by Linsey Hall
I unfolded the paper.
I know nothing of Caera’s magic or how to retrieve it. In addition, the location of the SoulStone is unknown to me.
The hole in my chest opened wider. “Shit.”
Connor leaned over and read the paper. “Double shit.”
I crumpled it up. “It’s not the last option.”
“Do you have any other ideas?”
“No.” I’d given my magic away. Dispersed it out into the world to break the dark curse on the Sea Fae’s Court. I’d thawed the ice that was destroying it, but I’d also lost my magic. For good. Like air from a balloon, there was no finding those exact molecules and putting them back. “But I’ll find a way.”
“That’s the spirit.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I do have some good news for you. I got an Ether Welder to create you a potion bag to store in the ether.”
I turned to him, shocked. “What? That’s so expensive.”
He shrugged. “Worth it, now that you need some firepower, so to speak.”
Damn it, he was right.
Storing objects in the ether was expensive magic that could only be purchased from an Ether Welder. A refillable bag was the most expensive by far, and we’d never had a dire need for it so we hadn’t bothered.
But now that I couldn’t throw fire at my enemies, I needed to be able to throw something at them.
Connor handed me a leather bag that was obviously full of potion bombs.
“Thanks.” I took it, then hugged him.
He pulled back and smiled. “Now let’s get out there and come up with a plan. Maybe the FireSouls can help. They can find anything.”
“Not my magic. We already tried.”
“Yeah, but they’re smart. They may have ideas. Cass lost her magic once.”
I nodded, hoping to make him feel better. He’d felt desperately guilty when he’d learned what I’d done to save him. But I’d do it again. Especially since I’d saved so many. It was a great bargain, to my way of thinking.
Still, it sucked to have this empty, gaping hole in my chest. Especially since I was still fated to save the Fire Fae from the inferno that would consume us sometime in the near future.
How the hell was I supposed to do that while I had no magic?
I shoved the thought aside and followed Connor back through the kitchen, stashing the bag in the ether as we walked. The ephemeral stuff sucked the bag right up, knowing just what to do.
We stepped out into the main bar, which was eerily silent.
Six Fire Fae stood on the other side of the bar, facing off with Cass.
They didn’t so much as twitch, though their long black coats flickered with flame at the base. Their wings were out, each dancing with more flame. Fire seemed to dance in their eyes, and they were all as eerily beautiful as I remembered. And deadly.
A shudder ran through me.
Cass clutched her obsidian daggers in her hands and stared them down. “You’ll leave, now.”
The leader spoke with a gravelly voice. “Not until we’ve collected the one we’ve come for.”
My gaze dropped to the fire manacles in the leader’s hands.
One pair.
For me.
2
“No one is going with you.” Cass raised a dagger, the black glass glinting in the light.
It was a diversion. She was good with the daggers. Excellent, really. But her magic was phenomenal. She didn’t want them to know that until she attacked.
Except, she couldn’t attack them.
They were coming for me, and rightly so.
I stepped up beside her and touched her arm. “It’s okay, Cass. I’m going with them. But thanks.”
She shot me a look, her brow arched. “You’re what, now?”
“Going with them.”
“Do you see the fire manacles?”
“I do.” I sure as hell wouldn’t be wearing them.
“We can take them,” Cass said. “You don’t have to try to protect us.”
“Or me either, dearie.” The old woman stood, drawing a long silver dagger from her handbag. She threw it into the air, and it flipped gracefully before she caught it. She wasn’t out of practice, that was for sure.
Nix and Del had silently moved to block the Fire Fae’s exit. Del, who gleamed a brilliant, transparent blue, had already adopted her phantom form. Despite the close quarters, Nix had her bow and arrow trained on the Fae. She was fast enough that she could get three before they figured out what had hit them. Between Connor, the FireSouls, and the wrinkled Rambo, we probably could take them all. But then they’d send more.
And I couldn’t stomach the idea of killing my own kind when they were just doing their jobs. Anyway, I needed to answer for my actions. I wasn’t about to run from my own court.
I squeezed Cass’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I was expecting them.”
Sooner, actually. They must have just figured out that I had stolen the SoulStone.
Did they know that I’d lost it to the bottom of the ocean?
Cass gave me a searching look, then nodded. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”
“I’m coming with you,” Connor said.
I turned to him. “Hell no. You need to keep looking for a solution to my little problem.”
I also didn’t want him in the clutches of the Fire Fae. He could defend himself, there was no doubt. But they were an entire court. And they were pissed. I didn’t want him going down for something I’d done. Nor did I want him being held captive to coerce me into something.
I leaned toward him. “Anyway, I might need you on the outside to rescue me. Only you know the way in.”
His lips thinned, but it was impossible to argue with my logic. “Fine. But you’ll check in.”
“Of course.” My gaze flicked toward the leader, who had long dark hair and high cheekbones. Despite the fire that flickered at the hem of his cloak, he had a cold look about him. “I presume we need to leave now?”
He nodded, his expression intense.
I turned back to Connor and hugged him quickly.
“I’ll keep looking for a solution to your lost magic.” He spoke so quietly that no one else could hear him.
“Thanks.” I pulled away and looked at Cass. “Thanks for having my back.”
“Always.”
I turned toward the Fae. “I’ll come with you, but I’m not wearing those.”
“Majesty’s orders.”
“Don’t care.” My heart began to race with cold fear at the reality of what I was doing. Still, I strode toward them, chin held high.
It didn’t work.
The one on the left—a lean blond woman who was fast as a snake—grabbed my arm while the leader snapped the manacles on.
My friends lunged forward, but I shot them a look. “No. It’s fine.”
Cass scowled, but lowered her dagger.
I looked at the guard next to me. “Considering that I’m supposed to save us all, you’d think I’d get slightly better treatment.”
“You stole the SoulStone.”
Eh, it was hard to argue with that. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
He pulled on my arm to turn me toward the door, and I followed. As we walked toward the exit, I glanced back over my shoulder, trying to give Connor a reassuring look as they dragged me out the door. The FireSouls stared after us, confusion creasing their brows.
I’d never told them the truth about my heritage, but not because I hadn’t wanted to. The Court had made us vow to keep the secret—and it was the kind of vow that we couldn’t break.
As the Fae dragged me across the road toward the park, I tried to get a good look at each of them. I recognized none, however.
The slim blonde strode ahead, her coat flapping behind her, flames trailing in her wake. When she reached the grassy parkland, she threw out her hand and a portal appeared.
Unlike most portals, this one was ringed with flames. A Fire Fae specialty, and a type of portal I hadn’t s
een in years.
The guards were silent as they escorted me through the flames. The ether sucked me in and spun me around, making my heart race even faster. The magic spit me out in the middle of the darkness, and I stumbled, blinking to let my eyes adjust.
It was actually fairly bright there, with a full moon illuminating the rolling landscape punctuated by steep hills. In front of me, a soaring tor topped a large hill. It was one of the largest tors on Dartmoor, the granite pillars covering a massive area. To humans, it just appeared to be a pile of rocks. But if we crossed over to the Fae realm, it would become so much more.
A river rushed in front of me, separating me from the steep, granite-topped hill. I swallowed hard at the sight.
The entrance to the Fire Fae court.
It had been so long since I’d seen it.
I glanced up at the guard. “I’ll give you fifty if you let me go.”
He arched a brow. “Fifty?”
“Dollars. Cold, hard dollars.” Joking was the only thing that kept me sane right now.
He scowled, then tugged me toward the huge stone bridge that cut across the river. The ancient clapper bridge had been built millennia ago, formed of huge flat slabs of stone that were stacked to form an indestructible river crossing.
I straightened my shoulders as we strode across, my gaze on the twisted old oaks on the other side. They were some of the few ancient oaks that had survived the great fire that had swept through Dartmoor thousands of years ago.
I shivered at the thought. Did they know that I—or perhaps an ancient version of me, I was still unclear on the details—had caused that fire? I’d just discovered it myself when I’d stolen the SoulStone.
There was no way I could ask without revealing the truth, so I’d just have to wonder.
“This must be a real emergency if you’re taking me across the border at this time of night.” Generally, the portal was only open at dawn and dusk. Complicated magic could be used to open it at other times, though I’d never seen it done.
The guard next to me scoffed. “The king and queen just discovered that you lost the SoulStone. I’d say that constitutes an emergency.”
Destroyed. I’d destroyed the SoulStone. Or at least, I’d lost it so deep in the ocean that it would never be found again.
Top-notch work, self.
Fate had clearly not realized what a disaster I was if it had chosen me to save my people.
Unless I’d really destroyed them in the first place, like the SoulStone’s vision said. I had no idea how to process that.
Silent, I stepped off the clapper bridge and onto the soft emerald grass. The archway formed by the ancient trees beckoned to me, and my heart hurt with the desire to go home.
I moved a little faster, despite my fear over what was to come. Just to see the Court again…
We stepped under the archway formed by the trees. The oaks were ancient and gnarled, and shockingly tiny despite their age. It was one of the ways they’d survived so long—they’d stayed low to the ground, protected from winds, huddled together. The limbs reached out to stroke down my arms. Warmth buzzed through me as the trees attempted to assess my spirit.
Magic sparked on the air when they approved of me, and the ether sucked me in once more, spinning me through space until I arrived in another realm.
It was identical to the one I’d left behind, except the land was inhabited by Fae instead of humans. I sucked in a deep breath of the air, my soul seeming to expand.
This was what I’d been missing.
I still loved Magic’s Bend—I wasn’t even sure I could leave it—but I’d missed this place. There was an energy in the air here, a feeling of home that was impossible to deny.
The guard appeared next to me, and he gripped my arm.
I scowled at him. “Dude. I want to be here. This is hardly necessary.”
“Protocol is protocol.”
And that was why he was on the palace guard. Most Fire Fae joked that the uniform came complete with a stick that you could shove up your butt.
The rest of the guard joined us, and we strode from the small grove. Ahead of us, the hill rose high, topped with the same tor that I’d seen when in the human realm. This time, however, the palace was built around it, becoming one with the massive granite pillars.
Unlike the sturdy rock, the palace itself appeared to be built of glass shot through with flame. It lit up the night sky, so beautiful I could weep.
Humans imagined that hell was full of flame, and therefore terrible. And maybe it was. But the Court of Flame was also full of fire, and it was magnificent.
Fae houses sloped down the hillside from the palace, built of the same flaming glass. It looked like a beautiful blanket of fire, though it wasn’t real flame. True flame could kill us, just like it could kill anyone. We had a better tolerance for it, which was why I could handle the manacles, but we weren’t invincible. No one who was made of flesh and blood could withstand flame forever.
“Come.” The guard’s voice was gruff as we walked up the hill, taking the smoothly cobbled road between the houses.
Puka appeared at my side. So this is your home turf, huh?
“Maybe not the best time, Puka.” I didn’t want the guards to nab her.
As if they could get ahold of me.
The guard growled down at her. “What is this fox doing here?”
You dimwit, I am no fox.
“You sure look like one,” I said.
The guard didn’t respond to Puka, but he did look at me quizzically.
I shrugged. “I like to talk to animals, what can I say?”
He shook his head. Some Fae could talk to other species, though I’d never had that gift. Whatever was between me and Puka was different. Special.
One of the guards reached for her, and she nipped at his hand and darted away. See you later, sis. You know how to call me.
“Actually, I don’t!” She just showed up whenever I seemed to need her.
But she was gone. Spying, no doubt. I hadn’t known her long, but Puka loved to spy. She was an insatiable gossip and had bored me to tears on a couple of occasions recounting the lives of the badgers who lived near her.
We reached the first of the houses and nerves skittered down my spine, making my hair stand on end. Most of the Fire Fae hadn’t been told why Connor and I had left the Court. The king and queen hadn’t wanted my role widely known, or information could have slipped out that allowed the Sea Fae king to find me.
Ha. Joke was on them, since he had found me despite all the secrecy.
From the expressions on the faces that peered out the windows at me, they hadn’t been told a good story about us. My parents were long dead, and we’d never had many friends, so there was no one left to spread a good word about me and Connor. Suspicion flashed as they stared at me, though some appeared not to recognize who I was. Either way, the flaming cuffs marked me as a criminal, so it was clear to anyone who looked that I was bad business.
Oh, well.
I directed my gaze ahead, toward the castle, as my heartbeat thundered. I couldn’t get in that much trouble, right? They still needed me to save the Court from the flame that was prophesied to come for us. But I really hoped a seer hadn’t told them about my ancient role in the burning.
That would be bad.
Though I had no idea if it was actually me I’d seen. Looked a hell of a lot like me, though. Exactly like me. And it had felt like me.
Who was I kidding?
It had totally been me. I didn’t know how, but it had been. Maybe I’d been reincarnated.
I shoved the thoughts from my mind as we neared the castle. It loomed above, so tall that I had to crane my neck to see to the tops of the towers.
It was so beautiful that it hurt to look at it.
“Get a move on,” the guard grumbled.
“Jeez, dude, have a heart. You’re ruining my moment.”
“You ruined your moment when you stole the SoulStone.”
> Dick. Didn’t he know I’d saved hundreds of lives with it?
But they hadn’t been Fire Fae lives. And as a result, the Fire Fae no longer had the stone that helped them control their magic.
Yeah, I was in big freaking trouble.
Not to mention, I needed to fix this. And I intended to. I’d just hoped to do it after I’d gotten my magic back. Because I had no freaking idea how I could do it without my magic. I couldn't use my ax to chop my way to a solution here.
“Up.” The guard heaved me toward the stairs, and I picked up the pace. Falling flat on my face was not on my agenda here.
He led me through the massive glass doors that swung open of their own accord. They led to an enormous entry hall, an octagonal room that was topped with glass rafters and flickers of flame. It was both warm and inviting—so unlike Iain’s ice palace.
“The king and queen are waiting,” the guard said.
“Of course they are.” No way I’d get a moment to compose myself. Though I was pretty sure that there was nothing I could do to keep myself from being nervous. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“I wouldn’t be so eager, if I were you.”
“Well, you’re not me.” I yanked my arm away from him. “I’ll walk on my own or you’ll eat your own balls.”
His jaw slacked, and I grinned.
But he didn’t grab my arm again, so I considered it mission accomplished. I walked under my own steam into the throne room, which was an enormous square room with fire flickering along the walls. It was bigger than I remembered.
The king and queen each sat on a glass throne, their gazes impenetrable as they assessed me. I’d only met them once—right after the prophecy had been laid down. I’d been a terrified teenager, though, and hadn’t absorbed much of the meeting.
I wasn’t terrified anymore—mostly—and it was easier to get a read on them.
They were cold, somehow, which was very strange. Both had pale white hair, though they couldn't be over fifty. It was shot through with strands of flame—a mark of Fire Fae royalty—and each wore an enormous fiery crown. Their cloaks were red, of course, trimmed with black stones.
