CHAPTER 31 #2
Kara followed his gaze, marking their paths. The thought of actually getting through this now seemed mildly ridiculous.
Sebastian glanced at her. “If we stand here,” he said, indicating a rocky crest with a tilt of his chin, “your magic would pour straight into the valley. Spread fast, low to the ground. Cover everything between us and the temple walls.”
Kara stared at the sheer number of men guarding their route. She knotted her hands together, doubt filling her. “What if it doesn’t hold them?”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “It held me.”
“Yeah, but you’re one person,” she said doubtfully.
“Only one way to be sure,” he replied. “Try it.”
“Now? Here?”
He leaned back against the rock, arms crossed. “Better here than when a dozen blades are aimed at us. Keep it in the treeline though. Don’t want them to see it.”
“Right, okay. Give me your hand.”
Kara gripped his hand tight as she pulled at the threads of their power. His strength rose in her alongside her own magic, quick and sharp, but when she pushed it out it came out wrong – a russet-tinged mist spilling only a few feet before thinning to nothing. Not enough.
Panic gripped her. “Why isn’t it–?”
“I think because it was instinctive,” Sebastian said, unshaken. “You were trying to save me.” He squeezed her hand. “Think of that, Kara. Think of me. Saving my life.”
She nodded once, allowing her fear of losing him, the need to protect him, to fill her.
This time, the magic surged golden, hot and blinding – but too fast. It spilled out into Sebastian immediately, completely uncontrolled.
He staggered back with a grunt, his grip on her hand tightening convulsively.
His gaze unfocused and his knees buckled as if he were about to collapse.
“Sebastian!” she cried, pulling her magic back. The mist disappeared at once. “I didn’t mean–”
“M’kay.” He blinked sleepily, bracing himself against the rock. He shook his head. “You nearly had me under.” He steadied slightly. “Still hate that.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, shame blooming.
“Don’t be,” he said, his expression clearing as the fog lifted. “It’s effective. That’s good – it means it’ll work.” He nudged her shoulder. “Next time though, watch where you’re aiming.”
She dropped her gaze as the guilt lodged inside her. She couldn’t believe she’d almost done it again.
“Kara,” he said pulling her chin back to him. “Stop that. It’s fine.”
She gave him a reluctant smile and he tugged her into his arms. “Thank you,” she whispered.
As the afternoon wore on, he made her try several more times, until gold mist trailed in front of her controlled and fully at her command.
“Very good,” he muttered approvingly at her last attempt. “It’s almost time.”
She watched the fading sunlight, nerves fluttering unpleasantly.
“The patrol went past five minutes ago. Now’s our window. You ready?” he asked her.
Not really.
“You have done things like this before, right?”
“Similar.”
She stared at him.
“Southern Isles rebels. Less organised.”
“Sebastian.”
“We’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
Her hands trembled but she nodded anyway.
And so, together, they crept towards the edge of the rocky hill and peered down into the valley, at least fifty feet below them, torches flickering in the darkness.
There were more than twenty men her magic had to reach, all armoured with blades in hand.
Her magic had to reach them all – and it had to be fast, before one cry carried to the temple.
If I get this wrong, if I’m not quick enough, Sebastian could die.
She grabbed his hand and clung to that thought, letting it fill her.
With barely any effort at all, her golden magic spilled out and down into the valley below.
The effect was immediate. One by one, the soldiers faltered, blades slipping from loose hands as her enchanted sleep claimed them.
Kara felt each collapse – a faint tug at the edge of her mind, like lights dimming one by one as every consciousness surrendered to her power.
Swift. Ruthless. Unstoppable.
It was over in seconds. Twenty-four men down. The silence that followed was absolute. Unsettling.
That was fast. Too fast. Too easy.
“Kara,” Sebastian looked at her in awe. “That was amazing.”
She flushed with pleasure at his compliment. He stood quietly and pulled her up by the hand. “Let’s go, we need to be in position before the patrol comes past and notices. We have twenty minutes, at most.”
They moved cautiously down the slope, the loose stones crunching lightly under their feet.
Kara bent once, crouching beside the nearest soldier.
His chest rose and fell with slow, heavy breaths.
She hovered her palm by his temple and her usual emerald snaked out.
The enchantment was deep. Strong. And holding.
“At least an hour,” she murmured.
Sebastian gave a sharp nod, eyes already sweeping ahead.
Together, they wove through the silent ranks of slumbering men, scaling the last stretch of valley in silence – pulling themselves higher with careful movements – their hands scraping against jagged stone.
The walls around the Fire Temple loomed above them now, vast and sheer, rising like the base of a mountain.
On the ramparts above, archers and guards faced outward, watching the distant approaches.
Sebastian and Kara crouched low in the shadow of the rocks, hidden from sight, just beneath the outer patrol path.
Footsteps approached. Sebastian froze, body tense, listening. Judging the distance.
“We have to hurry,” Sebastian hissed, gripping his blade, “If they look down into the valley before we take them...”
He didn’t need to finish that sentence. A single shout was all it would take to alert the guards inside.
The patrols reached the southern wall almost in unison – one pair pacing in from the east, the other from the west. Perfect.
They would cross their position at the same time; they could take them together if they moved fast enough.
As Sebastian had planned. But then the eastern pair slowed.
One of them stopped, scanning the shadows behind them.
For what, Kara couldn’t tell. His companion turned back to speak, holding his torch high.
They lingered too long. Now their timing was off.
They’re too far apart – we can’t take them together.
Sebastian swore under his breath. He knew it too. “Damn it. I’ll take them both.”
“Sebastian, no.” Kara grabbed his arm, pulling him back down before he could be seen. “The second you rush one pair, the other will raise the alarm.”
His eyes snapped to hers, storm-dark. “I’m not leaving you to take them alone.”
“I can do this,” she said firmly. “It’s only two. My emerald is enough for that. You take the west, I’ll take east. Quick and quiet, like you said. We meet back here.”
Slowly, and with obvious reluctance, he muttered, “I hate this.”
“I know,” she said. “But trust me. I can do it.”
“If anything goes wrong–”
“I know, we run,” she assured him. He’d said it about a hundred times.
He nodded once and slipped silently westwards towards his targets, crimson already glowing.
She turned her attention eastwards. The two soldiers had stopped again, heads bent in lazy conversation several paces away along the southern wall, oblivious and mercifully not looking in her direction.
She moved carefully by the rocks, keeping low and silent as Sebastian had drilled her.
Almost there.
As soon as she was close enough, she reached up and unfurled her emerald light from her palms. It wrapped both men in seconds. It enveloped the first guard in an instant – his sword clanging to the ground, his body slumping heavily after it.
Shit. If someone heard that–
More would come. But no time to worry about that now. The second had stiffened, staggered, and shook his head violently, fighting to break free of her spell. It was too weak. He was going to shout. Alert the others. Ruin everything.
She caught sight of the nightshade cuffs at his belt, and the memory hit her. Sebastian’s arms twisted behind him, Thorne soldiers dragging him away, her powerless to stop them.
Not this time.
She moved forward, but his hand shot out and caught her wrist, yanking her towards him. Her emerald magic flared hotter, sharper in response. It bit into the man’s consciousness with a viciousness she hadn’t felt before. His heartbeat raced.
Go to sleep.
Go.
To.
Sleep.
His heartbeat slowed. Too slow. Kara wrenched her hand away as he fell face-first into the dust. She exhaled shakily.
I did it.
That had been close. The ruthlessness of her magic shocked her.
It left her feeling a cold that had nothing to do with the night air.
She shook it off, grateful it had worked.
Realising she’d edged too far from cover, she ducked low again, creeping back towards the shadow of the rocks.
She held her breath, waiting for any sign that someone had heard, that she’d been discovered.
Nothing.
Kara let out a slow, shaky breath, nerves spiking again. Sebastian wasn’t back yet. She scanned for him desperately.
He’ll be fine. He’ll be fine.
It was a mantra she told herself again and again. Then – he was there, moving through the dark without a sound, his blade still drawn. His hands were steady and his breathing controlled – but his bloodied lip and split knuckles told her he hadn’t had it as easy as she had.
“Sebastian,” she whispered, reaching for him.
“I’m here.” He grabbed her hand tightly, searching her for injuries. “You did it.”
She nodded. “So did you.”
She brushed her thumb over the cut on his lip, emerald sparking without conscious thought. It sealed at once. She froze as soon as she’d done it.
She hadn’t asked.
But to her surprise he only looked mildly startled, then smiled at her. “I barely felt that.”
“Good,” she murmured, and her emerald wrapped his knuckles, healing his hand as well.
Sebastian angled his head upwards and eyed the wall, dark and sheer, the gate barred from within.