Trickster

5. Lincoln

5

Lincoln

I knew Aldred was scheming something. Still I held complete faith that Myla would crack him like a coconut. But finding out that the earl’s plan is to open magical passage to the Primeval?

That’s rather a surprise.

Before me, the round gateway changes. The colored edges solidify into what looks like a thin metallic loop. In the center of the disc, the mists lighten until they vanish completely.

A view to the Primeval appears.

It’s as if a circular window opened in the center of the gymnasium. If I step to check the gateway from the side, I only see a thin line hanging in the air. It’s when I stare straight-on that I view the Primeval.

And what a sight it is.

Heavy clouds churn overhead. Dark rock walls loom in the distance. The dead remains of a forest stretch off in every direction. Broken trunks jut up from the dark ground, reminding me of blackened teeth. In the center of this wasteland, there stands a hulking stump of a tree that reaches six feet high. Instead of bark, shifting threads of tar wind up and down the trunk.

Aldred gestures to the gateway. “Behold the Primeval!”

At these words, the oozing sludge on the trunk shifts. A long face forms, one with deep holes for eyes and a jagged gash as a mouth.

“Who awakens the wizard Contagion?” cries the tree. “Prepare to fight!”

Back in the gym, Aldred speaks yet again. “Close the gateway!”

Instantly, the view clouds over in an orange haze. The mist swirls, pinwheel-style, as it moves in ever smaller rounds. I blink hard, not believing what I’m seeing. No magic of the after-realms looks like this. Orange pinwheels? Within seconds, the gateway vanishes completely. I try to process what I’ve seen. It isn’t easy.

The gateway to the Primeval is gone.

And a new world of trouble has opened wide.

Stunned silence fills the gymnasium. Aldred grins. “Did you see that magical tree? I shall defeat it at the Trials of Acca on Friday.” His voice takes on a growl. “It be… a demon arbor named the Contagion.”

“Did he say, it be?” whispers Myla. “What is this, Thrax Talk Like A Pirate day?”

I shake my head. “Aldred’s on a roll.”

Which is bad news. After all, I thought the soul slasher was a horror. At least that demon type is well documented. I knew its powers and how to fight back. But a talking tree? That’s unheard of.

The earl holds up his pointer fingers. “In two days time, the Trials of Acca will begin. Then you’ll see my true power… as well as the failings of others.”

Applause breaks out from the balconies. The nobility lovingly gaze upon Aldred. Some even cheer. No question why, either. My people adore a good fight. The stranger the opponent, the better. And the promise of a Contagion battle? That waves red meat before the hungry wolves at court. Sadly, the fact that Aldred will also use this fight to humiliate my fiancée doesn’t register. Even my parents clap like mad.

Unacceptable.

Protective instincts for Myla charge every muscle in my body. At this point, I’d love to wring Aldred’s floppy neck. At the very minimum, I want to educate my court on how Aldred’s plans to open the Primeval are beyond dangerous.

Yet I know the thrax.

If I speak now, my nobles will believe I only wish to spoil their fun. Not to mention the fact that most of the court is terrified of Aldred dropping blackmail on them. Even if they did disagree with the Contagion battle—which they most certainly do not—then it would still be extraordinarily rare for anyone to openly defy Aldred. Sadly, that includes my parents.

The truth is both clear and unavoidable. As long as everyone backs Aldred, I can’t keep this gateway closed. In order to stop the earl’s plans for the Primeval, I must find hard facts about the threat and push them hard. And to accomplish that end, I need more information. Sadly, that can’t happen right now. Taking in slow breaths, I force my body to calm.

Patience, Lincoln.

While waving to the cheering crowd, Aldred stomps off gym floor and through the main exit. Just outside, I spy Connor and Octavia. What a shame. My parents must have raced away from their balcony seats to wait in the outer hallway, ready and eager for Aldred to pass by.

Sure enough, the moment Aldred enters the passageway, my parents engage the earl. Father even pets Aldred’s shoulder. A weight settles into my soul. I know my parents think that by placating the earl, they protect both me and Myla.

They’re wrong.

I turn to the balconies one last time. “Thank you for attending today. This concludes our combat lesson.”

The cheers die down. Instead, low grumbles sound as the crowd leaves. All I did was stop their applause for the earl’s battle, and the court acts as if I spat in their collective mead goblets.

No question about it. This will be tricky.

Turning, I scan Myla’s beloved face. She wears her contemplative expression, which means there’s a little vertical line between her brows.

“We need to talk,” I say.

“Do we ever.”

Hand in hand, Myla and I march for the locker rooms. With every step, my thoughts whir through everything that just happened. All in all, Aldred just tore open a trio of problems.

First, there are the Trials of Acca.

Second, let’s not forget the gateway to the Primeval.

And third? There’s dealing with whatever that gateway unleashes. Knowing Aldred, it won’t be anything good.

Still, beyond everything, my hunter’s sense tells me another, even larger danger lurks in the shadows. I picture Lady Bentford offering Myla that foul drink… my parents applauding the earl’s Contagion battle… and Aldred smirking as he announces the Trials of Acca.

An image appears in my mind. I picture smoke curling above a night forest. It’s something I often see on demon patrol. Smoke. A small sign that might herald a large and destructive fire. That vision encapsulates the risk I now face. It’s far off, undefined, and can drive disaster.

No matter what, I must uncover the true risk and soon.