Then he was gone.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The king’s presence often left me with a slight tremor, sometimes nausea. It was simultaneously magnetic and off-putting; his power pulled me in, transfixing me. I struggled to think straight when he was near.
My life transformed the day my house burned down, and a cavernous space remained. This opportunity felt like the missing piece. I made it to the highest level I could in the king’s army, hiselite force. It’s what they trained us for. Becoming a dreki meant I would have full authority and power to divest our realm from the rebels seeking to subjugate it. And now that invite would be mine. Elation coursed through me.
I continued my trek with an extra bounce in my step, reflecting on what the king said and actions that needed to be taken. I still had one more mission. I had to make it count to solidify my place.
I committed to continue training hard, knowing my strength in combat along with my magic would set me apart, even from the power of the dreki. If I had any hope of maintaining my position in the army, in the event I did not get invited to make the trade, then I had to be even better than them. I wouldn’t let it come to that, though. The lesson of being twice as proficient was ingrained in me, as it is for every woman who dares to succeed in a man’s domain.
The king was right; I had become one of his primary weapons. I smiled at the thought. I knew he wanted me to succeed, maybe even more than I did. I rubbed my hands together as hope ignited within me. I would prevail no matter what mission they gave me.
Chapter Four
THE GENERAL
Darkness settled heavier than my shadows. It bounced off the stone walls, as oppressive as any shielding ward. My soldiers crept behind me in silence, moving like mythical ghost leopards. No sounds, save for my own breath, broke the tension.
I’d spent months detailing our route—the map in Finn’s hands testament to that. I had every hallway and stairwell memorized. Galea, our Prime Elixist, had created a glowing ink for this particular operation. I had painstakingly drawn each curve and path with my own hand. The ink led us like a beacon on the paper toward the prisoner. We had no need for King Nolan’s floating light orbs.
My fisted hand swung upward. Everyone behind me stilled, awaiting my next command. An eerie quiet settled in the tower. Not one guard, one grunt, or even a distant bird call, could be heard. I assessed my team. We were ready for whatever lay beyond this door.
Stepping forward, my shoulders filled the doorway. My metal magic swirled into the iron locks. Several clicks shattered the quiet, making me wince. I threw my shadows into the room right as the door swung open. Cold metal formed within mygrip, extending into double-edged, black blades that pulsed with my magic. Yet nothing emerged from the dismal room. The emptiness unnerved me.
We fanned out. Searching. Searching. We were here for Ilayah, our Prime Oracle. She had been taken several weeks ago, and our spies within Maripol only just unearthed where they’d confined her.
I had never stopped looking forher,though. Surely, even after all this time, I would recognize her. My eyes scanned my surroundings, as if I would see her as an adult and I would justknow. An ember of hope would always smolder for her. My disappointment settled as familiar as the sun’s rising. I instinctively searched anyway.
Hundreds of floating lights filled the space. The brighter ones hung low, while the dimmer orbs hovered close to the ceiling. The faint shimmer of magic coursed upward, as if drawn by a magnet, directly into the spheres. I grimaced at the scent of burnt sugar and acid that permeated the room. Glint and its residual dust lay thick upon every surface.
My team and I pulled on black leather gloves. Though Glint’s power only worked when it was ingested or injected, there was no need to purposely subject ourselves to the golden poison.
“Here! She’s here.” Harrison waved his dagger in the air, the blade reflecting against the orbs’ light.
My breath stalled as I rushed over. Ilayah resembled a mere shadow of herself, lying amongst wrinkled sheets. Every line of her once-healthy body had become sharp and angular. Each bone could be counted on her emaciated frame. The metal around us began to vibrate. A few soldiers spared me worried glances. Harrison took a subtle step away. I fisted my hands at my sides.
Her body remained motionless; her awareness obliterated by the Glint in her system. The wrinkles around her eyes deepenedin the dim lighting, and her sunken cheeks aged her well beyond her sixty years. Bruises peppered her arms in varying shades of blue, black, yellow, and green. Her once lustrous brown skin now ashen and dull.
My anger grew claws. It had taken us months to get information from our spies in the castle to determine where she was being held. I was grateful Xuri hadn’t seen her like this. I hoped we weren’t too late.
Harrison extended his arms, hovering them above her body as his magic seeped into her. He was dually-trained as a soldier and healer. “I can only numb her and keep her unconscious at this point. I don’t have time to do much more. Nothing is broken, and she won’t be in pain when we transport her.”
Finn, my second-in-command, stepped forward. We exchanged a look, both of us grave in our assessment. I nodded to him. He scooped her up, holding her gently to his chest as her head lolled to the side.
A whine caught my attention as we turned to leave. I squinted into a dark corner of the room.
“We need to go,” Finn urged me. I waved him off, creeping from shadow to shadow. A large crate covered by an oversized blanket sat against the back wall. Soldiers shifted on their feet. None dared to challenge me.
I lifted the blanket off the crate. Several wolvin greeted me with whimpers and fangs. They shoved themselves back against the far side of the enclosure, huddled around each other. Their fur bristled along their spines as they glared at me. I didn’t deliberate my decision. My magic unlocked the bolts fastening the bars together.
The animals stilled at their sudden freedom. They bowed their heads to their feet in a show of submission. When they met my gaze, I froze. These were not normal wolvin. I cloaked the beasts in my shadow, blinding them with darkness until weexited the room. They snarled and bucked within the darkness, but I couldn’t risk an attack on our team.
Finn rolled his eyes as I passed him. “Those could kill anyone.”
I knew what was potentially at stake. If Nolan played with beasts like he played with Primes, then he deserved to have them unleashed upon his own people. “Then so be it.”
We exited the tower into predawn darkness. Stars glittered above us, indifferent to our infiltration. I raced ahead, trusting everyone followed closely behind me. Not a guard in sight. My spies did not lead me astray with the intelligence they’d supplied us.
My shadows shifted, warning me of movement ahead. Our small group halted at my signal. Fear over Ilayah’s condition had my magic itching to unleash.
