Shai

Shai refrained from biting her nails the next morning as Tivon, Raz, and one other soldier went around asking everyone about the missing soldier’s whereabouts. At least when they questioned her, all she had to say was that she didn’t know him, which was the truth.

But she knew who killed him.

If she wasn’t so concerned with giving the chest to Madame Kalyssah, she wouldn’t care if Ed was caught. Let him pay for what he did. He killed someone innocent.

“Mind if I sit here?”

Shai looked up from where she’d been picking at her breakfast of oatmeal and raisins. Leiam stared down at her, an eyebrow quirked.

“Oh, no, I don’t mind.” She slid over to give him extra room on the log she sat on.

“Thank you.” He sat next to her with his own bowl, and he blew on a steaming spoonful before shoving it into his mouth. After swallowing, he nodded his head at Raz chatting low with Tivon. “Think they found out anything about the missing soldier, Pilo, yet?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. If he were around, I guess they would’ve found something by now.” She didn’t have much of an appetite, but she forced herself to take a bite of oatmeal. She didn’t want to get weak during today’s long ride on the horses.

“I hope they find him,” Leiam continued. “I’d hate to think our charming prince caused someone else to abandon their family.”

She started to say Pilo would’ve left to fight in the Crossover War regardless of this heist, but thought better of it when Leiam added, “I really hate being away from my husband and kids. I miss them.” He stared down into his oatmeal, stabbing his spoon into the bottom of the bowl over and over.

Swallowing, Shai said, “I’m sorry Prince Jistan blackmailed you into coming along with us.”

He shrugged. “It’s not your fault. I’m not sure it’s his either. He’s just too much under his father’s influence.” He peered over at her. “Are you and the prince…lovers?”

She nearly spit out her oatmeal. “Oh, heavens, no.” Just the thought of last night though, when she and Jistan were close and that electricity sizzled between them…for just a moment, she imagined having the impossible.

Leiam smirked, misinterpreting her reaction. “You aren’t too fond of him either, then?”

“Uh…he and I are acquaintances. I like him well enough, but there are some areas of his personality he could work on.”

Leiam chuckled. “Yes, that’s an interesting way of putting it.” He ate some more oatmeal, deep in thought. “I wonder if he knows what his people are saying about his father.”

From living with a gang of bandits, Shai only knew what lowlifes said, which was that they would love to see Emperor Akeil dead. She didn’t know what upstanding citizens were saying. “What? That they want to see someone else rule Casland?”

“They’ve been saying that for years. I mean more recently.” He stopped and peered around to make sure no one was listening before he continued. “There are rumors floating around that Emperor Akeil is seeking to expand his territory into the surrounding countries. He may even be trying to take control away from the other emperors.”

She stared at him. “Emperor Akeil can’t even take care of the people already in his territory.”

“Exactly. Half of Valizea is going hungry. The other half is getting richer. From what I’ve heard, it’s the same in cities all over Casland. I can only assume it would get worse the more people Emperor Akeil had dominion over.”

“Someone should stop him.” She paused. “Prince Jistan may be the only one who can.”

“Now you see why I’m so disappointed in his behavior with me. He may just be more of the same when he comes into power.”

She certainly hoped not. But she remembered the way Jistan was with his soldiers, and with Lary last night. “I have faith he’ll be a better emperor.”

“For the sake of the people in Casland, and maybe even beyond, I hope you’re right. Then again, maybe he needs someone to steer him onto the right path.” He lifted his spoon to her, then finished eating.

* * *

Three days later, they were traveling along a narrow road with a sloped stone outcropping on one side and thick forest on the other. Shai was near the middle of their procession, close to Jistan and Qiara, when those ahead came to a standstill. She tried to see what was going on up front by rising on her horse, but she couldn’t see anything.

Raz rode toward them from where he’d been leading. He pulled his horse next to Jistan’s. “Your Highness, there’s a fallen tree blocking the road.”

As the two of them discussed how to move the tree, Shai watched a red bird fly out of the forest, soaring above her head. Something was clutched in its talons, something that dropped and landed on her leg. She grabbed it before it slid to the ground, discovering it was a tiny scroll.

She unrolled the piece of parchment and saw one word scribbled messily across it:

AMBUSH

She furrowed her eyebrows, then understood. She looked to Jistan in alarm. “I think this is a trap!”

Jistan whipped around on his horse as an onslaught of magical attacks fired from the treetops to their right. Mancers must’ve been lying in wait, their clothing camouflaged so they could barely be seen among the foliage.

Shai lifted her hands, but doubted she could unmance all the magic before it hit anyone. Panic tightened her chest.

However, Jistan flung out both of his hands, stopping time with his power. The attacks froze midair, from flames to glowing orbs to giant icicles, and so did the mancers who’d fired them. Even a butterfly halted next to the prince’s face.

Shai released her breath. If those spells had hit, they probably would’ve killed at least a dozen soldiers. Maybe even herself or Jistan.

A few heartbeats later, the effect of rapid mana loss hit the prince, and he winced, swooning as vertigo swamped him. Shai was already scrambling down from her steed as he toppled off his. He would’ve fallen to the ground if she hadn’t been there. She grabbed him around the waist, putting his arm over her shoulders.

“I’ve got you.” She looked up at the frozen magic. “That was amazing, Jistan!”

“That’s the most magic I’ve ever stopped at one time,” he mumbled, his eyes shut tight as he grasped his forehead.

RDP soldiers attacked the enemy mancers while they were immobile. They fired arrows or spells to knock them out of the trees, either killing or knocking them unconscious.

“There’s more coming from the left!” Tivon warned.

Shai and Jistan turned toward the rock outcropping. Sure enough, enemy mancers had appeared over the ridge, firing various spells. A ball of fire flew into their party, knocking an RDP soldier off his horse and setting his uniform aflame. He fell to the dirt road, screaming in agony. Another mancer’s blast of dark magic had an RDP soldier clutching his throat as he struggled to breathe.

The horses whinnied and bucked. Soldiers started diving off the steeds and ducking for cover. Shai saw Qiara firing electric bolts at the enemy, at the same time grabbing Tivon and pulling him to safety.

“Can you walk?” Shai asked Jistan with concern.

He nodded, and she helped him hobble behind one of the wagons where the spells couldn’t reach them. Jistan grabbed a mana regeneration potion from his belt and popped the top off the vial before pouring the lime green liquid into his mouth.

Meanwhile, Shai raised her hands and undid the magic of each spell Jistan had frozen. However, there were still screams as horses panicked from the second onslaught, and wood splintered as wagons were hit. Most of the soldiers had taken cover too, firing spells and arrows back at the enemy.

Jistan was able to stand on his own now, and he unsheathed his sword, looking at Shai. “We’re taking too much magical fire. You ready to go out there and show them what you’re capable of?”

She nodded, but held up a finger as she took a potion from her belt too, draining it in one gulp before letting the vial shatter on the ground. The liquid had a bitter taste, but strength immediately flooded back into her limbs. “Ready.” She prepped her mana, the energy surging through her veins. She also considered pulling out her dirks, but she’d only just started training with them, so she wasn’t ready for close combat yet.

Besides, I’m not sure I’m ready to spill someone else’s blood. Which was ironic, as she was supposed to be a member of the deadliest gang of bandits in Valizea.

Jistan shouted orders to help the defenseless, like Tivon and the medimancers and the stewards, get to safety in the forest. Shai was glad to see his first priority was making sure his people were safe.

Then the prince led the charge around the wagon, while other soldiers came from their cover to help. Some enemy soldiers were close enough to engage in combat, so Jistan locked blades with a couple of them while freezing others.

Shai stayed by his side and twisted her hands into fists, taking away the magic of several mancers, unmancing their orbs and waves of magic. The other RDP mancers returned fire, knocking out several of the enemy. Aladia cast blades of dark magic. Leiam melted the scimitars of any enemies that came near him, while another RDP soldier dispatched them. Raz raised a wall of fire to block the advance of more foes.

A few enemies were able to get within their ranks, brandishing their weapons when Shai took away their magic. One such soldier charged her from behind, raising a scimitar. Shai gasped when she spotted him, unable to get her dirks out in time.

But Qiara appeared, and she cast a sphere of electricity into the enemy’s chest. He jerked, writhing from the bolts wracking through his body. After a few heartbeats, he collapsed.

Shai glanced at her friend, relief flooding through her. “Thanks. You saved my life.”

Qiara smirked. “Does this make us even from when you got tossed into the dungeon with me?”

Shai’s face split into a smile. “Maybe.”

The two of them looked around for more enemies, but Shai realized the rest were retreating. She kept her hands raised, ready to unmance more magical attacks just in case, but none came. She and Qiara traded confused looks.

“That was a sad ambush,” the electromancer said. “Guess we were too much for them.”

But no. When Shai looked up again, a lone enemy mancer appeared over the ridge of the outcropping. It was a fair-skinned woman with blond hair who wore an indigo robe displaying a moon-and-sun sigil.

Indigo. The color of an unmancer.

Shai and the woman recognized what the other was at the same time. Shai’s breath caught in her throat. After pausing for a heartbeat, both of them raised their hands at the same time, firing a blast of magic at each other, like a quick draw match.

And Shai wasn’t fast enough. Her mana evaporated out of her body, leaving an empty chill in her bones. The feeling was so foreign that she just stared at her hands for a moment.

She could no longer use her magic. She couldn’t protect her friends.

The enemy unmancer smirked as her fellow soldiers charged forward anew.