**TRIGGER WARNING** What hope they had had of keeping panic at bay and the truth hidden, was shattered. Josnen and Talib had been extraordinarily careful about what they had said to their military leaders and soldiers, but Cordelia’s arrival and extremely public threats and demands now meant the secret was out; demons were among them and not only did they want the Prince, but his lover too, who happened to be the King’s Fire Sorceress. The gossip had spread like wildfire through the palace in just the short time it took to get the wounded to the Healing Ward and call a meeting in the War Room. The chatter was so loud it was deafening as everyone gathered. There was the King and all of his advisors, councilors, and Captains, Calder, Talib, and the entirety of the Magical Advisory, including Astasha. They all spoke at once while nothing was actually heard. Tasha found herself shrinking into the corner, the sound overwhelming her. Her mind had stayed focused on the fight, but the
Calder stood outside the door to his mother’s chambers… Astasha’s chambers. What would he say? What could he say? He thought he had known the horrors she had faced in that clearing. But deep down, if he was being honest with himself, there was a part of him that had known it was far worse than even the most horrendous things he was aware of. He had just been too afraid to find out for sure. Everything in the War Room had happened so quickly… The second Helia left, he ordered the piece of shit, Argryn, stripped of his title and removed to the cells in the tower. No one, not even his father, dared to disobey. He would deal with that bastard later. Calder had been ready to cut off the asshole’s manhood himself before Astasha snapped, so he understood her rage. But he had never seen her like that before, nor felt the likes of the emotions pouring through their connection. Her pain and anguish and anger had almost taken him to his knees. He tried to tell the guards to stand down whe
The answer seemed so obvious now that they had come to it. No one knew how the sacred stone in the Land of the Dead had come to be, but sorcerers from across the world had studied its power for ages. It held a perfect balance between light and dark, life and death, and acted as judge, jury and executioner for those who asked. The tradition of Trenue’s leaders using the Stone of Balance as a final test had been around for as long as history could remember, and only once had a ruler failed. The stone had weighed the ancient Prince as unworthy, and marked him, burning a sigil into his chest for all to see. Should the Forest of the Damned actually exist beyond the stone, there was no knowing what else could lie between the worlds. But unless they could find how it worked, it didn’t matter. There was only one way to figure it out; they needed to go to the Land of the Dead. “We have to leave tonight,” Said Calder. “You won’t be safe once the High Council gets here tomorrow. If we’re t
The arrival of the High Council and arrest of the Sorceress Astasha might have kept the angry mob from tearing apart the castle to find her, but it didn’t stop the people from demanding answers and retribution. A multitude of folk had gathered at the palace entrance, some curious, others furious, and all had been promised by the recently arrived High Sorcerer that they would be appeased soon enough. If the War Room had been deafening the previous evening, it was the exact opposite in the Magical Archives Library, where the High Council had designated their occupancy. Not a soul dared to speak unless asked. The King and Calder were present, as well as the entirety of the Advisory (save Astasha of course, who was locked away in a cell up in the tower under the watchful eye of the High Council’s Water Sorcerer). Talib had been there, but Josnen had sent him away when he was unable to contain his loathing for Sorcerer Terrin. He had continued to swear vengeance upon the Earth Sorcerer
For the second time since Calder’s return, Astasha found herself locked away in a cell in the castle tower. The first time, she had been heartbroken, scared, and uncertain. This time, however, she was resolute. There would be no more tears, no more fear. Deep down, she did fear for Calder, for what could happen to him, but she couldn’t let that consume her. She needed to keep her resolve. When the High Council had arrived, it was obvious that they would immediately bind her magic. Which was why she found herself shocked when they had tried, and failed. How could it be that the greatest sorcerer in the land had been unable to do what Errant had done so easily not so long ago? But she didn’t dare let on. If they truly believed her powers had been muted, so be it. She would play their game for now, until she figured out what to do. Calder’s determination had come through their connection with brute force. The wheels had been turning in his head from the moment the council had appeare
Astasha could feel the chaos before she heard it. Something was happening. A commotion began outside the tower doors and she could hear voices shouting and armor clattering. The Water Sorcerer and the guards set to watch her, exchanged worried glances. The soldiers took up their arms as the High Council member strode to the door and pulled it open. A blast of fire met him, and though he was able to protect himself from the flames for the most part, he was thrown back. Astasha used the moment to unleash her own magic, quickly subduing the knights who seemed to have no clue what was happening, and catching the Water Sorcerer off guard again. She was supposed to be bound, and from the look on his face, he hadn’t suspected for a second that she wasn’t. As he tried to recover, through the door strode Helia, her powers in full force, and the two worked together to overpower him. Astasha had no desire to do the mage any harm, but as he slumped against the wall and slid to the fl
Astasha and Helia rode in silence as fast as they could for as long as the horses could handle, their senses on high alert, watching, listening, and feeling for any sign of an enemy. It was difficult going between dodging trees, and avoiding fallen logs and large rocks, not to mention there was little way of knowing exactly how far they had gone, not having the road to follow. Light was just beginning to creep into the world when they finally slowed to give their steeds a break. Neither could detect anything to cause immediate worry, and so they dismounted by a small stream and let the horses rest and drink. “How far do you think we are from Brecken?” It was the first Astasha had spoken aloud in hours and her voice was dry. Dipping her hands in the water, she brought it to her mouth before splashing the rest on her face. She didn’t know how long she had been awake, but it was only a matter of time before the adrenaline of everything wore off and exhaustion set in. Helia joined her
Once the two sorceresses had confirmed that the Guard post was indeed abandoned, they went to work placing as many protective spells and barriers as they could around it. The horses were allowed to drink from the river before being tethered near the entrance to graze and rest. It was decided that one of them would always be awake and on guard, Helia offering to take the first shift so that Astasha could finally sleep. After they had both rested, they would determine their route from there, and continue on. The stone tower was dark and dank, covered in cobwebs and dust. There was an old wooden table and a cot, a couple of broken chairs and an empty hearth. There was debate about whether or not the person on watch should go up to the lookout, but in the dark they would sense someone before they would see them, and it seemed more important to make a quick escape from the ground. Even with the deep black of night outside, they dared not risk the smoke of a fire being seen or smelled,