AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We caught wind of some monster attacks, away from Cruor.” Iov gently blew over his coffee before taking a quick gulp. “Just something we overheard while getting drinks at Midnight Jester last night. Could just be travelers telling stories, but…”
I sipped my coffee slowly. “What was the nature of the attacks? Were the Kitska beasts provoked?”
“It didn’t sound like it,” Emelia said, hedging her words. She shifted from one foot to the next, her gaze momentarily flitting to where Boo slept nestled against the porch. He hadn’t moved since Gaige stitched him up, but his consistent, soft snores were reassuring enough.
“And the travelers weren’t exactly in the best shape when they stumbled into Midnight Jester,” Astrid said. She met my stare with a level of boldness and resilience I’d grown to respect. New as she was to her lifestyle as an undead assassin, there wasn’t much that fazed her, and I valued her straightforward manner.
Iov drained the last of his coffee. “Lots of serious wounds. Honestly, I’m surprised they even made it to the tavern in one piece.”
The coffee turned to ash against my tongue, and I set my drink on the railing of the deck. Gaige had managed to subdue a number of the undead beasts, like Boo, but there were still countless creatures living in the Kitska Forest. “What direction did they come from?”
“South of here, along the path to Moeras. We’re not sure wherethe attack happened, but we assumed you’d want to know.” Emelia’s gaze softened as she once again looked to the training grounds. I followed her stare, and the already building tension between my shoulder blades ratcheted higher, forming an endless knot I didn’t have the dexterity to loosen. Gaige had called forth a handful of shadows, and they hovered above his palm, quivering with frenetic energy. But before he could mold them into anything tangible, the tendrils caved in on themselves and slithered through his fingertips to the grass. They fled to the forest, and he bit back a curse.
I watched as they dispersed into the dark wood, and a sickening realization formed: if Gaige was inadvertently releasing his magic into his surroundings, as he’d done during his nightmare, then there was no telling who—or in this case, what—he was affecting. He was riling the Kitska beasts with his irrepressible power, and if we didn’t find a way to contain his abilities quickly, there would inevitably be more casualties.
My stomach plummeted to the ground. I didn’t want that to be the truth. I was afraid of what something like that would do to Gaige. That he might actually ask me to fulfill my oath to end his life. I couldn’t… My fingers trembled as my vision blurred.
Emelia cleared her through. “Kost?”
Her voice did nothing to slow the chaotic spiraling of my thoughts. Training wasn’t helping. Everyone progressed differently, but even those slow to grasp the shadows should’ve been able to at least contain their powers by now. But Gaige… He was an emotional outburst away from bringing Kitska beasts right back to our doorstep.
Or, apparently, to someone else’s.
I took a deep, shuttering breath, and Felicks’s key shifted against my sternum. I’d never wanted to predict the future more than in that moment.
“Kost.” Softer this time. Emelia placed her hand on my forearm, and that touch grounded me. Reminded me that I had a duty, as guild master, to protect the assassins of Cruor. I needed them safe as much as I needed Gaige in control. Even if I didn’t want to believe that he was responsible for… I could hardly bring myself to think it. But I had to. Ihadto. Regardless of how I felt about him, I couldn’t fall prey to willful denial, not if I wanted to keep those I cared for out of harm’s reach.
“You’re positive they were not regular beasts?” It was a mad hope, one that I knew wouldn’t last. But I had to ask. Normal beasts rarely—if ever—attacked people unprompted. In the decades I’d lived on Lendria, I could count on one hand the number of beasts I witnessed before meeting Leena. Still, if there was a chance they were acting out over their monstrous counterparts, then maybe Gaige’s shadows had nothing to do with. Maybe he wasn’t luring them here and riling them with his uncontained power. Maybe…
“The descriptions the travelers gave seemed…” Emelia faltered.
Her inability to find words was answer enough, but Astrid didn’t hold back. “Horrific. The stuff of nightmares.”
“Understood. Thank you for informing me. I’ll handle it,” I said. Straightening, I hid away all my emotions. My brethren needed to believe that I would protect them no matter the cost. And I would.
But I would also protect Gaige. Even if he resisted. Even if he was unwilling to face the truth.
“I need to speak with Calem, Ozias, and Gaige,” I said.
“Of course.” Emelia dipped her chin quickly and turned on her heels, Iov and Astrid in her wake. As I descended the steps onto the lawns, Gaige once again summoned and failed to control a ball of shadows, and he tossed his hands to the sky in defeat.
“That’s okay. No one starts off perfect,” Ozias said, clapping a thick hand against Gaige’s back.
“Unless you’re me,” Calem said with a grin. “I was born perfect.”
Ozias rolled his eyes. “Don’t let him fool you.”
“Not likely,” Gaige muttered.
“Maybe you need to try a defensive tactic,” Calem said as he rubbed his thumb along his jaw. “Most of us start with blades because they’re smaller and require less finesse. But a shield is just a whole mess of shadows grouped together.”
Ozias raised a brow as he grinned. “When did you become the teacher? It’s not a bad idea, though.”
“Told you, I’m perfect.” He grinned and then angled his right arm over his chest. With no more than a thought, shadows rushed to his frame and coated his forearm in a shield just wider than his limb and long enough to hide his fingers. “Try this.”
Ozias stepped away from Gaige and nodded. “Go ahead.”
I slowed my pace, eyes locked on Gaige’s form. He mimicked Calem’s stance and summoned shadows to his fingers. They slithered across his knuckles and gathered in his palm before coating his forearm. It was more like a vambrance than a shield, but it was the first time I’d seen him summon anything other than a writhing ball of tendrils. I froze, too afraid that any movement would break his concentration. His shadows trembled likes muscles pushed beyond the point of exhaustion, and Gaige frowned at the flimsy creation. All at once they collapsed, and he groaned.
