Thick black vines ran over the hard, rocky terrain. It was dark here, so dark it took my eyes a moment to adjust. Blue veins of glowing material ran over the entire world, weaving through the sharp black rocks. They pulsed and stirred, and I swear I could feel it moving, like my magic answered to it. My heartbeat aligned with the glowing, and I sucked in a deeper breath. This time it didn’t burn so much, like my body was adjusting to it. In the distance, black eyed, hairless, four-legged creatures ran across the jagged world like a pack of wild dogs. Their dark skin matched the rocks and they, too, had that odd blue glowing. They snapped and snarled at each other as they ran.
“Scavengers. That is what this world is. Kill or be killed.” Kylian moved to my side. He bent down and lifted a piece of rock from the ground and handed it to me. “Slate, the whole realm is slate. Nothing grows here but those.” He pointed toward the black creeping vines. “And even they feed off the blood of the weak.”
Astrid moved to my other side. She shivered even though I didn’t feel the cold anymore. “This place is creepy as hell.”
“If it moves, it will kill you.” Kylian looked out over the dark, smokey valley. Just then the pack of Unseelie dogs attacked one of their own, ripping the poor feeble thing to shreds like piranhas and taking off once more.
Astrid shook her head, and the ashy flakes floated out of her hair, disappearing before they hit the ground. “This place feels like hell. Like the world itself feels like death and abuse rolled up all into one.”
Funny, I didn’t feel that at all. It was just quiet. Nothing more, nothing less. Nova walked to the other side of Kylian and the rocks slid down from our vantage point. “This place is death. I feel it. My powers feel it.”
I flexed my fingers, feeling my powers rise and roll within me. The blood-sucking vines on the floor at my feet rose two inches off the ground and slithered back down like a hand curling into a fist… my fist. Interesting. I opened my hand again and the vines lay flat on the ground at my feet once more.
“Hey.” Astrid nudged me.
“Huh, what?” I looked up and the four of them were staring back at me.
“Kylian said we need to find cover for a while.” Her brows furrowed. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, why?” I felt okay; I felt good even. I could take on this world and I would, to find Logan. We needed to get him back and we needed to do it in two days.
“You didn’t hear him.” She lifted her finger and poked at a rock that was floating close to her face. “And these.”
Small pieces of slate floated all around me like a swarm of bees. “Oh.” I pulled in the power I didn’t even know I was using, and all pieces dropped to the ground.
Kylian cleared his throat. “We need to find some shelter before we get spotted.”
I have him a single nod. “Yeah. Show the way.”
He turned away from me and started walking down the back of the hill with Nova and Ashryn following close behind him. I took a step to go along when Astrid moved into my path. “We good?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure?” She arched an eyebrow at me.
“Yes, why?” This was getting exasperating.
“You’re being weird.” She threw her thick dark wine hair over her shoulder.
“I’m fine, really. We’ve got other things to worry about besides me. Like finding Logan and doing it within the next two days.” I looked to the dark sky. Without the sun in the sky or being able to tell day from night, it was going to be hard figuring out how long we had left. But I felt like I could do it, could feel the time moving in the realm. It would help us, or my power would. I felt it rolling in my bones, and I liked it.
Chapter 30
Astrid
Kylian marched down the mountain, keeping behind the high shelf of rocks and out of view. Tiny slate pebbles skittered down the hill as we all walked. There was a heaviness in this world that made my magic feel wonky. Like it burned for release, like at any moment it was going to explode out of me and do exactly what it wanted to do, not what I wanted it to do. It was a strange sort of feeling, as if I were still in control but just barely.
Maybe it was the heavy air, the snowy ash, the vision of blood-drinking vines or this crazy place. But I felt screwed, royally screwed. Then the ground started vibrating under my feet, so much so that the rocks all bounced and moved. Kylian raced down to the mountain toward a large cave in the side of the wall. He shoved Ashryn inside and waved for us all to hurry up. I quickened my pace, trying not to slip on the slick slate. I hurried into the cave with Nova and Beckett hot on my heels.
Kylian pressed his glowing hands to the wall and a huge piece of slate broke off. He turned and shoved it over the opening, hiding us all. He squatted down low and motioned for us all to get down with him. I crawled around Beckett and Nova to sit across from Kylian. The rumbling got louder and louder. I glanced through the crack between the wall and the piece of slate Kylian held there.
I sucked in a sharp breath. Creatures, or Unseelie or demons, I didn’t know what they were. “What are they?”
“Unseelie army,” Kylian hissed. “But why are they moving?”
I glanced over my shoulder toward Beckett. His eyes widened and he crawled forward. “An army, are you kidding me?”
But even as we sat there watching thousands of Unseelie soldiers march by, I could believe it. They’d been pissed to be kicked out, and who would want to live here as opposed to Earth? This place was worse than any hell I could imagine. It was nothing. It was the complete lack of anything. It was a void of life. Looking at the soldiers, I saw the devastation they could bring. They were grotesque with harsh, exaggerated facial features, sharp teeth and gray, sickly skin. Horns of all shapes and sizes jutted from their heads. No two Unseelie looked the same. They reminded me of horrible big goblins. The stench of sulfur and body odor permeated the air. Each one of them was the size of a bodybuilder, and their armor rattled with every step they took. Savage, animal-like growls filled the air as they exposed their razor-sharp teeth and snarled to the sky.
There was something jovial in their manner, like they knew they would dominate and win given the chance. This wasn’t an army built for war. This was an army built for slaughter. I saw it all now. “This is why the Fallen need us to unite with the witches. This is what’s coming to our world.”
Kylian’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
I didn’t know how to answer him. What to tell him. The gravity of the moment sent chills down my spine and made me want to vomit. How were we—five queens and five heirs—supposed to stand against this? This was genocide waiting to happen. I sank back, not caring that the gravel cut into my back or butt. If we didn’t get the walls back up to keep this out… the loss would be catastrophic. No one would survive—humans, witches, warlocks, shifters, it didn’t matter the ability. These Unseelie spent years training for one thing—complete and total annihilation.
When I tried to look farther to the horizon, the legions of Unseelie warriors continued like ants marching over a hill. I licked my lips. “The walls protecting our world are coming down and this is what they’ve been keeping out.”
Kylian looked to Ashryn. “I knew she was hiding something. I knew it.”
“Who?”
“Our mother.” Ashryn answered without looking at me. “She knew something was happening.”
Kylian let go a string of curses. When he was done, he turned to me. “If the walls need to go back up, then what the hell are some of the most powerful warlocks and a witch doing here? You should be back with your people, magicking our asses into safety.”
“We told you, we’re here to rescue one of our own,” I growled. “The rest of our people have got the walls under control.”
“What does that mean? Under control?”
Beckett leaned forward and signed. “It means we’ve got two days to get out of Unseelie, or we’ll be locked here forever.”
“So what are we rescuing a conti
ngent of super-powered warlocks?” Kylian looked from me to Beckett and back. “The key to getting the walls back up?”
Beckett shook his head. “No, we’re here for Logan. He’s the heir of Whitmore House and part of my crew.”
Kylian shot to his feet, his hands glowing that dark copper color. “Are you kidding? We’re here to rescue one guy, who is—no offense—not that important?”
Beckett shrugged, seemingly not bothered by any of this. Not bothered by the army or the gravity of our situation. Like all he could look at was his hand and the way the vines over the ground seemed to respond to only him. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”
Kylian gave a deep, exasperated sigh and dropped back to lean against the wall. “Freaking mortals, you broke me out of that jail and promised to pay up. That’s why I came, no questions asked. But what the hell?”
“You don’t understand.” I shook my head. “Not only is he the heir to Whitmore House, we need him to help unite the warlocks. If we don’t have all the heirs, then the council will take over the warlocks and we will never unite with the witches, and we will NEVER stand a chance against that army outside. We need to find the Unseelie who took him and get him back.”
“Yeah, okay, whatever. Same thing. One guy isn’t a make-or-break and you all might die. What then? Who else will they turn to, to be able to fight this?” Kylian hesitated and shook his head. “Never mind. I just decided I don’t care. What does this Unseelie dude look like?”
Beckett groaned. “He looks like the rest of them.”
I elbowed him. “That’s real helpful. What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” He glared at me then turned back to Kylian, answering him in a completely bored tone. “Sickly, pale gray skin, like the others. Dark shadows under his eyes, like the others. Crimson eyes, pointed ears, dark hair… like the others. Thick black cracks over his skin, kind of like the way the blue cracks cover this world. Bunch of gnarly horns on his head, kind of looking like tree roots. Kind of like the others.”
“There are very distinct things, not like the others.” Kylian rolled his eyes. “Dumbasses. Considering everything you just told me, we’re gonna need help.”
“You know this Unseelie?” Beckett tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “How?”
“I agreed to rescue your boy. I didn’t agree to share everything I know.” He ran his hand down his face. “We need help.”
I scoffed. “Who in Unseelie is gonna help us?”
Kylian groaned. “There is only one who will. Soto.”
Chapter 31
Astrid
We walked for what seemed like weeks. Everything here was so gray and never-ending. In the distance, I thought I spotted a town of sorts. That gray ash rained down harder, and we all had to cover our faces and heads with wrappings. Marching through it was like slogging through a light snow. I was both hot and cold at the same time, yet Beckett seemed the least affected by it all. He took to heading up our group with Kylian as the guide. Half the time his face covering fell down, he didn’t even struggle to pick it up.
Power seemed to roll off him, more so than I’d ever felt before, but this… it felt different somehow. Darker, maybe? Even his ocean-blue eyes had a faint glow to them. He pointed up toward the town. It was odd-looking with all the buildings appearing like dark hockey pucks with a smaller dark hockey puck on top of it making a roof. There were no windows. Who would want to look at this hell? The town, if it could be called that, was a small cluster of about ten buildings with hovels scattered around the outskirts. Smaller, scroungy looking Unseelie hobbled along the streets hunched over and alone. They reminded me of the homeless population in New York City. Some of them mumbled to themselves; others sat huddled against buildings, trying to sell odd-looking things I didn’t recognize.
I pulled my face covering tighter over my mouth and lower over my eyes. The wind whipped past me, both heating and making me freeze at the same time. All was silent but for a single building at the end of the cluster of them. Kylian headed straight for it. Before he hit the entrance, he veered to the right into a space like an alley between the two buildings. He pulled down his face covering. “Stay here and don’t talk to anything.”
He shoved his mask back up and began to walk past me. I grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Where are you going?”
He nodded toward the building. “That’s a bar for some of the most dangerous Unseelie in the world. I’m going in to look for Soto. I can’t be strolling in with a pack of warlocks and witches at my side. The power around you three gives me the creeps right now, and it’ll creep out whatever is in there.”
He took another step, but I kept my hold on him. “What if you miss this Soto character?”
He sighed and held his hand just at chest level a little shorter than me. “‘Bout this high. Hunter green cloak, scrappy and wild. You see that come through the door, stop it. Otherwise, leave whatever comes out alone.”
I dropped his arm. “Okay.”
“At some point, you’re gonna have to trust me, Red.” He pulled his mask back up over his face and lower over his eyes.
“Keep calling me Red and that’ll never happen.” I turned back to Beckett. “I still don’t trust him.”
“I don’t trust anyone.” His voice was a low hiss.
“Hey.” I smacked his arm.
He shook himself. “I trust you.”
“You are acting seriously weird.” I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he was off. He was distant, harder somehow. I lowered my voice, “Are we okay?”
His brows furrowed and he looked at me like I was the crazy one. “Yeah, we’re fine. Now let’s go watch for this Soto Unseelie.”
Ashryn and Nova pressed themselves up against the wall across from us. Beckett and I did the same, and we all moved to the mouth of the alley, waiting. The street held only the last few sickly Unseelie. The ash seemed to come down even harder, piling over the black vines and covering us. It was deadly silent, with only the constant wind for company and the awful smell of sulfur.
My shoulder brushed Beckett’s and I leaned into the heat coming off him. “You think this Soto will know where Logan is?”
“They better.” He growled and puffs of his blue magic floated up from his hands. Pieces of hard slate rose up around us, floating in the air like planets in the dark universe.
“Hey, we’ll find him.” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “We just have to be calm.”
He shrugged my touch away. “I am calm. I’ve never been calmer.”
It was true. Though his bond to me was stronger, I still felt him, and right now he was just cold. Cold determination laced with something I didn’t quite understand… menace. It seethed within him like a tempest in a bottle. He seemed unreachable, not like I’d ever felt him before. What was happening to him? I opened my mouth to speak when the door to the bar flew open and a small, hooded figure ran out.
“Shh, that’s it.” He squatted down and placed his hands on the ground in front of him like a cat about to pounce.
“You don’t know that’s him,” I hissed.
“Short, green cloak. Fits the description,” he snapped back.
Before either of us could move, the door swung open once more and another figure strolled out. This one was bigger with a sleeveless, hooded cloak and thick boots. The hood was drawn low over the bigger one’s face, but there was something familiar about him. Something that made goosebumps skitter across my skin.
The bigger Unseelie grabbed Soto by the throat and shook him hard. “You dare steal from me!”
My heart sank into the bottomless pit that was my stomach, and I sucked in a sharp breath just as his hood fell back from his face. There he was—the one who’d taken Logan from us. Those beady red eyes were burned into my mind. That long, oily black hair and pale gray skin was the stuff of nightmares. He yanked Soto off his feet, so he was face to face with him. His lips lifted off his sharp spiked teeth. “No one steals from me.”
<
br /> Beckett made a move to spring up, but I grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. He glared at me over his shoulder. I lowered my lips to his ear. “We don’t even know his power. Be smart.”
Again, that glare came, but I didn’t let go of his shoulder. “He’s going to kill our one lead.”
The bigger Unseelie brought Soto closer to his face and sniffed his neck. “I love the smell of fear. Now, give me the coin.”
Soto reached into an inner pocket and dropped two coins into the bigger one’s waiting hand. “I-I didn’t know you wanted them. They fell to the floor. You left them.”
“I always want what’s mine,” the big one growled.
A flare of blue power caught my eye and one of those creeping vines snapped up from the ground between the two of them. The bigger one dropped Soto and glanced around. Soto took off running in the opposite direction with that cloak trailing behind him. The bigger one growled and lifted his hand. The same vines flew up in front of Soto so fast, the motion was blurred. A loud crack sounded, breaking the silence of the world around us. Soto screamed as he went soaring through the air back into the bigger one’s waiting hands. The door to the bar opened and more Unseelie flooded out to watch. They laughed and jeered as Soto struggled to free himself. His legs and arms kicked out to no avail. And he was surrounded now by some of the biggest Unseelie soldiers I’d ever seen, and I saw thousands of them pass when I was hiding in that cave. Each one was like a bodybuilder on crack, with bulging muscles, gray skin and stringy hair.
Wicked Curse (The Royals: Warlock Court Book 4) Page 18
