by Linsey Hall
Nix and Claire tossed their charms to the others, then climbed down from the wall and hurried across the grass toward me. The other’s followed.
“What is this place?” Nix asked when she stopped. Her gaze was drawn to the statue of the bony woman.
“The magic here is strong,” Claire said.
Del joined us. “That’s an understatement.”
“This is us.” I indicated the statues. “The middle one is Del.”
“Death?” Nix asked.
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“She looks like the freaking crypt keeper.”
Del punched her in the shoulder.
I laughed. “Well, it helps explain your phantom side, Del.”
“You’re standing near that one,” Nix said. “So I assume I’m the Disney princess with all the animal friends?”
“Yep,” I said.
She shrugged. “Won’t say no to that. Especially if they wanted to clean my apartment. But if Del is death, what am I? Animal whisperer?”
“Life.” I looked at my statue. “And I’m magic, whatever the heck that means.” I explained to them what the apparition of my mother had said about the League of FireSouls and the portal.
“We should go now,” Del said.
I nodded. “But only the FireSouls.”
“Not a chance,” Aidan said.
“If this is the organization that Ophelia was talking about, they won’t take kindly to outsiders knowing what they are. At least Del, Nix, and I are the same as they are. We can’t rat them out to the Order of the Magica without getting ourselves in trouble, too.”
“Still, not going to happen. I’m not leaving your side.” Aidan’s face was set.
I went to him, putting my hand on his arm. The muscles were corded with tension. “They might not see us if we come with an outsider. I promise I’ll call you on my comms charm if we need help. But I really, really need these answers.”
“I just want you to be safe.”
“I’ve been protecting myself for most of my life. And I’m damned good at it.” I squeezed his arm.
“You don’t have your magic.”
“I didn’t use my magic for most of my life, either. And I have Del and Nix.”
“Grim Reaper, at your service.” Del saluted.
Nix punched her and hissed, “Be serious.”
“And don’t get cocky,” I said. “You’re not the Grim Reaper.”
“I could be.” She waggled her brows.
“And maybe that’s what we’ll find out. But we need to go alone.” I turned back to Aidan. “I promise I’ll call you if I need you.”
Indecision warred on his face.
“I need these answers, Aidan. I can’t risk them clamming up because we brought an outsider.”
He nodded jerkily, his face tight. But it was hard to fight my logic. I leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, then turned to Connor and Claire.
“Thank you for coming, guys. I think you can go home now, though.”
“We’ll sort it out,” Claire said. “Now get going. There are answers waiting for you.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by sort it out, but she was right. There were answers waiting, and I was dying to get to them.
7
I stepped back from Aidan and turned to Del and Nix. “Ready?”
“Like a cat’s ready for tuna,” Del said.
We walked to the round stone disk and stood around it in a circle, linking hands.
“Step on it on the count of three,” I said.
They nodded.
I took one last glance at Aidan, whose face was worried, then raised my foot and counted down.
When I stepped on the stone, an invisible force grabbed me around the waist and sucked me into the ether. The world went black for a fraction of a second.
When the light came back, I found myself standing in a beautiful glen. A burbling river tumbled along beside us, and massive trees soared overhead, shielding us. I let go of Del’s and Nix’s hands and spun in a circle, but all I saw was forest. No roads or signs or anything.
“Guess we have to find it,” Nix said.
“Makes sense,” I said. What better way to prove you were a FireSoul than to use your dragon sense to find what you sought? “But you’ll have to do the honors, seeing as I’m currently a dud.”
Nix nodded and closed her eyes. Her magic swelled in the air, the scent of flowers rising.
She opened her eyes. “Follow the river upstream.”
We set off along the riverbank, hopping over massive boulders covered in moss. Clusters of violets grew at the base of the big, old trees.
“Very fairytale-esque, isn’t it?” Del said.
A flash of red caught my eye, and I turned my head. Something fluttered in the trees in the distance. Just a bird. But I squinted at it anyway, an odd familiarity tugging at me.
It flew closer, flapping brilliant red wings and sporting an oddly long neck. A little puff of flame escaped its mouth.
That was no bird.
My heart leapt. “Dragonets!”
The fire dragonet flew toward me, followed by the sparkling blue water dragonet. They hovered around my head and I laughed. A moment later, the smoky gray form of the air dragonet appeared, followed by the stone dragonet. They were the size of cats, but were far more deadly.
“Who are these guys?” Del asked.
“My dragonet friends. I met them in the forest in Switzerland. They lived near the Nullifier, who told me that they are made of magic rather than flesh and blood.”
“Maybe that’s why they’re here.” Nix held out a hand so that the fire dragonet could sniff her. “This place is all magic.”
“Maybe.” I looked at the water dragonet who glittered blue as the Caribbean sea. “Will you accompany us?”
The dragonet nodded its head and turned to zoom off down the river. We continued on our way, the dragonets zipping around us. As we walked, the residual magic in the air grew stronger. It prickled against my skin, the magic of dozens of supernaturals or one really powerful magical hotspot. Whatever it was, we’d be outnumbered, power-wise.
“I think we’re getting close,” Nix said. “Feel that?”
“Yeah.”
Just ahead, a small round stone tower with a slate roof crouched near the river. Vines crawled up the side, sprouting red roses all the way up to the top. Nothing impressive, but it was the first structure we’d seen.
“I hope your dragonet buddies give us some cred,” Del muttered.
“That depends.” A deep voice sounded from in front of us. A figure stepped out from behind the small tower. He was as tall as Aidan, with dark skin and a warrior’s face. Hard eyes, strong jaw, and a scar across his cheek that was dashing rather than disfiguring. He wore burnished red leather armor and had a long sword slung at his side.
“Meow,” Del whispered at my side.
I elbowed her. He was good-looking, but not worth pissing off with cat calls.
“The dragonets are selective,” he said. “But they’ve been known to be mistaken. Who are you?”
“Cassiopeia Clereaux,” I said. It hurt too much to try to use my family’s given name.
“Phoenix Knight,” Nix said.
“Delphine Hally, at your service.”
I couldn’t tell, but I thought her eyebrows waggled.
Moron. Just because he was handsome didn’t mean he wouldn’t stab us with his sword. I tried to pick up his magical signature, sniffing subtly and focusing on my other senses.
When I got a whiff of smoke and something burning, I relaxed a bit. We’d found the FireSouls, at least. Other magical signatures smelled like smoke, but since we were on the FireSouls’ land, I felt safe assuming he was one of us. Hopefully they wouldn’t hurt their own kind. And my mother had sent me here. I trusted her.
“We’re looking for the League of FireSouls,” I said.
“I know. I am Alton, one of their number. We have been expectin
g you.”
“Really?”
He inclined his head. “Eventually. It was prophesied that the Triumvirate would come to us.”
Del made a doubtful face and pointed to herself, then me and Nix. “Us?”
“Indeed. But you are not… what I expected.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” I said.
“Hardly. Come, we will go to the sanctuary.” He turned and started down the river.
I glanced at Del and Nix, who shrugged, and we followed. The dragonets kept pace beside me, zipping between the trees and diving over the river.
Alton’s strides were long as he cut through the forest. I hurried to catch up, glancing at his hard eyes to find them glued on the path ahead.
“Why are the dragonets here when they were just in Switzerland last week?” I asked.
He looked down at me quickly, then back at the forest. “Switzerland is the home of dragons. One of them, at least.”
“Dragons are dead.”
“Maybe. But the dragonets like it there anyway. But they also like FireSouls. We’re their next closest kin. So they come here.”
I looked around at the enchanted forest. “Where is here, exactly?”
“A protected part of the Arcadian forest, part of an abandoned waypoint.”
Great. Another waypoint.
A gray stone wall appeared through the trees, distracting me.
“Is this it?” Del asked from behind.
“It is,” Alton said.
We neared it, and I had to crane my neck to see to the top. “It’s huge.”
“A relic of the past, when our numbers were greater,” Alton said. “Though we still needed sanctuary then, too.”
Upon closer inspection, I realized that the top of the ramparts was a bit worn down and the ivy that grew up the side of the wall had a wild look rather than a cultivated one. Above the great wooden gate, there were two cutouts at the top of the wall where guards could stand. But they were empty.
The forest floor gave way to packed dirt ground only twenty feet in front of the gate. No road or anything. Just forest, then fortress.
Alton approached the gate and pressed his hand to a round stone that protruded from the wall. Magic sparked in the air and tingled against my skin as the wooden gate slowly creaked upward. The dragonets flew through.
“Come.” Alton stepped back and gestured to the gate.
We walked through ahead of him, into a massive courtyard. Twisty towers and turrets and ornate buildings filled the space, like something out of a fairytale. Flowering vines crawled up the sides, reaching for tall balconies that overlooked the forest. The dragonets perched among the vines, bright spots of color that looked like large flowers. Grass grew wild between the pathways, and fountains ran dry. Birds chirped and sang.
But it was empty. The fortress should have held hundreds. Instead, there was no one. Even the heavy cloak of magic that fell over the place felt stale.
This was where I’d come for all my answers?
“What happened to the League of FireSouls?” I asked.
“Nothing good,” Del muttered.
I turned to see Alton walking toward us as the wooden gate closed behind us. “Eleven years ago, we picked the wrong fight.”
“Why?” Nix asked.
“It was the only fight.” He rubbed his face as if he were exhausted. “The necessary fight.”
I waited for him to say more. He didn’t.
“That’s all pretty cryptic,” I said.
“I don’t think it’s the place to start the story,” Alton said.
“Alton!”
I turned toward the voice. A tall figure hurried from one of the towers in the center of the courtyard. She wore jeans and a paint-splattered t-shirt and looked to be about our age. Her magic cloaked her like armor, looking almost like a pale gray light shrouding her body.
“Corin,” Alton said. “The Triumvirate has arrived. Gather the others. We’ll meet at the river.”
Corin nodded and raced off.
“Do you get the feeling they think we’re more important than we actually are?” Del whispered.
“Yeah.” The Triumvirate sounded very fancy and very powerful.
We were neither. Moderately powerful, perhaps, but certainly not fancy.
“Come.” Alton started for the far back corner of the compound.
We followed. My gaze darted all over the place, looking for more FireSouls. I found none.
Alton led us down winding stone paths between the buildings. I expected Merlin to jump out at any moment, but he didn’t. Nor did anyone else.
The sound of a burbling river drew my gaze forward. The buildings ended, and the path led to a clearing covered in grass. A narrow river cut across, with more grass and the wide stone wall on the other side. It flowed out through a hole at the base of the wall. Metal grates protected the opening where the river flowed out, keeping anyone from climbing in.
“Take a seat.” Alton gestured to the stone benches positioned beneath flowering trees. Sun sparkled through the leaves, casting dappled shade.
We sat, the three of us on a bench near the edge.
“We used to meet in the Council Room, but there are no longer enough of us to fill the table,” he said.
I was about to ask how many there were when people started to arrive and sit on the benches. They came quickly, one after the other, until a group of eight filled the clearing. They were all ages and races, some dressed for war, like Alton, and others in casual clothes like Corin. Each had a magical signature that was distinctly FireSoul and obviously powerful.
Anytime I met one’s eyes, they smiled. I smiled back, bemused.
“Right, we’re all here,” Alton said. “From left to right, we have Kade, Phoebe, Mack, Corin, Castille, Luna, Calpheus, and Brunel. Our librarian, Flora, does not like to leave her books.”
They all nodded as their names were called. I waved.
“And here we have Cassiopeia Clereaux, Phoenix Knight, and Delphine Hally. The Triumvirate.”
“About bloody time,” Mack muttered. He was a mountain of a man, with thick auburn hair and a hard face.
“In our defense, we didn’t know we were the Triumvirate until this morning,” Del said.
“And we’re still not sure what that is,” I said. “Or what you guys are, exactly. The ghost of my dead mother told me to come here, but beyond that, I’m at a loss.”
“Alice McFane.” Mack said her name with heaviness. Respect. He bowed his head.
I liked him already.
“We are what remains of the League of FireSouls,” Alton said. “The League was formed hundreds of years ago to protect our kind from persecution.”
“At the hands of the Order of the Magica or the Alpha Council,” I said.
“Yes. They don’t understand our kind, or realize that most of us don’t intend to use our power for harm.”
“Terrified bigots, the lot of them,” Mack grumbled.
Alton inclined his head. “They’ve had good reason to fear us in the past. FireSouls who went rogue. The League was formed in response to the rise of a powerful, evil FireSoul. Protecting ourselves sometimes means policing ourselves. Stopping rogue FireSouls from harming others and giving us a bad name is a large part of what we try to do.”
“Our name is still bad, though,” Del said. “We’ve been hiding from the Order of the Magica and the Alpha Council for years because of what we are.”
“Yes. It doesn’t take much to make people fear us. We once had an alliance with the Order of the Magica. If we kept the FireSouls in line, they would not hunt us. But that has been gone for generations, and we no longer hold any sway with them. They capture and imprison FireSouls.”
“What about the Alpha Council?” I asked, remembering the FireSoul prisoner I’d seen at the Alpha Council headquarters a month ago. The Shifter’s government was separate from the Magica’s government, but they still hunted FireSouls.
“They are worse,” Alton sa
id. “Because they are not Magica, and FireSouls are always Magica, they are even less trusting of them. We have never been able to form an agreement with the Alpha Council.”
“They captured a FireSoul about a month ago,” I said. “I saw him in their headquarters at Glencarrough.”
“We know. We have been planning a rescue, but those so rarely work. We will try anyway.”
“You try to rescue the FireSouls held at the Prison for Magical Miscreants?”
“We do, though we are not often successful. The protections are too great at the prison. But we try. With our decreased numbers, it is one of the few things we can do to help our kind.”
Wow. These guys were like heroes or something. All Nix, Del, and I had ever done was run and lay low and accumulate our hordes. I suddenly felt like a selfish slacker.
“Were my parents part of this?”
“Yes,” Alton said. “Ethan and Alice McFane were two of our leaders.”
“You came here once when you were an infant,” an older man said. Though his dark skin was creased with lines and his hair turned partially white, he had the bearing of a warrior, and wisdom radiated from him. I thought his name was Castille. “But once you were born, the McFanes decided they wanted to give you a normal life. As best they could. So they bought the house on Inismor.”
“Why there? It’s so barren.”
“The Black Fort holds powerful magic,” Castille said. “Ancient magic that is thousands of years old. It was one of the few places strong enough to support an Everlong Portal like the one that is currently there. And it provides protection.”
“And the statues? This whole Triumvirate business?” Del asked. “What’s all that about?”
“According to legend, you three were prophesied,” Alton said.
“By who?”
“An ancient seer, long dead. Her prophecy was recorded on the walls of a passage tomb in central Ireland.”
At my confused look, he said, “A chambered cairn, some call them.”
Ah, right. “But passage tombs are over five thousand years old.”
I’d never been inside one of the massive piles of stone that had rooms built inside. They often looked like nothing more than small, odd hills. Their secrets lay within, but they’d never had anything to tempt me. “Writing didn’t exist then.”
