Out of the Mountain (22 page)

***

I showered quickly, rushing through my routine. I conjured a comfortable outfit of a loose shirt and leggings and quickly piled my damp hair into a knot on the top of my head. I slipped my dragon coin around my neck and felt a brief sadness. I missed the monks. I blew a long breath from my lungs and exited the bathroom to find Farran sitting happily at my desk.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” He smiled, jumping up to pull me into a quick hug. He conjured breakfast for me, and I dove into it hungrily. Hey, a girl’s got to eat.

“The Six have been keeping Malachi locked up in the lab,” Farran said answering my unasked questions.

“Why didn’t they just let him go?” I huffed, angry.

“There was quite a scuffle when he tried to release the prisoners and escape.”

“He tried to release the prisoners?”

“It seems that Narissa was able to ensnare him while he was checking in on the prisoners. Much like she tried to do to me the day you blocked her, I expect.”

“She marked him?” I asked, aghast.

“Oh no, she only manipulated his mind to her will. He must have held eye contact with her underling long enough for her to ensnare him and push her magic through. She manipulated him to thinking that he had to let the prisoners free and return to her at all costs. I imagine if he would have succeeded she would have marked him upon his arrival.” He frowned.

“A guard member marked and planted would certainly be in their favor,” I growled, glad that her plans hadn’t come to fruition.

“Tamora noticed the shift in him immediately and alerted the other guards. She fought him as best as she could without injuring him. The other Shuni were able to distract him long enough for me to pull him into a cell and vanish as they locked him in.” He grinned as I finished my bacon and grabbed the dagger from the desk, strapping it to my waist.

It looked odd next to my soft clothes, and Farran shook his head. With a wave of his hand I was wearing a loose, thin sleeveless white shirt that hung low under the arms, reveling a black lace bralette. Thick and tough black leather pants hugged my form tightly, and my feet were covered in my mother’s boots, the perfect match to my ensemble. I looked myself over in the mirror above my desk and smiled.

“Now you look like a badass princess.” Farran grinned, and I laughed.

“You are the best uncle ever!”

“That isn’t saying much compared to my competition,” he quipped, and I glowered at him before cracking a smile. I spotted the small dagger on the desk, and as I was about to put it into my boot sheath, I decided to show Farran what I had discovered.

“I need to show you something,” I whispered as I pricked my finger on the tip of the dagger and let a drop of blood hit the blade. Light burst from the dagger, and Farran stood, eyes wide.

“That magic . . . it feels somehow familiar to me. It is very similar to the magic you poured into Malachi . . . but it feels somehow more controlled.”

“What does that mean?”

“I think maybe you can use the daggers to channel your magic more efficiently! The amount of power you forced at him was way more than enough to serve its purpose.”

“I didn’t know how to control it; I just pushed with all I had,” I said honestly, and he nodded.

“That must be why it took you so long to recover.”

“So what does that mean? I have to stab people to help them?” I balked, and he shrugged.

“I’m not sure, but let’s go find out!” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“Malachi first,” I said, sliding the dagger into my boot.

“Oh, all right.” He pouted and led the way.

The lab was empty except for Silas, and he smiled when he saw me. I returned his smile as I looked around the room. The slabs were cleared, and there was no one in sight.

“Where’s Malachi?” I asked, and he sighed as if in aggravation.

“The Six are currently observing him.”

“What? Why?”

“It is unclear.” He didn’t sound happy about it.

“Take me to them,” I demanded, and a smile quirked on his lips.

“If you insist,” he said, turning to a recessed panel in the wall and pushing. It slid back to reveal a hallway that was lined with thick windows. The rooms we passed were empty, until we came upon the one that wasn’t. The room was larger than the rest, and in it the Six sat with their backs to the window. Chained to the wall, was Malachi.

“They moved him here this morning and have been in here since,” he growled. It didn’t appear that anyone within could see or hear us. Likewise, I couldn’t hear what was being said.

I sensed a power shoot through the air and saw Malachi flinch, and that was more than enough. I barreled through the door, banging it against the wall in the process. Startled, everyone jumped and turned to me.

“I thought I made it clear that we weren’t to be disturbed!” Mauve growled before registering who was in the room.

“The princess demanded to be brought. I obey her command,” Silas said, deliberately eyeing Mauve.

“Princess, you’ve awakened!” Mauve said, voice just a bit too easy to let me sense the lie in her words. She already knew.

“What is going on here?” I asked, crossing the room to stand with Malachi. I placed my hand on his shoulder, and he leaned into me.

“We are interrogating the traitor,” Zoran said as confusion lit on his features. The others shared similar looks. Dahlia was frowning.

“This man is no traitor,” I barked, and Mauve stood.

“He deliberately tried to set free our prisoners and attacked our guard!” she hissed, face flushed.

“He was under the control of dark magic, and I released him from it,” I growled at her, and her face darkened.

“You expect us to believe you—a barely trained child—released the hold of blood magic from him?” she scoffed, and I seethed.

“Release him.”

“We will do no such thing.”

I turned to Silas. “Release him,” I said, and he hurried to do as I asked.

“You should think about what you are about to do,” Mauve threatened, and the rest of the Six gasped at the thinly veiled threat in her tone.

“Take him to HQ,” I said, and Silas smiled proudly at me before heaving Malachi to his feet and helping him out the door. Farran was at my side, and I walked to stand directly in front of Mauve. I suppressed a gasp when I felt the dark magic radiating from her. She was under Narissa’s control. I walked to Zoran, placing my hand on his shoulder, and felt him relax as the magic surrounding him recoiled.

“She is right, Mauve. This is unnecessary,” he said, and Mauve’s eyes widened before narrowing on mine and then Farran’s in turn.

“Leave us.” She seethed and Farran pulled at my arm firmly. I could feel the magic here. How had I missed it before? My powers were growing, but I knew I couldn’t help everyone here. I was out for three days after helping Malachi, and I certainly couldn’t start swinging weapons around to test our theory without someone getting killed. I nodded to her and exited the room. I needed time to come up with a plan.

Farran didn’t speak until we were back at Guard HQ, and when we entered, he promptly started waving his arms around and magic filled the air. This was good magic, protective magic. Everyone was gathered around Malachi, and I took a seat next to him. He looked exhausted and sickly. I laid my hands on his arms the way I saw Seraphina do this morning and called my magic. It took me a minute to figure it out, but everyone sat in silence waiting. I took stock of him, and what I found shocked me. He felt even worse than he looked; his mind was battered and frail, and his power was nearly drained. I whimpered at how weary and weak he felt. I wanted to help him.

I pushed my magic into him differently, and when he realized what I was doing he jumped back, knocking me to the ground. I blinked in confusion and then realized I was too weak to stand back up.

“It’s OK, Malachi, I was only trying to help you.”

“No, you’ve already done more than enough. I’ll be fine now . . . sorry,” he said as Luca pulled me to my feet. I tried to stand on my own, and when that didn’t work, I leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around me for support.

“It’s OK.” I sighed.

“Anyone want to explain the ward?” Tamora pointed to where Farran was standing, arms crossed.

“It’s for our protection. No dark magic can enter here.”

“That ward is already on the perimeter,” Tasmin remarked.

“I don’t think its working,” I said truthfully.

“I’m inclined to agree.” Malachi sneered.

“The council are being influenced by Narissa,” I said boldly, and received mixed reactions.

“You’re out of your mind,” Adelaide scoffed.

“Surely not.” Tamora seethed.

“How do you know?” Briony yelped.

“Let her speak,” Rowan barked, silencing everyone.

“I recognized the feel of her magic from the time I . . . blocked her from attacking Farran.”

“It’s true,” Farran said as if he needed to assure them.

“I felt the same magic in the creatures and again in Malachi. Imagine my surprise when I felt it seeping out of the Six. I touched Zoran’s shoulder and felt it recoil from him. His eyes cleared and he agreed with my decision to release Malachi before Mauve sent me from the room.” I straightened my shoulders and strengthened my voice, tired of always being second guessed.

“What are we going to do?” asked Peyton, distraught.

“Well, first, I’m going to stab someone,” I quipped, pulling the dagger from its sheath. Farran laughed as the group shifted uncomfortably.

“Lead the way,” I told him, and he did.

***

Standing in front of the man once more, I realized something I had overlooked.

“I thought there were two marked found?” I asked Silas, and he rubbed his neck.

“Only one survived,” he said grimly, and I nodded, stepping toward the cell.

“Still want to take a bite?” I goaded the man, and his eyes flashed red. “Come closer then,” I dared him, and he complied, licking his lips as if his mouth was watering at the thought. It was repulsive, but I didn’t let my fear or disgust show.

“Reach me your hand,” I demanded, and he stuck it through the bars. When he saw the dagger he tried to pull back, but I gripped him tightly, bracing my feet against the bars. He screeched and writhed, trying to get away.

“Here goes nothing,” I whispered, slicing into his forearm. The dagger lit, and I watched the arc of magic leave it and pulse beneath the man’s skin. Darkness erupted from the wound and pooled into the air. I froze in place as the man fell to the ground, and a Shade appeared in front of me, eyes ablaze and fangs dripping with saliva.

“Just a bite.” A guttural voice rang out, shocking me into action as it reared toward me. I thrust the dagger firmly into the middle of the Shade and light pulsed from within it. The Shade wailed as the light spread, quickly engulfing it before it vanished. It all happened within a matter of seconds.

“Where did it go?” Silas yelped, looking around the room, sword in hand.

“I destroyed it,” I said, pointing to where it had obviously just disappeared from.

“We have fought many of these creatures, Princess. The Shade merely disappear for a moment before regrouping and coming again.” He glanced around the room warily, awaiting an attack.

“So how have you defeated them in the past, then?” I puzzled.

“We haven’t. We merely held them off until we could get behind the wards surrounding our walls or into the light. None should be able to enter this kingdom. We have lost many to the Shade.”

“It is truly gone.” Rowan spoke up from where he stood just behind me. I hadn’t heard him enter. Everyone looked at him for an explanation. “The daggers were embedded with the very essence of light by Queen Isadora. Tailored to the blood of her and the princess,” he continued.

“The dragon’s prophecy,” I recalled, but how had he known?

“I witnessed Isadora destroy many dark creatures with her blades. It is really and truly gone,” he confirmed and everyone stood more at ease. We heard coughing from the cell and turned to see the man trying to sit up from where he had fallen. He was alive!

“Open the cell!” I cried when no one moved. I ripped the keys away that I knew to be around Silas’s belt with the intention of opening it myself, but Rowan neatly plucked them from my hand and tossed them back to him.

“He is only awakening. Give us a moment to assess the situation,” Rowan grumbled, and I glared at him before walking to the cell and kneeling on the ground in front of it. The man looked at me and the second our eyes met, I knew he was restored.

“Where am I?” he asked, frightened.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe,” I replied as I reached into the cell and grasped his arm. When my fingers met his blood, my eyes darkened.

“What do you mean they can only shift with the power of the full moon?” Narissa’s voice raged into the darkness of the forest. Kieran flinched at her anger but straightened quickly.

“You know magic comes with limitations. It is one of the things we wish to change! Without the adequate power to do so, we must work around it,” he said, looking about the camp. They were surrounded by people. At least two dozen bodies stood stock-still in the night.

“Yes, I suppose you are right. The plan will still work. I just do not like having limitations.” She seethed from under her ever-present cloak. Her face was permanently hid in shadow.

“We will continue to fill Shuni with the Shade, and when the moon is full, we will unleash them upon the city and take what is rightfully ours.” Kieran’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Yes, we shall.” Narissa purred as she pulled Kieran into a harsh kiss, crying out when he tangled his hands in her hair and yanked her head back to deepen it, a growl escaping his throat at the sound.

I gasped as my eyes focused back in on my current situation. I was sitting on the dungeon floor, still holding the man’s arm, and Farran and Rowan were on each side of me. One watching me and the other watching the prisoner. Silas was opening the door to the cell, and I released the man’s arm as he helped him to his feet and out of the cell.

“You’re never going to believe this!” I exclaimed.