Crowned (Beholder #4)(11)

I stood on tiptoe and whispered in Rowan’s ear. “I found Jicho.”

Rowan cupped my cheek with his warm palm. “Go check on him, will you? We’re almost done here anyway.”

“Agreed.” After saying my goodbyes, I rushed up to the alley’s entrance.

“Jicho! Rowan and I have been looking for you!”

Usually, Jicho would respond with a grin and a gap-toothed smile. His happy face—combined with the shaved head that marked him as a Seer—somehow always made him seem younger than his nine years.

But there was no smile to greet me this time. Jicho merely looked up at me, shrugged, and went back to pushing a stick through the dry soil.

I glanced over to Rowan. He was still deep in conversation about what spells they could cast to find the lost Changed Ones. It didn’t seem necessary to pull him away. I stepped into the deserted passage and sat down beside the boy. “What’s wrong, Jicho?”

“Nothing.”

“Is that true? Normally, you’re far happier to see me.”

Jicho kept staring at the ground. “Sometimes, I wish I weren’t a Seer.”

“Have you had a vision? Something bad?”

“Yes.” Jicho’s voice cracked. “Worst one yet.”

“I’m so sorry. Can you talk about it?” Sometimes Jicho could tell me everything about a vision. Other times, he needed to wait until a certain thing was said or done before he could share anything.

“No.” Jicho jabbed at the ground with extra force. “Can’t tell you.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Jicho finally looked up to me, and I saw an old soul look out from his young eyes. “You must promise me one thing.”

“Go on.”

“If someone ever asked you to stop speaking to me, swear that you’d never take that vow.”

I frowned. “Is this part of your vision?” What situation would possibly arise where I’d be asked to refuse Jicho’s friendship? Nothing came to mind at the moment, but I set the thought aside to contemplate later.

Jicho shrugged. “Maybe.”

“No, I would never take a vow like that.”

“That’s good.” Jicho stared back at the ground once again.

My poor Jicho. Whatever this vision was, it must be quite a burden.

Rowan stepped up to the mouth of the alley. A crowd of villagers stood behind him, their silhouettes outlined by the darkened sky. “Midnight is almost here,” said Rowan. “Almost time to summon Mlinzi and Walinzi.” Rowan’s gaze locked on Jicho. “There you are.”

Jicho forced a smile, but there was no joy in it. “Hello.”

“Do you want to show us your metal boat?” asked Rowan. “There’s time before the ceremony starts. After that, I’m afraid all the children will be heading off to bed.”

Normally, Jicho would have a number of expected responses to statements like this. First, he’d leap up with excitement to show us his new project. Second, he’d insist that he was old enough to stay up with the adults.

But Jicho did neither of these things. He merely angled his body farther away. “I’m fine. I’ll stay right here. I just need a little time to myself.”

Rowan’s gaze intensified. “If you’re certain.”

“I am.:

I slipped up to Rowan’s side, taking care to speak in a voice that the partygoers wouldn’t hear. Not that they could hear much over the music and song. “I’m not sure we should leave Jicho.”

“My brother has moods because of his visions. If he needs time to come to terms with what he’s seen, then it’s best to give him that.”

I hugged my elbows. It felt wrong to leave the boy here. Still, Rowan had known Jicho all his life—and it was almost midnight—so this was the best I could do for now.

The sense of foreboding was still heavy on my shoulders as we headed back to the great cliff wall and its monkey sculptures. Bands of moonlight drifted over the dancing figures. Sometimes it seemed as if the monkey gods were laughing. A moment later, it looked as if they weren’t dancing so much as racing toward us, baring their teeth to attack.

Rowan led me to the base of the cliff wall. “Care to cast with me again?”

“I’d love it. What’s the spell?”

“It’s my role to cast a summoning here. The monkeys might show up without it, but the Casters love watching my spellwork. Plus, I throw in some magickal animals for extra effect.” He winked. “My people have a mage king. They expect some razzle-dazzle every so often.”

I loved the mischievous glint in his eyes. “In that case, I’ll have to add something to the event as well.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Rowan raised his arms and the Casters around us fell silent. After that, my mate pulled Caster magick into himself, making the veins in his right arm glow red. I did the same with Necromancer power, stopping once the bones in my left hand shone blue. The crowd around us quickly grew to a mighty throng. After all the music and laughter, the quiet suddenly became a palpable thing.

Rowan raised his arms and spoke his incantation.

Bring me the tree of life.

Oh, how I envied the shortness of Caster spells. Rowan lowered his hands. Instantly, a small pool of red haze appeared before his feet. The crimson mist quickly ballooned upward, taking the form of a great jungle tree. Long ghostly fronds arched from the top of the cliff wall to the ground around us. A great tree of life formed from red smoke.