48. Ozias

48

OZIAS

W e had too many enemies in this temple that was anything but silent.

Invisible in the shadows, I scanned the corridor. Small creatures crept through the debris. Stones shifted and settled, sending dust whispering to the ground. Far below my feet, water rushed along, newly freed of its prison in the earth.

And down the hall—in a library, from the smell of it—my mate was finally finding peace with my obstinate friend.

I adjusted my aching cock, breathing slow and steady while sunrise began to lighten the dark sky beyond the window at the opposite end of the corridor. I was happy for my mate and my friend. Of course, I also would have liked to join in. But I understood giving them both space while they addressed the tension that had been building between them ever since the seven of us met our beautiful treluria.

Not to mention someone needed to protect them while they attended to their needs.

I could be patient.

Ruhl’s glowing green eyes lit the shadows briefly, floating near the door of the library. I swore the wolf smirked at me.

Damn that infernal thing.

I returned my attention to the corridor, determined to remain focused. I could wait to?—

My mate’s release rolled like an earthquake through our connection, and I bit back a groan with effort. This close, I could smell traces of her in the hall, and the combination was… gods…

I shuddered and straightened, avoiding giving that damned wolf the satisfaction of acknowledging his existence. Let him smirk. I could handle their?—

Alarm shot through my link to my mate.

I lunged from the shadows, running for the library door. With distant satisfaction, I noted the wolf recoiling in surprise. But the creature regrouped quickly, flowing after me as I yanked open the door and charged into the library.

At the sight of me, Gwyneira came to a stop. “The queen’s magic is coming this way,” she said without preamble. “The power that made those poison-apple forests are heading for the wall.”

Fuck.

I jerked my head back the way I’d come, and then took off. My beautiful mate didn’t need further explanation, racing after me.

The others lurched awake when we raced past their door. “What’s wrong?” Dex asked immediately.

Quickly, the princess relayed what she’d told me.

“We need to warn someone,” Niko said.

Byron and Lars nodded, but I didn’t like the idea. Warn them of what? We didn’t need to debate or think through possibilities, and gods knew that was what some of my friends and that scholar Ignatius would want to do.

We needed to stop this, keep the princess safe, and fucking annihilate anything that dared to threaten her again.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Roan shudder. His eyes met mine, except I could see that strange glint that I now understood was his demon too.

I suspected that creature agreed with me.

“We find Ignatius,” Dex said. “We go from there.”

I suppressed a growl. Fine. I headed for the door, not bothering to wait for the others. They would catch up or they would debate, but I didn’t care.

That queen would die.

“I guess we’re going then,” Lars said.

My mate was already on my heels.

Gods, I loved her.

Moving fast, I tracked Ignatius’s scent through the winding halls, coming to another section of the temple where the larger giants had found sleeping quarters.

When I rounded the corner, Ignatius was walking out of his room, a stack of dusty books beneath one arm and another book open in his opposite hand.

He came to a sharp stop at the sight of us. “Something is coming, isn’t it?”

The words were a question, but clearly, he already knew the answer, because a heartbeat later he simply said. “Come with me.”

Turning quickly, he retreated into his room.

Not letting down my guard, I trailed him, keeping my mate safely at my back. Candles burned in wax-covered holders in random spots around the room, casting wavering light. The windows were dusty and covered in dirt, obscuring the hints of sunrise outside. Along one wall, books were stacked in haphazard fashion, as if they’d been moved out of the way—but with more care than I would have shown.

I didn’t trust those things.

Ignatius strode past them though, heading for a tall wooden table on the opposite end of the room. Made of a warm, golden wood, it was carved as if from one massive log, no seams to be seen, and it stood tall enough that the princess would struggle to see over its top. Assorted pieces of metal gleamed on its surface, looking almost like components of a disassembled clock. In the center of the mess, a mirror reflected the room from within a brass frame that had more bits of metal sticking out from its sides, as if it was in the middle of being repaired.

Byron’s brow rose. “A magic mirror?”

Ignatius nodded. “I’ve almost got it working. With the help of the kings and you, scholar, I believe I should be able to get a message past the wall.”

Warily, Lars glanced between us and the older scholar. “Uh, who are you contacting?”

“The witches,” Gwyneira said before Ignatius could respond. “Right?”

The old man nodded. “If they are still alive out there, they need to know what’s coming.”

“Well, great.” Clay rubbed his hands together. “Let’s do it already.”

“As impatient as a tidal wave,” Ignatius said, not unkindly before turning back to the table.

Clay glanced at us with confusion like he couldn’t understand the comment.

In spite of myself, I buried a smirk.

A fizzling sound came from the mirror. The reflection of the room wavered like a pond would when a rock had been dropped through its surface. Invisibly, a wave of magic emanated out from it like a chilled breeze.

My beast’s hackles rose with distrust for the sensation.

The reflection stilled, but it showed only murky gray.

“It may take a few minutes,” Ignatius said. “Not only are we crossing the Erenlian wall, we also have the Wild Lands with which to contend. If we can bypass that magic, we should be able to?—”

“Hello?”

A garbled voice came from the mirror. It sounded like a man, but no image appeared to identify the speaker.

Ignatius turned back quickly. “Hello, yes.” He tapped on the mirror frame. “Can you hear me?”

“—said hello?”

A frustrated sound left the scholar. He fiddled with the bits of metal on the side of the mirror.

“—sure who this is—” The voice suddenly became less garbled and the murky fog cleared into the image of an elderly giant in a candlelit study with walls that looked like they belonged in a cave.

The elderly giant gaped with shock. “Ignatius? Is that… How is this possible? Where are you?”

Relief showed on Ignatius’s face. “I am in Erenelle, old friend. The temple of Syloria, to be specific. And—” He motioned to Byron, waiting until the younger man joined him. “I have your former mentee and his friends to thank for it.”

Dathan smiled. “Are you well, Byron? Did the glass box work to protect the princess?”

Oh… fuck.

My eyes darted to Ignatius. The elderly scholar frowned and then turned.

He looked straight at Gwyneira.

“It, um… yes.” Byron stammered. “Listen, we need your help with?—”

“Princess,” Ignatius said like he was filling in a blank. His brow rose, his eyes never leaving my mate. “There is a reason you thought the apples were a cruel joke, is there not? And why you know so much about Aneira.”

Gwyneira was silent.

“You have more than the look or power of Queen Eira. You are her daughter.”

I braced myself to lunge if he dared look like he wanted to hurt her.

Ignatius nodded to himself. “That makes a great deal of sense.” Without another word, he turned back to the magic mirror. “We have need of your assistance, Dathan. Tell me, are you still among the witches of the Jeweled Coven?”

I stared at Ignatius as he continued explaining the situation to Dathan. That was it? It made sense and… nothing else?

I didn’t trust it.

Gwyneira’s hand slipped along my back, calming reassurance coming through our bond. For some reason, she seemed as if—beyond her initial alarm—his reaction hadn’t surprised her.

I eased out of my tense posture ever so slightly, but I still watched the scholar. I trusted my mate, but where her safety was concerned, I could never be too careful.

“—really are the Nine, then why has their magic not joined as the oldest interpretations say?”

My jaw clenched at Dathan’s words. And then there was that risk to her…

“Syloria may be able to help with that,” Ignatius said.

“Setting that aside,” Dex cut in before Dathan could speak. “The priority right now is the attack the queen is sending toward the Wall of Erenelle. It may be some distance away still, but that only means we need to use that time to prepare. Because if that destroys our defenses, we’ll have too much on our hands to worry about any prophecy or whether our enemy plans world domination.”

“Yeah, mostly because we’ll be dead,” Clay chimed in. “So how does this help us with that?”

Ignatius gave the blond giant a wry look. “The wall is only half the issue. Tell me”—he turned to Niko—“when we first met, you thought you were in the mines outside Lumilia. Why is that?”

My friend faltered at suddenly being the center of attention. “The, um… the soldiers brought me to see the queen first.”

“What?” Gwyneira exclaimed. “You never mentioned that.”

He shrugged. “It didn’t really matter. I mean, she wanted to…” Hesitation flashed over his face as if he was reconsidering his words. “Okay, well, she tried to have one of the Voidborn take me over, but it?—”

“Niko!” The princess reached out, gripping his arm in her shock.

“I’m fine. It didn’t work.”

I definitely wasn’t the only one staring at him in confusion.

“Didn’t work ?” Byron repeated carefully.

Niko’s eyes went to Ignatius and Dathan, questions starting to rise in his gaze. “There was a, um… like a weird crystalline feeling and then the Voidborn just kind of… you know, died.”

“Holy shit, friend.” Clay gaped at him. “You think you could’ve mentioned you’re Voidborn-proof.”

“I have no idea why it happened,” Niko protested. “Maybe there was something wrong with the Voidborn she ordered to attack me.” He hesitated. “The queen seemed pretty shocked, though. And angry.”

Clay scoffed. “I bet.”

Niko frowned.

“Shield of Erenelle,” Byron murmured.

Roan turned to him. “What?”

Blinking like he didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud, Byron glanced around. “Um, what the king said. Or, rather, the magical representation of the king.”

“Precisely.” Ignatius nodded.

In the magic mirror, Dathan smiled and nodded as well.

I bit back a growl of irritation, but Clay got there first. “Someone want to fill us in?” he prompted.

Ignatius smiled. “The wall is the shield of Erenelle. Its power responded to King Niko—and it appears it extended to protect him even in the castle at Lumilia.”

“Perhaps this is what joining their powers truly meant,” Dathan told him.

Ignatius nodded. “To share the protection of Erenelle.”

I glanced at the others, wary at my own hesitation, because I was no scholar. Who was I to question? I hated books.

But I loved stories. Their winding tales coursed through twists and turns like prey determined to flee. Yet when all was said and done, the predator always hunted down their meaning and caught them in the end.

And true, this was no story, just the random path of real life.

Yet somehow, the scholars’ conclusion didn’t quite track.

“Whatever it means,” Dex said with all the incisive logic of a general determined not to let hypothetical musings make him lose sight of the war. “At best that only protects the nine of us, and only for as long as the wall still stands. We need a strategy beyond merely trying to outlast the queen’s current attack.”

Ignatius sighed, nodding. “I agree. Syloria is the safest place in Erenelle right now, given that the waters are flowing and fueling the defenses here again. But that and the wall itself are only half the battle. As I’ve said before, Erenelle cannot stand on its own forever. We must reclaim the nexuses. Starting with the princess’s home in Lumilia.”

“Um, why Lumilia?” Lars asked warily.

“Because I suspect Queen Melisandre has made that her base of power. She has twisted Aneira from the start, and to take bend the nexus beneath its capital would be too irresistible a victory to resist. But Lumilia was Queen Eira’s home as well, and the home of Princess Gwyneira’s father’s ancestors for generations.” He gave Gwyneira a pointed look. “The magic there knows you, just as the magic of Erenelle knew King Niko.Of any nexus in the world, you’ll stand the best chance of reclaiming the one beneath your home.”

Casimir scrubbed a hand across his chin thoughtfully. “Reclaim the nexus, reclaim the throne. Fate is efficient for once.”

At my mate’s worried look, Casimir gave a small shrug, sympathy in his eyes.

“Indeed it often is,” Ignatius agreed, “even if it doesn’t always appear as such at first. And now it brings together the representatives of reality itself. Each of you were drawn from three nations that—in their own ways—both possess strong magic and are fighting to be resurrected from death because of it. It makes sense that you are the ones chosen to fight for our world.”

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I also didn’t care. Gwyneira had turned away, her eyes on the window.

Shame suddenly filtered through our connection, coming from her.

“What is it?” I asked, confused. The worry, I understood. But shame?

She remained quiet.

“Princess?” Niko urged. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” She closed her eyes. “You talk of strong magic, but I’m no match for my stepmother. She has decades of training, strength from the Voidborn…” The shame deepened. “Her power has been hunting me, and every time it’s found me… I’ve almost died. And that was without me intentionally seeking her out. Even in the gateway, she almost…”

My mate trailed off, the worry inside her mixing with a questioning feeling that also made no sense.

“What?” I urged her.

Exhaling, she turned back to us. “I don’t know how to stop her. Not really. I tried and she just came back from the empty realms stronger. But I think the gateway demons want to help. Or the, uh… the big one does.”

Clay made an incredulous sound. “Big one?”

“It told me when the time was right, I should call.”

Ignatius’s brow furrowed thoughtfully.

“Call…” Byron said like his mind was running the simple word through a maze of meaning. He cast a glance back at the magic mirror.

Dathan nodded as if answering my friend’s unspoken thought. “Gateway demons often have more than one meaning to their words.”

“So there was more than one meaning to ‘eat us’, then,” Clay commented. “Wonderful.” At his twin’s tired look, he gaped at him. “What? Those things wanted to devour us. I say we tell the witches what’s going on and let them deal with crazy ol’ Queen Mel.”

Lars frowned. “I know you’re not a coward, brother.”

Clay’s dismissive attitude faltered, cracking into barely suppressed anxiety. “That bitch could kill Gwyneira.”

Dread settled over my friends’ faces, mirroring what I was damn sure was on mine.

“She’s wanted me dead since the moment I was born,” Gwyneira said into the silence. “That’s not what worries me.” Her eyes darted across all of us, and I could only too easily read the truth.

Losing us was what scared her.

“But Dex is right,” she continued. “We need a plan, and I think, Ignatius, you were on the right path with reaching out to Dathan.” She looked at the elderly scholar in the magic mirror. “We’re going to need anyone who will help us if we’re going to stand a chance of stopping my stepmother. So if the gateway demons agree, do you think you could convince the witches to take a gateway and meet us in Lumilia? Perhaps in the old apothecary district to the west of the castle? I know magic isn’t exactly popular in Aneira”—wryness filled her voice at the massive understatement—“but that still seems like a place the witches might know.”

Dathan nodded. “Rufinia has spoken of it, yes. I will tell her.” He smiled. “And I will join them.”

“Good. Thank you. Then while you’re doing that, we’ll take a gateway to the wall, have Niko help us past that, and then take another to meet you there.”

The elderly scholar smiled. “I’ll see it done, your highness.” He glanced over at Ignatius and Byron. “And Berinlian willing, I’ll see you both in person when this is done.”

His image disappeared, the mirror becoming nothing but a reflective piece of glass once more.

Resolutely, the princess turned to us. Her bearing was straight. Her face calm. But I could still feel how her nervous worry bubbled inside. She doubted herself, even now. Even when, standing here between us all, she looked every inch the warrior queen she’d been born to be.

She wouldn’t face her stepmother alone. I’d die before I let her do that. But no one should doubt her strength.

Especially not Gwyneira herself.

My mate’s eyes flicked toward me. She could feel my confidence in her. I wasn’t hiding a scrap of it.

But still, she worried.

“Okay, but, um… one thing?” Niko straightened a bit, clearly trying to overcome his own apprehension. “If there’s something about me that will protect Gwyneira—that will protect all of you—then I think we need to try that too before we go anywhere. Especially before going there .”

Dex was frowning, but he nodded. “What does that require?” He directed the question to Ignatius.

The scholar looked around at all of us, and my beast growled, apprehensive at the hope and confidence in his gaze.

Anything that protected Gwyneira was good in our eyes. But that didn’t mean either I or my beast wanted to risk her by undertaking strange magic .

But the scholar only smiled. “Come with me. The joining of the Nine shall begin.”