by Stone, Leia
“We’ll let you know,” they both said in unison.
If Nai wasn’t in my bed tonight, I’d burn the entire realm down tomorrow.
Chapter Six
We stepped into the library, and my gut churned. Acrid smoke filled the air. Justice and I wound our way through the aisles to the back of the room. Alpha Academy classes were paused until the master mages returned. Shifting over to a new king was a process, but we’d be back up and running in no time. And I’d have Nai by my side.
Kalama stood in front of the onyx door, wearing a grease-stained apron over a fitted t-shirt and pants. The kitchen maid and sister of Surlama glared at the entrance to High Mage Island as if her fierce expression alone could make it pop open.
On either side of the door sat a shallow metal bowl, each of them filled with smoking herbs.
“How are things going?” I asked.
Kalama wheeled on me. “If things were going well, I’d have the damn door open.”
Okay. She obviously took after her sister in the personality department.
“So … not well,” Justice said.
“There are fifteen spells on this door, Prince. It’s not quite as easy as making pie in the kitchen.”
“Do you need anything from me?” I asked.
She grinned like a cat who’d just spotted prey. “Well, actually, I was telling Justice—”
Justice cleared his throat. “Is there anything that I might be able to do to help you get through the protection enchantments faster?”
I frowned; my brother was clearly hiding something from me.
She barked a hard laugh and then shook her head. “You can’t help me, Second.”
She spat his pack rank out like it was acid, and I caught a glimpse of what was going on. Maybe.
“You must not be a powerful enough witch, then,” Justice taunted, his expression hardening.
‘Justice, what does she need?’ I asked.
He shook his head. ‘I don’t trust her with what she claims she needs. Remember who her sister is.’
“Listen, Midnight Heir. I said you can’t help me.” Then her gaze flicked to me. “But you can.”
Pursing my lips, I shook my head. I knew where this was going. But, with any luck, I’d be wrong. “What do you want?” I growled.
She raised a well-manicured eyebrow. “Alpha blood would increase my odds of getting this open faster.”
Of course. Just like her sister, they always wanted blood.
“No,” Justice snarled and bared his teeth.
‘Brother, if she needs it—’
‘Look what happened with her sister. They cannot be trusted with blood.’ Justice glared at her.
It was my brother’s job to protect me, so I wasn’t going to begrudge him for doing this, but if this would help her…
“I give you my blood, you’ll release the protection spells?”
Justice groaned.
She nodded, her long tight braids slithering up and down her shoulders.
“But I’ll also need you to temporarily release me from my servitude bond,” she said. “It suppresses my magic here on the island.”
I sighed.
Well, I didn’t need or even want her around anyway. She was a liability. I could get a new kitchen maid with half the baggage, so I’d give her a better offer.
“If you can get those spells off, I’ll release you permanently. But without you being bonded, what’s going to keep you from walking out that door?”
“Her integrity?” Justice snickered, and I had to take a deep breath to keep from cracking a smile.
I nudged him. ‘Not sure insulting her will help.’
“Fine,” she said, her lips pulling up on one side to give Justice a cruel half-smile. “I’ll bind myself here, to the library, first.”
She pulled a small dagger from around her waist and pricked her finger. Then she dripped a single drop into the smoking herbs. “I, Kalama, willingly bind my body and soul to Alpha Academy’s library until I break the protection spells on the portal to High Mage Island.”
The air crackled with magic, and Kalama shuddered once before she looked at me expectantly.
I glanced at Justice.
‘Don’t look at me, bro. I’m not king. I can’t let her go.’
Ugh.
“Fine. What do I need to do?” Following her instructions, I slid my own dagger from its sheath at my waist and then pricked my middle finger.
‘For the record, I think giving your blood to this woman is a horrible idea,’ Justice said as I allowed one drop to land in each bowl.
‘Noted,’ I said.
Taking in a deep breath, I did something I really hoped wouldn’t come back to bite me in the butt. “I, Courage Midnight, Alpha King, hereby release Kalama from her servant bondage so that she’ll be able to destroy all the spells, enchantments, hexes, and curses on the portal separating Alpha Island from High Mage Island. Once all the protection spells, enchantments, hexes, and curses are eliminated, she’ll be released from her bond of servitude here on Alpha Island.”
Kalama’s expression hardened. “That’s a bit more than necessary.”
I shrugged. “I’ve learned word choice matters quite a bit when it comes to magical oaths.”
She yanked the bowls containing my blood away from me and then spun on her heel, waving us off. “Now, let me work. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
Justice and I left and then made our way down to the docks.
‘I gotta say, watching you prick your finger like that gives me the willies,’ Justice said as he started the boat.
‘There’s nothing I won’t do to bring Nai home,’ I told him. Didn’t he understand? She was my other half. My brother needed to fall in love so he’d know what this all-consuming feeling was like.
I considered Kalama’s dark magic, so much like her sister’s—and then my thoughts went back to the vampire issue I needed to deal with. The idea that they drank blood and that my uncle seemed to have allowed them to … I dunno … hunt? It gave me the shivers and made me angry at the same time.
My disgust, both with the practice as well as my uncle’s apparent willingness to go along with it, hadn’t lessened. How many deaths had occurred due to vampires draining people while we’d been lied to about it? How many vampires were there left? I had way too many questions and needed more answers.
“Let’s go to Dark Row. I want to sniff around the place Kirkland died,” I told Justice.
He nodded, and we sped across the water in a speedboat toward Dark Row where I hoped to get additional information that would allow for something other than a blood payment to the freaking vampires.
The last war between the magical races was hundreds of years ago. The vampires were all but wiped out, causing what small numbers they had to retreat to caves to survive. How long did vampires live? Unless they had continued to breed … the thought made me shiver. Could they breed?
I pulled down my sunglasses and rubbed my eyes as Justice slowed the boat and brought it alongside the dock.
“Do you want to see Kirkland’s body first or talk with the mages?” Justice asked.
A shriveled corpse? I grunted and jumped out to tie the boat off. “Let’s chat up the mages. I can imagine what Kirkland’s body will look like, and I can wait to see that.”
Justice raised his eyebrows and then clapped me on the back as he stepped off the boat.
“You getting squeamish?” he asked, shaking his head. “Don’t tell me the rumors are true.”
I finished with the last buoy and straightened with a groan. “What rumors?”
Because if I had to deal with one more thing…
“Nai has turned you soft,” Justice said.
I shook my head at his antics. Then, together, we strolled toward the remains of Dark Row.
At the southernmost edge, two colorful tents stood huddled together. The yellow and green silk was streaked with soot and ash, but I couldn’t tell if these tents wer
e survivors of the fire or new installations.
The scorched earth near where Surlama’s tent had once been remained empty as did the area surrounding it.
I raised one eyebrow at my brother. ‘You totally burned down Dark Row.’ My voice was light, but he winced.
‘It was an accident … sort of.’
Four Midnight guards dressed in black leather armor stood at the edge of the blackened earth, and twenty yards south of them was a large bear shifter. It was crazy to see bears working alongside us to help the mages. It was… something I never thought possible but always wanted, for all shifters to work together again.
Guilt wiggled through me at the sight of the bear, leftover shame from Nanny Bess, and without saying a word, Justice and I detoured toward our men.
“King Courage,” said Richie, the eldest of the guards, and all four of them straightened.
I gave Richie a tight smile. “It doesn’t seem like they’re making much progress.” I waved to the expanse of ruin. “Or are they not going to rebuild it all?”
Richie shrugged, but his eyes darted a quick glance to the cluster of tents. “The word is the lower mages have lost half a dozen men in the last few days. Whatever is hunting them has been picking them off, one by one. I think they’re all staying south for that reason.”
More evidence against the vampires as they were allegedly banished to the northern cliffs.
“Right,” I muttered, then jerked my head toward the group of mages. “Let’s see if we can get some more info from them today.”
As luck would have it, the young brunette woman, who I’d originally met at the alpha castle, sat on a small wooden stool at the outskirt of the tents. She was grinding spices with a mortar and pestle, her head bowed over her work. She muttered indistinctly to herself, not even noticing our approach.
“Excuse me,” I said and was rewarded with a sharp gasp and a glare from the female mage.
“What do you want?” she snapped, pausing with the pestle in hand. “Come to gloat over our losses? Or are you going to pull your guards again?”
What was with these people? They hated me, the high mages, and pretty much everyone, it seemed.
“Why would you say that?” Justice shot back. “He sent guards—”
“Not enough!” she spat back. “Not until one of his own was killed, and even now, they all stay in their little groups, doing nothing to help.”
I raised my chin and glanced over my shoulder. “Richie!”
The four guards approached.
“Where are the other five sets of men?” I asked. As soon as he started to list the various locations, I shook my head and cut him off. “Pull them all into Dark Row. The goal is to help these people recoup, not to patrol all of Mageville.” I raised my eyebrows at the female mage. “Right?”
She winced. “If you pull them all in, then the townspeople will be left unprotected.”
I shook my head. “There are thousands of mages here. If you don’t have your own force, I suggest you create one. This isn’t my problem.”
“We’re not allowed to, bonehead.” She glared at me. “That’s why we came to you in the first place. The high mages don’t allow the mages any type of military force or mage collective.”
‘Did she really just call me a bonehead?’ I asked Justice.
He snorted but kept his attention on the mage.
Apparently, the high mages were control freaks, and the shifters were left protecting their people. That wasn’t right. Why not let them make their own police force?
It dawned on me then.
The mages would become more powerful that way. The lower-level mages outnumbered the advanced, master, and high mages, ten to one. If they were allowed to train together and create some type of organized force…
I shook my head. Another problem for future-Rage to deal with.
“We’re here trying to help. I suggest you stop calling the alpha king names,” Justice growled, and she dropped her chin to her chest. Justice ignored her obvious embarrassment and plowed on. “And maybe do what you can to help us understand what the hell is going on.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Unless you’d rather us just leave.”
The girl’s skin turned a healthy shade of pink. She swallowed hard before she looked up at us—this time with tears in her eyes. “What do you want to know?”
“Are the vampires the ones attacking your people? Are they all drained of blood?”
She frowned, eyes widening in alarm. “Vampires?”
I felt like I was having a conversation with a two-year-old, in a foreign language.
“Vampires. Blood-sucking creatures—”
“You mean the blood-mages?” she asked and then nodded. “Yes. They’re coming down from the cliffs to feed,” she muttered, almost to herself. “Plus, taking blood for their spells…”
Whoa. Whoa. “What?” My eyes widened. “Feed? You’ve known about them this whole time?”
She flicked me an irritated gaze, “Everyone knows. But your uncle and Surlama kept them satiated. Now, they’re just … running amok.”
My head spun with her words. My uncle … and Surlama?
“Surlama?” I interrupted her, my eyes widening in horror as I thought of how the witch had always demanded blood from Nai—and me.
She wouldn’t have been … a … blood mage, would she?
If the vampires were really blood-mages … and used blood in spells as well as consumed it, then…
The woman looked up at me with a sugary smile. “Surlama was a blood mage. But if you want to call them vampires, they don’t care.” She cocked her head to the side. “Didn’t you know?”
That meant that…
“Kalama!” Justice and I both said at the same time.
‘Noble?’
‘What’s up?’
I nearly sagged with relief at his voice. ‘I need you to go check on Kalama in the library. Take a few guards with you, and…’
‘And what?’ Noble asked when I grew silent.
After all this, I couldn’t very well let her get away.
‘And detain her. I’ll need to talk to her when I get back.’
I turned my attention back to the female mage. It was time to divide and conquer, and right now, I trusted my brother’s head better than mine. “Tell my brother everything you know about blood-mages.” I pointed to my brother. “He’ll stay here with you.”
‘Sorry, bro,’ I told Justice.
He shrugged. ‘I understand.’
“Richie…” I turned to the guard. “I need you to go through Mageville and pick two dozen young mage men who have some semblance of wit about them. Teach them how to run patrols, defense, craft weapons, anything so they can learn to take care of themselves.” I wasn’t the damn alpha of mages. They needed to figure their own crap out.
I spotted another group of four guards and called them over. “I need you four to come with me. We need to go examine where Kirkland was attacked.”
‘I’ll meet you at the boat in an hour,’ I told Justice.
As I strode away, I let my wolf surge to the surface. Dropping to all fours, I raced past Dark Row and headed north.
So many thoughts swirled around in my head. Where in the mage hell was Nai? What would I do if the vampires really were back? How deep and dark did my uncle’s secrets go? Could I even do this alone? Surlama had been one of them the entire time! There was a reason we used to be Shifter Island. There was a reason we all banded together. Because when enemies like blood mages came calling, we stood stronger together. Something I thought we’d been doing just as wolves. But if my uncle had simply been paying the vampires off with a blood payment, then … well, that didn’t sit well with me. I wouldn’t do that.
My paws pounded the ground, and my men ran behind me as I followed the sickly smell of death and dark magic.
‘Any word on Nai?’ I asked Noble.
‘No, brother, I’m sorry. After we detain Kalama, I’ll go to the mortal portal and
see if her aunt is working again. I’ll try to pry some more information.’
A small measure of relief wormed through me. At least, we were doing something.
I tracked the scent of decay, blood, and rotten flesh to the base of the north cliffs above Dark Row and pulled to a stop as the scent became overwhelming. I lifted my snout from the ground to lessen the smell as I slipped into the thick tree line. The underbrush was smashed and broken, and there were clear tracks where a body had been dragged. My heart squeezed with guilt, but my nostrils flared in anger. I hated that one of my own went out like this.
When I reached the base of a large oak, I saw Kirkland, or rather what was left of him. His entire form was a shriveled husk, lying in a collapsed guard uniform; his skin was mottled and putrid.
I wrinkled my nose at the stench.
Blood magic. Death. Wolf. And another smell … like carrion times a million.
How had it taken only seconds for the blood mage to do that?
I tipped my head back and howled long and deep. I was angry. Beyond angry. My uncle left me a legit shit storm as an inheritance. And totally unprepared. Worse than that was the sinking feeling of despair hanging in my chest. I wanted my fated mate with me, by my side to help me figure this mess out. Regardless of what Justice said, Nai didn’t make me weaker; she made me stronger.
There was something I’d intended to do the first day as king, but I’d put it off because I wanted her with me for this historic moment. However, I couldn’t wait any longer. Now that the blood mages, aka vampires, were back, I needed to unite our people before we were picked off and washed out.
Turning, I spun and headed for the dock.
‘Justice? You ready?’
‘I’m on my way to the dock now.’
I pushed harder into the run with my guards following behind me.
‘Noble,’ I said, scouting the area with the other wolves as we ran back to Dark Row. ‘Prepare to send out thousands of invitations.’
My brother’s energy bristled before he responded. ‘Invitations for what?’
I sent out my next thought to both Noble and Justice. ‘I’ll officially declare the island to be Shifter Island once again. Every single shifter animal needs to come home.’
