Page 21

Chapter Fifteen

R oderick:

T he Minnesota wind cut across the airfield, carrying the scent of snow and pine.

I pulled my coat tighter and checked my watch.

Eleven minutes until Cinaed’s plane arrived.

Two fewer than the last time I checked. The flight had taken less time than I thought possible.

Dad had stressed the extreme danger Blackstone posed when requesting the fastest plane from the president. Clearly, he’d been persuasive.

Planes had been landing all day. Shifters from a dozen species arrived to help with the search.

Gryphons, dragons, and other flying beings would be our scouts.

Beings who hunted by scent—wolves, scent hounds, bears, and even a pair of elephant shifters—came to help search for Ailpein and Blackstone.

Avie called in as many inquisitors as she could spare from other assignments, and the ard ri had sent dozens of elven mages to help.

Even the human military was on alert in case the world suddenly found itself awash in demons.

My diamond thrummed in my pocket, responding to my anticipation. Sensing Cinaed’s approach from miles away was crazy, and it would be more intense once we bonded.

Uniting our souls had been a dream for so long. Now when it was so near, it came with a side order of anxiety. Funny how threats to the world can dim your joy.

Behind me, Avie organized our makeshift command center in a small hangar. She’d had equipment flown in and everyone pitched in to help move it into place. Everybody except one.

“I swear to God, Owen,” Avie yelled across the runway. “If you don’t park your narrow ass in a chair, I’m going to tie you to a bed.”

The wind drowned out Owen’s response, but I felt confident he didn’t argue.

“Narrow ass?” Elspeth asked, joining me at the edge of the tarmac. “Your sister uses colorful language. I like her.”

I didn’t hide my smile. Bart, Jan, Leo, and Owen might be the four musketeers, but Avie and I bonded long before our brothers were born. “She gets her point across.”

“Standing in the cold won’t make the plane land sooner.” She stared into the sky next to me. “Even you mages can’t make it fly faster.”

Elspeth was the middle child, and Cinaed said she’d been close with all of her siblings. After spending time with her, I could understand why. “I can’t, but it’s better than letting my sister critique my butt.”

“You’ve got a nice one,” she said. “My brother’s a lucky phoenix.”

The conversation reached its natural end, but it lightened my mood before Cinaed arrived. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” She put her hand on my back and rubbed gently. “Soon you’ll be part of our crazy family. Then all bets are off.”

The dark silhouette of the aircraft appeared as a distant speck. “Would you believe I’m looking forward to that day?”

“Absolutely.” She left me to wait for Cinaed alone.

As the aircraft touched down, the other half of my soul had arrived. It taxied closer and my smile grew. I greeted my brothers, their mates, and the old guardians, but my eyes were fixed on the glint of copper hair bringing up the rear.

Our eyes met across the tarmac, and everything else faded away. His smile, tired but genuine, gave me a few moments to forget the reason we gathered at a remote airport in Minnesota.

I closed the distance between us and took his hands in mine. His skin simmered with the familiar heat of his inner fire. “You look exhausted,” I said, wishing I’d given him a better welcome. “Sorry. Not the most romantic greeting.”

“No, but it’s accurate.” Cinaed squeezed my hands. “You look like you could use some sleep yourself.”

Connected by our hands, I knew his weariness was as soul deep as mine. “Tonight, I’ll sleep well.”

I pulled him into a hug. Despite the work to be done, we took a few moments for ourselves. Until we completed our bond, no amount of alone time would be enough, but it helped.

“We should go,” I said. “They can’t start the briefing without us.”

“If we don’t go, will it go away?” Cinaed took my hand, and we moved toward the hangar.

Digital maps covered portable screens, communication equipment hummed with activity, and a large table dominated the center of the space. Everyone gathered around it as Avie joined me at the head.

“Now that we’re all here, we can get everyone up to date,” Avie said. “Elspeth, can you go first?”

“Using the information from Bart’s trackers, Avie and I found my grandfather,” Elspeth pointed to a spot on the digital map.

“He’s held on the site of a medicine wheel in Nebraska.

It’s approximately three hundred miles from here as the phoenix flies.

The Idaho and Arizona sites have high concentrations of dark energy, but no traces of a phoenix. ”

“You got a lock on Grandfather?” Cinaed asked, his gaze never leaving the map. “He’s really there?”

“There was considerable magical interference, but we cut through it,” Elspeth said. “They tried to replicate his signature in the other two spots, but as you discovered, copies are flawed.”

“Let’s go then.” Cinaed stepped back from the table. “Who’s coming with me and Rod?”

Cinaed’s enthusiasm was understandable, but it was about to be tempered. “Sorry, but it isn’t that easy.” My gaze met Avie’s and she touched a button.

The map zoomed out to show a global view. Red dots appeared across the continents. All of them were outside major population centers.

“These are locations where we’ve detected dark magic accumulation in the past twenty-four hours,” Avie explained. “Blackstone’s plans include more than just these three medicine wheels.”

“These aren’t to bring down the ward. They’re for after the barrier is down,” Bart said, studying the display. “He spread them out hoping to draw our resources from the real threat.”

“That was our thinking.” Avie glanced across the table. “Which means we need to free Ailpein before he can destroy the Great Ward.”

“How does he have that many followers?” Leo asked. “The logistics of hiding that many dark mages is crazy-stupid.”

“Those sites need only one mage to activate them,” I said. “The spell could even be infused into an inanimate object.”

The implications settled over the room like a physical weight. If we didn’t save Ailpein, Blackstone had a detailed plan to enslave our entire world.

“We should focus our energy on saving Grandfather.” Cinaed moved closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine. “When can we leave?”

I thought concentrating our resources on finding Ailpein was the only logical course of action.

Hearing Cinaed voice that thought changed my thinking.

“It’s too simple.” I waited until the others looked up.

“All three wheels are important, but we don’t have enough mages to attack all three at once. ”

“That’s why I brought reinforcements,” a voice said from the hangar entrance.

Dad stood in the opening with Prince Malachy, a company of phoenix guards, and dozens of senior wizards.

Grandpa and Grandma Hollen stood with Mom, my siblings, aunts, and uncles.

Members of the Mage Council, and the Ocular Society, walked beside professors from Utrecht Academy, led by Aunt Gretchen.

I spotted Dylan and Xavier among the academy professors.

“Dad?” Cinaed moved to greet his father. “How did you find us?”

“Chancellor Hollen kept the world informed,” Malachy said. “Now is not the time to sit back and hope. The king’s life isn’t the only one in danger.”

Searching the room, only Avie didn’t appear surprised. “You planned this?”

“Not all of it,” she said. “Dad and the Council decided where to allocate assets. We’ve sent teams to address those pockets of dark magic, but our strongest concentration of mages is here.”

After allowing time for everyone to greet the newcomers, Avie called for attention. Technically, Dad was in charge, but he deferred to me and Avie.

“Currently, a large contingent of elven mages is approaching the medicine wheel in Idaho,” Avie said, pointing to the northern circle. “They only need minor reinforcement. Aunt Gretchen, I’m sending you and Owen to assist. Take three more mages with you.”

Avie tapped the Arizona wheel. “I’ve sent three of our best teams south, but they need more resources.”

“Sally and I will take our Oculars and assist,” Grandma Hollen said. “Beornraed and most of the Council mages will join us.”

The two groups would be a formidable force. “Excellent,” I said. “The rest of us will head to Nebraska.”

I nodded to my sister, and she walked everyone through the plan we’d hammered out with the others. Ours was the largest group, but we had two missions: rescue Ailpein and stop Blackstone.

Cinaed fidgeted nervously next to me. I hadn’t had time to explain everything, but I could sense his frustration. “You and I are leading the group to save your grandfather.” I squeezed his hand. “Did you think I’d let anyone else take that job?”

“With our fathers here, I wasn’t sure,” he said, tightening his grip. “If we don’t free him in time….”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. “Believe we will succeed.”

“Rod will lead the team to find Ailpein,” Avie said. “Dad and I will take the remaining mages to stop Blackstone.”

“I will accompany Cinaed and Roderick,” Malachy said in a voice that dared anyone to tell him otherwise.

With the recent additions, I needed a moment to reconfigure who went on which team.

I had planned to take Bart, Cael, Darius, and Ignatius, but with Prince Malachy and his guards, the group was larger than I wanted.

“Of course. If you consent, I’d like to send Elspeth and all but two of your guards with Avie. ”

He considered my suggestion for a moment, then inclined his head in agreement. “Bart, Cael, I’d like you with me. Ignatius and Darius, I had thought to bring you both as well, but I’d like your thoughts.”