The Faerie Plague (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 5)

by Michelle Madow

  “We needed that cure,” I said. “We never had a chance.”

  “We could have figured something out.”

  I shrugged, because what did it matter? It was done. We couldn’t change the past.

  He blasted the sand again, then spun to face me. “How’d she even know we were here?”

  “My blood.” I held up my arms, showing the scratch marks that went from my wrists to my elbows. “When we fought her, she clawed at my arms. She drew blood.”

  “But that was days ago.”

  “She wiped it on her dress,” I said simply. “The same dress she portaled back to Earth in. She must have used the blood to track us.”

  Julian cursed.

  Selena ran to my side and kneeled down next to me. “There has to be a way to track her and the dragon shifter,” she said. “He’s already dead. All we need to do is get his heart.”

  “We don’t have time.” I glanced at my watch. Two minutes to go.

  Ice-cold fear flooded my veins.

  I’d been so confident that I’d be able to get that staff back to Circe. Even after returning to Avalon to get the ingredients to make the cure and realizing how little time we had left, I was still convinced I could do it.

  For my entire life, everyone had always admired my confidence.

  But that very trait was what had gotten me into this mess. I’d overestimated myself, and now, I was going to pay the price.

  No, I told myself. Don’t think that way. You did it for Selena. Even if you could go back, what could you have done differently?

  Nothing. Circe wanted to keep me on her island no matter what. At least this way, it would just be me who was stuck there. Sage was free.

  But what was going to happen to me?

  Fear of the unknown rattled me to the bones. Because I couldn’t fight Circe before, and I wouldn’t be able to fight her now.

  Wait.

  One big thing had changed for me since I’d left Aeaea.

  I reached for my dark magic, and it rose inside me, filling me with power and suffocating the fear.

  I’m going to escape Circe’s island, I thought, and the magic danced through me, like it was telling me that yes, it could help me succeed.

  So far, I’d resisted using it as much as I could. Despite how powerful it made me, the magic dug its claws into me each time I used it. It didn’t want to let go. I’d only pulled back because of Reed.

  But I was going to need that power to beat Circe. No more resisting. It was time to see how dangerous I could be.

  I was going to take that witch down.

  “Torrence.” Selena gently shook my shoulder. “Stop.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Your hands…”

  I looked at where she was staring. My palms faced the night sky, and two balls of dark smoke swirled above them.

  Power.

  I smiled at the sight of it, but then let them evaporate away—for Selena’s sake.

  I didn’t want her final memory of me to be of the person I was going to become. In the Otherworld, she’d made her opinion of dark magic clear. So no matter what, she couldn’t know what I was planning.

  “I’ve always been a survivor,” I said, just as much to me as to her. “I’ll get through this.”

  “You won’t be there for long,” Selena said. “Because I’m going to go there and rescue you. Just like you did for me.”

  “No.” I twisted my head around to look at her straight on, and she jerked back, stunned. “You’re the Queen of Wands. You have a responsibility to Avalon and the Otherworld. I didn’t make this deal with Circe and chase you to a plague-infested realm just so you could risk your life trying to get me back.”

  Reed slowly walked forward and stopped when there were only a few feet between us. “You made the deal with her thinking you had three months to get her staff,” he said. “Three months haven’t passed for you yet.”

  “Maybe you can explain what happened,” Selena said. “Maybe she’ll give you more time.”

  “I’ll try,” I said, although I doubted it would work. “But no matter what, I’m going to escape. I can do this. I will do this.”

  “I’m not letting you fight her by yourself.”

  “No one lets me do anything,” I said. “I make my own choices. And too many people are counting on you for you to risk yourself unnecessarily. Like the half-bloods in the Otherworld. Didn’t you promise to return and free them?”

  “I can do that after you’re safe back home.”

  “But I don’t want you to come after me.” Maybe if I said it enough, I’d get through to her.

  “Well, that’s too bad, because I’m going after you anyway.” She sounded as stubborn as me, and I was glad for it. Because she didn’t need me anymore. She could handle whatever was coming next on her own.

  No—not on her own.

  With Julian.

  “Don’t you remember what Prince Devyn told you?” I asked, and she pressed her lips together, like she didn’t want to be the one to say it. “He said you have to go straight to Avalon after returning to Earth. You’ve already gone against that by trying to help me get the staff. If you try rescuing me from that island, who knows what’ll happen?”

  “What’ll happen is that you’ll be safe.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  She swallowed, since she must have known it was true. Prince Devyn’s words had been more than clear.

  “He said you need to put the greater good above your personal interests,” I continued. “You need to put your duties as the Queen of Wands above our friendship.”

  “No,” she said, as stubborn as ever.

  Julian stood next to her, and he placed a hand lovingly on her shoulder. But she didn’t notice. She was focused only on me.

  “You’re my best friend,” she said. “I’m not going to abandon you. I’m going to bring you home.”

  I looked up to Julian, hoping he understood and would make sure she got to Avalon as soon as possible.

  He gave me a small nod, and I relaxed slightly.

  I glanced at my watch.

  Less than a minute to go.

  Reed lowered himself to his knees in front of me and took my hands in his. His hands were warm, and the intensity in his dark gaze took my breath away. “You’re right—Selena has to return to Avalon,” he said. “But I don’t. And I’m going to get you off that island.”

  “I thought you didn’t care.”

  “I didn’t mean that.” He squeezed my hands so tightly that it hurt. “I care more than you know.”

  I froze, speechless. Because I never knew what to think when it came to Reed.

  Determination flashed in his eyes, and the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine and he was kissing me like his life depended on it. Warmth flooded through me, and my heart leaped. I sank into the kiss, blissfully unaware of anything but the fact that Reed was kissing me, and that unlike last time with Aphrodite’s girdle, it was of his own free will.

  For a moment, everything was perfect.

  Then ice flooded through me, starting at my center and expanding outward. It pulled at me. Called to me.

  Torrence, a voice I’d never wanted to hear again echoed through my mind. Circe. Time’s up.

  I gripped Reed’s hands tighter and pulled him close, as if he could keep me anchored to the beach.

  But it was no use.

  Because one second, his lips were on mine.

  The next, he was gone, and cold nothingness consumed me.

  44

  SELENA

  MY HAND FELL through the place where Torrence’s shoulder had been.

  No.

  Reed sat right in front of me. Anger swirled in his eyes, and they flashed black. He spun around, ran to the opposite side of the cove, and threw smoky magic at the side of the cliff. Pieces of rock exploded loose with a bang and fell like an avalanche to the sand. He hit the side of the cliff again and again, until there was a giant mound of broken rock i
n front of him.

  “Reed!” I screamed, and I ran toward him. “Stop.”

  He didn’t stop.

  So I grabbed his arm and jolted him with electricity. Not enough to do serious damage, but enough to shock him.

  His body lit up with it, and he screamed, shaking from the force of my power. His magic disappeared, and his eyes turned back to normal.

  I let go, and he collapsed down to his knees.

  He cursed at me and shot black magic at me. But I held the wand in front of me and threw my magic into it. My tri-colored magic spread out like a shield and blocked his attack. Wind rushed around the two of us.

  “Stop,” I said again, still holding off his magic. He was surprisingly strong, but I was stronger. “We’re going to go there and get her. Together. But we can’t do that until you get ahold of yourself.”

  He shot another burst of black magic at the cliff.

  Then, he stopped. The air around us stilled. He sat down on the sand, breathing heavily, and wiped at his cheek.

  Is he crying?

  He lowered his arm and stared blankly at the bloodied place in the sand where the dragon had been. “I failed her.” He sounded so broken—so fragile.

  “If anyone failed her, it was me,” I said. “I could have killed him with my lightning.” It would have been so easy. Except not. Because it would have been murder. And I knew even now, if I were back in that moment, I wouldn’t have been able to kill that man in cold blood. “But I couldn’t. And now, she’s gone.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Julian said. He must have come over while I’d been holding off Reed. “Torrence made the decision to enter into the deal with Circe. She knew what the consequences would be if she failed. And she asked you not to come after her.”

  I waited for him to add something more—to say that obviously we were going after her anyway.

  He didn’t.

  “What are you suggesting?” I stepped backward, feeling like I was talking to a stranger.

  “I’m suggesting that you listen to Prince Devyn’s final words,” he said. “His actions led you to claiming your title of Queen of Wands. He made sure you got home. He had no reason to lie to you about what would happen if you went after Torrence.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “But I do.” He reached for my wrist and held it tightly. “Nothing good can happen from you going after her.”

  I glared at him. “You can’t know that.”

  “Maybe I can’t,” he said. “But your father could.”

  “That man wasn’t my father.” My magic buzzed through me, and I yanked my hand out of his grip. No matter how angry I was at him, I still didn’t want to electrocute him. “Prince Jacen of Avalon is my father.”

  “You’re right,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But I stand by what I said,” he continued. “You should listen to Prince Devyn. Return to Avalon. Let the Nephilim army figure out how to help Torrence. If they’re as strong as you claim, they should be able to do this.”

  Rage swirled inside me like a hurricane, and thunder rolled through the sky. “I have more power than anyone on Avalon,” I said. “And we have no idea what Circe wants with Torrence. The longer she’s there, the more danger she’s in. So I’m going to Circe’s island. I can either drop you off at the Vale first, or you can come with me and Reed. But I’m going, and you can’t stop me.”

  Reed got up and stood next to me, facing Julian. “What’s it gonna be?” he asked. “Are you coming or not?”

  Julian watched me, like he was waiting for me to rethink my decision.

  But my decision had been made long before Torrence had disappeared.

  He must have realized that, because finally, he nodded. “Fine,” he said. “If you’re going to Circe’s island, then I’m coming with you.”

  “Good,” I said, and I turned to Reed. “You’ve been to Circe’s island. Take us there, now.”

  “I can only take one of you at a time.”

  “Right.” How could I have momentarily forgotten that teleporting didn’t work like lightning-travel? “Take me first.” I didn’t want Julian to be alone on that island, not even for a second. “Then I’ll come back for Julian.”

  “All right.” He took a deep breath, then reached forward to take my hands.

  “STOP!” someone yelled from behind us.

  I lowered my hands and spun around to where the voice was coming from.

  Two people were running toward us from the opposite end of the cove. One of them—a person in a cloak—stopped midway across the beach. The other met us where we were.

  I stared, shocked at she got closer.

  “Skylar?” I asked, since I’d recognize that bright red hair anywhere. The same red hair as the Queen of Swords, but Skylar was older. She was the Queen of Swords’ mother—the prophetess of Avalon.

  “Selena,” she said, still catching her breath. “Julian. Reed.”

  “How do you know Julian’s name?” I asked. “And how did you know we were here?”

  “I’m a prophetess,” she said with a small smile. “And I need to talk to you before you leave for Aeaea.”

  I studied the woman across the beach—presumably a witch who’d teleported Skylar here. Her hood covered her eyes, so I could only see the bottom half of her face. “Come closer,” I said, curious who she was. I knew pretty much every witch on Avalon. “We won’t hurt you.”

  “She’s new to Avalon,” Skylar said quickly. “She’s powerful, but shy. But she’s no matter. Because I had a vision, and I needed to stop you before it was too late.”

  “What type of vision?” My heart raced, worried about where this was headed.

  “You can’t go after Torrence,” she said. “You have to go back home. Now.”

  Thunder cracked overhead. The wand’s crystals glowed, casting their blue light on Skylar’s face.

  “Torrence is my best friend,” I said, and the wind picked up, my hair blowing in the breeze. The waves crashed louder on the shore. “I would still be trapped in the Otherworld if it wasn’t for her. Why’s everyone trying to stop me from helping her?”

  “I’m not stopping you,” Reed said. “I’m going to Aeaea, with or without you.”

  “I know,” I said. “I’m going with you.”

  “Then who cares what she says? Let’s get out of here.”

  But I kept my gaze locked on Skylar’s. Because her eyes were wide, and she looked… panicked.

  Chills raced up my arms. Because the prophetess was always calm.

  Something was seriously wrong.

  “Tell us what you saw,” I said.

  “You and Julian can’t go with Reed to save Torrence.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it has to be Reed—and only Reed—who goes after her.”

  “How do you know this?” I crossed my arms, since something wasn’t adding up. “You don’t have omniscient sight. You can only see the future as it’s going to happen without any interference.”

  “Before I got here, you and Julian were going to go with Reed to Aeaea,” she said. “I saw what was going to happen if the three of you followed through with that decision. Every terrible, awful bit of it. You see, to win the war against the demons, each Queen must fight in the final battle. But if you go to Aeaea, you’ll die. Avalon will be no more. The people you love most will be gone.”

  “My parents?” I could barely get the words out.

  She nodded, and watched me like the fate of the world depended on my decision.

  Which it did. But I refused to believe it all came down to this.

  “That’s only one possible future,” I said, desperate for another option. “There has to be another way. Tell me how I’ll die. I can change it. I can do something differently once I get to Aeaea.”

  “If you go to Aeaea, you’ll doom us all.” Her voice was filled with so much certainty that it chilled me to the bone. “This moment is the turning po
int. And you need to go home with your soulmate.”

  “But why?”

  “Because you’re the Queen of Wands,” she said simply. “Your duty is to your people. If you turn your back on them and go after Torrence, the war against the demons will be lost. The demons’ power will grow, and Earth will be theirs.”

  Horror clung to my skin. I wanted to say she was wrong. I wanted to say that going after Torrence didn’t mean I was turning my back on Avalon and the half-bloods in the Otherworld.

  But I couldn’t.

  Because while cryptic, Skylar’s vision matched up perfectly with Prince Devyn’s warning. And I couldn’t ignore that, no matter how badly I wanted to.

  “So I can’t go after Torrence,” I said slowly, still trying to process the thought of not going after my best friend. “But Reed can?”

  “Yes,” she said. “However, teleporting to Aeaea with no plan or strategy won’t be enough. Circe’s an immortal sorceress—an extremely powerful one, at that. He’ll need backup.”

  “What kind of backup?”

  “He’ll need the help of the Supreme Mages.”

  I tilted my head and studied her. Something wasn’t right. Because I’d seen Skylar read the future before, and she always used her tarot cards.

  “How did you know that so quickly?” I asked. “Now that we’re on a path to a different future, wouldn’t you have needed to look into your cards again to see what changed?”

  She stilled, like she hadn’t expected the question. “I’m not the only one who has insight into the future,” she said simply. “I’ve spoken with others, and I’m speaking with you here and now for a reason.”

  “Is she your source?” I asked, and I looked to the hooded witch in the background.

  Neither of them replied.

  So I moved toward the witch to demand answers.

  But with her vampire speed, Skylar was faster.

  She took the witch’s hands, and said, “Now.”

  “Wait!” I screamed, and a gust of wind rushed through the cove.

  The two of them faded and flickered out like a faulty hologram, but not before the wind blew back the witch’s hood.

  A glowing crown of pointed, jagged, clear crystals sat on top of the girl’s brown hair.