Pagiel’s goal. I was still a gray area for Pagiel, but he knew with black-and-white certainty that Kiyo was a threat. I could’ve counteracted the magic but was struck with a dilemma: Should I? After all the problems Kiyo had caused, wouldn’t it be better to be rid of him? And wasn’t it Pagiel’s right to defend himself against an assassin?
I had once loved Kiyo and had a connection to him. That was a hard thing to overcome, but I daresay he’d done plenty to make it possible.
These thoughts flashed through my mind in the blink of an eye. Before I could act, Pagiel fell to the ground, eyes wide. The magic supporting mine abruptly stopped. Pagiel clasped his neck, gasping for air. For a moment, all I could think was that air magic was suffocating him ... except, there was no one who could wield it here except me and him.
“Pagiel!” Jasmine hurried to his side, where he was twitching and flailing on the ground. Still keeping my hold on Kiyo, I joined her and fell to my knees. Pagiel was no longer making a sound, which was a bad sign. He was clearly still desperate for breath, and I could see now that his face and throat were swelling, like some sort of anaphylactic shock.
I tried to steady him, frantically wondering what I could do. But I possessed no healing magic, no modern EpiPen. His face was turning a weird purplish-pinkish color, and I knew we were losing him.
“Dorian?” I asked. He had joined us and looked down at Pagiel, anguish all over his face.
“This is beyond me,” said Dorian. He lifted his head and gazed around the clearing. “There’s someone else here.” He got back on his feet and began to make the ground ripple and shake, in the hopes of scaring out whomever we couldn’t see.
But despite his efforts, it was a little too late. Pagiel had stopped struggling for air. Pagiel had stopped struggling altogether.
Storm King’s heir was dead.
Chapter 27
“No!” screamed Jasmine. Tears ran down her face as she shook him. “Can’t we do CPR or something? Use the air! Give him some!”
I stared mournfully down at the boy. His face and neck were so swollen now that I knew there was no way I could force air into him, not when all the passages leading to his lungs were so blocked. I couldn’t control the body.
A smooth voice suddenly came from the woods. “I’m right here, Dorian. You might as well stop with the showmanship.”
Maiwenn appeared, gliding forward in a silvery blue dress that seemed out of place in this scene. Her golden hair cascaded down her back, and she looked like the California girl I always thought of her as. Dorian did stop the earthquake, but I could tell from his rigid stance that he held his magic at the ready. She released a tree she’d been holding onto.
“How did you do that?” I asked. “Your magic ... it’s healing magic.”
She gave a small shrug. “It’s all part of the same system. My magic understands the way the body works. It’s as easy to hurt as to heal.”
I was appalled at how casually she could speak about it after what she had done. Dorian had no such qualms. “Will it be easy,” he asked quietly, “to sleep at night knowing you’ve killed an innocent boy?”
“There was nothing innocent about him,” Maiwenn replied bluntly. “I’ve saved both of our worlds a great deal of trouble. You should be grateful. Now, if you’ll release Kiyo, I’d be much obliged. I’d like to be on our way.”
“Grateful?” I hissed. “
In an instant, I pulled the charges in the air together and created a bolt of lightning to send straight toward Maiwenn. Just before I released it, I heard Jasmine scream behind me. I had no idea what had happened, but I was just able to barely divert the lightning in time so that it struck a tree inches from Maiwenn instead. Thunder cracked deafeningly around us, and the tree exploded in a spectacular show of fire and wood. My ears hurt, and Maiwenn’s were probably bleeding from the noise.
I immediately turned toward Jasmine and saw her writhing on the ground. Her face was contorted in pain. “It’s like ... pins and needles ... like my body’s on fire... .”
“Damn it!” I glared at Maiwenn. Dark clouds rebuilt up above, and the wind swirled restlessly around us. The elements answered my anger. “I should’ve let it hit you! Let her go.”
“No. You were actually wise to spare me,” Maiwenn said. “I’ve already worked the spell. Her body’s right on the edge of tearing itself apart. Only my control right now keeps it in check. Kill me, and the spell will seize hold with nothing to stop it.”
“Damn it,” said Jasmine through clenched teeth. “Why ... am I ... always ... the hostage?” I watched her worriedly, but thus far, the spell mostly seemed about pain. She didn’t seem in danger of dying as Pagiel had just done—yet.
“Now,” continued Maiwenn. “Please don’t make me ask again. Free Kiyo.”
Without Pagiel’s added pressure, Kiyo had simply been trapped in my misty whirlwind. Inconvenient, but not lethal. Angry and frustrated—but out of options—I let him go. He was still in giant fox form, his fur soaked in water. His eyes assessed the situation quickly, and then he trotted over to Maiwenn’s side. She rested a hand on his head. He stayed in fox form, and I knew from past experience that the larger the fox, the longer it would take him to switch back.
“We’re going to leave now,” said Maiwenn. “I can hold on to the spell a fair distance and will nullify it once I feel secure. If I see any sign of you following me before then, I’ll release what’s holding it back. The only good thing that will happen then is that she’ll die quickly.”
“When did you become such a monster?” I demanded. It was hard to believe she and I had once been friends and allies. “
“What will you do?” she asked, with an amusement that made me want to rip her hair out. “Declare war on my kingdom?”
“I certainly could,” said Dorian coldly. “You’ve killed one of my subjects within my borders. That’s certainly an act of war by most people’s standards. In fact, you sent a force of armed men on my land just hours ago.”
“Perhaps,” she agreed. “But are either of you ready to plunge yourselves into war again? None of us have the resources for that, not after the blight. And I doubt you’ll find many allies, not even from those who supported the prophecy. Pagiel thankfully hadn’t established himself enough for anyone to pursue revenge on his part.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said. Around us, the air burned with the rising storm that had responded to my emotions. “There’s one person who would do it right now.”
“Two,” said Dorian.
“Three,” gasped Jasmine.
Maiwenn smiled again. “As you wish.” She began to back up, Kiyo at her side. “Remember—any sign that we’re followed, and she dies.”
The two disappeared into the trees. I caught hold of Jasmine’s hand and gave her as reassuring a smile as I could manage. “It’ll be over soon.” I glanced up at Dorian, and my smile disappeared. “She was bluffing, right? Her range can’t be that far. We can go after her once she releases Jasmine.
Dorian brushed some hair out of his face. He looked weary. “No, but I think she’ll avoid another kill if she can. She had some brave words about how killing Pagiel was nothing, but she knows each offense carries consequences.”
“Pagiel ...” I murmured.
I looked over at where he lay near Jasmine and felt a sickening sensation in my stomach. I reached out and closed his eyes, then ran a finger over his cheek. It wasn’t fair what she’d done to him. None of this was fair. He was technically older than me in human years, but for all intents and purposes, so much younger. Young and so full of potential. He’d been thrust into a fate he hadn’t asked for, confused by what he wanted and what others expected of him. He’d been killed because of words spoken long before he was born, and now all the wonders he
