His senses sharpened, locking in on every detail. The world slowed around him and his body primed for battle. The dizziness and pain slipped away under the weight of his overpowering need to protect Myra.
Two dozen Trolls now filled the entrance to the lair, shifting restlessly but keeping formation. Obviously waiting eagerly for the command to rush forward and fight.
Across the front line, four Trolls in particular drew Sterling's attention.
Each stood at least a head above the rest of the Trolls. Blue lines marked the white fur in intricate patterns.
There was no doubt in Sterling's mind these were the leaders and should be his first targets.
Not because he thought the other Trolls might break and run if he took them down. There was little chance of that happening while the Mirror King still wore the ice crown that enslaved them.
No. It was the dark, sticky elixir coating the vicious-looking claws of all four chieftains. The same substance that had coated the Mirror King's knife. The same poison that was already sapping Sterling's strength from the inside out.
The bitter scent of wolfsbane assaulted his nose, even over the stench of the Trolls, and Sterling fought the urged to retch violently.
With a deeper, steadying breath, Sterling settled his body into a defensive stance.
As hurt as he was and facing overwhelming odds, there was little chance he'd survive this battle. But Sterling was determined to last long enough to ensure Myra did.
"I can hold them here for a while. The archway is too narrow for more than two of the Trolls to face me at a time. Eventually, they'll circle around behind us, though. You need to run before any of them get close enough to identify you to the Mirror King. There's a second exit. Get to the Mirror Cavern then take two lefts and a right."
Dipping his hand into his pocket, Sterling held out the invisibility chain. "Take this. It can hide you from sight. There's not much power left in it, though. It'll probably only last a few minutes, so only use it when there's no other choice."
Instead of taking it, Myra shook her head with stubborn defiance.
"Look, I don't actually know how to use this," Myra admitted while tapping the sword at her side.
Then she darted her hand into the pocket and pulled out the half dozen relics he'd hidden there.
"But I can use these. You fight with your blade and I'll use these to keep them from overwhelming us."
Sterling wanted to protest but something changed in the air and he stiffened, knowing the brief reprieve was almost over.
Almost comically, all four of the Chieftains tilted their heads to the side, like dogs responding a whistle no human could hope to hear.
Then, as one, all four roared and rushed toward Sterling's position, with the rest of the cadre of Trolls charging right behind.
The biggest of the Chieftains reached him first. While facing the largest of his enemies was never ideal, at least the creature's sheer size kept any other Troll from getting close to Sterling.
The thrumming rush of battle frenzy blocked the overwhelming pain still throbbing in his head and the ache of his wounds. Let him focus single-mindedly on the fight in front of him.
Unfortunately, his sword was even less effective on the giant chieftain than it had been on the Trolls in the Mirror Cavern.
But Sterling ground his teeth and pushed forward anyway. Determined to protect Myra. To find a way to get her free.
Despite the berserker rush of strength and speed the fight gave Sterling, it didn't take long for his wolfsbane-infected wounds to catch up with him.
The pain and dizziness became harder and harder to ignore. His offensive strokes took a toll and his stance turned defensive, deflecting the powerful swipes of poison-tipped claws.
Eventually, Sterling reacted a second too slow. Tired muscles failed to bring his sword back fast enough to defend the flank he'd accidentally left exposed.
The chieftain's extended claws bit into Sterling's side and raked across his torso, tearing through leather, cloth, and flesh with equal ease.
The burn of wolfsbane was an immediate, agonizing fire in his blood. Between one breath and the next, Sterling was sprawled on the rocky floor, giant Troll chieftain grinning furiously over him. Gloating for a long second before readying itself to make the killing stroke.
Myra threw herself over Sterling before the raised arm fell. As her weight crashed into him, a surge of magic buzzed in the air. Then the relic in Myra's upraised hand sent a blast of electricity surging through the rows of Trolls. The wave of unleashed energy blew the chieftain and a dozen of the nearest Trolls backward, causing a domino effect into the ranks.
The unexpected and powerful detonation took everyone by surprise and gave Myra and Sterling a little breathing room.
"Run." Sterling tried to shout, but it was barely more than a whisper.
Myra, staring at him with resolve, shook her head again. "Not without you."
She brushed delicate fingers through his hair, then pulled her sword from its sheath. Standing, she faced the cadre of Trolls sorting itself out for another rush with her head held high.
Sterling tried to reach for her, to grab her and pull her back. But the last dregs of his reserves had burned away.
He barely raised his arm before it flopped uselessly back to the floor. Cold futility seized his lungs as he realized there was nothing he could do now but watch.
Chapter Nine
THE SWORD FELT heavy and useless in Myra's hand. But she'd used the last of Sterling's trinkets to keep the huge, blue-marked Troll from finishing what he'd started.
Forcing bravado to hide the visceral terror shaking her down to her bones, Myra stepped into the narrow opening of the archway and waited for the end.
Except.
The hoard of Trolls wasn't looming anymore. As she moved forward into sight, they backed up toward the entrance.
A moment later, the group split in two, leaving a wide aisle down the center of the cave.
"You're no doubt wondering why they aren't attacking."
The Mirror King's voice echoed through the cavern a second before he stepped into the entrance, looking exactly as Myra remembered him.
Somehow, he managed to be both ridiculous and terrifying at the same time. Just the sight of him stopped her breath and icy fear prickled over her skin.
"It's because they have been ordered not to harm any of the Taken who return. Their collective memory is much better than mine. And they remember you."
The Mirror King paused, head cocked with consideration as he focused on Myra.
"Which means, my dear, you are someone very special indeed."
With a dramatic strut, the Mirror King swept through the open avenue his minions had left. Then he stopped at the exact center of the cave, positioned perfectly so the setting sun bathed him in halo of light.
When he finished posing, the Mirror King cast a narrow gaze over Myra, clucking his tongue thoughtfully.
"Now I remember you," he announced, eyes wide with gleeful satisfaction. "You bumped into one of my minions when he returned another Taken."
Myra did her best not to give anything away, but she felt her body shaking from her boots to her hair.
"For some unfathomable reason, he brought you back. Even though you weren't on the list of potentials," he muttered, casting an irritated glance at the nearest cluster of Trolls. "Much too old. And, despite your mother managing to swindle the mountain yokels, it was obvious the only gift you inherited from her was sleight of hand."
Instinctively, Myra wanted to protest the insult to her mother's memory. Only a deeply ingrained sense of self-preservation and sliver of hope had her biting back the rebuke. Because it just may be that her secret wasn't forfeit, yet.
The lines around the Mirror King’s eyes tightened into a glare and he snarled in contempt.
"Oh, that's what this is. The pup quavering behind you was hoping to trick me. To use you
r skill at fleecing marks to convince me my theory was wrong. To make me believe you, of all people, were gifted by the Mirror. That you were talented enough to hide your change from me." He sneered past her, eyes glittering with contempt as they locked on Sterling. "I suppose you figured I'd be too busy trying to figure out how I'd been so wrong about her. So distracted, that I wouldn't bother looking for whoever truly gave you the layout of my lair. That I wouldn't search for the true proof of my experiments' success."
Myra wanted to glare at the Mirror King's disdain as he continued to rant and crow. But the import of his diatribe hit her like a hammer.
He didn't believe she was the one.
There was still a chance she could talk her way out of this. Convince him that he was searching for one of the handful of Taken who had left the mountain and disappeared into the kingdoms below.
She could still escape his grasp with her secret intact.
Except, there was no way he'd let her take Sterling with her.
And there was no way she was leaving him behind.
In order to save Sterling, she needed to be brave.
Because the only way out would give the Mirror King undeniable proof that Myra was the one, after all.
It was the only way to get them both out alive.
But it also meant her life would change forever.
Once he knew, the Mirror King would never stop hunting her.
But there was no other choice for her. Not with Sterling dying on the ground behind her.
Not when she could save him.
Before she fully wrapped her head around what she intended to do, the Mirror King's screed brought his attention back to Myra.
"Tell me who really remembers, and I'll let you leave. I'll even give you another bag of coins before I send you on your way."
Myra had no doubt the Mirror King was strange enough, and arrogant enough, to keep his word.
But Myra couldn't take that deal. Not now.
"What about Sterling?" she demanded.
"I can let him live, I suppose, if he survives those wounds," the Mirror King answered with a disinterested shrug. "But he stays here."
"No deal—" Myra started to insist, but the Mirror King held up one hand, eyes gleaming with too much understanding.
"I'm holding all the cards, my dear. Tell me what I want to know, or my Trolls kill him here, now, in front of you. I can easily wait for his friends to show up to test my theories."
With Sterling's life on the line, there was only one choice left for Myra. Shoulders slumped and eyes downcast, Myra's whispered answer echoed through the cavern.
"All right, I'll tell you the truth."
"Myra, no!"
Sterling's shout was strained and weak and Myra's heart tightened, resolved stiffening her spine.
Turning her head to meet his eyes, she was surprised to find the green depths filled with concern for her. Desperately, he stretched out despite his obvious agony to grasp for the hilt of his fallen sword.
"You can still run," he insisted, breath ragged from the strain of the simple movement. Yet he continued to try to get up.
"I need you to trust me," she pleaded, her words cutting through the desperation and chaos of the moment.
Sterling's struggle to rise stilled, conflict sharp and hard in his gaze as he searched her face. Then, smiling tightly through the pain, Sterling inclined his head.
"I do trust you."
The stark faith in his words shook Myra.
With a deep, steadying breath, Myra sheathed her sword and stepped out into the entrance cave.
Into the clear space the Trolls had left when they'd pulled back. A space that gave Myra plenty of room to do what needed to be done.
"This is all very touching," the Mirror King sneered, "but I want answers. And you're going to give them to me."
"I'm going to give you the answers you want," Myra promised with a feral grin. "But I don't think you're going to like them."
Myra reached out and deliberately called the cool, silvery rope of magic that slumbered inside of her.
Pale blue mist surrounded her, obscuring the cavern, the Mirror King, and the Trolls from her sight for the space of a few heartbeats.
And when it cleared, Myra towered above them, sapphire wings outstretched and razor-sharp talons gripping the floor as she learned to balance in her full dragon form.
***
Sterling remained still and silent throughout the Mirror King's ranting. Hoping to catch his breath and force his body past the limitations of the pain and poison and fever spreading through him.
When he realized the Mirror King was still uncertain about Myra's role, his heart had leapt with hope and he prayed she'd take the chance to escape.
Just as quickly, his heart plunged when she'd looked ready to give in to the Mirror King’s demands. Ready to trade her secret for Sterling's life.
He'd been desperate to stop her.
Then she'd asked him to trust her.
There hadn't been a moment of doubt or hesitation in his answer. Because he trusted her beyond all reason.
And it broke his heart when he'd seen the surprise and gratitude that flashed across her face.
When she stepped out of the uncertain safety of the narrow passageway, Sterling's hand spasmed painfully around the hilt of his sword.
Helpless. Useless. He could do nothing but lay there and watch her spar with the Mirror King.
Then the unexpected happened. His senses lit up with a hint of magic flowing around Myra. A magic that was both familiar and out of place.
The air blurred around Myra, a soft blue that obscured Sterling's sight of her for much too long.
Relief and awe shuddered through him when a sapphire dragon emerged from the mist.
She was just as beautiful in full form.
Deep blue scales glittered in the rays of the setting sun. With her wings spread and fangs bared, she faced the Mirror King and his Trolls like an avenging angel.
Silence rang in the air as every eye locked on to Myra's powerful new form.
The momentary shock of her unexpected transformation wore off quickly, however.
The Mirror King eyed her with a gleeful, greedy leer, crying out, "It worked! You are the one."
Then he raised his hand, charm bracelet rattling as he curled his fingers into a gesture Sterling was starting to recognize. And fear.
Sterling tried to shout a warning, but his voice was lost beneath Myra's own roar.
Fire poured from a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.
Somehow, the Mirror King managed to dart out of the way. Escaping the full brunt of the blast, he fled back through the confused ranks of his Trolls. And disappeared out of the cave with smoking rising from the hem of his robes.
For the first time, the cadre of Trolls looked uncertain and fearful, shying away from the flame. A primal terror of fire that was one of their oldest instincts.
But one of the chieftains shouted defiantly and charged at Myra anyway. A handful of manic Trolls followed him into battle.
Myra roared again, strafing the attacking enemy with a flameless blast of heat that forced them back. The chieftain took the brunt of it, dropping to his knees with shriek of outrage and pain.
Then, she took another step forward, mouthing falling open once more, a hint of flame licking around her teeth. The show of power broke the spirit of the Trolls and they fled from the cave en masse.
As soon as the last troll crossed the threshold, Myra turned back toward Sterling. One taloned forelimb reached into the narrow passage but stopped abruptly. Hovering hesitantly over him without touching.
"Flying is the fastest escape, in case Trolls or the Mirror King come back. But it's probably going to hurt—"
"Do it," Sterling insisted, knowing they didn't have much time.
It hadn't escaped his notice that the Mirror King was unsurprised by the sudden appearance of her dragon form. J
ust her unexpected aggressiveness. Once he regrouped, there were half a dozen ways he could gain control of Myra, even in full form. And since he'd been in contact with Velia, he probably knew most of them.
Sterling needed to get her away from here now and any discomfort he felt was worth it.
"Do it," he repeated when she continued to hesitate. He forced a reassuring smile through the pain. "I'll be fine."
Her talons curled around him with a care that belied their size, strength, and razor-sharp tips.
Despite that, the urgent rush across the cave jarred every single one of his injuries. Sterling bit his lip hard enough to bleed to keep from crying out. The last thing he wanted to do was distract her.
As soon as they were fully beyond the confines of the lair, strong wings stretched out and beat heavily against the air. With a graceful leap, Myra launched them into the sky, cradling him close to her scales in effort to cushion the jolt.
But the agony of the wolfsbane had spread throughout his whole body. Nothing she did would protect him from it now.
A haze of feverish delirium slid over his consciousness, insulating him from the pain. In the last moments of clear awareness, it occurred to him that, all his life, Sterling had been the caretaker.
First his family, then the pack.
It was nice, for once, to relax into the gentle cradle of Myra's warm embrace and trust her to get them to safety.
Chapter Ten
IN HER FULL FORM, Myra knew there was only one place on the mountain she could go to for help.
Not that there wouldn't be just as many questions to answer in the home of the Mountain Clan dragon shifters.
But some of the more superstitious villages might turn Myra away out of irrational fear and pure spite. Besides, Myra doubted even the most wizened village healer would know how to deal with the wolfsbane burning through Sterling's veins.
Guessing by the position of the gibbous moon faintly etched into the darkening sky, Myra turned awkwardly in the air, trying to disturb the unconscious Sterling as little as possible. Praying she was heading in the right direction.
The Snow Wolf (Wolves Ever After Book 1) Page 7
