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Chapter Ten

C inaed:

T he wind rushed past my wings as I soared above the Romanian countryside.

Dawn hadn’t fully broken, and the shadowy landscape below was a patchwork of dark forests and rocky terrain.

The Demon Cave was just ahead, its entrance a black spot against the mountainside.

Dark magic had corrupted this land for decades and traces of its taint remained. A perfect place for a trap.

Could it really be called a trap if I knew it for what it was? Everyone did. The only part that wasn’t settled was who would come out ahead.

My mental link with Roderick was quiet. He’d had a long day and was sleeping along with the rest of his team.

I was grateful for the time differential.

Had he been awake, I’d have had to shield part of my thoughts, which was as good as saying I was hiding something.

As much as I didn’t like doing that, letting him know where I was going would’ve been worse.

Worse, as in Rod would be on the first plane he could commandeer to get to me.

His showing up would defeat the purpose of me going alone.

Even asleep, I could feel him. Our connection had strengthened since our night together in my room.

Grandfather’s spell still kept us from completing our bonding, but we were closer now than before.

I landed in front of the entrance and stared into the open maw. Dark magic clung to the walls, the residual energy the demon sword couldn’t reabsorb. No surprise that the place gave me chills. If this wasn’t our best chance to get information, I’d gladly turn away.

Instead, I flew cautiously into the trap. No one guarded the entrance, but it wasn’t comforting. Going in wasn’t nearly as essential as getting out, which made waiting for me inside a smart tactical move.

My flames lit my path, but even if it were pitch black, my phoenix eyes could’ve seen the path.

It was probably my imagination, but the walls seemed to absorb the light I generated.

I’d need to ask Rod if dark magic could do that, though I might want to wait a few days before discussing my solo rescue attempt.

The temperature dropped the farther in I went, and the tunnel narrowed before opening into a larger chamber.

I felt the remains of the defenses Otto and Owen had disabled on their previous visit.

The residual energy still pulsed weakly from a thousand points where the soul-sucking eyes had been.

I was grateful I hadn’t been there when they were active.

I paused at a fork in the tunnel, letting my magical senses guide me. One path felt empty, devoid of the energy I was searching for. The other hummed with recent magical activity. Not subtle at all, but then, they wanted me to find whatever was waiting.

The tunnel widened into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness above. In the center, chained to a stone pillar, was a figure I recognized instantly.

Grandfather. Except it wasn’t.

The diminished being lacked Grandfather’s regal presence. His hair wasn’t the right color, although only a family member might notice, and his skin rippled like it wasn’t stable. The glamour might have fooled most beings, but not a phoenix.

I studied the chains, and the glowing energy wouldn’t have been enough to hold someone as powerful as my grandfather. As disguises went, this one was terrible. Except it was perfectly fine for the charade we played.

Shifting, I cautiously approached the being, scanning the area for obvious traps. “Grandfather?” I said softly, trying to stay in character.

The being lifted its head, magically altered amber eyes meeting mine. “Cinaed.” The voice was hoarse, as though the speaker had been screaming. “You shouldn’t have come.”

It was hard not to smile at how well he tried to play his part and how much he missed the mark.

All phoenix voices share a subtle harmonic, imperceptible to humans and most shifters.

This being’s attempt to mimic that pitch was off-key and borderline irritating.

I hoped I didn’t give away I knew the truth before I got the information I needed.

“I couldn’t let you remain a captive.” I moved closer but maintained my defenses for the expected attack. “What have they done to you?”

“They want me to help them destroy the Great Ward, but they can’t breach my defenses.” The false Ailpein coughed weakly. “He needs me to release my power, but I’ve resisted.”

His words had a ring of truth, but if this was all an act, how could we believe anything? I reached out with my magic to probe the chains deeper. The ‘spells’ were an illusion, like the being they supposedly held captive. “Did you find out any more about his plans?”

“How could I do that when I’m trapped here?” he said. “Don’t ask stupid questions, child. Free me instead.”

For an imposter, he’d mastered Grandfather’s current arrogant tone. The deception flickered like a candle caught in a sudden breeze, and I saw the mage beneath the lure. I didn’t know him, but I didn’t know many mages.

“Grandfather” raised his arms as if pleading for help, and I braced for the attack.

A blast of dark energy slammed into me, throwing me against the wall with enough force to crack a human’s ribs.

Pain flared across my back and chest as I slid to the ground, momentarily stunned.

My phoenix healing immediately began mending the damage, but I was still dizzy from the impact.

Sigils erupted from the floor, surrounding me in a circle of binding energy. The magic began to crystallize at the edges, and I recognized it was similar to what had trapped our guards. I maintained the appearance of being dazed and twitched my hand.

Through half-closed eyelids, I saw the false facade drop away. The mage impersonator approached the barrier wearing a sadistic smile.

“Fucking phoenixes,” he spat as he tapped the barrier. “Don’t play dead, little pigeon. I felt you prepare for my attack. In case you missed it, the purpose of the blast was to move you onto the ground with the prison spell, not hurt you. Not much, at least.”

It was clear why this mage joined Blackstone. He had no place in a civilized, orderly society. Dropping the pretense I was injured, I rose, my injuries already healed. I pushed against the magical barrier, testing its strength.

“You’re stupider than we expected.” He waved to the forming crystals. “The closer you are to the edge, the faster you’ll be trapped.”

As if he controlled the spell, a tiny shard formed around my fingertip.

It was icy cold and tried to smother my inner fire.

I focused on the spot and exerted my will.

The shiny, smooth surface retreated, and the man’s eyes opened wide.

With my free hand, I sent a burst of phoenix fire to engulf the still disbelieving fool.

My fire surrounded him and overwhelmed his flimsy defenses. His sneer of contempt turned to fear and horror as my flames used his magic for fuel. The more he battled to smother the fiery attack, the hotter it burned.

Less than a minute later, his ashes collapsed into a pile just outside my prison. “ You’re much stupider than I expected,” I said. “There’s a reason phoenixes are the apex species.”

Crouching, I studied the pattern of my prison, searching for the weak points Bart said he’d used to free the guards. There was a slight asymmetry at the base where the sigils generated the energy to maintain the walls. That was where I needed to disrupt the spell.

Before I could attempt to free myself, I sensed someone approaching. I stood and dropped all pretense of being injured. No one would believe it with the ashes at my feet.

“Well played, Prince Cinaed.” The voice echoed through the chamber before its owner appeared. “I’ll admit, I didn’t see that coming. Neither did Gregor, but there was a reason I chose that idiot to pose as your grandfather.”

James Blackstone stepped into the chamber followed by a mage globe.

I was surprised by his attire. I wasn’t sure what I expected—probably something black and sinister, which was very clichéd.

Instead, he wore slacks, a white collared shirt with the top button open, and a gray cardigan sweater.

The normality of his appearance made him more unnerving.

He looked like a professor, not an evil mastermind.

He appeared older than his age, his face lined with the weight of centuries. A light throbbed deep inside the black hematite clutched in his right hand.

“Nice stone,” I said. “Nothing suspicious about a mage with a black gem.”

“It is rather extraordinary,” he said, turning his palm up. “I was loath to destroy my garnet stone—it had been in the family for centuries—but I couldn’t risk being tracked. This one, however, has been in my real family since before the demon war. It is better suited to my current needs.”

Talk about advertising your true colors. “Where’s my grandfather?”

“Safe, for now.” Blackstone pointed his free hand at the glyphs around me. “He’s proven remarkably resilient to my persuasion. More stubborn than I anticipated.”

As I suspected, Blackstone didn’t plan to wait this long. “He’s going to gut you when he gets free.”

“Brave words, little bird, but also quite inaccurate.” He gestured again, and watched expectantly. “I’ve planned this for centuries. I studied him and his magic while I brought him under my control. His prison required complex methods to build, and it will withstand any attempt he makes to escape.”

He inched closer, studying me and the cage he built around me. “Are you sure? It didn’t stop me from killing your flunky.”

“I can assure you that trick won’t work against me,” Blackstone said dismissively, pointing his stone at the glyphs. “Not that you’ll live long enough to try.”

Another guess proved accurate. He wanted to use me in place of my grandfather. If he thought I’d be easier to corrupt, he was mistaken. “What’s wrong, James? Your spell not working?”