Chapter Seven
THE SPY
“Don’t ask questions, just, patch me up.”
Delah stared at me, her mouth agape. I went straight to the elixist annex at the Keep, knowing I would find Delah.
She hastily pulled items out of her bag, situating her workspace.
Had she just arrived? She grabbed a blue tonic that she poured on a piece of cotton, then dabbed at the gashes on my arm.
She handed me a wet towel and I wiped away the dried blood.
She seemed flustered. I would be too if she had walked in with wounds like mine.
The pungent tonic bubbled on my wounds. A burning, then an overwhelming itching sensation overtook my senses. I gritted my teeth and stared at the edges of my torn skin as it slowly mended itself. The burn lingered but the itchiness dissipated, leaving behind pale pink lines. I released a breath.
Delah hadn’t made it into the elite force like I had; her magic wasn’t suited for it. Her ability to concoct potions, healing elixirs, and chemical weapons was unmatched. And this tonic proved it. I finally allowed myself to relax.
Orbs of light floated near the ceiling casting a dreamy spell upon the room.
Most of the castle used torches, but King Nolan had introduced spheres of light to the buildings and homes throughout Maripol.
Over time, they would become too bright, and workers would replace them for any Haluman citizen.
Some hovered in the elixist annex still, where they had been invented decades prior.
Delah leaned back against a counter, corking the vial of tonic she’d used on me. Her eyebrow arched, waiting for an explanation. I offered none. Not here.
“Did you get our guest his tonic?”
Delah smirked, offering a curt nod. Candid conversation would have to wait until we were back at home.
I glanced at the clock on the wall. I had to report to Maelic shortly.
A wave of exhaustion hit me. I needed to replenish my magic reserves soon.
I felt depleted after having used so much of it earlier.
The rapid loss of my water affinity left me dry-mouthed and dizzy.
Delah handed me a glass of water, which I gratefully gulped down.
It would refill my magic enough to get me through the next few hours.
Since I had water magic, if I did not reabsorb, or get enough rest to recharge, I would become dehydrated and exhausted.
My skin would crack and bleed and my dry mouth would prevent me from swallowing.
Untrained magic wielders succumbed to death for their ignorance or carelessness around reabsorption.
Many people had. I recalled an oracle who developed complete memory loss, and a sound manipulator who fell deaf shortly before their demise.
Delah’s eyes darted around, despite us being the only ones in the room.
I strained to hear her lowered voice. “Be careful, Rue. Things around here seem like they’re at a boiling point.
Rumors are swirling.” Delah implored me.
I offered a smile that didn’t come close to reaching my eyes. If she only knew what I’d just seen.
She wasn’t wrong about the rising temperature of the realm.
War sat idly on the horizon. The realms of Haluma and Yarit were at odds ever since King Nolan took the throne.
It all happened before I was born. There used to be Primes, the masters of magic, who taught their craft and helped hone the skills of younger wielders.
Without Primes, magic declined. They all disappeared shortly after Nolan ascended.
Some believed their disappearance was what led to the rebellion’s attacks—that they sought after the Primes who were left. But I knew the truth: all had died.
The entire realm of Haluma teetered on the edge of outright violence between the loss of magic and the spread of Glint.
Even the land seemed to cry out for mercy with its increasing earthquakes that rearranged the topography of the realm.
And now, with those wolvin-turned-dreki, things seemed to be spiraling.
I needed to find King Nolan. He would know what was going on.
He would have a plan. But first, Maelic.
Shaking away my unease, I offered Delah a wan smile. I made my way to the exit, leaving her.
The hustle and bustle of the military grounds drowned out most of my thoughts. I trekked across the Keep, a completely walled-in fortress with the palace at its center. Maelic’s office stood in some buildings near the Vestal Anchor’s wing.
As my superior officer, Maelic held one of the highest positions in the Order. He’d already made the trade to become a dreki and remained one of King Nolan’s closest advisers. Though I’d never seen him shift, his vertical pupils never allowed you to forget his underlying nature.
Light from windows and torches bent the shadows as I passed through stone corridors, the grays all mixing together. I stopped at Maelic’s door and knocked sharply.
“Enter.” The heavy oak door scraped against the stone. The scent of paper, sweat, and smoke assaulted me. I waited to be summoned further.
Maelic’s reptilian pupils focused on me, his irises near glowing as he took me in.
“Sit, Ruin.” His feet were propped on his desk, disturbing eyes blinking in irritation.
The king’s crest adorned the wall behind him, three flames surrounded by the Haluman Viper.
I noted several maps decorating the space.
I perched on the edge of the furthest chair. Its black velvet cushions offered little comfort in the presence of Maelic. He sniffed once in my direction, like the animal he now was. I waited. A prickling sensation trailed the back of my neck.
Maelic shuffled through some papers. “The rebellion continues to undermine our ability to acquire Berine. We have yet to discover the location of their primary stronghold, not even a scent on the breeze of them. King Nolan tires of our ongoing defensive posture. We fear they plan an attack on our realm, and we need to be on the offense.”
My eyes found a missive on his desk detailing an explosion at a Glint house. He drew my attention as he continued.
“The Berine supply has been dwindling for far longer than we realized. Magic is fading in the realm. If we don't stabilize our reserve, we risk our people losing magic altogether. So, I need you to scout Yarit's capital.” He flipped a map toward me, pointing at its location.
I harnessed my surprise at his directive; instead, focusing intently on the map. It was nearly law that travel outside of Haluma was restricted to all but the dreki. I had never been permitted to enter another realm. It underscored how precarious tensions had become.
“The memory threads I saw last night showed someone discussing peculiar tectonic movements outside of the city of Lyrae. They correspond to what the earthquakes here have done—interfering with our trafficking routes, likely related to the rebel known as the Crimson Wolf. We believe they hide out somewhere around Yarit’s capital. ”
I released my breath, squaring my shoulders. “Let me find the Crimson Wolf. It would be my honor to return with him. I could not only weed out the rebel network, but also take out their primary weapon against us.” I held his stare, unflinching.
Maelic pondered my response. “Your espionage skills are much more refined than Wes’s or Belham’s.
” He steepled his fingers, assessing. “Wes is a dreki, though, and he wouldn’t stand out as much as you think because Yarit is the realm of nymphs.
The oceanic nymphs and some of the naiyads display very unique features.
This mission is too vital to not send a soldier with the bloodbond of loyalty and the power of the dreki to obtain the Crimson Wolf. ”
His words settled like iron in my gut. My magic and strength could rival either of them in dreki form. My insides twisted.
I held his gaze, wondering what more he withheld. My jaw clenched. “Let me do this.” My hands itched to pull a blade, my instinct to protect myself in the presence of his power—it was also my urge to kill him for being a bastard. My hands fisted before my ice betrayed me.
Maelic’s magic involved seeing through illusions. I wondered if he could sense my scheming. I abruptly stood. His vile eyes searched my body. I lifted my chin under his scrutiny.
He rolled up the map of Yarit and tossed it to me, “I’ll think about it. Study this in the meantime.” He continued his shrewd assessment of me. His lip curled as if finding me lacking. His vertical pupils narrowed before he finally turned his back to me.
Understanding my dismissal, I gripped the map tighter. My mind danced with the possibility of opportunity as I left his office. The Crimson Wolf was mine. I would not be denied.