Chapter 42
Alexander
Edinburghitselfwasquiet;the disaster making my TB buzz endlessly was inside my castle walls,inside them, while Ezra and I were not.
After so many threats from the outside, my house had fallen from the rot within. Betrayed, again, by someone I’d let close enough to breathe my air. The knowledge wasn’t a cut; it was a blade twisted in my gut, slow and deliberate.
Growing my family was hard work, or it had been those first few years when we had nothing. The people who joined me wanted a better life and toiled at my side to achieve it. I never doubted their commitment. Seven years later, my castle was a comfortable home. We secured trade deals that ensured food supplies. We were known for blending BT technology and magic, which gave us a steady income.
It wasn’t just the hopeful coming into my walls anymore.
I’d been a fool. Blind to the shift from loyal ally to opportunistic parasite. I tossed my reins to Rowan, who almost dropped them in surprise.
“Ride,” I simply commanded, and the enforcer took control of my horse, leaving me free to work.
I loosened two straps on my saddle, designed just for this, and tied myself down before gripping my pommel. Secured, I linked into my TBs. Every message flowed directly into my mind and arranged themselves on top of a map of my castle. The world vanished. Even the rhythm of the horse beneath me faded to nothing.
So far, my Mile was safe. Every guard, even the new ones after Cayden’s exit, checked in clear. I sent orders directly into their minds, telling them to hold their positions. No one in or out.
Next, I organized my officers’ reports. Erick, with a swarm of men with green hair, had struck The Great Hall first. The center of my power. The measly two patrols, one outside and one in, had been easily overrun.
Power rippled from The Great Hall, creating a shield of pure force my men couldn’t get through. Chaotic fighting spilled into the streets. My people defended themselves and the buildings they happened to be near. One of Ezra’s Five had the library locked down, along with the two buildings on either side of it. Abernathy had made a defensive line of officers and trainees holding the gates to ensure my new territory stayed out of the fighting.
What was Erick trying to do?
I let the map float to my subconscious and projected my waking mind toward The Great Hall. The shield was holding against physical bodies, but Erick didn’t have a mentalist, and I easily slipped through and sped toward the Alun. Three men sat amongst the swirling colors. Erick, Emil, and a man I didn’t know. The bald unknown had a largescar down the side of his face. He kneeled with Emil, drawing a large circle of runes on the floor with charcoal and salt.
These men were taking my home. I wasn’t rifling through the minds of the possibly innocent. I was facing down enemies actively working against me. My code had been met. I slipped into Emil’s mind.
Line, two triangles, circle. My part. It had only taken a few hours to draw the first portal, but it had been small and short-ranged. The design of this was like nothing I’d ever attempted. Like nothing anyone in my family had ever tried—a base for our new home. I looked up to see Ashkar also looking at me. We took our bearings, making sure our marks weren’t off.
I hadn’t been enough for the Prophet. Our Sun God never blessed me, and my years of rigorous training left me on a lowly transport team when I could be so much more. Cayden had seen. He left. The first of us to ever do so. I followed, only I saw so much more. We didn’t need to limit ourselves. An entire world lay broken. Our God was ready to save it and bring a new order. Once the Prophet saw our work, he’d bless us, find us worthy. I’d bring my first into our family.
The man’s imagination showed me an altar of blood-red silk, and I pulled out. Not wanting to know more. My skin crawled. The urge to reach out and crush the man’s mind before he could finish the portal almost consumed me, but I held back. We didn’t have enough information… and the last time I misused my abilities still haunted me.
Thirty-seven, dead with just a snap of my mental powers. It wasn’t right. A shiver ran down my back. Whether that was fear or something darker, I didn’t know.
“No one in or out,” a voice said.
I drifted back to my body, though my vision was slow to return.
“You can make an exception,” Rowan called back.
“No exceptions.” The two guards drew their weapons.
Rowan dropped the reins of my horse to place his hand on his sword hilt.
My heart raced. I was strapped to this beast, unable to jump off or control it. It didn’t matter how well-trained it was. If it bolted or was injured, I went with it. Ezra never would have dropped my reins. He was my shield, my sword arm, my eyes, and my ears while I used my mental magic.
Rowan gestured to me. “We’re an exception.”
Dressed as a trainee and strapped to my horse, I did not look like the powerful Architect. Furthermore, Ezra wasn’t at my side, and it was his command that got me through his men.
My horse pranced, jolting me, and my pulse spiked. I wasn’t dying today because of a frightened mount. My vision snapped into focus. My ability to speak and control my body returned. I sat up straight and forced myself not to check in on my lover. Quinn needed him, and I was needed here.
‘Let us pass,’I said directly into the guards’ minds, my baby blues glowing with power. ‘Your loyalties will not go unrewarded.’
The men jumped.
