“Hold on, Ailpein,” Hro said. “We’ll free you before he can release your life force.”
The column of energy pulsed, and I felt rather than heard the laughter echoing through the cavern. A dozen wizards stepped through side doors, their dark stones shining in the dim light. Instead of denying us our prize, they fanned out behind Grandfather. Missing from their number was Blackstone.
“Thank you all for coming as we’d hoped,” a man I recognized as Thomas Reid said. He had the regal tone of a British aristocrat. “For a time we feared you’d figured us out. But you came and brought Bartholomew with you. So very kind of you.”
My heart hammered in my chest. They wanted us here, and we obliged. I looked at my grandfather, his eyes pleading with me to go. I replayed his last words and understood. We’d been duped.
“Blackstone never needed Grandfather,” I said. “It was a ruse to get us down here.”
Chapter Seventeen
Roderick:
The pieces fell into place. Ithadbeen too easy. We thought ourselves clever, but Blackstone had expertly maneuvered us into position like chess pieces.
“Clever little birdie,” Reid said, his aristocratic accent making the derogatory name more grating. “And James said you weren’t very bright.”
Bart moved closer to me, but I held him back. We didn’t need to rush further into his trap. “Says the sacrificial pawn sent to die in his place.”
“Die?” Reid’s laugh bounced off the walls. “Centuries of planning, and you think we missed this? Bartholomew was always the prize. Keep you busy while James finishes the real work.”
There was a hint of truth in his words, but like everything else, it was deception. He didn’t build this place for Bart. My brother hadn’t been born when they began this plan. Ailpeinhadbeen the real plan, but he proved too difficult. “Translation,Blackstone overestimated his power and couldn’t break the King. How loyal of you to volunteer to be cannon fodder.”
“You know nothing!” Reid’s façade cracked. “The Ward falls today. All of you will die with it.”
“Spoken like a being who realizes too late he’s the true fool,” Hro said, his sword glinted as he adjusted his grip.
Ailpein slumped against the bars of his cage, his amber eyes locked with mine.“Leave me! Save the Ward.”
Part of me wanted to do just that for all the pain he’d caused me and Cinaed, but we still needed him to free us before we could create a new Ward. “Not an option.” I kept my attention on Reid. “We don’t leave family behind.”
“Touching,” Reid’s mocking tone reanimated his smile. “But too late. The Ward will be down before you lovebirds can complete your bond.”
Assessing our position, I recalculated our strength. I’d chosen our group to slip in and free Ailpein, not engage in a protracted mage fight. Thank the Earth Darius planned for this possibility. It was time for us to pivot.“Uncles–cover us. Bart, with me! Cael, Malachy, and Cinaed, free the king!”
“Yes,”Cael said.“We’ll need to deactivate the runes or we can’t reach him.”
“We’ve got this,”Cinaed said.“Go wipe the smug off their faces.”
The battle exploded with a blinding flash of pink magic. The first collision of spells sent a concussive wave through the cavern, dust and small stones raining down from above. Eldwin’s attack staggered half of Reid’s fellow mages. One crumpled, probably dead, and another dropped to his knee, leaving a smear of blood on the rough stone floor. I blasted him before he could recover.”
Reid’s stunned expression lasted half a second before Bart pressed our advantage. The confidence in their numbers hadbeen a mistake. These fools might not have known the mate bond amplified a mage’s power, but Blackstone did. Realization flashed across Reid’s face. He had been sent on a suicide mission.
To my right, Cael knelt at the edge of the glyphs. The air near the cage felt wrong. It was thicker, more resistant. Cinaed and Malachy flanked Cael while the guards shielded the trio with their bodies. The air turned icy around them, their breath forming visible puffs.
Blue light seeped into the rock like water, creating rivers of energy that flowed toward the nearest runes. Where his magic touched the dark symbols, they trembled and cracked, releasing wisps of foul smoke. Cinaed and Malachy channeled their phoenix fire into Cael’s shoulders, their golden energy merging with his blue in a display that cast emerald shadows across the walls.
On my left, Hro unsheathed a blade that drank in the ambient light. Ancient sigils etched into the metal glowed gold, each symbol pulsing with its own rhythm. When he slashed, perfect golden replicas of the marks detached from the sword and spun through the air like deadly throwing stars. These shattered against the mage’s shield with enough force to make her stagger backward. Eldwin ended her life with a burst from his stone.
The cavern was awash in magical chaos. Dark energies clashed with our bright magic. Showers of arcane sparks rained onto the rune-covered floor.
Bart’s tourmaline flared as he cast a spell that appeared to miss Reid completely. The man’s smirk of relief froze as Bart twisted his hand, and the purple energy that had sailed past Reid transformed into a dense barrier that sealed the exit like stained glass.
“Can’t let the sacrificial mages run away like scared rabbits,” Bart said.
Before Reid could recover, I hit him hard enough to rattle his shield. Several blows hit my shields as the others rushed to defend their leader. Bart and Eldwin made them pay for ignoring the two most dangerous mages in the cavern.
Eldwin’s pink diamond cast ancient spells forgotten by most. His fingers traced symbols in the air that burned with inner light before launching toward his targets. Where they struck, enemies erupted in pink flames that consumed them from within, leaving only ash. Beside him, Hro’s enchanted blade hummed with golden energy, cutting into magical shields like they were soft clay.
