Smoke Rising: Book III

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Eli's magic, my magic, and Nicholi's own magic; it's too much for the King. It must be. What else would cause him to be so distracted he doesn't even know Theo is here. Didn't know Mateo snuck away a few weeks ago to rescue Ana.

Something is wrong, and the solution to his problem is going to walk right up to him. But I'm not handing myself over. I refuse to do that ever again. With the people I care about safe in Shadow Valley, he has no power over me. No one is left for him to use against me... except Mateo.

I think about it all the way to the helicopter that is parked on the edge of a cliff a few miles from the river. And I continue thinking about it as we fly across the sky, the machine much louder than the planes I've ever ridden. It lands a few dozen miles away on a landing strip in the middle of a desert. Way up in the mountains, it's easy to forget that this part of the world doesn't get very cold in the winter. And when I step out of the helicopter, its warm enough for me to take my sweater off. But I keep the blue and black hoodie on and I tell myself it's because it will be colder in the plane. But really it's because it smells like its owner, like fresh soap and lavender.

Along the cracked and worn asphalt, a small plane sits idle. A broken down building lies just on the otherside of the road, and I realize that this is not a landing strip, it's just a normal road in the middle of nowhere. A good place for them to land and hide undetected.

"Where did you get the helicopter?" I ask Theo as we walk towards the plane.

"We stole it from a base a few miles from here. We'll turn the tracking device back on once we leave and they'll probably come get it."

"And you just did that... no problem?"

Theo smiles at me. "They are only humans dear."

"But they have tech--binding potion guns and armor that can protect them from magic."

"It's a small base. I suppose the Chancellor has kept all the good technology for himself until he can produce more... We've been trying to track down the main location for development, see if we can put a stop to it, but we haven't had much luck. Where ever it is, they are hiding it in cloaking potions or spells."

Mass production of magical weaponry that can be used by humans. All they need is the blood of Caster to activate it. This doesn't sound good for all the Casters in prison... or the ones that joined the military. Ross, Lola, Azula, Jahzara, Asabi and all the rest. Are they being used as human blood bags for the Chancellors tech?

We are in the air by midnight, lifting above the clouds and taking off towards Europe. But my mind is still on the ground, across the country, with the dozens of Casters who joined the Guard to protect the people they love or earn their freedom. I doubt the Chancellor will be honoring those contracts like Eli would have.

At some point, I fall asleep. I dream of shadows and smoke, blood and magic, and a future of nothing but destruction and death. I'm relieved when I'm shaken awake by gentle hands. "Emery, wake up," Theo says. "We're here."

A yawn forces itself as I stretch my arms and my eyes drift outside the window. What I see shocks me awake.

There are Casters gathered all along the field, watching. Waiting for me to step from the plane. And they are not friendly faces. Theo opens the door with a wave of his hand, stepping down first. He gives me his hand to help me down, and I jump. My feet land in the long grass.

Straightening my back, I begin to walk. It's a strange sensation, the wind on my skin. The sun soaking into my pores.

I'm breathing in cold air and sunshine, but I can taste freedom on my tongue. Casters have gathered and parted ways to watch the human ascend towards the Castle. But none dare lay a finger on the King's daughter.

At least, that's what I believe until a stone is flying towards my head. I dodge it effortlessly, ducking under it as Theo crushes it with his fist, eyes narrowed. Murmurs spread over the crowd, and they grow louder and louder, sharp words about the half-blood princess who gave all her magic away. The human princess.

The stone was not meant to kill me, it was to test me, and now they're enraged by the fact that I'm walking free up to their King's home, without chains binding my wrists and the weight of slavery on my shoulders.

Mateo appears in the gateway. He puts a hand out, silencing the magical beings out for blood. They blame me for the death of many in the Caster bowl. In a way, it was my fault. If I had never been there, Eli wouldn't have been either.

I reach the gates surrounding the estate, and Mateo smiles. "It's good to see you Princess," he pulls me into a hug, and I wrap my arms around his back and pat him gently.

"Are you ever you going to stop calling me that?"

He laughs, ignoring my question. "It's good you're here. You need to help him."

"Nicholi?" I ask, but he's no longer listening. His hand grabs mine as he pulls me through the gate. Theo, the pilots, and the earth Caster girl follow close behind. Guards shut the gates behind them, the sound of angry Casters beginning to rise again.

Mateo leads me into the side entrance of the castle, pulls me through the kitchen swarming with servants. Through the dining rooms, the ball room, the corridor, all the way to the throne room. He finally stops when we reach the oversized wooden doors. "He's been like this for a few days."

"Mateo, what's going on?"

He shakes his head, his eyes frantic with worry. "The King has not been himself. That's all I can say."

I look at him cautiously as I slowly reach for the door.

"Knock first—"

I push open the door and I find the throne room in pieces. The dark curtains have been knocked from the window, some hanging from the wall on one side and others fallen off completely. Books are scattered across the floor, pages ripped from the bindings and torn to pieces. Chairs have been flipped over. Tables lay on their sides. Lights from the chandeliers above have been knocked to the ground, and glass lies in patches all over the room. Black scorch marks paint the white and golden walls, dancing along the floor near the throne, and Nicholi stands crouched over a small table, his back to me.

"What do you want?!" He shouts, his voice thundering with anger and insanity.

I step closer, glass cracking underneath my shoe. "I've come for my magic."

He twists around, traces of anger still lingering in his expression.

"Emery," my name is a relieved whisper on his lips. "You... you're not here." He shakes his head, his face full of pain. "She's not really here." He slams his hand against the table behind him, and it explodes in flames. "Get out of my head!" He screams, throwing a wave of fire towards me.