Page 54 of Wicked Bonds

“They’re all over the island,” a new voice informed them as Stas’s half brother appeared in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. No shoes. Very unkempt and not at all like the male she’d come to know over the last few months.

He casually held out his hand, causing the sword to disappear from her father’s grasp and reappear in Stark’s hand.

“Don’t play with weapons you don’t understand,” he said as the wicked blade disappeared into thin air. “You never know who will use them against you, Sethios.”

Her father smirked. “I’ve always enjoyed learning via trial and error.”

“Then it’s amazing you’re still alive,” Stark deadpanned.

“Isn’t it?”

Stark ignored him, his focus shifting to his and Stas’s mother instead. “Osiris disguised the wards with camouflaging markers. There’s one about fifty yards up. I’ll show you.” He misted, followed by their mother.

Stas glanced at Issac.Want a lift?

You go. I’ll see it through your eyes, love.His ability to manipulate vision was very useful, especially in a situation like this.

She nodded and took off after her mother and half brother.

They were both floating in the sky, their wings easily keeping them steady. Stas was newer to the notion of flying, making it difficult for her to remain aloft beside them. She studied their feathers, noting the angle they used to stay in one place. But when she tried to mimic it, she started to fall.

“There’s an art to it,” her mother said softly as she caught Stas by the elbow. “It’s a lot like standing. Once you learn, it’ll come naturally. But it takes practice.”

Stas swallowed, nodding.

“Similar to misting,” her mother added. “Which you seem to have already mastered.”

“Only with locations I’ve seen or know,” Stas admitted. “I have to be guided otherwise.”

“That’s normal. A lot of it comes with experience and age.” She gestured at the darkness before her. “Or magic, as is the case with your brother. Because I can’t see the ward at all.”

Stas studied the vapid space and shook her head. “I can’t either.”

“It’s in the edges,” Stark explained, pointing to a subtle line in the air that shouldn’t be there. It gave off a dull glimmer, similar to the moon casting a glow on a snowflake. “He hid these very well, but once you understand the energy signature, they’re easy to find. By my review earlier, there are over four dozen of these on this side of the island alone. Most of them are deteriorated, just like Skye prophesied.”

“Did you notice them before she said this?” Stas asked, curious.

“Yes, but I didn’t realize they were drawn by Osiris. I thought Vera or Leela made them. I’ve also created a few of my own over the last year, but they were designed to protect you more than the others.”

He spun his hand through the air, stirring a streak of mist-like magic with his fingertips. Then he drew a symbol that reminded her of an upside-down horseshoe with a diagonal line across it.

“Osiris masks his energy signature,” Stark said as he drew another slash through his mark, this one horizontal in nature. “So it requires a rune to reveal the true ward, and even then, it’s only temporary.” He traced a final vertical line through the charm, allowing the energy to glimmer behind it.

Wow, Stas marveled, noting the cloudlike air forming an intricate dance in the night. It glimmered softly, similar to a moon reflecting off the water. A trick of light.

“I see why you said we needed to wait for dark,” she whispered, talking to her mother. They would struggle to see this during the day, the marking easily blending into the sun’s rays streaming down upon the earth.

“All these need is a little extra energy,” Stark continued, his fingers traveling over the markings. “They’re old, which is why they’re fading. But even at full power, they’re not that much brighter.” He demonstrated what he meant by unleashing a strand of energy from his index finger, the ethereal magic glowing in the night with a red tint to it.

His essence, she realized, frowning.Does that mean mine will be pink?

Issac’s chuckle warmed her mind.

It’s not funny.

It is, love. It really is.

I hope your wings are fuchsia, she told him.Neon pink. So bright they blind you.