Crowned

by Christina Bauer

  Again, I couldn’t remember a word.

  My heartbeat sped. This couldn’t be right. Surely, I could remember a single finder spell. I listed out every finder spell in the Necromancer lexicon.

  Mystic Cloud.

  Orb Of Insight.

  Stylus Of The Seer.

  In each case, I knew the spell and how it worked, but I couldn’t recall a single word of the incantations that actually made them come to pass. Panic tightened every muscle in my torso.

  Stay calm, Elea. Perhaps it was just the finder spells that were giving me trouble for some reason. I then focused on basic spells any Novice could master.

  Fireball.

  Bone Shield.

  Detect Mage.

  Again, I knew what the spells were. I could remember learning them. Still, I couldn’t recall a single word of the incantations that made them function. I stared at my hands, which still glowed with blue power. Pulling in magick and directing it inside my body was something that took me years to master. How could I operate as a Grand Mistress Necromancer in some ways but not in others? The answer appeared to me in a flash.

  Mlinzi and Walinzi.

  The trickster gods had said they would take two memories. Jicho confirmed that the first was removing knowledge of my identity from anyone in the Caster community. Was the second any memory of how to actually cast a spell?

  It had to be. There was no other explanation for me losing so many incantations at once. This wasn’t magick that I’d ever heard of, either from a Necromancer or a Caster. It had to be something unique created by the trickster gods.

  Bands of despair tightened around my chest. Mlinzi and Walinzi left me with the power to sense magick, but took away my ability actually do something useful with it.

  Tricksters, indeed.

  With a sigh, I released the magick from my body. Power rolled out from my fingertips in a cascade of blue sparks. The tiny lights faded as they reentered the environment. Within seconds, the skin on my arms and hands looked normal once again.

  I shook my head. I may appear normal, but I felt anything but.

  Thanks to Mlinzi and Walinzi, I wasn’t a regular mortal anymore, but I wasn’t a mage, either. My powers were trapped someplace in between. It all seemed so useless and cruel. Perhaps the trickster gods had lied about wanting to assist me. After all, I only had their word that they felt the Sire and Lady threatened their world.

  A knock sounded at the door. “May I enter?” My breath caught as I recognized the voice. Rowan.

  An odd mixture of excitement, terror, and desire moved through me. “Come in.”

  Rowan pushed open the door and stepped inside. I scanned his face carefully, desperate for any sign that he recognized me as his mate. There was none. I’d learned to gauge Rowan’s expressions, and the look he wore now? It said that I was nothing but an interloper and threat.

  Rowan leaned against the closed door. For some reason, he’d changed out of his long cape and leather kilt. My brows lifted in surprise. Rowan always liked to face foreigners in his formal garb. But for some reason, he had changed into his typical Caster leathers, which consisted of brown pants, heavy boots, and a fitted jacket. Weapons were strapped all over his body.

  Rowan stepped slowly around the space, stomping on the floorboards a few times. They creaked and swayed. This was classic Rowan. He was sizing up how well this place could hold me if I decided to physically tear the room apart. Based on how the wood crackled under his weight, the answer was obvious. This tower had not been kept well. Plus, based on how the floorboards shifted under Rowan’s prodding, the place was probably originally built to store goods, not keep prisoners. No doubt, I could easily find a way out if I stayed here too long.

  The thought made me pause. I remembered Rowan’s words earlier.

  “One misstep and our deal will become forfeit.”

  Was Rowan trying to set me up to betray him? Trying to escape would certainly count as a misstep. And placing me in a storage chamber instead of a prison tower was essentially inviting one.

  Rowan paused at the open window-hole, inspecting the dark grounds below. “Too many guards,” he murmured. “And too close to the wall.”

  “You want the guards farther away.”

  Rowan rounded on me. “Don’t you?”

  “You’re trying to tempt me into making a misstep, just like you warned me before. Once I try to escape, you can torture and kill me without breaking your word.”

  “Yes, and I have every confidence you’ll miss that step and soon.” Rowan leaned out the window and whistled three short notes. It was one of the codes used between Kade and Rowan. In this case, Rowan was ordering his brother to send the guards away for a while.

  “Consider me sorely tempted.” It didn’t seem wise to keep talking about being Rowan’s mate. I knew how the man’s mind worked. If I came on too strong, Rowan would take that as a sure sign that I was Viktor’s spy.

  Rowan folded his arms across his chest, a movement that made his leathers creak. “You should have been gone by now. Why are you still here?”

  My mind reeled through this statement. The fact that Rowan had changed from his royal garb now made perfect sense. “You expected me to transport away from here. That’s why you changed clothes. You were planning to track me.” It was a good plan. By following where I went, Rowan could probably get better information than interrogation. And afterward, Rowan would be free to interrogate and kill me at his leisure.

  Rowan crossed the room in a few quick strides, pausing to stand right before me. I could feel his warmth radiate over my body. “Why are you still here, Necromancer? The wards aren’t strong enough to keep you.”

  There was no point in lying. Rowan could easily cast any of a dozen spells to make me tell the truth. Since he was asking the question, he was waiting to see if I’d volunteer an honest answer on my own.

  “I’m here because I’m your mate, and yes, I’m a Grand Mistress Necromancer as well. I went to see Mlinzi and Walinzi to ask them where to find the Sword of Theodora. They took all the Casters’ memories of me in exchange for information on where to find the Sword.” I met his intense gaze straight on. “I’m not your enemy.”

  Rowan tilted his head. “That didn’t answer my questions about the wards.”

  “No, it didn’t.” I hated to share the truth here, as it made me even more vulnerable. I didn’t see any choice, though. “Mlinzi and Walinzi took more than the Casters’ memory as payment. I can’t recall a single incantation.” I shook my head. “I can pull in power, but not cast a spell.”

  Rowan stared at me for a long moment. “I don’t believe you.”

  Those words shouldn’t have hurt as much as they did. After all, Rowan couldn’t help that his mind had been wiped of any memory of me. Still, there had to be a way to convince him. I tapped the ring on my finger. “See this? It used to be a mating band. Now it’s a totem ring from Mlinzi and Walinzi. You have a matching one.”

  Rowan’s gaze flicked to his hand. “I have a ring with an orange metallic sheen. Unlike yours, it has no carvings of monkeys on it. I fail to see how that proves anything.”

  I lifted my hand, palm forward. “Then touch me with intent. Your energy will flow into mine. That’s mate power, and it doesn’t require an incantation in order to work. Give me a chance and you’ll see—we’re true mates.”

  Rowan stared at my palm. The moment hung in its own little eternity. It took all my strength not to simply grasp his palm, but that’s not how shared power worked. Rowan needed to want our magick to combine.

  My hand began to tremble. “Please, Rowan.”

  Another long moment passed. Rowan’s gaze locked with mine, and pure rage lit up his eyes. “I won’t deny you’re casting some kind of spell on me. My thoughts keep pulling me to you. It isn’t right.”

  “It’s the bond.” My voice broke with grief.

  “No, it’s a spell. Another invention of Viktor’s, no doubt. I wish I could interrogate you myself
, but that won’t be possible as long as I’m under this enchantment. But don’t worry…Your master will not infiltrate my mind like he did so many of my senior Casters. I will not be led away from my people.”

  “I don’t want that, Rowan. I’m here to help.”

  “What you think you want is of no consequence. I’m sending some of the palace mages to interrogate you, and they’ll cast Thought Blade spells. You know how those work, don’t you?”

  “You wouldn’t.” Thought Blades were an excruciating way to die. You relived every agony of your life at once until both your mind and body fell apart.

  “I won’t. But my mages will soon enough.” His voice lowered. “Even so, you won’t be here when they arrive, will you? That story about not being able to remember incantations; I don’t believe it for a second. Go on, escape. I’ll find you and your master Viktor, no matter where you hide.”

  “No, please.” My thoughts raced through everything I knew of Rowan. There must be some way to convince him. Sadly, I couldn’t think of a thing. “Thought Blades are vicious castings. The palace mages will ruin my mind.”

  “Do you know what Viktor did to our families? Many of the Casters he lured away went insane, thanks to his experiments. The lucky ones died. You have no right to complain.”

  I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I know.” When my hands dropped, Rowan had moved closer to me than ever before. If I went on tiptoe, I could brush my lips against his.

  “And that’s what makes you so dangerous, Necromancer. I believe that you do understand.”

  At those words, my heart cracked. In our quietest moments, Rowan told me how I was the only person to break through his lonely life as ruler, sharing his heart and burdens. Hope sparked in my soul. Perhaps some part of Rowan knew who I truly was. The weight of my mate’s responsibility and loneliness seemed to age him before my eyes.

  Suddenly, a flicker of movement happened in the periphery of the room, catching my interest. In the open window frame, two large green eyes were staring at me from outside the window. Jicho. The boy had somehow climbed up the outer rock wall and was waiting to come inside. He couldn’t stay there for long before the guards spotted him, even if they had been sent away.

  Rowan noticed my gaze shifting. “What are you looking at?” He started to turn around, and if he did, he’d see Jicho. No doubt, Rowan would put his younger brother under lock and key, and not let Jicho speak to me freely. Rowan had made that more than clear before when Jicho first approached me at the Caster festival.

  I needed to distract Rowan and fast.

  Moving quickly, I wrapped my arms around Rowan’s neck and pulled him in for a delicate kiss. It was nothing more than a feather-soft touch, but I felt the warmth of Rowan’s mouth through every part of my being. He stepped away from me as if I’d stuck him with a dagger.

  “You…I can’t…” Rowan shook his head and sped from the room. The moment the door slammed, I felt as if part of my life had been torn away. I’d pushed too hard to force that kiss. Now Rowan would see that as further validation that I really was some sort of spy from Viktor. Damn.

  “Elea,” whispered Jicho. “Help!”

  I gasped. In my turmoil about Rowan, I’d forgotten all about Jicho hanging from the outside of the tower. I raced over to the open window, hoping that if I couldn’t help Rowan, perhaps I could at least do something for his little brother.

  After all, things weren’t looking too bright for me. I knew Rowan. Right now, he was undoubtedly meeting with the palace mages, giving them instructions to do whatever they wanted, so long as they uncovered every secret in my head.

  And those Thought Blade spells would indeed uncover my every memory. But they’d kill me in the process, and fast.

  Chapter Ten

  Rushing over to the window, I helped Jicho crawl into the room. The second his feet touched the floor, I ushered him to a spot against the wall.

  “You need to stay out of sight,” I warned.

  Jicho brushed some bits of stone off his black Caster leathers. Normally, the boy wore Seer robes. He seemed to be up to something.

  Something more than usual, that is.

  Jicho lifted his chin. “I wouldn’t have needed any help at all, but the rock out there is so old and weak. It’s like crawling up a block of cheese.” He set his fists on his hips, which was a movement I’d seen Rowan do a hundred times before. Jicho didn’t want to show any weakness.

  “You did very well, considering.”

  “Thank you. I climb everywhere around the castle. I’m really good at it, too.” He gave me a gap-toothed smile. “I’m here to rescue you. That’s why I’m wearing Caster leathers like Rowan.”

  My heart melted at that sweet-faced boy. “You look very dashing, Jicho.” I knelt down so we could look each other in the eye. “But you can’t save me. I’ll figure out something.” I stepped back to the window and looked out. Sure enough, Kade’s many soldiers were arrayed about the tower grounds. In the moonlight, I could make out a pair of figures in hooded red robes walking toward us. I’d seen that garb before.

  Palace mages.

  I stepped out of the window and spoke to Jicho again. “When the mages come, tell them I cast a spell on you to get you here. Then, you must leave.”

  Jicho’s grin melted into a look of terror. “But the things they’ll do to you, Elea. We can’t let that happen.”

  I forced on my calmest Necromancer face. Inside, I wanted to scream and run. “You must leave, Jicho. I still need your help, and if the palace mages see you here, you know what Rowan will do. He’ll lock you up in that Seer temple.”

  “No one is locking me up anywhere. Besides, I know where your friend Nan is. I’ve seen it. And I’ve had visions where we go and find her together.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. “But I can’t cast anymore. We’ve no way to transport there.”

  Jicho lifted his chin. “I can lead you there.”

  “It’s unsafe. You can tell me what you know, and I’ll go and find Nan. My adventures tend to leave a trail of blood and bodies behind. It’s no place for a nine-year-old boy.”

  Voices sounded under the tower window. The palace mages were chatting with the guard. We didn’t have much time.

  Jicho lifted his chin. “You can’t argue with my visions. I’ve already told everyone that I’m meditating in the Seer temple for a few days. I do that sometimes after I’ve had a bad vision. Rowan always lets me. If I sneak off, he won’t suspect a thing.”

  I frowned. “Rowan did say something about that at the festival. He gives you space when you’ve had a bad vision.”

  “That’s right. Being spies runs in our blood. Plus, everyone will be so obsessed about the fact that you ran away, they won’t care about me.”

  “But you’re a—”

  “I’m more than a kid, I’m a powerful Seer and the only one who understands what you’re doing and can help you. You need me, Elea.”

  The bottom door to the tower opened with a long creak. I couldn’t let Jicho see me get killed with a Thought Blade spell. The boy already had enough pain in his life.

  “It’s too dangerous, Jicho. Promise me you’ll leave once the mages arrive.”

  “No, this is too important. I’ve had visions of Viktor, too. War is coming. We need that Sword. Nothing else will work.” His large eyes glimmered with terror. “I’ve seen it over and again. Viktor will win, Elea. And he doesn’t want to just rule. He plans to kill everyone.”

  My breath caught. “Are you sure?”

  A tear rolled down Jicho’s cheek, leaving behind a silver trail that glinted in the moonlight. “I’m positive.” His lower lip wobbled. “And not just here. Other places, too. I saw this orange jungle get burned out…It’s terrible, Elea.”

  Orange jungle. That was Mlinzi and Walinzi’s world. Did Viktor’s plan include them, too? My stomach soured at the thought. Destroying multiple worlds…I wouldn’t doubt Viktor would do that and more.

  I brushed the
tear from Jicho’s cheek. “All right. I accept your generous offer of help.” I scanned the cell. “In that case, we now have to get out of here.”

  Jicho immediately brightened. It was just like a child to forget one terror with a new diversion. How I envied him that ability. “No problem,” Jicho announced. “I can climb down and cause a diversion.”

  The footsteps in the corkscrew stairs grew louder.

  “But I thought you were in meditation.”

  “Oh, yes.” Jicho sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t have a vision for how we’d get out of this. I only saw that we’d eventually escape.”

  I paced the floor, trying to force my mind to concentrate. Sure, I didn’t have my magick, but wasn’t Amelia always saying that magick was overrated? There had to be another way to escape. With every step, the floorboards creaked ominously beneath my slippers. I froze midstep.

  Suddenly, I knew exactly how we’d get out of this tower. I could only hope I had enough time left to enact my plan. Because unless I got past these mages and found the Sword of Theodora? There would be no stopping Viktor.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jicho and I simply had to escape this tower. In my opinion, the only way we could to do it was to pretend we’d already gone.

  Fortunately, Rowan had trapped me in a tower that had been built more for storage than prisoners…And where things could be stored, they could also be hidden.

  Falling onto my knees, I hooked my fingers around the edges of the nearest floorboard. It pulled up with ease. Sure enough, there was enough room in the sub floors for Jicho and I to hide, so long as we laid silently on our backs. Dust and old moldy oats lined the space. Someone had definitely used this for storage.

  The footsteps in the tower staircase grew louder. The palace mages would be here any second. There wasn’t time.

  “We need to pull up the floorboards and hide underneath,” I whispered to Jicho.

  “Won’t they know we’re hiding?”