Page 112 of Secrets & Curses of Cerithia

“Sorry, I’m late.” Kace came running up to the group. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his clothes were disheveled.

“Where were you?” Haden asked. “You never came to the house last night?”

“Out.” Kace was a bit annoyed. It was odd to see his bad mood, but maybe he was nervous for today too.

“You know the plan?” Cassius questioned.

“Yes,” Kace sighed and fidgeted with the buttons on his uniform. Haden wouldn’t stop staring at him intensely.

“I’ll move us all to the border,” Cassius said as his hand gripped mine tightly. He leaned in and gave me a chaste kiss before shadows wrapped around us. Once the shadows disappeared, we all stood in the clearing that separated Crimson and Cerithia.

As the guards started getting into place, I began to feel uneasy. My eyes drifted around the woods; it felt as if someone was watching us. Cassius had been talking with Haden when he stopped and glanced around the woods too. His eyes met mine as he started toward me.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” I whispered.

“There’s no animal noises in the woods,” he frowned. “We should head back to the castle. Something is wrong.”

I glanced around at the men and noticed Kace was missing. Haden walked toward us.

“Where is Kace?” I asked, worried he was missing.

“He disappeared into the woods as soon as we arrived.” Haden frowned. “He’s acting strange. Honestly, he’s been odd for the past few months.”

Cassius turned to tell the men we were leaving. “Let’s pull ba-”

A moment later, a loud explosion had everything around me blurring in a frantic mess. I could see Cerithian and Kizar guards coming toward us, and I threw up a shield as quickly as I could, but then everything went dark as I landed on the hard ground.

?????

Confusion spread through me as I woke up from whatever had attacked me. Wisp circled me with black flames. Something was very wrong. My head pounded so fiercely that I almost fell over as I stood on shaky legs. My eyes looked at the massacre in front of me. Men lay dead; trees were toppled over as if something had exploded.

My mind pieced together what had happened before we had been attacked. I glanced around the clearing for Cassius, but I didn’t see his black uniform among the dead guards. Immediately, my eyes focused on our bond, but I couldn’t feel anything through it. Fear took over my every thought. I needed to find him.

“Thea.”

I held my dagger out but lowered it when Haden stood behind me with Kace and Zade. Haden and Zade were covered in dirt and grime from the explosion, but Kace looked untouched.

“You got your barrier up and saved some of us,” Kace answered my unspoken question. “They couldn’t get to you because of it.”

“Have you felt Cassius through the bond?” Haden frowned. “He’s the only one we can’t find.”

“No.” I tried again. “We need to get to Cerithia.”

“It could be a trap.” Zade was the one to question it.

My thoughts swarmed with images of Cassius being taken by my father. “I must make sure he’s alright. I’m going to use magic to get into Cerithia. I’ll meet you back here at the border.”

“That’s not a good idea. You should wait a little bit and see if Cassius shows,” Kace argued.

“We searched for him, but he isn't here.” Haden glared. “Where were you before the explosion? In fact, where have you been sneaking away to, because you are acting strange?” Haden crossed his arms over his chest and stared down Kace.

“Nowhere,” Kace snapped.

Haden looked at him with an odd look, but I didn’t have time to stay and argue.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on using Cassius’ shadow magic. His powers surged around me instantly, taking me away from the field. My body swayed as the shadows left, leaving me in the middle of the throne room in Cerithia. It was empty when I scanned around me. My ears caught no noise either as I headed for the door.

That odd sensation I had felt in the woods was thick in this room. This wasn’t right. Why couldn’t I hear anything in the castle? I hesitated at the wooden door, unsure if I should leave. This could be a trap.

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