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

71. Leo

71

Leo

T he Illusionist leapt over Rose’s fire with his sights set on her, and before I could move she was already charging him with her dagger in hand. In the blink of an eye, Arowyn disappeared. Shadows billowed around me, weaving in and around legs and trees.

A burst of darkness pummeled into my chest and sent me staggering backward. A second later, Alaric Rinehart emerged, his tan, wrinkled face grim.

I knew who he was. The entire empire knew of him, the Shadow Wielder who’d had his victory stolen from beneath him in the last Decemvirate. He looked like a man who had aged twenty years in the last ten, just by the desperation in his eyes. Desperate for there to be another way to win, to redeem himself.

None of them had asked for this.

A second spear of shadows hit my shoulder, making me twist with a grunt to absorb the blow. My fingers buzzed from the magic in my henbane and amaranth rings begging to be let loose. Bringing them together with a clang, I whispered a spell for protection. A translucent shield formed in front of me.

“I don’t want to fight you, Rinehart,” I called out as his shadows swirled around, unable to touch me. “I’m not even supposed to be here.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I don’t want this, either. But what choice do I have?” A barrage of shadows beat against my protection charm. “Look at what they have reduced me to. Ready to harm a fellow I’ve never met in my life, willing to kill simply because there’s no other option.” I grunted as a sharp, dagger-like shard of darkness pierced through the tip of my enchantment, making it ripple.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. This should never…have happened,” I forced out, digging my heels into the ground to prevent myself from sliding further backward. Fates, he was strong. “What if I told you there was something better on the horizon? Something to hope for?”

He stopped his assault to smile at me sadly. “I would say that’s a wonderful dream, boy, but only for six of us. Whatever you did to end up here, I’m truly sorry, but I intend to be one of those six.”

My heart sank. He was right. If what Callum said was true, three of us wouldn’t be escaping the island.

My sister and Rose had to get out.

Taking a leap of faith, I asked, “Do you see that woman over there?” He followed my gaze to Rissa, who was keeping out of the way of a battle between Lark and Arowyn. Even from this distance, I could see my sister’s shrewd eyes calculating a plan, determining a way to end this before more lives were stolen. “Her name is Clarissa Aris.”

Alaric’s mouth parted, recognition dawning on his features. “The Aris heir,” he muttered. “How is that possible?”

“She’s been forced to hide her entire life because of what Emperor Gayl did to her father. But she doesn’t want to live in the shadows, Rinehart.” I stepped closer to him, and he didn’t attack. “She wants a better future for the empire—one where these dangerous notions of glory and power aren’t the only things that matter. And she’s here now because Emperor Gayl wants her gone. Because he’s threatened by the past she reminds him of and the future she symbolizes.” I took one more step, close enough now to see the wrinkles on his forehead, exacerbated by the anxious thoughts darkening his green eyes.

“This isn’t about me,” I continued. “If I’m left behind, so be it. But help me get her out of here, Shadow Wielder. She doesn’t deserve this any more than you, and the rest of the world deserves her .”

He turned his head slowly to gaze at Rissa. My chest tightened with anticipation, my throat too constricted to swallow. I would give my life, my freedom, a thousand times over if it meant keeping my sister safe. If it meant ensuring she made her rightful claim on this empire. I only hoped my words were enough, and that Alaric Rinehart was as despondent as he seemed.

Inch by inch, he lowered his hands.

A high-pitched scream tore through the gusts of wind. Whirling to see where it came from, I spotted the Strider challenger on her knees. Behind her stood Horace with one of the containers Rose and I had made to hold water.

Arowyn’s pale hair was dripping wet. Water rolled down her cheeks in rivulets, her features screwed in fury.

“He used…he used that water on her. The one that stole our magic,” Alaric said, his shoulders tensing.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Horace, you clever bastard.”

Alaric turned on me, arms raised once again. Shadows crept from his skin. “Are you with him? Is this your plan? To lure us in and take away our magic, then leave us here to die?”

I held my hands up. “I don’t have anything on me, Rinehart. He was just protecting a friend. We’re not trying to hurt you.”

His cheek twitched. “I do want a better future, my dear fellow. I hope to one day say that I am a good man. But this tournament…” He shook his head. “This tournament is not for good men.”

He caught Callum’s eye to my right, and the Illusionist abandoned his fight with Rose. As one, Callum and Alaric both sprinted across the clearing and converged on Horace. Shrouds of shadows enveloped them, so thick I couldn’t see what was happening. I charged after them, but Rose was closer.

Shouting Horace’s name, she ran straight into the web of darkness.