Cloak of Night (Circle of Shadows #2) - Evelyn Skye Page 0,4
magic. They didn’t know the extent of his powers or how to control them, and this surprise was an unfortunate result.
“We’ll find an extra set of clothes for you in the councilmembers’ rooms,” Sora said. “You can join us when you’re, uh, ready.”
“Thanks,” Daemon said, his embarrassment still burning through their bond.
Sora began to walk away, with Fairy and Broomstick right behind her. She almost expected a joke from one of them, Broomstick especially, about how teasing Fairy and Daemon was part of his sacred duty as a best friend.
But there wasn’t a single word. Their usual lighthearted banter was gone, as if the weight of Prince Gin’s fledgling reign was already taking its toll.
Everything had changed.
Chapter Four
Sora sat cross-legged on the floor and nibbled on a piece of fish jerky. Broomstick restrained himself and ate only half a package of rice crackers, saving some for the others. It was all they could find in the pantry, since most of the food left behind after the ryuu’s attack had already spoiled. Fairy scrunched her nose as she took a piece of jerky. “I miss sweet red beans and pancakes from the mess hall.”
Broomstick nodded. “And pork sausages and fried eggs and steamed rice with breakfast pickles.”
“Rose-apple jam and buttery rolls,” Fairy said.
“Forest mushroom tarts and seaweed scrambles,” Broomstick added.
Sora’s stomach rumbled. Of the four of them, she was the one who usually waxed poetic about food.
Daemon walked toward them, fully dressed now, and dropped beside Sora with a heavy sigh. He folded his long legs beneath him.
Everyone shifted awkwardly, as if the noise of their shuffling would spare them from having to talk about the earlier incident.
Broomstick was the first to speak. “Stale cracker?” He held out the package.
Daemon shook his head and sighed again. The sensation dribbled through Sora’s gemina bond, a mixture of frustration and resignation, like soggy autumn leaves being trampled in the mud.
“I didn’t mind being an electric wolf in the middle of battle,” he said, “but gods dammit. I’d really like to get a handle on what these powers are and how to control them so I can avoid . . . well, you know.”
Sora reached over and patted his knee. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
“Yeah,” Daemon said without much conviction.
“You should really eat something,” she said, taking the rice crackers from Broomstick and pressing them into Daemon’s hand. “Everything seems worse when you’re hungry. At least that’s true for me. But don’t worry, the four of us will work this out.” She managed to dig up a smile for his sake.
“And I’m sure Spirit has already thought of a plan,” Fairy piped up. “She’s always got something up her sleeve. Right?”
Sora worried her lip. “Well, sort of. We obviously need to destroy Prince Gin. If we can kill him, we cut the head off the dragon, and the body can’t function without him. No one else can control minds like he can. Without a leader, maybe the ryuu will fall apart. Plus, that will free the taigas from his hypnosis.
“We also need to figure out if Empress Aki is still alive. If she is, we’ll have to rescue her.”
Daemon let out a scoff of a laugh.
“What?” Sora said.
“That’s too much to expect of us.” He sat hunched over, looking smaller than usual. “We can’t do it.”
“I admit I’ve thought that, too,” Fairy said. “But we don’t have a choice. We have to save Kichona.”
“Are you listening to yourselves?” Daemon asked. “There are only four of us. Prince Gin has an entire army with superior magic. He hypnotized two hundred people—civilians—to murder themselves. And he captured the empress. Don’t you see? We’ve already lost.”
“And what should we do instead?” Broomstick asked, crossing his arms across his chest. “Flee from Kichona to save ourselves? Those are our friends back there. We grew up with them in the tenderfoot nursery, sparred with them since we were old enough to hold weapons and cast spells, and stayed up way too late playing cards and drinking cheap rice wine. You really want to abandon them all?”
“You’re making me sound like an asshole,” Daemon said.
“That’s not what he means,” Sora said. “Trust me, we’re all beaten down, too. You say we’ve already lost. You’re right. If the four of us don’t step up, then every single one of our friends is lost. Right now, Prince Gin has control of their minds. He’s brainwashed them to love him, to want to charge into battle and die for him.