by Devri Walls
“If we are going to do this, and it’s clear we are, Drustan should train the Shifters—once they are done making weapons.”
Kiora inwardly relaxed. He wasn’t going to fight her on this. “Train them to do what?”
Alcander stabbed a piece of meat with his fork, popping it in his mouth and then swallowing. “I have never seen another Shifter do what he does. It’s . . . useful,” he grudgingly admitted.
Drustan grinned. “Ah, Alcander. I do love it when you sweet-talk me.”
“Seen them do what?” Emane asked around a mouthful of heavily honeyed roll. “They all shift.”
“Not like I do,” Drustan said, leaning back in his chair. “Shifters are taught from infancy to imitate life in its purest form. It is a reverenced belief system.” He waved his hand in the air as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. “Although capable of mixing creature traits, such as I do, most abhor the thought. Thankfully, my time in Meros brought me to my senses.”
“That’s why the Taveans were so surprised when you shifted in the throne room,” Kiora said.
Drustan chuckled. “I am sure they had never seen anything quite like it.”
The conversation paused as a group of three Taveans came, stopping to bow to their king. Alcander acknowledged them and they continued on to another table.
“If Drustan can get the other Shifters to do the things he does, it would be very helpful,” Alcander said. “And may be worth the risk.”
“Could you teach them?” Emane asked Drustan.
“I would expect some resistance to my methods, but yes.”
“Then it’s a plan. Emane and Alcander can continue to train the recruits, and Drustan can train the Shifters.” Kiora said.
***
KIORA LAY IN HER bed in her usual state of wakefulness. She had expected the knock at the door when it came, but was surprised that the thread at the door was not Alcander. She opened it to find Emane leaning against the frame and looking at her suspiciously.
“What?” she asked.
He slid past her without waiting for an invitation. “I was thinking,” he said as she shut the door. “Alcander and I are doing weapons training and Drustan will be training the Shifters. But you haven’t once mentioned what you are planning to do.” He turned to face her, one eyebrow cocked. “Which usually means you are concocting some wild plan that none of us will like.”
She grimaced. “You caught that?”
“I knew it.” He rolled his eyes skyward, shaking his head. “Well? What is it?”
“First, I’m going to pay another visit to the Dragon Queen. We need their help.”
“Do you think they will agree?”
“I don’t know. She said she wouldn’t fight, but she also said I could call on her again. I have to ask.”
“All right, you said first. Then what?”
Kiora bit her lip. “Then I need to find somewhere isolated.” She walked past him to the balcony.
“Isolated?” Emane said, following. “You’re going off alone again?”
“I need to see what I can really do.” She plopped in one of the chairs and motioned to the other. “We can’t devise a plan until I know what I am capable of doing.”
“We already know what you’re capable of doing.”
Kiora pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “No, we don’t. I have Lomay’s magic now, and . . .” Her cheeks pinked. “On our way to Tavea, Arturo accused me of still holding back. He was right.”
“That was holding back?” Emane asked.
Kiora nodded. When Emane was silent, she looked up at him. “What are you thinking?”
Emane’s brow creased. “I don’t understand. We have been through so much. How could you still be holding back?”
“I have only let my magic truly go in Meros. You must remember how much it terrified me.”
He frowned and moved his weight to the other side of the chair, as if looking at her from another angle would help him see through her reasons.
Kiora looked up to Lomay’s glistening gold barrier that flickered just beneath the blackened one, trying to garner enough courage to be honest. “Letting it go like that felt so . . . good. I didn’t want to shut it off and I almost lost myself. Now I have so much more magic than I ever did, and I can’t begin to imagine what it would feel like to truly let it go, to feel it rushing through me . . .” She shivered as goose bumps ran up her arms. “I’m worried that if I do, I will crave it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with feeling good,” Emane said. “The magic is a part of you.”
“It doesn’t just feel good,” Kiora said, leveling her gaze with his. “It feels like power.”
“And you’re worried that if you let it go, you will turn into Jasmine,” he said slowly.
Kiora closed her eyes, nodding in shame. “I have the magic, and I have the talisman. Who’s to say I won’t?”
“Kiora, as long as you fear it, you will never let it happen.”
“What if I stop fearing it?”
“You won’t.” He reached out to grab her hand, but hesitated, dropping his hand on the arm of her chair instead. “Would you like to know why?”
Kiora looked over at him, desperately hoping he had an answer.
“That innocence, that goodness you think makes you so weak—it’s exactly what will shield you from the power. Jasmine was bitter and angry, and her power fed it. Your very nature is what makes you exceptional. That is why you can withstand this amount of power without it warping your mind and soul. That is why you are Nestor’s exception. That is why you are the Solus.”
Kiora smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time.
Emane leaned back. “You’re welcome. Although I still don’t like the idea of you going off alone again.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I know.”
He stood to go. Kiora locked her magic up and reached for his hand, gently wrapping her fingers around his. He looked down at her touch with a bit of wonder.
“Thank you for still being here for me,” she said.
He squeezed her hand. “Until the end.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Recruiting Shifters
KIORA WAS WAITING FOR Drustan to finish up his third helping of breakfast. He returned from the kitchens looking satisfied. “Ready?” he asked.
“Did Alcander give you directions?” she asked as they walked.
“More or less. He got me to the right river. I’m not sure how far downstream we are headed.”
As they approached Emane and Alcander at the end of the tunnel, Emane handed his sword to Alcander. “Try to take it easy with the weapons. I won’t be here to heal anyone.”
“I understand.”
“Don’t break my sword. Or ding it. Or—”
“I’ve got it, Emane,” Alcander said, interrupting his lecture. “What if you need it?”
Emane shrugged. “We only have two swords. It has to stay.”
“We will be fine,” Kiora said. “If the sword vanishes out of your hand during training, you’ll know we needed it.”
Emane immediately looked more comfortable.
“Make sure someone is at the door to let the rebels and the Guardians in,” Kiora reminded Alcander.
“Yes, I know,” Alcander said dryly.
Kiora used her magic to pull back the stone door. “Anything else I need to know about the camp where Lomay hid the Shifters? Any magical traps I should be aware of?”
“I don’t think so,” Alcander said. “Given the circumstances, I doubt he would have had the time to put any up.”
“Let’s be honest, Alcander,” Drustan said. “He wouldn’t have bothered with any.”
Alcander shrugged. “Probably correct.”
“Before I go and appeal to my people to join us, I need your word on something,” Drustan said, looking at Alcander. “I need you to promise that you will treat them as equals. O
nce they pass through this magic,” he pointed to the protection sheeting down, “they are one of us. Not Shifters, not the enemy, and certainly not below you. It will be difficult for all of you to let go of the past, but it must be done or everything will fall apart.”
Alcander evaluated him before giving him a curt nod. “You have my word.”
“As the king of Tavea?”
One corner of Alcander’s mouth turned up. “As the king of Tavea.”
“Excellent. Let’s be on our way then, shall we?” Drustan grabbed Emane’s arm and dragged him out the door, throwing a bubble for the pair of them.
Alcander shook his head with a smile. “He’s not so bad at times.”
“I wasn’t sure you would like his ultimatum.”
“I wasn’t referring to that.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “I like it that he made sure I could say good-bye to you . . . alone.”
Kiora turned red. “Oh.”
Leaning down, he kissed her, allowing his magic to pour through her. She gasped and felt his lips curl into a smile against hers.
Pulling back, he ran his finger down her cheek. “Be safe.”
“Always.” She turned to go.
Alcander held on to her hand and gently pulled her back, clutching her tightly to his chest. “Emane told me what you talked about last night—about you holding back.”
Kiora jerked in surprise. “He did?”
“He did, and I have a question for you.” He looked down at her, his eyes glinting mischievously. “Do you hold back when we are together?”
Kiora went from red to beet red. Her cheeks flamed and her stomach twisted. “I . . . well . . .”
Alcander chuckled. He leaned down until his lips were against her ear. “That was a yes, and I would very much like you to stop holding back.” Kiora’s mouth was full of cotton as he smirked, nudging her gently toward the door. “Drustan can only hold a bubble for so long.”
***
THE SHIFTER CAMP WAS located between the city and Lake Everleen. They flew over a thickly forested area consisting mainly of pine that made Kiora homesick. Emane must have noticed her longing looks over Drustan’s side because his voice came from behind her.
“Looks a little like home, doesn’t it?”
Kiora smiled wistfully. “It does.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes.” Kiora glanced back at Emane. “I asked Eleana to close the gate again if we lost this war.”
He thought about it for a moment, then smiled. “Thank you.”
“Almost there,” Drustan said as he veered gently to the side.
Kiora was mentally running through the many scenarios of how this could go horribly wrong, and how to prevent it. If she wasn’t careful, she was likely to have a battle right there in camp.
As the sun moved back down the western horizon, the trees below them opened, exposing a river that was cutting its way through rock. Drustan dropped down. He positioned himself between the two banks, keeping his wings free from the reaching arms of the trees, and followed the river downstream on its dangerous path.
The river was wild and rushing, rapids bursting from the surface. Sprays of white water reflected the oranges and reds of the setting sun. Steep drops in the riverbed would suddenly dump into swirling pools—natural tools of death for those unfortunate enough to be caught in the undercurrents. It was violent, and yet beautiful in its ruggedness.
Continuing downriver, the water began to calm. The craggy rock walls on both sides grew taller, the sandy beaches between the river and rock growing wider. Drustan swooped in over a particularly wide section of beach, passing through a barrier and coming in fast. He pushed his feet back into the sand, practically sitting down as he slid forward, trying to avoid slamming into the rock canyon wall at the back.
Shouts of alarm went up and Kiora instinctively threw a shield—a little larger than she’d intended. The boom echoed and bounced off the walls. Drustan skidded to a stop. Kiora regained her breath as the sharp sound of cracking rock and rumbling filled the air.
All eyes turned upward as great pieces of rock leaned forward, cleaved from their resting places. They teetered there for a moment, and Kiora thought that perhaps, by some miracle, the cliff-side would hold. The entire camp held their breath, the tiny tings of pebbles and dirt skipping and bouncing down the cliff the only sounds.
And then the rocks fell.
First one large slab of stone ripped itself free. It fell for a moment, surreal in its silence, before slamming into the cliff and setting the imminent collapse in motion.
The Shifters around her screamed, scrambling to change into something that could fly—there was no time.
The first few rocks crashed onto the beach. Sand sprayed up like geysers. Kiora threw another shield, doming it up and out as fast as she could. The roar of falling rock and sand buried the sound of screams.
The bulk of the landslide slammed into their only protection. Her shield held, and the rocks slipped down the steep backside and into the river behind them. Muddy water splashed around in giant waves.
That was too close. Kiora closed her eyes and took a cleansing breath as the last pieces of sand and dirt pitter-pattered down her shield and into the river. She looked at the camp of Shifters, who stared at her in dumbfounded silence.
A moan emerged from the back of the group.
Kiora and Emane grabbed hold of Drustan’s tail and he lowered them to the ground. She pushed her way through the crowd of Shifters to where one woman had been caught by the first falling rock. She had been midway through the shift into a Winged person, the buds of two white wings poked out from her back. Her leg was pinned under a boulder and she pulled against it, trying to free herself, only to cry out in pain.
“Emane!” Kiora yelled.
She willed the stone upward as Emane knelt next to the Shifter. His hands skimmed over her bloody and mangled legs, trying to pinpoint the injuries. “Does anything besides your legs hurt?” he asked.
The Shifter’s face was twisted in pain. She gave a tight head-shake to the negative.
“Hold still,” Emane said. He placed his hands on her legs, trying to be gentle.
The Shifter grimaced and looked away, expecting more pain. But as the bones in her leg slid together and there was none, she slowly turned her head back. Her eyes widened as she watched the wounds fade and her torn flesh knit back together.
“Better?” Emane asked.
The Shifter looked back and forth between her legs and Emane in awe. “But you don’t have any magic.”
Emane leaned forward with a good-natured smile. Kiora had never seen him use that smile when a comment regarding his lack of magic was in play. “I obviously have a little.”
“Thank you,” she whispered with wonder.
“You’re welcome.” Emane held out his hand and helped her to her feet.
A Shifter stepped forward. “What is going on?” he demanded “Are you here to bring us back to Lomay?”
Drustan shifted into his preferred human form and came up behind Kiora. “Lomay is dead,” he announced.
A murmur of disbelief ran down the beach.
Drustan put his hand on Kiora’s lower back and turned her, nudging her toward the river. “I would feel much better if you weren’t surrounded,” he whispered in her ear.
Kiora allowed him to lead her until the river was at their backs. His hand returned to his side and Kiora noticed he was wearing the silver bracelet that was used to enslave the Shifters—the fake Lomay had given him in the canyon. When had he put that back on?
The Shifters slid into human forms. Their murmurs built to a crescendo, each repeating the announcement. “Lomay is dead.”
Kiora held up her hands. “Quiet, please.” The volume dissipated and she spoke over the lingering noise. “We are not here to bring anyone back who does not wish to come. We are here to remove your bracelets.”
Again, silence rippled across the
beach. Some looked shocked, others hopeful, the rest—dubious.
“Why would you do that?” someone called out, speaking what many were thinking. Nods of agreement circulated.
“We all have a right to freedom, and Lomay took that from you. I am here to return what is rightfully yours,” Kiora said. “We are on the verge of confronting the Shadow and I need all the help I can get. I need your help. We need smiths and metalworkers, and I hear you are exceptionally skilled. But I will not take that help in the form of slavery. I am here on the hope that some of you will choose to side with me. To fight with the rebels of your own free will.” She paused to let her words sink into their disbelieving ears. “I can’t guarantee that you will live, or that we will win—I know you are all well aware of the stakes. But if we do win, I can guarantee your freedom.” Kiora tried to meet as many of their eyes as she could, hoping to help them see the sincerity behind her words.
A large Shifter scoffed as he strolled forward. “That was a pretty speech, Solus. But you come here speaking of freedom while riding a braceleted Shifter. You speak of choice and rights, but he is still enslaved to you.”
Drustan held up his arm. The silver bands caught some of the last rays of the setting sun and flashed. “I am not enslaved, and I never was.” He pulled the bracelet off and tossed it into the river behind him. “The one I wore in the canyon was a fake, removable at any time.”
The Shifter’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Drustan’s naked wrist, trying to determine what type of trickery had just been employed. “Lies,” he said. “Lomay would never have allowed that.”
“Had I wandered into your camp alone, you are correct. But I didn’t. I wandered in with the Solus and her Protector. Kiora and Emane both stood between Lomay and me, ensuring I didn’t receive a bracelet.”
Whispers flew. Many eyed their own bracelets.
“And if we choose to fight against you?” a different Shifter asked.
“Regardless of your choice, the bracelets will be removed. You will be free to join the Shadow,” Kiora said. “But I warn you—hers would be another form of slavery, one where you are forced to murder, where you are disposable —the kind of slavery the Shifters have been subjected to from the beginning.”
