Merlin's Children (The Children and the Blood) by Skye Malone, Megan Joel Peterson

silence.
    Her brow furrowed as she glanced to the next room. The sound of traffic carried through the door, far louder than it should’ve been, and as she stepped from the bedroom, she felt the brush of warm summer wind drifting into the apartment. Pulse quickening, she rounded the door.
    The other bedroom was empty. The window by the fire escape was open. She swore under her breath as she rushed across the room and caught herself on the sill.
    Nothing moved in the alley. Her gaze raked the rooftops and streets, but of the few pedestrians strolling down the sidewalk, not one glanced her way.
    “Your highness?” Nathaniel called.
    She shoved away from the frame and raced back to the door. “Cole’s gone,” she said to the room at large.
    Elias cut off midsentence, with Cornelius a heartbeat behind.
    “What?” Lily cried.
    Scrambling out of the bed, the girl stared at her.
    “What do you mean ‘gone’?” Lily asked, clutching the footboard as if to steady herself.
    Ashe looked between the wizards and her sister. She strode into the bedroom. “Cole left, Lily. He climbed out the window and he left. Why?”
    The little girl’s expression melted from horror to worry, and her eyes darted to Nathaniel. Ashe followed Lily’s gaze and then twitched her head toward the door. Reluctantly, the wizard left the room, closing the door behind him.
    “Lily,” Ashe pressed.
    The girl eyed the door. “It’s those bad people, isn’t it? They’re making the fires the people on the news are talking about.”
    Ashe hesitated and then nodded. The worry deepened on Lily’s face.
    “We have to stop him,” Lily pleaded as she grabbed her shoes and tugged them on.
    Ashe’s brow furrowed. “Stop him from what? Lil, answer me already. Why’d Cole leave?”
    “He’s going to try to stop them. To protect us. He must be. But they’ll hurt him and maybe–”
    The girl cut off, breathing hard.
    Ashe stared at her. “Why would he do that?”
    “Because they’re horrible !” Lily cried as though it was desperately obvious. “And he’s so… he always… he knows his dad was a king so maybe he just thought he needed to…”
    Her face crumpled with fear. Ashe barely noticed.
    “His dad was…” she repeated slowly. “Wait. What?”
    “They killed his dad too, just like ours. Only his was the Taliesin king.”
    Ashe trembled.
    “Elias!” she yelled, spinning and ripping open the door.
    Magic flared around the wizards as she tore into the room.
    “Get us out of here now!”
    Without hesitation, Cornelius threw a hand toward the other bedroom door and darkness swirled instantly in the opening. Elias looked from him to the portal and back.
    “Safe house,” Cornelius snapped. “Go!”
    “What are you doing?” Lily cried.
    Ashe didn’t answer. Rushing across the room, she grabbed the little girl’s arm. “I’ll explain later.”
    Lily tugged away. “I’m not leaving! What if he comes back? We can’t–”
    “His dad killed Mom!” Ashe snapped.
    The girl’s face went slack with shock. Taking advantage of the brief lapse in resistance, Ashe hauled on Lily’s arm, dragging her from the bedroom. Regrouping, the little girl balked, shaking her head as she dug her heels in. “But–”
    With a snarl, Ashe swung Lily up into her arms and then raced into the void.
    Dense shag carpet caught her feet as she hit the other side and she stumbled, already looking around. Wood paneling lined the walls of the windowless room, and cobwebs hung in the corners. Only an ancient television occupied the space, its cracked screen giving little hope that it was usable, and through the bedroom door, not even that much furniture could be seen.
    “What’s going on?” Elias demanded.
    Letting go of the struggling girl, Ashe glanced back as the portal spiraled and disappeared. “Where are we? How far is this from the other apartment?”
    “A few miles,” Cornelius said.
    “Can we get farther?”
    “Your highness, what the hell is