The crowd broke up. Ana drifted away to hover by the sidewalk. I shot her a thankful smile, then looked up at Cade.
He was handsome as ever, with his dark hair gleaming in the sun and a black T-shirt stretched over his muscular chest. The two days since our kiss now seemed like an eternity.
Nerves skated across my skin, making me shiver.
“Are you all right?” His gaze traced over my face.
“Probably not.”
“Your magic?”
“Yes. Arach told me it would go haywire and start to devour itself, but it’s happening sooner than I expected.” I reached out for the water in the sewer again, feeling the slightest bit of magic tug in my chest. Dingy water swelled up from the storm drain, then disappeared back underground. “Damn it.”
Cade pulled me in for a hug, squeezing me tight. I absorbed his strength, my heart fluttering at the warmth of his muscles.
“You’ll figure it out,” he said.
“I sure hope Jude has some info for me. I’ve been waiting two days. No one will talk to me.” I pulled back and scowled. They’d made me train as normal, but nothing was normal. “And you’ve been nowhere to be seen.”
“You want to pump me for information, too?” A seductive smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Maybe.” Mostly, I’d just wanted to see him.
But now wasn’t the time to talk about that. I wanted answers, and if Jude was about to give them to me, I needed to be there. “I’m going to go. See you later.”
He shook his head. “I’m coming with you.”
“To the meeting with Jude?”
“Aye. It was delayed because we had to figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Well, good. Let’s get a move on. Because I want answers about the DragonGods, the Rebel Gods, and how the heck I’m going to keep my magic.”
Twenty minutes later, Ana, Cade, and I met Jude and Hedy in the round room. Also known as the war room, it was where they met when things were dire.
Apparently, I qualified. Or at least, my situation did.
The round room was the oldest part of the castle, where the walls were made of heavy stone and the wooden floors were beaten and scratched. Here, tapestries covered the walls, and sconces glowed golden, but it still had a heavy air to it.
Jude and Hedy already sat at the round table. I’d done my best to wipe the demon blood off my face, but I hadn’t wanted to waste time changing. Demon blood might be gross, but my thirst for answers outweighed the ick-factor.
Cade, Ana, and I joined them at the table. After our kiss in the pub two days ago, I’d told Cade what I was. He’d been impressed, which—I couldn’t lie—I’d totally liked.
“Why did it take so long to have this meeting?” I blurted out. Annoyance—tinged strongly with fear—buzzed in my veins.
“Two days is hardly long.” Jude smiled calmly. “You just found out you were a DragonGod.”
“Two days is long if your magic is devouring itself.”
Jude’s starry blue eyes darkened with understanding, and perhaps even a bit of sadness. “We weren’t expecting your magic to go haywire so quickly.”
“It may be because it is so strong,” Hedy said. “Each power is fighting for dominance and suppressing the others faster than we expected.”
“What do I do?” I asked. If I wanted to stay at the Protectorate, I needed my magic. Not to mention, it felt like hell when it went haywire. Nausea was a constant companion, as was a strong feeling of loss.
“That’s what has taken us days to decide,” Jude said. “We needed to consult a seer and other resources to determine the right course of action. And to determine if our concerns were warranted.”
“And?” Ana asked.
“We’ll start with the Rebel Gods,” Jude said.
“Yes.” I leaned forward, anxious to learn more. The only thing I knew about them was that they had a book with their name on it—in Latin. And a crazy woman with dark magic worked for them, hunting us. “What did you learn?”
“Until now, the Rebel Gods were ancient history, as far as we were concerned. No one has heard from them for hundreds of years. They were an organization that wreaked havoc upon magical populations, stealing and enslaving.”
“For what purpose?” I asked. “Did you figure out what was written in the little book that I found a few days ago?”
“Only the cover was in Latin,” Hedy said. “The rest was in an unknown language. Florian, the ghost librarian, is working on a translation, but he hasn’t found one yet.”
“Dang.” I frowned. “What did you already know about them?”
“We’ve never known what their main goal was,” Jude said. “Maybe power, or wealth. Their motivations were lost to history. But our seer confirms that they are back—returned to the earth for a specific purpose.”
“Hunting us?” I guessed.
Jude inclined her head. “Yes, that could be it. They have shown a marked interest in you. The seer believes that they are a great threat to the Protectorate.”
“The curse last week made that pretty clear,” I said. Their dark magic had threatened to destroy the whole castle.
“It did.” Hedy nodded. “And they were likely after you.”
“So I need to go after them,” I said. “Bring the fight. I don’t like waiting.”
Ana huffed a small laugh beside me, one that clearly said, Ain’t that the truth.
“No, you don’t,” Jude said. “In some cases, your bravery is a boon. In others, you jump too quickly. It has been your greatest weakness during your training. You always win the fight, Bree. Always. But with magic as strong as yours, you must learn to deploy it only when necessary.”
My cheeks heated. But she was right. She’d mentioned this to me before, and I was working on it. But I needed to try harder. I nodded at her.
“Good,” Jude said. “If you want to go after the Rebel Gods, you must conquer the magic inside you. The new powers that you are developing are starting to devour each other, leaving you almost helpless. You must learn how to anchor such strong magic.”
I shifted uncomfortably, hating that word. I wasn’t helpless. I had my sword and speed and guts.
But without my magic…
She was right.
I needed my magic. No question.
That made sense. “But how do I get control of my magic?”
“Unfortunately, we lack the tools to help,” Hedy said. “Yours is an unusual case. We can train you if you have your magic. But if you don’t have it, we can do nothing.
“So we suggest that you go to the Cave of Seers,” Jude said. “Hopefully, one will appear to you and guide you.”
“The Cave of Seers?” I frowned. “What do they do, just hang out there? In a cave?”
Cade chuckled low.
“No.” Jude shook her head. “There are no seers on staff here at the Protectorate. Instead, there is a cave at the base of the sea cliffs. Magic imbues the place. A worthy person can enter, and if they are lucky, a seer will appear to them.”
“All right.” I nodded, liking the sound of this. I’d never met one before, but anyone who could give me advice or directions seemed like a damned good idea.
Hedy consulted her watch, then looked at me. “You still have several hours of daylight left. Long enough to climb down the cliffs. I suggest you get a move on.”