In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

64. Leo

64

Leo

I leapt to the wall as Rose vanished from sight, Lark close on my heels.

“Horace! Get over here, now!” she shouted at our friend, who had successfully lured the beast far enough away for us to make our escape. But I could tell his illusions weren’t going to last much longer. The half lion, half bear was agitated, its ears pinned back to its head as it stalked toward Horace, apparently done with his tricks. Saliva dripped from its sharp, dagger-like teeth, and a low growl resounded in its chest.

“Go, Lark,” I said quickly. “Find Rose. I’ll get Horace.”

“Are you sure?”

“ Go . Make sure she’s safe.”

She gave me a skeptical look, then sighed. “Fine. Be careful. I don’t want to have to answer to your sister if I bring your body back in pieces.”

“Better you than me,” I replied as she gathered the skirts of her black gown and stepped through the portal.

I turned my attention back to Horace. “Alright, we’ve established you’re the bravest of us, now come on!” I yelled, angelica leaves already poised on my fingertips. Placing the sweet plant on my tongue, I focused on the beast’s swishing tail and murmured, “ Incendar .”

It instantly caught fire, distracting it long enough for Horace to sprint toward me. The creature gnashed its teeth and lashed its tail back and forth to put out the flames.

“Through the wall,” I commanded as Horace neared. He barely gave me a second look before bursting headfirst into the rocky barrier, his body fading into thin air as the others had.

The beast let out an ear splitting roar and pounded across the cave. My last glimpse of it before I barreled through the portal was its furious eyes, spittle dripping from its maw, and a large paw lunging at the wall.

Blinding pain shot through my back.

The world went dark as I fell into nothingness.

It was like stepping beneath a freezing waterfall. Ice skittered across my skin, so intense it took my breath away, before the pit of darkness opened and I was spat onto soft grass.

“Leo!” Rose shrieked as my face landed on the ground. The coolness of the grass beneath me counteracted the burning coming from my back. I tried to rise to my knees but crumpled, my muscles giving way to throbbing ache.

“It got you,” Rose said, gasping.

“I just…need a minute.” I groaned, then flexed my arms and lifted my chest off the ground high enough for me to check my surroundings. “Where are we?”

“Above the tunnels on a small island near one of Mysthelm’s coasts,” Lark said.

“You mean that wasn’t the end of the trial?” I rasped out. We were gathered in the middle of a large clearing with the night’s sky above us. I could make out a forest to the right, but it was too dark to see beyond it.

“Not nearly,” Lark answered.

“We’ll worry about that later. I need to heal his back,” Rose said. I turned my neck as she fell to her knees by my side, wincing when her delicate hands reached across my back. Even the barest of touches set my skin on fire. I couldn’t see the damage, but I knew the beast’s claws had sunk in deep.

“I have to move your shirt so I can clean it,” she said. I nodded stiffly, sucking in a breath and clenching my jaw as her fingers grabbed pieces of shredded fabric and carefully pulled them away. Each movement sent pain slicing down every nerve. I let out a rough exhale when she peeled one strip away that had gotten embedded in the gash, and she stopped.

“Keep going,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m fine.”

“It’s almost clear.” Another piece grazed the open wound. “This isn’t how I imagined getting you naked for the first time.”

A pained laugh escaped me. A moment later, her hands stopped moving. “It’s done. Fates, that’s…” She trailed off, but the horror in her tone left little room to question the state of my injury.

“Won’t you heal on your own?” Lark asked.

“Not quickly enough,” I said, craning my neck to look at them and ignoring the pulsing heat of warm liquid oozing down my side. “I have—some herbs,” I forced out. “In my pocket.” Bending my arm, I tried to prop myself up on one elbow and reach down for my pouch of charms, but Rose placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

“You know I can heal you quicker without those,” she said, too quiet for the others to hear. Her green eyes were troubled, a small crease in her brow showing how worried she was for me.

“It’s not worth the risk. Use what I have. It’ll be enough to allow me to walk, at least.”

Fire lit in her gaze, the urge to argue brimming to her surface. But I wouldn’t let her win this one. Using blood magic to save herself was one thing, but this? I wouldn’t be the reason she or anyone else paid a price.

She held my stare, a challenge hanging in the air and pulling taut between us. That burning, throbbing pain in the center of my back mixed with her heat. Her stubbornness drove me wild, making me want to grab her and haul her beneath me until she relented .

Finally, she nodded. She moved her hand from my shoulder and down to the pocket of my pants, feeling for the healing herbs. I sucked in a breath as she pulled the pouch out.

“Tell us about the rest of the trial, Lark,” I grounded out, needing a distraction from both the wound and having Rose so close to me as she guided her hands across my back, using a combination of charms to slowly work on mending the skin.

I couldn’t see Lark or Horace from my position, but I heard the former’s footsteps fall against the grass as she moved into my line of sight. She collected her full skirt and twisted it into a knot between her legs so it was fashioned more like pants, then planted herself on a boulder.

“We’re on a remote island to the east of Mysthelm. Emperor Gayl’s spies discovered it over a decade ago when they got lost on a reconnaissance mission, and he felt it was a perfect spot for a future trial. We’ve been working ever since we were elected as architects to prepare it. Since magic doesn’t work outside of our empire, it took years to figure out how to set up the proper enchantments. Much of which was the emperor’s doing, seeing as his Alchemy is one of the only one’s strong enough to pull off a feat like this.”

“So the tunnels weren’t the end of it? There’s more?” Horace asked, crossing his arms.

She nodded. “The trial has four main stages.”

“ Four ?” Rose gaped.

“Yes, each one based on an element of nature. The objective is for the challengers to use their courage to face unknown foes and obstacles, all devised by the very nature surrounding them. The tunnels were the earth portion of the trial. Somewhere on the island”—she brandished a hand behind her—“they will face fire, water, and air.” Pressing her lips together, she amended, “ We will face them.”

“You must know where these parts of the trial are, then,” Horace said. “We go hunt them down, beat them, and get home.”

“I will have some advantage,” she conceded, shifting her feet. “ Knowing what charms and traps were used will help us. But the island is alive . The emperor enchanted it to work of its own accord, catching the challengers unaware and throwing them into a new part of the trial when they least expect it. Even I don’t know when or where we’ll face each portion. The test is of constant vigilance, of courage when you don’t know what’s coming.”

“Have I mentioned how much I hate this tournament?” Rose mumbled before placing several stems on her tongue and uttering a string of healing spells. The pain slowly lessened to a dull ache, and I was able to push off the ground into a sitting position for her to continue working.

“We need to find shelter and provisions,” Lark said as she stood. “There’s no time limit on this trial—it could take hours or days. But we don’t want to be left out in the open in the middle of the night.”

“How do you feel?” Rose asked me. “Do you think you can walk?”

The skin at my back was already beginning to stitch itself together, partially due to her magic, but I could also sense my Shifter half taking over. While it didn’t respond as quickly as a full Shifter’s magic would, I was grateful for the increased ability to heal.

“It’s better,” I said, taking the hand she offered me and rising to my feet, breathing through the twinge at my back. “Thank you.”

I opened up my Shifter half to speed the healing process along, and the familiar sensation of heightened senses slammed into me. Darkness faded as I focused on the vivid colors of the nearby forest, the rustling of leaves on the wind, and the heat coming from Rose at my side.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into all of this,” she said as Horace and Lark launched into a discussion on where to move next. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why are all of you here? Unless it’s some power move on Gayl’s part. But Lark said your blood is needed to transport you here.” Shaking her head, she bit her lip. “I don’t understand how he could have gotten your blood. You’ve stayed hidden, you haven’t had any interaction with him or the Guard…” She trailed off and let out a tired sigh.

“We’ll figure it out, sweetheart.” I brushed back a lock of her hair. “But it’s not your fault. You don’t need to?—”

A breeze cut through the clearing, carrying with it a scent that made me jerk my head mid-sentence toward the forest.

I sucked in a breath, my hand frozen at Rose’s temple. “ No. ”

And then I was running. Ignoring the pain from the still healing gash, blocking out the surprised cries of my companions, I tore across the field and into the dense trees. Instinct took over, my Shifter speed allowing me to race past fallen branches and overgrown roots.

Her scent practically blinded me.

I paused, nostrils flaring as I whipped my head to the side toward a small oak tree. A clump of reddish orange fur was twisted in the leaves at the base of the trunk.

A growl ripped through my throat as I followed the scent, growing stronger with each step I took. Drops of blood trailed the forest floor like a beacon leading me to her. A storm raged inside of me, primal anger and dread mingling together and battering against my skin, begging to be unleashed.

If she was hurt…

A soft whine reached my ears.

I moved through the thicket like lightning, zeroing in on the sound.

Wedged beside an overturned log was a bundle of branches, red fur visible beneath the leaves and twigs. I threw them all aside and nearly fell to my knees at the sight of her.

Rissa.

Still in her fox form, blood seeped from a tear in her leg. She had tucked herself into a tight ball and was carefully licking at the wound, her yellow eyes trained on me.

In the blink of an eye, she shifted. Her body expanded as she staggered out of the hole. Leaves and dirt were tangled in her blonde hair, which was pulled back with a strap of leather. Her face was pale, eyes bloodshot and tired. She wore tight-fitting, dark clothing, as if she’d been transported in the middle of a patrolling shift. Her pants were torn at the left thigh and I saw punctured skin beneath. A dagger wound. It must have happened recently, if her healing abilities hadn’t yet taken effect.

“Leo, where are?—”

“What happened to?—”

We talked over one another as I reached down to help her stand, my back nearly giving out under the movement.

“This is the third trial,” I answered, supporting her while she got her bearings. My legs trembled, but I ignored it. “Gayl’s up to something. He gave a speech at the ball and announced that the trial was starting now, instead of in a couple days as was the original plan. The palace disappeared and we were transported here. The challengers, Lark, Horace…we’re all here.”

My sister’s surprise quickly gave way to her analytical nature. I could practically see the theories and strategies running through her mind.

“He must know about Lark and Horace. We’ve been fools to think we could stay hidden while under his nose for this long. If he can wipe all four of us out in one fell swoop, he knows the Sentinels would descend into chaos. Unravel from the inside. We’ve got to make our move?—”

I stood in front of her, placing my hands on her shoulders. “Rissa, we need to go back to the others and focus on getting out of here. We can’t do anything for the Sentinels if we’re trapped in this trial.” I put her arm around my shoulder to help her walk, relieved to see the cut at her leg starting to clot. “What happened to you?”

She let out a huff, blowing a tendril of hair back from her face. “It was that Illusionist challenger. I woke up in a tunnel and didn’t know what was going on. There were these animals…” She shivered, her arm going rigid across my neck. “I found him running away from something and decided to follow him. He was the first person I’d seen. He didn’t know I was there until we got to the bi g cave and this huge thing came out of the tunnels. Emperor’s tits, it was the biggest?—”

“Trust me, I’m aware,” I cut her off with an unamused laugh. Stopping, I pivoted so she could see the evidence. “We became well acquainted.”

She inhaled. “He got you good, didn’t he? Are you alright?”

“I should be asking you that question,” I said, raising an eye at her leg. “I take it the beast wasn’t what stabbed you?”

“No, that pleasure went to the Illusionist.”

“Another reason for me to kill him.” This prick’s ledger was getting as long as Gayl’s himself.

“We made it past the lion thing and somehow the Illusionist figured out how to escape. I followed him through the wall and he was waiting for me on the other side with a dagger—how he got it, I’ll never know. He stabbed me in the leg before I could shift and get away, but I eventually lost him. I’d only been hiding in the woods for a few minutes before you found me.”

She was already steadier on her feet, hardly needing my assistance as we neared the others. I snuck a peek at her leg to find the area now a bright pink instead of red and bloody. Stiffness had set into my back, a consequence of my venture through the forest, but the burning sensation had all but disappeared.

“I’m glad you got away. Callum is dangerous—I don’t think he would hesitate to kill any one of us, if only to gain an edge in the tournament.”

“You said this was the third trial. How in the world did we get here, Leo? Did Gayl catch you at the ball? I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to let you go.”

“What good would that have done, since you weren’t there and you ended up in the same predicament?” I pointed out. “Lark said the only way we could be transported here is if Gayl had our blood. My guess is there are samples somewhere in the palace records, and he’s been biding his time to use them until now.” I clenched my jaw, thinking of all the terrible things someone with his power could do with our blood. One could have total control of another if they were willing to use dark magic such as his. The simple compulsion spell Rose used on me after the first trial that lasted only a few seconds was child's play compared to what Gayl was capable of.

“We’ll get answers when we’re back in Veridia City,” I continued, pushing away a vine in our path. “For now, we need to survive the night.”