XIX

THE ORIA FOREST, NEAR EVERWOOD

The quiet of the Oria Forest was a profound, gentle thing, an entity that could not abide the din of human existence. It was the stillness of a cloudy, moonless night, a gloom that completely obscured the path to Everwood. Under such cloaks of silence, assassins flourished. It was this cloak that Kael Runo now wore as he crept toward the Sentinel base. Behind him, a battalion of thirty of Arak's finest mages—chosen for their speed and subtlety in casting deadly spells—moved like shadows.

But a familiar bloodlust stirred within Kael. He yearned to unleash his Dragon might, to inflict the precise devastation his vengeance demanded.

He could feel the Sentinels within their sanctuary, their life forces flickering like weak flames in the dark. Most were feeble recruits, their control over power and emotion as raw and undisciplined as they were. A smirk touched his lips in the darkness. The Dragon skimmed the surface of his mind, a predatory presence eager for the fight. Intelligence from Queen Kyreth, delivered by Haken, confirmed the Princess had fled to Everwood the moment she learned of Kael's presence at the Sovereign Palace. She knew his intentions, and so she had run.

For the betrayal by Princess Calista and her lapdog, Kiro, there could be no excuse. He would have his retribution. He gritted his teeth at the thought. They were close now, close enough to taste the potent energies of the Warden mages and the Fated twins. He froze. A vision of the girl—Lyra, Haken had called her—flashed through his mind. She was in the base. What if, in the chaos, he harmed her? Or worse?

"Sir?" a soldier asked, shaking him gently. "Are you unwell?"

Kael snapped out of his reverie. He choked the soldier's cry with a silencing spell, snapped the man's arm with a brutal twist, and shoved him into a neighboring mage. Without a word, Kael spun and sprinted toward the rendezvous point: an ancient oak whose gnarled branches reached not for the sun, but for the Princess's sanctuary.

Haken was leaning against the enormous trunk, arms folded over his bare chest. His watchful eyes tracked Kael's approach. "You're late," Haken sighed.

"Queen Kyreth detained us," Kael said, his voice a low rasp as he drew near. "She insisted we bring the war-machines."

Haken snorted, pushing himself off the tree to gaze at the shimmering green glow of the base in the distance. "War-machines. We have no need of them for a mission this simple. We go in, we retrieve the girls. Clean and quiet. The base is a secondary objective. It can stand or be obliterated; the Queen is indifferent." He paused, turning just enough to catch Kael's gaze. "Are you certain you're ready for this, Kael? It's only been a few weeks since you were given that crystal."

The genuine concern in Haken's voice unsettled Kael more than the mission itself. He instinctively reached for the black focus crystal hanging at his throat. He had yet to master its seals, but the Arakian Sensei had promised it would help him tame the Dragon within. He could barely contain the tempest that was the Sacred Beast inside him.

"I can do this," Kael insisted. A strange light kindled in his amber eyes, and for a moment, Haken could have sworn he saw flames dancing in their depths. "You should be more concerned for yourself. Isn't your Fated girl in there? It would be a pity if she came to harm." With a sly smile, Kael launched himself into a nearby tree and vanished into the oppressive darkness.

Haken's eyes narrowed, a low snarl rumbling in his chest. If that was a threat, Kael was sorely mistaken. Kara and her sister would not be touched. He would have them out of that room long before Kael and his mages made their move. Hearing the Arakian soldiers shifting into position behind him, he knew he had to act. Without another thought, Haken propelled himself silently toward the base.

EVERWOOD SENTINEL BARRACKS

Kara's eyes flew open, her gaze darting frantically around the shared room. She had drifted into a light, study-induced sleep, only to be jolted awake by a sudden, sharp sense of unease. The only light came from an oil lamp by her bed, lit for a late-night study session. Two months of intense training had passed, and she was finally beginning to feel competent. The curriculum at Everwood was unlike anything she had ever known on Earth, but she was adapting.

She sighed and leaned back against her pillows, trying to convince herself it was merely anxiety over an impending Casting 101 test that had disturbed her sleep. As she tried to reread a paragraph, a familiar tingle brushed against the edges of her consciousness. She turned her head, looking toward the window. Something was out there. Something was wrong.

The lamp's glow reflected off the crystalline window, obscuring the darkness outside. Feigning the need to draw the shimmering, semi-transparent green curtains, Kara rose, hugging herself against a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the night air. Her heart began to race, a mixture of exhilaration and dread. Leaning close to the window, she peered into the clearing below with hawkish intensity. Just as she was about to dismiss the feeling and turn away, a flicker of movement at the edge of the tree line caught her eye.

Kara dropped to her knees, out of sight, her eyes fixed on the spot. After a few tense moments, the movement came again. An arc of Arakian soldiers was advancing on the base, the dim moonlight glinting off the scimitars held ready in their hands.

She froze. Wake her sister, or alert the base? A third, wilder idea blossomed in her mind. Decision made, she rushed to Lyra's bedside and shook her.

Wake up! she projected into her sister's mind. Lyra, we've got some Arakian losers to fight!

What? A fight? Lyra projected back, instantly awake. Her mental shout was loud enough to stir the other two Sentinels in the room.

Haelia yipped and shot up on her bed as Alisia merely sat up, yawning.

"Since you're all awake now," Kara said, yanking Lyra fully out of bed, "Arak is attacking Everwood."

They stared at her blankly. Alisia rolled her eyes and lay back down. Haelia, looking bewildered, hopped off her bed and padded toward Kara.

"I'm serious!" Kara insisted, gesturing to the window. "I saw them with my own eyes! Go look!"

Before anyone could move, Haelia's ears and tail perked. Her nose twitched. "Haken!" she yipped joyfully, rushing to open the door for the Half-Elf, who looked utterly astonished to find them all awake.

Kara ran to him. "Haken! Good, you must know—"

The Half-Elf silenced her with a raised hand. "You have to get out of here," Haken whispered, his voice urgent as he addressed the four of them. "It's about to get very dangerous."

Kara folded her arms, scoffing in disbelief. "We're not going anywhere! We have a base to protect."

"Sentinels fight to protect the Princess!" Haelia declared with fierce excitement. "Fight! Fight!"

"How do you know it's going to get dangerous, Haken? You're—" Lyra began, squinting at him suspiciously.

"Lyra, shut up!" Kara snapped, her fists clenching. "We have to tell Reya and Kiro what's happening!"

Startled by her sister's outburst, Lyra flinched. She turned back to Haken just in time to see him flash his signature smirk at Kara, a look that sent a flush creeping up Kara's neck at the memory of their first meeting. Catching the silent exchange, Lyra huffed in annoyance and jogged down the corridor toward the officers' quarters. Kara hesitated for only a second before motioning for the others to follow.

"So, where are we going?" Elisia asked Haelia, who just shrugged as they hurried after Kara.

Haken kept pace with Kara, resisting the urge to demand she leave with him. They arrived at a door marked 'Base Commander.' As Lyra punched a code into the panel beside it, Elisia slipped past them into Reya's apartment, muttering, "How did she know that code?"

"Reya! Reya!" Lyra yelled at the sleeping Sentinel. "THE ARAKIANS ARE ATTACKING!"

Reya shot upright, clutching her covers. "Wh-what? Arak—"

"They're on the verge of attack," Kara stated, her expression unusually solemn. "We need your help to rally the Sentinels."

Reya nodded, scrambling to pull on her boots. Her voice was strained with panic. "I need my tele-sphere. I have to call Aden at Ravenhold. He needs to know. Now!" She hurried from the room, making a frustrated noise. A brief image flashed through Kara's mind: Lyra was going to wake Kiro.

Suddenly, Haken seized her arm. As Reya and the others hastily discussed a plan, he leaned in, his voice a low, urgent whisper in her ear. "Kara, if we don't leave this instant, we will not make it out alive. I am serious."

Kara took a sharp breath. She could feel his urgency, and her own intuition screamed that Haken knew more than he was letting on. But Lyra's suspicion had taken root. Kara pulled her arm free and met his gaze. Footsteps echoed down the hall as Reya shouted for them to move. Haken's piercing stare shook her resolve, but she forced her feelings down. "Haken, I need to know one thing."

Her own hesitation laced the words, and the question hung in the dense air between them. Haken's expression remained unreadable. "Are you with the Arakian Legion?"

Shaking her head, Kara turned to leave, compelled to follow the others.

"Kara!" he called after her. "I would never do anything to harm you. You have to know that."

Something in his tone made her glance back, but he was gone. The window stood open to the night. As she rushed to join the others, the silence of the forest beyond seemed to offer a strange reassurance. She could trust him. A small, secret smile touched Kara's lips before she composed her features and ran.

Kael's heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic rhythm that echoed the straining of the Dragon against his control. He hungered for retribution; the beast lusted for blood. It was a lethal combination. His breath came in ragged gasps as he swung himself over a balcony railing and landed silently in Everwood's dining hall. Below, his mages gathered their strength, preparing a spell he had designed specifically for this assault. They awaited his signal. His training had taught him more than control; it had taught him wonderfully deadly magic.

He slipped through the doors, a cruel smile twisting his features. His human side screamed for restraint, but the bloodlust demanded he shift, that he annihilate everything in his path. Somewhere in the base, Haken was securing the Fated. Once he gave the signal, the attack could begin. Kael savored the thought of this place suffering the same fate as Sovereign City. His eyes narrowed to slits, his smile widening at the imagined devastation. A growl escaped his lips. He sniffed the air, the scent of the Fated Mages a tantalizing perfume. He sent a mental command to his ground leader. Cast the spell. I am beginning the attack.

Lyra burst through the door to Kiro's room and skidded to a halt. His sleeping form was bathed in the ethereal green moonlight filtering through the window. She pressed her hands to her chest as a wave of emotion washed over her, so powerful it was devastating. Tears welled in her eyes with the sudden, heart-wrenching realization: she was falling for the Sentinel leader.