Page 59

Visions

The following morning, Adelina met Yelena in the training room. Dark circles had formed underneath Yelena’s eyes, and she still wore the same clothes as the day before.

“Is everything all right?” Adelina frowned.

“Come with me.” Yelena urged her through the bookcase door, into the secret office.

Walking around to the other side of her desk, she unlocked the drawer and drew out a book. “Here. I think this is the one we need. It’s written in a different language, whereas the others were not.”

Taking the book, Adelina flipped through the pages. She raised her brows. “I know this language.”

“You do?” Yelena’s words were emphasised with surprise. “How?”

“Svarog presented himself to me in a dream.” Adelina scanned the cursive writing. “He gave me the knowledge of the language, so I can understand it. It’s an ancient tongue used in nether magic books.”

“Then you mean to say, the spell we’ll need is nether magic?” Yelena shook her head. “You won’t be able to use it.”

“Not quite.” Adelina removed a folded slip of paper from the centre and held it up for Yelena to see. “It’s a great place to hide something we do require. I’m guessing Filip tore this out of the original book and stuffed it in here, knowing it would be the last book I’d look for.”

“It won’t be long before he notices it’s missing. It’s been gone all night,” Yelena said. “If you know the language, then you best be quick and read what it says. As soon as you’re done, I’ll need to figure out a way of putting it back exactly when I found it.”

Adelina sunk into an armchair beside a stack of books, then unfolded the paper. She scanned each line, absorbing its information.

“Well?” Yelena probed. “What does it say?”

“Huh.” Adelina brought the paper closer to her face.

“It’s a spell to store power in inanimate objects.

My grandfather’s pocket watch was full of astral magic—put inside by wielders from the War—and I absorbed it.

This looks similar except…it’s a way of overcharging the magic so the objects become dangerous.

They’re used as weapons because they can explode on impact. ”

Yelena placed her fingers on her chin. “While I’m shocked you didn’t tell me about the astral magic in your watch before, that’s not the main focus here. We can overcharge some objects around the palace, perhaps the guards’ swords and shields and some of Filip’s belongings. ”

“It would need to be enough magic to cause a big enough explosion to kill Filip.” Adelina shifted her gaze back to the page in her hands.

“Sacrificing some of the astral magic you absorbed will be worth it,” Yelena said. “I’ll go to Filip, tell him you’ll be using the prism world to practise. Use the time to learn this spell.”

Adelina nodded as Yelena left the room. Pacing back and forth, she ran her hand through her hair.

This was her opportunity to obtain revenge for all the horrid things Filip had done, the death of her sister, one of them.

His death would mean freedom for the three countries, and a new leader could be elected.

She could go home with her husband and live the life she wanted with him.

Something niggled inside her, though—Nikolay wasn’t at Murtei when they attacked. Who would’ve sent word to him? It wasn’t Yelena, and she doubted Olga would’ve sent a coded letter between them arriving in Pike and her death. Her murder . At my hands.

Mastering this spell and getting rid of Filip was one of many things she needed to do to atone for her sins—as much as she was forced, she still did whatever he commanded.

Her actions were imprinted on her conscience along with his, and she had to prove to herself she was nothing like him.

Filip lived in darkness— thrived in it—whereas she walked a dangerous line between darkness and the light.

She didn’t have a choice then, but she’d prove she didn’t belong to him.

When Yelena returned a while later, Adelina conjured the prism world. Positioned outside of the golden, swirling portal, she faced her .

“Did Filip seem suspicious at all?” Adelina asked.

“It is not uncommon for you to use the prism world to practise your magic. Besides, he’s too busy celebrating his victories to care.” Did Yelena roll her eyes?

Adelina couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you. Let’s go master the hell out of this spell.”

As Adelina took a step towards the hovering portal, a sickly, ice-cold sensation skittered up her spine.

Her vision swung on its axis. She stumbled into a nearby chair, and a searing pain shot through her temples.

Tossing the page onto the nearby table, she clamped her eyes shut and cradled her head in her palms.

“Adelina?” Yelena’s voice was muffled by the roaring in Adelina’s ears. “Take deep breaths and tell me what’s happening when you can.”

Behind Adelina’s eyelids, a vision materialised, as bright and vivid as if it were happening in real life. “I see a forest…so much fire.”

Flames licked trees wildly, growing more brutal by the second. Thick, black smoke churned into the sky.

“Ironpine!” Adelina covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes still closed.

“You know a Treefolk?” Yelena asked in a soothing manner.

“Yes, he helped me get to Uldan Island for the Sword of Light.” Adelina’s heartrate soared. “We have to help the Treefolk. The fire will ravage their home, it could kill them all.”

Opening her eyes, she attempted to rise, but stumbled into Yelena, who gripped her arm .

“What are you doing?” Adelina tried to shake Yelena off, but she maintained a firm grip. “We have to go.”

A crease wedged itself between Yelena’s thin eyebrows. “We can’t. I believe you were having a vision.”

“What do you mean?” Adelina trembled. “It was so clear . I could’ve sworn it was real.”

“Why don’t you sit down while I explain it to you?” Yelena gestured to the seat.

Adelina obeyed, grateful for the solid wood beneath her. The shakiness in her legs did not subside.

“It’s a rare ability, but not unheard of,” Yelena said. “My sister, Ivanna, is a Seer with the ability to see slices of the future. But visions can be of anything—past, present, or future. Have you seen things before—things so close you could almost touch it but weren’t there?”

Adelina nodded, gripping on to the armrests.

“I had a vision of Filip—that’s how I knew about Damir and Tihana being his prisoners.

There were right in front of me, and I could do nothing .

I had to come back. Is there a way for me to see more of this vision?

I need to fully understand what is expected to come to pass. ”

Yelena placed her fingers on her chin, then dashed to her box of medical supplies.

She withdrew a vial of cloudy liquid. “Drink this. It will allow you to tap into the part of your mind connecting you to certain slices of the future. You might not be able to see everything, and it is unlikely to last long, but it should give you more clues. ”

With a swift nod, Adelina accepted the vial and downed the contents. It left a tingling sensation in her throat. Reclining in her chair, she shook out her limbs, trying to relax as much as possible.

“Close your eyes and focus on what you saw,” Yelena said.

Letting out a steady breath, Adelina waited.

From her position on a grassy hill, she could see Aldercrown stretching on the horizon—the treeline approximately three-hundred feet away. The edge of the forest was untouched by fire, but the deeper into it, the more ravaged it became. The flames and black smoke were relentless.

Instead of staying at the top of the hill, she hurried down the slope and into the forest. She didn’t know how long the vision would last, and she needed to learn as much about it as possible.

“What do you see?” Yelena’s voice sounded distant and close at the same time.

Adelina jogged over fallen twigs and dead leaves. Coming to an abrupt halt, her whole body stiffened. She stared at a man ahead. A man she recognised was mounted, surrounded by cavalry.

“I think Nikolay is here,” Adelina said on an intake of breath.

“What about him?” Yelena probed, keeping her voice level, although Adelina detected the ever so slight wobble.

Adelina swallowed the bubbling worry inside her. “It is too convenient he wasn’t at the Temauten Congregation—he just so happens to not be there when Filip attacks. If this vision is showing the future, then Nikolay is definitely alive. ”

“You think he is responsible for the fire?” Yelena asked.

“There’s one way to find out. I’ll see if I can get closer—confirm it’s him.” Adelina rushed through the forest.

A heaviness expanded through her core. Ahead, a cloud of smoke flittered through the trees, filling her nose. This isn’t real.

She pushed onward, weaving through trunks.

Ahead, fire raged, engulfing tree trunks. A deep groan echoed, and an oak snapped in half, toppling to the ground with a loud thud.

“You need to hurry, Adelina,” Yelena warned. “The vision won’t hold for much longer.”

Could Nikolay betray them? If he had, it meant Filip would also know about the coded letters, incriminating Yelena.

As brambles and bushes caught at her cloak, she ran back to where she’d left Yelena. She, too, was gone. Frowning, Adelina tried to find a sense of direction amongst trees all looking the same. Finding her way onto a beaten trail between stumps and fallen logs, she froze.

“It’s definitely Nikolay.” Adelina’s gaze travelled from Nikolay to the fallen Treefolk, lying on the ground.

The trunk making up his body flickered with fire, and the leaves on his head turned to ash.

Her heart panged as she thought of her friend, Ironpine.

It could’ve been him. She’d no idea if he was alive.

The vision disintegrated and Adelina opened her eyes, her heart pounding. She blinked rapidly, trying to process everything she’d seen. “What’s the likelihood of this coming to pass? ”