by Ciara Graves
“Sister Agnes.” I bowed my head in respect.
She rolled her eyes.
“What?”
“You disappoint me, Chas, that’s what,” she muttered with a sigh. “You haven’t fallen for a simple trick like that in years. Hmm? What’s happened?”
“Nothing happened,” I argued, following her with a wince at the soreness in my back and head.
“Liar. You are a terrible liar. Always have been. ” She wandered through the stacks of crates and tables until she reached the rear of the building that was her workshop. In addition to where all the already crafted staves, wands, totems, and other essential weapons were stored and kept safe.
Next to the locked cage wall, more tables were laden with materials and potion ingredients. More items than I cared to count, seeing as how growing up I’d spent the majority of my time here, in this very shop, working alongside Agnes. And what did I have to do when I messed up? Organize and clean every damned inch of this place.
“So, what happened to you?” She set her staff on hooks on the back wall and picked up a nearby dagger and a polishing cloth.
I shrugged nonchalantly. “First day with the new recruits that you and Moran insisted I mingle with,” I reminded her. “You know I don’t do well with people.”
“And?”
I grunted, miming strangling her.
Her bright golden glare pierced me with a stare.
I dropped my hands. “And Moran made me show everyone my shifting. Old bastard.”
Her eyes flared brighter as she sighed. “Of course, he did,” she muttered, her focus returning to the dagger. “He has his reasons I suppose.”
“That’s it?” I asked confused. “You’re not going to give him crap for it?”
“No, I’m not, and you shouldn’t either.”
I leaned back against a nearby table watching her closely. “This have anything to do with the missive he received this morning?”
“The one you tried to break into his office to see?”
I shrugged. “Have to do something to get answers when you two clam up.”
“Though you may be his adopted son, in a sense, you do not have the security clearance to know everything,” she said without looking up. “You will just have to wait to see if he tells you or not.”
“Does it have anything to do with why he’s recruiting straight out of any year now? Including first-years?”
Her hand paused in her polishing for a split second, but I caught it.
Her jaw clenched, then she said, “Also nothing you need to worry about, not now. You have more important issues to focus on. Such as finishing your own training. Perhaps this year you can take a recruit under your tutelage.”
“No, I don’t see the point. Though Moran seemed quite insistent on my speaking to two specific recruits,” I added quietly. “I feel he’s pushing to see if we’re compatible or not. Not sure why I should care about that now.”
She pursed her lips, set the dagger down, and chucked the polishing cloth across the shop. “Of course you don’t. Damn him. I told him this needed to wait. But no, he insists on pushing forward with this madness of his.”
“What are you talking about?”
She paced from one end of the shop to the other, a habit Sister Agnes did not indulge in unless I managed to tick her off. Or when she was well and truly worried about something happening in the magical world. As close as I was to Moran, I usually knew more than most of the population did. Lately, though, any time I asked Moran if there was anything major going on, he brushed off my questions. Had been doing that even before that missive arrived this morning. I meant to ask him where the fourth member of that Elite team was. Where was their druid? I also knew that no new team had been formed in years, but I didn’t know the reason for this. Or why Moran was ready to start recruiting younger and less experienced magic-users.
“Sister Agnes,” I said quietly.
Her steps finally stilled.
“What isn’t he telling me? And what madness do you speak of?”
She approached me and placed her hands on my shoulders, gripping them hard. “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with,” she said firmly. “Understand? You have one more year before you are finished with your training. I will not have anything take you away from that. No matter what that damned man wants.”
I wanted to push the issue. Boy, did I ever. But knew she wouldn’t budge. She was, by far, the most stubborn person I’d ever met, even more so than Moran. “You’d tell me though, right? If there was something I needed to worry about?” I did ask, watching her closely.
“Yes, always,” she said quickly. “Now, tell me about these new recruits.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked, hopping up to sit on one of the tables as my thoughts drifted to one in particular. A woman with blue eyes that reminded me of a darkening night sky when she was annoyed. I inwardly cursed, knowing she was going to give me trouble.
Rori Griffith.
Even now, as I sat here, her name sounded like I should know it. Brogan seemed so certain, telling me that I had to know Rori from before. Before what? Anyway, I’d remember someone like her, or at least I, thought I would. The longer I focused on those eyes, that smile—
I frowned, feeling a weird fuzziness in my head. Why had Moran wanted me to be around them? He vaguely hinted that Brogan was a legacy and that his parents or someone else in his family had been part of the Elite teams, at one point or another. Not that I truly cared that much. I did care that Moran had some plan laid out that he was neglecting to share with me.
“Are you going to tell me or sit there daydreaming about this girl?”
“Huh? Who said anything about a girl?” I tried to make a blank face. “And I was not daydreaming about her. I was wondering why Moran is so interested in her. The other one is a legacy. A shaman. But she’s just a mage.”
“Just a mage? Who is she?” Agnes resumed the polishing of the dagger again, her gaze never leaving my face.
“She’s a mage,” I repeated with a shrug. “That’s all I know. Didn’t care to ask more at the moment.”
“Name?”
“Rori Griffith.”
Agnes froze.
“What?” I asked, worried.
She was silent.
“Agnes?”
She started polishing again, but her jaw worked as if she was having a fight with herself over—
I had no idea over what. Over Rori? Did she know her somehow? I would’ve remembered seeing Rori around. Agnes rarely left campus which meant Rori would’ve had to come here.
“Interesting,” she finally muttered tightly. “And what do you think of her so far?”
“Not sure, barely talked to her,” I replied slowly, wondering why she was acting like I hadn’t just answered that question already. “She’s got an attitude about her, I know that much. I sense her power is strong, but she doesn’t know it yet.”
“Hmm.”
“Alright, you're more secretive than usual,” I muttered, annoyed. “What’s going on with you, huh? And Moran. You’re hiding something. You both are. What is it? Are we under attack? Is there some enemy I don’t know about making plans to come after us?”
“Chas Bryce, did you just raise your voice to me?”
I crossed my arms and nodded. “Yeah. I did. Because you’ve been acting strange for the last few weeks. You can tell me all you want that it’s not my problem, but I’m a magic-user, a pretty damned strong one, and if there’s an issue, if you’re in danger, or Moran is, I can help protect you both. After all that you’ve done for me—”
“No,” she snapped. “No, you are not to get involved. Do you understand me?”
“I was trained by you and Moran,” I reminded her as I slid off the table. “I can do this. I’m ready if I need to be. Just tell me the truth. What was in the missive?”
But she was shaking her head again, and her eyes glowed bright yellow as she lost what was usually a firm g
rip on her emotions. “I will not have you putting yourself in harm’s way! I said I would keep you safe, Chas, and that is exactly what I’m going to do. You are not to run off headfirst into danger!”
“So there is a reason to worry,” I said.
She cursed.
“Just tell me!”
“No. And don’t you dare ask Moran, either. I forbid it.”
I backed away from her, my anger growing. “You are not in charge of me.”
Her eyes darkened, and she reached for me, but I backed away again. “Chas, please, you don’t know what you’re asking of me. I can’t watch you—I won’t…” She gave up on trying to find the words, but she didn’t have to say them for me to know what she spoke of.
“They died in a car accident,” I whispered. “It had nothing to do with who they were.”
She let out a shaky breath, and for the first time in my life, Agnes looked afraid. She hung her head, her silver braid falling over her shoulder. “I suppose at some point or other it would be wise to tell you the truth. Moran urged me to do it years ago, but I clung to hope that you would take a different path than your parents. I was wrong, and it appears Moran is going to shove you into this life, whether you want it or not.”
“Want what?” I demanded.
The exhilaration from using my power all evening long slipped away as a heavy dread weighed in my gut. A vise squeezed my chest the longer I looked into Agnes’s eyes, a woman I trusted since I’d come into her care. A woman I considered a second mother, after losing my own.
“Agnes?” I muttered roughly. “What truth? Tell me, damn it! What did you and Moran lie to me about all these years? What?”
Green and blue sparks flitted around my fingertips as my anger, and the horrible sensation of betrayal struck me like a punch to the gut.
“Your parents,” Agnes started then stopped, rubbing a hand down her face. “Your parents did not die in a car accident.”
“No… I was there. I was in the car with them,” I uttered. “Wasn’t I?”
“You were with them, but you were supposed to be at a safe house. You and your parents. The enemy found them, they attacked, and their leaders got away,” she explained quietly, voice wracked with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Chas. I… we failed your parents. Failed you that night and I thought, hoped that by taking you in, it would ease my pain, but all it did was make it worse.”
“Your pain,” I snapped. “Your pain? What about my pain!” I shouted. “You lied to me all these years, all of you did! Who killed them? And a safe house? What the hell happened, huh? What? Tell me, or I’ll go track down Moran and make him tell me!”
“The story is not one that can be told in a night,” she confessed. “Chas—wait!”
“Why should I?” I yelled and continued for the door. Fury flooded my veins, and the call of the forest was too strong to resist.
My walk turned into a frantic run as I took off across the dark grounds and aimed for the trees. Power flowed through my veins, and the mark on my hand pulsed a bright blue and green hue that swarmed around the rest of me until I became lost in a swirling vortex of color. The nature of the beast burst from my chest with a fierce roar, and I landed on all four paws, tearing through underbrush and mowing down small trees that blocked my path. I shook out my head, my hot breath steaming in the chilly night air.
I ran and ran until my skin tingled with the magical barricade that protected the campus from intruders. My paws slipped on wet leaves and grass as I stopped before I rammed headfirst into it. I changed direction and took off again, trotting as fast as I could. Once before, my life had been turned upside down. I thought I’d overcome it. Learned to live without my parents. Became who I was because of the two people who took me in that night.
But they lied to me. They lied about everything.
Once again, my world was spinning out of my control. The only two people I came to trust and rely on had betrayed me. It didn’t matter how strong I was now, or how impressive my druidic magic had become. My parents had been hunted down. And for what? Why? Was that why I was kept here, then? Because whoever killed them was still after me?
I climbed up along the mountainside that created the backdrop for the outpost, and when I found myself at the top, I glared at the crescent moon and the stars dotting the sky. Never before had I felt the need to have revenge, but now the very idea of hunting down and finding whoever killed my parents ignited a new, insane passion within me.
Agnes said their leaders. Plural. No matter. I swore an oath on my very druidic powers that I would find these villains, hunt them down, and kill them without mercy. Elite Guard or not, I would find out the truth, and I would destroy their lives.
Moran and Agnes would try to stop me, but if they could have their secrets, so could I.
I roared my anger into the night, and I was encased in a golden glow that fell over me like ropes, binding my words in magic and making them unbreakable.
Then they were gone, and I was left struggling to breathe from the weight of what I’d just done.
I shut my eyes, the night wind ruffling the fur of my bear body as I sank to the rocky ground.
My oath would have to be fulfilled one way, or another or I had just cursed myself, forever.
Chapter 7
Chas
My head throbbed as I stumbled out of my dorm room and into the hall. I growled under my breath at the hustle and bustle of the other recruits around me, baring my teeth at anyone who tried to talk to me. Food. I needed food and about a gallon of coffee.
I had stayed in bear form far too long and used too much magic. The aftereffect was as bad as a hangover, worse actually. I slept for maybe three hours. Today was going to be a shit day, but it was too late to turn back the clock now.
The oath I’d made was fresh in my mind, and I worried who would find out what I’d done.
I planned on avoiding Agnes as much as possible, but Moran, if I saw him, he’d be lucky if all I did was deck him, instead of shifting into bear form and tossing him around the lawn.
I somehow made my way into the hall and snagged coffee and filled my plate up with every meat available to get my strength back. I had just started digging in when someone sat down across from me.
“A bit hungry this morning, sparky,” Rori said smartly.
I lifted my head, and a growl rumbled in my chest before I could even try to hold it back.
Her brow arched but it did nothing to scare her away. “You really do look like shit. You alright?”
She was worried about me. Why? I just met her the day before, and I knew how much of a jerk I’d come across as. I remembered what Brogan told me and really looked at her, taking in every detail of her face, down to those blue eyes that filled with genuine concern for my well-being.
“Chas?”
“Rough night is all,” I finally muttered, swallowing my mouthful of food and taking a few swigs of coffee to wash it down. “Why are you sitting with me?”
“There was an open seat, and I didn’t see Brogan around yet. Sorry for trying to be civil. Don’t worry, I’ll let you eat in peace and wallow in whatever self-pity crap you try to hide from everyone else,” she snapped and grabbed her coffee, making to stand.
“Wait.” I reached for her arm. “Just, hold on, I’m sorry, alright?”
“Not a morning person?” she asked, glancing down at my hand on her arm.
“Something like that, yeah,” I replied, not sure why I grew anxious when she started to go away. “Please, you can stay here and drink your coffee if you want. I’ll try not to be such an ass.”
“You sure you can handle that? Seems a bit rough for you, after the last couple days.” But she took back her seat. “Besides, someone suggested I get to know you.”
My hand fell away, and I picked at my breakfast, not feeling as hungry as I had before. “Who?”
She tugged on one of her braids as she mumbled, “Commander Moran, actually. Never expected to meet him face to face, but
he was standing outside the hall. Said you could use some company and that getting to know you would be helpful to me. Not sure how though.”
“Me neither,” I replied quietly.
Moran was pushing her toward me, and with her sitting here, Brogan would be sure to join us. What was it with these two? I clutched at my stomach for a second, wondering if eating had even been a good idea, but the wave of nausea passed.
I was taking another long drink of my coffee when I looked at her over my cup, remembering the words she’d just thrown at me. “Self-pity.”
“What about it?”
“You said I was wallowing in self-pity. Why did you say that?”
She shrugged, fiddling with one of her braids. “You look upset, and that whole arrogant air you have going on? Seen it before. Something’s eating at you.”
“What are you, a mind-reader?” I asked, doing my best not to sound annoyed. And from the scowl she shot me, I hadn’t tried hard enough.
“No, but I’ve seen it before. The look. You know. The ‘woe is me, my life sucks, so I’m going to try and be the biggest badass around, so no one messes with me and sees it’ look.” She picked up her coffee, slowly stirring it. Then she set it back down, not seeming to want it anymore. “Just saying, you might want to try another tactic. You don’t seem very popular around here and since we’re all supposed to be this one big friendly, helpful family…” She shrugged. “Just a suggestion.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, debating if I should ask her if there was any reason we would recognize each other, or know one another, but I couldn’t get the question out.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was busy digging through every memory I had and searching for any sign of Rori in my remembrances. Nothing popped up, and I sat back with a grunt.
“Bad news from home or something? Is that why you're a cranky ass bear?”
