd never been so sure of anything in her life. There was something inexplicably wrong with that woman, and hearing her talk so harshly about getting rid of someone, and with another teacher at that—especially a new one—just got under her skin.
Now, even Cathillian was convinced of Talia’s innocence.
"I don't know what to say," Arryn muttered.
Cathillian gave a sad smile. "I know you got a bad feeling about her when you first met her, but I think it was just nerves. Those dreams of yours are getting to you, and you are focusing too hard on your past. Maybe being back here is making you feel responsible for your parents in some way. Maybe you feel the need to save the city so much that you're creating a problem that isn't even there."
Arryn’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening as she stared at him.
"You do realize that what you just said is almost the exact definition of insane, don't you? Dammit, Cathillian, I heard it. I heard her say something about getting rid of someone. She's up to something, and I'm gonna prove it. Whether I prove to you she's crazy, or prove to myself that she's the best person in the world, I don't care at this point. Someone is wrong here, and I'm not going to ignore my gut because you're an idiot and got all squirrelly when a pretty girl flirted with you and then you accepted some maybe-tainted fruit."
"No offense, Arryn, but I'm a native druid. I've been practicing nature magic my entire life. That little gut feeling that you keep going on about? Mine is way stronger than yours could ever consider being, and she is not a bad person. I would've known, I
promise. I wouldn't lead you wrong.”
Arryn shook her head and laughed, which was the only thing she could do, as angry as she was at that moment. "Thanks for trusting me. I'm going to my room. Don't come in there. Enjoy your not-poisoned-evil-hot-chick fruit. Try not to choke and die on it because I expect your ass to be up and ready for training at six. Food poisoning is not an excuse."
And with that, Arryn stormed up to her room to finish going through the box Amelia had given her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The following morning Cathillian was up early. After Arryn had threatened him, he didn’t want to make the mistake of pissing her off again.
While he understood that she felt uneasy about Talia, he couldn’t understand the blatant hatred with no proof, especially when the Dean had seemed perfectly harmless.
While he worried that she might be acting irrationally, he decided not to talk to her about it again until she’d found whatever it was that she needed. He also figured she needed to take out some frustration, so he’d gone extra hard in training that morning.
Arryn had been up even earlier than he’d managed to be and was running on little sleep. Having stayed up all night the night before, Cathillian had assumed she’d sleep in, but that hadn’t been the case. She was up, ready and determined.
And she’d kicked his ass all over the place.
Yet another thing he shouldn’t have been surprised about, given how pissed she’d been with him. Everyone had seen what she was capable of when angry. He was just glad she hadn’t fried his ass.
Pissed or not, he was proud of how much she’d improved in such a short time. When she’d requested to train traditionally—with no holding back—he’d wondered how she would handle it.
That had been a mistake.
Hard, relentless training had been exactly what she’d needed. In only a few short weeks she’d nearly doubled her speed, agility, and skills. Since going even harder in the last week, she’d improved even more.
Now, Arryn was able to run and shoot her bow instead of standing stationary. Her accuracy while moving still needed work, but with more training, he knew she’d be just as good moving as she was while standing still.
The other added benefit had been strength. She was stronger than ever. Not having to hold back her kicks and punches had given her an increase in power, power Cathillian wasn’t even sure if she was aware of yet.
He sure as hell was. She’d left marks of her improvement all over his body.
Even after healing, he still felt sore from their match that morning. But he hadn’t wanted to use any more power than needed because he would be helping out his friends later.
Today, they were heading to the Boulevard.
Talia had sent word to the Governor of Cella, who had graciously extended the duration of time for which the one hundred men who had helped rebuild the factory were on loan. Now that the factory was nearly finished and only a few laborers were needed for what was left, the larger group was helping in other areas.
Within the last several days, the street had been torn the rest of the way apart, finishing the job that Andrew and his small group of men had started and leaving nothing more than the foundations.
It would be Cathillian’s job to designate an area for a park of sorts; someplace nice and quiet for mothers to take their children to play.
The idea had been the druid’s and Amelia had been quick to approve it when word had been brought to her by Andrew, a Boulevard man who was more than happy to have wonderful new ideas to make his home a better place.
“This is a lot bigger than I imagined,” Marie commented, looking at the area Cathillian had sectioned off for the park.
A grin broke across the druid’s face. “That’s not the first time I’ve heard a woman say that.”
Cathillian expected a snide comment in return, but was instead punched in the arm from the other side.
“Ouch!” he complained, rubbing at his shoulder as he saw Andrew shaking his head at him.
“You really can’t help yourself, can you?” Andrew asked, his expression a cross between disbelief and amusement.
Shaking his head, Cathillian told him, “Not really, no.”
Andrew nodded. “So, ya just open your mouth and out it pukes?”
Cathillian looked up for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that’s basically it. And look… Don’t be mad because she complimented the size. I don’t plan to stand in your way. I just accept the compliments and move on.”
Marie punched Cathillian in his other arm.
“Ouch! Damn, guys. You have no sense of humor,” Cathillian complained, now rubbing both his shoulders.
“You know, they say the more you brag, the more you’re compensating,” Marie told him, pointing at his pants.
“Yeah,” Andrew added. “Ever wonder why I don’t ever mention mine?”
“Ugh! I’m gonna go play over here. You guys are huge dicks today,” Cathillian scolded, tossing his hair as he spun with an exaggerated movement.
“How would you know anything about huge dicks?” Andrew shouted after him.
There was laughter behind him, which brought a smile to his own face. It was all in good fun, and he knew it. He was impressed that Marie had hit him, though. She was usually very timid, but over the past couple of weeks she’d grown used to him and his jokes.
It seemed like she wasn’t so timid anymore.
A loud screech cut through the sky, alerting Cathillian. His smile faded as he looked up to see Echo overhead. He knew her calls, and that was a warning.
Cathillian drew on the magical bond between them, allowing him to wordlessly communicate with her. In moments, he turned to the others.
“I need a horse. Now,” he ordered, his tone suddenly serious.
The others’ smiles fell as Marie and Andrew glanced at each other before looking back at him. “There are stables three blocks down on the right,” Andrew answered.
Cathillian didn’t bother responding. He turned and ran at full speed toward the stables. He had no idea why, but he knew Echo wasn’t wrong. He could feel the familiar presence of nature magic being used.
Jenna was outside the Arcadian walls.
It didn’t take Cathillian long to reach the stables, and he was fast at coaxing a horse out. Jumping on its back, he used nature magic to will it to do as he asked and was happy when the horse obliged.
As Cathillian came up to the gates, he was met with a terrible sight. The four guards at the gate had all been killed.
What the fuck? Cathillian thought.
“Echo!” Cathillian shouted. The eagle called out in response. “Get Amelia!”
The golden eagle had accompanied Cathillian to the Capitol building before, and he hoped she’d be able to get in.
Cathillian stopped his horse at the gate, inspecting the men on the ground only to see he’d unfortunately been right.
They were all dead.
Confusion took hold of him as he studied them. Normally, the recently dead still had lingering energy surrounding them, but these men didn’t. It was as though they’d been dead for days, but that was impossible.
Looking up, Cathillian saw Jenna standing roughly a hundred feet outside the gates, a dark smile on her face. A mix between disbelief and bewilderment gripped him as he began piecing things together.
Jenna was clad in black leather instead of the normal brown, green, or other earth tones the druids of the Dark Forest generally wore. The magical energy swirling around her was also dark and terrible.
Cathillian looked at the bodies lying on the ground around him, now realizing why it had seemed that they’d been dead for much longer than they had.
Jenna had used dark nature magic to suck the life from them.
At that moment, Cathillian realized that Jenna had joined the dark druids along with her brother Aeris. She'd always been rather slow and weak with warrior training as well as with nature magic, but it had now become very clear that her talents had laid el
sewhere.
When it came to dark nature magic, she had been a very quick learner.
Cathillian took a few steps outside the gates toward Jenna. He stared her down, but realized that he was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to handle the situation, because it was obvious that she had come there for a fight.
"What have you done?" Cathillian asked. "How could you do this?"
Jenna's dark smile grew. "I never thought you'd actually leave the Dark Forest. Especially for an outsider. For an Arcadian."
Cathillian tightened his fist, doing his best to keep calm, although instinct told him to tear her a new asshole. If she’d crossed the line from nature magic to using magic to drain the life out of innocent men, then in his eyes, she no longer deserved to live. But until he knew what had happened, he needed to keep his wits about him.
"Arryn spent more time in the Dark Forest with us than she ever did in Arcadia. She's a druid. You and your family were the only ones who didn’t share that opinion. Don't you see that it's you who is the outsider? Can’t you see that you are the traitor?"
When Jenna laughed, it chilled Cathillian to the bone. This girl was nothing like the one he'd known in the Forest. Even though she'd always been stubborn, rude, and very unforgiving about things she didn't understand, she'd still been one of them.
Now, she was something else entirely.
Something darker, far more confident, and far more powerful. He'd never gone against a dark druid before, but he had heard stories. His grandfather told him about dark magic, and what they were capable of. It now seemed that he was going to find out first-hand.
Still smiling, Jenna called, "Cathillian, you are one of the strongest they have. You always have been. You could've been a lot more, but you wasted your time on the Arcadian. You know as well as I do that I was nothing in the Dark Forest. It wasn't until I left that I realized my true potential."
Cathillian narrowed his eyes as he took a few steps forward, further studying his opponent’s appearance. Her green eyes had started to turn grey, and her beautiful, healthy skin had become lighter in color.
