“If Graycin couldn’t do it, I don’t know if anyone else can,” the man said. He looked young in appearance, maybe around twenty. His boyish face had yet to mature, and his fluffy brown hair further identified his youth.
The woman beside him was fiddling with a plucked stem in her hand, tearing leaves free and…enlarging them. Herbalist magic then. “Maybe it has to do with the combination of magics,” she supplied. Closer inspection revealed they carried weapons.Awesome.
“I mean, it has to. What else could it be? Scary as shit, though. I don’t want to get eaten by a lake.”
Eaten by a lake? Had these travelers smoked a plant they’d picked? With every step they took, their words dulled. I trailed until I got close enough to hear again, still unnoticed.
“How many you got now?” the young man asked.
“The next will be my third,” the woman replied. “Hopefully something elemental.”
…Did I hear that right? The next magic? What did that mean? Nature only ever blessed a wielder with, at most, two magics. Either a combination of one Higher and a Lesser, or two Lessers.
Elemental abilities ranked highest, along with prophetic visions. Rav wielded wind, but if he were to have another magic,it would be one considered Lesser, like Tio’s telekinesis, or my telepathy with animals.
But more than two? A third, somehow acquired in adulthood? That shouldn’t be possible. The woman with pixie cut blonde hair looked to be in her mid-thirties, so how the hell could she hope to gain an elemental power?
The night we’d rescued Melody from the commander’s ship, some of our fighters reported a man wielding two elements—twoHighermagics. We chalked it up to confusion through the commotion, because no one was born with two Higher magics. That shouldn’t be possible either.
I questioned if I heard them right. Was dehydration getting the best of me? I was thirsty as hell.
If what they were saying was true, if it was possible to gain magical abilities and if a rebellion could arm themselves to the teeth with powers, that would build a force to be reckoned with. Taja was right to be concerned. If he was working to eliminate magic wielders, and this group somehow harnessed the ability to arm their members with an array of magics…
Nerves had me wanting to turn tail and run. Alba and I were sorely out of our depths up here. That level of power would be impossible to stand up to, and if we were caught sneaking around, well, I could only hope they weren’t the type to wield their magic first and ask questions later. Questions would at least give me an opportunity to lie.
Based on their direction, I assumed they were making their way to the quarry for water. There was nothing else down here except…the cabin.
It was tucked in a pocket of trees off the main road, but the smoke from the fire would be a beacon.
I felt the blood drain from my face. I had to get back. At first, my movements were nimble and precise. Only when I put enough distance between myself and the main road did I sprintin a mad dash for the cabin. The overgrowth created a labyrinth of bushes and vines, roots, and fallen trees. I ran with abandon, not caring about the noise as I raced through the brush.
My vague sense of direction became less sure as I continued. Should I have spotted the cabin by now? Did any of these trees look familiar? The canopy of leaves above blocked most of the sky, granting me no sense of anchor in the dizzying array of greenery. Still, I pressed forward, not allowing my pace to diminish.
Why did I leave Braxius behind?
What would happen if they found Alba there? Would they harm Braxius? People hadn’t even seen a dragon in their lifetime, let alone believed they still existed. Since these strangers wandering the north clearly weren’t against magic, would their interest in him be even more dangerous?
Somehow I ran faster, flying over the uneven ground, battling my way through wayward branches and spiderwebs. Tears nearly sprang from my eyes when I finally beheld the cabin.
A shriek rent the air, and my blood ran cold.
My instincts slammed me to a halt when I clocked more than one person through the window.
I’d been too late. How had they managed to beat me here? Before I had a moment to think, to process my next move, the front door burst open. Alba’s arms were slung around the shoulders of two men carrying her out. One had wild red hair secured by the nape of his neck, the other wavy locks that shimmered with blond and gray. Their builds were formidable, stocky, and muscular beneath their tattered shirts that exposed their arms. They also were equipped with weapons.
Well shit.
Alba cried and moaned, and instantly I spotted the red mess causing her shirt to cling to her midsection.
A handle stuck out of her abdomen, a knife plunged deep.
I stifled the desperate cry wanting to break free from my lips by slapping my hand over my mouth. My stomach churned, wanting to physically revolt at the horrific scene. Reflex had my fingers itching for the bow at my back, to nock an arrow and send it flying. Another wail of pain escaped Alba, and I wanted to be sick.
What did they want with her? Where were they taking her? Their camp must be close if they’re traveling with someone so heavily wounded. And where was Braxius?
Were these men in league with the man and woman heading this way? There were too many unknowns to make an informed decision. I’d just overheard chatter of increased magical abilities and I had to consider the two carrying Alba could wield.
A knot formed in my chest, straining my heart. My fighting experience had only ever been to incapacitate my opponents, but in this case, that would leave us vulnerable to whatever magics they possessed. But from my current position, I didn’t think I could make two consecutive kill shots without further injuring Alba. Maybe I was searching for an excuse, because this was a line I’d never had to cross before.
