‘Good luck, bro,’ Justice said in my mind as he went to stand in a corner of the room.
“Mages!” I bellowed, kicking the door shut behind me. It closed with a loud boom, and the room quieted.
Striding into the group, I wound my way through the lower mages until I faced the woman who’d called the high mages liars. I offered her a tight smile and asked, “What can I do for you?”
The young woman was close to our age, within a few years. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a braid that was coming loose, and dark wisps framed her pale skin. She raised her chin and narrowed her blue eyes at me.
“Where are your guards?” she snapped.
I frowned, taken aback by her question and her attitude. I thought the enemy was the high mages, not me. “Here. At the castle, where they should be.” I scanned the crowd and found Noble, sighing with relief as he stepped to my side. I faced the young mage once more. “Why do you ask?”
“I told you the new king would be a selfish prick,” a woman muttered from my left.
I flinched, trying to control my anger. Nai’s sudden disappearance was wearing on my patience.
I kept my attention on the young woman, noting how her jaw hardened, and she balled her hands.
“Your wolves burned down our market, killed and injured dozens of mages, and then you withdraw your guards? If you leave us unprotected, it will be our blood on your hands.”
Uh … okay. I hadn’t thought about that when I’d pulled the guards from Dark Row, but why would we put guards in Mageville anyway? That wasn’t our land to police. And Dark Row burning down had been an accident … sort of.
I met Justice’s gaze from across the room, and his cheeks reddened.
‘Sorry, bro.’
‘It’s fine,’ I told him.
“Don’t your people have magic? Can’t you all just use magic to protect yourselves?” Justice asked from his corner.
I nodded; he was saying exactly what I thought.
“Do you think any advanced mages live in Dark Row, boy? How stupid are you? Our magic isn’t strong enough for those kinds of things.” She glared at him. “Besides, we need to use what little magic we have to repair what your kind did—by burning Dark Row to the ground.”
A twinge of guilt wiggled in my chest, and my gaze flicked to Justice, whose embarrassment deepened. I wasn’t going to let him take the fall for it though. Really, it was Declan’s fault.
“The fire was an accident, and if you’d show me some respect, you’ll see I’m not a selfish prick.” I glared at the woman who’d called me such. “I’ll send a dozen guards to help, but only for one week. Mage problems aren’t my problems. You have the High Mage Council you can petition for help. You know, your own kind.”
The dark-haired woman nodded, but the frown pulling at her lips was disconcerting. “Some help they are in their fancy hidden realm. They won’t return our communications.”
My first day as king, and nothing was going to plan.
Chapter Four
“You need to get some sleep.” Noble’s voice shook me from my reverie. I sat in a sleek leather chair behind an ornate mahogany desk, staring at the golden yellow wall in my uncle’s office—my office now. I skimmed over the four wooden chairs sitting against the back wall to the open door where my brother stood. This place held a lot of bad memories for me. Every time we got into trouble, we were brought here. Usually for a stern word or a beating.
“Honor’s with her. That’s good,” I said, ignoring his comment. I glanced at the clock hanging over the chairs and wondered if Nai’s aunt had delivered my message yet.
Noble cleared his throat and, when I looked at him, frowned. “Honor won’t let anything happen to her. You’ve done all you can. Getting some rest will help you to be ready to take on whatever tomorrow brings.”
How could I explain that going to bed without her felt like defeat?
“No,” I growled and then immediately regretted it. My brother was only trying to help. Justice was now at Dark Row, trying to find any mages powerful enough to break the portal protection spells that kept shifters out of the High Mage Realm, and Noble was here, by my side as usual.
I stood and scooted around the desk, choosing to lean against it rather than take my uncle’s fancy seat. I also ignored the overstuffed chairs in front of the fireplace. Everything about this place felt like wearing someone else’s suit.
“How is it that we can’t go into their world, but they’re able to come and go here as they please?” There was more than just a hierarchy of power, and I was starting to see the imbalance more clearly now that I was king.
Noble nodded and crossed the room. “The high mages have always had their secrecy and protection.”
He said only what we all knew to be true, but I scoffed at their privilege. “While I’m lending my men to guard the nefarious Dark Row?”
Noble shrugged. “That’s the Dark Row our brother burned to the ground.”
“Technicality,” I said, keeping my tone light, and Noble smiled.
“I trust Nai,” Noble said. “I also trust her grandfather. He went to the Realm of the Dead to save you and her. He brought Honor back to life. He wouldn’t turn on us now.”
He was right, but what did that mean? I ground my teeth in frustration and then asked, “What are you saying? You think we should just wait for her to come back? Don’t do anything more?”
Noble sighed, dropping his chin, and his black hair fell forward, the dark color highlighting the bags under his eyes. Shit. He was probably waiting until I went to sleep before he did. Guilt wormed in my gut because the last few days had been hell for Noble too.
“You can’t do anything more, Rage.” Noble met my gaze and shook his head. “And if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re going to start making bad decisions.”
I snorted, but there was no sense in arguing.
“We trust Nai, and we trust her grandfather, so then maybe they had a good reason for leaving like they did. Maybe she’s safe, and you’ll hear from her tomorrow.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Maybe—”
“I’m not saying, ‘Give up.’ I’m saying, ‘Trust her, and take care of yourself.’”
He was right. I did trust Nai. I trusted her feelings for me and her feelings about us. She was my fated mate; she wouldn’t leave me without good reason. The old man was looking beyond ill lately—like death warmed over. Maybe she went to help heal him? Something only she could do like make the healing elixir? Maybe the old man’s blood was getting too old to make it himself, and that’s why he needed Nai! If he’d started having a heart attack or something, then Nai would’ve rushed out in a panic, without telling me. I perked up at the thought.
“Okay. Let’s get some sleep, and then, tomorrow morning, if she hasn’t shown, I’ll send a letter to the High Mage Council.”
Noble winced. “Let’s talk about next steps in the morning.”
I growled.
Noble rushed on. “She could be there in secret. The High Mage Council doesn’t like her as it is.”