Voice of Life (The Spoken Mage Book 4)

by Melanie Cellier

  I took his hand and squeezed it.

  “And the front doors?” I asked. “Was that Walden, too?”

  “The front doors?” Dariela frowned. “I know nothing of that. Your family are meeting with Lorcan in his office. When they finish and leave the Academy, they are to be assassinated on the front steps, viewed through the gates by the law enforcement guards conveniently summoned by Duke Lennox just in time to see—but not prevent—the spectacle. Kallorway wishes to send a message. And the Ellingtons wish that message to be received by the people of Ardann. The external protections won’t interfere with any of that. In fact, they’ll assist to keep the guards back.”

  Finnian frowned. “Then who secured the doors?”

  “Lorcan,” I said. “It has to be. When he realized no one else would be able to get through, he must have hoped to raise as many barriers between the assassins and their targets as possible—force them to burn compositions before ever they get near their intended victims. And he’s retreated into the Academy’s inner sanctum to keep the royals safe until help arrives.”

  “But if he knows the external protection is up, then he knows there is no help coming,” Coralie said.

  “But there is help coming.” I looked first at Lucas and then my friends and last at Dariela. “We came, didn’t we?”

  Coralie gripped her bottom lip between her teeth, looking equal parts determined and terrified.

  “We have to get to them,” Lucas said. “Before the assassins decide it’s time to switch plans and forget the steps.”

  He moved first, but the rest of us were right behind him, rushing toward the door to Lorcan’s office.

  “How many assassins are there?” Lucas asked Dariela.

  She shrugged helplessly. “That was the Kallorwegian part of the plan. I never heard the details.”

  As we approached the external door to Lorcan’s waiting room, we could hear no fighting, nor any screams or cries. Cautiously Lucas inched it open, peering inside before swinging it wide and entering freely.

  “Thornton?”

  Our combat instructor stood in front of the closed door to Lorcan’s study, a drawn sword in one hand and a curl of parchment in the other.

  “Thank goodness,” I said. “So they’re still safe? They’re inside?”

  Instead of answering, Thornton’s eyes narrowed into slits, his gaze roaming over us to settle suspiciously on Dariela.

  “She’s with us now,” said Lucas. “I take it you know about Walden, then?”

  Thornton relaxed, but only slightly.

  “I saw him kill that messenger with my own eyes. To be honest, I didn’t think he had it in him.” Thornton looked disgusted rather than impressed, however. “By the time I got to Lorcan and Their Majesties, Walden had somehow managed to raise the border protections—and to lock them in place so Lorcan couldn’t remove them. Which means Their Majesties and the princess can’t get out. Other protections, however, are down. Such as the one that should have notified Lorcan of intruders on the premises. Except the one limiting communication via composition.” He sounded grim. “That one is still in place.”

  “So Lorcan secured the building and retreated in here.” Lucas nodded. “A sound plan. But you’re going to need some help if you’re going to hold that door. That’s what we’re here for.”

  Thornton looked us up and down measuringly, an uncertainty lingering in his eyes. Was he thinking of Clarence?

  “You’ve trained us for this,” I said softly. “We won’t fail you. Shield.” My power sprang up in individual bubbles around each of us. I hadn’t placed a single limitation on my working. I would keep us all alive if it killed me.

  Something like relief washed over Thornton’s face. Had it been our identities he questioned?

  “Actually,” he said. “That’s not what’s going on. You need to—”

  An explosion rocked the room as the wooden door we had closed behind us blew off its hinges, catapulting into the room with a wall of flame. What would have happened to Thornton without our presence I didn’t know, but my shield held firm, not so much as a breeze rustling anyone’s hair.

  Coralie looked at me in concern, and I smiled at her reassuringly. I overflowed with energy already, and I could feel the trainees and servants who still remained in the building, an untapped source of more power.

  Every one of my friends withdrew a parchment as five mages in black robes barreled through the smoking doorway, their own shields firmly in place. I drew a breath, my mind racing through the possibilities, when a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back two steps.

  Thornton leaned over to speak quietly into my ear.

  “They’re not here. This is a diversion.”

  “What?” I stared up at him, my attempts at a composition entirely derailed.

  “I will hold this door to my death to convince the Kallorwegians otherwise, but Lorcan had somewhere stronger to go. He took them to the dining hall. After your first year exams, he set up extra protections there so it could be used as a gathering place for the trainees in an emergency. He’s hoping Walden doesn’t know about those.”

  I swallowed. If Walden did, then he would know Lorcan would go straight there. If he had enough assassins, he might have decided to send attackers to both places, just to be sure. My friends had entered battle, but I couldn’t follow the action or assist them. My mind seemed at once frozen and scrambling too fast to be of any use. I couldn’t pull up a single word in front of my eyes.

  “You need to go to them,” Thornton said. “Protect them. I’ll remain here.”

  I shook my head. “Alone? You’ll be killed.”

  He raised his sword and stepped to the side to engage one of the Kallorwegians who had made it past my friends. Looking back over his shoulder, he actually smiled.

  “Don’t underestimate me.”

  Finnian grabbed at my shoulder, spinning me back around. From the look on his face, he had gathered the gist at least of Thornton’s words.

  “If we all leave it will be too obvious,” he said, his words slurring together in their speed. “They might follow us and make things worse. We’ll stay here to help Thornton. With four of us we should be able to keep them distracted while you and Lucas go.”

  I hesitated. If I left, I would have to drop my shields around them. I couldn’t keep them up from such a distance in the chaos of whatever fights I would encounter. It would mean leaving them potentially to die.

  “Go!” hissed Coralie, dashing past as she tore a parchment and sent a wind sweeping through the room. It broke against the assassins’ shields, but succeeded in pushing them to one side, clearing my way to the door.

  And in that moment, I knew Lorcan was right. I had to trust my friends to stand on their own—as they trusted me. Too much rode on us now for me to think I could carry this whole load on my shoulders.

  With a nod, I ran forward, ducking beneath a fire ball that sent a nearby sofa into flames. As I passed Lucas, I grabbed him around the forearm, yanking him away from his opponent and out the empty doorway before he realized what had happened.

  “Elena, what are you—” He struggled to free himself from my grip.

  “They aren’t there,” I said, and he instantly stopped struggling. “Come on!”

  He raced beside me as I barreled down the long corridor toward the entrance and the dining hall on the other side of it. His trust touched me, and I panted out an explanation as we ran.

  “He’s a diversion. They aren’t there. Lorcan has them in the dining hall.”

  “But, Finnian and—”

  “They know. They’re staying to keep those ones busy.”

  “Maybe the Kallorwegians don’t know,” he panted out as we slid through the now empty entrance hall, all of the trainees having passed through to whatever exit Calix and Weston had managed to clear.

  “Maybe.” I could hear the disbelieving note in my voice, and Lucas didn’t press the point.

  He had his hand on the handle of one
of the dining hall doors when running feet came thundering from the direction of the library. He let it go and stepped away, but the Kallorwegians had already seen us. If they had been unsure where to look for the royals before, they had a good idea where they might find them now.

  “We keep them here,” he said to me. “They don’t get through this door.”

  His voice must have carried further than I thought because the door behind us cracked open.

  “Lucas!” His sister’s face appeared, astonishment and relief competing for prominence.

  “Get back inside,” Lucas snapped. “And stay there!”

  He stepped forward, placing himself in front of me, where his bulk blocked the slim opening from view of the mages who were pouring into the entrance hall. I glanced back in time to see a flash of red and gold before the princess disappeared as if pulled away by someone. Lorcan took her place.

  “Elena!” Horror was replaced with relief.

  “They’re coming,” I said. “Get that door closed.”

  Lorcan hesitated.

  “We’ve sent the trainees out,” I said. “And the servants. Everyone we could. We’ll hold the Kallorwegians here. If we can’t, it will be up to you and whatever guards you’ve got with you to get the royals out. If you can make it past the gate, Thaddeus is waiting.”

  Lucas had drawn his sword and already ripped two compositions with the aid of his teeth. I turned back toward him, ready to help, but Lorcan called to me again.

  “Elena! Walden, he—”

  I threw a final glance over my shoulder. “I know! Now get that door closed!”

  The thud of wood against wood sounded, and then power blossomed at my back. I nodded with satisfaction and surveyed the scene in front of me.

  I had withdrawn my shield around the others, but it remained around Lucas, and from the jolts I had felt it had already seen use. The black-robed assassins caught sight of me, and a ripple of movement spread through them as all of their hands dived for their robes. They hadn’t been expecting me, so perhaps they had run the risk of lighter shields, holding their stronger compositions back in case of need.

  “Drain!” I screamed, and my power raced against the speed of their hands. Most of them managed to rip their compositions in time, but one was a beat behind the rest.

  My power caught him before he could release his shield, ripping the energy from him so fast that his body jerked, his composition slipping from his fingers. The speed had kept me from setting any limitations, and my power drained him before I had time to think about what was happening.

  My own body jerked at the horrible feeling of my power ripping the last breath from his body. He swayed in place for the briefest second, and then his body crumpled to the floor. I wavered, a brief and violent sickness sweeping through me before I forced it back.

  My power still beat against the others’ shields, and I let it. Filled with their companion’s energy, I could afford to weaken them. But as fast as my power drained their shields, they ripped new ones, overlapping them so that they were never left unprotected. Six of them still remained, and even with my vast stores of energy, I could feel myself slowly draining.

  Lucas darted to my side, his sword dripping red. Following his trajectory, I saw an assassin lying face down, blood pooling around him. I cut off the power that beat against his now pointless shield.

  “They have limitations,” Lucas said. “Their shields, I mean. They’ve put all their power into protecting against your attack, and their protections against physical attack are weak.”

  Lucas had still had no proper opportunity to replenish his own compositions, although he had used several of the ones I collected in Kallorway for him. I knew they wouldn’t have the strength of his own, though.

  He didn’t hesitate, however, wielding his sword as if he considered it an equally satisfactory weapon. I would have to be his power, and he would be my arm.

  “Her,” I said, pointing at one of the attackers at random.

  Lucas didn’t need an explanation, racing straight for her as I whispered, “Attack.” An ornate lantern tore itself from the room and flung itself at her, beating against an invisible shield. I could already feel how much weaker this layer of shielding against physical attack was. It crumpled just as Lucas reached her.

  She tried to tear another composition, but her hands trembled, and she didn’t manage it in time to save herself from his blade.

  We had reduced their numbers to four, but the remaining assassins had realized our strategy. When Lucas approached the next of them, not only had he already set a third layer of shielding around himself, but he had his sword drawn and ready. One of the others approached close, ready to back him up, and I pulled my sword free, ready to fight beside Lucas if needed.

  Before I could move toward him, however, a fresh assault hit both of our shields. Lucas didn’t even pause, his sword flashing as he attacked the two assassins near him. But I staggered from the sheer force of the power hitting us and the resultant speed of the energy drain.

  I had barely regained my balance when a sword flashed past my face, deflected by my shield. The remaining two attackers had come for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw one of Lucas’s attackers fall before his blade, but I didn’t have time to check.

  The clatter of feet on the stairs sounded above the ring of blades and the whoosh of a wind someone had unleashed. I looked up in time to see a group of at least ten servants frozen on the lower portion of the stairs. My eyes just had time to meet Saffron’s at the back of the group before I heard a ripping sound beside me.

  “Shield!” I screamed. My power sped across the room, racing the power released by the assassin beside me.

  But his outpaced mine, staying just ahead. I could do nothing else to protect the servants from this distance, but my body reacted instinctively anyway. I careened past my attackers, saved only by my shield which shoved them out of my way. But I had only made it a couple of strides when the assault composition hit the huddled commonborns.

  The assassin’s power burst against a solid shield, however, and Saffron pushed to the front of the group, two parchment halves slipping from her fingers. I breathed a sigh of relief as my own shield enclosed them just as Saffron’s protection cracked.

  “Get them out of here,” I called to her.

  Her eyes flew behind me, to the closed and shielded dining hall door, and then across to the closed and shielded main doors. Desperately I saw her look up the opposite corridor toward Lorcan’s office.

  Two black-robed shapes appeared blocking the gap, and my stomach dropped. Where were Finnian and Coralie? Had the attackers realized the ploy and given up?

  But there was no sign of my friends chasing them down, coming to join the fight.

  The two new assassins immediately began to pull out composition after composition, making no effort to reach for their swords. Their appearance allowed the two near me to resume their physical attack, one running to the new group while one remained near me.

  My shields protected everyone, holding back the swords, but each new composition and each new sword blow drained more of my energy. Lucas had managed to disable one of his attackers and sparred with the second, keeping him from joining the drain on me, but it wasn’t enough.

  Saffron began to usher the servants back up the stairs, but the Kallorwegians continued to hurl compositions after them, forcing me to keep my shielding going. I swayed, my mind racing frantically as I tried to work out how to best use my remaining energy. But exhaustion pulled at me, making it hard to think.

  I needed to replenish my energy from the servants. The further they got up the stairs, the harder it would be for me to do so. I needed to act now.

  The letters that would spell out the single word I needed—drain—struggled to form in my tired brain. I pulled them into line, only for them to shatter as Dariela came charging past the assassins at the entrance to the corridor. I felt the power shielding her, and I felt it flicker. Abandon
ing my letters, I pulled up new ones.

  “Shield,” I said, yet again, extending my protection over her too.

  My knees buckled, and I dropped onto them, only barely keeping from keeling over completely. Dariela nearly collided with me, my shield recognizing that she wasn’t a threat. She tried to pull me to my feet.

  “He’s coming,” she panted.

  “Who?” I gasped out, but she didn’t need to answer.

  Brushing past the assassins, who still continued their attack with what seemed to be endless compositions, Walden hurried into the room.

  He paused and took in the situation in an instant. His eyes latched onto my pale, sweating face, and he smiled. His hand thrust into a pocket, and I reformed the mental letters I needed for a draining composition. I needed energy, and I needed it now.

  He tore his working before I managed to speak mine, although only just. His power surged, racing toward Lucas, Dariela, and the servants simultaneously. When it reached its destination, it took me by surprise, shaping itself into a shield, a second layer encircling the shield of my own that already protected them.

  Then my draining composition smashed into his barrier around the servants, and I understood the purpose of his working. He had blocked me from accessing their energy—no doubt while leaving them open to physical attack, forcing me to maintain my own shields around them. With the rest of the Academy evacuated, and those in the dining hall protected behind their own shields, I had no one left to drain.

  The Kallorwegian attackers took only seconds to comprehend the new state of affairs, and they shifted their attacks, aiming swords toward my friends but power toward me. One of them collapsed an upper section of the stairs, trapping the servants and Saffron within their reach.

  And, worst of all, two of them had now begun a steady assault on the dining hall door. I considered throwing another shield across it, but I was already stretched dangerously thin.

  Walden withdrew a parchment, moving slowly this time, smiling across the distance at me. My stomach turned. Nothing about him proclaimed the fighter, but in a war of words, his cunning mind was the most dangerous thing present.