Shadow Assassins (The Second Realm Trilogy) (19 page)

Moonriver Academy for the Supernaturally Gifted was under attack.

It had started out with a battalion of Emeralde's knights. They had demanded a peaceful surrender so they could conduct their business. There had been protests from the faculty and students alike, as each demanded to know what their business was or why they wanted to arrest those with magical powers. The entire school was a hotbed of magical activity.

When it was clear that there would be no cooperation from the school until questions had been answered, the knights took it upon themselves to attack. Mass confusion followed as the students were ushered into several safe zones by the hurried, panicked faculty. There were protective barriers set up but it looked like sheer will and determination had Emeralde's knights pushing through them. In truth, there had been no time to set up a proper defense, as the school had been instructed to do in times of an attack. There were all sorts of barriers and protection spells that could have been raised but there had been no time so what was done had been done in a hurry. It would have to make due.

Dante, Dimitri and Moonshadow had found each other in the mass of students. The black wolf stood by his human, his fur raised. He growled low from bared teeth.

“Looks like the knights finally spread out from where they normally attack,” Dante said, fear flickering beneath the visible anger. “Aren't we just lucky?”

“What are we going to do?” Dimitri asked, visibly panicking.

“Keep the others safe, and hope that we can survive this.”

Not the greatest option, but it would have to do.



“No!”

The cry escaped Evangeline as she and Marco emerged from the forest to Moonriver's front gate. The school was clearly under attack. Emeralde's knights were being held off by what looked like bubbles of light, but they were fighting and winning the assault. After they breached the bubble of light, they would have easy access to the school.

“Shit, we have to move,” Marco said, breathless.

The horses were already exhausted but they pushed them harder, continuing to run towards the nights. Evangeline's eyes were glowing red and before Marco even realized she was transforming, she was sent skyward, her mismatched wings making her airborne. Confused, her horse continued to run, until it realized it no longer had a rider.

Marco cursed when he saw the streak of red that was his friend head right for the knights. He stopped his horse at the gate and concentrated on his magic. Around him, knights suddenly had trouble as their armor came undone and loosened from their bodies. Arrows that archers carried were suddenly airborne to attack the vulnerable knights whose armor had decided to disobey. Swords suddenly grew heavier, daggers turned on their wielders. The chaos that Marco could cause with his magic might have been limited, but it was enough to pause the attack.

A tiger's roar alerted him to Kaleb's presence. A full grown male tiger was barreling through the ranks, taking advantage of the mess Marco had made among the knights' armor. Adding to the chaos was
Evangeline, whose demonic side had come out to play. She ripped through more knights, eviscerating them as if they were pesky bugs.

With all the damage the three Shadow Assassins were doing, there were still dozens of knights slipping through the cracks. The barrier of light shattered in an astounding fireworks display, blinding the first line of knights. More knights climbed over them or shoved them aside as they made their way towards the great doors at the front of the school. They had fashioned a battering ram from a fallen tree and were attempting to break the doors down.

Marco saw all too clearly what was going to happen once they had broken into the school. With sickening clarity, he saw bodies of the students he had seen in the short time he had been here, their friends mourning before they too met the same fate. These kids were still learning the limits of their magic – they weren't able to fight with it yet.

With a horrible sound, the battering ram broke through the door. Screaming followed as the knights were carried inside the school with the force of their momentum. Another sound followed – water, torrents of water summoned from the magic itself to push the knights back. As some of the knights were pushed right back out the door, Marco saw a wall of water and the mage who had built it. A moment later and Kaleb had thrown himself in the water, shifting from a great cat to a deadly shark. Whoever was still in the water got a nasty surprise.

Marco glanced around, thinking that maybe this was enough, maybe they could stop the assault this way. A bunch of knights versus a school full of magic users? It looked as though they could tip the scales as the victor–

Until he caught sight of the horizon.

Looking back over towards the forest he and Evangeline had come out of, he froze. A second wave of knights were marching towards the school, some on horseback, some on foot. Those on foot carried ladders or drove a strange mix of ox and horses. The strange party of animals drew up the rear, where they hauled a trebuchet right out of a history book. Marco glanced back at the first wave of knights, who had only come armed with swords and arrows, then back at the second wave, who seemed ready for a siege. The second wave of knights seemed much more prepared to invade a castle.

Well
shit
. This evened things out horribly well in favor of the knights.



Dante was itching to let loose and give these knights a taste of what powers she had. Instead, she was ushered back by a flood of student bodies, pushed into an area the teachers had corralled most of the students into. There were areas like this all over the school, where the teachers would erect a giant barrier of light or whatever they could, depending on their powers. Not fair. Dante knew she could take out these knights herself, if given the chance.

She saw Dirk nearby, talking to a teacher. He was only a vampire, not a mage or anything that had powers to fight, so he was mostly keeping track of students. Perfect.

As she called out to him, his expression was stressed, but expectant.

“Let me fight,” she pleaded, “You
know
I have formidable power. I can take these knights on!”

He sighed heavily. “What you can do when you sneak off of school grounds and what you can do now are two separate things. Stay back.”

“But I have the power and the raw strength!”

“
Enough
, Dante,” he snapped. “The staff has enough to deal with. If we let you fight, we have to let the rest of the school fight too. You know how it is.”

She glared at him, knowing he was right about that.

“Besides, from the sound of it outside, it sounds as though your twin has things covered.”

Her twin! Dante tried not to let the anger show. Her twin had been invited into this realm, where she could be used for her powers. Not like Dante, a student who was under her care. They had the
same powers and strength, more or less, so why couldn't she fight with her? Two angel-demon hybrids were even more terrifying than one.

Before she could argue anymore, there was a huge explosion. Gunpowder was almost completely unheard of in the Second Realm, rumored to be on one of the other rumored continents outside of Aurialis but that wasn't what had exploded. A big chunk of the wall had burst in from the outside. A large chunk of rock the size of a horse cracked the marble floor as the obvious culprit. Screams echoed through the main entrance of the school as another explosion sounded and another chunk of wall crumbled inward.

“What's going on?” one of the students cried among the others.

“They're destroying the school!” one of the teachers gasped.

As more boulders penetrated the school walls, chaos broke out. The teaching staff was no longer able to contain the students, as they tried to get out of the way of falling debris. The shiny metal armor of Emeralde's knights became visible as they mounted ladders against the giant, gaping wounds in the school, prepared to infiltrate.

To hell with this.
Dante wasn't about to let them invade her school while she sat around idly. Around her, her fellow students gathered up what powers they had and knew how to use. The Immortals summoned their energy weapons while the mages called upon their powers. Like she was going to let them fight alone?

“Dante,” Dirk said in warning.

Sorry, Dirk, but I don't answer to you anymore.

That was the last thought that flitted through her mind as she let her demonic side come out.

The journey across the desert was one Kaydee wouldn't forget. When compared to the Blood Coliseum's events, it was like a dull day at the library, but in her everyday life, she would always remember the scorching heat and endless stretch of cracked ground.

For the most part, Atrimalous was silent but Leta made for a good companion. When the desert wind wasn't howling at them, the ice mage filled Kaydee in on what the Isle Dark was like, especially when compared to the main continent, Aurialis. From what Leta had told her, the Isle Dark wasn't a pleasant place to be, aside from Siiati. The “sea witch colony,” as it was called, was filled with mages trying to get back to the main continent.

“I don't try to escape, though,” Leta said, amusement in her voice. “There are a lot of good people there.”

At that, Atrimalous gave a derisive laugh. “It's a colony of desperation.”

“For those who are from Aurialis,” she shot back. “
I
, however, was born there.”

Conversation dwindled until they crossed from the desert into a small, mostly barren plain. Tall grass stood at chest-height to their horses. They stopped and let the horses rest when they came to a river, then set off again right through the running water. The ground was rising up under them, elevating on an uneven slope that would have been impossible to navigate if they hadn't been on a well-worn
trail. The dirt road before them had been carved by many feet and hooves, leading them into the mountain peaks that Leta had told Kaydee about earlier. The Ice Dragon Mountains were supposedly the only place on the Isle Dark where dragons resided; the rest were among the Aeriad dragon rider territory and an island preserve between the continent Aurialis and the Isle Dark.

The horses stopped again at a tunnel carved straight through the mountain.

“Through this tunnel and we'll be in Siiati,” Leta said. She sounded relieved and exhausted.

They made their way through the dimly-lit tunnel. Torches lit up either side of them, outlining more dirt road and discarded items. A broken lantern littered the ground along with the remains of a dirty, torn horse halter. There was the scurrying sound of rats but no one could see them.

In a more hushed voice, Leta explained that this tunnel had been carved out of a cave that had been discovered. That way, instead of having to go up and down the mountain range, travelers could just go through the mountains and be done with it. It had apparently taken a lot of magic to carve out the tunnel as it was today.

Kaydee couldn't help but think of the highways and bridges that existed back home. How easy it was to travel back in the First Realm! It was a thought she had never really taken the time to mull over before, but now, without the wide highways that cut traveling times in half from one city to another, it was something she did appreciate now. She tried to imagine highways sprouting between the barbaric Govoya and Siiati and couldn't make the image appear accurate. It was just so out of place.

They emerged from the tunnel shortly after and squinted in the sunlight. They were at such an elevated vantage point that they could see the village below. Leta announced Siiati with affection. Kaydee took in the stone houses and simple city roads. There was a beauty about Siiati that was comforting. Nearby, the sea crashed against cliff sides that led to a deadly fall into the awaiting water.

First, they stopped at Leta's house. It was charmingly rustic, with a small garden full of roses at the front. They unloaded the horses,
then walked them to a hut with a stable attached. Leta returned their worn and exhausted horses. The owner of the two horses was surprised that the animals hadn't died from exhaustion, but Leta nervously assured him that they had been well cared for.

With that, they traveled up the cliff side by foot. Kaydee thought that they should have taken the horses, but she kept that complaint to herself. It was clear that the horses weren't Leta's after all, so it might have been strange to see borrowed animals and their riders in the city without even saying hello to their proper owners.

Once they had made it to the seer's house, Kaydee was exhausted. She collapsed on a hip-high rock, letting it take her weight as she caught her breath. Leta, meanwhile, had made her way to the seer's front door.

“You need my help again, Leta Gerard?” the woman asked.

Kaydee saw the old woman and was instantly on alert. This woman poured power from her body in the same way a woman might wear a perfume.

The woman approached her, aided by a cane. “You are the one he was looking for, Kaydee DuPont, of the First Realm.”

“Yes,” Kaydee breathed, shocked at the flow of information.

Leta caught her eye and smiled slightly.

“Why don't we come into my house for a cup of tea?”



The second experience with the old seer wasn't any less stressful for Atrimalous. He avoided talking to her, putting the focus on Kaydee instead. He didn't mind paying, as long as she got the information she needed.

What the seer was saying didn't get rid of any of that stress.

“War is coming...it is coming! Your friends are in grave danger, Kaydee of the First Realm. They are in battle at Moonriver Academy for the Supernaturally Gifted. So many frightened souls. Many will die. Your friends need your help, but to go is to risk your own life.”

Kaydee was visibly frightened, but she said she was ready to risk herself for them. She asked how to get to Moonriver and Atrimalous cursed inwardly. Moonriver was on Aurialis, on the wrong continent.

“The fastest way to go is to fly. Seek the dragon rider living deep within the Ice Dragon Mountains. He is known as James the Exiled. He will help.”

“Who?”
Kaydee asked, confused.

The name got the attention of Atrimalous. It was impossible that he had just heard the seer correctly. James the Exiled was someone he knew, someone he had lost contact with years ago.

“Are you sure of this man, seer?” he asked.

The seer looked disgusted, as if he had disrespected her horribly.
“If you doubt me, you can leave.”

She couldn't have given him a more blatant dismissal if he had asked for it. Still, grudgingly, he paid her for her services and exited the hut with the two women he traveled with.

“I have to travel into the mountains?” Kaydee asked doubtfully.

Leta frowned. “That mountain range is huge to travel through. What kind of hermit lives up there?”

He approached them. “I know who he is. I can take us there.”

“Do you even know
how
to get there?”

He turned away from them and threw the hood of his cloak back up. “I have ways of finding him. Dress warm though; it's cold up there and we have to go by foot.”

Kaydee glanced back in the direction of the mountains and wanted to cry. More traveling to be done.



Leta was a woman who knew how to pack. They had returned to her house so she could pack provisions. Atrimalous was itching to get on the road. Kaydee could see impatience roiling of him like steam but Leta wouldn't budge, insisting that Kaydee wasn't used to life on the harsh road and would need to be cared for. Even when Kaydee tried disagreeing with her, Leta would hear none of it and instead went back to sweeping through her small hut for various items.

What surprised Kaydee the most was the emergence of a full-length fur coat straight out of the 1940s. Leta explained with great pride that her mother had been an illegal fur trader between here and the First Realm, which was why she had been banished to the Isle Dark in the first place. Clothing was some of the most smuggled contraband into the Second Realm. Harmless as clothing sounded, Leta explained that the Law of Absolute Separation stated that the First and Second Realms would have no connections to each other in terms of culture, technology and other items, but clothing was always smuggled through.

Kaydee was first slipped into a fur-lined cloak that Leta owned, before she tried the jacket on. It was a surprisingly nice fit. She was uncomfortable about wearing the mink at first, but Leta explained that up in the mountains, it would be snowing and she needed all the warmth she could get. Kaydee longed for down-feather jackets and gloves, but made do with what she was given. Last to go on were fleece-lined leather gloves, again smuggled in from the First Realm.

Leta carried what she called her
black hole bag
, explaining that it had been bewitched to be practically bottomless. In reality, it was a leather purse that looked similar to what modern women in the First Realm carried. Inside the bag went enough food and water to keep them sustained through their mountain travel, plus a few lanterns and some flint for fire-making, should they need it. Finally, dressed warmly enough for travel, the women were ready. When offered something warm, Atrimalous turned it down.

“I won't need it,” was his simple explanation.

Behind his back, Kaydee tried not to laugh as Leta impersonated a tough man – her impression of Atrimalous.

The three set off as the sun sank beneath the horizon, into the mountains. There weren't many villagers out, so there weren't many people to question three people traveling towards the mountains in a strange assortment of clothing, or lack thereof. Once they came to the
tunnel, Atrimalous lit one of the lanterns Leta had packed, one that dangled off of a walking stick. He didn't need the flint, summoning fire right out of his hand. When Kaydee questioned if he was a mage, he didn't give a direct reply, instead, gravely replying that he had powers of some sort.

Leta had been
right, this was a man of few words.

They left the tunnel behind as they climbed to a less-traveled and barely visible dirt road nearby. The winding pathway led into the mountains and as Kaydee stared up at it, she sighed heavily. This would be a long night, with a long, hard climb ahead of her. Hopefully, finding this James the Exiled wouldn't be difficult. She just hoped that Atrimalous knew where he was going.