Sebastian and the Eldai followed the tracks Naidini's tiger paws left on the forest floor. To avoid being tracked themselves, Jorgen instructed one of his soldiers to cast a masking charm over their footprints.
It was a shoddy charm job by the solider, but it would have to do. Had Remy cast it, no one would have ever known they set foot in the forest. The kid couldn't fight to save his life, but he was incredibly gifted at deception magic. Sebastian figured it was because House Lumai's central discipline was light magic— which was a prerequisite for crafting illusions.
Sebastian furrowed his brow. He hoped his friends were alright. The Order of the Black Lotus was everywhere and he wasn't ruling out another surprise attack by the Shades. He and the Eldai may have won their little skirmish in the woods, but he knew that wouldn't be the end of it.
Not by a longshot.
Sebastian glanced below him, watching as leaves climbed over his footprints like ants raiding an animal's carcass. He could still make out the shape of his shoe, but it was enough to throw off their enemy's scent.
"There really is a spell for everything," he said, mostly to himself. He had no idea how Ordinaires managed without it.
"The Ordinaires have their technology and Swiss army knives. We have magic," Jorgen said from the front of the group. "And magic is the greatest tool of them all."
Sebastian nodded slowly. The comparison between magic and the handy multi-tool had never passed through his mind before.
When he was still in academy as a youth, his professors explained how magic was simply energy stored within one's body; that energy could be manipulated, shaped, and dispersed outwardly in various forms. Those forms often manifested into spells and charms. Others allowed people to change their appearance or alter the minds of others.
If one looked hard enough, there truly was a spell for everything.
After twenty minutes of trekking through the woods outside of Vashara, the group arrived in a new section of the hidden city. The trees shifted from proud and towering to stubby and haunting. Their branches teased the earth, their leaves painted blood red.
Sebastian shivered. The air around him chilled him to the bone.
"Where in Mauvorin's abyss are we?"
"I...don't know," Jorgen replied. Squinting, he summoned his vayrir and continued forward cautiously. Everyone behind him did the same.
The farther they traveled into the thick of the eerie forest, the more unsettled Sebastian got. Cracked and faded statues rose from the grass, half-heartedly guarding the shady meadow. The odd bench lined the cobblestone path they found themselves treading along.
Ahead of them stood a stone temple. It rose from the ground and presented itself as an ancient monolith. Despite the crumbling structure and the vines wrapped around the pillars struggling to hold it up, a sense of strength and honor radiated from it. There was a rich history to the building.
Sebastian had the odd urge to bow before it.
As he got closer, he spotted large, brass heads of different animals lining the foundation. He saw a tiger, a lion, a jaguar, a gorilla, and a few others. He arched an eyebrow as he passed them by.
Then it hit him.
The Animagi...
The temple belonged to the legendary shape-shifting warriors who protected House Oseda. Naidini had sought out her old training ground for refuge from the Order.
Sebastian frowned. Nuri had said something about retrieving a rulebook from the temple when he challenged his chieftain. If he knew where the temple was, then they wouldn't be safe there. At the same time, he may have expected her to hide somewhere else.
It was either a brilliant idea from the woman or a disastrous one.
He supposed only time would tell.
As Sebastian clambered up the steps, entering the shadowy, rundown temple, he couldn't help but imagine the Animagi in their prime. He remembered learning about them in his history courses. There were seven of them, oftentimes including the chieftain of House Oseda. At a certain age, they passed their abilities onto a new steward.
He wondered where the others, besides Naidini and Nuri were. Had they taken sides amid the civil war in their city? Or perhaps they remained neutral. For their sake, he hoped the rest of the Animagi were on their side.
"I can't see a thing in here," someone grumbled through the darkness.
Sebastian had to agree. Barely any light made its way inside. Dust lingered in the air, tickling his throat with every breath he took. Above him, cobwebs hung desperately to the splintering rafters stretching across the ceiling.
"Naidini?" Jorgen bellowed. His voice traveled down the winding corridor ahead of the group.
No one answered the man's call.
Sebastian facepalmed.
We don't even know if she's in here. He's just given away our location.
Panic settled in and he held his hand open, letting the faint violet light pulsing from his palm illuminate the small space around him.
A series of footsteps sounded around them. Sebastian clenched his jaw and squinted in the direction of the sound. Beside him, he felt the Eldai tense at the noise. They gripped their weapons tightly with uneasy expressions on their faces.
"Jeez, calm down, will you? It's just us."
An audible sigh of relief left Sebastian's lips.
It was Remy.
The boy snapped his fingers and shouted, "Illumineris maxim!"
Light exploded in the room. Tiny, glowing balls moved across the temple and settled in the corners. Remy stood before the group of Eldai with a proud smile on his face. "I've never had the chance to use that spell before."
Ajax stood behind him. The girls were nowhere to be found.
Sebastian's heart stopped.
"Where's everyone else?"
"Chieftain Nadini and Siren are dressing Imogen's wounds," Ajax explained. "You can find the room down the hall."
Without a word, Sebastian took off running for the room.
⟐⟐⟐
Sebastian found himself watching over Imogen's sleeping figure in the temple's abandoned infirmary. When he first arrived, he found Siren cleansing her wound with water from a bowl while a conflicted-looking Naidini stood beneath the doorway.
Once Siren finished tending to Imogen's injury, she and Naidini left Sebastian to watch over her.
As he stared at her still face, he realized just how much he cared about her. For the entire duration of their stay in Vashara, he had been looking out for her, trying to keep her safe. But why should he care about an Ordinaire's life? In truth, she shouldn't have even been there. She should have been in Montreal where they found her.
But he had gotten used to her company. And her smart-mouth.
He wouldn't be able to live with himself if someone else he cared deeply about got hurt—or worse. When he was a child, he failed to protect his mother. Weeks ago, he failed to keep Makaela from the clutches of his father.
He wouldn't let Imogen down.
As he sat in the rickety chair next to the makeshift bed she laid on, he cradled his head in his hands.
Why did I have to bring us here?
He wished he never begged Jorgen to send a squad to Vashara. It was the worst possible thing they could've done, especially after Thorian and his forces had already infiltrated the city.
At the same time, they couldn't let Thorian acquire yet another Eldenarian artifact. He already had his Obsucrio, House Brynjir's sword, Makaela's Illumio, House Aegeon's gauntlet, and House Doragon's spear. The only remaining items for him to collect were Naidini's amulet and House Vaya's artifact.
He was almost finished with his quest.
Yet, Sebastian still had no clue what he was planning on doing with all the artifacts should he obtain them all. He knew they possessed great power, especially when paired together, but what was the end goal?
The vision he experienced when he nearly died in Thania exploded into his mind like a hot brand touching water.
"Perhaps you've been sent here to assist your father and I on our mission."
Confused, Sebastian knit his brows together. He still had no clue what those words meant. Was his father truly working with Mauvorin, or was it just another trick from the spirit of the dead?
For years, Thorian spoke of the game; a world where magicians were put back on top of the world. But was that truly his goal?
He wasn't sure.
But he had a feeling the answer would reveal itself soon.
Rubbing his forehead, he stole a glance at Imogen. She was still asleep. Her chest rose and fell with every labored breath she took. Her once bronze complexion had been drained of its color a bit, no doubt caused by the spell that hit her shoulder. A bandage had been wrapped around the affected area.
Sebastian hopped Siren's healing methods would be enough to help.
A soft moan escaped Imogen's lips as she shifted in her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open. Sebastian scooted his chair closer to her bed. A concerned expression adorned his sharp features. Blinking rapidly, she sat up and rubbed her temple.
"Where am I?" she croaked. As she tried to get out of the bed, she winced and grabbed her shoulder. "Goddammit."
Sebastian urged her to lay back down. With an irritated huff, she obliged.
"We're in the Animagi temple," he told her. "Naidini brought us here."
"Animagi temple..." She frowned. "Nuri knows where this place is."
He nodded. "I know."
"So...what are we doing here?"
"You're asking the wrong person."
She sighed. "What are we going to do?"
Pressing his lips into a thin line, he considered a response. He wasn't sure what their next plan of action was. But he did know that they needed to get out of Vashara as quickly as possible. With what happened at the duel, he wondered if Jorgen would be more privy to a retreat.
"No clue," he finally said. "You just need to worry about feeling better."
She smiled at him, her cheeks tinged red. "Oh, so you do care."
Snorting, he crossed his arms and looked away. "Who said I care? Pfft, no. What gave you that idea?"
"Oh, cut the act, Sebastian. It's okay. I know you wouldn't be able to live without me."
His face fell.
Was she right?
Imogen sat up and inched closer to him. She placed a hand on his arm. "Hey, I was just joking, Seb."
"Yeah, I know." He rubbed the back of his reddening neck. "I've just...got a lot on my mind right now, you know?"
She nodded. "Yeah...yeah, of course."
He turned toward her and instantly lost himself in her hazel eyes. They were warm like the hot chocolate his mother made on those frostbitten days in their castle in Romania. He could smell it now—the rich scent of chocolate and hazelnuts. The hot mug warmed his hands and brought the life back to his body.
A smile lingered on his lips as he stared at her.
She smiled back at him. The two of them slowly found themselves moving closer together. Their lips were just inches apart. Their hands grazed each other. With his eyes half-lidded, Sebastian tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her cute, almost elf-like ears.
Imogen looked up at him, her breaths slow and ragged.
"Sebastian..."
He was drawn to her full, pink lips. Despite having fought a battle in a muggy forest, she still smelled heavenly—like jasmine tea and flowers.
As he leaned in closer, someone at the door cleared their throat. He immediately broke away from her, nearly toppling over in the old chair he sat in. With his face burning with the force of an incendis spell, he cast a razor-sharp glare at the interrupter.
Of course.
Standing at the door was Remy. The boy hid his huge grin poorly by covering his mouth with his hand. His other hand pulled at his light brown curls.
"Sorry to interrupt but..."
"What do you want, Rem?"
"Er...Jorgen called a meeting."
Sebastian and Imogen shared an apprehensive glance before turning their attention back toward the boy.
"What's the meeting for?" Imogen inquired.
"Our next steps," Remy said. He faced Sebastian. "Looks like you're getting your wish, Seb. We're retreating."
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