Page 43 of Phixmery

It doesn’t take long before soft and obnoxious snores fill the forest, joining the symphony of crickets and nocturnal wildlife. The night stretches on as the two females whisper to each other instead of keeping watch. Stupid. If this was a real mission, I would have them reprimanded and sent to the front lines for a week. There’s a reason we have nightly watches and to gossip isn’t it. I’ll need to pass along this information to Major General Rune when we give our final report of their trial. If they live. Mind you, they’re about a day out from Phixmery, but it only takes a moment for everything to go belly up and you’re singing with the Sirens.

Cresida rises to her feet, but it’s far too soon to be relieved of their duty—they usually switch out in about another hour. She’s light on her feet as she makes her way over to where the tiny female is sleeping, looking for something. And when she doesn’t find what she’s looking for, she begins searching the treeline.

I hold incredibly still as her eyes cross where I’m hiding, only to blow out a small breath as she continues past me on her search. What could have her so intently looking for something? But when she finds what she’s been on the hunt for she summons her water, using the flask at her waist.

“Hurry up,” Evera hisses. “I want this done before anyone wakes up.”

The blonde scoffs. “We gave her some of those sleeping berries, she’s not waking up before we finish this,” she whispers. “She won’t be waking up at all.”

Finishes what? My stomach bottoms out as she creates a bubble of water, and sends it flying into the trees. A slight caw escapes before she pulls a water-bound black raven down from the trees. It struggles, flapping aimlessly as it fights for breath.

Cadet Solaces Familiar.

I’m at war with myself. I’m not supposed to intervene, but attacking your own squad, especially a familiar, must warrant some type of interference.

Cadet Yearwood snaps up and starts screaming. “What in the fates are you doing?” She attacks the blonde, sending her sprawling as her Vopn Fö magick kicks into gear and she pummels her.

Her magick calls to mine, egging me on to do something to protect the bird, to protect Solace, but I fight it. Females are weak, and I’m not wasting my breath to save her, I tell myself, over and over again. Although a part of me is begging Solace to get up and do something.

The noise stirs the other cadets awake and two of them are trying to wake Cadet Solace. When she finally wakens, she looks out of it as she tries to take in whats going on. The small bird writhes on the ground, and she finally notices.

“Nero! What have you done to him?!” She bellows as she stumbles towards her familiar.

Evera stands, lighting a fire in her hand. “Showing you that trying to steal another female’s mate has consequences. And if killing it takes you out too, then all the better.”

I’m moving before I even realize it: my feet hit the ground just as it rumbles around me. Solace’s hands are on the ground and suddenly the earth wraps around the water Elemi’s and Evera’s bodies, stopping them from causing any more harm.

Quickly, I duck behind a tree, hoping none of them noticed me. Fucking fates, what was I thinking?

“Nero? Nero?” Her soft voice cracks, leaving my heart feeling like it’s in my throat.

Why the fuck am I acting like a fates-damned bleeding heart? This is what she deserves if she can’t care for her familiar. But as my mind settles, I realize what I just witnessed. Cadet Solace has been hiding an element… earth. No wonder we’ve been losing her in the cavern. She’s not getting any help; it’s all been her.

“Oh Nero, you’re okay.” She pauses. “Yes, just rest here. I’m going to deal with the Banshees.”

I don’t stay to see what happens. I need to wake Hemmings and then go find Talyn. He’s going to want to know about this as soon as possible. Maybe Jesper was right. Maybe she is a spy from our true enemies.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL them.

How dare they try to harm Nero. He’s an innocent creature and my best friend. I hold his wet, shivering body close to my chest as whatever they managed to drug me with fights to leave my body. Thankfully I didn’t eat much of my dinner—it was tasting off, and I couldn’t stomach the taste. I thought it was just from exhaustion and not eating as much lately, but clearly I was wrong.

“You make them pay, Rav. I’m fine, I just need to catch my breath and dry off so I can fly in the morning.”

I manage to hold back a sniffle at how close I came to losing him, how close we both came to dying. If it wasn’t for the twins forcing me to wake up, who knows what would have happened.

Ember is now being held back by Rozen who is staring at the two females with unfiltered rage, while the rest of our two squads are awake and sitting up where they passed out, staring at the chaos that’s unfolding in front of them in shock.

I rise to my feet and move towards Ember, knowing she needs something to calm her from her magick rage. I’ve known her the longest out of everyone in my squad and I trust her with my life—even if she can’t know all my secrets.

“Can you hold him and keep him safe while I deal with them?” I ask her, nodding to Nero’s wet form in my hands.

She blinks, glancing down at me, before her gaze softens, taking him gently from me.

Spinning, I turn to face the two I have trapped in the earth from their necks down, and try not to wince as I realize what I did. I showed an element that wasn’t fire. At least it was an element and not something else. This I can explain.

Pushing away those matters for future me, I stride towards Cresida, slapping her across the face, seething at her. “How dare you attack me when I haven’t done a damn thing to you. To either of you. I don’t want your mate. I just want to survive this fates-damn place. I should kill you for what you’ve done here tonight!”

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