Cast A Spell (Mages and Mates #4)

17. Otto

Otto

T he small tent felt stuffy. Owen and Lysandor sat at the back with their heads down. They were alert and frightened.

Anger boiled inside, threatening to cloud my mind. I wanted Jalen and his herd trussed up like Owen and hauled before the Mage Council to be condemned. I wanted to personally drag them through the streets, my magic squeezing them so tight it was painful. They needed to pay for this affront, and I was going to be the being to exact retribution.

I put my hand in my pocket and ran my fingertips over the smooth surface of my stone. It steadied me, and I felt the dark influence wash away.

Percy put a hand on my shoulder and raised an eyebrow. He’d told us about the control over Jalen and his herd, but deep inside, I questioned how much of it was their own innate nature coming through.

Having experienced it firsthand, I had more sympathy for them. Even Jalen.

“Neither of you speak,” I said to Owen and Lysandor. Their heads shot up; hope filled their eyes. I put a finger to my lips to reinforce my admonishment. “No questions, just do what you’re told.”

My gaze locked with Owen’s and my anger flared anew. I was supposed to protect him, and I failed. Jalen and his herd had subjected him to this trauma and there was nothing I could do to heal that wound.

“He’s safe now,” Percy said. Even his mental voice sounded tired.

The strain of keeping Jalen under control and fending off the dark power were taxing him to his limit. My loss of focus was causing unnecessary delays.

I clung to his words. Owen and Lysandor were safe. We hadn’t failed them this time. Nothing would stop me from getting them home.

Jalen lurched over to the boys like he was being pulled by a rope. His hand trembled and jerked up and down as it slowly moved toward the bonds holding our brothers. The moment his hand touched the restraints, they fell away.

Pulling their arms around their bodies, they rubbed their wrists as they stood. I held up a hand to keep them from rushing me. “Let me deal with the guards first.”

A darkness pressed against me, trying to find a foothold. It whispered words I didn’t understand, but their intentions were foul and evil. The voice wanted retribution and to inflict pain on Owen’s oppressors.

I clutched my stone tightly, and the edges dug into my palm. Using the dull pain as an anchor, I pushed away the fear and hatred and directed my will into the gem. Behind me the guards went limp and dropped to the ground.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the purple spinel and tossed it softly to Owen. “You’re going to need that.” I spared a half-second to smile, and then turned to Lysandor. “Do you have the strength to carry Owen?”

“We’re ready for this fight,” Owen said.

His aura matched the tone of his words. I needed to stay calm because I was going to need to keep Owen under control. “Lysandor, get out of your clothes and shift once we exit the tent.” I pulled a small cloth bag from inside my shirt and held it out for my brother. “Owen, gather his clothes and get ready to run.”

“Oh, hell no!” He exchanged a look with Lysandor. “I swore if I got my stone back, I’d make them pay.”

Percy drew a deep breath. We didn’t have time for an argument. “Not here,” I said. “Only a fool fights a battle on his enemy’s field. Trust that we’ll give them back for what they did, but it will be on our terms.”

Owen wavered for a moment, and then gave me a nod. He and Lysandor glanced at each other before Lysandor quickly undressed. Jalen continued to struggle against Percy’s hold. His eyes were more focused.

“Can you hold on for another minute?” I asked Percy.

“Perhaps,” Percy whispered. “The darkness responds to our feelings. Jalen’s hatred makes him powerful.”

At the edges of Percy’s thoughts, Gio hovered, providing strength and support. Even Jalen’s anger would find it hard to crack that rock. “Once Lysandor and Owen are ready, lead them out of camp. Thal and I will make sure we aren’t followed.”

“Don’t give in to the darkness.” He grabbed my upper arm. “You will lose yourself, and it will never relinquish such a powerful servant.”

He’d describe something alive and capable of thought. Before we left Percy’s village, I’d have laughed at the notion. Now, his warning was understandable.

“There will be no killing by my hand, but we won’t be pursued.”

Owen stuffed Lysandor’s clothes into the bag, and I nodded for Percy to leave. He led Jalen and Lysandor out, but I stopped my brother. “Percy and Gio are going to be too tired to run and fight. You’ll have to protect them. They’re the Southern Guardians. I don’t need to tell you what will happen if they die.”

“What about you? And if you tell me you’re going to sacrifice yourself to save us, you’d better have a better plan.”

Despite the situation, I smiled at the pit bull attitude of my baby brother. “There’ll be no sacrifices made here today. Thal and I have a plan to slow Jalen’s herd and give us all time to get away. And no pressure, but the world is depending on you to keep them safe.”

He finally smiled and I knew we were going to make it. “Thanks for that, jerk-face. You’d better be telling the truth. If I find out you’re planning something stupid, Lysandor and I are coming back to help you.”

I wanted to laugh at his comment, but I didn’t. He made it from a good place. “Then I’m sure you won’t have to turn around.”

Owen pulled me into a tight hug. It was fierce and yet needy. I wrapped my arms around him and my emotional dam burst. The full force of the fear and self-admonishment rushed through the gap. I’d used the need to save Owen to hold back much of my angst, but holding him allowed me to release those feelings.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, Otto,” Owen sobbed against my shoulder. “I thought you were trying to control us. Thank . . . Thank you for coming back for us. We were so scared.”

The evil that permeated the land tried again to corrupt me. It tried to twist me using Owen’s suffering. I pushed back, angry at the persistent attempts to draw me into its embrace. My efforts couldn’t budge the presence. Worse, the darkest parts of my soul agitated for release.

Holding my brother, I realized what Percy had tried to tell me. Evil fed on negative emotions. If I gave in, I’d fall into a spiral that would make me even more dangerous than Jalen. I was the prize it truly craved. Or someone like me. A unicorn could only do so much damage. An alpha level mage, however, was capable of so much more.

I squeezed Owen tighter. Clasping the love between us, I used it like a flame to beat back the dark.

“What?”

Pushing back, I smiled at Owen. “Whatever has its grip on Jalen is trying to use my anger to convert me to its cause. It can’t reach me because I have you to remind me of all the good in the world. C’mon. We need to go before Percy loses his hold on Jalen.”

I steered him toward the opening before he could question me. It was time to leave this place and figure out our next move. Having seen what this darkness could do to beings, I felt an acute need to snuff it out as soon as possible.

A weary-looking Percy had his hand on Gio’s back. He stood next to Jalen, who was still quivering. It wouldn’t be long before Jalen freed himself and we’d have the entire herd chasing us.

Touching Thal for support, I opened myself fully. His touch was soft, comforting, and welcoming. We locked eyes and I felt so much love. For the first time I truly believed we were going to succeed.

I helped Percy mount and glanced at Owen. Determination steeled his boyish face as his stone glowed. He nodded, and I had a moment of regret at the burden I’d set at his feet.

“There was no other choice,” Thal said. “But he and Lysandor are more than capable of guarding them. Your plan will ensure their success.”

My self-doubt fled in the face of Thal’s words. Another attempt to corrupt me thwarted by the heart. “Agreed.”

I used a bit of magic to hop onto Thal’s back. Motioning for Gio and Lysandor to go, I released the magic I’d readied for this moment.

Linked with me, Thal didn’t need words to know when and how to move. He followed the others but was slow enough to let the distance between us grow.

Owen twisted and sought my eyes. Seeing him safely on his way, I gave him a genuine smile. There was still a lot left to do, but getting him and Lysandor back in one piece gave us the room to make a real plan.

Sparing a last glance at Jalen, I kept a hold on my magic. “Percy. You can release him,” I sent ahead. “We’re ready for them.”

The answer I received was more relief than words. A second later a shout rang through the camp. Thal increased his speed, and I covered the ground with my spell.

At the top of the gully, I added the second part of the enchantment. The two unicorns closest to us jerked to a halt, their legs buried in thick, sticky mud.

“Will it hold them?” Thal asked.

I kept my attention on the magic, pushing it out and around the camp. “It doesn’t need to hold them, just delay them for a few minutes. But judging from how hindered they are on the flat ground, I’d say they won’t be getting out today.”

“Hopefully we won’t encounter too many of his unicorns between here and the village.”

Even if Jalen had the presence of mind to call others outside the camp, I was confident Owen and I could hold them off. “I think any unicorn foolish enough to stand between us and home will wish they’d made a different choice.”

I felt Thal talk to his brother but didn’t ask for details. If I needed to know, he’d tell me. They deserved some private time, much as Owen and I had shared. We were at least an hour from the wards around the village, so a more meaningful reunion would need to wait.

A rumble shook the ground, and my magic was under assault. “Ride!”

“What is it?” Thal asked.

I studied the threads of my spell and pushed more energy to support them. “Whatever is out there is trying to undo the obstacles I created.”

“How is that possible?”

The simple answer was it shouldn’t be possible. Only another mage should be able to counter my magic in this way. “Percy?”

“Keep it intact as long as possible,” he said. “We only need a few more minutes to be out of their reach.”

He hadn’t answered my question, but it was good advice.

Instead of fighting to preserve the entire area, I retracted my magic and concentrated it on the side closest to us. Even if they figured out they could escape on the other side, I had enough control over the space between us to make their trip slow and hard.

Beneath me, Thal pushed himself to catch up with Gio and Lysandor. He’d taken my warning to heart, as had the others.

“Keep some distance between us,” I told Thal. “If they run into trouble, having us arrive from behind will give us an advantage.”

“What about Jalen’s unicorns?”

I had the same question, but checking on them could be risky. Whatever was assailing my defenses was still a mystery. I didn’t know its capabilities, and I didn’t want to find out the hard way.

Instead, I pointed my stone down and let out a burst of red power. The ruby energy shot left and right leaving a thin, almost invisible thread in its wake.

“If any of them make it this far, that will alert me.” I didn’t know how far it would go in each direction, but I’d given it enough magic for it to extend a dozen miles or more on either side.

The idea came to me to add an offensive element to the detection spell, but I rejected it as unnecessary. If whatever was controlling Jalen’s herd wanted me, indiscriminately killing unicorns would only make me more susceptible to its advances.

Instead, I used the energy to extend my field of muck. Even if my magic was defeated, the ground would need to completely dry out before it would be firm enough to gallop over. A skilled mage, devoting their attention to clearing a path, would require several minutes to open a lane big enough for just one unicorn.

Five more minutes and I felt confident the only obstacles lay ahead of us.

The rescue mission had been a complete success, but I struggled to get excited. When we left the village, I thought Jalen was our enemy. Now, I realized it was something much worse. Before we could destroy it, we needed to know what exactly “it” was.