Kingdom of Darkness (Kingdom Journals Book 2)

by Tricia Copeland

  “You have good instincts.” Miguel’s voice rang out behind me as he closed the door.

  I spun to face him. “About?”

  “Your training is progressing well.”

  I let out a breath and rubbed my hands down my pants. “Good.”

  “Did you expect me to say otherwise?”

  “It’s hard to know how to assess my progress.” I covered my anxiety over Carmen with another worry.

  “You needn’t dwell on any imaginary bar or hurdle. Your magic is growing stronger. For a halfling you have good instincts, as I said before. Do you have any questions about the texts?”

  I looked to the ceiling, trying to think of some questions. “It all seems so biblical. My family isn’t really religious. But then when I think about magic existing, it’s hard not to believe in angels.”

  “You have a true heart of that of the line of Raphael. You seek out how to help people. Do you have any reservations about this process?”

  “No, I’m excited to learn all I can.”

  “And what about dreams or hallucinations.”

  “I’ve had none.”

  “And your thoughts about your previous visions.”

  “Your theory about awakening my magic seems like a solid one. It makes sense that the dreams stopped once I embraced my nature.” I’d rehearsed over and over my answer to the question I knew he’d ask so it flowed out of my mouth as naturally as a breath.

  “Good, well, you have a couple more days of work, and then I look forward to your first assessment. How are you dealing with your father’s issues?”

  “I couldn’t sleep last night.”

  “Yes, you looked tired this morning. Did your dad leave any clues? Can you think of anything else we can go on?”

  I moved to the front of my seat. “So, I know this is going to sound odd, but I’ve watched my share of witch entertainment. Are locator spells real? Could we do a locator spell using my blood? I mean I am half of his genetic makeup.”

  “There are such spells. Let me see if I can contact our strongest locator. The spell could be performed in the courtyard.”

  “There is a courtyard. Like with grass?”

  “Well, it’s brown now, but yes. In the summer, it’s quite beautiful. I will inquire about the witch’s whereabouts right after my meeting with Jude.”

  “Thank you.” I wondered if I could just open my window and bleed on a map. I guessed the magic barrier might block the spell. But Miguel had mentioned the courtyard. Perhaps it was the one place magic could get in and out of the compound. If I could get to the courtyard, then maybe I’d be able to contact Alena and Hunter.

  “So, the mention of Jude’s name has no effect?” Miguel asked.

  I looked him right in the eyes. “We are here for a month, and then we’ll go back to our own homes. There’s too much to worry about without thinking about some teenage crush.”

  “So, you are okay with how things ended?”

  “I was hurt initially, because of being so wrapped up in my delusions. Everyone at the camp was making the whole thing out to be one big love fest. I think I got caught up, which isn’t like me. The whole rescue thing had me a little off.” I rambled through the words as if on a train of thought. I’d pondered for hours what questions he might ask, and what my response and reaction would be to each. There wasn’t room for error.

  “Unfortunately, it’s hard to avoid such behaviors. Do you have other questions?”

  I asked how we would be tested, and he described the magic skills section and then the private oral exam. Exiting his office, I passed Jude in the hall.

  All good?

  Yes. Talk to you later.

  Okay.

  My new bodyguard hovered not a foot behind me. Tall and looming, I could feel his breath on my scalp. Carmen was gone. How much longer could I endure without real human connection? No, I told myself. Jude had to be enough till we found a way out.

  The week passed and our first trial with it. Miguel said nothing else about the locator spell. When I asked, he said the witch with the greatest power was away on vacation. I wondered how I might get a map and try out the spell myself and thought of our textbooks.

  The next section was the element of air and witch lineage. Flipping through the first volume that evening, I found a map of the continents. It was a crude rendition, but I figured it was better than nothing. My try at drawing would have been far worse. I traced the lines on a sheet of paper and sat in front of the window. The frigid wind pelted me with freezing mist, but I wanted the best chance at locating Dad. With a pin from my sewing kit, I pricked my finger and let the drops fall in the middle of the sheet. The first few soaked in, but then they began to pool on top of each other.

  I closed my eyes. Picturing my father, I forced my magic to the map. The spots of blood sat in the same position when I opened my eyes minutes later. Frustrated, I balled the page and threw it in the flames. There was no way to know whether the spell hadn’t worked or Dad was being held in the castle. I convinced myself that an invisibility or cloaking spell was the only way to pass through the compound undetected. If I could get to the lower levels, I might find Dad. In the courtyard, I would message Alena and Hunter.

  What if you get caught? Jude asked when I informed him of my decision.

  Then, I get caught. How much worse can it be than the prison we’re in now?

  I’m thinking a lot.

  If they wanted me dead, they would’ve killed me already. I made bug eyes at him across the gym.

  Let me do the snooping.

  Are you kidding? I doubt they care about you. You’re probably just here to keep up the ruse that this whole thing isn’t about snaring me.

  Miguel knows my birthdate. You don’t think he’d suspect I was connected?

  I don’t know. I’m going to work on the invisibility spell, I pushed to him as we passed on the track.

  Okay, well, be careful. I don’t know about you, but I’m all but spent by the end of the day. Leave the window open so I can keep tabs on you.

  What do you mean? If I pass out, how will you know?

  I can sort of sense your feelings when we don’t have magic preventing walls between us. He looked my way from the opposite side of the oval.

  Why didn’t you tell me that before?

  It took me a while to realize that was what I was experiencing.

  Well, a heads-up would have been good.

  Why? You trying to hide something from me?

  Well, obviously, I won’t now. I should get to work. I slowed as I reached the locker room.

  Back in my room, I paced the space wondering how to begin. Figuring standing in front of the mirror was the best way to know I was cloaking myself, I went to the bathroom. I had no idea which direction to take the spell. Pushing energy out of my core, I imagined creating a barrier around my skin. My reflection held after several tries at increasing the energy level. Drained, I sank to the floor. Thinking I might need to approach it differently, I stood back up.

  Imagining my skin matching my background, I noticed my fingertips disappear. I doubled my efforts, and my hands disappeared for a few seconds. Calling all my energy, I shoved a huge blast of power through my body, and my reflection faded and was gone. I sucked in a breath, and it reappeared. Sweat beading on my skin, I gripped the counter for balance. My head swam, and I ran to the toilet and emptied the contents of my stomach.

  Camille! I heard Jude’s voice in my head.

  I’m okay. I got it to work.

  How did you do it?

  Imagined myself as camouflage.

  But I sensed you were in trouble.

  Made me a little ill, but I’m okay now. Need to practice more.

  Rinsing my mouth, I looked in the mirror. I’d done it. But I had to get stronger, be able to hold the camouflage for longer periods of time. I figured I had two weeks. Even if I could only hold it five to ten minutes, it might be enough to get some intel. The only window I had was at the gym. If
I went in the ladies’ locker room and came out invisible, I could sneak around the compound undetected. I’d been studying our routes to the tech room, and I remembered how to get to the lower levels from when I’d gone to the kitchen with Carmen. If I faked a shower, I might even get fifteen minutes to explore.

  I tried the spell again. I held it for a few seconds and released it over and over. Each time I held it for longer, and the strain intensified. Still, I fought the haze of my efforts.

  Camille, stop. Jude’s voice erupted in my head.

  You want to get out of here?

  Yes, and we will. We’ll be endowed with a full witch’s power when we join the coven. We can get out then.

  What do you think they have planned for me? No, I’m getting out before then. With my dad.

  Well, at least let me help you. You can practice in the blind spots during our training sessions. That way you won’t be doubly taxed.

  Okay, I’m done for tonight anyway.

  Sleep well. His voice was like music to my ears, and I never wanted to be without it.

  You too.

  I fell asleep with images of Thanatos, Theron, Alena, and Hunter dancing in my head. Seeing Theron’s face spooked me, and I woke to a cold gale streaming in from the window. Shutting the pane, I compared his image with Jude’s. They looked so alike. What if they were brothers? What if Jude worked for Miguel? Climbing back in bed, I questioned why I was doubting my instincts again. I could communicate with Alena and Hunter because we had a special connection. Jude and I shared a special bond or else we wouldn’t be able to communicate telepathically, right? He was my herald, wasn’t he?

  Even with these doubts, I felt renewed hope. Staring out the window, I noted the fog shrouded moon in the west. The little light that broke in the east seemed to be absorbed by the moisture, leaving a gray hue that ringed the castle like a shroud. The fog mirrored our internment, dampening my spirits again.

  Realizing I wouldn’t sleep more, I picked up a text. I studied till my alarm rang and dressed.

  “Are we ever going to see the sun again?” I asked Alex as I exited my room.

  “In March the weather starts to break.”

  Jude appeared from his room. “Great! Just in time for my birthday.”

  Before Carmen’s disappearance, Alex had continued such conversations, but he turned down the hall and started towards the elevators, as did his sidekick. The new guard bested Alex’s height by a solid two inches and girth by much more. His muscles bulged from his form, and from the hum he put off, I assumed his powers equaled his strength.

  After breakfast and our study session, we were shown to the training room. As the second week’s training centered on using air, we practiced forming miniature tornados and windstorms, using the air to intensify sounds, and heating and cooling the air to produce rain or evaporate puddles. When Miguel left us to practice, I stood in the blind spot and showed Jude my new skill.

  Whoa. That’s freaky. Let me try. He formed a wind tunnel to keep up our ruse.

  We switched places, and he closed his eyes. Watching him focus, his eyes squint, and his brow furrow, I longed to touch him. And then he was gone. I counted in my head and got to ten before he reappeared.

  That was good for your first time. I created a gust and flung sand against the far wall.

  It worked?

  Yeah, you were gone for a good ten seconds.

  Sweet, I’m a natural. I can help you.

  Okay, practice at night. We should get at least ten minutes to make it worth it.

  He disappeared a few more times, and we traded places again. We worked out a system where we tracked each other’s progress, and by the end of the session, I could hold my camouflage for two minutes. Making sure to return to our dictated spells well before Miguel should return, we whispered to each other from across the room.

  Don’t say anything we wouldn’t want them to hear, Jude’s voice echoed in my mind.

  “This is pretty cool.” I barely whispered.

  “You said this is pretty cool.” He used his normal tone.

  “Nice use of sound vibrations,” I whispered again.

  “You try.” His voice was barely audible, and I pulled the air to me. “Can you hear me?” he asked.

  “Yes, now.”

  The door flung open, and Miguel strolled in. “Your powers are developing nicely. We should break for lunch.”

  After the midday meal with Miguel and Maria, we were given a rest period for study time, gym time, and another magic-strengthening session. The days wore on following the same pattern as we woke with the fog and fell asleep under a sky hidden by clouds. There was no word of my dad and the weight of his absence wore on me. The only light was our growing ability to cloak ourselves. By the end of the week, each of us could hold it eight minutes.

  The test for the second stage of coven training resembled the first, and both Jude and I passed to the third level, represented by water. The study portion centered on chemistries, potions, and essential oils, much of which would be taught by Maria. I blamed my worn look on nightmares, so the first day she led us through concocting a sleep remedy. She mixed essential oils of Red Mandarin, Bergamot, Cornmint, Cypress, and Myrtle, and I sniffed the fluid.

  “Do you feel more relaxed?” Maria asked.

  “I just feel bored,” Jude exclaimed, sighing.

  “This is often the most trying section for those that favor activity.”

  “Well, I’m falling asleep just thinking about blending oils.”

  “Here.” She handed him another mixture.

  He held it to his nose. “Hmm, smells like some flower.”

  “Geranium. It’s arsenic.”

  “Oh, God.” He held the bottle at arms-length.

  “You let him smell arsenic?” I blurted out before I could check my reaction.

  Maria laughed. “He is paying attention now.”

  “That woke me up.” Jude paced away from the table and back.

  Seemingly for Jude’s benefit, she switched to teaching poisons and their smells and effects. I took notes as she went, hoping I didn’t mix up the Tabun that smelled like almonds, the Soman that smelled like rotting fruit, and Cyclosarin that had a peachy odor.

  I don’t like this section. It doesn’t give us time to practice our cloaking together, Jude communicated that evening through our open windows.

  But it doesn’t drain us so we can practice in the evening. Plus, you’ll be less likely to die by poisoning.

  That’s definitely a plus. I can’t believe she nearly killed me.

  I think there are healing spells during this section, too.

  Not sure you can reverse arsenic poisoning.

  Let’s just work up to ten minutes so we can do some reconnaissance work.

  If you get caught, I’ll never forgive myself.

  Well, I won’t get caught then. I wondered if my desire to find Dad had me taking a larger risk than was wise. But what did it matter? They already held me captive. It wasn’t like they were going to let me go. I doubted that even if I achieved full witch status, they would give me the freedom to roam as I pleased. My only regret would be losing Jude’s company and aid.

  Maria led us through the poisons, potions, and essential oils, and then Miguel took over for the healing powers sessions.

  “These can be the trickiest spells. Unfortunately, they require an empathy I’m not sure you possess for each other.”

  Before I could blink, a wood rod shot from its place on the wall, landing on Jude, right on his gut. He doubled over and fell to the mat.

  I ran to Jude, kneeling on the floor beside him. “Why did you do that?” I looked back at Miguel.

  “To elicit a response. Draw his healing capabilities to the sight of the wound,” Miguel ordered.

  “What if you did something that is beyond his healing capacity, like puncture a lung or broke a rib.” I placed my hand on Jude’s already distended side.

  “It’s a bruise, although a severe
one. He will heal in a week or so, unless you can speed that process up.”

  “How could you do this to someone?”

  “Heal him.” Miguel’s voice boomed. “You are of the house of Raphael, summon your heritage.”

  Calming my breaths, I focused on Jude. He seemed to have passed out, and his face grew pale. Checking his breathing and heart rate, I realized they were almost normal. I felt the hot skin growing more swollen by the second. My mind continued to reel. What was needed? I guessed fluids to take away the toxins, cold to reduce the swelling, and nutrients to heal the broken cells. Forcing calming thoughts, I appealed to his natural healing abilities, pulling them to the site of the injury. Then I called to him using our secret language.

  Jude, you’re going to be fine. I’m healing you right now. Wake up and show Miguel how tough you are.

  I watched his face and his chest as he breathed. There weren’t many moments when I could appreciate the features I’d grown to adore. His eyes fluttered, and I refocused my efforts on his wound. When his lids opened, I knew I had to move. I pulled my hands to my side.

  His gaze shot to the wall of instruments. Before I could blink, an axe soared across the room, stopping an inch from Miguel’s face.

  Miguel’s eyes grew huge, and his Adam’s apple bobbed on his throat. In an instant, his hard stare returned. “So, Jude of the house of Gabriel, you have a message for me?”

  “Do not use me as a tool again, or you’ll regret it.” The axe didn’t quiver from its position, and my eyes fixed on Jude. He took slow calculated steps towards our mentor. “Did you hear me?”

  “Have you no respect for your elders?”

  “Have you no respect for your wards?” Jude shouted.

  “If you don’t like my methods, leave.” Miguel took a step back from the weapon.

  “I may do just that.”

  “No other coven has the resources to train you before your eighteenth birthday. It seems that Camille did her job despite her animosity for you. You may do well to heed her lesson.”

  “At least she has some sense of right and wrong.” Jude stopped in front of the axe.

  “I guess you saved her and she saved you, so you are even.”