“I’m not sure. It just feels…like someone is watching us.”
Daemon dropped the shovel, his eyes widening as the gold of his irises expanded until it engulfed the mossy green. Shadows spilled from his hands, reaching beyond the trunks and slithering like snakes along their roots as if they were searching for whatever lurked beyond what their eyes could see.
Pulling in a deep breath, Auraelia pushed the air into a sphere around them, guarding them from all sides. “I don’t like this,” she muttered beneath her breath.
“Nor do I.” Tension radiated off of Daemon in waves as he reached down for the discarded shovel, his eyes swiveling around the forest as his shadows continued to snake between the trees. “We need to get this done and move on.”
Nodding once in agreement, Auraelia kept her eyes on the trees as Daemon began to dig.
There has to be a better way,she thought as the blade of the shovel pierced the cold, hardened ground. Dipping into her magic, she searched for that part of her she hadn’t yet explored. The one that connected her to the ground beneath her feet and caused it to shake, wondering if she could tug that thread and manipulate it into pulling the earth forward instead of pushing energy out.
Auraelia visualized her magic, threads winding deep within her, diving into the depths of who she was. Saw the vibrant golden glow of her lightning, the wispy blue that represented her connection to the air, and the smokey gray of the storm, all woven together in a tight braid. But as she began to pull them apart, a delicate line the color of the richest earth was nestled in the center; its presence was barely noticeable amongst the effervescent threads surrounding it. Mentally wrapping it around her fingers, Auraelia gently gave it a tug.
At first, nothing seemed to happen, the ground remaining stagnant below her feet. But after another pull, a slow, steady rumble coursed through the ground, settling within the shallow hole that Daemon had made.
“What the—” Daemon muttered, his words cut short as he staggered back a step.
Auraelia dug her magic into the ground, severing its connection with the surrounding earth and forming it into a solid mass in her mind. But just as she was about to lift it from the hole, Daemon stiffened at her side.
“Auraelia.” Her name was a ground-out warning, Daemon’s shadows thickening at his fingers before pooling around his feet. “We have company.”
She heard it then. The crunch of dried leaves and the snap of a branch underfoot.
Auraelia released her grip on the earth, her head swinging to her right as someone stepped between the trees. Dressed in deep browns, making it easy for them to blend into their surroundings, they slowly made their way to the edge of the clearing, their cloak shrouding any distinguishing features.
“A little far from the safety of your castle, aren’t you, false queen?” The tone was distinctly male—deep and full of arrogance.
“I’d watch what you say if I were you,” Daemon said with a chuckle, his magic pulsing through the air, clearly amused with the audacity the man exuded.
“And whom do I have the pleasure of receiving insults from?” Auraelia asked, her head canting to the side with annoyance.
The stranger tossed back their hood to reveal a mop of auburn hair, sun-kissed skin, and eyes the color of cinnamon that matched the freckles peppered over their face. When those eyes met Auraelia’s, he smiled, and the malice behind it sent a chill down her spine.
“I’m simply a messenger.” He shrugged, pushing off the tree to take a step toward them.
“And what is the message you need to deliver,mister…?” Auraelia hedged, keeping her arms loose at her sides as he continued to take cautious steps forward. There was a good twenty yards between them, but that didn’t mean he needed to be any closer to inflict damage. Magic? No magic? Assassin? She knew nothing of this man. Knew nothing of his intentions.
His head shifted from side to side like he was contemplating the answer he wanted to give before finally settling on one. “My name is of no consequence.”
“And your message? Is that also of no consequence?” Daemon asked, mirth filling his words. His tone might have been placid, but Auraelia could tell how on edge he was. She couldfeelhis worry and agitation as they mingled with her own.
The man tsked. “My message is this. The Court of Pearl stands firmly behind the rightful queen of this realm, Lady Davina of the Court of Garnet.”
“If that’s what you came all this way to say, then I’m sorry you wasted your time. We were already aware of where Lady Levena and Lord Kaemon stood. So if that’s all—”
His laugh cut Auraelia off, echoing through the silence and ricocheting off of the trees. “Oh,Your Majesty,” he spat her title like it tasted bitter on his tongue. “That’s not the only message we have for you.”
“We?”
The world seemed to have slowed to a crawl as cloaked figure after cloaked figure stepped beyond the tree line, dressed like the man in front of her. “You see, the message was this. Infiltrate the castle and take your life to head off the unnecessary bloodshed. We really must thank you for making this easier on us.”
Auraelia’s eyes rotated between each assailant, taking a quick assessment of any potential weaknesses as Ser Aeron had taught her. Mentally marking who would be easiest to subdue and who would live to see the sunset. She and Daemon were outnumbered six to two, but like hell would she let someone else do Davina’s dirty work.
A small smile ticked up one side of her lips as she watched a blade slip from the original man’s sleeve and into his awaiting hand before he hurled it toward her. Her heart pounded in her ears as adrenaline pumped through her veins, sending jolts of energy down her spine as her brain settled into the calm that came from years of honing her combat skills. Thunder boomed through the sky as her magic responded to the threats, making her anger palpable as heavy winds knocked the knife to the ground. Drawing her dagger from her thigh, Auraelia glanced toward Daemon as he unsheathed his sword, a vicious smile on his face.
In the next heartbeat, they moved, meeting the advancing assailants head-on.
Metal clanged against metal as Daemon parried one of the assassins. Bone crunched beneath Auraelia’s fist as she uppercut into one of their noses, followed by a bellow of pain as her blade slashed across their belly.
