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Preparations

  Lance decided to take a break from feather floating. He had enough on his mind already with future queens getting kidnapped and all that. And something told him he’d need to be able to protect himself very soon.

  Wind Blade was a tricky spell. It was different from his other spells. Lesser Gust was about releasing energy, and Tremor Disrupt was for making things shake. Wind Blade was about pulling things together and keeping them there — condensing air until it was sharp enough to cut. The spell flow for his other spells was about pushing lifestream away, but this was about compressing it and holding it tight.

  One more time — you almost have it, Lance, William’s voice hummed through his mind, as calm and steady as ever.

  Lance gathered his will, pulling the lifestream around him and bending it toward his palms. His muscles tensed as he forced the energy into the shape he wanted. The air around him compressed, the pressure rising. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as a thin line of shimmering energy began to form —

  BOOM!

  Lance’s concentration shattered. He stumbled backward, heart pounding as adrenaline surged through him. He shot to his feet, expecting an attack —

  Only to see Kade standing across the training grounds, smoke curling from his fingertips as one of the enchanted training dummies lay smoldering in a heap of splinters.

  "What the…" Lance blinked. "How did you blow that up? I thought those things were supposed to be enchanted not to explode!"

  "They are," Lyra said, frowning at the destroyed dummy. "They’re supposed to withstand high-impact spells without breaking."

  The Arcane Stadium’s training dummies were reinforced with layers of protective enchantments, designed to absorb magic and withstand all but the strongest direct hits. Most combat mages preferred to train in the woods or on quests, but Lance and his friends had chosen the stadium because it was usually quiet and free of prying eyes. Now it looked like Kade had just found a flaw in the enchantments — or broken through them entirely.

  Kade grinned as he flexed his fingers, tiny arcs of lightning still crackling between them. "Guess I overdid it."

  Half the stadium was glaring at him now. Kade, of course, looked even more pleased with himself.

  "Somebody’s gotta teach him some manners," Lance muttered, popping a grape into his mouth.

  "Yeah. One day he’ll get himself suspended when one of the nobles rats him out," Lyra said, sitting beside him with Felix’s arm draped casually around her neck.

  Alright, focus, Lance told himself.

  He closed his eyes and steadied his breath. William’s energy curled through his mind — steady, controlled. He reached for the lifestream again, pulling it toward his palms, compressing it as the pressure around him rose. His hands vibrated as the energy condensed.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  This time, The air snapped, and a shimmering wind blade popped into his palm. He gingerly threw it toward a dummy where it got lodged into it before fading away

  Lance’s eyes widened. "Did you see that?"

  William’s approval brushed through his mind. Not bad.

  "Nice," Felix said. "Starting to get the hang of it?"

  Lance grinned. "Maybe."

  Bella sat nearby, poring over a map they had managed to secure. Her brows were furrowed, and her finger traced over the faded lines as though they might suddenly reveal the answer if she looked hard enough.

  Sybilia. That was the name of Felix and Bella's cousin — the future queen. If the heir to the throne could be kidnapped so easily, then something was very wrong.

  "So how’s that going?" Felix asked, glancing toward the map. "You’ve been staring at it for hours."

  "Well…" Bella sighed and rubbed her temples. "I've narrowed down a few possibilities. First of all, it could be one of the other noble houses trying to gain more power."

  "Of course," Felix muttered. "Politics."

  "Or," Bella continued, ignoring him, "it could be another kingdom altogether. A foreign kidnapping would explain why the royal family hasn’t located her yet. I'm pretty sure it’s not some random gang — the crown would have crushed them by now."

  "Or it’s a demon trying to wreak havoc on our world," Nico grinned, interrupting her.

  Bella shot him a flat look. "Unlikely."

  "Ooooorrrr… it’s a noble house," Olliver said, lounging back with his hands behind his head. "A civil war would create chaos — and give the right house the perfect excuse to rise to power."

  "Or it’s a demon," Nico said again, his grin widening.

  "It’s not a demon."

  "You don’t know that."

  "I do."

  "You sure?"

  "Nico."

  Nico held up his hands in surrender, smirking. Astra, his eagle-like companion, swooped down from above and perched on his shoulder, fixing Bella with a sharp gaze. Nico rubbed her head absentmindedly.

  Felix sighed. "Even if it’s political, there’s no way to prove it without digging deeper."

  "And that’s dangerous," Lyra added, sitting forward. "We could be walking right into a trap."

  "We don’t have much choice." Felix’s tone darkened. "The crown made it clear. If we fail…"

  Bella’s jaw tightened. "It’s not an option."

  "Alright," Felix said, sitting up straighter. "We need to split up and cover ground. Lance and I will work the family connections."

  Lance’s eyebrows lifted. "Wait, why me?"

  "Why not " Felix said, his smile sharpening.

  "Wait wait , no no no no "

  Felix ignored him. "Bella, Lyra, and Nico — you’ll hit the black market. Someone down there knows something, and you three can handle yourselves if things get messy."

  "And what about us?" Kade asked, gesturing toward Olliver.

  "You two will hit up the guilds," Felix said. "Kade, you have enough reputation with the fighters to get some information. Olliver can handle the charm."

  "Why does he get to handle the charm?" Kade said, offended.

  Olliver grinned. "Because I have charm."

  Kade rolled his eyes. "You just want too irritate me."

  "Exactly."

  "Enough," Bella snapped. "Let’s focus."

  Felix stood. "We’ll meet back here tomorrow night. If anyone finds something, don’t act on it alone. We’ll handle this together."

  "And if nothing comes up?" Lance asked.

  "Then we’re screwed," Nico said cheerfully.

  "Comforting," Lance muttered.

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