Page 5 of Mistake of Magic
Kora nods. “That is your rank,” she says, her voice a mix of command and patience, like she’s given this explanation countless times before. “As newly chosen initiates, you will be marked with three runes upon pledging your oath to the Elders Council. The runes symbolize the trials you must pass before you may leave Citadel grounds. As we,” she gestures brusquely to the females flanking her, “have yet to complete our third trial, we are called ‘third trials.’ We are one trial away from being a recognized warrior quint, trusted to operate independently. Now, dismount.”
“Who—” Tye starts to say, but River holds up a hand.
“Dismount,” River says, his quiet voice more powerful than Kora’s louder command. A flash of light has Shade shifting into his fae form, while I follow the others’ example and slide to the ground. I can do it myself now, especially off Sprite, but it doesn’t look nearly as smooth as the males’ movements. River bows to Kora. “You were sent to meet us, I gather?”
Kora nods curtly. “We were told to expect a new quint—one with a female and four males.” She frowns, her confident gaze growing wary as it brushes over us. River—tall, confident, hands clasped politely behind his back. Coal—arms crossed, glaring. Shade—stepping between me and the guards. Tye—silver earring glinting jauntily, green eyes moving from one female’s chest to another. And me—human. In short, the males fit the description of wide-eyed initiates about as well as I fit one of an immortal warrior.
Kora clears her throat, her sword point dropping to the ground, coiled muscles relaxing slightly. “I apologize. I’d assumed you were the expected group before inquiring. If you might—”
“I imagine you have exactly the quint you were sent to meet,” River says dryly. “And I look forward to meeting whoever sent you, just as soon as we enter the Citadel.”
The points of Kora’s ears turn a deep red as she sheathes her weapon. She opens her mouth then closes it again without speaking, as if none of the words that came to mind quite fit the situation. “You aren’t first trials.”
“No,” River says gently. “Not for about three hundred years now. You were set up. I’m River.”
Kora’s eyes widen. “River, the prince of—”
“He has a large enough head without you reminding him of it, lass,” Tye says, his hands in his pockets as he steps up casually beside me. “More importantly, I’m Tye, that is Coal, and you’ve already had the pleasure of meeting our puppy, Shade.”
“Your quint is—”
“The second most powerful in Lunos, yes, we know,” Tye says easily, shooting her a wink and wincing only slightly when Coal elbows him.
Kora bows, pulling her pride together with visible effort. Her eyes slide to mine. “And...?”
“And that is Leralynn, whom neither you nor anyone else at the Citadel will go near.” Shade’s low voice is laced with venom, draining the blood from Kora’s face and raising it in mine. Holding his ground between me and Kora, Shade is poised on the balls of his feet, his upper lip pulled back to show elongated canines. His shoulders, always wide, seem to have expanded further still to broaden his chest.
“Stand down, Shade,” River orders softly, without so much as turning his head toward the male, before climbing back onto his stallion and bidding Kora to lead the way to the Citadel grounds.
I wait as Kora’s quint falls in step beside River, and then I fall back to block Shade’s path, my pulse pounding. “What the bloody hell was that?” I demand. “That is Leralynn and you will not go near her?”
Shade’s jaw tightens. “That quint pointed weapons at you,” he says finally, not meeting my eyes. “The fact that they walked away with their throats intact is a miracle in itself.”
“One, that was rude.” I poke my finger hard into Shade’s chest, though my smaller frame dampens the effect. “And two, you don’t have a say in who I choose to interact with.”
Shade stands still, a thousand thoughts I can’t read racing through his yellow eyes. No apology comes. No objection either. Just a flash of light before his wolf trots back into the forest.
4
Coal
Coal schooled his face to stone as they approached the mountaintop plateau, the dark clouds rushing overhead a mirror of his own thoughts. From here, all they could see was the immense marble wall encircling the Citadel, the pinnacle of the Elders Council’s tower peeking out just above the white stone. Coal hated this place. The games and rules. The questions, most sent his way in silent, curious stares.What was Mors like? Were you truly a slave? What did they make you do?That last one, his own dreams answered for him too often. He didn’t need to be reminded of it while awake as well.
A shiver rushed across Coal’s skin, as it always did when walls and restraints loomed over him. An echo of another wall, cold and gray. Czar danced beneath him, the black stallion’s ears lying flat as images raked through his rider’s memories.A jagged stone floor, sloped toward a drain in the corner. Tight manacles, rough with rust. Streaks of blood left behind by broken-off fingernails. The thick stench of pain.
Lera’s gasp yanked him back so fiercely that the world swam for an instant. She was staring at him when it refocused, her chocolate eyes wide against her blanched skin, an acrid tang of fear washing off her.
As if she’d seen into his thoughts. His memories.
Coal’s chest tightened, taking his breath. No, of course she hadn’t. That was impossible.
Putting a hand on Czar’s neck to quiet the stallion, Coal checked his voice before addressing the girl. Just being near her made him ache, and when she turned all her attention on him—like she was doing now—his heart had a habit of bolting like a high-strung colt. “Is something wrong, mortal?”
Lera blinked at him, the color slowly seeping back into her face, though her gaze remained too keen on his. “No.” She shook herself. “No, it was... nothing.”
“Good,” Coal said tersely. Space. He needed space and fresh air that wasn’t spiked with Lera’s scent. “You should move downwind from Czar. Your mare—”
“Yes, River said as much.” She put one hand on her hip. “Are you four going to go crazy when I bleed too?”
