If the House of Earth had already been infiltrated, who would be next? Was that what the cantrips were truly intended for? If they were designed to silently kill, like the ones which had taken out the jailor and guard at the House of Fire, then snagging those cantrips would solve the murders and remove the heat from Tay in one fell swoop.
My gaze picked out the outline of the fire sprite nearby, hovering above my head.
“Dex,” I whispered. “Do something to distract them.”
“What kind of diversion?” he muttered back. “Loud enough to alert the other Houses?”
“Not sure they’re paying attention,” I whispered. “Go on, throw a couple of fireballs behind their heads so the mages think it’s the House of Fire.”
Chance would be a fine thing, but if I couldn’t stop all the traitors in the House of Earth at once, I could at least make their life difficult by taking their illegal cantrips off their hands.
At a snap of Dex’s fingers, sparks flew out and coalesced into a flame which shot over the mages’ heads.
The two mages exclaimed in surprise, and the box of cantrips fell to the ground. Another fireball shot from Dex’s hands, causing the mages to dive to either side to avoid being hit. I darted forwards and grabbed the box in my hands, dragging it into the shadow of a nearby alleyway.
“Hey!” one of the men shouted. “Who’s out there?”
“Quiet,” hissed his friend. “We can’t have the other Houses hearing. Go on, you get the box back.”
I lifted the box’s flap, and a single glance inside confirmed my worst guesses. The cantrips within all bore the mark of the Family.
Another fireball soared overhead, and one of the men flung himself around the corner, cursing. The second guy, however, took a step back and disappeared below the earth. An instant later, he surfaced directly in front of me, hands grabbing the box and drawing both of us downwards into the ground. Shit, I forgot earth magic could do that.
I clung to the box, suddenly submerged to my waist in the earth. He might not be able to see me, but I was stuck, unable to stop him from wrestling the box out of my grip.
“Who are you?” hissed the mage. “Show your face.”
I lunged forwards and tugged at the box, but he held on fast. The sound of pounding footsteps reached my ears. More mages had come out of the House of Earth, hearing the ruckus.
Abandon ship!
I let the box go and scrabbled to get back to the surface before I ended up being dragged even deeper underground. Seven, eight mages ran out of the building. Too many to take on alone, not when I couldn’t see Miles or Shelley anywhere.
“Where’s that fire mage?” one of them shouted. “Hey!”
Sparks flew, and the smell of flames singed my ears. Silently thanking Dex for keeping them occupied, I got my feet back on solid ground and sprinted down the street, heading for the House of Fire. I didn’t believe they’d help me out even in a dire situation like this, but if I got their attention before the earth mages got that box of theirs out of sight, they wouldn’t be able to deny they were carrying illegal cantrips.
The door to the House of Fire was locked, but I hammered on it with my fist, turning off the invisibility cantrip as Harris’s irate face appeared in the gap between door and wall. “You again?”
“There’s mages breaking the law back here.” I jabbed a finger wildly over my shoulder. “Members of the House of Earth are carrying illegal cantrips marked with the Family’s signature.”
“What are you doing here?” he said. “No bullshit.”
“I told you,” I said, “the House of Earth’s mages are buying up illegal cantrips, but when I tried to get the box off them, they brought out half the House’s security. I think the whole House is in on it.”
“Fuck off,” he said. “You think I’ll believe a word you say?”
“It’s true,” I said, irked. “Look, they’re right over there.”
He looked where I pointed, but of course, it was too dark to see anyone. As I attempted to wedge my foot in the door, he gave me a shove off the doorstep. “Go away.”
Seriously? I backed away from the House of Fire and fumbled for my cantrip to turn invisible again, determined to physically drag one of the earth mages here if that’s what it took.
Then I heard a familiar squawking noise in the shadows. Oh, hell.
“Miles?” I hissed. “Please tell me you didn’t leave that chicken unattended.”
“Bria?” said Miles’s voice. “Damn. Thought you were fighting those earth mages.”
“They brought out their House’s security,” I said. “The House of Fire didn’t believe me, but if they end up getting taken over from the inside, they can’t say I didn’t try to warn them.”
“Want me to release the chicken on them?” said Miles.
“Tempting.” I tensed as the ground trembled underfoot. “Shit. I think some of those mages are still underground.”
Were they coming after the House of Fire? If so… we were standing right here.
“Miles,” hissed Shelley. “Get over here. Both of you.”
The ground exploded as two mages surfaced at once, narrowly missing both of us. Glowing cantrips flared in their hands. Infernos.
“Run!” I shouted over my shoulder. We pelted down the road, and Dex zipped overhead, his own fire a warning signal before the inferno rippled through the air. The entire area in front of the House of Fire went up in flames, heat searing my back and feet. I kept running, not daring to look over my shoulder.
Holy shit. They’d been aiming right for the House of Fire, and even fire mages couldn’t stand up to those flames.
“This way!” Miles’s voice sounded. I sprinted onward, my hands flickering in and out of sight. Great. As if
