Page 24

Hawthorne

Eastern Velmara is home to a powerful family of light channelers. They have endless myths and prophecies about a prince who will be born in a time of darkness to bring the light back into the world.

The Secrets and Stories of Velmara

“What the fuck are we going to do?” Fionn whispers twenty minutes later. Krantz and Saff went over the basic details of the plan, then left us so they could arrange a few things. We were told to wait here until they came back to get us. On the way out, Krantz pointed to the table of fae we saw on the way in.

“Those are my men over there,” he said. “They’ll keep an eye on you till we come back. Can’t be too careful in these parts.” I’d interpreted it for the message it was—we weren’t permitted to leave.

“If we refuse to help them, our cover will be blown,” Silene says, stoically. “If I try to aerstep to warn Laurel, they’ll know. This is another test. They know exactly what they’re doing, asking us to help them again. What do you want to do, Thorne?” Her amber eyes look to me, and I know I have a hard decision to make.

“If we don’t help them now, we’ll never be able to get close and uncover their plans again. More people might die in future attacks. I don’t like it, but I think we have to stay.” I don’t want to make this choice, but this path is the only one that gives us any real chance of stopping the rebels in the future. “Clearly they only care about me,” I continue, and Fionn rolls his eyes. “What I mean is that they likely won’t care what the two of you do during the heist, as long as I’m getting them into that tower. You can go with the group that’s attacking the merchant quarter and do what you can to minimize the damage.”

“No, we should stay with you,” Fionn protests, but Silene cuts him off.

“I don’t like it, but I agree with Thorne.” Fionn lets out a low growl. “We can’t let innocent people be injured, or worse, if we can help it. I’m still charged up from the dose of thayar Laurel gave me, and I can take a bit more. With our magic, we can get people out of the way of the worst of the violence.”

Fionn tenses his muscles but nods his head in agreement.

“I may be able to hide some of the stores of thayar from the rebels to limit what they sneak out. And I can let my magic slip at the right time to alert the guards to their presence.”

“If Laurel shows up and catches you, is she going to believe we had no choice but to help them?” Fionn asks, fear flashing across his eyes.

“She’ll believe us,” Silene says confidently. I’m surprised by Silene’s sureness. I think Laurel will believe us, but I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t nervous about it. Regardless, I nod my head in agreement with Silene, projecting confidence.

We pass the rest of the hour in nervous silence. Just before the time is up, Silene takes a small sip from the vial Laurel gave her, but she doesn’t drain it. Saff walks in alone, the silent male only gesturing for us to accompany him outside. We do, then follow him through the town to a large and seemingly abandoned manor. As we enter, I keep my attention alert for any clues about whether this might be a headquarters for the rebellion, eager to provide Laurel with the information. We’re led up a creaking staircase to what once was a massive ballroom. Hundreds of people have gathered inside, dressed in everything from the simple clothes of villagers to the fighting leathers of soldiers.

Krantz stands atop a makeshift stage, then clears his throat before projecting loudly to the crowd. “Sons and Daughters, for too long we have been isolated in this kingdom, cut off from the rest of the world, while the Witch Queen decides who comes and who goes. What’s more, the very magic of our land is being drained by her Blood Magic. Our thayar blooms decline with every passing year. All because of the selfish ways of our so-called Queen.”

Silene looks at me, confusion crossing her features. “Did you know that?” I shake my head discreetly.

Krantz continues. “We will not be kept prisoner in these lands any longer! Today, we strike a blow at the people who continue to believe her lies and profit from her deception. Merchants who have access to the flower to power their businesses, all while we struggle to get by as we once did. We’ll destroy their vile and corrupt district!”

The people in the room cheer loudly as I study them. I wasn’t aware thayar blooms were declining in Thayaria. That information paints these people in a new light, and I wonder why Laurel kept this from us. From me. The rebels’ fears make a lot more sense, and this situation is more dangerous than I realized.

Krantz lets the roar from the room peak and then dissipate before he continues. “And while they’re busy defending our attack, the Crown Prince of Velmara, the Shining Prince himself, will aid us in a covert operation to steal a supply of thayar from right under their noses. Even Velmara recognizes the righteousness of our cause and aligns with us!”

The crowd cheers again, a deafening rally, and I stiffen. A group of fae next to me takes notice of my presence, and they whisper and point. Soon, dozens of eyes are looking my way. I bristle under their scrutinizing gaze. Krantz stands on the podium with a victorious look that tells me he knew exactly what he was doing by alerting these people to my presence.

Several other fae appear near Krantz, barking orders to organize the crowd into groups for aerstepping. Silene, Fionn, and I are directed to a group that includes Krantz. “We’re going to aerstep into the merchant district first, then we’ll make our way discreetly to the thayar tower,” Krantz tells me.

I nod. “I’d like to leave my advisors, Fionn and Silene, with the group attacking the merchants. They’re both excellent fighters with strong magic. We won’t need them in our small group.”

“An excellent idea, Your Highness.”

We arrive on a bustling street in Arberly I recognize, lined with shops selling all kinds of goods. My gut churns with anticipation and guilt at what’s about to happen, but I have to trust that Fionn and Silene can do more good than if we hadn’t been here. Our group immediately breaks apart and walks off in pointed directions.

“Stick with me for now,” Krantz says. “Once we get going, our people will know what to do, and we’ll slip off. The others going with us know where to meet.” With that, Krantz heads farther into the heart of the district. We slip into an alleyway, where a pile of something sits, hidden under a cloth. Krantz rips the tarp off, revealing a large pile of wood stuffed with small vials containing a deep red liquid.

“Concentrated thayar,” Silene whispers, eyes wide.

Krantz grins and gives her a nod. “Smart girl. As soon as I throw this match, we need to run to the main road,” Krantz says, letting the flame burn high. “If you run fast enough, you should make it before it explodes.” His smile widens. “Bombs just like this one are being lit all over the district. Once we get everyone into the main square, we’ll start phase two of the attack.”

“But why are you using thayar to create bombs when you’re also trying to steal more thayar? Isn’t that defeating the purpose of the whole mission?” Silene asks, expression shocked and confused.

Krantz bares his teeth, clearly disliking being questioned by her. “Not that it’s any of your business, but this bomb barely even uses one flower, and we’re going to steal hundreds of thousands. Now, are you all ready?” He doesn’t wait for a response, just throws the match onto the mound. We all run, and just as we reach the main street that runs through the middle of Arberly, chaos erupts around us.

Explosions sound from all directions. Shrieks and cries begin only a few moments later. Soon families and shop workers flood onto the main street, driven out of their homes and shops by the explosions. Their faces show confusion and fear. Dozens are injured from the explosions alone, blood dripping onto the street. A small child stands ahead of me, alone and screaming for her mother. I consider turning on the rebels and assisting the people, our plans to infiltrate the rebels be damned, but that won’t help them in the long run.

Rebels emerge from the alleys, armed with weapons and magic. They attack with no warning. Bodies drop to the ground all around me, and I’m frozen in place at the escalation of violence. From what we’ve learned, so far there have been very few casualties resulting from the rebel attacks. Today’s offensive is going to be a massacre.

Shaking all around us indicates there’s another bomb coming. It pulls me out of my trance, and I use aether to create an invisible shield of light around my friends and as many people around us as I can muster. This isn’t a distraction , like Krantz claimed—it’s a slaughter.

Fionn’s and Silene’s eyes widen in horror. They waste very little time, jumping into the fighting but using their magic to discreetly ensure weapons don’t hit their marks and blowing children out of harm’s way with gusts of wind. When a large male turns his sword on a mother and her two children hiding under a barrel, a gust of air conveniently rips the sword from his hand. More and more rebels arrive, looting stores, starting fires, and causing terror wherever they go. Before I can do anything to help, Krantz is urging me to follow him down an alley that hasn’t been bombed. I hesitate. It was one thing to go along with this plan when I thought the worst that could happen was property damage and a few injuries. This is so much more than that.

“Go,” Silene whispers, using her air magic to carry the murmur to my ears only. “With violence like this, Royal Guards will be here soon. We’ll do what we can until they arrive. Don’t let these bastards get a single stalk of thayar from that tower.” I lock eyes with her for only a moment before turning away, praying to whatever gods will listen that I can put a stop to this.

I follow Krantz down the alley, then over a retaining wall that brings us to a higher level of the city. We trek along a side road, and as we walk, other fae join our group every few blocks.

“Now would be a good time to hide us, Your Highness,” Krantz says, almost a demand. I tune into the aether surrounding me, flowing through the light of the bright day, then bend it around the group that’s now about a dozen strong. I keep us visible to one another, though that takes a larger amount of effort.

“I need to know where we’re going, Krantz,” I say. “I’ll need to drop the ability to show us to one another soon. Point me in the right direction, and I’ll make sure we’re all heading that way.” Krantz points to a tower only a few blocks up. I release the extra aether allowing our group to see each other, then focus my attention fully on the tower. It’s hard to concentrate with the screams I can still hear from the merchant district and my doubt that this was the right decision. Taking a deep breath, I tune out the noise, mind racing to come up with a plan for when we reach the refinery. I’ll need to see the storage space before I can hide any thayar from the rebels. Now that I’ve seen what they do with just a small supply of thayar, I’m even more determined to keep as much of it from them as I can. “To ensure I can hide us properly, I’ll need to go into the building first. I can’t hide this many people without knowing what the light will be like in there,” I whisper, praying he hasn’t been exposed to many light channelers to catch my lie. “But I should be able to keep you all hidden outside. It’ll only take me a few moments.”

Krantz doesn’t respond for a few beats, and I fear I’ve made a miscalculation. He looks skeptical, eyes searching, though he can’t see me. But he only says, “Okay, but be quick about it.”

When we reach the base of the tower, I briefly allow the group to see one another so that Krantz can signal to them to halt. I give him a nod before walking to the front doors. There are only two guards out front, who both seem glassy eyed with boredom. I kick a stone toward the rebels, then sneak inside when the guards turn their attention that way.

There are three more guards inside, though I thank the aether that they’re immersed in a game of Skran and don’t notice the door swinging open and closed. Krantz explained at the tavern that the supply room is on the first floor, to the right of the front door. I head that way now, finding the door blocked by another pair of guards.

Shit.

I don’t know how to get inside without them noticing. Thinking for a moment, an idea sparks. I release the aether around the rebels outside for just a fraction of a moment. Easily explained away as a distraction to the rebels, but hopefully enough to alert the guards of a strange sighting. I have to wait a few minutes before I hear another guard running toward us, shouting.

“The outside watch spotted something weird. They saw a group of a dozen fae, but then they disappeared,” he calls. The two guards closest to me look at one another, clearly skeptical. “Captain says he wants everyone to meet in the entryway to investigate,” the running guard says now that he’s reached the pair outside the storage room.

“Fine,” one says. They leave, and I thank the aether. Wasting no time, I slip into the storage room and find it filled with boxes that I’m extremely familiar with. The thayar is packed into the very crates we receive and often try to divert in Velmara. I make a quick study of the room, deciding to disguise all but the back wall, which has the fewest crates.

If I’m lucky, the rebels won’t even make it here.

I slip out and head back toward the entrance, where the guards are discussing what to do. Several don’t believe the outside guards saw anything, blaming it on a hangover or lack of sleep. I need them to decide to send for backup, to get more guards here, so I make a stupid decision. One that Silene would absolutely kill me for. I quickly release the magic hiding me, hoping it wasn’t long enough for them to make out my features.

It works. At least four of the guards point in my direction, including the Captain. “One of the air channelers—aerstep to the palace and get backup,” he orders, drawing a weapon. I quickly slink around them and out the front door while they’re still looking where they saw me.

When I reach the rebels, I whisper to Krantz. “I’m back. Are you and your team ready?”

“What the hell’s going on?” he growls. “The guards shouted they saw something, and they all went inside.”

“I created an illusion to get myself through the doors without them noticing. Now we can all get in without their attention.” Krantz seems to believe the lie. When we open the doors, a dozen guards now stand in the entryway, eyes and swords trained on the entrance. They see the doors open and shut.

“Fuck,” Krantz mutters.

The guards attack, though they don’t know where we are. They swing their swords blindly, injuring a few rebels, but not enough to slow the group down. Krantz, a powerful metal channeler, rips swords away from the guards. Fionn described a similar move when he saw Krantz during the initial attack.

“Magic it is, then,” the Captain roars. Suddenly, dozens of vines slither across the floor, finding a few of the rebels and pinning them in place. Guards retrieve their swords from the ground and stab into the areas where the vines appear to wrap around something. As soon as the fae are hit, I release the magic around them, knowing that otherwise the guards will continue to stab aimlessly rather than look for more of us to catch.

Krantz runs toward the storage room, and I’m forced to follow him along with a few other fae who have made it out of the initial attack. When Krantz opens the door, the Captain notices and sends half of the group toward us. The rebels get inside before the contingent of guards catches up, then bar the door by bending the metal handles and wrapping plants around the tangled mess. I step into a corner, focused on keeping the bulk of the supply hidden from view.

“This is all there is?” Krantz roars. The guards bang on the door, warning that more are coming, and we should surrender now.

“Did you expect more?” I ask.

“Of course I did!” I can tell he’s panicking now. He didn’t have a backup plan in case they were noticed, relying too much on my magical abilities to shield them from view. “It’ll have to be enough,” he growls. “Everyone, grab two crates. I’ll impale them on their swords, and we’ll make a run for it!” I don’t take any crates, since they can’t see me, but I do keep the rebels hidden. I’m relying on the guards outside to stop them, so I don’t have to break my cover. “On the count of three,” Krantz says. “One, two…”

The doors blow apart before the rebels can make a run for it, shrapnel flying everywhere. Mist and dust obscure visibility as screams and groans sound from those injured by whatever blast that just occurred. It’s chaotic, and no one seems to know what’s going on. All the rebels are yelling at one another, fear in their voices now that they’re injured, and more guards seem to have arrived.

The dust finally settles, and Laurel stands in the door frame.

She is all Witch Queen, terrifying and lethal. Dressed in an all-black ensemble of form fitting pants with a black corset as her top and a black cape, that same unholy light I saw at Rusthelm blazing through her furious eyes. She looks right at me as she takes several slow steps into the room, eyes narrowing in anger and suspicion. The hairs on my arm stand up with goosebumps. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely terrified of her and what she might do to me if she doesn’t give me a chance to explain.

She turns in a circle, likely seeing that only the back wall of crates is visible to the rebels. I hope that’s enough to convince her I’m on her side. I shake my head to silently tell her not to let on that she sees them or me, hoping I can convey everything with just my expression. They can’t believe she knows about my involvement with them, or our ruse will be over before it even starts. Thankfully, she understands my silent words.

“I know there are fae in here. I can smell you, and my magic can feel you. Give yourself up now, and I’ll consider a merciful punishment instead of feeding your hearts to my cat.” Her words are a feral hiss, and more than one rebel trembles. I don’t think she actually feeds hearts to that enormous beast she calls a pet, but I’m not completely sure. She certainly knows how to lean into the persona of the Witch Queen, though a voice in the back of my mind whispers that it’s not a persona, just another facet of this complex female.

Krantz remains steadfast while his group falls apart with fear, many of them dropping their crates. He uses his magic to send weapons sailing toward her, but they vanish the instant they make it off the ground. As soon as her eyes lock on him, her nostrils flare. It’s the only subtle sign that she not only sees the metal channeler but recognizes him as one of the rebels she allowed to escape her clutches.

“Someone else tried that trick on me, and it worked then about as well as it did now. I wonder if you’re the same male who I so graciously did not kill the last time I captured you.” She speaks with a quiet ferocity that makes me ache in ways that are so not appropriate considering the circumstances. Laurel stalks toward the group as a glowing mist appears. It covers every inch of the room, except for where the rebels stand. Smart. Even though she can see them through my magic, she uses the mist to expose where they are without revealing our secret. Then vines wrap around their bodies, my own included. I hope it’s just a way to protect our scheme and not her actually trapping me along with the rebels. Though I wouldn’t mind being trapped by her in other circumstances.

Shit. Focus. Get your mind away from Laurel and all the things she absolutely has no interest in doing with you.

There’s a loud crash from the entryway, and Laurel’s attention moves behind her for just a moment. Krantz lunges for her, pulling a knife from where it’s sheathed at his side and sending it hurling toward her exposed stomach. My heart drops out of my chest and my breath hitches. I’m running for her, all sense of reason gone. I’m determined to keep that blade from even grazing her perfect milky white skin, but I won’t reach her in time. The blade is spinning end over end, humming with the magic of a metal channeler.

Right as it’s about to strike her, the blade diverts, likely from Laurel’s own magic, and all the tension in my body releases. It’s enough of a distraction that several rebels have ripped the vines off and made it out of the room, but I don’t care. Laurel is safe. Krantz rolls past her on the ground, then runs out of the room himself, hands empty. They’ve stolen very little thayar, thank the aether.

There are now more rebels in the entryway, fighting the guards. There must have been some backup plans after all, at least enough to get the rebels out safely.

I want to stay with Laurel, but know I need to run out with the rebels. I look at her sharply, begging her to understand, before grabbing a half full crate of thayar and making my way past her. She could easily stop all of us with her magic, but she doesn’t. I keep the original group of rebels hidden, and we sneak out of the tower. Once we’re out, Krantz orders the others to fall back, and soon we’re all running back toward the merchant district.

“What now?” I ask Krantz, keeping pace with the fleeing group.

“We have safe houses in place. You should find your people and get back to the palace before you’re missed,” he orders, then takes the crate from me. “We hoped to get more today, but this mission still achieved what we needed it to.”

“And what is that?” I ask.

“Chaos.”

When we reach the merchant quarter, Royal Guards and soldiers battle rebels in the streets. Most of the citizens have gone, hopefully to safety. Krantz and the others slip into an alley as I release the magic hiding them.

I search for Fionn and Silene, but don’t see them anywhere and start to panic. Making my way toward the pub turned gambling den where we first met the rebels, I pray they hid somewhere when the Royal Guards arrived. My magic keeps me hidden as I traverse the deserted and rubble-filled streets.

My hunch was right, and Fionn and Silene are in the pub, pretending to be shielding from the attack with other citizens. Relief washes over me. I come up behind them and whisper, “We need to get out of here.”

They both jump but hide the movement well. We slowly creep toward the back of the pub unseen, most eyes in the room focused on what’s going on outside. I wrap my magic around them, then look at Silene, who nods. She aersteps us directly into our rooms, and we all collapse into chairs, exhausted.

“What the fuck just happened?” a familiar cold and furious voice demands from the corner.