Divided: The Alliance Series Book Four (24 page)

The StoneKing gave me a shrewd look. “You find the swamp difficult to navigate? Given what I’ve heard of Earth, I’m a little surprised.”

“Enough with the planet-bashing,” I said, more to divert his attention than anything. “On Earth, where I live, we take public transport or drive. Trekking through swamps is something only hikers do.”

“Interesting.” The StoneKing said something to the Stoneskin on his right, and I took the opportunity to twist around, looking at the line of humans. Aric and Gervene were near the front, and as Aric’s eyes met mine, I mouthed,
get everyone to use magic. Hit that tree.

I had no idea if it would work, but combining the powers of several magic-wielders at once might be enough to knock over a large tree. Enough to cause a diversion.

My feet skidded, and I fell to my knees in the swamp. Filthy water washed over my feet, and the StoneKing made an exasperated noise. “I know you’re not helpless, Adamantine.”

“Clumsy,” I corrected him, “because you’re dragging me into the bloody swamp. Now my feet are swimming in it. Thanks.”

The StoneKing let go, enough for me to stand, and I pretended to make a fuss over shaking the water out of my shoes.

“If I’m supposed to trust you,” I said, “then who are you? Which world are you from?”

The StoneKing stared at me, those dark-green eyes filled with more curiosity than suspicion now.

“Does it matter?” he said.

“Just curious, seeing as you’re such an intrepid traveller.”

The StoneKing’s eyes narrowed, a pretty impressive feat considering his face was made out of rock. “You have not yet earned the right to hear my story, Adamantine.”

“You haven’t earned the right to call me that,” I said. “And you never will if you expect me to kill people for you. I’m not your slave, and I’m not gonna use my magic for you or anyone else in the whole godforsaken Multiverse.”

The StoneKing’s mouth twisted. “You may change your mind, and stalling will not help you or your fellow human allies.”

He turned his back on me, and reached for my arm.

“Now,” I said, raising a hand and sending magic in an arc of lightning. At the same time, a half-dozen other magic shots filled the air. The StoneKing cursed loudly in Klathican. I let go of the magic and lunged out of the swamp, grabbing for the rucksack that contained our ticket out of Cethrax. A dull pain shot up my arm as I accidentally hit the Stoneskin holding it, but he was too late to grab me, and too late to stop me throwing the bag into the air. It soared over the swamp, and I followed at a sprint.

Swamp or not, the Stoneskins were far slower, and I ran for it, feet skidding on the marshy ground. The other Stoneskins had turned back towards the humans firing bolts of bright-red magic left, right and centre, trying to decide who to stop first, but it was too late. As the sparks of magic clashed like fireworks, the tree trunk split with a
crack,
and it fell in a tangle of branches, crashing right across the Stoneskins’ path. Branches splintered, swamp water sprayed over our heads, and I grabbed the rucksack and tipped the contents into the mud. A dozen blue-gleaming fragments fell onto the marshy ground—and the world fractured.

I was hovering at the edge of a void, like a cliff’s edge, with nothing to see but fog. I swayed, momentarily transfixed by the swirling mist—then another
crack,
and the scene changed to a beach, waves heaving against the shore… except these were much higher than any I’d seen before, tall enough to swallow buildings, and there were no people around.

The scene changed to a city from above—a familiar city, complete with cars parked in mid-air around skyscrapers, while a train snaked through the gleaming maze of streets.

I staggered back in the mud as my foot knocked the metal fragments. The Stoneskins ran towards me—or tried to, thanks to the swamp—but they were closer to the humans. Aric and Gervene were nowhere in sight, hidden behind the fallen tree.

Crack.
Another tree fell in a waterfall of sparks. I bent and grabbed for the metal fragments, but they were sinking fast into the mud.

The StoneKing was metres away. Once he touched me, that was it.

As my hand locked around the metal piece, the world broke apart again. This time, the scene showed a desert under a blazing red sun. Heat crashed over me, as did magic. I yelped as my skin burned, teeth chattering with static charge like I’d run headfirst into an electric fence. The world turned pure white, and a gleeful scream rang through my head.

“
Yes—
that’s it! That’s Enzar! Keep still, girl!”

I was knee-deep in mud, the metal fragment burning my hand, the StoneKing screaming in triumph as his servants surrounded the human prisoners.

Magic brushed against me, welcoming. Like a half-remembered song from childhood.

The burning red sky lit up, piercing brightness dazzling my eyes—the scene shifted and suddenly I was closer, at a cliff’s edge, and below, on the sand, there were… people. They crouched behind a raised section of land, lined up in a row. Each held a shield above their head, the gleaming metal reflecting the huge red sun. No, those were no metal shields but jet-black, all-too-familiar. Antimagic, adamantine.

Lightning stabbed down from the sky, raining over their heads. The line broke as several people fell, killed by the third level magic. Whoever the enemy was, they must be hidden behind the opposite cliff.

Another fork of lightning split the world in two. My ears rang, dust filled the air, and the line of shields was broken. I was burning in a firestorm of magic, every cell in my body alive, alive.

I was adamantine, and I was home.

No!

I wrenched my hand away, buzzing with magic, in time to see the StoneKing close in from the swamp. The metal fragment toppled onto the ground, the image of the desert floating above it like a hologram. Magic burned under my skin, demanding to be released. Desperate, I pulled the magic from the metal fragments.

The world exploded, and I fell head over heels—a ringing sounded in my ears—the two halves of the world slammed together and Enzar disappeared, leaving the swamp. The ringing noise cleared, and I became aware I lay on my back, muddy water swirling around my elbows. As I pulled myself upright, the StoneKing bent over the place where I’d released the magic—no longer swampland, but a circular patch of burned ground. The humans remained behind the web of fallen branches—still alive, though surrounded by Stoneskin warriors.

The StoneKing turned back to me, and my heart froze at the fury etched into his rocklike face.

Shit.
I backed away, the truth slowly sinking into me as surely as my feet sank into the swamp. In draining the magic from those Passage fragments, I’d cut off our only chance of escape. We were trapped on Cethrax now.

***

KAY

I’d never seen the main Passage so deserted. A handful of guards stood in front of the few open doors, but most were sealed shut. A large group of Alliance members had gathered outside the door to Valeria at the far end, including Raj and Iriel, neither of whom looked thrilled to be there.

“What is it?” I asked Iriel.

“Trouble,” she said, grimly. “Three people are dead in Neo Greyle. At least.”

“Wha—how?” The crowd completely blocked the way, and I wanted to find out what was going on before I ran into the unknown.

“It’s no normal magic-wielder,” said Raj, who leaned against the wall, pale and shaking. “It’s—something else. Not human. And there are two of them. They’re on the rampage in the city, they’re trouncing everything they come across, and they’ve hijacked a hover car.”

“I’ll go,” I said immediately. “You need magic-wielders, right?”

“Magic does nothing,” said Iriel, shaking her head. “They even lifted the no-magic-shot rule—it doesn’t work, it just bounces off them.”

My heartbeat kicked up, adrenaline racing through my veins. “I think I know what they are,” I said. But what the hell were the Stoneskins doing on Valeria? “They didn’t have a human with them, did they? I think they’re the creatures that took Ada.”

“You think
what?”
Raj stared at me. So he hadn’t heard the story. Of course not—everyone I’d told thought I was unhinged.

“I don’t have time,” I said, trying to see past the guards. “These monsters, made of pure adamantine, they attacked us in the Passages. They nearly killed me, but took Ada with them because they needed her for something. God knows what.”

“Because she’s a magic-wielder?” asked Raj.

“It’s more than that, isn’t it?” said Iriel. “I saw what she did on Vey-Xanetha—did you say creatures made from
adamantine?”

The word spread through the crowd like a flame, and heads turned in my direction.

“Let me through,” I said. “Those creatures—Stoneskins—are working against the Alliance.”

“How do you know?” asked Raj. The others were too busy arguing amongst themselves to notice me.

“Because they were using the illegal Passage. They were the ones who messed with Vey-Xanetha, they took the Vox hostage and were trying to charge power for something. I know what it sounds like.” I raised my voice to interrupt the questions. “Those creatures aren’t human, nor are they like anything I’ve ever seen before, or even in the Alliance’s records. Whatever they are, they’re vicious killing machines and near indestructible—I know. I’ve fought one.”

Except I didn’t have a way to defend myself now. I tapped the earpiece, taking a few steps back from the crowd. “Can you get to the Passages?” I asked Jeth. “Two Stoneskins are loose on Valeria—it’s definitely them, and they’re killing people. They might have Ada.”

“Shit. I’m on my way.”

Raj and Iriel both stared at me, along with a half-dozen other people who’d overheard. “Listen,” I said, “can you spread the word to the other Alliance members here? Tell them the Alliance is under threat from these Stoneskins, and they have a source. One powerful enough to knock the whole Balance out of sync.”

“They
what?”
someone asked. Finally, people were starting to pay attention. I had no idea why the word
source
had slipped out, seeing as I was talking about Ada. But that was what lived in her skin.

Rage quickened my pulse. Like hell was I letting anyone else get away with trying to turn her into a weapon.

“Those creatures call themselves the Stoneskins. They nearly killed me once already, but I know how to beat them.” I tapped the earpiece. “If the guards let you in, I’m in the main Passage. I told Carl you were coming.”

“Who are you talking to?” asked Iriel.

“Someone in Central’s tech team’s working on a device that’ll replicate the protection the Stoneskins have. It won’t stop magic, though—did they use magic at all?” I asked the now-staring crowd.

“No,” said Iriel. “But if they’re made of
antimagic—”

“Then they can’t use it,” I said. “Doesn’t matter either way. The point is they’re indestructible. But I have a device—”

“Aren’t you an Ambassador?” a guard asked.

“Aren’t you Walker’s son?”

“Have you heard—?”

“Enough!” shouted a voice. Carl. “Kay, I believe you just invited Ada’s brother into the Passages?”

I broke away from the crowd, ignoring all the questions, and found Jeth at the junction to Central’s Passage entrance, surrounded by other guards.

“Yes,” I said. “Do you have it?”

“I don’t know if it’ll work,” said Jeth, handing me—a Chameleon. “Only way I could get it to work was to adapt a Chameleon. Second switch activates the protection, but like I said, it’s probably limited. It might run out of power. If you find Ada—”

“What is this?” Carl demanded. “Kay, you’re forbidden from going offworld.”

“And Valeria’s under attack from those Stoneskins,” I said. If I was going to make a scene, might as well go all-out. I raised my voice so everyone could hear. “The Alliance is under threat from a group of creatures made out of unbreakable adamantine, with a source powerful enough to knock out the Balance across the Multiverse. They already almost destroyed one world through creating an illegal doorway, and whatever they’re scheming, they’re using the hidden Passages in some way,
and
Cethrax. The Vox leader in the Janx territory will confirm what I’ve said, but I
have
to go after them. This device is our last chance.”

“What device?”

“Why did no one say a word about this?”

As voices rose, Jeth attempting to explain the sciras to Carl and Raj and Iriel taking over the explanation of what happened on Vey-Xanetha, I clipped the Chameleon to the inside of my sleeve and hit the switch, letting magic flood through me. There was only one way to find out if it worked.

I pushed through the crowd, and several people backed away with exclamations of pain as I knocked into them. Sciras effectively worked as a shield, so in theory, if something hit me, I wouldn’t take any damage. In theory.

“What are you on?” someone demanded. “Is that a magic-boost?” He must be from Klathica, where you could get implants for so-called invincibility.