Page 1 of Enemy Tyes
Prologue
Owalin
Stepping out of the Gloom into what Owalin liked to call his war room, the male stretched his spine and inhaled the hot, slightly moist air. As well as the war room had been decorated, with its thick carpets and gilded porcelain jugs of the best wines, it was still a cave inside a mountain. Instead of windows and towering views, there were earwigs and smoky torchlight. And that had gotten old years ago.
It would change soon, though. To be precise, in nine days. Taking a seat at the head of the polished table, Owalin regarded his gathered lieutenants, forcing himself to nod courteously even to the dimwitted human lord at the table’s end.
“Status?” Owalin asked.
“The Prowess Trials begin in six days,” Han said, walking over to where the Academy map was pinned to a wall for the room to see. The shifter was still in his animal form, his blunt human features irritating Owalin irrationally. “Most of the activity will take place in the newly constructed arena, which is conveniently open to aerial entry and should pose little problem in securing. However, the nature of an ongoing event means knowing which monarchs will be viewing the competition when is unpredictable. Fortunately, the Trials will culminate in a victory ceremony, when all the royals will all be present in the arena to present the medals. ”
Owalin nodded. It was almost too convenient for Han’s personal whims that the best time for the assault was to comeafterhis pets’ game, but there was little reason to fight on this point. Han never made it a secret that racing his pets was important to him, and Owalin didn’t believe in taking away privileges when nothing warranting discipline had occurred.
“Master Zake.” Owalin turned to the grizzled lord at the end of the table stuffing his face full of Owalin’s finest provisions. “Have you people in place to secure positions amidst the staff?”
“The servers’ guild that’s been contracted to assist knows where to place its loyalties,” Zake said, wrinkling his nose as if answering questions was beneath him.
“You will personally supervise them, of course?”Owalin didn’t need to add that this would mean playing the role of servant himself.
Zake’s muddy eyes flashed, the beginnings of a sharp protest crossing his pockmarked features, but one look at the hard faces around the table had him bowing his head. “Of course. Though I don’t understand why we are going through the trouble. Just walk your army out of the dark like you did yourself not minutes ago.”
Owalin took a breath, mastering his voice before speaking. “Access to theGloom, Lord Zake, is blocked in the mortal world. The small rip in the protective fabric that allows me to cross the threshold extends not far beyond these caves.”Which, you dimwit, is the whole reason we’ve taken up residence here for decades.
“The moon’s position during Ostera gave us greater reach for a short period, but even that was limited to sections of the forest.” Krum, Owalin’s chief wardsmith and the oldest of the Night Guard, said in a slow, measured voice. The silver-haired male sat twisting a pair of stone spheres around each other in the palm of his hand, appearing for all the world to be absorbed in his game. “We will only use the Gloom passage to release the caged sclices to entertain the squatters outside the Academy walls. When it’s time.”
Krum’s hypnotic voice tickled the air in the room, making even Owalin’s skin crawl. “Fortunately, unlike the infinitesimal tear in the fabric separating the Light and Gloom from the mortal world, the wards shackling our magic are an entirely different beast. One that can be trapped and bled.”
“Will you be ready to bring the wards down on my command?” Owalin asked Krum.
The corner of Krum’s thin mouth rose, his attention still on his spheres. “Would you like a short test?”
“By all means.”
Krum’s smile widened, then froze. “Were you ever able to locate those wild fae, Han?” he asked. “The ones who ran amok of our patrol on the night of Ostera?”
Han’s jaw tightened. “No.”
“Hmm.” Krum shrugged. “Well, I do hope they are not doing anything stupid just now. Brace yourselves.” With that, the balls in Krum’s hand stopped dead.
1
Lera
“Coal!” I grip the male’s elbow, shamelessly steadying myself against him as a sudden wave of energy rushes through my core. The mortal shackles binding my magic violently spring open, the cords of power escaping with such force that it’s all I can do not to ignite the forest around us in raging wildfire.
The starlit sky seems to spin above me, the rich scents of fern and pine and sticky sap exploding inside my mouth. Strength vibrates in my muscles, surges of life pulsing through me with every heartbeat. My fingers still digging into Coal’s rock-hard forearm, I draw in a breath brimming with life—
And all but choke on the next as the phantom shackles choke my magic once more. Bile rises up my throat, everything inside me clawing at the restraint no matter what my better sense tells me. I don’t care what’s right and wrong just now. I care about nothing but the part of me I just glimpsed and lost all over again. Reaching down into the coil of magic inside me, I throw my will blindly against the shackles. Again. And again. And again.
“Easy, mortal.” A strong arm hooks around my back, and Coal brings me in front of him, his beautifully carved features only inches from mine, his metallic scent drowning out the rustling night. Taking my face between his callused hands, the warrior tips back my head, studying me intensely with piercing blue eyes. “I felt it too, the sudden release of magic. But not anymore. Everything is back to normal now.”
Normal.I force air into my tight lungs, the safety of Coal’s grip on my face returning me to my senses. That shouldn’t have happened. As good as the magic feels, it has no place in the human world.Stars,we came here to prevent this very disaster.
“Does this mean we failed?” I whisper. “Are the wards completely down?”
“Not yet.” Coal runs his hands down my arms, then puts his palm into the small of my back and turns us on the path back to the Academy. “Though I imagine it’s safe to say that we aren’t the only ones in the mortal world who want to fiddle with the bloody things.”
Looking down from the ridge where Coal and I ventured to survey the small army of campgrounds growing on what were recently sheep fields, I shake my head at the neat rows of tents. Torches and lanterns flicker in every direction, distant shouts and bursts of laughter echoing up the valley. By now, less than a week out from the Prowess Trials, the whole place has transformed from an isolated sleepy town to the makeshift capital of a new world, the Academy’s flag atop the keep tower flapping like a beating heart.
