CHAPTER TWELVE
M Y GAZE KEEPS LINGERING ON Jesper attempting to train the female. I have no idea why he’s so obsessed with her, but whatever it is, I’m going to need to keep a close eye on him before it gets him into trouble. I barely restrain my wince as he knocks her down yet again. He’s playing with her; it’s like watching a dragon play with its meal before they feast. This may be worse than I thought.
Killian’s gaze meets mine and he gives me a subtle shake of his head before his gaze darts to Jesp and back—he sees it too.
Fucking fates.
Maybe it’s a good thing we’re leaving tonight for the front lines. We need away from this damn academy, even though we are going to be stuck doing one of the hardest and most dangerous tasks of all: searching for whatever weapon got Vathia to push the combined troops of Spirrix, Allonde, Imperset and Skyrivene back. Something is going on, and I think it’s more than what meets the eye.
We can’t have distractions where we’re going. We need to get in and get out. It’s supposed to be a simple fly-by and report back. But if the culprit is who I think it is, then I’m not passing up this opportunity to get more crucial information for our plan.
There’s also the fact that I need to meet with our contact along the way as well, and I’m not sure how Jesper is going to feel about that. This whole situation is a fates-damn shit-show. And if I’m not careful, everything could blow up in our face like shadowflame.
“Talyn?” a sickly sweet voice asks, and I inwardly groan. The only female that voice can belong to is Evera, another reason to be glad for getting the hell out of here for a bit. “Can I talk to you?”
I slowly spin towards her, keeping my expression blank. “What do you want, Cadet Gannon?”
A coy grin stretches across her sharp but feminine features. She is considered the standard of fae beauty, but her personality leaves much to be desired. “I was wondering if you’d like me to stop by your chamber before you head off—that way I can make up for my insubordination .”
My gaze darts to the small female with the raven familiar before focusing back on Evera. “No, thank you. It’s not ever going to be happening. Do I need to add another week of dish duty to your squad’s punishment?,” I snap, crossing my arms over my chest.
Her blood-red eyes widen in shock before narrowing, noticing where my attention momentarily went to. “It will happen sooner than later, Talyn. Our fathers made an agreement, an oath in front of the priestesses. You will be mine. Better get used to the idea. You need a strong female in your corner.” She crosses her arms with a small, victorious grin.
I lean down, getting in her face, my blood boiling with rage. “You think because our fathers made an oath, that I’m tied to you? I’m tied to no one. And fates be damned I ever will be. Get out of my face, and just for that you and your squad can help out in the fucking gryphon stalls in the morning before combat,” I seethe, baring my teeth at her.
The victorious grin that donned her face drops into a sneer. “I’m sure our fathers would love to hear how you’re treating your betrothed.”
She turns and marches over to Amos and Spade, who both send me nervous but angry glances on their friend’s behalf.
“Thanks to your fellow squad mate, every morning for the next week you will be in the gryphon stalls before breakfast. And don’t forget dinner dish duty. You have no one to thank but Cadet Gannon for your added chores. Get it fucking together. This isn’t a fates-damn tea party! Do I make myself clear?” I bellow, my voice carrying across the yard, gaining other squads’ attention, but I couldn’t care less. When I’m content with their response, I dismiss the lesson.
Jesper takes that moment to slide up to me with a knowing grin on his face. “Trouble in paradise, mini Lord?” he jests, nudging my shoulder.
I scowl at him, ignoring the rage-bait of that moniker. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea that you keep training Cadet Solace. You’re becoming obsessed, and you promised that you wouldn’t.” I stride away from the training yard into the castle, Jesper and Killian falling in on either side of me.
He grabs my arms, stopping both of us in our tracks. “I’m not obsessed,” he starts before he leans in and whispers just loud enough for me to hear. “I just can’t get into her mind, no matter how hard I push. There’s something about her, and I need to figure it out. She’s a nobody, the small outlier village where she grew up thinking she was a null, and she has mental blocks that strong? It doesn’t make any sense, Talyn.”
I shake my head. He has a point, but when he gets obsessive, the poor thing his attention lands on usually ends up dead. “Fine, if that’s the case I will take over her lessons and keep you updated on what I can find out. Will that sate your curiosity?”
Jesper’s eyes narrow before returning back to normal. He shrugs. “Fine with me.”
Killian pipes up, his eyebrow twitching with frustration. “That doesn’t give you free rein to follow her around the castle,” he growls, the low timbre of his raspy voice filled with unbridled rage that’s ready to be used on his next victim.
“Why does it matter?” Jesp snaps.
Between dealing with Evera and trying to control Jesper’s more unhinged side of his jovial personality, I lash out. “Because I don’t need to clean up your messes when we have bigger things going on. Just please listen to me for once on this.”
“Fine,” he says easily.
I flex my fingers by my side and they crack. “Thank you. Now we need to go pack. Be ready by noon at the Keep.”
With that hopefully sorted, I hurry down the grand halls, towards the chambers I share with my brothers. Usually Wings share a room, just like any other squad, but since we are the Lords’ eldest sons, we get the privilege of having our own space. I need to put together a plan, including contingencies, especially if Jesper decides to go off the deep end. Which is more than likely, the more time he spends around that cursed female.
ZADDRO AND I glide through the evening sky, the sun finally lowering, leaving the land in a dusky hue. Tisur and Jesper are slightly behind on my left, Killian and Voissor on the opposite with Hemming and Featherington following up in the rear with their dragons, the standard positioning most wings take up when flying together. We’ve already passed through Spirrix’s Capitol of Evende and are about to come across Mizhold, the small town that has been used for the last twenty years as the first checkpoint for our soldiers before they head into battle, and where they fall back to.
I glance down over Zaddro’s side and it devastates me to see the ravaged land from years of war, a war started because of greed that continues to steal from Damorleia. But so far, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.
“ Notice anything different? ” I ask my bonded dragon.
He swings his large onyx head. His green eye rolls before looking forward again. “ If I had, I would have said something. You know my sight is far superior to yours. ”
A grin threatens to break free, but I know he’s already felt my amusement. “ So you keep reminding me. ”
We go back to flying in silence, and as we approach the war-zone near Mizhold, that’s when our dragons roar in rage, and that’s when I see it. The original battlefield on the edge of Wraithwater Channel has been pushed back to the edge of the town—a town that’s currently ash, burnt to the ground in recent warfare. Countless bodies lay strewn in mud, including dragons and gryphons. Our beasts let out a mourning roar before Voissor swoops low and blasts their kin’s remains with flames so hot that beads of sweat roll down my face and neck from forty feet away.
It seems like the reports are true, but what in all the realms would cause this type of damage? It looks like even the Vathian forces have fallen back as well, which is good. But if this new weapon gets deployed again, it won’t be long before Mizhold will be taken.
I signal to the others to fall back.
Zaddro lets out an earth-shaking snarl. “ This needs to be stopped. I smell foul magick in the air. They’ve taken it too far, and I fear the balance has been altered .”
“ Foul magick ?” I ask, his dread becoming my own.
He speeds forward, taking us to greater heights, as if he wishes to be one with the stars, to get away from the sight that lays beneath us. “ Magick that has been long forgotten since ancient times. Memories that have been passed hatchling to hatchling as a warning, imprinted on us so we will never forget the horrors that came before. A new age is coming and we need to prepare… for better or worse. I must inform my kin… ”
My mind whirls with the foreboding that lingers in the bond, but any other questions go unanswered. One thing is clear: the enemy has done something heinous, and if we don’t figure out what it is and stop it then Damorleia as we know it may be doomed.
I force myself to push those thoughts to the back of my mind until I can sort through it more later. Preferably after we meet with our contact. I just need to send Hemmings and Featherington ahead to report back to Rune with a believable excuse on why we’re running behind. The excuse that we are going to hit up a local tavern and see if anyone has heard anything sounds good.
THE FOREST IS eerily quiet, but that’s to be expected when you have three enormous predators at your back. We’ve been waiting here for almost an hour for our informant and I’m beginning to get annoyed.
“Do you think he was caught and killed?” Jesper asks as he leans against Tisur’s leg, cleaning his nails with his blade, trying to appear unbothered.
It’s plausible, but he’s always been careful about getting us the information we need or want, much to Jesper’s dismay. “No, Evander is too sneaky to be caught. I’m sure he’s fine,” I murmur.
A branch snaps to our right and within seconds our swords are drawn. I strike my flint ring against the metal on the draw and summon a ball of flame in my free hand. Killian’s dual short blades are raised as he stands at my side and I feel Jesper’s magick seeping across the forest floor, searching for a victim to play with.
“Dawn is coming,” the voice says, revealing itself as Evander.
“The precious gem is north,” I reply smoothly. “It’s about time you got here. What was the hold-up?”
He steps out from behind a tree, his deep violet eyes taking us all in but lingering slightly longer on Jesper before turning back to me. He runs his narrow fingers through his deep red hair, striking familiar similarities to the male next to me. “Just had to be extra careful getting here after what happened yesterday. There’s a shift in the air, and I have a feeling it’s only the beginning.” His gaze shifts back to Jesper. “Brother, did mother pass along my message?” he asks calmly, as if he’s trying to anger him.
Jesper ignores him, continuing to clean his nails, and I watch as Evander’s shoulders slump in defeat. Those two really need to figure out their shit.
“What are you passing along to us?” I ask vaguely, and to break the tension before Jesp puts that dagger to use and regrets his actions later.
Evander straightens, his face becoming serious. “He wanted to say that it wasn’t them. Someone is playing with darker forces. Things that haven’t been seen since the ancient times when the mountains were still nothing but sprawling hills and the forest mere groves.”
His ominous words fill the air with dread, and my hair raises on end, reminding me too much of what Zaddro spoke of. “I’m assuming he doesn’t know who’s doing it?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I think we all have our suspicions. If it’s who we think it is, then we need to move up the timeline. Try to find out what you can. I’ll be back in two cycles of the moon. If something happens before then, you know how to reach me.” He gives a pointed look to his older brother, who just narrows his eyes and nods before resuming his task of nail cleansing.
I nod, so he knows at least one of us heard him. “Safe travels.”
Evander nods back, giving his brother one last glance before shrinking into a pixie right before our eyes, no bigger than the size of my hand, before zipping off into the woods. I always forget he’s half pixie, able to shift, thanks to his father’s genes. But it’s part of what makes him such a great spy and informant. Jesper just needs to get over the fact that his brother wants to help right this world. It’s dangerous no matter where you stand.
Taking a step towards my brother and friend, I say “Jesp—”
“No, I don’t want to hear this again. He’s just a kid, Talyn, and what he’s doing and what he’s now a part of will get him killed. I’m not going to stand by and watch it happen. Now if you don’t mind, I want to get back to Phixmery and crawl into bed before we have to deal with all the bullshit there.” He runs up Tisur’s slanted leg and hops into the saddle. In the next moment his blue beast is taking to the skies and heading west.
“Come on Killian, let’s go before he does something stupid.” I sigh and summon the air around me, floating myself into Zaddro’s saddle and following Jesper once Killian is settled in his.
Evander’s words float back to me. The realm is about to get extremely dark, and I don’t know if we will come out of this without a light to guide us. If only she were still alive.