Matilda gave a foot of spidersilk to the overseer after he carefully grafted it onto Abbey ’s wings. She’d gotten extra—lots of it, in case it ever wore down—and it was now locked in the false bottom of a trunk. She told no one where she had been, or why Abbey ’s wings now shimmered in a certain light. Ashley would have murdered her for the risk, and her grandmother would have butchered Ashley for not being there. Matilda was in no mood to replace her Second and find a new member for the Thirteen.
Once Abbey had healed, Matilda brought him to the mouth of the Northern Fang to try the Crossing. Before, his wings had been too weak to attempt the plunge—but with the silk reinforcements, he’d stand a far greater chance.
But the risk remained, which was why Ashley and Surreal waited behind her, already on their mounts. If things went wrong, if Abbey couldn’t pull up or the silk f
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Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 151
But he didn’t know what he could say, or do, to make it happen. Because Sorscha had her obligations, and he had his.If he left to be with her, if he turned on his father, or if his magic was discovered, then his brother would become heir. And the thought of Hollin as king one day … What he would do to their world, especially with their father’s power … No, Leonard could not have the luxury of choosing, because there was no option. He was bound to his crown, and would be until the day he died.There was a knock on his door, and Leonard smiled, wondering if Sorscha had come back. The grin vanished as the door opened.“We need to talk,” Chaol said from the threshold. Leonard hadn’t seen him in weeks, and yet—his friend looked older. Exhausted.“Not going to bother with flattery?” Leonard said, plopping onto the couch.“You would see through it anyway.” Chaol shut the door behind him and leaned against it.“Humor me.”“I am sorry, Dorian,” Chaol said softly. “More than you know.”“Sorry
Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 152
The next two weeks fell into a pattern—enough that Matilda started to find comfort in it. There were no unexpected stumbles or turns or pitfalls, no deaths or betrayals or nightmares made flesh. In the mornings and evenings, she played scullery maid. Late morning until dinner she spent with Rowan, slowly, painfully exploring the well of magic inside her—a well that, to her horror, had no bottom in sight.The small things—lighting candles, putting out hearth fires, weaving a ribbon of flame through her fingers—were still the hardest. But Rowan pushed, dragging her from ruin to ruin, the only safe places for her to lose control. At least he brought food with him now, as she was constantly starving and could hardly go an hour without eating something. Magic gobbled up energy, and she was eating double or triple what she used to.Sometimes they would talk. Well, she would make him talk, because after telling him about Aedion and her own selfish wish for freedom, she decided that talking
Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 153
Shielding her eyes from the glare, Matilda scanned the cliffs and the spit of beach far below. It was scorching, with hardly a breeze, but Leonard remained in his heavy pale-gray jacket and wide belt, vambraces strapped to his forearms. He’d deigned to give her a few of his weapons that morning —as a precaution.They’d returned to the latest site at dawn to retrace their steps—and that was where Matilda had picked up a trail. Well, she’d spied a droplet of dark blood on a nearby rock, and then Leonard had followed the scent back toward the cliffs. She looked down the beach, at the naturalcut arches of the many caves along its curving length. But there was nothing here—and the trail, thanks to the sea and wind and elements, had gone cold. They’d been here for the past half hour, looking for any other signs, but there was nothing. Nothing, except—There. A sagging curve in the cliff edge, as if many pairs of feet had worn the lip down as they slid carefully over the edge. Leonard
Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 154
Leonard’s animal eyes glowed as they fixed on her. “Why don’t you tell me?”“The king never said anything about this. He—he …” Had something gone wrong in Adarlan? Had Benjamin somehow told the king who and what she was, and the king sent these men here to … No, it had to have taken weeks, months, to get these creatures smuggled here. “Send word for Wendlyn’s forces—warn them right now.”“Even if I reached Varese tomorrow, it would take over a week to get here on foot. Most of the units have been deployed in the north all spring.”“We still need to warn them that they’re at risk.”“Use your head. There are endless caves and places to hide along the western coastline. And yet they pick here, this access point.”She visualized the map of the area. “The mountain road will take them past the fortress.” Her blood chilled, and even her magic, flickering in an attempt to soothe her, could not warm her as she said, “No—not past. To the fortress. They’re going after the demi-Fae.”A slow, grave
Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 155
For weeks now, Benjamin hadn’t had any contact with any of his friends— allies, whatever they had been. So, one last time, Benjamin slipped into the rhythm of his old duties. Though it was more difficult than ever to oversee the king’s luncheons, though making his reports was an effort of will, he did it. He had heard nothing from Aedion or Ren, and still hadn’t yet asked Dorian to use his magic to test out their theories about the spell. He was starting to wonder if he was done playing his part in Alin ’s growing rebellion.He’d gathered enough information, crossed enough lines. Perhaps it was time to learn what could be done from Anielle. He would be closer to Morath, and maybe he could uncover what the king was brewing down there. The king had accepted his plans to take up his mantle as heir to Anielle with hardly any objections. Soon, he was to present options for a replacement.Benjamin was currently standing guard at a state luncheon in the great hall, which Aedion and Dorian
Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 156
A cooling breeze kissed down Matilda ’s neck. The forest had gone silent, as if the birds and insects had been quieted by her assault on the invisible wall. The barrier had gobbled down every spark of magic she’d launched at it, and now seemed to hum with fresh power.The scent of pine and snow wrapped around her, and she turned to find Leonard standing against a nearby tree. He’d been there for some time now, giving her space to work herself into exhaustion.But she was not tired. And she was not done. There was still wildfire in her mind, writhing, endless, damning. She let it dim to embers, let the grief and horror die down, too.Leonard said, “Word just arrived from Wendlyn. Reinforcements aren’t coming.”“They didn’t come ten years ago,” she said, her throat raw though she had not spoken in hours. Cold, glittering calm was now flowing in her veins. “Why should they bother helping now?”His eyes flickered. “Alin .” When she only gazed into the darkening forest, he suddenly said,
Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 157
The darkness lashed at Matilda the moment she passed beyond the invisible barrier.A wall of flame seared across the spear of blackness, and, just as she’d gambled, the blackness recoiled. Only to strike again, swift as an asp.She met it blow for blow, willing the fire to spread, a wall of red and gold encasing the barrier behind her. She ignored the reek of the creatures, the hollowness of the air at her ears, the overwhelming throbbing in her head, so much worse beyond the protection of the wards, especially now that all three creatures were gathered. But she did not give them one inch, even as blood began trickling from her nose.The darkness lunged for her, simultaneously assaulting the wall, punching holes through her flame. She patched them by reflex, allowing the power to do as it willed, but with the command to protect—to keep that barrier shielded. She took another step beyond the stone gateway.Nakos was nowhere to be seen, but the three creatures were waiting for her.Unl
Unexpected Rise of Leonard Storm Chapter 158
There was blood everywhere.As before, Matilda stood between the two bloody beds, reeking breath caressing her ear, her neck, her spine. She could feel the Valiking princes roving around her, circling with predators’ gaits, devouring her misery and pain bit by bit, tasting and savoring.There was no way out, and she could not move as she looked from one bed to the other.Jeremiah ’s corpse, mangled and mutilated. Because she had been too late, and because she had been a coward.And her parents, throats slit from ear to ear, gray and lifeless. Dead from an attack they should have sensed. An attack she should have sensed. Maybe she had sensed it, and that was why she had crept in that night. But she had been too late then as well.Two beds. Two fractures in her soul, cracks through which the abyss had come pouring in long before the Valiking princes had ever seized her. A claw scraped along her neck and she jerked away, stumbling toward her parents’ corpses.The moment that darkness
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