We continued on. We were headed down a slope, deep into the earth. I tried not to think about how much rockfall and dirt were piling up over our heads, but instead focused on Raven, keeping her firmly in my thoughts. We had to find her. I concentrated on putting my feet firmly one in front of the other as Trinity dragged me down the sloping incline.
A few moments later, he slowed, then squeezed my arm for me to stop. I could almost make him out now. My eyes had adapted to the dark, and I was also seeing his aura. It was brilliant green, like the green of leaves under the afternoon sun. I closed my eyes, trying to see if I could sense Raven’s presence.
And there it was…I felt a shriek race past. Filled with pain and rage, it crackled with fire. Raven’s fire. Feeling sick to my stomach, I tapped Trinity on the arm and whispered to him.
“I can feel her near.”
“Look for light. Pandora works in the darkness, but she can’t see to… She needs light to do what she does to her victims.” Trinity paused, then said, “There, up ahead. My vision is blurring and it only does that in the dark, when light begins to cloud it.”
We crept along until Trinity stopped me. “You’re still making too much noise,” he whispered. “If she’s near, she’ll hear you.” Then, before I could say a word, he knelt. “Get on my back. I’ll carry you. I can move far more silently than you can.”
I didn’t argue. I climbed on his back. He wrapped his arms under my legs as I held tight to his shoulders. I knew better than wrap my arms around his neck. I didn’t want to choke him.
He started off again, as silent as a shadow. My thoughts drifted back to the surface, and I wondered how they were faring with the two dragons. But before I could get lost down that road, I forced my attention back to the present, to the darkness and Trinity, and to Raven who was somewhere down here, fighting for her life.
We must have gone another quarter mile when Trinity stopped. I blinked, realized that I was seeing a faint light from an opening to the side up ahead. I could see Trinity’s silhouette now, so I leaned as close as I could to whisper to him.
“What do we do?”
He knelt again, letting me climb off his back. “You stay here while I sneak ahead and have a look.” He began to creep forward. I leaned against the rock wall, snapping open the binding on my sword. With one hand on the hilt of Brighid’s Flame, I waited, trying not to hold my breath.
As Trinity drew farther away, I could feel a shift. His energy had kept some of the darkness at bay, but now I could feel creatures swirling around me. They weren’t corporeal. I didn’t even know if they were astral, but I felt as though I had fallen into a field of writhing snakes. The air around me churned and I had to force myself to breathe. Whatever they were, the creatures felt as though they were suffocating me. I prayed they wouldn’t notice me, because even at this point, I could tell they were dangerous and chaotic.
Trinity crept along the wall of the tunnel, and I realized that the grade had evened out. We were no longer sloping downward. I could barely see his silhouette, but his aura shone brightly. So, he was the Keeper of Keys. I wondered just what else he could do. All of the Ante-Fae were unique, all incredibly powerful even when they were young. Raven hadn’t even begun to come into her powers yet and she could throw fire, as well as a number of other tricks. I wondered what she would be like when she was fully grown.
As Trinity stiffened, I felt a shift. I slowly withdrew my sword, waiting.
Another moment, and Trinity let out a shout as the tunnel lit up. Then, as the light dimmed, a tall woman with golden hair, wearing a PVC jumpsuit, swung around the corner. Her eyes were blazing with a crimson light, and she held out one hand, palm facing us, and laughed.
Trinity flew through the air, slamming into the opposite wall of the tunnel. The invisible force then found me, smashing me back against the wall and holding me tight. I struggled, trying to free myself, but I couldn’t. The next moment, another wave came rippling through the air, and this time, everything went dark.
When I came to, I was chained to the wall of a largish cavern. I was hurting—or at least my wrists were. They burned, feeling raw. I realized there was iron in the shackles. I winced, adjusting my arms so that they were in the middle of the shackles, barely touching the metal. If I moved in the slightest, my wrists would hit the metal rings and I’d get another jolt of pain.
I looked around, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. The walls were lit by globes of light, but they weren’t overly bright—like forty-watt incandescent bulbs. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. A glance to my right showed me Trinity, also chained to the wall. He was alert and when he saw me staring at him, he gave me a solemn nod.
I glanced around the cavern. Mostly, there were just piles of rocks, and on the other side, I saw the exit back into the tunnel. There was another exit to my right, and if I gauged my distances right, it led out to the back side of Mount Bracken.
In the center of the chamber was a large metal table. I caught my breath as I realized that Raven was lying on it, her legs and arms spread wide by shackles. There were pools of blood around the table, mostly near her face and hands, and her jaw was swollen and bruised. She was staring at the ceiling, moaning softly.
My stomach knotted. I wanted to talk to her, to ask how she was, but that might bring Pandora back in here.
I thought of tugging at the shackles, but I didn’t want my wrists burnt, and right now they were already blistering. But soon my arms would get tired and the minute they started to drop, they would hit the sides of the shackles and burn even more.
I looked back at Trinity. The Ante-Fae weren’t as hard-hit by iron, and he was wearing long sleeves, so he had some protection from the manacles. He caught my gaze and tentatively smiled. Grateful for the gesture, I felt like crying. I hated being helpless. When all control was stripped away, I had to face my vulnerability. Raven was obviously hurt, I could tell from the blood. And before long, I’d be burned too badly to do anything.
My sword, I thought. Where’s my sword?
A glance around the cave told me that it was over against the other wall on a stone outcropping, along with my bow, and some other things that I assumed were Trinity’s.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound caught my attention. I looked around, trying to pinpoint it. There, against the other wall, near my weapons—a small trickle of water was slowly running down the rockface, pooling at the bottom. Or was it?
It was water all right, but as I squinted, I could see that it wasn’t pooling at the bottom, but rather flowing into a hole on the floor.
Frowning, I glanced at my wrists. I needed to go into trance, to try to see if there were any water elementals here, but that would require me to let go of my rigid stance. My arms would fester up once they rested against the iron. I tried to wiggle the sleeves of my jacket so they weren’t pushed back by the shackles, but could protect my arms, but couldn’t quite manage it.
I looked over to see Trinity watching me, a curious look on his face. I pointed to my wrist with my other hand and mouthed, “Need protection.”
“Ah,” he mouthed back, narrowing his brow. His gaze was focused on my hands, and before I realized what was happening, the sleeves of the jacket began to inch down my arms, folding themselves to fit through the shackles just enough so I could rest my arms without being too burnt. The pain was still there, but lessened and—for the immediate moment—I wouldn’t be getting burned.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
I closed my eyes, relaxing my arms and pulling my focus inside. The sound of the dripping water seemed to grow louder, amplifying as I dropped further into trance. I narrowed my focus, homing in on the sound of the drip, the steady cadence as it dropped from the wall to the floor and slid through the hole. The rest of the world began to fall away as the sound reverberated in my mind. There was only the water, only the steady drip, only the liquid percussion.
Hello? I reached out, merging my consciousne
ss with the essence of the water. Is anyone there? I listened, slowing my breath.
Then, slowly, echoing from someplace that felt so very far away, and yet so near, an answer came rushing past me.
I am here. We are here. Sister of the Water, what do you want?
I immediately realized that I wasn’t dealing with a water elemental—the energy was different.
I’m trapped, my friends and I are being held captive. Where are you? Can you help?
A pause, and I thought for a moment I had lost contact. Then…
I am not yet fully in your realm. I am breaking through and will do what I can to help you, Sister of the Water. Hold tight.
Frowning, I waited, holding myself deep in trance. I imagined a light, a flowing blue light to guide the way. I wasn’t sure who had been talking to me, or where they were, but the energy was friendly and I had to trust it. I knew that Herne would eventually show up, but would it be soon enough? Opening my eyes, I shifted focus so that everything was a soft blur as I waited.
A pale blue mist began to form on the wall near the water. I caught sight of it and poured all my focus into the energy guiding the mist as it began to grow and take shape. Whoever I had been talking to was there, coming through into our realm.
As the mist grew larger, taking the shape of a tall woman encased in swirling streams of turquoise and teal, there was a sound over by the entrance into the tunnels. I tried to hold focus, tried to keep my attention on the mist, but at that moment, Pandora stepped through into the cavern, a wicked grin on her face.
“Well, my pretties, you’re awake. Time to play, children. Time to see what Pandora has in her toy box,” she said, sliding the bag off from over her shoulder.
My stomach knotting, I jerked my attention back to the mist and the woman. She was growing stronger every moment, and Pandora hadn’t noticed her. I wanted to give her time so I took a deep breath.
“You may be coming to play, but when I play, I never lose. What about a game, Pandora? Winner gives all?”
“Brave words for someone chained to my wall,” Pandora said, smirking. She began to walk around the table toward me. I was shaking but the woman across the chamber was almost fully manifest. I had no clue who she was, but I knew she needed a little more time.
Trinity must have sensed the same thing because he hurked up a mouthful of phlegm and spit hard as Pandora walked by, the spittle landing on her chest.
“Got the money shot,” he said, laughing gleefully. “How about it, doll? You and me? Next time it won’t be my spit on your boobs!”
Pandora grew livid. “You insolent creature, how dare you? I’ll teach you exactly what you get for that kind of insult!” But instead of reaching for Trinity, she grabbed my arm instead. She yanked me so roughly that the manacles pulled out from the wall.
I screamed as I felt something pop, and the next moment, found myself sailing across the room to land against a pile of rocks. Something gave in my hip as I landed, whether bone or a muscle, I didn’t know. As the blinding pain hit, I tried to stand. The iron of the manacles was rubbing against my skin now, and I could feel welts beginning to rise up. I stumbled forward, landing near my sword and bow. I managed to get Brighid’s Flame out of the sheath, all the while the iron searing my wrists with pain.
I crawled toward the table where Raven was lying, and Pandora turned, her eyes narrowing. As she held out her hand, a bolt of energy came shooting my way. I groaned, shifting, and managed to swing Brighid’s Flame at just the perfect angle to deflect the attack. The bolt blasted the rock next to me. If it hadn’t been for my blade, I’d be a splat on the floor. As I slumped near the edge of the table, Pandora snorted as she turned her attention to Trinity.
And then…everything shifted.
The woman stepped out of the mist, carrying a massive sword made of crystal. She raised it and her voice reverberated through the room.
“Before you take another step, Pandora, you must first go through me. I somehow expect you haven’t fought a dragon before.”
As Pandora turned around, her face paled and she backed up a step. At that moment, there was a noise at the door and Morgana, Herne, and Merlin rushed through, followed by Kipa. Kipa made a beeline for Raven as Merlin lifted his staff and brought it crashing to the ground.
“Shield!” Morgana screamed. I fell to the ground, hiding my face as Merlin’s staff hit the ground.
“Grian!” he shouted, and a blinding flash filled the cavern. Pandora screamed long and hard, as everything else seemed to fall away.
Chapter Twenty-One
The world was spinning. My wrists were burning and one felt broken. I couldn’t see. My hip throbbed and I felt adrift, floating on an endless sea of pain. I could hear, far away, the sounds of chanting and then another shriek racing through the wind, though this time I had no idea whether it was Raven or Pandora, or even me.
The ocean crashed, tossing me on the rocks, and I moaned, wanting the ride to be over. I kept looking for the way out, but all around me, the waves were rolling wild, washing the searing pain from my wrists all the way through my body.
I reached out, searching for help. Then, as I was about to give into the pain, a hand reached through the fog. The energy around it felt soothing and safe, so I took it, and instantly the pain began to subside. I exhaled softly, embracing the cool chill. As the waves of comfort folded around me like a blanket, I felt like I was surfacing, and the next moment, I opened my eyes.
I found myself staring up into the face of the woman I had seen forming in the mists. She was massive—as tall as Viktor, but lean and slinky, and her skin was pale, almost on the bluish side. Her hair was the color of the spring sky at morning, and she wore a silver circlet around her forehead. She was dressed in a dress that flowed out from her body, the color of ice with streaks of pale blue and plum running through it.
“Sister of the Water, you are alive.” She reached out to stroke my cheek. “Your friend removed the instruments of torture from around your wrists.” She reached out and placed a hand behind my back, steadying me as I slowly sat up.
I glanced around the cavern. Trinity was kneeling beside her, a set of keys in his hand. My manacles were on the ground, as were his.
“Raven? Is she all right?”
“Raven is hurt, my love. We’re taking her back to Annwn so Ferosyn can help her,” Herne said, coming up beside the woman and kneeling next to her. “Morgana and Kipa have taken her there. Trinity freed you from your shackles.” He looked stricken. “I should have thought. I shouldn’t have sent you down here alone.”
“We thought Pandora was out. And you had to take care of those…” I paused, glancing up at the woman as I remembered that she had identified herself as a dragon.
“Dragons? Yes, Pandora has enlisted several white dragons to act as her servants. You may call me Ashera,” the woman said. “I’m a water dragon—a blue dragon.” She glanced at Herne. “Lord of the Forest, if you would allow me, I can move her to safety easier than you can, and with less pain to her.”
Herne bit his lip, but he nodded. “Can you travel to Annwn?”
“Yes, and I promise you by my wings and tail, I will not harm your lady.” Ashera held out her hand and Herne took it.
After a moment, he nodded. “Very well. How will you know where to go?”
“Trust me, I know my way into Annwn. You are headed to your father’s palace?”
Again, Herne nodded. “Yes.”
“We will meet you there. Tarry not. Merlin may have driven Pandora off for now, but she’ll be back. And so will her guards.” Ashera bundled me up in her arms and I was surprised by how the pain seemed to muffle when she touched me.
I started to ask her something, but she shushed me, and I found myself growing drowsy. I rested my head against her shoulder and the next thing I knew, I was falling back into the gentle fog that rolled in off the oceans.
I next awoke in a bed. I was in a room that was unfamiliar, but I knew where I was. I wa
s in Cernunnos’s palace. The feeling was unmistakable. I had a splint on one wrist, over bandages swaddling the burns, and more bandages on the other wrist. My hip ached, but I was able to ease myself up to a sitting position.
An Elfin woman was sitting near my bed, reading a book. She glanced up as I shifted. The Elves never failed to daunt me. They were ancient and reserved, and it was impossible to read what was going on in their heads.
“You’re awake,” she said, moving quickly to my side. “Don’t try to move too much—you have a lot of bruises and they’re covered in salve. You don’t want to wipe it off.”
I cleared my throat. It was sore too, I realized. “My throat?”
“According to Lord Herne, you were screaming when he found you. Your throat will heal. I’ll bring you some lemon and hibiscus tea with honey. Are you hungry?”
I blinked, trying to figure out exactly how I felt. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“I’ll bring you some toast, as well. And I’ll let Lord Ferosyn know you’re awake.” She bustled out of the room and a moment later, before I’d even had a chance to really look around, Ferosyn came in. Cernunnos’s senior healer, the Elf was far older than just about anybody I knew—including Talia—but he looked young enough to be a Doogie Howser.
“Well, how’s my favorite patient?” he said, giving me a jovial smile. Unlike most of the Elves, Ferosyn had a winning bedside manner. He flipped through my chart. “You have a nasty set of bruises on your hips, you have a sprained knee, which I’ve wrapped up, your arm was dislocated, and I put that back into place but you’re going to be sore for a while. Your wrists have second-degree burns on them, and your right wrist is fractured. All in all, looks like a typical day’s work for you.”
I groaned, leaning my head back against the pillow. “Raven? How’s Raven?” I held my breath, praying she was still alive. I couldn’t face it if she was dead.
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