Last Stand (The Black Mage #4)(100)

“You try anything—”

“Simmer down.” She rolled her eyes. “It was a joke.”

Their expressions were humorless as stone.

It wasn’t a surprise that Priscilla and the others only trusted rebels to guard a former king… I wondered if they wished I were dead. Then I could be their fallen hero instead of a troublemaker to the Crown.

Ian wasn’t among them, but the rebels probably didn’t trust him that much either.

Kenan, an older man with close-cropped hair and squinty eyes, cleared his throat. “The queen has already given you a warning for conduct. We won’t hesitate to enforce it.”

Alex opened his mouth to snarl a retort and Ella kicked his leg. “Shall we?”

My eyes were locked on the door as two of the mages removed a heavy steel bar and turned their key.

I couldn’t see anything inside.

It was so dark.

My muscles went lax as I recognized the stench within. Old urine and blood.

It brought me back to the dungeons in Devon.

A whimper escaped my lips. Darren.

Ella and Alex didn’t bother to wait for their eyes to adjust. They marched me through the threshold as all but one of the guards followed us inside.

We made it halfway when one of the guards lit a sconce.

Then I saw him.

The king was lying in a pool of crimson, his skin as pale as snow. Cuts and bruises mottled his skin. His hair was matted with sweat and dirt.

One of his arms stuck out at a strange angle. There was a gaping wound in his leg, oozing blood and yellowing pus. His vest was in tatters and his boots were missing. His breeches were ripped and stained red.

His eyes were clenched shut as we entered.

I didn’t realize I was screaming until Darren’s eyes flew open and the guards started to yell.

“Who did this?”

No one answered.

“Which one of you did this?” I couldn’t breathe; hot blood boiled in my veins and all I could see was red. “Was it all of you? Was it?”

“He deserves far worse—”

I struggled and lunged, breaking free of my brother and Ella’s grip. I caught the smug rebel with my fist, and the two of us went down with my hands locked around his neck.

“Ryiah!” Alex and Ella tried to pull me away.

But I wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t. Every part of me was in flames.

The mage’s dirty fingernails cut into my wrists, drawing blood, but I just squeezed harder. All I could think about was hurting this man like he hurt Darren.

And then his magic hit.

I slammed against the wall with a thud. Every part of my body roared with hot, blistering pain. There was a snap in my chest and I was choking, spewing blood.

My hand shot out in front of my face.

I would make him pay. I would make him experience every cut and blow.

…But nothing came.

Something was wrong. I tried again.

I couldn’t feel it.

It was usually there, bubbling just underneath the surface, waiting… But this time, it wasn’t.

This time, my magic was gone.

My brother’s face appeared in my line of vision, his mouth opening and closing rapidly as his fingers brushed my head.

There was a flash of green, and then everything stopped. I was dizzy and numb; I couldn’t feel my own arms. A warm rush of relief slipped down through my skin, and then my eyelids fluttered shut.

The rest of my body followed.



*

The next time I awoke, I was back in the chamber from before. Alex slouched on a trunk at the side of my bed, his head nodding off as he slept, fingers still locked tight around my wrist.

There was a splitting ache in my head and my whole body trembled so violently I wanted to fall straight back to sleep. But I was too busy remembering everything from before. My heart started to beat heavily against my chest.

“Darren!” I choked out his name and lurched forward, only to fall back in pain.

Alex jerked awake. Almost immediately, green sparks danced along my wrist.

“Ryiah—” my brother’s voice was stern, “—you can’t do that again.”

He wasn’t talking about now.

My hands trembled under the pulse of his magic. “Darren wasn’t just their prisoner, Alex. They were beating him. He looked—”

“I know.” A lump rose and fell against my twin’s throat. “But if you do it again, Priscilla won’t let you back.” He swallowed. “You attacked a guard, Ry.”

“I lost control.”

“Ella spent hours convincing Priscilla you deserved a second chance. If you hadn’t pulled back on that casting—”

I gulped, suddenly remembering that moment before he cast me to sleep. “I didn’t pull back, Alex.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“My magic… it wouldn’t come.”

“But you’ve had over two weeks of rest.” My twin’s eyes were wide. “You might not have your stamina from before, but you should be able to cast something.”

I lifted my palm from the blankets and concentrated, throwing every sense into the projection I was trying to cast. A minuscule flame. Something a novice could accomplish with ease.

Nothing happened.

Alex said nothing. His eyes locked to my palm as I squinted and tried again. A bead of sweat dripped down my forehead, but nothing else came.