Page 8 of Randall (The Tenth Step #3)

Randall

The raven brought news the morning after the ball. With all the excitement, I’d foolishly let down my guard.

“Wait,” I said before reaching out for Kat. You should come. I received an impression of her leaping from her perch and running along the halls, and so I waited, offering the raven water and food in the meantime.

When she arrived, I had her sit on a stool where she could look into my mirror with me. From the raven, I plucked his memory…

Rolling black clouds, thunder, and lightning flashed across the mirror’s surface, but there wasn’t any rain. Low wood and grass homes typical of the Sprawlingforth Plains to the north of the city filled the view next.

Fisher Clan, Kat provided, startling me, for she rarely spoke in words to me.

That she had meant whatever I was about to see was serious.

I had to take her word for it being them because I’d never ventured far from my clan’s conclave in Haling Cove until I moved to Onamond and made it my new residence, my home for these last seventeen years.

Once settled, I’d only made a few trips outside the capital and those mainly to the neighboring cities east and west, never to the northern plains.

Though we couldn’t hear or see, what I saw scared me.

Inky creatures slithered between the buildings, using the cover of the storm to hide their destruction.

As we watched flames engulf one home after another, a feeling of sadness radiated from Kat.

Distorted figures with mouths agape, the eyes of the clansmen rolling back in their heads, blood flowing in red rivulets, bodies toppling to the ground.

An unseen evil had swept through the small village, destroying everything in its path.

I had to close my eyes against the abhorrent images, but I could still see them. My heart broke for all those lives lost.

You must find him.

I snapped my eyes open to stare at her, avoiding looking at my mirror. “Who?”

The one who fled. He who lives.

My breath caught, heart racing upon hearing there were survivors. “Where?”

Riverside, but— Ah. Here.

A gull screeched as it careened through the open window, landing on the floor of my room.

A second raven flew in and landed beside its brethren.

The moment they settled, I reached first into the mind of the gull and transferred its memory to the mirror.

Fishing boats tossed about in high seas, long tentacles extended up out of the waves, sharp grey fins circled sinking ships, and men were drawn one by one beneath the swirling water.

I switched to the second raven then, plucking the information from him.

As dawn lightened the early morning sky, hundreds of dead fish could be seen floating on the surface of the ocean, pushed slowly toward the shore by the rolling waves.

The raven had thought to scoop one up for an easy meal, but a seagull below him had fallen dead the moment its beak had touched a single fish.

Letting go of the raven, I widened my focus out toward the docks where the first wave of dead fish and the gulls who’d tried to score an easy meal floated, their lifeless bodies knocking against the wood.

The city guard kept the muttering townspeople away, calling for a runner to send word to the king.

Seeing the situation was handled for the moment, I withdrew my sight, pausing as I bumped against a powerful and unfamiliar presence.

The warmth of the person’s magick drew me closer, calling to me…

Someone was home within the Fae Ambassador’s residence, but Jarrah was here in the castle, so I didn’t know who it could be.

I cursed my lack of knowledge regarding the Fae.

I saw now that I had made a grave mistake, but the Fae were standoffish and unlikely to come to the capital, loving the open and green spaces versus the city’s dead wood and rock structures, thus I’d focused my studies elsewhere.

I realized belatedly that I’d felt this individual the prior evening, but had thrown up my shields as I’d dealt with Valter and the show he and his mates had put on for the king and court.

My lack of attention gnawed at my gut. Circling the quaint house, admiring the blooms of flowers, I tried to penetrate the barriers surrounding the home.

My attempts were thrown back, and I regretfully retreated for the time being, but not before another pulse of heat caressed my cheek.

Kat was staring at me when I opened my eyes, a smugness emanating from her. Her whiskers twitched, and then she jumped to the floor, heading for the stairs. She paused in the doorway and looked back at me. Tonight… visit the dockyards. Tomorrow, Riverside. Remember.

“I will,” I whispered as her tail disappeared from view, and then I scrawled a note and gave it to the raven. “Commander Nasi. Go.” I watched through the raven’s eyes until the Commander of the King’s Guard had my message, then let the bird go with my thanks.

By the gods, I was tired. My head ached; my back ached. Scrying for so many turns of the hourglass had drawn on my last reserves.

“Meer-ow.”

I smiled down at Kat and finally noticed the platter of food when she stole a morsel of sausage from the plate and scampered off. Laughing, I rose to retrieve the meal and nearly tripped over my own feet. Steady now. You’ve got a long trip ahead of you.

One look out the window at the darkening sky, and I realized how late it had gotten.

After relaying the gull’s news to the commander, Prince Valter, Prince Jarrah, and their assorted mates, it was decided that they would head to the docks in search of more information.

Master Baron started quite the upheaval by trying to force his mate, Prince Valter, into being left behind.

I was amused but didn’t stay to watch. I made my escape, wanting to perform my own magical search, because the queen would insist on my report before I departed for Riverside.

And so, I’d been lost in my attempts to discover more information about this growing evil.

First, though, I needed water. After downing a whole mugful, I practically inhaled the stew and all the bread. With another cup of water in hand, I headed for my closet, but I never made it. The clay mug shattered when it hit the floor, falling from my numb fingers as a new vision overwhelmed me.

I sank to my knees, closed my eyes, and let it come.

A slender, youthful, silver-haired Fae stood surrounded by brutish fishermen, blacksmiths, and dockworkers, shaking their fists and shouting at the young man.

As I watched, the boy raised his hands and spoke.

I couldn’t hear the words, but he appeared to be trying to calm them.

Those standing in front of him seemed to settle, but behind him, a man bore down on him, wielding a dagger.

Randall!

I jerked upright.

Hurry, or you’ll be left behind.

“What?” I spluttered, lurching to my feet.

They are leaving for the docks soon. You must go with them.

The docks… Kat’s declaration… My vision!

I grabbed my cloak and sped down the winding tower stairs, running to meet up with Jarrah, Prince Valter, and the others. Servants pointed my way toward them, and in my haste, I spun around the doorway, shouting. “I’m going with you!”

The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to snatch them back. I’d sounded like a child, beating on the floor because I couldn’t go riding with my brother. Embarrassment turned quickly to anger, though, when Baron said, “No. You’re not necessary.”

Drawing myself up, I stared at him. “I must. I’ve had another vision.”

“What?” Marius interjected.

Continuing to hold Baron’s gaze, I repeated myself, “I must be there when you—”

“Wait…” Marius said, his sharp tone causing me concern. When I finally turned to look at him, he was focused on Jarrah, who was caught in his own vision.

Jarrah blinked and fell into Marius’ arms. His mate carried him to the couch while Quinn brought over a goblet of wine. They whispered endearments until Jarrah seemed steady enough to speak to all of us.

He looked right at me and said, “Randall needs to be present.”

I frowned, recalling the memory of my own vision. “I only saw that I needed to be with you when we entered an inn. Did you see more?”

“I did, but as it was nothing bad, I think having the suspense would be best for all those involved.”

Gods, I hated being told no. Even though I’d lied about knowing more, I’d wanted to hear what he’d seen, to know if the young Fae I’d seen was real.

“You’re not going to tell me?” I tapped my foot, and Valter snorted.

I glared at him. Oh, hell no. Now was not the time for him to finally grow a backbone with me, but being a brat was something Valter excelled at.

He loved to push my buttons. I spun to face him. “Don’t you start, you little—”

Dual growls from Duke and Baron cut my tirade off, and I took a step backward, bowing, realizing how I’d come across. The tables had turned, and it was me this time who’d acted like a child. “My sincerest apologies, Your Highness.”

Valter shook his head, stepping closer, his mates at his back. “We make quite the pair, hm? Ignore them,” he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, then gripped my upper arm. “They don’t know us.”

There was so much truth in that simple statement that I didn’t even know where to start, so I simply smiled and covered the hand that held me in place.

I’d watched him grow from an infant into a man.

First steps, first words, first use of his magick.

Normally, I wasn’t sentimental, but at that moment, I felt proud for having helped shape him into the brilliant young prince he now was.