I created a stun globe, thinking that whoever was about to fight us was probably forced by Conemar. They could have families, and I was tired of death.
Four Esteril guards, all men of various sizes, came around the corner. I threw my stun globe at one, and he dropped to the floor. Arik wrapped his fire whip around another guard’s wrist and the man dropped his drawn sword. Before I could ignite another battle globe, the tallest guard swung his sword, hitting my breastplate, which stopped the blade. I spun away from him and pulled my sword out of its sheath.
Royston made to go after the guard, and I yelled, “Stay back! You can’t die. Remember? And be careful with that box.”
He pushed out a heavy sigh. “I was a great warrior in my time.”
“Good to know,” I said, keeping my eyes on the guard. “Now sit back and relax. Watch the show or something.” So I wasn’t as good as Demos with the quips.
Arik’s sword connected with the other guard’s, and the man stumbled back.
The guard in front of me hesitated, studying my face. “Gianna Bianchi,” he said like a statement with a thick accent.
“Yes?” I wasn’t sure where this was going.
He dropped his sword and yelled something to the other guard, who stepped back from Arik and lowered his weapon.
“We are with you,” the man said in choppy English. “We do not want Conemar as a leader. End him. End the Tetrad. Go in peace.”
The men walked off down the corridor.
“Well, that was unexpected.” I returned my sword to its sheath. And then, a thought hit me. I ran after the men. “Hey, wait.”
The guard who could speak English turned. “Yes. What is it?”
“A wizard,” I said, hope sounding behind my words. “He would have been a prisoner. Bastien Renard.”
“He was here.”
My spirits lifted. He was here. Alive.
“Where is he now?”
The man studied my face again. “Conemar. He took him. Earlier, with the Tetrad and his army.”
“Where were they going?” Arik asked.
“That is all I know,” the man said.
I wanted to cry; whether with relief or with fear, I didn’t know. He was alive but still with Conemar. He could be hurt. The thought of what Conemar was doing to him, and the image of the torture chamber with all the bloodstains, made my stomach lurch and my hands shake.
Though blood was already on my hands, I never wanted to kill anyone. Life was too precious to take. But if I had the opportunity, I wouldn’t hesitate cutting Conemar down. It scared me that I wanted to watch the life leave his body. For all the Mystiks and humans he had harmed or murdered, I would witness that for their revenge.
Arik put a hand on my back. “We must keep moving. It’s the only way to save him and our worlds.”
He was right. I couldn’t give up. Giving up was losing.
Not bothering to be quiet, we darted through the passageway, our boots thudding against the floor. The strange bird squawked at us as we passed it. Royston leaned over the box, most likely worried the bird would snatch Sen and his sister up for food. For not wanting to be a nursemaid, he sure was gentle with the box.
We were met with grave faces as we entered the barn.
“What’s the matter?” I searched their eyes.
Edgar rubbed the back of his neck. “We missed Conemar by an hour. He was on his way to Barmhilde with his army and the Tetrad. We sent a message through the window rod to warn The Red. Rebels from Tearmann, Veilig, and Santara are rushing to Barmhilde’s aid.”
The sound of his voice was grave and dark, like the wasteland surrounding us. We couldn’t catch a break.
“Wait,” I said. “How are they getting there? They think there isn’t a gateway book in Chetham’s Library. It burned up after they took Bastien.”
In what had to be Russian, Edgar asked the three Esterilians tied to the poles barely holding up the barn. The woman answered him.
“She says they took the Talpar tunnels.”
Demos hopped off a gate he was sitting on. “That could take hours to move that many through the tunnels. And the Tetrad might be too big for them.”
Edgar asked the woman another question, and she wrung her hands while answering. “The Tetrad can use their powers to widen them as they go.”
“Then we run,” Arik said. “We can get there faster through the gateway.”
The Red was right—we should have burrowed in and waited for the attack. This mission was a complete waste of time. How many would die because of our mistake?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When we reached Chetham’s Library, I sent the tracer for Aetnae. Our band of rebels followed Edgar to the coven while Arik and Royston waited for Aetnae with me.
Royston sat the box on a display case.
It didn’t take Aetnae long to show up. “What is going on here?” she asked.
“Come see,” I said, showing her the box. “I’ll let Sen explain things to you. Can you get them safely to the Fey realm? And stay there. Conemar is coming with the Tetrad to attack Barmhilde.”
“I will.” Her voice sounded solemn.
My boots felt heavy as I headed down the aisle after Arik and Royston.
“And Gia?” Aetnae stopped me.
I turned. “Yes?”
“Be careful.”
“You, too.”
Arik straddled the entry into the haven, waiting for me. I stepped through the open panel and joined Royston.
The Barmhilde village looked like a ghost town. Doors closed and windows shuttered, not a single living person or creature crowded the usually busy streets. Coming to a rescue in the Mystik world would prove difficult. Having so many jump through the gateway books would take forever.
We met Edgar and the others on the outskirts of the camp.
Cadby circled the sky before landing. He took up his guard at Royston’s side. “The Red and his army are at the entrance to the Talpar tunnel,” he said, a little out of breath.
…
Lei stood on a rock to look at everyone. “All right. Our objective is to protect Gia and Royston so they can destroy the Tetrad. They are center. Demos, Edgar, and Arik will take forward. Jaran and I will each take a side. Divvy up Couve’s Sentinels and guards to aid you. Deidre, Emily, and Philip, you’re in the rear. Get ready for battle. Arik is lead.”
Arik’s eyes snapped in her direction and a grin pushed dimples into his cheek. Lei was a great leader. She knew Arik had more training than she had. Leading came naturally to him.
She hopped off the rock, waved her hand over her head for us to get information, and charged in the direction of the battle. We reached the top of the hill that looked down on the field. To the left, cliffs dropped to the lake below. The Red’s army surrounded the boulder covering the Talpar tunnel. Arik stopped our group.
I held my side and panted, welcoming the rest.
“What is The Red thinking?” Edgar shouted to Arik. “If the Tetrad is blowing through the tunnels, it’ll hit those men closest to the entry. We must get them back to a safer distance.”
Lei studied the field. “All right. Go put them in a better formation.”
“Gladly,” Edgar said and jogged down the hill.
Jaran came to my side. “How are you holding up?”