Consort of Rebels

by Sadie Moss

  “Asprix! What are you doing?”

  Corin’s voice was tense, and we all changed course to trail after him as he neared the old man.

  “Oh, dear boy! I hoped I would see you before the fight began.” Asprix’s face lit as he looked up at Corin.

  My heart twinged. I hadn’t realized how small Asprix was. He’d always been sitting when we came to visit, and next to Corin’s tall, muscled form, he looked tiny—like he might blow away in a strong wind.

  “The fight?” Corin’s face darkened. “I hope you don’t mean you’re joining the attack.”

  The boy assisting Asprix finished tying a final knot and darted away, shooting a wide-eyed glance back at us. The old man grabbed onto his staff with both hands, drawing himself up another inch, although his back refused to straighten fully. “Of course I am, dear boy. I must.”

  “No. No, you don’t have to do that. You can’t.”

  Asprix’s kindly face relaxed, his wrinkles deepening as he smiled. “I can’t? Well then, why can he?” He gestured with his chin to a Resistance member passing by. “Why can she?” He jerked his chin the other way, toward a woman sharpening a small dagger. “Why can any of them? And I can’t?” A sweep of his head encompassed the entire room.

  “Be… because—”

  “Because you’ll worry about me?” He raised a gnarled hand to Corin’s cheek. “My dear boy, thank you for caring. But someone else could say the same about any person here. Should we all not fight, because our loved ones don’t want to lose us? What then? Who wins then?”

  “I don’t…” Corin shook his head.

  Stepping up beside him, I laid a hand on his arm and squeezed gently.

  “Corin. Remember how much you wanted to fight? How badly you wish you could have?” I didn’t say more than that, but I knew his thoughts went immediately to his family and the Gifted mob that had attacked them. The muscles of his arm bunched under my fingertips.

  Cursing softly, Corin pulled Asprix into a tight but careful hug. “Come back alive, old man. I mean it.”

  “Oh, I fully intend to, dear boy.” The reader patted Corin gently on the back.

  “There you all are!”

  Noble strode toward us quickly. He was dressed for battle too, with thick leather boots, cargo pants, and a dark, long-sleeved shirt. A leather vest covered his torso. It would offer little protection against the kinds of magical firepower he’d likely be up against, but it was better than nothing. The young girl, whose name I’d learned was Serena, kept pace a step behind him. She wore the same look of fierce determination she had last time I’d seen her.

  “Are you ready for this?” the Resistance leader murmured, coming to stand beside me.

  “Fuck no.”

  He barked a laugh. “That’s a very sane answer.”

  “How are things here?” My gaze darted around the large space.

  “We’re as prepared as we can be for so many unknowns. We need to get moving though. Everyone’s energy is peaking, and if we don’t give them something to fight soon, it’ll flip over into nerves.”

  My fingers reached down to caress the twin blades strapped to my thighs. I may have magic at my disposal now, but I wasn’t about to leave them behind.

  “Then let’s do this.”

  “Ha! No time for bullshit. I knew I liked you, Crow.” Noble shot me a smile then jerked his head for me to follow him.

  My four followed behind us as Noble led me to a small raised platform near the entrance to the room. He stepped up onto it, bringing me with him. As he did, the hubbub of voices in the large space died down immediately. I blinked. He hadn’t even used magic.

  I stared out at a sea of faces and saw hope, fear, and interest reflected back at me. An elbow dug into my ribs, and I shot a glance at Noble.

  “Talk to them,” he murmured, nudging me forward a step.

  Ah, fuck. Couldn’t we just skip this part and go right to the life-threatening danger?

  I licked my lips, drawing in a breath. I didn’t know the spell to amplify my voice, but Jae caught my eye and nodded. Apparently, he did.

  “I used to hate the Gifted.”

  My voice rang out across the room, filling the space.

  Absolute silence fell, and I swallowed thickly before continuing.

  “I hated the Touched too, I guess. With good reason. I grew up in a Blighted settlement, and I knew magic users who did nothing but abuse their power and exploit others. But the thing was…” I paused, looking down at my four, who were gathered in front of the platform, Ivy beside them. “The thing was, I didn’t know all magic users, or even most of them. I didn’t know some of them could be good, honorable, and brave. I divided people into simple groups, and I didn’t look beyond that. But I’m learning, slowly, to consider people as individuals rather than defining them by their group. To trust people who give me a reason to—whether they’re Gifted, Touched, or Blighted.”

  My voice gained strength as I continued.

  “I would never tell you to forget the past. I wouldn’t even ask you to forgive. But I ask you to look around at the people gathered in this room and realize that we’re all on the same side today.”

  Looking at the faces before me, I tried to memorize each one. Some of them might not be with us tomorrow, and I wanted to honor their presence here today.

  “I have chosen to trust the people who give me reason to, and you’ve all given me very good reason. This fight isn’t about letting go of the past; it’s about building the future we want. The future we all deserve. Maybe once we’ve fought together, even faced death together—maybe out of the darkness of this moment, a better future can rise.”

  My magically amplified words echoed slightly and died out.

  No one spoke.

  Then a man midway to the back raised his hands, holding them over his head in the shape of a crow. The gesture spread across the room until I stared out at a sea of hands and fingers splayed like wings.

  The weight of their faith in me made my heart thump desperately in my chest, but I didn’t back away from it this time. I raised my own hands, mirroring their gesture. Then we all brought our hands down together, almost like a salute.

  Noble clapped me on the shoulder, flashing me a smile that would’ve been smug if he hadn’t looked so proud. He turned to address the crowd, his voice magically amplified like mine had been.

  “This is it, everyone. We’re as ready as we can be. We’ve gone over our plans and outfitted ourselves as best we can. We’ve set our course of action. Now there’s only one thing left to do—bring down that bastard, Rain. It’s time to show him that many people working together are stronger than even the most powerful mage in the world.” He raised his fist in the air, his voice rising to match it. “Time to make him pay for his crimes against all of us. To turn the tide of evil in the world. ‘To reap the harvest of perpetual peace, by this one bloody trial of sharp war!’”

  The room exploded into noise as a battle cry went up among the gathered crowd. They stomped their feet and banged their weapons, their voices uniting into a single roar.

  I shot a glance at Noble, my words barely audible above the crowd. “Richard III, huh? You read it?”

  He grinned at me, his eyes flashing. “Well, when The Crow quotes Shakespeare to you, you damn well better quote it back. And besides,” he added, his smile widening to show his teeth. “Richmond wins in the end.”

  Chapter 21

  The scent of pine and earth filled my nostrils, and I lowered my nose to the ground, searching for any sign of Rain or his minions.

  There was none, but I knew we were on the right path. I could pick up the lingering scent of my four, and even myself, from our trek down the mountainside after I escaped Rain’s compound.

  Ugh, I really did smell like I’d spent a week in a dungeon. Why didn’t you tell me?

  Fen sniffed at the trail beside me. I didn’t notice. All I could focus on was that you were alive.

  I snorted internall
y. That had to be a lie. But there was no hint of anything but truth in the thoughts and feelings coming from him.

  My gaze caught his in the darkness, the amber eyes of his wolf lighter than his usual chocolate brown. Gods, you really must love me.

  The wave of emotion pouring off him nearly bowled me over, and he licked the side of my face. Don’t ever doubt it, killer.

  “No making out on missions,” Corin murmured beside me. His body brushed against mine, keeping in close contact as Fen and I led our small team up the mountain.

  “That’s a terrible rule,” Akio drawled from Fen’s other side.

  “Of course you would say that,” Corin deadpanned, though he didn’t argue Akio’s point.

  The clear night sky was painted with stars, and a half-moon gave us enough light to see by. Ivy’s ghostly form was almost invisible as she walked a few feet away from me. Emil and Foster, the two Gifted men who could break wards, brought up the rear of our party. Once they let us inside Rain’s compound, they’d rejoin the others and give Noble the signal to launch the attack.

  We’d arrived at the base of the mountain through a portal created by another new Gifted recruit. She’d closed it after us to protect those who had remained behind—children and others too old or sick to fight. A small team of able-bodied Resistance members had stayed to protect them, but nearly everyone was joining the fight.

  A few similar portals had been opened a short distance from the People’s Palace. We had a limited supply of transport spells, and it was better to use them as a way out than as a way in.

  The placement of the portal at the mountain’s base was deliberate. We could’ve had it deliver us right to Rain’s doorstep, but hiking in gave us an element of surprise and allowed us to scope out the area first. While the attack on the palace would be blatant and violent, the whole point of our mission was to stay under the radar.

  A new smell hit my nose, and I stopped suddenly, hackles rising as my skin prickled. Do you smell that?

  Rain. Fen’s hatred of the man infused the word. And a few others. I don’t know all the scents, but Jonas Nocturne was here, for sure.

  I smell Nicholas Constantine. Victor Kruger, too. And… Eben Knowles.

  Shit. Fen growled. Rain must’ve brought him in this way.

  Gaze fixed ahead of us on the dark pines and undergrowth, I padded forward slowly. Corin’s hand was buried in my fur as he crept along beside me.

  “There,” Jae murmured from just behind me.

  Several yards in front of us, a large slab of rock rose tall, creating a sheer cliff face. Tucked away in the crook where the rock met the steep mountainside sat the small, hidden entrance to Rain’s compound. It hadn’t been warded last time I’d seen it, but now a soft purple light pulsed across the surface.

  I shifted back to human form quickly, pleased I didn’t lose a single article of clothing in the transformation. Fen shifted next to me, and we all gathered into a small huddle.

  “This is the door we came through when I escaped,” I whispered softly. “There’s an inner door several yards inside the tunnel that’s warded too. Emil, Foster—can you break both of them?”

  The two men nodded in unison and got to work on the first door.

  Ivy stepped up to my side. “Want me to look inside?”

  “Yeah. Find out if there are any guards at the doors. But don’t let them see you.”

  She smiled happily. “Of course I won’t, silly!”

  Then she stepped into the rock face next to the door, disappearing from view.

  The rest of us fanned out around the entrance as the two men worked, our gazes darting up and down the mountainside. The quiet stillness of the night seemed threatening somehow, and every animal call or rustle of wind through the pines set my teeth on edge.

  After what felt like an eternity, Ivy popped back out of the rock, her wide eyes finding me in the dark. “No guards behind the first door. Three behind the second. A mage, a demon, and a tiger shifter.”

  I nodded, turning to Emil and Foster. “Did you get that?”

  Foster nodded, the sheen of sweat on his brow gleaming in the moonlight. The ward brightened briefly then flickered out of existence, leaving behind a smell like burning hair.

  The door wasn’t locked. Rain believed too strongly in the power of magic to stoop to anything as mundane as a lock to keep intruders out.

  Summoning my magic, I created a small ball of light in the palm of my hand then sent it up to hover above us. I’d asked Jae to teach me the spell this morning and was pleased at how quickly I had picked it up.

  It was useful as fuck on missions like this.

  Jae and I led Emil, Foster, and Ivy through the dimly lit tunnel in silence. When the inner door came into view, I tamped down the glow of my light even more and gestured the two Gifted men ahead of me.

  They got to work silently, trading small pulses of magic that weakened the glowing ward. When it finally flared and died, I braced myself, half expecting the door to burst open and the guards to come charging through.

  But they didn’t.

  “Ivy,” I breathed. “Look inside again. Only this time, do let them see you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she nodded excitedly. She stepped into the rock wall beside us. A moment later, a shout of surprise sounded from the other side of the door.

  With a nod to Jae, I yanked the door open, revealing the three guards on the other side. They were turned away from us as they watched Ivy prance down the corridor. She’d made herself more corporeal, though she was still slightly translucent.

  Not giving them a chance to react, I hurled both daggers in quick succession at the red-skinned demon on the right, hitting him in the back. He gurgled and keeled over. The other two turned toward us just as Jae sent an ice spear through the mage’s chest and I unleashed a ball of flame that engulfed the tiger. A loud, animal cry shredded the silence, and I quickly pulled back on the magic.

  Jae sent out a flaming arc that opened up the tiger’s throat. Blood poured from the wound, and the cry died out as the shifter slumped to the ground.

  “Fuck,” I muttered. “That could’ve been quieter.”

  “You did well,” Jae reassured me. “We ended it quickly, at least.”

  Fear chilled my skin, but I didn’t hear any other sounds coming down the hallway. Maybe backup wasn’t close by enough to have heard the noise.

  I turned back to Emil and Foster, who looked slightly shell-shocked. They’d probably never been up close and personal to a fight like this in their lives. I hoped they were fast learners. “Thanks, guys. We’ll take it from here.”

  Emil nodded, tugging a transport spell from his pocket. He dropped it, clapped a hand on Foster’s shoulder, and crushed the glass with his heel.

  As the smoke billowed out, enveloping them in a purple cloud, I activated my communication charm.

  “Noble? We’re in. We’re sending Emil and Foster back to you. Good luck.”

  His voice sounded in my ear immediately. “You too. Keep your communication charm on. We’ll be in touch.”

  The earrings enchanted with a communication charm dangled from my ears, at odds with the rest of my tactical outfit. I was dressed in black, with my dagger sheaths strapped to my thighs and thick, heavy boots on my feet.

  Ivy had drifted back out of the tunnel to collect the rest of my four, and they joined us after a moment. Going from memory, I retraced the path I’d taken during my escape, passing by the hallway where I’d found my men. Jae’s hand brushed my arm as we walked by it, and he smiled lightly.

  After a few more twists and turns, the tunnel opened up into the large room where Rain stored the concentrated ball of magic from his first pull—the one that had caused the Great Death.

  I slowed as we entered the room, worry twisting like a snake in my gut.

  Wall sconces glowing with magic illuminated the large space, but they were the only source of light left.

  The ball of magic that had burned as brigh
tly and powerfully as a star was gone. So was the large metal platform with the six huge prongs that had held the magic like a gem. The large space was barren, the emptiness all the more striking because of what the room had once contained.

  “It’s gone,” I breathed, a chill skittering down my spine.

  “What’s gone?” Corin glanced back at me before continuing his perusal of the huge space.

  “The magic.” Lingering traces of the power that had once been kept here remained, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. But I couldn’t feel anything more than that. “This was where Rain kept the magic he stole. What the hell did he do with it? He told me he couldn’t access it. Shit. Do you think he found a way?”

  “If he did, the Resistance attack will be over before it begins,” Jae said, his voice hard. “He could make himself so powerful we’d never be able to defeat him. He’d be able to wipe us out with a flick of his finger.”

  I swallowed. “Maybe that’s why there are so few guards down here. He doesn’t think he needs them.”

  “Well, no matter how much power he has, there’s only one way to stop him from getting more.” Fen bared his teeth, the expression wolf-like even in his human form. “Find that fucking machine and destroy it.”

  Ivy was already walking up the stairs at the perimeter of the room to the second level. We hustled after her, careful to keep our footsteps quiet. I’d expected this place to be crawling with guards, and the eerie emptiness was making me nervous. Maybe our plan really was working, and Rain had called in all the manpower he could spare to help defend the palace.

  We turned into a hallway leading away from the second floor of the large room. I stepped to the front of the group, my hands raised and at the ready. I’d passed through the protection spells on these tunnels before, so I knew better than the others what to expect.

  Two yards in, the tunnel shook slightly as a piece of rock pulled itself away from the wall, forming a roughly human shape.

  “Shit. Here we go.”

  I threw a strong gust of wind at the stone figure, driving it back down the tunnel. It hurled a piece of itself at me, a large chunk of rock the size of my head. I blasted the flying boulder with a shot of flame, and it exploded. I winced at the noise—I hadn’t learned yet how to fight quietly with magic. Jae stepped up beside me, raising a hand toward the creature.