Eight months have passed since Mieshka Renaud fought for her life and brought down the coup in the labyrinth of tunnels under the Kjaran military base in Mersetzdeitz, and things are looking up: she and her dad have a nice apartment, she's caught up with her schoolwork, learned a decent amount of the Mages' language, kept her head down, and worked on her powers.
But nothing stays quiet in the city for long. And soon, they will discover that the city has a whole new level of secrets that no one had ever found before.
An Excerpt from Guardian Force:
She ripped herself free from McKay’s grip with a snarl, fire flaring in a bright burn. For once, she let anger burst through her control in a fierce, wild display, accompanied by the screaming, shrieking growl of the Phoenix.
These two Mages didn’t deserve her restraint.
“Did you just fucking kidnap me?”
She backed away, expression twisting in disgust. Lines of orange-gold burst over her skin in a seam of heat, settling into sigils that jittered through her like crack-fueled lightning bugs. The air thickened with heat, golden light dancing wildly on the wall.
A tingle behind her irises told her they were now glowing, too.
Good. Let them see it.
Her upper lip curled as she turned from McKay to Gobardon and back again.
Of all the things she hated most, kidnapping was near the top of the list. And it had happened to her so many times that, at this point, it was just an insult.
The teleportation had been new, though. She didn’t think McKay could do it.
It made sense, though. The spirit inside her, Greneinta, had once powered interdimensional ships. She supposed a little same-planet teleportation was easy for her.
Er. Well, she hoped she was still on the same planet. The tunnels weren’t giving her many landmarks to go by.
“You wouldn’t listen,” Gobardon said. “I didn’t have time to argue with a teenager.”
“Well, maybe you’ll have time to argue with the Mageguard,” she hissed, fire lacing into the air. Another flare of light burst from her skin, its heat weaving through her hair.
She rounded on McKay. “And you—what the fuck?”
The woman shrugged. “What can I say? I’m apparently Gobardon’s bitch now.”
Her jaw hinged loose. She processed that, chewing the side of her tongue.
Then, she turned her attention to the tunnel around them.
Pieces of old pottery called to her Elemental senses, reaching out the same way that piece of broken clay on the counter had. This time, she let the Phoenix go, its power probing over the walls with a light, experimental touch. Why two Earth Mages needed her help in a tunnel was beyond her, but there was definitely something here.
In a few seconds, she had an answer.
Magic. That’s what was calling her. There was magic in the rock and dirt. The walls held a mixture of building material, but none of it looked
new. Everything was stone, or clay, with remnants of dry timber joists scattered across the floor like shards of kindling.
The rest of it just looked… ancient.
“What the fuck even is this place? No—don’t tell me, I don’t want to fucking know.” She swore, slipping into a few choice Russian curses to make herself feel better. The pottery kept trying to catch her attention, but she pushed the feeling down.
With a thought, she called the Phoenix to her. Magic coursed through her skin, the teleport sigils forming on the back of her hand.
“Fuck you. I’m leaving.”
“No,” McKay snapped.
Green flared around the woman, and Earth magic slammed down on Mieshka. Powerful, strong. Binding. It knocked the breath out of her.
The teleport spell broke like a delicate chain.
Mieshka stumbled on the stonework floor. McKay had shoved her back so hard, her nose rang from the shock—as if the great cat spirit that inhabited the woman had just boxed her around the ears.
She gaped up at her.
“What the fuck, McKay? Really?”
“Really.” McKay glanced down the tunnel away from her. “Just give it a few seconds. It’s almost here.”
“Wha—?”
It?
No, she didn’t want to know.
The Phoenix had faltered from the spell. Now, heat surged through her, and fire ignited her mind. She gathered herself, tensing as McKay continued to look down the tunnel’s other way.
To the side, Gobardon watched silently, his dark eyes glittering in the light of her fire.
A sound came to her like an approaching freight train. A tingling feeling hit her skin. All the small hairs on her body stood up at once.
Her eyes widened. She had just enough time to form the first vowel of another swear before a surge of screaming energy flooded the tunnel.
She yelped as it buzzed through her. Magic roared, so dense and strong, it brushed against every cell in her body. Her eyelids vibrated, and her teeth rattled in her jaw as a subsonic hum rose through her body.
The Phoenix rushed to meet it.
For ten long, roaring seconds, she and the Phoenix slid together, tuned to the hum.
And something slid along next to them.
It was like a flash of lightning. She caught an image of fur and scales. A long, muscular body. Brightness crackling like thunder.
The flesh in her hands tingled with energy.
Then, it was gone.