38. Chapter 38
S omething—either the heat from the two bodies wrapped around me or a noise from outside—had woken me up, but when I opened my eyes, only the reddish hue of the rising sun greeted my tired mind.
Orm and Ari were still on either side of me, but their hands were now clasped together on my hip. I couldn’t help but smile at that, a special place in my heart filling with tenderness.
I loved them both.
I knew deep in my soul that they had become a part of me, even if Ari had yet to Anchor himself to me. He will. Not even the Lich King can stop me from claiming him, I thought, stroking their hands.
A sudden thundering on the door made me flinch, and I gasped when Alaric instantly covered me with his body while Orm jumped out of bed, pulling two daggers from gods knew where.
‘Commander, there’s an emergency,’ sounded a panicked voice from the outside.
‘Enter and report,’ Orm was furious but professional while I still wrestled to extract myself from beneath my dark fae shield.
A dishevelled man burst in, and with him, the putrid smell of smoke. ‘The boarding house is on fire. We rescued most of the women, but we need more men to tackle it … and the mage,’ he said, and I finally recognised Tomma, Orm’s second-in-command.
‘And you waited how long to tell me?’ Orm snapped his question to the rider, but Tomma couldn’t answer as his body was wracked with a hacking cough. I winced at Orm’s pounding of his subordinate’s back, but it seemed to help, and Tomma straightened. ‘It didn’t look like much initially, but the fire wouldn’t die down.’
I struggled out of bed, yanking my dress off the chair. ‘I need you both outside with me. Now!’ I ordered. My battle mage uniform was designed for ease of dressing, and I was ready in no time. Sprinting towards the door, I looked at the men, who frowned at my words. ‘Now! Someone is playing with fire in my fucking castle. I can douse these flames, but someone has to look after our people.’
I bolted outside without giving them a chance to answer, cursing up a storm as I ran. What I’d thought was the glow of sunrise was, in fact, light from the fire engulfing the female boarding house and threatening the town. ‘Vahin!’ I shouted in my thoughts, and the dragon’s roar answered from above. ‘Here, Little Flame, tell me what to do.’
‘Stay nearby. I will have to counter the spell and douse the fire. I need your Anchor.’
His reassuring presence was all I needed, especially when I entered the town square and saw the scale of the disaster. The boarding house burned fiercely, and the nearby buildings were already smouldering, giving me very little time to think. I heard Orm shouting to the soldiers, commanding them to further evacuate people, but I ignored him as I tried to concentrate. I cleared my mind, tuning out everything but the beating of my heart.
Then I felt it—a spell of the High Order that had used a small amount of aether to combat any attempts at smothering the flames. I needed to find the glyph controlling the energy and erase it while preventing the fire from spreading.
Think, Annika. No man can enter the female boarding house, so it has to be nearby .
I reached for the aether, and its power flowed through me with ease, grounded by the presence of my two Anchors. I took a deep breath and exhaled, slowing my heartbeat, letting more and more magic filter through my body until I reached a hand out towards the lake.
‘Hoc ta mae.’ 1
Water answered my call, rushing through the streets, flowing uphill while the citizens leapt from its path. I condensed the stream, forcing it into a tighter, smaller jet that turned and twisted into a spiral surrounding the boarding house. As the water scoured the walls, the flames and smoke cleared enough for me to spot the complicated diagram drawn on the side wall.
‘Motherfucker!’ I cursed, unable to stop myself. Whoever had done it had tied the spell to a fire elemental, and the poor creature was burning everything it touched as it attempted to flee.
I drew in the water, spinning it faster and faster, moulding it into a raging torrent. I aimed its entire power at the offending glyph, grinning in triumph as the diagram was obliterated. I felt the joyous cry of the elemental as its shackles shattered, and the fire whipped and jerked, suddenly less intense.
‘Annika, we need more water directed to the front,’ Orm shouted, and I heard screams coming from the building.
Alaric rushed inside. I felt a shift in the air and saw something flicker around him. The dark fae had shielded himself as he entered the burning building, but I almost panicked when I realised he wouldn’t be able to breathe. Meanwhile, Orm focused on protecting the town, directing the soldiers to drag the burning debris away from the other building and beat it with wet blankets. At the same time, the dragons small enough to fit in the narrow area were holding their wings out to protect the soldiers from falling wreckage as they worked.
I’d solved one problem, but I still needed to deal with the ordinary fire. ‘Move back, everyone!’ I shouted, and the people who were still on the street next to me ducked for cover.
I weaved the elemental power of the water within my grasp, exhilarated beyond measure. My mind called to Vahin, and the image of torrential rain so heavy even a dragon’s wing would struggle to withstand it was his answer. Vahin understood my intention, expanding the vision to include the image of a cloud heavy with water drifting slowly over the mountain peak.
The aether in my hands weighed me down as it gained substance while the euphoria of channelling its power nearly lifted me from the street. The only steadying forces were my Anchors, their strength holding me in place as I wove magic into the vision, with the dragon’s deep understanding of the sky helping to recreate the natural order.
This has to be enough , I thought, unwilling to repeat yesterday’s experience. I reached my hand to the sky, releasing the magic, and thrust forth the vision and my intent behind it with one powerful word of command.
‘Das’an!’ 2
The skies opened and water crashed down upon the ground with the sound of thunder. The dragons protecting the soldiers huddled together, supporting each other as they kept their charges safe, while everyone else sheltered beneath the nearest doorway. The fire that had raged like an inferno just moments ago hissed and stuttered, falling back from the relentless deluge, filling the air with the smell of soot and burnt wood. I kept the spell going until its light was completely extinguished, holding the waterlogged clouds above the damaged building.
‘Little Flame, it is done. Any more and the building will collapse.’ Vahin sent the message with an image of the town from above, and I worked on releasing the raging aether.
That was the most challenging part of being a conduit—it was easy enough to call on a power so vast it felt infinite, and only a little more difficult to shape it into a spell you wanted to use. Closing yourself off from the onslaught, however, was next to impossible without an Anchor.
It felt like I was trying to stop a raging river with a pair of curtains, and I called out to my Anchors, begging them to join me and offer their strength.
I heard the roar of a dragon at the same time that a heavy hand dropped onto my shoulder and let my gratitude flow through our bonds. Laughter burst forth as I felt their spirits meld with my own, our bodies glowing with power as I closed myself off from the vast energy of the aether, dispersing the residual power into them.
‘That is an interesting sensation, Little Flame. It feels so primal, like the day I was born from the mists,’ Vahin rumbled, gracefully landing next to me. The halo of my power subsided, but his scales were glowing blue and lightning crackled over their surface.
‘You don’t say,’ I said, nodding my thanks to Orm as he rushed back to his men. My head was still spinning from the euphoria of channelling so much power, but the fire was out, and that was all that mattered. ‘I’ve never channelled so much and with such ease. Thank you for helping me with the clouds.’
‘I am always at your service, Little Flame. Now, go help our dark fae. He doesn’t look well.’
I looked to where Vahin gestured, seeing a coughing Ari stumbling from the boarding house. He was arm in arm with two women from Zalesie, and it was impossible to tell who was holding up whom.
‘Ani, are you all right?’ Alaric gasped as he approached while two healers led the sobbing women away. ‘Yes, I’m fine, just tired. Some bastard started the fire. I think we both know who, but you … what happened?’
‘I’m depleted and …’ Alaric hesitated, and I pursed my lips when he continued. ‘I created a shield using a basic glyph, but keeping it up around three people was tasking.’
He swayed and I had to grab his arm to keep him upright. He was swaying so much, in fact, that I instantly knew he’d used all his magical reserves and more, taking from his own life force to sustain the spell when his aether ran out. That’s why he had looked like he’d gone through a month of starvation and aged overnight.
‘Orm!’ I shouted, but he was standing in a circle of his officers, commanding the scene and the townsfolk, and my voice wasn’t loud enough to reach him. I turned. ‘Vahin, please tell Orm I’m taking Alaric back to the castle. He’s of no use here, but I’ll come back to help as soon as I’m able.’
The massive dragon placed his snout over my shoulder. ‘Go, and don’t worry, Orm can handle this. Look after our fae, Little Flame.’
I wrapped my arm around Alaric’s waist and lurched unsteadily towards the castle.
I knew we’d have to confront Ihrain, but Alaric was my priority at the moment. I was going to rip the royal mage’s apprentice to pieces for what he’d done; I’d even let my men lose on him. We’d see how much that bastard enjoyed Orm’s fury and the art of pain the dark fae were so famous for once we’d found him.
When we finally arrived at Alaric’s room, I was covered in sweat. He was dragging his feet, half asleep as we weaved back and forth, and I had to use all of my strength to keep him upright. I placed him on the bed and covered him with a warm blanket. I knew he needed to eat, but there was nothing in the room I could serve him. Every servant would be in town helping with the aftermath of the fire, so it was up to me to provide water and some sustenance for when he awoke.
I sighed heavily, my back protesting, and left the room, heading for the kitchens. It was still the middle of the night, but I was hoping to find some fruit, bread, and—if I was lucky—possibly even mead for myself.
I felt weak and dizzy and had to resist the urge to open myself to the aether, its energy still pressing at my senses. I wasn’t sure if I could risk creating even a small light without my magic getting out of control. Instead, I strolled along, keeping one hand on the wall as I tried to recognise shapes in the surrounding shadows.
Maybe it was the lack of light, or maybe how tired I was, or even the safety I’d come to feel in the fortress, but I didn’t sense the danger until it was too late.
At first, I only felt a quick, sharp pain in my neck, and when I reached up to probe the area, I pulled a tiny dart from my skin. Whatever poison it contained, it had already entered my body. I stumbled, my knees buckling despite my mind screaming at them to work, and slammed into the wall shoulder first.
In my panic, I called for my Anchors, only to find them gone, missing from my mind. I attempted to stay upright, using the wavering structure to support me, when I caught the sound of footsteps echoing behind me.
Ihrain, that bloody fool, was walking towards me with a slimy, triumphant smile on his face. I tried to reach for the aether, but much to my surprise, I was cut off from that, too.
‘Don’t bother, Annika. The poison was concocted especially for mages, its purpose specifically to subdue someone with unstable talent or those too volatile to control. The effects are temporary, but they will last long enough for our journey to court.’
I could barely stand now. I still swung my fist in a weak attempt to defend myself, but Ihrain easily caught it and smirked. ‘Feisty as always, but don’t worry, you won’t be feisty for long. I knew my little fire would distract you and leave you vulnerable. You are so predictable—always there to help the needy, even if it means getting hurt. Well, you had your fun playing peasant queen, but as soon as the king speaks the words of your geas, you will do what you are told, just like every other conduit in the country.’
I looked my enemy in the eye and was tempted to tell him that the king didn’t even have my geas. That the royal mage had given it to Orm, making him the only person who could bring me to my knees, but the sudden thought that they could have made a copy made me gasp, and the quiet sound made Ihrain smile even wider.
He must have taken it as the sound of my fear, and he revelled in it. I didn’t correct him and didn’t bother resisting when his servants carried me down the stairs to the small carriage waiting in the courtyard. I had to conserve my strength, so I curled into a ball when they threw me inside. I landed like a sack of turnips right under the chancellor’s feet.
‘Lady Annika, how nice to see you again, and so soon,’ the chancellor said politely, his eyes betraying a coldness as they studied me with indifference. ‘Ihrain, I told you she must be unharmed. Our lord wants her intact in body and mind. Did you at least confirm she didn’t lie about being Anchored?’
‘Yes, the only way she could call rain from the peaks was through her conduit abilities, and both Ormond and the dragon felt the brunt of it when she closed the circuit.’
My eyes narrowed in anger. I studied them both as they casually discussed the fire that had almost destroyed the town while the carriage drove down the road towards the fortress gates.
‘What about the necromancer? You assured me he was Anchored to her.’ The chancellor kept asking questions, and I started to suspect they weren’t taking me to the king, that there was more going on than just a frightened old man retrieving his conduit mage.
‘I don’t know. He was inside when she used the Anchor bond, and I couldn’t see, but when I was here before, he stepped forward, claiming to be her Anchor, and you saw yourself that he called her his Domina during the meal.’
The conversation was interrupted by the fortress guard questioning the coach driver. I breathed slightly, bracing myself to scream when I heard the heavy steps approaching, likely for an inspection.
‘No, my dear, keep that pretty little mouth shut. If you try to alert them, those men will be dead before you finish speaking. No one can save you—not even your dragon,’ Ihrain warned me, covering my face with his hand while the king’s advisor stuck his head out through the window.
‘Haven’t you heard, good man? About the fire? It is not safe for us anymore, and the commander is too busy dealing with this tragedy to sign our paperwork. I need to report what happened to the king immediately.’
I silently cursed. The man knew how to play people. His tone sounded so sincere and convincing, and his reasoning was persuasive. I couldn’t blame the guard for letting him pass. As soon as we left the fortress gates behind, the driver cracked the whip, and the horses shot forward, rocking the carriage.
‘They will come for me, and not even the gods themselves will save you when my dragon finds you,’ I croaked past my tight throat.
‘By the time they realise you’re gone, we’ll be close enough to the capital that they won’t be able to catch us. I have to admit—the necromancer surprised us by running into the fire, but that only worked in our favour.’
‘Who is your master? And don’t try insulting my intelligence by saying this has anything to do with the king.’ As soon as I said the words, the chancellor threw his head back and laughed.
‘Yes, you are right. The king is old, and his mind is filled with desperation to prolong his life. Still, we are taking you to him so he can give you to our true master, the one your ilk calls the Lich King.’
‘You serve him? How did he contact you?’ I was so baffled by the discovery that I sat up, looking at the envoy with disbelief.
‘Oh Annika, you are so easy to read. Only the tainted cannot breach the Barrier. You all forgot that, and it will be the downfall of the Lowland Kingdoms.’ He reached down and stroked my cheek with his thumb, looking at me with a knowing smirk.
‘We are not touched by foul magic. The Barren Lands is a place where humans still live and often thrive. None of the dragon patrols enter deep enough to encounter the humans or Moroi who escaped the initial purge when our lord took his rightful place. I know what the riders see when they come to patrol. A desolate land full of undead, a useful distraction for them to see before the spectrae chase them away.’
‘What?’ I asked, shocked. Here were two people that not only were from the Barren Lands, but who served the Lich King and held influential positions in the country. ‘And the living serve him? Why?’
‘Why are you so surprised? What is the difference between serving a king who controls his country with necromancy and one who uses bloody torture to obtain a mage’s geas? At least with our lord, you know what to expect. Those who serve him well are always rewarded. Those who fail serve him in another way.’
‘So when you tried to Anchor me all those years ago …’ I asked, looking at Ihrain.
‘Yes, Annika. That was the reason. Mages like me can easily pass through the Barrier.’ He glanced at the chancellor, and the older man smiled.
‘We knew the Barrier would eventually fall. It started fading a hundred years ago. At first, it was a slow process, but as time passed, the cracks in the crystal unravelled the magic holding it together. Not to mention a certain powerful mage accidentally drawing energy from the keystone to defeat a wlok. That was the moment we knew the Barrier’s deterioration had reached the point of no return.,’ he said before gesturing to Ihrain to pull me onto the seat.
As he dragged me up, the high mage’s apprentice couldn’t help joining in the explanation. ‘Our liege is not infallible. He has learned a lot since taking over Ozar. Ruling over the undead is not as satisfying as he thought. He wants the Lowland Kingdoms and their people as his subjects, not as walking corpses. That’s why he has spared the remaining humans and Moroi, letting us thrive unbound by fear. Now, we have infiltrated every court in the Lowland Kingdoms. You are the final prize our lord desires before the Barrier falls, and your king will deliver you, along with your geas.’
Then Ihrain smiled at me with such superiority, as if he were explaining it all to a toddler, and I had to turn away to stop myself from spitting in his face. ‘This is your fate, Annika. There is no sense in resisting. Soon, you will be bound to the most powerful mage on our continent, giving him the power to rule all. As long as you serve him with your skills, nothing bad will happen to you. If you resist … well … many have tried, but in the end, he broke them all.’
I should have spat on the little toad, but the only thing on my mind was how Alaric’s curse had broken him, and I believed every word Ihrain said. I wondered how long the poison would last because, at the first tingle of my magic returning, I knew I needed to free myself and run away to somewhere the Lich King couldn’t find me.
I refused to become his weapon. I couldn’t let him use those I loved to break me. ‘I will never submit to him. I’d sooner kill myself than become a weapon in that madman’s hands,’ I threatened with vehemence. Both men looked at each other, snorting with laughter.
‘Don’t wish for death … The dead don’t rest in peace around him; they serve him even better than the living. You, too, will serve him, one way or another. Because our lord has already decided that in life or even death, you are his and only his, so ask yourself which you would prefer. To be his as a living mage … or a walking corpse,’ Ihrain answered, murmuring an incantation. I recognised the words, but I was helpless to stop it. Sheer panic choked me as I fought the mind-numbing spell, but in the end, I lost …
And everything went black.
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Oath of War
1. Come to me.
2. Rain!