Chapter One
Roderick Hollen:
The wave of wrongness hit me like a physical blow, sending the ancient book in my hands crashing to the floor. The room spun violently as I gripped the edge of the heavy oak table.
Clutching my mage stone to ground my thoughts, I discovered it was the source of my anxiety. No, the assault came from Cinaed, funneled through my gem. It was the medium his emotions had used to reach me.
He was afraid. Very afraid.
I slammed another useless book shut and added it to the towering pile of discards on my table. Four days of research, and I had nothing to show other than eye strain, frustration, and clothes that smelled like musty, old tomes. Of the three, my frustration was the only thing I could control, and I was doing a poor job of managing my emotions.
I’d been warned the chances of finding anything useful were small. The ard ri hadn’t said it would be futile, but as the leading elf scholar on earth magic, he’d told me he’d never seen a reference to magic that could dissolve the spell the phoenix kinghad cast. He’d nevertheless humored my request to search his library. I think he understood my need to do something to keep the despair away.
Ailpein’s spell had been based in earth magic, but it also required an intimate knowledge of phoenix physiology. Remarkably little had been written about phoenix magic in any library I’d contacted. Or not so remarkably. Ailpein had been the king since long before the Great Ward was created. He’d no doubt purged the world’s libraries of anything he’d found.
My hands shook as I focused on Cinaed’s image in my mind and pushed my consciousness out through my stone. Ailpein might have barred us from mating, but his magic wasn’t strong enough to stop me from communicating with my Cinaed. Whispering his name, I waited.
The moment he joined the link, the anguish in my soul eased a fraction. I could see his beautiful face in my thoughts, his copper hair shining in the early Scottish morning. The usual fire in his eyes, however, had dimmed.
“Roderick.”The sadness rolling off him might have broken my heart if it hadn’t shattered already.“What’s wrong?”
Linked through my stone, I couldn’t hide my surprise. “I felt your fear. It connected to my gem. What happened?”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to send those emotions through our link.”
I studied his features, drinking in the sight of him as though he’d been standing next to me. He wasn’t well. Until we could bond, he wouldn’t regain the joyful song that had been in his heart when we met.“Never apologize for seeking me out when you need me,”I said.“It’ll never be a burden.”
“I know, but I hate being weak.”His voice felt like tears on my cheek.“I can’t hide my sadness as well as you.”
The difference between us was he’d lost a part of himself. I hadn’t. Before we’d met, he’d been vibrant and full of joy. Mylife had been empty, and there was a longing for something I couldn’t name.
“You can’t compare us, my love. Our separation has dimmed your fire,”I said.“You were meant to soar, but fate has held you down. It’s not your fault.”
If my death would restore his joy, I’d have given my life decades ago. The loss of his mate, however, would only rob him of the one thing that kept him going.
Hope.
“Roderick,”he said in the soft voice he used when he tried to cheer me up.“You were meant to fly just as high— only you knew it wasn’t a solo flight. I didn’t know I was missing a part of me until I met you.”
We’d had this conversation too many times. He wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t lose the tragic brooding until he and I were one.“What made you so afraid?”
“There’s a feeling of wrongness in the magic around the castle. Like the stones are screaming a warning and I can’t understand what they’re trying to tell me. I don’t know if anyone else feels it, but I can’t keep it out of my soul.”
Something the Western Guardian said pushed its way to the forefront of my thoughts. I dared not hope Darius was right, but it felt too coincidental.“Your grandfather’s spell goes against what the Earth has decided. Even he can’t hold back the full force of the Earth’s magic.”
Cinaed didn’t reply immediately. He was smart enough to grasp the implications.“Is my grandfather in danger?”
I doubted the Earth would try to kill Ailpein, but that didn’t mean he was safe.“If he continues to resist, I don’t think it is good for his health.”
“I don’t think that’s what I felt,”he said.“It was ominous. Cautioning us of an approaching danger.”
Cinaed was more sensitive to the differences in earth magic, but I wondered if he was ignoring the obvious.“Are you sure it’s not connected? Your grandfather’s fate might be quite dire if he doesn’t yield.”
“I agree, but this is different,”Cinaed said with conviction.“There isn’t any anger in the energy. It’s a warning.”
“Are you safe?”I knew he was capable of defending himself—and what could harm a phoenix—but I still worried.
“I’m fine. Just unsettled.”Our connection wavered for a moment before it stabilized.“Father’s calling for me. I have to go.”
