Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Ben
“Ican’t believe we’re following a fucking cat,” I grumbled quietly to Asha as we nearly tripped over our feet in an effort to follow the lithe ball of grey fluff.
That cat was cantankerous on the best of days, with large, yellow eyes that held more intelligence than a normal cat. There was more than one occasion when I visited Faylinn for our more intimate meetings that I could feel him watching me from a corner, plotting my demise.
Fucking weird cat.
But there was no denying he was infallibly loyal to Faylinn. If anyone could find her, it would be Cotton.
Sol and Thandi stayed in the main hall of the Academy to help direct the cleanup efforts, leaving Asha and me to trail after the feline in hopes of finding Faylinn and maybe even our missing General.
The losses sustained in the Battle of Vespera were nothing short of staggering.
The courtyard outside, once comprised of pristine grey stones, was now nearly unrecognizable.
Bloody rivers ran through the streets, pooling at low points in the courtyard.
Bodies were stacked haphazardly, divided and grouped based on affiliation.
The stench of fresh death mingled in the stagnant early summer air with the rising plumes of smoke as the corpses of the gods’ sycophants were manually burned.
More than one soldier sat listlessly, eyes fixed and unseeing; the psychological damage would be almost as heavy as the physical and damn near impossible to combat.
Sol did her best to fill the void left by both the General’s and Lex’s absence, but it was incredibly clear that giving orders was not her forte.
The cadets and soldiers followed because we needed leadership, but I had no doubt that the more opportunistic ones would see the power vacuum for what it was—an opportunity for renown.
Without the gentle yet firm hand of Rohak d’Alvey, I feared Vespera was lost.
And that didn’t account for the empty space left by King Alois d’Refan.
One thing at a time—find Faylinn, General d’Alvey, and Lex, then worry about Vespera.
Asha’s and my boots slipped on the inch of dust as we came to a hallway that was impassible—a giant fallen stone blocked the way, leaving a narrow hole that was just large enough for Cotton to slip through.
He sent a quick glance over his shoulder before crawling on his belly between the boulder and the wall.
“Fuck,” I muttered and ran my hands through my hair. There was no way past the unnaturally large obsidian block of stone—not unless I used my magic.
My eyes flicked to my Bonded, cataloguing the slump of her shoulders that rose slightly with each panted inhale.
The bags under Asha’s eyes were puffy and dark, belaying the lack of sleep and overexertion we experienced over the last twenty-four hours.
Exhaustion was written in every line of her face and the stiffness of her muscles.
But beneath it all was a desire to help. I could feel her want, her need, to do the right thing—to follow Cotton wherever he was leading us—pulse through our Bond.
“They need us,” her voice whispered in my mind, a sweet wind that calmed the raging sea of doubt.
I exhaled loudly before grasping her by the elbow, pulling her into a tight embrace.
There was no need for words or empty explanations for my sudden need to feel her warm, soft body against mine. Asha could feel my riotous emotions, could sense the love and utter fucking relief I felt that we both made it through the battle alive when so many of our friends did not.
Her cold, thin hands worked the muscles along my spine as she pressed gentle kisses to my shoulder and jaw.
Asha sent a wave of calm through the Bond, telling me she loved me, that she was just as grateful as I was, but followed it with an urgency I couldn’t ignore.
“I want you to myself later,” I mumbled into her neck.
She nodded against me before drawing away and laying a sweet, chaste kiss against my lips.
“You always have me,” she admitted quietly.
My love for Asha was all-consuming; the Bond let us feel each other, mind, body, and soul, but even without it, I knew she was supposed to be mine.
My hands trailed down her arms to squeeze her fingers once before I released her, my inner thoughts quelled enough to think.
“You can pull from me, Ben. I’ll be okay.”
I grunted. No part of me wanted to use my magic. Not after nearly reaching our limits last night. Asha needed to rest before I drew that deeply again, but there was no other way around this situation.
“I’ll be gentle and only take what I need,” I promised. Her moss-green eyes locked with mine as she shot me a weak smile.
“I know,” Asha said simply as she laced our fingers together.
As soon as our flesh connected, the Bond opened, and euphoria lanced through my veins as I gently tugged on the well of Earth Magic that resided in Asha’s soul.
She was my perfect counterpart; the depth of her well matching the amount of power I could draw at once without burning out.
My True Bond.
I groaned as the magic rushed to me on a wave, eagerly waiting to serve its master. Asha gasped slightly as she swayed, the exhaustion nearly bringing her to her knees.
“Do it, Ben,” she gritted between her teeth. Her palm sweated in mine as she fought to keep the Bond open and allow me to draw what I needed.
Unwilling to cause her further pain, I sent a tendril of magic from the tips of my fingers to latch onto the boulder. Deep-green tendrils of power—like the color of a pine forest—wrapped around the obstruction.
Sweat beaded on my brow as I forced the rock to return to rubble.
A resounding boom sounded in the passageway, the force of it sending more dust and debris to coat the ground, as the rock disintegrated into thousands of parts.
Immediately, I released the hold on my magic, allowing it to snake back down the Bond to pool within Asha. She sighed as that piece of our connection closed.
“I won’t draw from you again. Not until you’re fully rested,” I said gravely. There were many things I would do for Faylinn, but risking the life of the woman I loved—of my soul’s other half—was not one of them.
“I know,” she whispered weakly through the Bond.
I tenderly brushed some of the new dust out of her flame-red hair as the air finally cleared enough for us to see a very disgruntled Cotton so fully covered in thick black dust that his coat was no longer grey.
Asha gave a tired chuckle before lacing her hand in mine, pulling me over the debris to the cantankerous feline.
“Lead the way, Cotton,” she said. The cat stared unblinking at her for a moment before bounding away, his tail swishing in the air, expecting us to follow.
Cotton paused at the threshold of a door no more than fifteen paces down the hallway. Instantly, he jumped on his hind legs to swat at the metal ring. It jangled against the wood as he meowed anxiously.
“Are they in there?” Asha asked, renewed hope lacing her tone.
Cotton continued to claw at the door and reach for the handle until Asha dropped my hand and grasped the metal ring. He immediately calmed and stood still, his bright yellow orbs trained on the spot where her palm touched the handle.
With an easy twist, Asha disengaged the lock and pushed the door open with a tired squeak.
As soon as a wide enough crack was exposed, Cotton bounded through and into the empty classroom, his paws leaving distinct marks in the thick dust.
At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. Desks were overturned and a few stones from the ceiling laid on the floor, but the room was relatively untouched.
At least until I spotted the shuffle marks of boots barely discernible through the newest layer of debris. Drops of blood surrounded the footprints, staining the dust dark red. Asha pushed her way into the room while I lingered outside, not yet ready to face whatever horror awaited.
Would I find Faylinn, my friend and ex-lover, dead?
Even worse, would I find the General dead and Faylinn wishing she could join him?
Everyone in the courtyard saw the General fall during battle, heard the broken keening cry that came from Faylinn as she flung her body atop his, protecting him with her life. It was no secret the love they harbored for each other, even if they couldn’t admit it.
“Oh!” Asha’s broken cry spurned me into action, my early fears left at the threshold.
I stomped my way inside, heart racing as I prepared for the worst. Nothing, though, could have prepared me for what lay in the classroom.
Asha stood still, hands pressed to her mouth as tears tracked down her dirty cheeks.
The blood instantly drained from my face as I gazed at the two bodies twined together on the floor.
Faylinn’s left leg was slung over Rohak’s torso, her head tucked into the crook of his neck as his right arm crossed over her waist. It was impossible to discern if they were alive or dead, and my heart jumped in alarm.
Blood and dust coated Rohak’s clothes until they were unrecognizable.
His hair was matted with unidentifiable matter, his skin as covered as the rest of him.
Faylinn was just as dirty, her black tunic and pants torn in places; fresh, just-healing slashes crisscrossed the white scars on her forearms. Her normally light-brown skin was sallow and sweaty, as if she was fighting a fever.
Maybe she was. The properties of Blood Magic were lost to the majority of Mages, and Faylinn used it in excess, consequences be damned.
I squinted with a slight frown at the sight of a new rune tattooed on her forearm, much larger than anything she’d inscribed before.
My eyes traced the pattern of it, and my blood ran cold in realization just as Asha gasped beside me.
We recognized it at the same time, a prickle of shared awareness overpowering our thoughts.
“Is that . . .?” Asha croaked, her hand shooting out to grasp my wrist.
Too stunned to move to comfort her, I simply nodded my head mutely.
“Are they alive?” Asha voiced the question dominating my thoughts.
I moved to check their bodies, to find a pulse, but it was like my feet were encased in concrete.
“I’ll go,” Asha spoke into my mind with a gentle squeeze of my wrist. I silently thanked her as I stood, arms crossed, and watched her pad hesitantly over to Rohak and Faylinn. She knelt down, a cloud of dust spinning around her as she settled against her heels.
Asha tossed her braid behind her shoulder as her slender fingers found Faylinn’s neck. The Rune Master’s body jumped on contact, and Asha let out a startled scream before falling back, her hands and butt coated with dust.
“They’re alive,” Asha proclaimed as she scrambled to her feet and back to my side. I wrapped her in a hug, pushing my gratefulness and love down our Bond.
I quite literally owed my life to Faylinn and felt a debt to her in the deepest parts of my soul. If she were dead, how could I repay her for my life?
Shaking my thoughts away, I turned to my Bonded and laid a kiss against her head.
“Did you see . . .?” Asha whispered against my chest, and I grunted in affirmation.
“I didn’t even think she could do that. She didn’t think she could do that,” Asha mused, worrying her lip between her teeth.
“Faylinn is full of surprises,” I rumbled softly.
Asha hummed. “We should move them somewhere more private. Rohak’s rooms, maybe. They’ll need care, like you and I did. We should be the ones to give it to them.”
I nodded my head once—agreeing with my Bonded’s assessment, warm at her desire to care for the Rune Master and General—before shuffling across the floor.
Pausing, I watched as their chests rose and fell rhythmically, breathing nearly in sync.
Faylinn . . . what have you done?