by Linsey Hall
So far, from what I’d seen here, there was a darker tone to the Unseelie world. But it wasn’t explicitly evil. Sure, it had a tendency toward it. But it wasn’t all bad.
I hoped.
Because this was my heritage.
Eventually, the hall diverged, and we took the left path. When it turned into stairs, we followed them down.
“So far, it’s just as the guard said.” My seeker sense even pulled me slightly forward.
The stairs flattened out into a hall, which was decorated with statues on either side. Various large beasts marched ahead toward another set of stairs that led downward. We were about twenty yards from the stairs when I stiffened.
“Do you feel that?” I murmured.
It was definitely magic of some kind, crawling across my skin as a warning.
Tarron nodded.
Right at the top of the stairs, two guards stepped out from behind statues. They each wore midnight blue uniforms decorated with minimal amounts of elegant black embroidery. Their eyes widened at the sight of us, huge and black in their pale faces.
“What are you doing here?” demanded one.
“Oh, we just got lost.” I tried a little giggle.
He frowned. Clearly, he didn’t buy it.
Yeah, I wasn’t the giggling type, and it was probably obvious.
We kept walking forward, and I tensed, ready for whatever they might throw at us.
Both guards raised their hands, and neon green magic swirled around their palms. The stench hit me first.
Death.
I felt it next—cold on my skin.
No question. One hit with whatever that magic was, and we were dead.
11
The guards raised their deadly magic higher, ready to throw.
Hell, the Unseelie didn’t mess around with this pool.
It was kill or be killed here.
A split-second later, the guards hurled their green death magic at us. It flew through the air, sparkling and bright.
Tarron dived right and I darted left, each of us slipping behind a statue before the magic hit us. The green death light plowed into the stone floor behind us, gouging it deeply and sending rock shards flying.
Thank fates I was fast and good in heels. It’d taken years of practice, but right now… Worth it.
I peeked out from behind the statues, spotting each guard raising another handful of green light.
“Damn, they’re fast!” I hissed at Tarron.
Normally it took a little while for a mage to power up a blast of their specific magic. But these guards weren’t mages. They were Unseelie Fae, and they were deadly.
A blast of death magic hit the statue I hid behind, shattering it.
I ducked, shielding my face with my arms. Tiny pieces of rock sliced my bare skin, stinging sharply. At least I’d blend in with my black blood here.
I sprinted to the next statue for cover and drew my bow and arrow from the ether. It was my favorite long-distance weapon, and I was fast as hell with it.
Across the hall, Tarron was throwing fire at his attacker, using his elemental magic to swift effect.
I peeked out from behind the statue, firing off an arrow as the guard shot another blast at me. It plowed into the statute as the arrow sank into the guard’s stomach.
He groaned and clutched at it, but only for a second. With a shaking arm, he raised another handful of magic and threw it at me. I sprinted out of the way, drawing another arrow and firing.
This time, it hit the guard in the throat. He tumbled backward down the stairs. The other guard took a direct hit of Tarron’s flame to the chest. It was so powerful that it blasted him back until he fell down the stairs.
Tarron stood amongst the rubble on his side of the hall. A slice across his cheek revealed his red blood, but he was otherwise uninjured.
I hurried to him and gestured to his cheek. “Wipe that off and heal yourself. It’s like a calling card.”
He nodded but reached for me first, gripping my arm and sending a surge of healing energy through me. The small cuts on my arms healed immediately, leaving me speckled with black blood that I didn’t bother to wipe off. This was the only place where I’d fit in with it, anyway. First time in my life I didn’t have to hide.
It was a weird feeling.
Nice, but weird.
Shit.
I didn’t want to want to fit in here. That was crazy.
Tarron wiped away the red blood on his cheek and healed his own wound, then raised his hand. His magic surged, an autumn scent and the sound of wind whistling through the trees. All around us, the pieces of the broken stone floated into the air, drifting back to their respective statues and piecing themselves back together.
I looked at him, astonished. “You can turn back time?”
“No, manipulate stone. An elemental power.”
“Handy.” It might buy us some wiggle room if a Fae wandered by. They probably wouldn’t even notice we’d come this way since it looked normal.
We hurried forward and started down the massive set of stairs that led deep underground. The guards’ bodies were collapsed partway down, and we dragged them into one of the decorative alcoves that lined the staircase.
Down we went, deeper underground. The air grew cooler, and the stone walls echoed our footsteps back at us.
Something shimmered in the air ahead of us, and I stopped abruptly. Vines reached out from the walls, green and bright. One shot toward me and wrapped around my wrist.
Tarron drew his blade from the ether, then raised it to swing at the vine that had captured me.
“No!” I raised a hand. “It’s an Aerlig vine.” We used to use them to protect our own magical pool beneath our house. “It’s reading my intentions. I have to convince it that they are pure. If we cut the vine, we’ll never get past.”
His gaze flicked to the thousands of vines that waved in the air in front of us, blocking our path.
“And don’t try to use your Fae magic. They aren’t like normal vines.”
He nodded sharply. “I’ll never be able to convince it my intentions aren’t harmful.”
No, he wouldn’t. He wanted to kill the queen and be done with this mess.
“Go,” I said. “Find the queen. Then I’ll use my seeker sense to find you when I’m done at the pool.”
His gaze met mine and lingered. Something flashed in his eyes—something more than a simple see you later—but I couldn’t quite read it. And I needed to be putting all my mental energy toward convincing the Aerlig vines that I meant no harm.
He turned and left, taking the stairs three at a time.
For the briefest moment, worry flashed in my mind for him. He was one of the most powerful supernaturals I’d ever met—by far. But still, he was walking into enemy territory alone.
So was I, though.
And if I didn’t start focusing, I wouldn’t make it out.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on my goal. Use the pool like a normal Unseelie and do no harm.
The vine tightened on my arm. Another joined it, twisting around my ankle and squeezing. Nerves shortened my breath, and I kept repeating my goal, trying to shove pure, calm energy into the vines.
Finally, they retracted. In front of me, the barrier of twisted green plant life drew back, forming a tunnel, and I ran through as fast as I could. It was impossible not to think of my home, which had such a similar setup that it nearly gave me hives.
It was just a coincidence.
But still, it was weird.
I raced down the stairs, my stilettos clicking. They were annoying as hell to run in, even if I was amazingly competent, if I did say so myself. I yanked them off and carried them, the stone cold on my bare feet.
Three flights down, the stairs dead-ended into a solid stone wall. It was rough-hewn and ugly—unlike anything else in this eerie palace. Black handprints streaked across the surface, and I frowned.
Then it hit me.
“Blood.” I grim
aced as I sliced my palm against the obsidian blade that was still hooked to my delicate belt. Pain flared and I pressed the wound to the stone. The rock greedily sucked up the blood. For good measure, I envisioned my purpose here. My pure intentions.
Mostly pure.
After the hellish childhood I’d had, I was really good at compartmentalizing. So I shoved everything negative I’d ever thought about the Unseelie to the back of my mind and focused only on what I would do when I found the pool.
Finally, the stone wall disappeared, and I ran through.
A few minutes later, I reached the bottom of the stairs. I had to be a dozen stories underground at least, and the cavern was enormous. It soared overhead, at least seventy feet high. Glittering black crystal stalactites hung from the ceiling, piercing down like daggers. Light shined from within them, illuminating the room.
The pool itself was enormous, gleaming a dark midnight blue. It was equal parts inviting and terrifying.
The thorn wolf appeared at my side, pressing his strong body against my leg. My hand came to rest on his head. “Hey, buddy.”
Bacon.
“I’d rather be eating that, too.”
Instead, I was staring down my transition to full Unseelie Fae.
For a split-second, I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to be different. I was confident in my ability not to turn to evil.
Right?
Of course.
I’d been a Dragon Blood for all my life, able to access the greatest amount of power in the world if I wanted. I’d resisted.
I would resist this, too. Whatever pull the Unseelie might have on me, I wouldn’t cave.
But still, it made me nervous.
I shook the thoughts away and started forward. Burn walked all the way with me, his paws silent on the rock. He calmed my soul, our connection making me feel stronger. Braver. I reached the edge of the stone ledge and dropped my heels, staring out at the pool below.
I’d have to dive in. There would be no gradual wading.
I drew a deep breath, heartbeat thundering, and removed my hand from Burn’s back.
“Here goes nothing.”
I dived in.
Cold water closed around my head, magic pulling me deep. I made to swim to the surface, but something dragged at me. A powerful force yanked me down to the bottom of the pool.
Panic flared in my chest. I fought, trying to swim upward. But the magic here was too strong.
My lungs burned, about to burst. I resisted the desire to suck in air.
Until I couldn’t.
The magic kept me pinned to the bottom of the pool for so long that eventually, my mouth opened, and I breathed in water. I could no longer control my own body.
Water filled my lungs and terror my soul. My heart beat so loudly that it nearly deafened me.
Holy fates, had this been a mistake?
I swirled through the water, consciousness fading. The current dragged me faster and faster, sucking me farther down.
Suddenly, I was falling through air. For the briefest second, I thought of my wings.
Then my descent slowed, and I landed softly on the ground.
I stumbled, then righted myself.
Strangely, I was dry. And I could breathe.
I sucked in the biggest breath ever. “Thank fates I’m not dead.”
I stood in the middle of an enormous crystal room. The ceiling arched above me, with delicate filigree that opened to the night sky above. I turned, drawn by a sense of power and energy.
Behind me, a woman stood.
Well, not quite a woman.
She was more like a figure made of ephemeral black smoke. Power radiated from her, both dark and light. It was darker by far, but not all bad.
The essence of the Unseelie, perhaps.
Whatever she was, it was easy to read her. She was ruthlessness. Self-interest. Cunning. Cleverness.
I was all those things.
But there was goodness there, too. Albeit in small portions and buried deep down.
She moved toward me, floating on a faint breeze.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“That is not what you should be asking, Heir of the Fae.”
“What?”
“You’ve come to complete your trials.”
“Yes. But why did you call me Heir of the Fae?” She was the second person to call me that. The Evil Eye had done so as well.
“You will see. There is much you must learn here. Much you must do. But first, you have to master your magic.”
Frustration buzzed within me. I didn’t know if she was a seer, but she acted like one, speaking in their riddles and clues.
“Onward.” She waved her hand, a broad, sweeping gesture.
The floor fell out from beneath me.
Suddenly, I was falling in earnest, plummeting toward the ground with wind tearing at my hair. My stomach leapt into my throat and I tried to scream, but no sound erupted. I couldn’t see the ground below me or anything above.
I was just falling through space. No, I was being dragged toward something. A force pulled me downward, hard and inescapable. There was nothing to grab onto. Nothing to stop my fall.
Terror filled me.
Then I caught the scent.
Autumn.
The taste…honey.
And the touch. Like the caress of the ocean.
Tarron.
He was here.
My heart leapt. He was saving me.
Exhilaration and joy filled me.
But then I felt it. Really felt it.
His power was coming from down below, dragging me to him.
But I would die when I hit the bottom. I was going so fast, that was the only option. I was totally out of control. And it terrified me.
Out of control with him. Out of control with my magic and the great chasm that I’d created in Magic’s Bend.
It’d been haunting me since I’d met him. Since my wings had appeared and my magic had gone haywire.
And now my fear was going to kill me.
No.
I wouldn’t let it. I couldn’t.
My thoughts flashed by in a millisecond. All of Magic’s Bend was counting on me. I’d hoped to come here and be taught how to use my powers. Instead, they’d chucked me off a cliff, and I either had to make them work or I would smash to the rocks below.
Sick bastards.
I was being forced to get over my fear of my lack of control or literally die.
For the briefest second, I froze.
I couldn’t help it.
Fear had made my wings come out before, but this was so crippling that it froze me solid. Tarron's magic continued to pull me down, harder and harder.
No.
It took everything I had, but I forced my magic to the surface. I was done being afraid.
My wings flared from my back, and I shot upward. Tarron’s magic continued to drag at me, and I flew as fast as I could, racing upward. Wind tore through my hair, and elation filled me.
The threat passed, and I flew into a calm night sky. My wings didn’t falter even though the danger was gone.
The ground beckoned, and I landed gracefully in an empty meadow. I pulled my wings back into my body, and they disappeared effortlessly. For good measure, I called them back out, and they appeared immediately.
Finally, they felt like a part of me.
But I frowned.
That challenge had been so strange. Why had they used Tarron and his magic as the threat?
Was it just because he was emblematic of my fear of losing control?
Or was he actually important to me?
The Unseelie were totally fucked up in a lot of ways—I’d seen that for myself as I’d walked through the clouds of their magic. Perhaps it was just like them to use something important to me in a lesson that could kill me.
I shivered, turning in a circle.
The sight that caught my eye sent a frisson of fear straight through my heart.
“Aeri!” I sprinted for her.
She struggled, two hundred feet over the stone ground below. A flame shot across the sky, moving toward the rope that kept Aeri aloft.
It would hit the rope, and when it did, she would fall.
And die.
I knew it without a shadow of a doubt.
I tried to transport directly to her, but something about this place blocked that power.
It was going to force me to do it the hard way.
The terrain between her and me was crazy—arched stone bridges, strange stepping stones that created obstacle courses, pools of bubbling liquid that steamed.
No way I was going over all that.
I called upon my wings, ready to grab her. They appeared immediately, magic surging within me and flaring from my back. Ephemeral and silver, they carried me into the air when I launched myself upward. I flew toward Aeri, moving awkwardly but fast as hell.
Heat exploded against my back, pain and fire. It drove me from the sky, and I tumbled, unable to right myself as agony shot through me. I crashed to the stone ground, pain exploding in my shoulder.
Nearly blind with shock, I staggered upright, away from one of the bubbling pools of noxious liquid. My shoulder felt out of joint, and pain streaked down my arm. At my back, heat burned from the fireball that had smashed into me from behind. I spun around, finally spotting an Unseelie Fae.
He flew in the sky above me, his hand glowing with red flame. His dark brows lowered as he aimed for me again.
There was nowhere to hide. Though there were stone pillars jutting up from the ground about twenty yards away, I stood in the middle of a wide open space. I called on my shield from the ether.
But nothing came.
What the hell?
I tried again.
Nothing.
Something about this realm blocked the weapons I stored in the ether.
The mage hurled his flame at me. It shot through the sky so fast that I knew I wouldn’t be able to dodge entirely. I braced for impact as I threw myself to the side.
It hit me anyway, pain flaring as the fire touched my skin. Then the magic seemed to soak into me, filling me up to bursting. It blasted back out of me, headed right at my airborne attacker.
