Two hours late.
Perched atop a pine deep in the heart of the Terebrix forest, Sienna Faremin rolled her shoulders, groaning with relief as the bones popped and some of the
stiffness eased.
Three hours she’d been sitting on this branch, waiting for her marks to show up. She’d even arrived an hour early just to be sure she wouldn’t miss them. It was just like creatures of the night to be late to their own damn meeting. Selfish, bloodthirsty bastards.
Reaching into her pack, Sienna removed a package of dried fruit and stuffed part of a pear into her mouth. The sweetness still preserved in the drying process was lost on her as she waited.
Typically, her orders came from the Magick Council made up of a group of Sages. They were humans born with power, who oversaw all magickal issues within the realm. They spent decades being trained for the position, only to hold it until death or
retirement. Their choice.
And the bastards owned her. Until death do them part—or her sentence ran out. She’d bet everything it would be the former.
This time though, it had been the
Non-Magick Council who’d reached out and let her know that this particular meeting was of the utmost importance to the king.
They’d even promised to put in a good word for her in exchange for her discretion.
Dangling her freedom in front of her like a fucking carrot, knowing she’d jump right on it.
Since this meeting was supposed to be taking place between a Werewolf and a Vampire—two
species that tended to despise each other—it was believed they were plotting an attack, and the Non-Magick Council worried an overthrow attempt was imminent.
After the destruction of the Guardian academy six months prior, there was no large army
waiting in the wings to stand up against the creatures. Not that they could’ve done much if the magicks decided to go against the realm.
The Guardian blood made them impervious to Sage battle magick—like hers—and meant they wouldn’t be turned by the bites of bloodsuckers or Wolf men like the two late arrivals to tonight’s rendezvous. They also healed quicker than most and were supposed to be master swordsmen.
But none of that meant they couldn’t die. Everything died, a fact she knew all too well.
Six months of waiting for answers,
and not even the Magick Council, nor the Non-Magick Council, had any idea who ordered the slaughter or anything about her involvement in rescuing the only
two survivors.
No one could know she’d been there.
Sienna clenched her fist as the gruesome images fought their way to the surface of her
mind. No time for that. Not right now when she needed to focus.
Her own agenda had been futile when the first of the screams tore through the silent halls. Then, all she could think about was getting out undetected. The realm still believed it had been a freak accident that caused the academy to burn to the ground and claimed the lives of over a thousand of the realm’s protectors and their family members.
More than a hundred Guardian lines were wiped out that night. Meaning whoever had
orchestrated the entire thing managed to nearly decimate the Guardian force, leaving a gaping hole in the realm’s protection. It would be decades—if not longer—before the lines were rebuilt. That’s if it were even possible. As far as she knew, the only remaining members of the bloodline—other than the two
she’d rescued—were holed up in the center of Cambria, having retreated to the safety of the realm’s capital as soon as word of the so-called accident spread.
Other than the Guardians still on the king’s payroll, there were only three families left.
Truthfully, she couldn’t care less whether they rebuilt or not. Most Guardians were just as much murderers as they were heroes. They despised all magick, would see it wiped from the realm if given the chance, which was ironic seeing as how their
very blood contains magick-resistence which is its own form of power.
Still, she’d seen the carnage firsthand, and it ranked among the highest atrocities she’d witnessed while working for the council. So many dead—men, women, children—and for what? So magick could reclaim the realm?
Even she saw that as a horrible idea. Magick shouldn’t fully govern magick. There had to
be balance. If the king fell, chaos would reign, and the creatures of the night would take over. Sages wouldn’t stand a chance against what waited should the structure crumble. They were just as much targets as those who didn’t belong to her side of the realm.
She shivered at the thought. Bloodthirsty creatures with nothing to keep them at bay. They despised Sage magick, for it was the only thing keeping them from running rampant through the realm. Guardians may not be able to be turned, but they couldn’t keep the Wolves and Vamps at bay without Sage power.
A breeze ruffled the trees, filling her nose with the scent of pine and the coming rain. Sienna closed her eyes for a moment, drinking it in. Being outside was
preferable to her room in Amber Isle. There, it was stuffy, the four walls making it seem as though she had all the freedom in the realm when, in reality, she was nothing but a glorified prisoner.
She might as well still be in chains.
Sienna shook her head. Will not go back there.
Breathing deeply, she stifled a cough when another scent filled her lungs. Vampires typically didn’t smell, but some Werewolves—the most brutal of the packs—carried the stench of their dead with them.
Seems the party had finally
arrived. Peering into the darkness, Sienna could barely make out two figures walking toward her from different sides of the forest. They made nearly no sound, strolling cautiously, and if it weren’t for her elevated senses, she might have believed the occasional crunching of the leaves was nothing but a
stag or other forest animal.
Watching carefully so she didn’t lose sight, she waited until the creatures were in place below a tree three to the south of her.
As soon as they stopped, Sienna jumped from her branch, soft boots hitting the ground soundlessly, and activated a spell that would keep her invisible to them—or rather make them not interested in her presence. They wouldn’t even be able to catch her scent.
If someone chose to look past the cloak though, they would see her standing just beside the tree, listening to everything that was being said. Luckily for her, very few creatures in the realm possessed that trick. In her longer than normal life, she’d only met three who had.
And none of them lived to tell about it.
“I told you we shouldn’t meet out in the open like this,” the Vampire said, looking around nervously. His blood-red eyes looked right past her and on into the tree line.
The Wolf transformed into man, completely unashamed at his nakedness in the moonlight.
“Does this look public to you?” He raised his arms and looked around, staring right past Sienna.
Arrogant bastard. If ever there were a species in the realm she despised above all others, it was the Werewolves. Vampires were bad enough, but at least they didn’t leave their prey ripped to
shreds. They simply fed on them until they grew bored or their victims died. Werewolves enjoyed the pain they inflicted. Animals.
“It’s open enough. We could be spotted.”
“By someone in the woods?” He chuckled. “These are my woods, Ghast, I would know if someone
were sneaking about.”
Sienna simply shook her head. If only you knew. She hadn’t received orders to kill him, but she also hadn’t been told not to. When this was over, she might
just end his life even if it only meant one less of the bastards were out in the world.
“Still—” Ghast started but was cut off by the Werewolves’ next words.
“And I told you what I have to say can’t wait.”
The Vampire eyed him suspiciously. “It had better be good.”
The Werewolf grinned and ran a hand through his shoulder-length, brown hair. “Would you consider information on the genius who orchestrated the academy attack
important?”
Sienna straightened, inching closer to hear better. This could very well be the first lead she’d had in months.
Ghast shook his head and folded his arms. “Impossible. No one knows.”
The Wolf grinned, showing off shiny white teeth. “I do. And I also know it won’t be the
last.”
The Vamp was silent a moment, clearly weighing the Wolf’s words. “Who did, then?”
“First, I need to know whose side you’re on.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Can we count on you? Can we count on your support?”
“Support? What’s going on?”
“There’s a war coming,” the Werewolf said, stepping closer. The Vampire held his ground. “A war that will change everything.”
