Page 13 of Veiled By Smoke (The Nature Hunters Academy #5)

“The brain is a miraculous thing. It processes thousands of bits of information, stores decades of memories, keeps up with the information that the body is constantly sending to it, and somehow manages to continue to function under extreme duress. It begs the question, when does it become too much? When does the remarkable organ finally shut down and say ‘enough’?” ~ Nasima

N asima walked past Collin as he looked around, turning in a slow circle. “There’s a sense of foreboding here,” he told her.

Nasima held up her hand and a moment later a swirling circle appeared that would lead them into the dragon realm. “That probably has something to do with the fact that hundreds of demons were recently released into this very grove.”

“The gate to hell is here?” Collin motioned to the space around them.

“What better place for it to be than by the dragon realm portal?” she asked him. “They gobbled up quite a few, but they couldn’t get them all.” She waved him forward. “Let’s get this done.”

“Rory’s in there?” He pointed at the portal, his voice laced with apprehension.

Nasima nodded. “She is.”

Collin took a deep breath and blew it out.

He shook his hands at his sides as if he needed to fling off something that clung to him.

Then, he marched towards her, his gaze steady and his chin held high, as if he had decided he would face the firing squad with dignity instead of fear.

The air queen felt admiration for him and his lack of whining or trying to get out of facing something that would cause him physical pain.

Once they were in the dragon realm, they were greeted by one of the large beasts who stood guard at the entrance.

The beast bowed its massive head to her. “Air queen,” he rumbled.

“Thank you for allowing us entry,” she told him. “I request an audience with your king and the human, Rory.”

“Very well,” the dragon said, then paused before adding, “I will take you to them.” He lowered his wing and then said, “Climb up.”

Nasima ascended with ease, and once she sat on the dragon’s back, she looked down to see Collin struggling to make it up. His feet kept slipping, unable to find purchase. She used the air to push the human male up until he sat behind her.

“Thanks,” he said, sheepishly.

Nasima simply nodded.

By the time they found themselves standing in a massive hall carved into a deep cave, Collin, though still standing tall, radiated anxiety.

There were several dragons lined up along the walls and it was a testament to how large the space was that they all fit inside and there was still room to spare.

This probably was what caused Collin to keep opening and closing his hands, and shifting from foot to foot.

Nasima glanced at him. “All will be well, Collin.”

“No offense, air queen,” a female dragon voice came from behind them. “But maybe don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I have given word to Sepheron that you need to speak to the one called Rory,” the dragon who’d brought them said before moving off to the far side of the massive space. He stood like a sentry, his gaze straight ahead.

Moments later, Rory strode in, her long, dark hair, pulled back in a tight ponytail and dotted with snowflakes.

Nasima noted that she wore dark, fitted pants, as well as a fitted shirt.

And there were various weapons strapped to her legs and upper arms. Her soul bonded, Aston, dressed in nearly identical fashion, was at her side.

His hand rested on her lower back, and once they reached Nasima and Collin, he pulled her closer to him.

Sepheron soared in from up above the great hall at the cave opening, his massive wings causing a gust of wind to whoosh across the space. He surveyed the room, his large eyes taking in everyone present. Then they landed on Nasima.

“Air Queen,” he said, bowing his head. “It is an honor to have you in our realm.”

Nasima returned the bow. “The honor is mine, King Sepheron, though I wish it was under better circumstances.”

The dragon king inclined his head. “As we all do.”

Rory looked from Nasima to Collin. “Long time no see, Uncle,” the witch said as her eyes narrowed on him.

“You interrupted our second day of training.” Her voice held no friendliness or fondness that one would expect from a family member.

Instead she seemed suspicious, and if Nasima was reading the girl right, even hurt.

“You look well, Rory.” Sincerity rang in Collin’s voice. “I am glad to see that my sister didn’t succeed in destroying you.”

“Was that her plan?” Rory asked. “Was I simply a toy for her until she no longer had use for me?”

Collin winced, letting out a sharp breath. “I don’t know, or at least I don’t remember.”

“I believe he’s had a memory spell done on him,” Nasima explained. “We need you to break it.”

Rory’s brow furrowed. “Why would you think that I have that capability? Danni was very selective in what she taught me.” She laughed, her voice void of humor. “And breaking spells definitely wasn’t one of the lessons.”

“Can you try?” Nasima asked. “It’s important, Rory. It could answer the questions surrounding how you came to be in Danni’s care, and where you came from.”

Rory glanced up at Aston. He lifted his hand and ran his finger down her cheek. “It couldn’t hurt,” he said softly.

Collin cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t say that.”

Aston’s eyes snapped to the human male and there was no mistaking the warning there.

Collin held up his hands. “Not her,” he said quickly. “It will be painful for me.”

Rory clapped her hands together. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get this spell-breaking shindig going.” She reached down and pulled a knife from one of the pockets in her pants. It gleamed in the firelight from the torches on the walls.

Collin’s eyes widened as he took a step back.

“Most witch spells require blood,” she told them with a wicked twinkle in her eyes as she walked towards her uncle, Aston right at her side. When she reached Collin, she held out her hand. “Just a little slice across your palm should do.”

Aston glared at Collin. “Make a move to harm her, and I’ll pull all the air from your lungs and watch you suffocate at my feet.”

Rory glanced at her bonded and smirked. “For a nerd, you have quite the violent streak. I like it.”

“How come nobody invited us to the suffocating party?” Liam hollered as he and his soul bonded, Gabby, strode in from an entrance to the right of the dragon king. “There’s a bro code, Aston. No torturing others without your bros.”

“Much like the BFF manual,” Gabby began, “I don’t think there’s an actual bro code that explains the rules.”

“Babe, I told you I’m working on one.” Liam sidled up to Aston, and Gabby took the other side next to Rory.

“Whatcha doing?” Gabby asked the witch.

“I’m about to cut my uncle,” she said with a smirk.

“Right on.” Gabby held up her hand and Rory high-fived it.

There was a huff from Sepheron as he muttered, “And this is what I’m working with to save the world.”

“Could be worse,” Shelly said as she practically skipped into the hall. Ra, her soul bonded, strode beside her, his eyes narrowed as he looked at each person. Nasima had no doubt the young pharaoh would kill any of them if they made a move against his mate.

“How, pray tell?” Sepheron asked.

It was Tara who answered as she and her mate, Elias, joined the group. “We could be scared of violence and unable to handle the sight of blood.”

“Exactly,” Shelly nodded. “Then you’d just have a bunch of puking soul bonded holding each other's hair back while hiding in the bushes.”

Gabby blinked several times. “And on that note,” she looked at Rory, “please continue with the family maiming. It’s kind of my kink.”

Nasima pinched the bridge of her nose as she thanked Mother Gaia that she was not in charge of training the young elementalists. “Are there any more of you that will be showing up with words of wisdom?”

“Naw.” Gabby shook her head. “We left the oldies working with the other dragons. Those beasts get bored, and they start trying to figure out ways to sneak up on you to eat you. We figured it was best to keep them occupied.”

“Thank Mother Gaia for that,” Nasima muttered.

Collin took a step towards his niece. “Before we do this, Rory, I need to apologize to you.” He shook his head and briefly closed his eyes before looking straight at her. “I should have protected you. I let my own fears of my sister get in the way. You were just a child.”

Nasima’s head snapped to Aston when he let out a loud growl. “You could have helped her and you didn’t?”

“Stand down.” Nasima’s voice held a warning that Aston must have heard because he looked at her and gave her a sharp nod, though he didn’t look pleased. “Rory, if you please. We need to do this. Whatever dispute you and your uncle have, we will deal with it after.”

The witch didn’t argue that Collin wasn’t really her uncle.

Instead, she took his wrist, holding it as she ran the blade across the center of his hand before slipping the knife back into her pocket.

Rory then traced a pattern in Collin’s hand using his blood as the ink for the design.

“This is just a shot in the dark,” she muttered before beginning to speak in Latin, a common language witches used to cast their spells.

Suddenly, Collin dropped to the ground, his knees colliding with the floor with an audible thud. He cried out and grabbed either side of his head. “Dammit,” he growled through gritted teeth, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

The air queen watched as blood began to drip from the male’s nose, and then red also streamed from his ears.

“Do we need him alive?” Gabby asked as she tilted her head, looking at Collin as if he was a strange bug.

“He’s not looking like that’s going to be the outcome,” Shelly said, her face scrunched up as if she was the one in pain.

“Yes, we definitely need him alive,” Nasima answered. “Rory–” She was cut off by a guttural scream from the male in question.

“What is he needed for,” Sepheron asked, sounding a tad nonchalant considering the circumstances.

“He holds memories that might tell us more about Rory and where she came from. He is Danni’s brother,” Nasima answered, not taking her eyes from the man who now lay on his side on the ground, his legs drawn up to his chest. “Danni is the woman who claimed to be Rory’s mother.”

“Almost there,” Rory said. She held Collin’s hand with both of hers, and they began to glow.

Aston’s hand was on her back, glowing with his own power–whether to protect her or aid her, Nasima didn’t know.

After several more minutes, Rory released Collin’s hand and stepped back. Gabby pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to the witch. Rory gave the redhead a quizzical look, raising her eyebrows at her.

Gabby shrugged. “What? You never know when you’re going to get blood on you, and, once it dries on your skin, it’s a bitch to get off. Not to mention it smells.”

Tara sighed and shook her head. “This girl.”

Rory grinned as she wiped Collin’s blood from her hands.

Collin slowly pushed himself to his feet. His breathing was rapid, his chest rising and falling in quick succession. Finally, he raised his head and looked at Rory. “I remember.”

“Remember what?” Rory asked.

He huffed out a laugh filled with derision. “The things I overheard my lovely sister tell her closest confidants about you.”

“Let’s hear it,” the witch said as Aston put an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.

“She knew your parents,” he started. “Your mom owned an herb store, and Danni shopped there. One day you were at the store at the same time as my sister. She was intrigued by you.” Collin frowned and paused, seeming to search the newly-revealed memories.

“I remember that day she came back to the coven, excited and almost giddy.”

“That must have been disturbing,” Rory muttered. “Her excited face made her look like a serial killer with her wild eyes and too-toothy grin.”

“Oh man, you should have killed her the moment you saw the serial-killer eyes.” Gabby nodded her head as she rested her hands on her hips. “The eyes don’t lie.”

“Then we should really be concerned about yours,” Tara told her. “I don’t know what your eyes are saying, but it doesn’t look truthful.”

“Ladies, focus.” Rory snapped her fingers at them and then looked back at her uncle. “Keep going.”

Collin nodded. “It was definitely alarming, especially once she began speaking about the child she’d found that radiated magic. She told Shasta that she’d finally found what she’d been looking for: a child with the potential to be a soul elementalist.”

“How could she know that?” Nasima asked.

Collin looked at her. “There’s a book.”

Gabby sighed loudly. “Of course, there is.”

“There’s always a book,” Shelly agreed.

“Because what better way to keep a secret than to write it in a book,” Tara added.

“A grimoire,” he continued, “that spoke about a fifth element with power that witches could use to fuel their spells, so they no longer needed to rely on demons.”

“Shit just got real,” Liam said with wide eyes.

“So, I’m not a witch?” Rory asked slowly, her eyes unfocused as the realization hit her.

“Looks that way, although your magic has been trained to be used as a witch's magic,” Nasima said.

Then a thought seemed to occur to her as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes on Collin. “What happened to my parents?”

Collin stared at her long enough that Nasima wondered if he would answer her. Then, finally, he said. “She killed them.”