by Sarra Cannon
Rend picked up Harper’s note to study it, and then he leaned over and took the newspaper article in his hand. “Evers Institute for Troubled Girls,” he whispered.
He looked as though he’d just seen a ghost.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He closed his eyes and brought a hand to his forehead. “I just got the strangest sensation of déjà vu,” he said. “Like there’s something important I’m supposed to remember about this place. About Harper. But I can’t quite figure it out.”
Franki put her hand on his and whispered something in his ear. Rend shook his head and opened his eyes.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said. “Let’s just keep going.”
“I still say we should at least try it,” Mordecai said. “Yes, it’s a risk, but there are thousands of demons out there right now suffering under the control of their witches. Witches die every day, taking their demon with them. We have to do what we can as quickly as we can. Jackson, what would you do if it was Aerden who was still trapped as a slave to these witches? You would be there already, doing everything you could to set him free, no matter the cost.”
Mordecai’s words hit me hard. He was right.
We had everything we needed right here to free thousands of demons, and each one of them was just as important to someone out there as my brother was to me. How could we sit here and worry about our own lives when we possibly had the ability to set them all free?
I took a deep breath and nodded.
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll go to Cypress first thing tomorrow morning and set everything up to perform the ritual right at three. But if we’re going to do this, we need to spend tonight thinking of every possible attack they could send our way once we start the ritual. Come tomorrow, we need to be ready for anything.”
Mordecai drew his hands into fists and slammed them down on the table in celebration. “Hell, yeah, let’s do this,” he said.
Everyone around the table smiled and started talking with excitement, making plans for tomorrow’s ritual, but my eyes drifted to the one person who was not smiling.
Rend stared at the emerald items strewn across the table, his forehead tense with worry.
My Duty And My Honor
Jackson
“Rend, can I talk to you outside for a second?” I asked over the noise that broke out in the war room.
He nodded and slowly stood from his chair. He followed me out into the hallway, and we partially closed the door.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s bothering you?”
He shook his head. “I can’t put words to it, but something about this doesn’t feel right,” he said. “It’s that weird feeling like when you have something on the tip of your tongue. It’s like I know there’s something weird about this whole thing, but for the life of me I can’t figure it out. It doesn’t make any sense. It feels like I’ve been here before or that somehow, I knew this was coming.”
A chill ran through me.
I knew better than anyone what that felt like. I’d been having visions and dreams of the future for most of my life, but I rarely saw the entire scene. When a vision started forming, I often only had a piece of the scene, and I sometimes spent weeks trying to pull that vision out of my brain and make sense of it.
But as far as I knew, Rend had never had the same ability.
“Have you ever had visions or feelings like this before?” I asked.
“Never,” he said. “That’s why it’s got me so mixed up. Maybe I’m just tired and worried for Harper. I’ve got this mess with the Brotherhood still hanging over me. It’s probably nothing, but…”
He closed his eyes and frowned, but then he shook his head and began to pace the hallway.
“It’s not coming,” he said. “It’s just this really uneasy feeling that something’s wrong here.”
“Do you think we should go through with this plan, Rend?” I asked. “Because if you tell me to put a stop to it, I’ll trust you.”
He stopped pacing and glanced at me with worried eyes. “I can’t do that,” he said. “I can’t put the lives of all those demons on the line just for a strange feeling that I have no explanation for. Mordecai’s right. We have to do something, Jackson. We have to move quickly.”
“Then we go tomorrow,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Get some rest. It’s going to be a long day.”
He nodded and slipped back inside the room, but before I could follow him in, Gregory stepped into the hallway to join me.
“Do you want me to go with you tomorrow?” he asked. “If you’re worried about your safety at the ritual, I can gather a small army of guards to come with us. We can secure the perimeter of the ritual area.”
I shook my head. “You should stay here, just in case,” I said. “We have no idea how the Order will react to another one of the priestesses being killed. If they attack the city, you need to be here to protect everyone.”
“I’ll start a few of my men on a regular patrol of the surrounding areas to keep an eye out for any hunter activity,” he said. “I promise we’ll keep the city safe in your absence.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re here. You were so important to Harper’s father, and I know it means a lot to her that you’re still here protecting the city.”
“It is my duty and my honor,” Gregory said.
“I can’t imagine how horrible those days were for you after you were captured by the sapphire priestess,” I said. “We were all so worried that you had been tortured and killed. When you came home to us, it meant the world to Harper. I think for her, it was like a piece of her father had been returned to us.”
Gregory looked down at his feet for a moment.
“Those were hard times for me,” he said. “If you guys hadn’t killed Priestess Winter, I’m not sure what she would have done to me. I thought my life was over the minute she put me in one of those cages in her dungeon.”
He made a strange face, and I regretted bringing it up. He still suffered from some of the injuries he sustained during Priestess Winter’s torture of him in those dungeons when she was trying to get information out of him. He had stayed loyal to us throughout it all, though, and had been willing to give his life before he would betray us.
“I didn’t mean to remind you of those horrible memories,” I said. “I just wanted you to know how much it means to all of us that you’re here.”
He looked up and met my eyes, then. “You can’t imagine what it was like,” he said. “My worst fear was that they would put me inside one of their witches, and I would spend the rest of my life locked away inside her body. I couldn’t imagine anything worse any demon go could through.”
“Me, either,” I said.
And as Gregory excused himself to give his commands to the guards, I thought again of my brother, Aerden.
He had spent a hundred years locked inside the body of Peachville’s Primas. Then, he’d gone free only to be captured again and thrown into the dungeons of the Northern Kingdom.
I longed for news of him. I hoped he knew how much I missed him and wanted him back here by my side.
I thought of the last time we spoke and all the things still left unsaid between us. The last words he’d said to me were that we should have just let him go and forgotten about him, but I knew he didn’t mean that.
And I prayed with all my heart that he knew I still hadn’t forgotten him. I never would.
As soon as we set the emerald gates free and found Harper, we would find a way to bring Aerden and Lea home to us again.
The Power Hidden Inside
Aerden
I stepped back just as Perrick’s sword pushed toward me. He barely missed, disrupting his center of balance, and I took advantage of his misstep. I rushed forward, plunging the tip of my ghostly spear straight through his heart.
A guard’s whistle sounded, and Perrick shook his head, disappointed.
“Good spar, my friend
,” he said. “I’m glad we’ll be fighting on the same side once we’re in the arena.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder as the illusion of my spear dissipated into a thin wisp of smoke carried off by the wind. “You’re doing well,” I said. “Besides, you’re much stronger when it comes to the magic.”
“Yes, but it’s the hand-to-hand I’m worried about,” he said. “When we’re all close together on the battlefield, it’s going to be important.”
“We’ll help each other,” I said. “We’ll work together to make sure we win this. I promise.”
He smiled, but there was fear behind his expression. We were all afraid of what would happen once we got to the arena, but there was nothing left to do except train and hope.
Hope.
Something I thought I’d lost a century ago. It felt good to have it back now, and even though I was still a prisoner—this time in the very home where I’d grown up—I was determined to prove myself and win my freedom on my own terms.
Another whistle sounded, and I turned to watch two of my other teammates clasp hands. Morway helped Trention to his feet. The old demon met my eyes and shook his head.
It wasn’t fair that such a wise, ancient demon who had never been trained to fight a day in his life was being forced to participate in these barbaric games. Just thinking about it made my fists clench tighter at my sides.
The guards had singled him out because of me. A couple dozen demons volunteered to be a part of my team in the games, but Reynar still put Trention into the tournament. I had stood up for the old demon while we were mining together, showing that I had a weakness for the man.
A weakness Reynar was determined to exploit.
Many demons still thought the human witches and the Order of Shadows were our only enemies, but I now understood that cruelty and evil intentions were not solely human traits. We had enemies even here inside the walls of the King’s City.
Trention and Morway walked over to join us while other teams continued to spar inside the walls of the training grounds just outside the arena.
“How did it go?” I asked.
Trention sighed. “Like it always goes. I can’t keep up.”
“You’re learning,” I said.
“Not fast enough,” he said. “The games begin in a few days. I’m a liability to the entire group.”
“You’re smarter than anyone in this city. You studied battle strategies for centuries as a scholar and teacher in the castle. We’re lucky to have you,” I said, but he didn’t look convinced.
“You are both strong and kind, my friend, but I fear that once we face our first battle, you’ll see just how much I’m holding you all back,” he said. “Promise me you won’t put yourself at risk just to keep me safe. That will only distract you, and I do not want the last moments of my long life to be ones of weakness and regret.”
The worry etched on his face made me feel helpless. In some ways, he was right, whether I wanted to admit it or not. I looked up, letting my eyes scan the teams around us. Whichever group we were pitted against in the first round of the games would be a full team of five strong demons, each ready to fight for their lives.
No one else had a demon as old and frail as Trention, but he was my dear friend, and I would protect him with my life if it came to that.
Yes, we were at a disadvantage, but I had beaten worse odds in my lifetime.
“The guards said that no one will die in the games,” Rushon, our fifth teammate, said as he approached. “Injuries will be inevitable, sure, but the shamans will be on hand to heal those that fall. We’ll survive this even if we don’t win, right?”
He didn’t sound convinced, and to be honest, I wasn’t buying the guards’ stories, either.
I didn’t doubt there would be shamans on hand to give the appearance of mercy and healing for the crowds, but once a prisoner was brought to a place where no one was watching, if he was injured badly enough, I had no doubt he would be required to give his life’s energy in service to the king.
Anyone who defied that order would be killed, anyway.
At least, that’s how I heard it used to go down when the king’s great-grandfather ran these games as a yearly event. It wasn’t public knowledge back then, either, but I’d heard the rumors when I’d trained with the King’s Guard as a shadowling.
The only demon who survived the games was the one demon who won the entire tournament.
As much as I wanted to win, I couldn’t bear to watch my friends and teammates die. It wasn’t fair.
“Did you see Yuron sparring with his partner?” Rushon asked, throwing a nervous glance toward a towering demon standing at the edge of the crowd. “He’s got to be the strongest demon out here in both magic and physical weaponry. I don’t see how anyone is going to beat him.”
“He’s also the most unkind,” Trention said. “I’ve been watching the way he treats his teammates. He’s a cruel demon. He doesn’t deserve to win.”
“Well, unfortunately, this tournament isn’t judged on kindness or honor,” Perrick said.
I looked over at Yuron, who was currently yelling at his teammates. When he caught me watching him, though, he narrowed his eyes at me and then laughed.
I looked away.
Rushon was right. Out of all the opponents out here so far during our training, Yuron was the one who had caught my eye. Almost everyone out here was stronger in magic than I was right now, but as far as physical weapons, Yuron was my only match.
Unfortunately, when it came down to it, though, physical weapons wouldn’t be enough. I had to find a way to unlock my magic before the beginning of the games.
And I was running out of time.
Today’s training was nearing the end, anyway, which meant another day lost. The suns were going down, being replaced by the beautiful moons of spring. In the streets beyond the walls of the arena, we could hear the demons laughing and gathering together as they all made their way to the castle for the feast.
Tonight marked the official beginning of the festival being thrown in Lea’s honor. A princess returned.
My eyes travelled to the black towers of the castle in the distance. Their pointy tips rose high into the air, and I thought of how I used to look up at those towers as a shadowling in such awe. They were a symbol of strength and power to me then, but now, the sight of them put a bitter taste in my mouth.
My prison here might have been dusty and dirty, but the beauty of the castle didn’t make it any less of a prison. Lea was trapped there the same way I was trapped here.
Tonight, she would be paraded around the entire population of the King’s City as a trophy. She was their possession, and now that they had her back, they were going to give her away to someone new.
I looked away, anger tightening my fists. Trention caught my eye, and I shook my head. I didn’t need him to worry about me any more than he already was. And I didn’t need anyone to know my heart belonged to a princess who would never be mine.
Fate was against us, and no matter how much I loved her, I had lost my chance a long time ago.
All I could hope now was that I survived long enough to help set her free from this place.
“One last round,” Karn shouted, motioning for us to break off in teams. “And this time, magic only.”
He threw a wicked glance my way and smiled. Like every demon on the field of battle, he knew I had no control over my magic.
Three days. If I couldn’t find some way to unlock the power hidden inside of me, this arena would become my tomb and my shame.
We raised our fists for one final training round, our bodies dancing as the first sounds of music floated down to us from the castle.
Rebel Heart
Lea
Music filled the court. I stood in the wings, waiting to be introduced and remembering what it had been like as a shadowling, sneaking downstairs to watch one of my father’s parties. I used to love the fancy dresses and the music. I used to dream of what it would be like
to be queen.
But now, everything around me seemed so fake. An illusion of finery and joy and safety.
It was all a lie.
There could be no true joy here until the Order was defeated, and despite their smiles and laughter, every demon in this room knew they were living on borrowed time.
Including me.
No matter how much Ezrah urged me to play these games for the sake of the kingdom and the Resistance, I could feel a rebellion starting in my heart. I didn’t belong here. Not while everyone else was still out there fighting.
There was a pause in the music, and the crowd gathered near the foot of the steps leading up to the throne. My father sat there, his body weakened and withered as he addressed them.
“Demons of the King’s City,” my father said, his voice echoing through the hall. “For many years, there has been no reason to celebrate within these great walls. But today, I have invited you all here for a grand celebration. My daughter, Princess Lazalea, has returned to us.”
He lifted an arm toward where I stood beside the pillar at the entrance, and all eyes shifted toward me. I stepped forward out of the shadows, my long gown sparkling as the jewels caught the light.
The crowd erupted in applause and shouts, and I forced a smile, waving to the crowd.
My mother motioned for me to join them on the steps, and I took my place at my father’s side. And even though this was technically where I had always belonged, I’d never felt more like a traitor in my life.
“Her time outside these walls was difficult. She faced many dangers and was attacked and held by our enemies,” he said. “But my daughter is strong and her love for all of you kept her going through even the darkest of times. She fought her way back to us, and can now take her rightful place in the kingdom as the future Queen of the North.”
More lies.
The king placed his arms around my shoulders, and I stiffened. He’d barely spoken to me, let alone touched me, since I’d returned months ago.
