To Kill a Wizard: Rose's Story (The Protectors of Tarak Book 1) (29 page)

“Wait, wait, just hold on a second. What do you mean
I’ll
be able to escape?
We
need to escape.”

I avoided his gaze, yanking him harder towards the stairs and out the glass door. “I didn’t plan this out well… I should have. I just heard where you were, and that’s all I thought about.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, allowing me to lead him. “But, we’ll be escaping together.”

We reached the stairs, and I used the Goddess of Fire’s name to light my stick once more, frowning at how much of it had already burned away. “We’ll find each other again, but we can’t leave together tonight.”

“What?” he said, spinning me to face him. “I won’t leave you here. They’ll turn you into one of
them
.”

I avoided his gaze. “No, not tonight, tonight they’re taking me to another village, I’m not sure why.”

“We’ll leave before they realize you’re gone.”

I shook away from his touch and hurried up the stairs. “I’m meeting one of them at the gate in a short time. They’ll know immediately if I’m gone. When does Blair check on you?”

“Every other day, in the mornings, but she was already here earlier today.”

“Good. Then, use the stairs your village has been cutting into the side of the cavern walls. Escape to your village. They won’t know you’re gone.”

He grabbed my hand. “I won’t consider any plan where I’m not with you.”

“I’ll come to you when I can,” I said, stumbling slightly on the stairs. “But, we can’t be fools about this. Neither of us will make it out if I try to leave tonight.”

He yanked on my hand, forcing me to stop. I turned, squinting as I studied him in the fire’s light.

“Then, I’ll stay here and wait for you.”

“No!” I shouted, feeling agitated, knowing that our time was nearly gone. “You have no idea what she plans to do to you, you could be dead tomorrow!”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. She’s been, well, almost kind to me.”

“You don’t
think
so? It’s sweet of you to want to wait for me, but you’re being a fool.
My
life’s not in danger. I can find a time to leave, but your
time is running out. She’ll kill you. You’re a wizard. It’s only a matter of time. Now, this conversation is
over
.”

His eyes narrowed. “I want to know when I’ll see you again.”

I sighed. “I can’t be sure.”

“Then, I can’t be sure I’ll go.”

I jerked my hand free of his. “You must be the most stubborn person, I’ve ever met.”

He crossed his arms and glared, which was hard to take seriously while he stood, bent down beneath the low ceiling. “You have no idea how stubborn I can be, woman. Now, when will I see you again?”

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to kiss him or slap him, but since I had time for neither, I said the only thing I could think of. “I need to save Sirena first. We came here together, and she’s my best friend. I’ve already found her, so I should be able to leave soon… in two days or less.”

He uncrossed his arms. “You think you can save your friend?”

“Yes,” I answered, without hesitation.             

”Then, I understand. Do what you need to. But be careful. And I want to see you in two days or less. Use the portal. I’ll wait for you there.” His gaze grew tender. “It kills me to know you’re walking right back into danger, when you should be walking away. However, I understand.”

His words took my breath away. But just as I turned to go, a shocking thought occurred to me. “Blair can find you with her magic.”

“What?”

I held his gaze. “If I don’t teach you how to put walls around your mind, she’ll be able to find you as soon as you leave.”

His brows rose. “Walls?”

“Yes.” I struggled to explain myself. “The reason I can feel you and you can feel me is because we’re connected. You’re my One. But if we raise our walls, we can’t feel each other. It’s unpleasant, yet it also keeps other magical people from sensing us.”

“Whoa, whoa,” he said, gesturing for me to slow down with his hands. He paused. “So my dreams of you… those moments when I felt I could hear you and see you, those were real?”

I blushed. “Yes. I think so.”

He turned scarlet. “
All
my dreams?”

My pulse sped up. “Probably not all of them.”

“Good.” He rubbed his hand over his face, as if his fingers could brush always the warmth from his cheeks. “So when I put these walls up, I can be sure you won’t see my dreams?”

I laughed awkwardly. “Well, yes, but I mostly planned to put my walls up if I was hurting, so you wouldn’t hurt too.”

His expression grew serious. “Did someone hurt you?”

“No,” I reassured him quickly. Then, I took a deep breath. “We don’t have time to talk about all of this now. I have to teach you to put up your walls, so you’ll be safe from Blair.”

He looked like he might argue, but simply nodded.

So in that cramped, horrible space, I taught him how to do it.

Just as when I’d put my own walls up, I lost that extra sense of him. It was like snapping my fingers and no longer being able to hear or smell.

“This is terrible,” he said, voicing my own thoughts. “It feels… wrong.”

I nodded. “I know, but you’ll have to keep your walls up until we can get far enough away from Blair.”

He reached out and pulled me close to him. “For a second, I lost your warmth… your smell.”

I clung to him. “It won’t be forever.”

He squeezed me.

Reluctantly, I let go. “We have to hurry.”

We continued climbing, while my thoughts whirled in my head. I had no doubt he’d follow through on his threat, so if I wanted to keep him alive, I’d have to find a way to reach him. What was more, if I waited too long, Blair would realize he was missing and go looking for him. She wouldn’t suspect he’d have reached his village already. She’d think he took the long way around to where the valley could be reached through the sloping land.

“How long does it take to reach your village from the higher land, the normal way?”

“Perhaps a week.”

Blair would no doubt search the path to his home when she discovered he was missing, so I’d have to escape quickly and take him to someplace safe. But to where?

We reached the top of the stairs, and between using my hands, and the light of the flame, I was able to find a switch. I pulled on it, and the ground around us rumbled. Dirt fell on u, but the wall opened into the well-lit gardens.

I poked my head out, and seeing no one, guided Asher to the top. The wall moved back into place, and we weaved our way to a thick tangle of bushes and trees near the corner of the gardens.

“You found him.”

We whirled to find Meisha sitting on a bench, a sword lying across her lap. She sat as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

“That’s my sword,” Asher growled.

Meisha tilted her head, her amber eyes glowing as she studied Asher. “I’ve seen many wizards,” she whispered. “But not one like you.”

“He isn’t evil,” I said, moving closer to him.

Her gaze slid to me. “You love him.”

It wasn’t a question, but I nodded.

“Love is a blessing, even when it is not easy,” she said, stroking the hilt of the sword.

“Is there someone you love?” Asher asked, with barely suppressed rage in his voice.

The glowing left her amber gaze and sadness twisted her features. “I come from a place called Serenu. It is a large island. If you travel by boat from Tarak’s eastern tip and travel
exactly
east for three days, you will reach Serenu. The locals believe this island is blessed by the goddesses, because it has never experienced war, droughts, or disease. And, very few people ever find it. The tribes believe it is the center of the universe, because the weather is perfect all year long. It is here that my love waits for me.”

“Why don’t you go to him?”

She ran the tip of one finger along the smooth side of the sword. “Because, sometimes love is not enough.”

Asher held my hand. “It can be.”

“No.” She leaned back on the bench, resting against the smooth stone of the castle walls. “You are both young. You have yet to experience the kind of heart-wrenching choices that will tear at you, that will leave you forever changed.”

“Perhaps, but we plan to live long enough to make those choices,” Asher responded.

She tilted her head again, as if listening to something far away before speaking. “I do not believe all wizards should be killed. I don’t believe your love is doomed, but I do believe your lives will be difficult.”

I could almost hear time ticking away, the sun’s light had nearly faded, making the lights from the torches around the garden appear even brighter. “If we’re even to have a chance, Asher needs to get out of here.”

Meisha stood, the blade in her hand. “I am a Protector of Tarak. Sworn to kill all that challenge this nation. Do you challenge us?”

Asher’s eyes held hers. “I challenge anyone who attempts to hurt someone I care for.”

Meisha closed in on us, her long legs moving fluidly beneath the short black dress she’d adorned again. She crossed the space between us, before I could register the threat in her weapon.

I moved in front of Asher, but he pulled me behind him.

“Don’t hurt him!”

To my surprise, she turned the blade, handing him the sword. “Clarissa will be here soon.”

His hand closed around the hilt of his sword, and he withdrew it cautiously from her grip. “Why are you letting me go?”

“That is a question I am wondering myself.”

In a quick movement, he swung his sword back and towards her, aiming for her neck. I caught his arm, preventing him from taking her life. She jumped away from him, crouching low.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

“She’s a Protector of Tarak. She steals girls from their families. Girls like my sister. She deserves to die.” His voice was desperate as he spoke.

Meisha scowled at him. “I think I was mistaken about you.”

“And I think one of you stole my sister from me!”

Confusion marred her face. “Blair would have never allowed—”

“Nazar took her.” His tone was cold as steel.

Meisha cocked her head. “Then maybe Rose can search for her as she searches for her friend… maybe she can even free her.”

He moved his sword closer to her, but I held onto his arm for dear life. “I’ll get her back.”

He tried to take a step closer to the castle, but hissed.

I looked at him in confusion.

Tiny beads of blood sprang from a small cut at his throat.

My eyes widened. “Asher…”

“It’s nothing,” he said. Then, his gaze snapped to my face. “But you’ll look for her?”

I spoke without hesitation. “I promise.”

Still in her crouched position, Meisha watched our exchange with interest, then moved backwards until her back struck the wall. With an animalistic caution, she moved sideways, away from us and towards the door.

“Please, don’t say anything Meisha,” I begged.

Asher moved to follow her, but I blocked his path.

“She deserves to die,” he growled.

“The woman you’re so quick to
kill
is the reason I found you. She could’ve slaughtered you with your own sword, or with her powers, but she spared you. And because of what she is, you’d
still
kill her?”

His eyes narrowed. “It wouldn’t be honorable to treat another person in such a way, but a Protector is not a person. You’ll find my hatred of them is limitless.”

My hand trembled on his chest. “You need to go.”

“Do you tremble in fear of me or being left with them?”

I pulled away from him and circled slowly through the garden towards the door leading out to the brief patch of land and then the glass bridge.

He followed, wordlessly.

We stopped near the door, and he touched my shoulder. “I’ll see you in two days.”

Nausea rolled through me. I would have to see him again, regardless of how he might hate me when he learned the truth. Because I needed him. I needed him to save Tarak.

“You will.” I whispered, even while I hated myself for speaking the words.

He slipped past me, and I watched him as he ran across the glass bridge. I didn’t breathe until he’d disappeared in the trees on the other side.

I inhaled desperate breaths as I skidded to a halt just outside the castle gates. But even when my breathing calmed, my entire body ached. I’d just freed a wizard, one capable of anything, without real thought to the consequences. I’d been so sure he was kind and gentle, a man who held my heart. But after seeing his treatment of Meisha, I was unsure. And more than that, I now feared what would happen when he learned what I was. Could his love overcome his hate?

He was my One. I knew that now. But what I didn’t know was
him
. There was a powerless to all of this. To closing my eyes, and feeling him inside of me, like the beating of my own heart, yet knowing deep down that this man was almost a stranger to me. I really had no idea what he’d do when he found out. Something that terrified me.

“Taking some time to enjoy the view?”

I spun.

Clarissa had a mocking grin plastered across her face as she came towards me.

“Just making sure I’m by the door waiting,” I responded, trying my best to conceal my worries with a sharp reply.

I’d actually barely had time to race up the stairs, stuff my face with cheese and bread, and grab my cloak before running back to the entrance. But she didn’t need to know that.

She stopped beside me and placed her hands on her wide hips. The pink leather shirt lifted slightly, revealing a small expansion of her smooth belly. “Maybe I won’t have to kill you after all. I can handle a dog that can be trained.”

I wanted to tell her that even the sweetest dog could rip a person’s face off if pushed far enough, but the hilts of her daggers peeked out from the sheath hanging from the belt around her waist. And as annoyed as I was, I also wasn’t an idiot.

Seeing that I wasn’t rising to her challenge, she rolled her eyes and strode towards the bridge. Her butt swung from side-to-side as she walked in front of me, an almost comically exaggerate movement. No doubt, she was trying to draw my attention to her odd clothes again. But they really
were
the strangest clothing I’d ever seen.

“Are you really going to wear
that
to a village?” I asked without thinking.

“Why not?” She challenged.

I opened my mouth to respond to the annoying question, but she kept talking.

“If you’d ever been in a real fight, you’d know how ridiculous it is to wear some puffy dress. It slows you down, and one thing you don’t want in a battle is to be slowed down.”

“Then why is it that none of the other Protectors wear leather?”

Except for Norma maybe.

Clarissa moved confidently across the glass bridge, and I follow her without looking down. “Because most of the ones you’ve seen, like Blair and Meisha, never
actually
have to fight. When you start visiting more of the towns on the outskirts of Tarak, you’ll see that outfits like this are pretty common for us.”

I wanted to argue with her. Women, wearing leather
and pants
? It just seemed strange.

“Do most of them wear pink leather?”

She froze, in the middle of the bridge, and turned towards me. “Oh no, the pink is all me.”

I took several deep breaths, wishing she’d keep moving. “I’ve never seen a pink animal.”

She grinned. “One of us can make anything look exactly the way you want it to. I wanted pink leather, so she made it for me.”

I bit my lip. “Great. Can we keep going?”

Clarissa moved closer to me. “Why? You afraid of heights after your little
smack
down bellow?”

“No.” I lied.

Her hands were wrapped in the front of my gown before I could react, grabbing me and shoving me over the edge. I screamed, my arms flailing around me.

She snickered. “You’re not a very good liar.”

Very slowly, she pulled me until my feet were flat on the bridge. Then, she turned, as if nothing had happened, and continued walking.

I clenched my fists, focusing on her back, and taking shaky breaths. I should push her over the edge. But even as the thought entered my mind, I knew I could never take a human life.

Unlike Asher.

This sour thought haunted me until we reached the portal.

“Ready?” she asked, pulling her dagger from her sheath.

“What are you going to do with that?”

A mask of seriousness fell over her face. “I’m going to cut you.”

I took a step back from her, and she lunged at me. I cried out, and dove behind the portal. She stabbed out again, but this time, her blade struck the altar. A warm rush pushed me back, and a bustling city appeared in the center of it.

Her terrible grin was back. “You’re really too easy. Coming?”

I took another shaky breath as she walked through the portal, and then inched my way after her. This girl was unpredictable and crazy, a bad combination.

Ear-splitting cheering struck me at the same time as the blast of heat. Instinctually, I turned back around, but the portal had already closed.

“The Protectors have arrived!” someone shouted above the other sounds.

A chant followed the announcement, booming one word:
Protectors
.

The platform we stood upon was in the center of a wide road paved with gray stone. A sea of people spread out in the streets, a mass of rich, dark colors. On either side of the road, buildings as tall as mountains leaned over us at an angle that whispered a threat
I might topple on you at the slightest breeze
.

Tiny hairs on my arms stood on end as I shifted closer to Clarissa. A slight breeze, like a warm puff of air, carried the scent of smoke, food, and sweaty people. I gagged.

Is this what all big cities smelled like?

Flowers suddenly rained down on us.

Glancing up, I spotted dozens of people hanging out of windows, grinning and tossing flowers. The sky above was graying, but it was nearly hidden by hundreds of lanterns strung on ropes from one tall building to the next, weaved throughout the entire packed street.

“Goddesses’ Teeth,” Clarissa muttered. “I hate this place.”

“Where are we?” I asked, torn between a sense of awe and apprehension

“Ponya,” she grumbled. “The worst place in Tarak.”

A man who was more round than tall lumbered up the stairs of the platform. “Welcome, I am the mayor of Ponya, Frat, and we are excited for The Choosing to begin!” He was out of breath, but a slight smile turned his large lips.

I tensed. “The Choosing?”

His sagging cheeks sagged further as he frowned.

“Don’t mind her, Fat, she’s new,” Clarissa said, studying her sharp nails.

His shoulders stiffened as he turned to the blonde. “My name is
Frat
, not
fat
, Lady Protector.”

She waved him off. “You know I don’t care for names.”

“Of course,” he mumbled. “As you tell me each time.”

It took me a painfully long moment to make sense of what was going on around me. But when I did, shock raced down my spine. Blair couldn’t possibly have sent me here to… a rock dropped in my belly, of course she had.

“Clarissa,” I said, clutching her arm. “I can’t be here for a Choosing.”

“First,” she whispered. “If you touch me again, I’ll cut off one of your fingers.”

I let go of her arm.

“And second of all, did you really think you’d get to eat the meat without slaughtering the pig?”

Swallowing hard, I tried to keep my expression blank. “I won’t do this.”

Frat watched our exchange, with an eagerness that gave his pink skin a reddish-tint. “Anything I can do to assist?”

She ignored him, keeping her attention on me. “Oh yes, you will.”

A dangerous wave of anger swept over me. Blair had made a foolish decision if she thought I’d simply go along with a Choosing. It was one thing to fight against the Undead wizards, to defeat them and get Sirena back. It was another thing to expect me to sacrifice innocent lives for nothing.

“Do what you’re told,” she growled.

I locked eyes with her. “Not a chance.”

She grabbed my arm and led me to an alley off the main road, the sea of bodies parted to allow us passage. People in the streets seemed to be doing their best not to stare at us, but their sideways glances were all too obvious.

“This is part of being a Protector.” Her tone softened ever so slightly. “Not one we enjoy, but none of us has a choice.”

“I do.”

We stared at each other.

After a minute, she sighed and dragged a hand through her blonde spiky hair. “I hate when Blair makes me do this.”

“Then, let’s not.”

Clarissa’s emotions, as always, shifted so quickly they took me by surprise. “Look,” the word held a threat, “I’m basically a slave to these women until this war ends, and we can’t end this war without enough girls, so we’re going to do this.
You
are going to do this.”

My hands closed into fists. “Will these few girls make any real difference? You and I both know they won’t!” The volume of my voice rose, even as I tried to keep calm. “Blair’s only doing this to torture me. You have to know that, so why are you going along with it?”

She shoved me back against the wall, her forearm pressing down on my throat. “Listen, country girl, Blair sent you here to test you. And if you fail, she’ll figure out what you care about most, and she’ll destroy it. Do you understand?”

My thoughts flashed to Sirena, and my anger lessened as my fear grew. Was it going to really come down to this? Sacrifice more girls or my best friend?

Pushing against her forearm, which was uncomfortable, but not painful, I managed to glare at her. “I don’t want to do this.”

She glared right back. “None of us wants to do this, but most of us care more about surviving than sticking to our morals. There’s no room for morals in war. Got it?”

She was wrong. I was sure of it. These women thought they could force me to do what they wanted, but I knew I could think of a way out of it. I just needed to decide how.

“Rose?” The pressure on my throat increased.

Not sure what else to do, I simply nodded.

She released me and stepped back. “Good. Now, do you know how to sense magic?”

“Sense magic?” I repeated. “No.”

“Okay then, listen closely. I’ll only explain it once.” She grabbed my hand roughly. “Inside of each person is a glowing light. For people without magic, it’s just a silver flicker.”

“But, they don’t have magic.”

She smacked me in the forehead with her free hand. “The silver flicker is their soul; souls are basically magic in its purest form. Wizards who used Blood Magic, use these souls to gain power, but we don’t use them. Each soul you take, takes a little of your own soul. So forget all about souls. People with
real
magic, either have a flicker of gold, or a blazing inferno of gold. The ones with just a flicker of gold, we take. They have enough magic to fuel us. The ones with the inferno, usually pass the test and join The Order. Got it?”

I stared at her, my head ringing. “I’ve never seen gold or silver, flickers or fire.” Even though I had seen the fire Meisha had shown me, I wasn’t sure it was the same thing.

She smacked my forehead again.

I rubbed the sore spot.
Ouch.

“Of course not, you haven’t looked at a person using your
magic
eye.”

“And how do I do that?” I asked, flinching.

“Blair can do it without touching, but the rest of us need to touch the other person, then close your eyes, and search inside of them. When you see the light, you withdraw.”

“Search inside of them?” I repeated. “How do I search inside of them?”

I raised my free arm to my forehead to protect myself, but she didn’t seem to notice. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

She hauled me to my feet, dragging me back through the crowd to the platform. Twenty girls crowded the stage, wearing extravagant dresses, and grinning.

My heart sank. I couldn’t do this.

“Okay!” Clarissa shouted, and the noises of the crowd died down. “Congrats about getting Chosen and all that nonsense. Now, Rose will choose the
lucky
girls.” She leapt down from the stage and leaned against one of the buildings, crossing her arms and grinning at me.

I hated her.

Everything about this felt wrong. From what she was forcing me to do, down to the simple fact that she’d taken this special day from these girls. Where was the ceremony? The excitement? Didn’t these girls deserve even that?

I scanned the crowd. There was an array of emotions racing across their faces: disappointment, confusion, and happiness.

So this wasn’t how things
were
typically done.