26. The Rite
CHAPTER 26
The Rite
ALIA & SHEN
Alia
I t was him all along. And looking into his eyes, I knew he knew that I now knew.
I wouldn’t lose him. I couldn’t, regardless of what he was. He had freedom to fight for and too much to live for.
A surge of anger coursed through me. The thought of him even contemplating trading his life for mine… I wouldn’t allow him to commit such a sacrificial act so cheaply. No. He’d better freakin’ live to explain everything.
For the first time, I planned to use my Gift as a weapon. Let’s see the Reds face the monster they’ve created.
The Rite was never made to be invoked. It was a form of war, an outright battle cry to harm the few for the good of the many. It was only in place for a fully-fledged and honored Red hunter who had been stripped of their title. A very specific set of circumstance had to be met, and it had only been invoked once in the five hundred years since Reds had gone to war with magic. The invoker died by his father’s hands.
I wouldn’t follow in my ancestor’s footsteps. Yes, the man who died was my great-great-great-great-grandpa, who’d invoked the Rite when his father proved himself to be unstable after a werewolf killed his wife. But the Rite favors the bold, and insanity is nothing if not bold.
There was a terrifying light in my grandma’s eye. The blue of her gaze was fading with age, but her gaze was still sharp. And just as angry.
Ever since Grandpa died, she’d never been the same. I hadn’t seen the change until recently. The way she pitted the Reds against me, all to make certain I never received the sword of rule. It was clear now that she never meant me to be the one to succeed her. All the blood I’d spilt and all the lives I’d taken at her bidding were all a farce to keep me compliant.
I was never meant to kill Hood. I was meant to fail so that the way would be paved for her chosen: Graham. Or some other. Who knows what was in her mind.
The Rite was simple. It was a test of courage. Of wisdom. Of wit. And it was set in place in a way none could be disadvantaged. For it was not a fight. It was a war. A war of the mind.
The loser was at the mercy of the winner. And Grandma had no mercy.
We were set at each end of the Red’s training grounds, just on the edge of the woods. This place was a massive sand pit with plenty of weapons and seating along the perimeter. Ran and Shen were bound at my back. My family was behind Grandma—except for Jacob, who was given leave to fetch Anna with enforcers as guards.
Rey had the kids, and he was watching with a disapproving scowl marring his face.
The three elders were between Grandma and me. Elders Pulma, Timone, and Vera.
“You will each be given a full turn to find the hidden meaning with a simple riddle. You may not harm each other. You may not harm the other’s hostages. You may slow the other down. Your riddle is thus.” Elder Pulma opened the scroll sealed since the time of my great-great-grandpa. “Light by night, dark by day. One hand to hold, one to release. I come for everyone, but not everyone accepts me as the boon I may be. What am I?”
The scroll comes up with its own riddle when it’s opened. I’ve always wondered how it worked, but now I wondered if a mage had spelled it. And if so, what did that say of our ancestors?
Did it mean we were actually… A few things connected in my mind. The way our training taught us of the mages and the unicorns and the dragons and what good each creature brings. There are books with pages ripped from them from the olden days, but I found one in the far back corner of the Red library that was unscathed. It spoke of Source and how she gives Gifts to all her people, some more noticeable, some less so.
Did that mean we were going about this all wrong? Did our ancestors truly try to kill magic, or did they work with it?
Jacob returned with Anna, whose head rolled as she was carried between two enforcers. Her need to rest struck me, though it wasn’t as sharp as before. She was better. This stress could undo everything we’d worked so hard to accomplish.
“We will get Doc out for your sister,” Shen whispered from behind me. “Or we will get her to him.”
I turned to stare at him. He was bound with magic I couldn’t undo and had a silver collar around his neck, but he was thinking about helping my sister?
“We need to survive first,” I whispered.
His crooked grin popped up. “We will, Little Red. You have the heart of a wolf and the spirit of a dragon. You will lead us to victory.”
I stared at him for another moment. This was the werewolf who killed my grandpa. He was also the werewolf who’d stuck by my side and believed in me and cared with his entire being. He had been under Alpha Command when he killed Grandpa, right? If so, then that absolved him of the crime. His Alpha was the true one at fault.
I turned back around.
Jacob was blinking his eyes mighty fast at me. When he was certain I was looking, he stumbled over his own feet and went down. The enforcer rolled her eyes and helped him up.
I walked over to them, hugging Anna. “Please, be kind to her. Can you take her inside and give her a place to rest?” I asked.
“For dragon scum like yourself?” the female enforcer said, scoffing.
“Enough,” Enforcer Markus said. “Brandt, take the sister into the house. Make sure no harm befalls her.”
Brandt gave a salute to the heart and gently supported Anna, taking her inside.
Oddly enough, there was no one here I’d rather have by her side if none of my family could do so.
Markus gave me a slight nod. I returned it with a salute and a bow of gratitude. While my head was close to the ground, I uncovered what Jacob had left for me. It was a tiny book. And on the face, it read: Of Wars and Peace, Life and Death, Within these Pages lie the Red Code of Honour.
It was old. Were it not of sheet metal, it likely wouldn’t still be legible. I tucked it close to my heart and walked away. When I was around a corner, I opened the pages. My eyes grew wide as I learned the origin of my people from within.
Everything I thought I knew was a lie.
Shen
The bonds were digging into my skin. I had endured much worse. This was merely a pesky annoyance.
Alia’s unicorn, Ran, was silent as a grave beside me, her eyes trained on where her bond last went.
I scooted over to her in marginal increments. She did not move, which was good, but I was unsure if she was aware of my plans.
Then her eyes darted to me. She knew.
I hid a grin. She was just as devious as her master.
The first thing I cut away was the rope about her neck.