Wings of Nestor (26 page)

Jasmine paused, turning toward the depiction of the Dragon Queen. A glowing pair of green eyes appeared, the same ones that had haunted Kiora’s dreams, narrowing to slits as she exposed her hand, placing it over the queen’s likeness. Blackness spread out of her palm, burning the paint from the wall and sending it fluttering to the ground. Jasmine moved on to the next wall, staring right at Kiora but not seeing her. She placed her palm to the wall, trying to force the blackness to spread, but it would not. Her eyes narrowed farther, trying to force it. Nothing.

The Shadow began undulating with agitation as she extended her arms. Many of the group understood the danger they were in and dropped to the floor. Several did not. A sphere of red-and-black magic rippled outwards, and those who were left standing were picked up and slammed into the walls so hard, their bodies broke. The room shook and the plaster crumbled. Tiles cracked, the room groaned, but the wall in front of them simply absorbed the impact, refusing to yield to Jasmine’s magic.

The Shadow began to grow in size with great, heaving breaths, just as it had at the Manor. Those who had lived through the first attack scrambled to their feet, rushing for the thin staircase. But there would be no escape. They would pay the price for losing the Solus again. The Shadow billowed over them, shrouding the room in a black death. There were a few cries and then all was silent. The Shadow had swallowed them whole. When Jasmine vanished, the room was empty once again.

Nobody spoke. Alcander finally walked past Kiora to press his hand to the exit. “It’s still sealed.”

“Jasmine is probably waiting.” Kiora sighed. “If the wall is protecting us, she must be out there somewhere.”

“There are worse things, I suppose,” Lomay said cheerfully. He was met with perplexed looks from all four. “We are locked in with the Wings of Nestor. Think of how much we could learn.” He smiled at them all in turn before vanishing from sight.

Being locked in the palace was not the plan. They needed to get the Lights before Jasmine moved them again—if she hadn’t already. But Lomay was right—they might as well use the time they had.

“So, Drustan. Can we have a ride back down?”

“We?” Drustan asked, eyeing Emane and Alcander.

Kiora grinned, nodding.

Drustan shook his head before turning sideways, offering them his back. “It is lucky for these boys that I can’t say no to you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Palace

WATER WAS BEGINNING TO dribble through the front doors. It wasn’t much, but it was clear the palace could only sink so many more times before the entire thing was underwater. The thought of this beautiful palace—the only thing that remained of the Creators—being lost forever made Kiora’s heart hurt.

Lomay’s thread was already waiting by the Wings of Nestor. They made their way back down the hall to join him. Alcander was brooding, pain simmering in the back of his eyes. His presence in her mind seemed to have pulled back. He had no idea the depth to which his family’s betrayal had run.

Lomay had called chairs from who-knew-where and set them in front of the Wings. “We might as well be comfortable,” he said.

Once they were all settled, he looked at Kiora, eyebrows raised, asking a silent “What now?” He was doing that more and more lately and it made her extremely uncomfortable. He had more knowledge than she did by far, and yet he insisted on letting her choose the path. Clearing her throat, she said, “If we go after the Light in Tavea, we should use the Wings to help us plan our moves.”

“How are we doing this?” Emane asked. “I know you have a lot of magic, but there are still only five of us.”

“She has the talisman,” Alcander murmured. “She can prevent them from using magic.”

“It will prevent all of you from using magic as well,” Kiora reminded him. “We need to get the Light, as well as rescue the Taveans from the dungeon—we can’t leave them there any longer. Then we need to get out of there as fast as we can. We can’t take on an army and an entire city by ourselves.”

“Do not underestimate your powers,” Lomay cautioned. “You forget that you have more than just magic at your disposal. You can command all the forces of nature.”

“No. I will not destroy an entire city, even if I could.”

“If you do not plan on destroying evil, what do you plan to do?” Drustan asked dryly.

Kiora clenched her fists. “I didn’t say that. But destroying the entire city just to get access to a Light is murder.”

“The Shadow would destroy for less than that,” he retorted.

“I know!” Kiora took a calming breath. “Look, what if we can retrieve the Light? It could give the people something to hope for. Maybe they would finally have an alternative to the Shadow.” She jabbed her finger upwards. “What kind of hope would we give them if we destroyed Tavea? We would be just another force to be feared.”

“She is right,” Alcander said.

“No, she is not,” Drustan retorted. “And you are biased.”

Alcander jerked to his feet. “Watch your tongue, Shifter. You know nothing of Tavea.”

“Alcander,” Lomay said mildly, “do sit down. Kiora, what did you have in mind?”

“What do
you
think?” Kiora asked softly, pleading for counsel.

“I think I would like to hear your answer.”

Kiora held Lomay’s gaze as long as she could before she sighed, turning her attention to Alcander. “What do we need to open the door in the crypt?”

“The staff.”

“And the staff will only respond to you, correct?”

“Aimon will not give it up easily,” Drustan said.

“I am counting on it,” Alcander said darkly.

“Where does he keep it?”

Alcander threw his hair behind his shoulders. “He keeps it on his person at all times, and he is surrounded with guards at all times as well.”

“Before we can do anything else, we have to get that staff,” Kiora said. “Alcander, you know the court. When would be the best time to retrieve it?”

Alcander stared at the blank set of Wings before him. “Show me the throne room in the castle of Tavea,” he said.

The Wings obliged. The room was empty, the throne vacant.

“Where is everyone?” Emane asked.

Alcander sat up straighter, pulling his shroud of logic and concentration over him like a protective covering. “Aimon and the guards only occupy the throne room during certain hours for public complaints that need to come before the king. The rest of the time, he is in various rooms in the castle. The problem with the other rooms is that they all have glass doors or balconies leading outside, making it very easy for the rest of the guard to join a fight. The throne room is located in the very center of the castle, and although it has many entrances”—Alcander pointed to the multiple sets of doors around the room—“they are all solid and could be secured from the inside. That way, we could control the battle and the number of people involved in it.”

“And how do we get out?” Emane asked.

“The kings knew the throne room could be a trap, so they not only set protections in place, but the staff opens a trap door under the throne that leads to tunnels running out of the city. And, incidentally, through the dungeons.”

Drustan ticked items off on his fingers. “We storm the castle, secure the throne room, defeat the false king, escape through a hidden door, rescue the Taveans from the dungeons, and slip out a tunnel into freedom. Did I get that right?”

Alcander’s eyes shifted over to him, warning him without a word.

“I thought so.” Drustan leaned back in his chair. “Only you forgot something. When exactly are we getting the Light?”

Kiora could tell by the way Alcander’s lips drew themselves into thin lines that he had indeed forgotten the purpose behind going.

“Is there a way out of the throne room besides under the throne?”

“Not a way that won’t be filled with Tavean guards trying to get in.”

Kiora ran through scenarios, trying to find a solution. There was only one, and she didn’t like it. “What if we sent Lomay and Drustan down to free the prisoners and then we opened one of the doors?”

Alcander raised an eyebrow.

“I could use the talisman to get the rest of us out of the palace and then we would go to the crypt.”

“Kiora,” Alcander said gently, “do you understand the swath of destruction you would have to cut to get us out of the castle alive?”

“No,” Kiora said quickly. “And I don’t want to. All I need to know is, is it possible?”

Alcander hesitated. “I would need to think about the best path to take, but…with the talisman, I think it could be done.”

“How do you propose Drustan and I get all the people out without detection?” Lomay asked.

“They can all bubble, can’t they?”

“Most likely not,” Lomay said. “They will be weakened from the magical drain they have endured.”

“Magical what?”

“Show us the dungeons beneath the castle,” Lomay asked the Wings. The same scene she saw before came into view. Filthy, weak Taveans slumped inside cages. But as the view panned the room, she saw multiple dark-haired Taveans, each of them surrounded with a slight glow.

“Magical beings are very hard to contain. Tavea was the first to figure out that you could employ someone to drain the magic from those being detained to keep them from building up enough power to escape. The spell has many limitations, but if your prey is contained, it is fairly easy.

“Once we free them, it may take a while for their magic to become strong enough to use a bubble. But if you are planning on using the talisman, it takes away the possibility regardless, and without magic, I certainly cannot shelter them, either.”

“Could you shelter them if I gave you a head start?”

“He’d need a very large head start,” Alcander said. “Lomay will need to take out the guards, free the prisoners, and then get them through the tunnels and far enough away that his magic will not falter when you use the talisman.”

“I know. We just have to hold the throne room for a little while longer.”

“Kiora, those doors are thick—but not impenetrable,” Alcander said.

“I think it could be done,” Lomay said. “That is, if Drustan is willing to help move the prisoners at a faster pace.”

“Of course,” Drustan said.

“How many prisoners do we need to move?” Kiora asked. The Wings responded, slowly scanning the room so they could count.

“One hundred and twenty-three,” Kiora said. “How many can you carry at a time?”

Drustan clicked his tongue. “Lomay will have to bubble us, but I should be able to carry twenty-five at a time in a modified dragon form.”

“That’s impressive,” Lomay said. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. If I keep the body long and thin, we should be able to make it through the tunnels without a problem. And it would be for a relatively short distance—so, yes. I could shift into something smaller and faster to get back for the next trip.”

Kiora could feel the excitement building. This was going to work. “Lomay, you could build an enclosure out of range of the talisman to keep everyone in until Alcander, Emane, and I secure the Light. Then we could take everyone back to the city.”

Lomay nodded thoughtfully. “It should work, barring something unexpected.”

“Isn’t there always something unexpected?” Emane asked.

“Not always, no.”

“Just usually,” Alcander said tightly, his eyes tense and worried, watching his people who still occupied the picture in the Wings.

***

ALCANDER HAD ASKED TO STAY at the Wings in order to refresh his memory of the castle and make sure that nothing had been changed in the years of his absence. The rest of them retired for the night. The first room Kiora went in looked eerily similar to Jasmine’s room and she backed right out and continued down the hall. The room she chose was simple. It had white stone floors and a window with green curtains that hid the earth encasing them. The bed took up most of the room and was so large that she rattled around in it as she tossed and turned.

She was in and out of sleep, nervous about what the next day would bring. Her eyes felt like they were full of sand when she awoke again to the sound of lilting laughter carrying down the hall. Sliding out of bed, she followed the laughs and giggles back to the Wings.

Alcander sat in one of the chairs, watching.

Three beautiful little Tavean princesses danced and teased a young Alcander. The youngest girl would dart forward and try to weave flowers in his hair while the oldest would magically pin his arms to his sides despite his laughing protests. Every time young Alcander would free himself of his eldest sister’s magic and push the other sister back, the girls would collapse into fits of giggles while he raked the flowers from his hair. A third sister grinned and then knocked his feet out from under him. Alcander leaned up on his elbows, glaring at the middle sister. He was so young; he must have only been seven years old. He hadn’t grown into his harsh angles yet. The girls erupted into giggles again, taking off into the palace with Alcander hot on their heels.

“Is this your family?” Kiora whispered from behind his chair.

“Yes.”

“Your sisters are beautiful.”

He held his hand out to her. “They were.”

Kiora put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her onto his lap and wrap his arms around her waist. He leaned his head on her shoulder.

Tearing through the halls of the castle, the children suddenly froze, as if by magic. Kiora felt Alcander smile on her shoulder.

“Children!” a voice rang out as a Tavean woman stepped out through a door. She was tall and willowy, with bright blue eyes that sparkled like gems and hair that was completely white and hung past her waist. It flew back as she stormed into the hall. “Your father is working. How many times must I ask you to keep your running outside?”

The eyes of the children shifted to their mother, but no one spoke.

“Well, what have you to say for yourselves?” Her eyes met Alcander’s sorry expression. She released them from the magical hold she had on them and all the children muttered their apologies.