Page 95 of A Bond So Deadly

I think about how Elgen and Tarlaz were connected, but they split apart in the memory. “Do you think if we found a way to rejoin the two of you, that you’d get your memories back?”

“It’s a possibility,” Tarlaz says.

It’s hard to believe that the shadows have some incredible power, but I can’t deny what I saw. They’re the oracle. And they’ve been in the academy this whole time. I struggle to get my head around it, and the thought that the oracle and their power is linked to me is making me just a little terrified. Especially because it’s clear that Queen Krosia would kill to get her hands on it.

I think of the Xalgrith king as well. This power must be what both Queen Krosia and King Malgur are after, and the king almost got his hands on it because of me. I shudder.

“Mate, are you with us?” Thane asks, his face still close to mine. I get the feeling he’s been trying to get my attention for a while. “What do you mean you saw a memory?”

My other mates crowd around me, watching me intently.

I lick my dry lips. “This is going to sound crazy, but just hear me out, okay? The oracle was a being with two souls, and together, they had an incredible power. A power that Queen Krosia somehow learned about. She tried to take it from them, but rather than let her have it, the oracle sacrificed themself, and those two connected souls split apart and disappeared into the shadow realm, taking the power with them. I think that power is what both King Malgur and Queen Krosia are after. I think it’s the same power King Malgur sensed on me. And I think…Elgen and Tarlaz are the oracle.”

When I’m done, my mates all stare for a long while, looking at me, then to the shadows before returning their gazes to me again.

Raith rubs the back of his head. “Fuck. That’s…some story, sunshine.”

“The shadows have been at the academy for as long as I can remember,” Thane says with a frown. “The queen would have seen Elgen and Tarlaz.”

I shrug. “I don’t know what else to tell you. They were dark shapes when the oracle died, and they flew away from Queen Krosia. I guess they went under her radar at the academy. Plus, I’m connected to them and even I can barely feel any power coming from them.”

“Curious,” Galen muses, squatting to stare at the shadows. “Not the part about Krosia. That doesn’t surprise me, but to think these two were in the academy that whole time.”

Raith laughs. “Krosia is goin’ to be kickin’ herself when she finds out.”

“Which isn’t going to happen,” Knox says coldly. His dark eyes never leave me, and I can see his mind working as he lets all the pieces fall into place. “Now that we know what both the Xalgrith and Krosia are after, we need to be careful.”

Raith scrubs a hand over his face. “So what do we do now? It’s not like we can run and hide Shade and the oracle.”

“There’s no running,” I say to my mates. “The Xalgrith felt this power. They’ll come for me, and I’m sure Professor Yevar will send them straight to Shadowbone. Even if I could, I wouldn’t leave Kenzie and the other students to face the Xalgrith alone, and it’s not like we can tell the queen.”

Thane goes to reply, but I’m distracted when a low melody whispers through the trees. Come, oh mistress, bonded to four… The words dance and weave through the branches, riding on a light breeze that rustles the leaves of the nearby trees.

My brow creases. “Do you guys hear that?”

My mates all stop and listen, and Bonfang flaps his wings, lifting into the air like he’s following Knox’s silent command. The wolf disappears over the trees, and it’s a short while later when he returns.

Knox’s face hardens. “We need to go.”

Thane’s shadows curl around him. “What did you see?”

“They’re here,” Knox answers, and going by Thane’s lack of surprise, I’m guessing he knows exactly who Knox is talking about.

“They? Who’s they?” I ask.

Shadows gather beside Knox as he creates a shadow pathway, but I strain my ears as the song continues, floating through the forest. Listen, oh mistress, hear our plea…

The wind changes direction, and I sniff as an unpleasant smell reaches my nose. “Hey, do you guys smell that?” It’s the smoke I scented earlier, though it’s stronger now.

My feet are moving before I realize what I’m doing, and I’m on Emorie’s back in seconds.

“Something’s wrong,” I say to her in my mind. “I need to know what they’re not telling me.”

“Then we shall investigate. Hold tight, bonded.” Without questioning me, Emorie lifts into the air, her large black wings only just missing the trees as she ascends.

“Shade!” Thane calls after me, but my mates don’t stop me. Instead, they mount their creatures and follow me above the trees.

For only our mistress can set us free… The song finishes as we fly over a large hill and the destruction comes into view. My heart stutters. Far in the distance, a whole section of the forest is on fire. Smoke billows into the air, and flakes of ash rain from the sky.