A Burning in the Bones (Waxways #3)

Chapter 47 Ren Monroe

47 REN MONROE

Her first thought was to mobilize as fast as possible. Any wizard who knew the standard deoxygenation spells. Even water-shaping magic would be useful. She thundered back into the war room, ready to join the others, and found Able Ockley sitting idly, watching the fires burn through the window. No one was rushing out to stop the fires. They were just… watching it happen.

“What is this? Why aren’t we getting people out there?”

“Because it’s too late,” he replied.

“Too late? We have magic. We can put those fires out.”

“We could, but the damage is already done. Look up.”

Ren crossed the room to get a better angle. Of course. The Heights, being so exposed to the elements, had been created with a highly regulated atmosphere. The system cycled through preset weather patterns that were designed to support the general vegetation and appease the wealthy residents who called the Heights home. Regulation like that could only be executed in a small, controlled environment. To achieve that, they designed a massive sphere to enclose the floating section of the city. She knew from her studies that the initial casting had required hundreds of wizards, alternating shifts for days.

It was not something they could replicate if the current sphere failed. Above, dark clouds of smoke were gathering. Pressing up against the edges of the barrier before pooling into a faux thunderhead. Clearly, there was no release valve. At least not one large enough to handle the amount of toxins that had start spilling into the air. The dome would have been designed to handle a few fires—not dozens all at once. Which meant the same spells that kept out brutal chills and harsh storms for nearly a decade were now trapping noxious fumes. How long before the air they were breathing was unsafe? Her mind went straight to solutions.

“What about Winslow’s dispersion charm? If we have enough people…”

“Where would the toxins disperse to?” Ockley asked, and it was clear that he’d been sitting there thinking about the problem since the fire began. “Dispersion magic relies on an endless atmosphere. We don’t have that in the Heights. There are release valves at the corners of the dome, designed for air rotation, but they’re not large enough to matter. Not with that much smoke.”

Ren felt helpless. “Why not destroy the barrier?”

“And expose a floating city to the elements that exist at this height? Besides, that would require power . We’d need almost everyone casting spells around the clock to actually destroy the thing. No, there’s only one option.”

Ren stared at him. “Leave. As soon as possible.”

She’d secretly been hoping that wouldn’t happen until Theo returned. The journey to Meredream felt like one they should take together. A new place, a new home, a new life. She quietly set that ideal version aside, setting it on a dusty shelf in the corner of her thoughts. The fires were forcing their hand. There was nothing else to be done.

“I’ll spread the word.”

It didn’t take long for Balmerick to fall into a frenzied panic. People were shouting down from windows, bellowing across hallways. Gathering all their personal possessions and more. There was no longer a guarantee that what they left on campus would remain safe. If they wanted something to survive, they had to take it with them. As everyone scrambled, a stream of new people began arriving at the edge of campus. Able Ockley took a small group down to greet them, worried it might be an attack, but it became clear they were trying to survive the same fires. These were the residents who’d watched them uncertainly from their windows. They’d come hoping for rescue, but the problem was that none of them had magic. When Ren and the rest of the wizards ported to Meredream, all of them would be stranded here.

“I’ll check the aerie,” Ren said, when Ockley returned. “Keep everyone moving to the portal room, and tell them to only bring what they really need.”

Small packs of wizards began making their way across the main quad. Ren saw Nevelyn Tin’Vori fronting the entrance to the portal room. She could hear her friend giving repeated instructions about what to do and what to expect. In the other direction, the nonmagical survivors were huddled, looking miserable and uncertain. That was fair, given they were now trapped on a floating island that someone had set on fire.

Someone.

Ren actually stopped walking for a second, struck by that thought. There had been several explosions. Fires were spreading more quickly than normal. The only way to break through the wards up here would be to coordinate several fires that slowly drained the magical barriers from several directions. Either the Heights had just suffered the unluckiest catastrophe ever—or someone had designed this attack. She made a mental note to ask about who’d been away from campus. But as she started walking again, she realized she had little time to play the role of spy.

When she made it to the aerie, she saw one wyvern had returned.

Finally, a stroke of good fortune. Ren found the rider halfway through stripping out of his gear. His hair was wild and windblown. He also smelled like the inside of a barn. The sort of thick animal scent that undoubtedly meant his mount had worked hard to wing their crew out west—and even harder to get back with haste. She hated to demand more of them.

“Can you manage a few more flights? Short ones this time.”

The rider didn’t complain. Instead, he nodded and put his gear back on. The rescue was arranged. She just hoped the creature had enough energy to wing the entire group to safety. It would likely take a dozen flights to get them all to the lower city. And it didn’t help that the number of people crowded by the front of campus had already grown.

Next, Ren rendezvoused at the portal room.

A proper crowd fronted the building. At least forty of the surviving wizards were already gathered. Nevelyn had been busy organizing the children. She’d apparently assigned them “buddies,” which Ren thought was a clever system. Most of their parents had approved travel to the Heights. They all believed their children would be safer there than in the city below. None of them had been notified about the change of plans to take everyone to Meredream. There wasn’t time for that. All they could hope was that the parents wanted their children in the safest place imaginable.

“Head count?” Ren asked when she reached Nevelyn.

“We’ve got forty-eight of fifty-six… I think. The children are so damn squirmy.”

“And yet, you’re quite good with them.”

Nevelyn offered her a world-class scowl. Ren grinned back at her. She’d grown to like her former accomplice. They were as close as two people could be who naturally kept the rest of the world at arm’s length. “Could you do me a favor?”

Nevelyn nodded without hesitation.

Ren kept her voice low. “When the count’s close to the full number, let me know if anyone is missing—or if you see anything odd. Those fires were no accident.” She eyed the waiting group. There were students she didn’t know, as well as the people she’d met at Beacon House. No one that she instinctively trusted or distrusted, which unfortunately made everyone a suspect. “It might be easier once everyone’s inside. What are we waiting for? Is Ingrid still working on the magic?”

Nevelyn shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just standing here and people kept assuming I was in charge for some reason.”

“Well, you are in charge.”

“I don’t want to be in charge. You be in charge.”

Ren grinned again. “Right. So we’re waiting for no reason then?”

“Gods. Feel free to make an announcement.”

More chaos ensued as everyone funneled from the courtyard and into the narrower confines of the portal room. Ren thought that Ingrid might still be touching up her spellwork. Instead, she found the old woman snuggled into one of the chairs, tucked beneath a blanket, and very soundly asleep. Ren’s second concern was that the room would not accommodate a group of their size. She’d only ever seen packs of six or seven students use the portal at once.

She watched as every seat began to fill.

Avid was at the very back of the group filing inside. She was struggling under the weight of a massive pack. “I pulled every important text I could find. I thought they’d be safe up here, but now I’m not sure. If the Makers start burning libraries in the lower city, we’ll have copies of the most important magical concepts. For future generations.”

Ren nodded at her thoughtfulness. The girl found an empty seat next to her grandmother as Nevelyn performed yet another count. Ren could hear her hissing threats at a few of the children who’d made a game out of swapping seats. It might have been funnier if they were not all heading into a forced exile. The reality was starting to set in. Like a stone in the pit of her stomach.

The wax sculpture vanished.

Ren frowned, and then finally felt the familiar pull across her bond. The walls crumbled to dust. The faces and lights around the room blended into something far darker. Ren’s feet set down inside a dark cavern. Someone had cast a light cantrip. In its glow, she saw the escort group. Her intuition about the bond had been correct. Whatever damage Dr. Horn had done was fast-healing. At least enough for her to be pulled across the world to witness what Theo wanted her to see.

No one appeared to be hurt, but where were they? Already underground? The air felt thick with heat and… something else. Ren felt a sudden tightening in the center of her chest. As if someone had knotted a rope around her heart and was now tugging it, patiently, hand over hand, in a direction that she did not want to go. It was a particular feeling of helplessness. Similar to how she’d felt on the table before their severance procedure or in Della’s half-house moments before being tortured. Like there was some inevitable presence that had been waiting for her arrival.

But then Theo stepped into her vision. That helpless feeling faded. He was wearing his protective suit and the cloak the Shiverians had provided. All the additional layers were dark fabric, which drew out the brightness of his hair and the paleness of his skin. He looked terribly handsome.

“We’re in the main boring tunnel,” Theo said, clearly speaking aloud for her benefit. “We have a few unexpected guests, but we’re safe for now. Our plan is to navigate down to the main chamber and begin soon. Is everything okay there?”

Of course. He must have felt the rush and panic of the last hour. All of that would have found its way across their bond. As raw feeling at the very least. Ren knew she could not speak to him in this form—so instead she pressed her current confluence of feelings across the bond: persistence, determination, steadiness. Yes, there were fires, but they had a plan: Meredream. Theo glanced directly at her ghostly form, nodded once, and then cut off the connection.

She could still see his eyes—like burning embers—when reality doubled back. The sculpture and the people and Nevelyn Tin’Vori hovering over her, frowning.

“What was that then?”

Ren blinked, her head suddenly swimming. “The… what I mentioned before. Theo and Dahvid and the others. They’re in the main tunnel now. About to make their approach.”

Nevelyn nodded. And then cursed. “Damn it. Lost the count. Let me start again.”

It took another loop for her to report back. They had fifty-four of the fifty-six wizards in the room. Ockley was still outside, overseeing the wyvern departure, which left one straggler.

“Someone is missing,” Ren whispered.

“Which could be suspicious—or it could mean someone slept in.”

Ren nodded. “Let’s have everyone light their candles.”

Her mind was racing as Nevelyn called out the instructions. Who was missing? If it was one of the students, she’d have no way of cross-checking the person. Able would potentially know them all, but even that felt unlikely. Was it one of the survivors she’d met at Beacon House? Ren tried to mentally walk back through that evening, every face and conversation, but her mind was tangled up in all the other logistical constraints.

The process of lighting the candle began. One of the Balmerick students detached the ceremonial rod hanging from the far wall. The lone wick was lit, and then they handed it off to the next person. Ren watched as Ellison Proctor repeated their motions. A pretense of lighting the candle that would serve the same function as actually lighting it. Slowly, the rod passed around the room clockwise. Some people were nervous, their hands trembling as they reached out. Ren watched it all and kept hoping some small detail would be jarred loose.

A few seats down from her, Ren spied the girl again: Winnie Fletcher. Her right leg was shaking nervously. She was also fiddling with her ghost-white braid again. The same way she had at Beacon House. Ren realized that her father was not here, and could not be here, as he lacked the magic to port up to the Heights. The poor girl was about to travel away from him and everything she’d ever known. No wonder she was afraid. Ren quietly slid from her seat and crouched down in front of the girl.

“Hey. There’s no need to be nervous,” Ren whispered. “This spell lets us all travel together. It’s easier that way. Strength in numbers. We’ll get there just fine. I promise.”

Winnie nodded. “It’s just… one of the other boys, he told us someone died in here.”

Ren’s heart sank into her stomach. The girl looked terrified as she recounted the rumor.

“He said there was this accident and the magic didn’t work and someone died .”

It was hard not to feel as if Timmons’s ghost were hovering behind the girl, watching and waiting for Ren’s answer. She steeled herself before looking Winnie in the eye.

“I will not let anything happen to you. I promise you. I promise it twice.”

She had no idea if the girl understood that Ren was making a double vow, but the words earned a firm nod from Winnie. Ren nodded back before taking her seat again. Even though she was sitting perfectly still, her heart was thrashing wildly in her chest. Aside from Theo’s survival, nothing right now seemed to matter more than what she’d just said to that little girl. It felt like the only road that might lead her away from her revenge and her guilt and back to something whole.

Halfway through the lighting process, Able Ockley returned. He offered her a perfunctory nod before dropping into his seat beside Avid. At least that meant one task was finished. The nonmagical survivors of the Heights were safe in the lower city. Ren’s turn arrived. She took the lighting rod and the echo of this moment was not lost on her. Two years ago, she’d stood in this very spot. Sat in this exact chair. Ren took a deep breath, lit the waiting candle, and handed the rod to the next person. She was quietly brooding when she noticed that Nevelyn was in an intense, whispered discussion with her ward. Josey nodded emphatically about something, which had Nevelyn rising and crossing the room to speak with Ren.

“Theo’s the one who’s missing,” she whispered.

Ren frowned. “Well, of course. He’s with the hunting—”

It finally hit her. Nevelyn didn’t mean her Theo. She meant the boy. The one who had made Ren laugh so hard down at Beacon House. Supposedly named for Theo Brood. A serving member of their house—and someone they’d never once thought to question or double-check, because his existence had felt like a punchline. Ren stood. She made her own scan of the room and confirmed that the boy wasn’t here. She crossed over to where Ockley sat.

“What room did you assign Theodore Crane?”

He frowned. “Third floor. Back wing… I think it was room 307.”

Her eyes swung to Avid. “How long do I have? Before the spell activates?”

“Less than thirty minutes.”

“I’ll be back. Keep everyone calm.”

Nevelyn looked ready to come with her, but Ren reassured her with a quick nod. She knew she would be fine. She’d gone toe to toe with Landwin Brood. She wasn’t afraid of Theo’s cousin. She didn’t even think it was likely that she’d find him. If he was responsible for the fires, she suspected that he would have already ported back to the lower city to rendezvous with whoever had assigned him that terrible task. But she knew that searching his room could lead to clues. She walked back across the quad, her feet aiming her toward that distant dormitory. Adrenaline pumped in her chest as she gripped and regripped her horseshoe wand. The feeling matched what was churning across her bond from Theo. Both of them were on the precipice of something terrible and uncertain. Both of them were unsure of what danger lurked around the next corner.

And still—they kept moving forward.

Into the unknown.