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“I was faking it.”
“Faking what?”
“That dance and that energy-taking. There’s nothing here, and their barrier’s good. But they wanted it so badly, so I gave them a show.”
The discomfort from earlier returned as she gaped at him.
“Brian!” More looks were sent their way, mostly disapproval of her, so she toned down her voice. “You lied to them?”
“It’s more of a…white lie,” he finished after carefully choosing his words. “As you said, they needed something to hang on to. Something to drive their worries away. That show did it, and it got them off our backs. Otherwise, I’m not so sure what they would have done to us.”
Comprehension dawned. “You are still recharging.”
She felt his shame, much like hers earlier. “It’s taking a while,” he admitted. “Rusty and all.”
Sympathy rose. “Brian…”
But the warlock waved a hand before she could comfort him. Then he took hers and linked their fingers together, a bold move that had her studying his softening gaze.
“Don’t worry about it. I won’t harm them. And I won’t report their existence to Broom’s Isle. They found a haven here. Besides…you are all that matters. I’m doing this for you, because you are important to me.”
There it was: the indirect admission of what they had shared in the past, blooming back into existence. She waited for the stutter in her heartbeat, the gallop in her pulse—anything to indicate that she shared the same feelings.
“Our savior! Please come to the center again.”
Kin’s booming voice saved her from answering as the man beckoned Brian, who graciously nodded and did as asked. A few elders surrounded him, arms raised to anoint him, their chants growing louder until the sound echoed everywhere. A ring appeared around his feet, forming a platform that raised his form from the ground.
“It’s the last test to see if he truly is our savior,” Kin announced.
Everyone waited for Brian to show off his magic once more—or so she thought. Then the test became clear as day, and Ruby watched in horror as Brian was thrown from the platform straight through the barrier.
Chapter 7
It was chaos—at least, it was for the three of them, as Ruby yelled out Brian’s name and Moon was close to exploding. Maddox went to Moon first, soothing him with a few pats and whispering in his ear.
“Don’t shift here. Fight it. There are children. You don’t want to hurt children.”
The boy’s eyes flew to his, dark gold fighting the yellowish streaks. Moon’s resolve strengthened as he nodded.
“I won’t.”
Maddox nodded back, assured the boy would see through his word. Then he blurred and curled his hand around Kin’s neck before anyone else could react.
“What did you do?”
The man remained calm, glancing at Ruby. “As I told her earlier, there is a final ritual, and he needs to pass it like he passed the rest. If he returns here, then he has succeeded it all and will be exalted as deserved.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She visibly wrestled with calm and claimed it.
“Can we watch him?”
“Go ahead,” Kin granted. “Come back with one of the dead creatures outside. They are the plague of our existence, but also keep other dangers away. The sacrifice of one will be a gift we shall be grateful for.”
Maddox gritted his teeth, but she squeezed his shoulder until his hold loosened. Their eyes met, coming to a quiet understanding until he finally let Kin go. The man stepped back and tilted his head in acknowledgment.
“Go and bear witness. Understand that your anger has no place here when someone as great as your companion is in the throes of victory.”
The three moved away, helping each other climb a tree and using it as access to slip back outside the barrier. At once, the pulse of danger came back to life in his blood when a few of the creatures took notice instantly, as if waiting just for this moment.
