Subterfuge: Academy of Ancients, #14

By Avery Cross

Wren Winters had barely survived an attack that decimated her team, leaving her the sole survivor, haunted by guilt and unresolved rage. Her every step at the Academy was shadowed by memories of screams and loss, an echo of darkness that clung desperately to her soul. In this charged atmosphere, she crossed paths with Seth Paulson, a student tormented by prophetic visions of doom and despair. Their fates intertwined, bound by fate and the inescapable shadows of their pasts. Together, they navigated a labyrinth of supernatural threats and hidden enemies, each revelation drawing them closer to a world-shattering truth.

 

Seth, burdened with the gift of foresight, saw flashes of impending peril that threatened to unravel the very fabric of their lives. His visions, dark and foreboding, often showed Wren at the center of chaos, her fierce spirit battling against the spectral shadows of her past. Together, Wren and Seth confronted their inner demons and the external forces aligned against them. They forged a bond that was tested by fire and shadow, a partnership that held the potential to either illuminate their path forward or plunge them deeper into darkness. Could they trust each other enough to lead one another out of the shadows, or were they destined to be consumed by the very darkness they fought against?

• Language: English
• Publisher: ACross
• Release date: Oct 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227989895

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Wren

Seth placed the coffee in front of me and sat beside me at the kitchen table. Steam rose from the hot liquid. The morning had come and gone at Jack and Nyala’s place. The sky was so overcast the overhead lights were on. It was well past one in the afternoon. Judging by the matching exhaustion evident on everyone’s faces, no one had slept. I hadn’t heard anyone stir until half past ten. Even then, I hadn’t been able to drag myself out of bed until Nyala came and knocked on our door.

Seth had spent the few hours we’d been together wrapping one layer after another of healing frost underlaid with spirit energy around me. And still, my muscles protested any time I moved. My bones ached. Not to mention, I was horribly aware of the wounds on my soul. The tainted magic that caused them continuously pushed against the netting Seth had placed over them. I could sense the power wasn’t trying as hard as it could to break free.

No, it would wait until it could catch me off guard.

When I was distracted.

I sighed and stared into my coffee. The caffeine wasn’t doing anything to drag my mind into full alertness for the conversation we were about to have with everyone.

Meg and Cody had remained behind. Nick, Luke, and Chance had left, along with most of the Talons who’d arrived after the fight. They’d taken the attacking summoners who’d survived back to HQ to be questioned. If the prisoners they already had hadn’t spoken, I doubted these twisted bastards would. Ten Talons had remained behind to secure the property until we returned to Academy in time for the New Year’s Eve Ball. A party seemed so trivial, especially considering how the get-together last night had ended in utter failure. The news that the enemy had two key pieces in their possession didn’t sit well with anyone either. Five were still out there. Two were at HQ. I told myself over and over throughout the night that there was no way they’d manage to break in there and steal them. It wasn’t possible.

Really? You’re going to say that after everything you’ve seen? After what was done to you? After knowing that Sirus, someone who was meant to be dead, might be behind it all?

I scoffed at myself. I really was being a damn fool. Besides, Seth had a vision of all seven pieces on an altar. If we didn’t stop Sirus and her army, she’d find a way to put the key of Gorgran back together. She’d use it to open a doorway to a world of monsters. Hell, we weren’t even sure if she was the one behind it all. Confirmation would be nearly impossible to get without someone risking their life.

On the bright side, we avoided any sort of catastrophe in the last twelve hours, Briar murmured, breaking the silence. She sat across the table from me, her hands wrapped around her cup of tea. Zach sat beside her, his arm draped over the back of her chair. She shifted closer, and his hand closed around her shoulder. She pushed her mug away and pinched the bridge of her nose. I can’t think straight right now. Dealing with the key was one thing. But Sirus?

That part’s news to us, too, Meg said from where she leaned against the wall near the kitchen doorway.

I think it’s news to everyone, Zach muttered. We can’t know for certain if it’s her. All they did was say her name.

Why else would they do that unless it is her? Briar argued. If they weren’t careful, they’d repeat last night's conversation. Her attention went to Meg and Cody. If Sirus isn’t the reason you guys showed up last night, why are you here?

Meg tapped her fingers against her thigh to the count of five. Great. That meant it was bad news. I wish it was for a different reason or that we had better answers to give.

We should’ve told you everything last night, Cody chimed in gruffly.

The walls trembled until Meg nudged him with her elbow.

You said you were down in Louisiana. Nyala wore all black and was sitting to my right at the table. It had to be the first time I’d ever seen her wear something that wasn’t bright and cheery. Standing behind her and nursing his second cup of coffee, which I was sure had whiskey in it, was Jack. He hadn’t stopped scowling since he entered the room. What were you doing down there?

Cody crossed his arms. Following up on leads of summoners who had up and vanished.

Like the others? Sparks ignited at Briar’s fingertips.

If you mean were they once being held in cages and tortured, yes, Cody replied. Seven in all so far. We didn’t put it together until the last two were taken. Not all the names of those who’d been under the thumb of the Masters have been entered into the system yet.

There were a couple thousand, I murmured, and a cold wind whipped around me. Too many to keep track of easily. Some who were freed simply took off, too. There could be a hundred or so summoners out there who aren’t in the system at all.

No leads on where they were taken? Zach asked.

Cody shook his head. There was evidence of a fight at each location, but no clues left behind to tell us who’s after them or where they’ve gone. We have nothing.

Do we know anything about their summoning? I asked.

Each was gifted with their element. Two of them could bond with more than one, Meg answered. Her eyes flared gold the longer she held my gaze. From what we gathered, they were also the ones who’d been held the longest by the time they were set free.

Which means they were weaker than the rest, Seth whispered.

Another gust of wind blew around us. He moved his chair closer to mine. Our legs touched, as did our shoulders. It calmed my magic enough that I wasn’t worried a massive gust was about to blow through the kitchen and break something.

They’re targeting those who were close to breaking, Seth added.

The same thought had slipped through my mind. Sirus was continuing to build her army. Or Xylon’s army. I suppose it didn’t matter who was behind it. What did matter was stopping these disgusting vermin from turning anyone else into a mindless beast.

What do we know about this Sirus woman? Cody asked.

Flames burned around Briar’s hands. Other than she’s supposed to be dead?

The flames rose higher.

Zach held her hands in his and drew her up against his side. She pushed away from him and stormed out of the kitchen. Zach got up to follow, but Nyala told him she’d look after her. She kissed Jack on the cheek and followed Briar deeper into the mansion.

We don’t know enough, Zach muttered, his silver gaze focused on the kitchen doorway. She was a necromancer, like Xylon. They were together. Then, she was killed, and he preserved her soul in the form of a cat for centuries. When she attempted to take control of Bri’s body and use it as a vessel, we believed she was destroyed. What she’s after, who she is aside from that, we’re in the dark.

Your brothers said they’d put a team together today, Jack said, draining the rest of his coffee. We’ll have answers soon enough.

I raised a brow. Will we?

Seth brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. We will.

I curled my fingers around his. This woman, whoever she was, wanted me with her. She’d sent her people here last night to take me and kill everyone else. And I’d almost gone with them. It’d been too easy for them to get inside my head and convince me to leave. Was it simply because I was close to being turned, or was there another reason? She’d had her people kidnap others, but the attack last night felt personal. Then again, that might not have to do with me. Sirus could be out for revenge, too. Briar and Zach had thwarted Xylon’s plans. They’d killed him. It wouldn’t be a stretch to believe she held a grudge.

A shiver raced down my spine, and my eyes slipped closed. I felt as if I stood amid howling, freezing winds. Beneath my feet was the frozen lake, ready to drag me into its icy depths. The ice began to crack. A different cold, familiar and comforting, spread over my skin and into my body.

I shut my eyes and sank into that touch. The fear retreated, and there was only Seth, his lips pressed to my temple and his hand firmly clasped around mine. The silence around us broke after Meg took a step closer. I opened my eyes, not sure I liked how she was so focused on me.

The nets are holding, Seth said. The magic tainting her soul isn’t breaking free.

I know. I can feel them.

Then why are you looking at me like that?

Meg’s lips thinned. She started to tap her fingers against her left thigh in a steady rhythm. When she reached the count of five, she paused and started over. Once her hand stilled, she spoke. The amount of power you used last night and what you did during the previous attacks weren’t small feats.

And?

Meg continued, And you need to be cautious. I felt it in you the first time we met. The well of magic inside of you runs deep. During that last encounter, it sounds like you reached a new level of what you might achieve.

There was no point in denying it. I’d become the wind during that fight. It was the strangest sensation to become weightless. Formless. To feel as if I could take to the sky and become something even greater. At some point, I wanted to do it again, or at least try to. What else was I capable of?

A whispering voice flitted through my mind. It was faint, but it was there, all the same. The voice I’d been hearing, the one telling me to give in to who I truly am. What I could become.

Why are you telling me this? I asked, mostly to drown out the incessant whispering.

This power you carry is a double-edged sword. It’s great that you’re able to tap into it, Meg said.

But? I pushed after she fell silent and appeared reluctant to keep talking. Meg, spit it out. What are you so worried about?

Meg cleared her throat. Our power comes from who we are at our core. It resides in our souls. It’s a part of us. Each time we use it, we put a strain on that core of magic. The stronger yours becomes, the more it may damage the wounds on your soul. The netting Seth put in place won’t be enough to keep them sealed. To protect you from the influence of the tainted power used to cause them.

Bands of panic tightened around my chest. So, what then, I shouldn’t use my magic at all?

Meg cringed as though in apology. I would say limit it as much as possible until we find a way to close the wounds for good.

Great. That’s just great. I marched toward the back door. So now, if the bad guys come after me, I’m defenseless. Anything else you want to dump on me right now? Anything at all? My heart beat erratically against my ribcage, and my palms became clammy. I wiped them on my pants, feeling everyone watching me.

As if waiting for me to lose it completely.

I could be wrong, Meg said.

Then why bring it up at all? I crossed my arms, clutching my elbows, and took a deep breath. When I let it out, I told everyone I needed a minute and rushed out the back door into the gardens.

At this time of year, the beds were overgrown with an abundance of dead shrubs and piles of brown leaves.