Crowned

by Christina Bauer

  I pressed my palms against my eyes. “That’s not as specific as what I’d hoped for.”

  Without saying another word, Mlinzi and Walinzi leapt up into trees and disappeared from view. The only sign that I’d seen them was the torn-up earth by my feet. What had Walinzi called me?

  Clever girl.

  All of a sudden, I didn’t feel quite so clever at all. Mlinzi and Walinzi both seemed far too happy with our bargain, especially because they’d already betrayed me by only giving me half of what I need. That can’t be a good thing.

  Still, I wasn’t sure what other choice I had. Mlinzi, Walinzi, and Jicho all agreed that Viktor was soon to arrive with an enemy army. There was nothing for it but to return to my own world and find the Sword of Theodora, as well as the truth about the Sire and Lady. I’d driven the best bargain I could.

  Now, there was nothing left to do but go back through the gateway and hope for the best.

  Chapter Eight

  As I approached the gateway, the same strings of orange power formed a webwork under the open archway. I winced, remembering how it had hurt to pass through last time. Even so, I wouldn’t let a little pain keep me in this world. Needless to say, I didn’t trust Mlinzi and Walinzi.

  I stepped past the gateway and felt the same overwhelming pain as before. Gritting my teeth, I walked into the darkened tunnel beyond. The pain vanished. Excitement sped my steps. My Necromancer training told me to keep my hopes tamped down, but I couldn’t help it. I felt like shouting my successes.

  I’d found my first clue to finding the Sword!

  Sure, I didn’t know how to heal the gateways yet, but once I found the Sword, I’d discover that next. If nothing else, I had a plan. And even better, Nan was alive.

  Smiling, I stepped out of the tunnel and into the outskirts of the Caster village. The moment I stepped away from the cliff wall, a slab of stone rolled down from the hidden depths above me, blocking my way back to Mlinzi and Walinzi. That didn’t worry me too much, though. I was in no rush to spend more time with those two.

  The moment I emerged, everything stopped. Meats ceased to be turned on their spits. Dancers paused. Somewhere, a flute player dropped their instrument with a loud clang. A beam of moonlight seemed to brighten the spot where I stood as if I were standing in a slice of daylight.

  Strange. I was certain that the Caster people had been getting used to me. And the way they’d reached out as I entered the cliff wall before? I was sure we’d connected in far deeper ways. Then, I remembered my Necromancer robes.

  That’s right, I’d changed clothes.

  Most Casters had never seen me in Necromancer garb. Perhaps that’s what had upset them. Also, I’d just stepped off into another realm to discover if I could find the Sword of Theodora, the only weapon that could protect these people from Viktor. The knew his army was coming. Of course, they’d be anxious about what had happened.

  I scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Rowan standing beside one of the smaller bonfires. He looked the same as before: tall and handsome with his long cloak, bare chest, and leather trousers. Even though he’d decided not to wear his crown tonight, there was no mistaking who was king in this place. Joy soared through my soul. Forgetting everything else, I rushed over to stand before my mate.

  “Rowan, I have excellent news.” I pitched my voice loud so all the crowd could hear. After all, that was why they were quietly staring anyway. And since my mission had been successful, there was no reason to whisper. “I met Mlinzi and Walinzi. They have told me where to find the Sword of Theodora, just as we’d hoped.”

  Rowan merely stared at me, his intense green gaze scanning me from head to toe. Despite the jungle heat, a chill of foreboding crept up my back. I remembered my Necromancer robes.

  I pulled on my black skirt. “In case you’re wondering, Mlinzi and Walinzi changed my dress for me. They even changed out my mating band into a totem ring.” I checked out Rowan’s hand. Sure enough, they had changed his as well. Instead of a mating band, he now wore a simple ring made of orange-colored metal. “Your mating band is gone as well. That’s terrible.”

  Rowan kept staring and not speaking. Maybe I needed to make things more clear.

  “They did all this because they want me to find Nan.” I forced a smile. “You remember Nan? I told you about her. She helped me escape the Midnight Cloister.”

  Rowan’s gaze turned even more intense. My skin broke out into gooseflesh. On reflex, my hand went to my throat. “What happened while I was gone? Is everyone all right?”

  At last, Rowan broke the silence. “I don’t know who you are or how you got here, but Necromancers are not welcome on our lands. Not after what your Tsar Viktor did to our people. Did you think you could simply walk in and spy on my subjects?”

  Shock tingled through every inch of my body. I knew my mate. There was no mistaking the corded muscles in his neck. Rowan was enraged. Had he enjoyed the party too much while I was gone? I’d seen other Casters grow unreasonable with drink, but Rowan was never one to partake.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “Have you been at the berry wine?” I swiped the cup from his hand and sniffed at it. It was water. “Was this tested before you drank from it?” There had been attempted poisonings in the past. Even though Viktor was in exile, he had followers in both the Casters and Necromancers. I wouldn’t put it past any of them to try to drug my mate.

  Rowan stared at me as if I were coated in poison myself. “Kade! Bring the guard.”

  “Yes, I should very much like to see Kade.” Rowan’s brother was always honest. The rest of the Casters might be too frightened to stand up to their king when his mind was gone, but not Kade.

  Kade broke through the crowd. Rowan’s brother froze when he saw me. His features slumped with disbelief. “How did a Necromancer get in here?”

  Fresh waves of shock poured through my limbs. Kade didn’t know who I was? What was going on? My heart sank. A question appeared. What if the memories Mlinzi and Walinzi had stolen weren’t mine?

  No, no, no. There had to be another explanation.

  Rowan’s features stayed intense. “And this one is a Grand Mistress to boot.” His mouth twisted with disgust. “If you tell us what you know of Viktor, I promise you a quick death. You have my word on it.”

  My mind reeled. Kade didn’t know who I was, either. And Rowan wanted me dead? The reality of what happened loomed larger in my mind, but I simply couldn’t give up too easily. I had to be missing something here. When I spoke again, my voice was a hoarse whisper. “You know me. I’m Elea.”

  Jicho broke through the crowd next. I’d never been happier to see his bald head and red robes. His brown eyes were bright with fear. “I know her!” He pointed right at me. “I saw her in a vision. Don’t hurt her. She’s here to help us.”

  “Jicho?” My voice shook with relief. “You know me?”

  The boy nodded. “The first memory they took. It wasn’t yours; it was all the Casters’, except for me.”

  His words slammed into me like so many fireball spells. My worst suspicions were true. None of the Caster people knew who I was any more. Not even Rowan. My stomach lurched. The thought of losing my mate made me ill.

  Amelia burst out from the crowd. She was still wearing her pink Caster leathers. Her gaze scanned Kade, Rowan, Jicho, and me. She instantly moved to stand before Jicho, creating a physical barrier between the Seer boy and me.

  “Jicho, stay back,” warned Amelia. “She’s a Grand Mistress Necromancer. Don’t let her cast a spell on you.”

  My legs turned wobbly beneath me. Clearly, Amelia didn’t know who I was, either. The spell must have registered her as a Caster now. It made sense, considering how she was mated to Kade. It just was a terrible turn of events.

  “She won’t hurt us.” Jicho popped his head out from behind Amelia. “I told you, I had a vision. You can’t make her talk about Viktor or his plans. She’s has nothing of value to tell you. You’ll only be torturing and mu
rdering her for nothing. And we need her. I’ve seen it.”

  My breath caught. Suddenly, I’d gone from sharing my adventure with Mlinzi and Walinzi to having a nine-year old negotiate for my life. It was almost too much to follow.

  Rowan shook his head. “No, Jicho. She’s Viktor’s spy. We must get what information we can.”

  Jicho ran over and pulled on his brother’s hand. “Just let her go. She doesn’t know anything that can help us.”

  Kade still stared at me as if I were a walking disease. “There’s a guard tower on the other side of the village. It’s well warded. We’ll put her there, talk to her for a bit, and then…Let her go.”

  I know what Kade really means. “You still plan to interrogate and kill me.”

  Rowan frowned. “You knew me and Kade on sight. Our identities are closely guarded outside the Caster community. You’re definitely a spy, which means you realized the threat of being captured, and yet you walked right into my festival.”

  “I’m not a spy, unlike some.” I gave him glare for glare. When it was needed, Rowan was a skilled spymaster for his people. “All I want to do is speak with Jicho and leave, but without being tortured, questioned, or killed. Give me your word that you will do this, and I’ll go to your tower without causing trouble.”

  “How do I know I can trust you, Necromancer?” He stared pointedly at my left hand.

  “Because I already know I can trust you. You’re a man of your word. Plus, I know you won’t believe this, but I’m your mate.” My voice cracked as I said the word mate.

  Amelia shook her head. “Perhaps she’s gone insane, poor thing.”

  Rowan still stared at me, but the tension was gone from his neck. I was starting to make him wonder. “Fine. You have my word that you’ll be safe and unharmed. But you will go to the tower without trouble. One misstep and our deal will become forfeit.”

  “Agreed.” I didn’t add that no matter what wards Kade thought were in that tower, I could probably break through them easily.

  “And you.” Rowan turned to Jicho. “If I catch you anywhere near this spy, I’ll lock you up in the Seer temple for a week. I mean it.”

  Jicho folded his skinny arms over his thin chest. “You’re terrible.”

  A stricken look crossed Rowan’s face. It was too fast for others to catch, but I knew my mate. I focused on Jicho. “Don’t be too hard on your brother. He only wants to protect you.”

  Kade’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “We better be careful with this one. She’s a born manipulator.”

  Rowan’s gaze locked with mine. “This one… She’s…” Something in his eyes softened. Was our mate bond still in place? Did he still feel something for me?

  I couldn’t help the note of hope in my voice. “Yes? I’m what?”

  The gentle look on Rowan’s face melted into a scowl. “You’re nothing to me. Take her to the tower. The one in the northwest quadrant.”

  “Northwest?” asked Kade.

  “That’s what I ordered,” replied Rowan. “And be sure she has no missteps along the way.”

  A light of understanding flashed in Kade’s eyes. “As you command.”

  My thoughts ran through everything they’d said. There was some plot afoot about locking me in this particular tower.

  Good fortune with that plan. I was still a Grand Mistress Necromancer, and I would escape.

  Kade and another half dozen guards stepped forward and walked me toward one of the towers on the outskirts of the village. Sure enough, the wards grew stronger as we approached the structure, but even so, these spells were minor. I’d broken through far worse wards with ease. I could do the same here.

  Kade led me up the winding tower steps, opened a small wooden door, and gestured for me to walk inside. I stepped into the small round chamber. It held little more than a pallet stuffed with straw.

  “Prepare to stay here for some time,” said Kade. “Rowan may have promised not to hurt you, but I said no such thing. You know how many Caster families were destroyed by your master’s experiments?”

  I hugged my elbows. “I do. That’s why I’ve been working to get the Sword of Theodora. Viktor will attack again, and when he does, the man must die. And by getting the Sword, Mlinzi and Walinzi say I’ll learn how to save myself from the prophecy of the Martyr’s Comet. That’s even more reason to defeat Viktor.”

  “What a clever manipulator you are. Don’t bother to weave your lies around me. I know the truth. You’re a spy from that fiend. It will be my pleasure to introduce you to a new level of pain.”

  The speech was meant to frighten me, but it didn’t work. I planned to transport from this spot well before the sun rose. Plus, this kind of threat was merely Kade being protective and overbearing. I understood that he only wanted to keep his family safe. It made sense to try to interrogate me before leaving.

  He’d learn to live with disappointment.

  “I understand,” I said.

  “Good.” Kade slammed the door closed and stomped away. As he moved down the steps, I heard him call out orders to the nearby guards. Evidently, I was to have a record number of warriors protecting my tower.

  Now, I needed to start casting and escape. With that realization, a hollow feeling moved through my bones. I’d gotten so used to having Rowan in my life. Being without his strength and love made me feel bare.

  Nothing to be done about it. If I wanted Rowan back, I needed to find the Sword of Theodora. Once I had that weapon in my possession, Rowan’s memories would return. At this point, I didn’t know which I wanted more: to protect Rowan from Viktor’s armies, or to see him look upon me with love again.

  Both were essential to my soul.

  Chapter Nine

  The moment Kade left the room, I set about casting a spell. There was no question in my mind that Kade intended to interrogate me, and it wouldn’t be pleasant. Even so, by the time Rowan’s brother returned, I’d be long gone.

  Thank you, magick.

  My plan was twofold. First, I would cast a finder spell in order to discover where Nan was hiding. Second, I’d transport there. Mlinzi and Walinzi had said something about the exiled.

  To find the Sword, you must seek out the exiled Necromancers.

  The exiled. I suspected that was more than a random name. If my guess was right, a group of Necromancers were living outside Petra’s control. The woman was out of her mind, after all. I had to imagine some of the Necromancers were clever enough to escape her insanity.

  A grand escape—that sounds like exactly the kind of thing my Nan would enjoy.

  My eyes stung with emotion. I never thought I’d see Nan again. She’d died back at the Midnight Cloister, thanks to the treachery of its Mother Superior. Was Nan’s death some kind of ruse? Had the Sire of Souls stepped in to help? I couldn’t wait to find out how she’d ended up alive. In the end, it didn’t matter so long as I could see her again. The familiar lines of Nan’s face flashed in my mind: ebony skin, intelligent brown eyes, and a white-toothed smile.

  How I longed to see her once more.

  My body hummed with a combination of excitement and worry. This was not the moment to contemplate reunions. Kade could return at any second.

  I needed to cast and quickly.

  Closing my eyes, I reached out with my mage senses. The surrounding area was rich in Necromancer magick. Layers of bones lay hidden in the arid ground—these made the perfect source for my kind of power. Using all my focus, I wrapped my thoughts around the power I wished to take and tried to pull that magick into my body.

  I couldn’t. Foreign magick stopped me. Wards.

  As Kade had warned, another force lay between me and the power I sought. A webwork of ancient wards encircled the tower. These spells allowed me to reach out with ease, but blocked any magick from entering back inside. Without power in my body, I couldn’t cast.

  I probed the net of blocking spells about me. It wasn’t wise to break spells without understanding how they worked. My consciousnes
s spun along the threads of the webwork, checking how each functioned. These wards had been cast by a senior-level mage, but they were far too old to stop someone like me. Like any long-standing spell, wards needed to be refreshed with energy from time to time. No one had been keeping these strong.

  Good for me.

  Keeping the magick firm in my mind, I sent my power tearing back through the wards around the tower. I then pulled fresh magick back into me. Energy careened through my limbs until every corner of my body felt charged. Using my Necromancer training, I sent that energy toward my hands. New magick prickled along my skin like the brush of a thousand needles. Soon, the bones in my hands and forearms glowed with blue light.

  The time had come to cast my spell. There were various kinds of finders that I could choose from. One of the most powerful was a Blue Oracle, a floating skull covered in sapphires that would answer any questions. Blue Oracles could not only help pinpoint where someone was hiding, but they would also share all the key facts about to approach them. I opened my mouth, ready to speak the words to the spell.

  No sound came from lips.

  The words to the spell simply didn’t appear in my mind.

  I racked my memory. There was no way I could forget this particular spell. My Mother Superior, Petra, had drilled me on it for months. In fact, Petra kept me awake for six consecutive days until I got the wording, tone, and intention just right. By the time my training on this spell was over, I was reciting it in my sleep, much to the sadness of the other elderly sisters who shared my same dormitory room.

  How could I forget those words?

  I shook my head. No matter. Today had certainly been a trying one. My true mate had just stared at me like I was a total stranger. That would enough to make anyone forget a few things. Besides, there were other finder spells I could cast. For example, the spell for Rune Bones would be just as helpful. In this casting, the bones wouldn’t actually speak like the Blue Oracle, but they would spell out words. I’d get the information I needed. It would simply take a bit longer. Nothing to worry about. I took in a deep breath, ready to say that incantation.