Author's Preface
The blade of Helena’s sword stung Felix’s skin. He drew a few drops of blood from his palm and held out his hand, focusing on the memory of his dad’s voice and face and smile.
Dad materialized in front of him.
“It worked!” Felix sat down on his bed. “Dad, I need your help.”
“With psychometry?” Dad asked.
“Sort of. I need you to use my ability for me in front of the council.”
Dad frowned and moved to sit next to Felix. “Why do you need me to do it for you? You did a great job with that dagger.”
“They’re not going to believe my word alone. I have to project that memory in front of them so that I can prove Mason isn’t a threat,” Felix told him. “Archer said you used to be able to do that. I think you should just take over my body like May did and project the memory for me. Oh, and don’t let the council realize you’re the one in control.”
Dad shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“It’s concerning that May was able to take control of you like that. Gideon is in here somewhere, too. Don’t forget that.” Dad sighed. “If he figures out the rest of us can possess your body, he’s bound to give it a try, too.”
“But I haven’t awakened him,” Felix protested.
“He may be powerful enough to break free and enter your mind anyway.”
Felix was tired of learning new things to be afraid of. “Okay, maybe it’s a risk,” he said. “But I can’t let the council lock Mason up. Or kill him!”
“When is this meeting?” Dad asked.
“Half an hour.” The council had scrambled to set it up as soon as possible after Felix and the others returned from Everett. While Mason was taken to a holding cell, Felix had rushed up to his room to summon Dad.
“I’ll sit in your head with you during the meeting, but I’m not going to take control of you,” Dad said. “Projecting memories is difficult, but you can do it. I believe in you.”
“I sure hope so.” Felix leaned back on his hands. “Where are you guys, anyway? When you’re not talking to me in my head?”
“We’re inside of your soul.”
“What’s it like in there?” Felix asked.
“You should come see for yourself one of these days.”
“How?”
“You’ll learn. Or I’ll teach you.” Dad rested a hand on Felix’s shoulder. “I can feel myself fading. Call me into your head when the meeting begins, okay?”
Felix nodded. Once Dad was gone, he paced back and forth until someone knocked at his door. It was Kendra.
“Ready?” she asked.
Felix grabbed his uniform jacket off his chair and shrugged it on. At Archer’s suggestion, he’d swapped the plain shirt he was wearing earlier for a more formal teal button-up. “I guess.”
They walked to the throne room in silence. When they were almost to the doors, Felix asked, “What do you think the council will decide?”
“Sorry, Felix. I have no idea what to expect. Archer told me what happened, but you and Arisa will need to tell your side of the story, too.” Kendra nodded at the guards as she reached for the door handle. “But if it makes you feel any better, I doubt they’ll execute him. We’ve never seen this happen before. They’ll want to study him.”
“That still doesn’t sound great,” Felix muttered.
“There’s a slim chance they could let him live here on probation. Similar to you and Arisa. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”
They entered the throne room, which was packed with Guardians. Arisa was already inside, sitting next to Sebastian in the front row with Clementine on her lap. Kendra and Felix joined them.
“How are you feeling?” Arisa asked as Felix sat next to her.
Felix shifted in his seat. “Sore. Tired. Little bit of a headache.”
“I meant about using your dad’s power.”
“Oh.” Felix stared at the door to the king’s chamber. “Let me get back to you on that.”
The door swung open. Archer emerged and stepped aside, allowing King Atticus to pass and walk to his throne. While the rest of the crowd moved into the seats, the eight council members lined up.
Moments after the king sat down, the doors to the throne room opened again and six guards entered. Mason walked in the middle of them, his hands chained together in front of him. Felix caught a glimpse of some sigils carved into the metal. The guards escorted Mason to Archer before dispersing to stand along the wall.
Without further ado, Archer addressed the room. “Over the past week, Guardians have been searching for a demon responsible for terrorizing an office building. Four people died, and eight more were hospitalized.” He paused. “This comes shortly after two demons killed three young adults in an abandoned grocery store.”
Mason lowered his gaze to the floor.
“Despite this, Guardians who entered the office building were unable to locate the demon, even though that seemed to be the source of the demonic energy in the area,” Archer continued. “I was in Everett investigating this, while Sebastian Armitage was in the area with his students to study the site where the previous demons were killed.”
From there, Archer explained how he’d sensed Guardian energy arrive at the building during his investigation outside. By the time he’d realized Felix and Arisa were inside, they were caught up in their battle with the horde of demons.
“It’s still unclear how so many demons escaped our detection,” Archer said. “But the issue we’re discussing right now is this particular demon.” He gestured to Mason. Mason looked up and swept his eyes over the Guardians. His gaze met Felix’s for a heartbeat before moving on.
“According to Mason, he was a human witch most of his life. After an accident, a demon with a rare ability transformed him in order to save his life.” Archer lowered his hand. “As absurd as that story sounds, Felix Carver has decided to vouch for him, claiming he used his father’s psychometry to confirm Mason’s story.”
Archer reached into his jacket and drew out Mason’s dagger. He held it out toward Felix. With a shaky breath, Felix rose to his feet and crossed the room to meet him.
“Please don’t screw this up,” Mason muttered under his breath as Felix took the dagger from Archer.
Felix’s hand tightened around the dagger. Ready, Dad?
You’re the one doing this, Dad said, his voice encouraging. Focus. Instead of letting the dagger’s memory drag you in like before, you need to stand your ground and pull it out.
Felix let Dad’s ability awaken in his chest. The immediate pull of the dagger was overwhelming. The world went black. Mason appeared in front of him, sitting in his hospital bed.
You’re going in, Dad warned.
Felix pulled himself back, and the throne room returned.
Keep your hold on the memory. Bring it with you.
The power in Felix’s chest slammed against his ribcage, threatening to break free. I can’t control it, he thought. His eyes stung.
Yes, you can. Trust yourself.
Felix took a deep breath, then let the power out. A shimmering projection of human Mason appeared in the middle of the room. Gasps and murmurs rolled through the crowd of Guardians.
Move the timeline forward, Dad told him. Just like you did when you were inside the dagger.
Felix regained his grasp on the magical energy that projected the past into the world. He pushed it forward, to the scene in the hospital where the demon nurse offered to save his life. After that, images of Mason killing demons danced around the center of the throne room. Felix pushed all the way up to the events of a few hours earlier, showing Mason fighting the first winged demon that they’d encountered.
Dad issued another warning. Don’t let them see May controlling you.
Panic seized Felix at the reminder. The projection flickered, then disappeared entirely. He tried to bring it back, wanting to show Mason’s explanation of how summoning magic had been used to lure in the demons, but the spark of energy in his chest was gone.
Felix collapsed to his knees, breathing hard.
“Not bad, kid,” Archer said quietly. He reached down and took the dagger back. Louder, he said, “Go sit back down.” He glanced at Mason. “You, too.”
Felix returned to his seat next to Arisa. Kendra scooted further down so that Mason could sit on Arisa’s other side.
Eliza Abernathy was the first to speak. “This is absurd!”
Mason’s eyes narrowed as they fell on Eliza. He didn’t say a word, but Felix could see his mind working.
“I agree.” Archer faced Eliza. “But that doesn’t change what we just saw.”
Eliza shook her head. “Even if he’s killed demons in the past, that doesn’t mean we can trust him now. He could have done that to trick us.”
Abraham Caldwell chimed in. “And for all we know, he could succumb to demon sickness at any moment. Perhaps the effect has only been delayed,” he suggested. “Or, if he retains his intelligence, he could become even more dangerous.”
“Mason had no desire to come here,” Archer said. “And I fail to see why he would attempt to trick us when there was no way he could have known he’d run into us in the first place.”
“Perhaps you’re underestimating him.”
King Atticus, who’d watched everything play out with an unreadable expression, finally spoke. “And what would you have us do with him, Abraham?”
“He’s a demon,” Abraham said. “The only choice we have is to execute him.”
“He’s a child,” Michael Beck cut in.
“I’m sixteen,” Mason snapped.
King Atticus held up a hand to forestall any further arguments. “Archer. What do you think we should do with Mason?”
“Mason’s magical energy is indistinguishable from that of an ordinary demon,” Archer said. “He’s a promising fighter, but he doesn’t have a solid grasp on his demonic abilities yet.”
“Here we go,” Sebastian muttered. He leaned toward the kids and lifted a hand to hide his mouth from the council. “Mason, if you have any idea how to wield hellfire, I’d get ready to pull that out. You might have a chance at escaping if you—”
“However,” Archer continued, shooting Sebastian a brief but stern glance. “He was trained as a witch. He identified a ritual in the office building that was being used to attract demons to the area. He also believes a spell was used to hide the demons’ energy from our senses.”
“We don’t know anything about witchcraft,” Eliza protested. “He could be making that up.”
“She has a point,” Abraham added. “If it were possible to mask energy with a spell, why haven’t we seen it before?”
“Well, if you were near a monster whose energy was being masked, I doubt you would have noticed,” Archer replied coolly.
Sadia Malik spoke up. “We could have a local witch investigate the building and see if they can confirm what Mason said,” she suggested.
King Atticus rose from his throne. “I’ll put you in charge of handling that, Sadia.”
Sadia adjusted her glasses and nodded.
“In the meantime, Mason will stay here,” King Atticus added.
“Are you sure?” Abraham asked. “I think we all remember what happened last time we let a monster stay at the castle.” His gaze flickered toward the audience in what Felix swore was Sebastian’s direction.
“I don’t believe him to be an immediate threat,” the king said. “But I also don’t want to let him go free until we have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”
Mason jumped to his feet. The chains between his hands swung. “So I’m a prisoner?”
“You don’t have to be. Prove yourself useful to us, and perhaps someday I’ll be willing to place my trust in you,” King Atticus told him. “And I’ll allow you to leave the castle grounds if needed, as long as you’re accompanied by Guardians. I could have you locked up in our dungeon, but I won’t. For now.”
Felix stood up and blurted, “You should let him train with us!”
Mason glanced at him. “What are you doing?” he hissed.
“Trying to help you,” Felix shot back under his breath.
“Oh?” King Atticus turned his attention to Felix, and the council’s gazes followed. “And why is that?”
“We—we worked well together fighting the demons,” Felix stammered. “I know he’s not technically a magician like the rest of us Guardians, but he could still help us fight.”
King Atticus lifted an eyebrow. “Archer?”
“That would mean putting Sebastian in charge of training a demon,” Archer said.
“You think that’s a bad idea?”
“A terrible one.”
“He seems to have done well training Felix, so far.”
“Except for the part where he and Arisa ran into a demon-infested building,” Archer reminded the king.
“Well, teaching discipline is a different skill than teaching magic. However, I think we can let Sebastian handle this matter, for now, provided you continue to supervise their training.”
Archer nodded. “Of course, my king.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes.
King Atticus’s gaze returned to Mason. “You’re surrounded by powerful Guardians who could kill you in the blink of an eye. And they will, if they believe you to be a threat.”
“I’m not a threat,” Mason said.
“Good. Prove it.” King Atticus raised his voice. “I believe that resolves matters for now. This meeting is over.”
Archer started toward where Felix and Mason were still standing. Arisa, Sebastian, and Kendra rose to their feet, and Kendra stretched out her arms. “If Hana and I leave now, we should still make our dinner reservations. I’ll talk to you all later.”
“You’re not coming to Ernest’s party?” Sebastian asked.
“Not tonight. Maybe we’ll swing by for a few minutes after we eat, but it’s out of our way.”
Felix and Arisa waved goodbye to Kendra as she walked away. Archer reached them and stopped at Sebastian’s side.
Felix turned to face him. “Thank you, Archer,” he said. He elbowed Mason.
Mason shot Felix a glare. “Yeah, thanks for turning me into a prisoner.”
“Better than dead,” Arisa pointed out.
“Don’t thank me,” Archer said. “I gave the king my thoughts, and he made his choice.”
“How about a group hug?” Sebastian suggested, holding out his arms. “Since you said so many nice things about Mason.”
Archer took a step away from him. “I weighed the pros and cons of the possible outcomes and decided that letting Mason stay with us would be the best course of action, for the time being. Mason could be a valuable asset. But if he does anything questionable, there will be consequences.”
Sebastian stepped forward and threw an arm around Archer’s shoulder. Grinning at the kids, he said, “He won’t admit, but I think Archie’s not as mean as he acts.”
“I could tell the king that I believe you encouraged the kids to go into that demon-infested building,” Archer said. “That won’t end well for you.”
“Is it the arm thing, calling you ‘Archie,’ or insinuating that you’re secretly a nice person?”
Archer ducked out of Sebastian’s arm and took another step back. In the split second it took him to straighten up, a small knife had appeared in his hand.
Sebastian lifted his hand to his face and frowned at the scratch across his skin. “Ouch. Rude. Were you always so stabby?”
“No, but you weren’t always so annoying.” Archer lowered his voice. “Now, we do have another matter to discuss. I haven’t told the king what Mason said about Ernest. Yet.”
“Don’t,” Sebastian said.
“Why not?” Archer asked. “It’s up to him to decide whether we question Ernest.”
“You really think the king will investigate? Ernest is rich and powerful.”
“The king cares about the safety of the Brightlands, not money.”
“He needs money to run the Brightlands,” Sebastian countered. “Mason’s testimony won’t be enough to put that jeopardy. We need solid proof.”
Archer was quiet for a moment. “Fine. I’ll hold off on bringing the matter up. For now.”
“Really? So easily convinced?” Sebastian folded his arms and grinned. “Aw, are you mad at the king because he put me in charge of training Mason after you said it was a bad idea?”
“Of course not,” Archer said. “I trust his judgement.”
“Sure you do.”
Archer turned to Mason. “That means you need to keep quiet about the matter, too.”
“As long as you promise you’ll help me get my wand back from him,” Mason said. “And I’m leaving this damn place as soon as I get it back.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Archer told him.
“Okay, well, I’m off,” Sebastian said. “See you kids bright and early tomorrow for training.”
Felix wasn’t sure ten a.m. qualified as “bright and early,” but he nodded.
“I suppose that means I’m showing Mason to his room,” Archer said, followed by a small sigh. “Follow me.”
“Bye, Mason.” Felix waved. “See you tomorrow.”
Mason huffed. “Can’t wait,” he said sarcastically as he followed Archer to the doors.
Felix and Arisa left the throne room behind them. “What do you think of Mason?” Felix asked Arisa once they were out of earshot.
“He seems cool, for a demon.” Arisa shrugged. “I’m kind of excited to train with him. Can you imagine rolling up to fight monsters with a demon on our side?”
“You’re not scared of him?”
“Scared?” Arisa asked with a laugh. “No. He’s a bit of an asshole, but I don’t really blame him, after what he’s been through.” She glanced at Felix. “Are you scared?”
“No, it’s just…” Felix hesitated. “That demon at the office building sounded sure that Mason will turn evil eventually.”
“Demons say a lot of things. Most of them are lies.” Arisa fiddled with one of her bracelets. “I doubt we have to worry about him turning on us.”
They reached the corner where their paths separated and said goodbye. As Felix rode the elevator up to his room, he couldn’t quiet his mind. Bright Guardians were supposed to be good, but Ernest Abernathy had killed Mason’s parents and stolen their wand. What did he want with a wand, anyway? Didn’t he have his own magic?
Sebastian was on his way to one of the man’s parties. Was Sebastian really only going for the food? Or was he friends with Ernest? Despite what Sebastian had said, Archer had defended Mason. Well, sort of. Enough to keep him alive and out of a cell.
Archer trusted the king, the king trusted his council, but the council was split. One of the council members was Ernest Abernathy’s cousin. The king seemed to trust Felix and Mason and Arisa, but he likely trusted the Abernathys more. Sebastian didn’t trust Archer, Archer didn’t trust Sebastian. And Archer trusts the king.
The politics were enough to make Felix’s head spin. Or maybe that was lingering dizziness from the fight with the demons. Regardless, he wanted to be able to count on Archer and Sebastian and Kendra and Hana. And Michael and Sadia, too, though he hadn’t spoken to them much. And he wanted to believe the king and his council really would do what was best.
But if they couldn’t trust each other, how could Felix possibly trust all of them?