Last Stand (The Black Mage #4)(85)

Only this time, the adversary was the boy I’d been competing with all along. The non-heir was playing the part of the villain, and it was up to us to capture the leader.

Darren had used me to get to Ian that first year in the desert. Now the rebels were using me to get to Darren. Our strategy hadn’t changed at all. And once again, I was leading the fight.

A frozen stream wove around a pile of towering granite covered in snow and ice.

“That’s the trail.” I pointed to the map. We were minutes away. The cavern was just beyond it—and with it, the overlook.

And just like any mock battle, we ran into a cluster of sentries before we could reach the final base. We didn’t know the guards were there until the path took a sudden dip. They caught us by surprise.

The eight Combat mages took one look at the four of us, and it took all of us a second to react.

Ian, Ella, and I threw up our casting just in time.

Our magicks melded together at once.

My whole body shook with the effort to hold. Our barrier hummed and groaned, but none of us buckled under the weight. Alex drew his blade, guarding our backs.

The other mages advanced, shooting a second round of castings at our defense.

“We can’t keep this up forever.” I addressed the others loudly as the others’ attacks drowned out my voice. “We have to fight.”

“No.” Ella shifted against my arm. “We fight. You go on ahead, Ry. You are losing time.”

I was losing time, but I couldn’t bear to leave them alone. Two Combat mages and one healer against eight of the King’s Regiment. I didn’t like those odds.

“We can take them.” Alex’s voice was muffled as our wall shook and held. The assault was relentless. “You asked us to trust you, and we do. Now trust in us.”

“But…” I hesitated. My three hours are slipping away.

“Take them from the left?” Ella jerked her chin toward a mage much older than the rest. “His castings are barely making a dent. Ian, you cast Ry’s shield, and I’ll blast them out of the way.”

Ian’s nod was barely perceptible from the corner of my eye. “Sounds like a plan.”

“On the count of three, Ryiah,” Ella said. “Then you run.”

Go save Darren.

It was the apprenticeship all over again every step of the way.

“One. Two…”

On “three” I took off, sprinting as fast as my legs could lunge. Ian’s defense kept off most of their attacks, but it did not keep my boots from skidding along the ice.

I swerved right just as Ella’s powerful gust sent half the men sprawling against granite and snow.

A second later, a blade came at my head. I swung with all my might. The impact with my speed sent the man stumbling back. Then I blocked another before it caught me in the ribs. Two more mages sent castings and Ella sent out another gust of wind.

Only kill if there is no other choice. My friends were upholding their vow.

The mages fell to more shouts, and Ian’s casting paved my defense. A part of me begged to help, but then their sacrifice would be for nothing.

Now trust in us.

I continued to run, slip-sliding along the ice until I reached a second narrow ledge. It led straight to a thick, towering structure of granite and compacted snow.

The cave towered. Layers and layers of thick ice and black rock stood out like a palace of crystalline shards. It was so large I couldn’t see where it ended, only the beginning. The frozen stream ran along its entrance.

Darren might not be here. But a part of me knew he would. If the overlook was as impressive as Quinn claimed, the king would be nowhere else. Were our roles reversed, it was the place I would pick.

Bits of broken granite and ice littered the ground. My footsteps echoed along the tunnel as bits of wind whistled through sculptures of ice.

Everywhere I looked, all I saw was blue, shades of the most brilliant hue. Icicles hung down from the granite and snow, drops of frozen rain paralyzing in their effect.

An ocean of indigo water, suspended and hung, glistened like translucent oil under a fallen sky. All of it was so fragile and haunting. In all my life, I had never seen anything so achingly beautiful.

Small bolts of the night sky peaked through little holes in the ceiling. Bits of moonlight and twinkling stars. Other parts of the cave were dark; I had to trace my hand along the icy walls.

Eventually, I came across three twisting passages. Each time I let my compass lead the way. The overlook was east. It was the only reassurance I had.

And, finally, I found my way to the brightest part of the cave.

My heart caught in my chest.

He was standing there, dressed in the black ceremonial robe and a crown, staring out at something beyond the ledge, his shoulders lit up by stars.

He didn’t turn around.

A fire crackled to his right, heating the outer ledge.

The icicles near the entrance of the cave’s overlook dripped.

Drip. Drip. Tiny raindrops of water hit the ground and the sound traveled back to me.

I took a step forward, cringing as my leather boots scraped against stone.

He still didn’t turn.

But there was a sudden intake of breath. I wasn’t sure how I heard it. My pulse was now strangling my lungs.

“I would have given you the world.” Darren’s back was still to me as he spoke. “And instead you took mine and destroyed it.”