“Yuck,” she said, turning away from the pile of dragon corpses. “Some welcome to the land of the living. At least my voice is back, though.”
I liked the other one,the Empty Wind said.It was nice having you in my head where you couldn’t leave.
“You are the master of the sweet but creepy,” she said with a laugh. “But haven’t you learned by now that I’m not going—”
“Marci!”
The cry rang out like a shot across the field, and Marci’s head shot up. She had no idea how he was here, but she’d know that voice anywhere.
“Julius?”
***
Julius ran across the grass at top speed, leaving the others behind as he rushed toward the edge of the bloody pool in the middle of Algonquin’s field where Marci and the Empty Wind had just appeared out of nowhere. It had happened so suddenly, he hadn’t believed his eyes at first, but when he’d blinked and she hadn’t vanished, he’d just started running, desperate to get to hernow, before anything else had the chance to happen.
“Marci!” he yelled again, voice cracking as he grabbed her right off her feet and hugged her as hard as he could. He hugged her until he could feel her heart beating against his chest, as he wanted it to always. Hugged her until the proof that she was alive and safe was unmistakable even to his worst-case-scenario imagination. Hugged her until her arms went around his shoulders and her fists started beating on his back, her legs banging into his like she was trying to get his attention.
“Julius,” she gasped. “Too tight!”
“Sorry!” he said, loosening his grip at once. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I was just so—”
“It’s okay,” she said, wrapping her arms around him as she caught her breath. “I was worried about you, too.”
Julius closed his eyes in happiness, burying his face in her hair as he breathed in deeply. He didn’t care that they were standing in the middle of Algonquin’s territory ankle deep in the bloody dregs of what was basically a dragon mass grave. He could have stayed there with Marci hugging and being hugged back forever. But just as he was getting used to the idea, Marci pulled away.
“But how did you find me?” she asked, the smile falling off her face. “How did you evengethere? And why are you withthem?”
Julius glanced over his shoulder to see Chelsie, Emily, and Raven standing behind them. Myron was only now catching up, but the others had clearly been watching for a while. For once, though, Julius didn’t care. His whole clan could have been staring at him, and he still wouldn’t have let Marci go.
“We went to him, actually,” the general said. “We—”
“You went to him?” Marci cried, her voice outraged. “After Ispecificallytold you not to?”
“You told them not to get me?” Julius asked. “Why?”
“Because I knew you’d dothis,” she said, waving her hands at the bloody field. “Charging into the heart of enemy territory. I wastryingto keep you safe!”
“What good is that if you’re not safe, too?” he cried, grabbing her shoulders. “I amnevernot going to help you, Marci. Never ever.”
“And with all due respect, you don’t give us orders,” General Jackson added, lifting her chin defiantly. “Our mission is to protect you and your spirit, and since the Heartstrikers were in a more strategic position to do that than our own forces last night, we went to them.”
Marci blew out an angry breath. “I suppose all’s well that ends well,” she muttered, looking back up at Julius, who had yet to let her go. “But you still haven’t told me how you got in here. Did Amelia make a door for you?”
“Actually, Svena teleported us,” Julius said. “We asked Amelia, but she was too weak since she gave half her magic to you.”
“Oh, snap!” Marci said, letting him go at last to press a frantic hand against her chest. “Amelia’s flame! I forgot all about it when I was in the land of the dead.”
Julius went pale. “Land of the dead?”
“Whew, we’re good,” she said, slumping in relief as she patted her chest above her heart. “Still burning strong. But I’d better head back to the mountain and get this back to her.”
Going home sounded like amarvelousidea to Julius. He had no idea what she’d meant by “land of the dead,” but given the army of ghosts they’d followed to find her, he was okay with that. Unfortunately, the undersecretary of magic was not.
“Is that where you’re going to leave it?” he growled, glaring at Marci with something uncomfortably close to hate. “You covered this place inghosts!I got only a single glimpse at Reclamation Land when I came here as part of the UN treaty delegation twenty years ago, but even that was enough to see it was a wonder. A beautiful, untouched land of primordial spirits like nothing else on Earth, and you’ve turned it intothis.” He waved his hand at the empty field dotted with upturned dirt. “What kind of spirit do you have?”
Marci went rigid. Then, almost like she was putting on a mask, Julius saw her pull her professional face together and turn on the mage with a self-possessed look that would have done a dragon proud.
“Don’t assume what you don’t understand,” she said haughtily, putting out her hand to the empty air beside her. Air that Julius realized wasn’t empty at all when Ghost appeared beside her, andnotas a cat. He’d only seen the spirit like this once before, but Julius would never forget the terrifying, faceless soldier who’d defeated Vann Jeger, and that memory was enough to finally make him step aside as the Empty Wind moved in to stand beside his mage.
