“Which is why I said reduce,” Ryan said. “Think about it, Sam. She thinks she has the upper hand here, right? But she doesn’t know that we’ll be using her as a smoke screen.”
“At the sake of my reputation.”
He looked frustrated. “I know you—”
“Can we focus here?” Letnia said, blowing smoke toward me. “There are more immediate issues than Sam’s ego. I don’t care about that. What I care about is why there’s a threat upon Meridian City.” Her one eye narrowed as she glared at Morgan and Randall. “And how you knew to be here.”
I didn’t think that was as important as my self-esteem right at the moment, but I decided to take the high road. “You know what? I’d like to know that too. I mean, when Myrin came for me—”
“Myrin,” Mama said sharply. I looked over at her. Her face had paled, her nails digging into the wood of the desk. She turned slowly to look at Randall, eyes blazing. “You never said this had anything to do with Myrin.”
I blinked. “You know who that is? How do you know that? Why didn’t I know that you knew that?” I frowned. “Is it possible I don’t know as much as I think I do?”
“Something I’ve been saying for years,” Justin muttered.
Mama ignored the both of us, eyes only on Randall. “Care to explain?” she said coldly.
“You saw him?” Randall asked me. He looked far older than I’d ever seen him. “You physically saw him? It wasn’t just another vision?”
“He… came for me. In Mashallaha. After the desert dragon.”
Randall closed his eyes and took in a shuddering breath. “So he’s here. He’s finally here. Returned from the shadow realm.” He opened his eyes to look at Mama, Feng, and Letnia. “He has returned to Verania. There is a prophecy. Spoken by the star dragon. That a darkness would rise and that a counterpart would follow in opposition.” He jerked his head toward me. “Meet the counterpart.”
Feng, Letnia, and Mama all turned to look at me, eyes narrowed.
“Heeeyyy,” I said, suddenly very uncomfortable. I waved awkwardly at what were undoubtedly three of the most powerful people in Verania. “Fun, right? I know I’m having fun.”
Feng shifted, eyes darting around the room. He seemed to focus on oddly specific things, a book on a side table, a vase, the ceiling fan. I didn’t know him well enough to say what he could possibly be doing, but it struck me as strange.
“But how is that possible?” Mama asked Randall.
“Um, because the star dragon said so?” I retorted. “And also, excuse you. I’ll have you know that it’s very possible that there could be a prophecy about me.”
She rolled her perfectly made-up eyes. “I wasn’t talking about that, precious. And I am well aware of your worth. Now shut up and let me speak.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” Randall said. “Because it shouldn’t have been possible.”
The room took on a heavier feel due to Randall’s tone—one I’d never heard before. I’d known Randall to be sad and to be angry. Exasperated or bemused, usually directed toward me. And there were times, though few and far between, that I’d seen him happy. It always seemed to be around Morgan, and that made sense. They’d known each other for centuries. They’d been through so much together. I knew Randall loved Morgan, even if I’d never heard him say as much.
But this?
This was different.
There was more power emanating from him than I’d ever felt. The few people who didn’t know who Randall was upon first sight were quick to dismiss him as a haggard, decrepit old man. But those few people quickly changed their tune the moment his name was uttered, looking upon him with a healthy dose of awe and fear. There had never been one like Randall before. I doubted there would ever be one like him again. He was the wizard, and regardless of what people thought about me, regardless of what Morgan and Randall thought I could become, he was still the most powerful magic user in the known world. He had centuries on me, and since I didn’t plan on living that long, I doubted I would ever be on his level.
Still didn’t mean I wouldn’t give him shit. He was an asshole. I was a dick. It was pretty much my job to fuck with him.
But I wouldn’t do it right now, because the hairs were standing up on the back of my neck, and I felt magic drawing around us. And even though only Morgan and myself could feel it, the others knew something had shifted. Randall was standing a little taller, his shoulders squared. Sure, he was wearing magenta robes and an orange hat that clashed horribly and made it feel like my eyes were being assaulted by a man named Primary Colors, and yes, his beard was scraggly because it looked as if all the hairs had migrated to his ears and/or eyebrows, but holy fuck. If they could feel even only a fraction of what I could, then they would know shit was about to hit the fan.
And I had no idea why.
But it seemed three others in the room did, if the looks on their faces meant anything.
Mama.
Feng.
Letnia.
“I went to the seal,” Randall said. “In the Dark Woods. I thought it safeguarded, but—no matter. It’d been broken, and deliberately so. But not so much split down the middle as having a little piece chipped off. Enough to allow a shadow to leak through, if it was strong enough. And it was done in such a way that it would have been hidden from me.”
“Surely you don’t think—” Letnia started as she placed her cigar in an ashtray on Mama’s desk, the smoke curling up, the embers burning bright.
“Your families were chosen,” Randall interrupted, “because of their strength and power. Because of how deep their blood ran through the veins of Verania. Your great-great-grandparents were tasked with guarding the keys to the seal. They were split because no one person should have ever had the power to break it open. It was locked for a reason.”
“What the hell is going on?” Ryan whispered to me.
I shook my head, because once again, I wasn’t sure. Yet another thing that had been kept from me. I glanced at Morgan, but his eyes were trained on Randall, like he was analyzing every word. But I knew my mentor almost better than anyone. Something was happening, and he was preparing himself. I felt the colors of his magic rolling through mine, the green and gold mixing with the red and violet hues that always seemed to be around him.
“Surely you don’t think that one of us would betray you, do you?” Mama asked, eyes wide. “Randall, we would never—”
“Someone did,” Randall said sharply. “And now Sam has paid the price for that mistake.”
“Um,” I said. “I’m totally okay to be left out of this argument. Whatever this is.”