“Down the road a bit from the garden—which is guarded by the prince’s soldiers now.”
Where the Aetheric practitioner had worked before. And we found Tommen in the abandoned house not far from there.
“Do you have a map of that area?” I asked, and rolls of parchment were checked until the correct map was found. It was spread on the table, its edges curled and flaking from use.
“The garden is here,” I said, and pointed. I traced a finger along the route we’d taken to the house. “This is where we found Tommen and chased the assassin through the woods. It will be near here.”
“Still a big area,” Yue said.
“Once we get there, I’m pretty sure we’ll find it. There will be Aetheric.”
“We?” Red asked.
“I’m going, too. We fight magic with magic.” And I hoped to the gods I could figure out a way to do that.
I rode with Yue, and wasn’t surprised by the bloom of Aether over the hills near Tommen’s house. I signaled everyone to a stop before we reached it. I dismounted and told Red what I’d seen.
“There may be assassins in the woods,” I added. “He was watching with an archer last time.”
Red nodded. “Yue, take your people through the woods, make a circle around the house.” Her group dismounted and tied up the horses. “Pax, take your people farther down the road. He’s working this area, so maybe he’s got a house. If we miss him here, we can grab him there.”
They nodded and moved silently away.
Red looked at me, hands on his hips and brow furrowed. “What do you need from us?”
“Don’t worry about me—just save the prince.”
We all had our roles to play.
We walked in silence, me in front and Red and the others behind. The fight was already underway outside the house, where Galen and the others were engaged in a heated battle against human assassins. Swords clanged, blood spattered the ground.
Where in Oblivion was Nik?
I felt no pinch, and none of these assassins appeared to be possessed; maybe the practitioner was exhausted like the rest of us.
“Stop!” I called out. They didn’t, but the practitioner stepped out of the house and walked slowly through the fighting around him. Two human assassins walked behind him, the prince between them, each of them holding an arm. His eyes were open, but there was a bruise on his cheekbone.
The ember ignited and burned suddenly white-hot. I was too furious to feel the accompanying pain.
“Let him go,” I said, teeth bared.
“I heard you were living in the palace,” the practitioner said. “Now you’ve shown up to save a Lys’Careth. I suppose you’ve made your choice.”
“My choice is peace. My choice is not killing civilians because you’re hungry for power. Let him go. You know you can’t win.”
“Of course I can. With a little help. Give me your magic, and I’ll let him live.”
I heard Red shift behind me, but he stayed quiet.
“You want to bring down the wrath of the Emperor Eternal upon you before you even have an army? Not a good strategy.”
“If I have your magic, it won’t matter.”
“You vastly overestimate my skills. You’re still alive, after all. And even if you were able to take whatever magic I have, why do you think you could use it? You can’t steal magic from me.” That one was a guess, but it sounded logical.
“Let’s see,” he said, and before I could brace myself, he threw out his arm and let Aether flow toward us, tinged with sickly green. I’d baited him, keeping his attention away from his assassins and the prince. And now I’d pay the price for that strategy.
It was opaque as a cloud, thick as water, and sparkling with energy. I closed my eyes and let the wave hit me. The ember became a flame, and my heart was battered with pain. The remains of the seal, trying to protect me from what my parents had believed would hurt me, had become my greatest weakness.
