Page 235 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

Eldrin makes a noise in the back of his throat. “Don’t you have to touch the magic to break it?” I don’t reply, but he takes one look at my face and snarls, trying to fight his way through the small carriage doors to grab hold of me. “No, no way.”

Heart in my throat, I jump back a few steps so I’m out of his reach, all of their reaches, the tingle of the magical barrier pressing against my back in warning. I’m about to cross the line, possibly in more ways than one. Glancing over my shoulder, I notice most of the mist has cleared from the courtyard now and Rhydian is starting to straighten. We’re out of time.

“I will join you as soon as I can,” I say in a rush, seeing the prince’s approaching figure as he starts sluggishly strolling towards us. The magic seems to have slowed him at least.

“And how are you going to do that?” Eldrin fires back. We all know that once the spell is broken, I’ll likely collapse. The likelihood that I’ll be able to catch up with mages on horseback and carriages is…unlikely.

“You’ll find me.” I look at my mates, smiling, even though I want to cry. “We have a connection. You’ll find me,” I assure them in a hurried whisper. “I love you.” I step backward, gasping as the magical shield is suddenly removed. I feel exposed, vulnerable.

“Clarissa!” My name is called by many, but I block it out, focusing on the predator in front of me. I’m vaguely aware of movement behind me, I just hope they’re getting ready to escape once the barrier is down.

Tilting his head and smiling at me with that disturbing, toothy smile once more, Rhydian takes another step closer. “That was foolish,” he goads, but I don’t rise to his taunts, simply backing away. For every step he takes towards me, I step back, trying to make my way to the barrier without alerting him to what I’m doing. If he knows what I’m planning, he’ll try to stop me.

It works, until I glance behind me to judge the distance to the barrier.

“Oh, I see,” he snarls. “Clever little slave. Think you can break Death’s magic, do you?” Anger seems to consume him, but something he said sticks with me.

Death’s magic?His phrasing is confusing. Is he using death magic? That’s not what it sounded like though, he made it seem like he was using magicfromdeath. But that can’t be possible. I don’t have time to contemplate as he raises his hands, black shadows appearing to concentrate there.

Mother above, I pray, before turning and running towards the barrier. Shouting fills the courtyard, but I can’t make out any individual words or voices over the din. Something hits my back and sends me flying forward with a yell, smashing me into the ground with a smack. It knocks the air from my lungs, but it’s nothing compared to the pain coursing through my back as the dark magic tries to seize me. My gift begins to work on breaking the spell, but it’s hard going, and spasms make it impossible for me to get up.

Curling onto my side as my back is racked with another wave of pain, I see Rhydian is being distracted by the magicians, who are throwing globes of glowing magic at him. It doesn’t seem tobe doing much, but it gives me a brief respite. Something tugs hard in my chest, and it makes me look up. When I do, I see Tor at the door of the carriage, his eyes carrying more tension than I’ve ever seen, but as soon as I meet his gaze, he smiles and says something. I can’t hear him, only the ringing in my ears as another wave of pain tries to pull me under, but I know what he’s saying.

He loves me.

With a sudden burst of energy, I use my arms and crawl towards the barrier. The movement jars my body and tears at my nails, but I’m not far and I’d go through worse for my family. Nausea increases the closer I get, the feeling of wrongness mounting, but I push past it, slamming my hand onto the wall of dark magic. It instantly shudders, repulsed by my touch as my gift starts to unwrite the spell, and it’s working.

I’m surprised at how easy it seems to be coming down, that Rhydian hadn’t built more of a defence into the spell. I suppose he didn’t expect to be attacked by the mages, but I don’t dwell on it as my energy quickly dwindles. The barrier falls with the sound of shattering glass, but when I remove my hand, its inky tendrils begin to reform, confirming that I will have to stay here until everyone has passed through the gate.

Sprawled across the courtyard, I watch as the mages on horseback gallop through the gate, followed by the carriages, with the final mages trailing behind, blasting Rhydian with their magic to give me a chance to escape. Except I can already feel the edges of my vision fading as unconsciousness tries to claim me, but my exhausted body still attempts to pull away from Rhydian’s advancing form.

A bright light fills my vision as the prince is blasted back, a cloaked figure stepping into view. Kneeling at my side, they scoop me into their arms and step past the castle gates. Weakly, Itry to fight them off, aware of the barrier quickly replacing itself now that my hand has been removed.

“Rest, Clarissa, you’re safe now.”

When I hear his voice, all of my fight leaves me as blissful unconsciousness drags me under. The last thing I hear is Rhydian’s furious roar from the other side of the wall, and Wilson’s steady breathing from where I rest in his arms.

Pain wakes me. Sharp, piercing pain that feels like my back is being shredded. My muscles spasm as I arch, anything to try and ease the agony. I gasp, that’s all I can do, my breath stolen from me with the strength of the convulsion.

“Shh, try to relax your muscles, it will pass,” a familiar voice instructs as something warm is pressed against my spine. The relief is instant, and I feel like I can breathe again, my memories returning.

Slowly, I try to do as I was told and work on relaxing my muscles one by one, sinking into the warmth of the pad behind me. Once more in control of my body, I open my eyes to find I’m lying on some soft matting, facing a plain wall. The gentle sounds of people moving around behind me indicate we’re not alone.

“Wilson,” I whisper, and the person closest to me freezes. Gingerly, for fear of triggering another spasm, I turn on the mat and see my friend kneeling by my side. My eyes instantly fill with tears, but I refuse to let them fall, instead, I smile tentatively up at him. “Hi.”

He seems different. Still Wilson, my friend, but the weathered, harrowed look in his eyes is new. I’ve seen that look before. I still see it sometimes when I gaze in the mirror before I remind myself that I got away, that my life is different now. He appears older too, but I suppose living rough without the comforts of the castle will force you to grow up pretty quickly.

He lets out a large sigh but leans forward and cups my cheek with his hand. “Hey, Clarissa.” His smile is all Wilson, his dimples making me beam all the more. When he pulls his hand away, I scan the modest room we’re currently in. About the size of a simple pantry, it has basic white walls and no windows. The only entrance is the door directly opposite of where I’m currently lying, a hanging cloth the only barrier to separate the room from the rest of the city. There’s a pile of padded mats around the space, suggesting that several people sleep here at night, but it’s quiet and tidy now. Other than Wilson and me, there are two other people in the room, both women who are trying to keep busy, but I notice a few scared looks thrown over at me by the younger of the two. Then I spot the baby at her breast. Blowing out a troubled breath, I look away, realising she’s probably terrified.

I use my arms to push myself up into a sitting position, hating how much effort the simple movement took. I brush my hand over my face, pushing my hair back, and I realise the crown my aunt gave me is missing. My eyes widen for a second. I’m distressed I’ve lost it, not because of what it was, but because of who it was from. Taking a deep breath, I lower my hand, balling it into a fist and resting it in my lap. In the grand scheme of things, a lost crown isn’t something to be upset over. I’m still alive, and from the frantic pulling in my chest, so are my mates, and they’re trying to find me.

“Where are we?” I keep my voice low so as not to startle the two ladies. I shift uncomfortably on the mat, my muscles achingand protesting. “How long have I been out? And how did you get me away from Rhydian?”

“As soon as your hand left the barrier, it reformed, trapping Rhydian behind it,” he replies with a shrug, but his eyes sparkle, and I know he finds it satisfying that the prince was stuck behind his own barrier. “Somewhere safe in the city,” Wilson tells me, watching me with careful eyes as he passes me a chipped cup of water. I accept gratefully, sucking down the cool liquid.

“It’s better you don’t know just in case.” His somber words make me pause, and I meet his eyes over the top of the mug. He means just in case things go wrong and I get caught. Just what has my friend been through while I’ve been gone? As if knowing what I’m thinking, he smiles sadly at me. “You’ve only been out for about an hour, so we can catch up with your friends. One of your elves is wreaking havoc in the slums.”

His reassurance helps me breathe easier. While I can see that it’s still dark outside, I have no way of knowing what time it is or if it’s even the same day. I do wince slightly at the mention of an elf causing chaos in the slums, knowing exactly who that would be—Eldrin. Without a goddess bond, he will be using his own method of trying to find me, and he’s not exactly patient. This has to be killing him. At least my mates with a connection can feel I’m alive and will have a general idea of where I am. I need to get back to them.

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