“Hitch your horses behind that house, then we can take cover here,” Etusca says, pointing toward a tall, official-looking building. It’s some kind of municipal site, with a large lobby and low windows that give us a view of the entrance to Aquila Hall. Within minutes, we duck down below them and wait.
The minutes tick by, agonizing and tense. I listen to Leon’s heartbeat across the mooring, steadier and slower than mine, trying to set the rhythm of my own pulse to it. Then Hyllus lifts a hand, signaling that he hears Caledon close by. Leon raises his head up, frowning out the window.
“The bastard’s come alone,” he murmurs.
“Are you sure?” Drisha asks.
Hyllus nods. “I don’t hear anyone else—it’s just him and his horse.”
I frown, wondering for a moment if it’s some aesteri trick, but as far as I know, Sophos is the only aesteri powerful enough to silence large areas, and Hyllus would likely sense major aesteri magic at play anyway.
No, much more likely that Caledon has simply arrived on his own, so confident in his new invincibility that he doesn’t think he needs any soldiers to escort him.
A voice, clear and impatient, calls across the street outside, and I freeze.
“I know you’re here, Morgana Angevire. You probably ran here the moment you realized Sophos would spill the truth about your precious stars. But you can’t protect them.”
I exhale. He thinks I’m here to guard or maybe relocate the gaidonesti—to make sure no one steals the source of my power. It almost makes me laugh. Caledon guessed I was here because he can only imagine me doing whathe’ddo in this situation.
“I’m going out there,” I say to the others, my eyes meeting Leon’s.“He needs to believe this isn’t a trap. If he thinks I’m trying to protect the stones, I need to play the part.”
Leon nods, signaling to my friends and my guards to hold their positions for now and let me handle the initial confrontation. We want it to look like I’ve been caught, and I’m still trying to hide any backup I’ve brought with me. They don’t argue, though I can see the tension written on all their faces.
Lifting my chin, I leave our hiding spot, walking out into the street. Sweat coats my palms, and my fingernails dig fresh weltsinto them as I see Caledon standing at the other end of the road, having dismounted in front of Aquila Hall. The sight of his black eyes sends a prickle of fear and disgust over my skin, but I try to look angry. Iamangry, of course, but I’m honestly more worried in this moment that I’ll mess this up.
“You won’t touch those stars, Caledon. They aremine.” I think about how he’d talk, if the roles were reversed, summoning up some conceited nonsense I hope he’ll swallow. “Iwas the source of the prophecy,I’mmeant to be the most powerful solari in the land. That means the celestial power in those stars belongs to me, as willed by the gods, and I will protect it from your evil.”
Caledon laughs. “I’d like to see you try.”
I signal to the others, who follow me out, gathering at my side. It’s poetic, somehow, to see him all alone, when I have a host of allies and friends beside me.
“Give him all you’ve got,” I murmur to them.
In an instant, a swarm of magic and weapons flies toward Caledon. One of my guards sends a fireball spinning his way, and Stratton hurls one of his projectiles, ensuring it explodes in a spray of boiling water at Caledon’s feet. Tira cocks and shoots an arrow, the wood shattering into a thousand splinters as it collides with Caledon’s shoulder, and I lift my hands to send a sun beam searing down the street.
Caledon takes it all, not moving a step, and when the dust settles, he looks completely unchanged. His magic seems to have even protected his robes, which look as pristine as ever.
He smiles.
“It must be exhausting, wasting so much effort on a battle you’ll never win,” he says, and starts to walk toward us. He lifts his hand, fingers clawed as if ready to grab, and my blood runs cold. He’s decided to drain us before he visits the gaidonesti, and we’ve just shown that nothing in our arsenal will stop him.
Except…
A deep rumble runs through the street, making the ground shudder. I fight to keep my balance as the earth groans beneath us, and a crack splits the earth between Caledon and where we stand. The dark earth falls away as it widens, and I look to Leon, his face locked in fierce concentration. Instinctively, the Grand Bearer takes a step back, just as the rift stops growing, leaving a twenty-foot-wide chasm carved into the ground.
Leon meets Caledon’s smile with one of his, his gray eyes as dark as storm clouds.
“Clever,” Caledon says flatly, though he suddenly doesn’t seem so amused. He examines the chasm between us, obviously calculating if this is worth his time, and presses his lips together in a thin line.
“I may not be able to walk on air quite yet, but soon I will be able to kill you all simply by glancing at you,” he calls to us, his eyes narrowing as he looks at Leon and me in particular. “I look forward to us meeting then.”
He turns and strides through the doors of Aquila Hall, into our trap.
Leon
“Careful, watch your heads,” Etusca whispers as we squeeze our way through the dank tunnels beneath Aquila Hall.
“Thank the gods Hyllus had the good sense to stay put; he would’vediedin here,” Alastor grunts as he maneuvers around a particularly tight corner.
