by Linsey Hall
One of the guards sprinted toward us, so fast that he was nearly a blur. I hurled my stunner at him, hitting him in the chest. He stopped dead still, then tumbled over.
Iain took out two more guards, and Puka went for a fourth. Courtiers raced down from their thrones, headed toward us. One of them threw out her hands, sending a blast of blue magic right at me.
I dived, rolling on the ground and narrowly avoiding the hit. The coral floor next to my head exploded, showering me with shards of coral that cut like glass.
“Come on!” Iain grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet.
Together, we sprinted toward the water.
Nearly there.
I grabbed the tiny vial of powder from my pocket and splashed it on my bare hand. “The potion!”
Iain did the same.
For the briefest moment, I felt nothing.
Then magic shimmered across my skin, making my entire body feel tight. I gasped as my insides seemed to change, and something burned at my back and neck.
“They're getting away!” A masculine voice shouted from behind.
I dug into my potion bag and grabbed the first one that I felt. I didn’t want to kill them, but if it was that or capture, I’d do it. My people relied on me.
I turned back and hurled the potion bomb at the courtier who’d shouted. It smashed into his chest, splattering him with crimson liquid. Magic swirled around him, and a second later, he turned into a peacock. The bird squawked with rage, colorful feathers shaking.
Oh crap, Connor.
It was totally my brother’s sense of humor to turn an enemy into a peacock. I’d never seen that potion bomb before, and prayed that one of the other Primordials could turn him back.
Blasts of magic exploded all around us as courtiers tried to keep us from reaching the river. Another guard was nearly to us, but Puka lunged for him, biting his ankle and forcing him to stumble.
“Nearly there!” Iain shouted.
I turned back to him, grateful to see the water so close. It shimmered just a few feet away. Strange, smooth black wings had grown from Iain’s back—Primordial wings. I glanced back over my shoulder, spotting the same wings.
Thank fates.
I reached the water at the same time as Iain. We launched ourselves into the air, diving toward the surface. Pain exploded in my leg, tearing a scream from my throat.
I’d been hurt often enough to know how different wounds felt, and this had to be a deep cut.
I ignored the agony, shoving it aside, and focused on the cold water as it closed around my head. Instinct drove me, and my new wings pushed me through the cold river, carrying me swiftly away from the Primordials. My lungs burned, forcing me to suck in a breath. Water filled my lungs, but it didn’t choke me.
Instead, I felt better. I patted my neck, finding gills just like Syrea’s.
Wild.
When I opened my eyes, everything around me gleamed a beautiful blue green. My vision was perfect, just like on the surface. Emerald weeds flickered along the bottom of the river, and tiny colorful fish peered out at us. A quick glance behind me showed blood trailing from my leg.
Shit.
Behind me, several figures splashed into the water.
More Primordials.
No time for healing the wound on my leg.
Iain swam at my side, fast and strong. He could probably go even faster if he didn’t insist on staying with me, but there was no way he’d leave me.
I gave it my all, swimming as fast as I could down the river. Every few seconds, I peeked over my shoulder at the guards who followed. We were maintaining our lead, thank fates. When I spotted the huge figures in the water ahead of us, ice chilled my skin.
The sea monsters.
Oh fates.
I drew a blade from the ether, then cursed. I couldn’t fight them. They were too big, and we didn’t need another reason for the queen to declare war on us. Also, they were like a Primordial version of horses. I didn’t want to kill horses.
Iain seemed to agree, because he didn’t draw a weapon either. I stashed mine back in the ether and kicked harder.
Would they try to stop us?
I swam faster, hoping to sneak by them. Both seemed to notice us and moved closer, converging in the water.
Crap.
They were docile, but I’d spotted some pretty big teeth last time I’d seen them. Worse, I was growing weak from blood loss.
Suddenly, the beasts thrashed in the water, raising their heads above the surface.
Something was distracting them.
I pushed myself faster, popping my head into the air as I swam by them. Puka had appeared at the bow of the boat and was pulling at the reins with her jaws.
Well done, Puka.
Iain and I swam past, reaching the lake that had made us feel such intense desire before. It flowed through me once again, but pain, exhaustion, and fear kept it at bay.
A quick glance behind me showed that the guards were no longer following. Probably distracted by the sea monsters.
I could stop and try to mend my wound, but what if they caught us? My head spun, a terrible reminder of what could happen with an injury like this. I was losing so much blood that I might not make it to the surface.
Not alive, at least. Iain would make sure I got there, even if I was dead. And the stone would still be in my pocket.
Decision made. No stopping. The most important thing was getting the SoulStone back to the surface.
We reached the open ocean a few minutes later and began to swim upward. With every stroke of my wings, I grew weaker. Blood continued to trail behind me, and my head grew fuzzier.
Iain stayed close by my side, and I could tell from the confusion on his face that he was figuring out something was wrong.
Then he spotted my leg.
I ignored his expression and kept swimming, but the water pressed in all around, slowing me, weakening me.
I wasn’t going to make it.
Iain grabbed my arm and pulled me along. It helped, but it slowed us both. We were so far down that it was nearly pitch black, barely any light to see by. A faint glow in the water provided just enough light to see the massive shark that approached.
A blast of fear shot through me, imbuing me with energy. My blood had drawn the beast, and it circled us hungrily.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I struggled, forcing myself to keep swimming. Iain pulled on me, tugging hard. At this point, he was the only reason I was moving upward instead of down.
The shark darted toward us, black eyes gleaming in the faint light. My gaze was riveted to the hundreds of huge teeth in his mouth.
Iain thrust out a hand and a blast of current drove the shark back. It drifted away from us, thrashing as it tried to fight Iain’s pull.
Soon, it was gone, and Iain continued to drag me toward the surface. The pain had faded almost entirely, replaced by cold. I must have lost a lot of blood.
When the light appeared overhead, I could barely believe it.
The surface.
I pushed toward it, hope giving me an extra blast of strength. When we reached it, Iain clasped me in his arms and burst from the sea, his normal wings flaring from his back as he launched us into the air.
The setting sun beat brightly on me as I clung to Iain, nearly blind with exhaustion. I couldn’t feel my body anymore, and darkness dragged at me. In the distance, I caught sight of his castle, but couldn’t make out the details.
Wind tore at my hair as he flew us toward safety. I was barely conscious when he crashed through the window of his tower, taking the entire brunt of the hit. Glass shattered all around, and he flew past it, landing on the ground and going to his knees.
He cradled me in his arms. Though I was too weak to see his face, I could feel his fear.
“Caera.” His voice was rough with pain. “You need to hold on.”
In a distant part of my mind, I knew I was in big trouble. The wound was bad, but that was just flesh.
If we’d healed it soon enough—back in the water—I’d have been fine. But there had been no time.
And now I’d lost too much blood. It wasn’t like the Fae had a blood transfusion facility.
The nearly empty potions sack was around my neck. Iain thrust his hand into it and pulled out a small vial.
“This is a healing potion, correct?” he demanded.
Through bleary eyes, I spotted the distinct shape of a healing potion vial and croaked. “Yes.”
He poured it on the wound that sliced my leg, and I hissed at the pain.
“I’m sorry.” He poured more. “It’s working, though.”
But I’ve lost too much blood.
Iain pressed his hand to my chest, his palm warm against my cold skin. I must be in a bad way if the usually icy king felt warm to me.
Magic flowed into my chest, heating my soul and infusing me with strength.
“You can heal?” I asked, my voice weak.
“Not quite.” He continued to feed his magic into me, and I grew stronger.
I had no idea what was happening, but strength surged through my limbs. Weakly, my eyes fluttered open. I could see. I drew in breath, the air filling my lungs, clearing my head.
“How?” I whispered.
“Fated mates.” His voice was rough with pain. “Two parts of a whole. I can share my life force with you in a way that I can’t with anyone else.”
Holy fates, I was going to live. Joy and surprise surged through me. I hadn’t realized how much I’d accepted death. It’d seemed there’d be no other way.
I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him. “Thank you.”
He pulled back, his gaze intense. “I’d do—”
A knock sounded at the door, cutting him off.
13
“Who is it?” Iain demanded.
A reedy voice filtered through the door. “A visitor is requesting entrance to the realm, Your Highness.”
Iain looked at me. “We’ll finish this later.”
“What were you about to say?”
“Later.” He gently shifted me so that I sat on the floor instead of his lap, then stood and went to the door.
He opened it. “Who is requesting entrance?”
“Connor of the Fire Fae. He says he’s the brother of your mate.”
I surged to my feet, still slightly lightheaded. “Connor is here?”
“Let him in.”
“He’ll be here shortly.” The guard bowed and departed.
Iain turned to me. “Why would Connor be coming here?”
“He must have something to share.” I reached for my pocket, unzipping it and removing the stone. “Maybe it’s about this. Or my missing magic.”
Hope surged in my chest, but it died as soon as I looked at the stone. “It looks like shit.”
“Definitely different.”
“Feels different, too.” It was the first time I’d had proper light and enough time to really look at it. My heart pitched at the sight of the stone.
There was a crack through it, and a dark gray stain streaked across the surface. The light that had flickered so brightly from within was now dull. Whatever magic it had once contained seemed to be largely gone. It still pulsed with a bit of power, but not much.
Panic made my chest flutter. “How is this supposed to save my people? There’s almost nothing left of it.”
Iain stepped up to me and took the stone. A shocked noise escaped his throat. “It feels just like your magic.”
My gaze flicked to him. “What do you mean?”
“It feels like your signature.” He gripped my arm, his brows drawing together. “I feel the same power inside you.”
“Residual power that you gave me, probably.”
“No, it’s you. There’s still a bit of your magic left inside you.” He raised the stone. “Unless this gave you some power?”
“The Oracle did say that the stone and I were one and the same, though I didn’t know what she meant by that.”
“Can you speak to her again?”
“I don’t know how to find her. Before this, I didn’t even know she existed.”
“She doesn’t, really, does she? She’s a ghost.”
“Maybe I could try to contact her somehow. Connor might be able to help with that. Maybe there’s still a way to use the broken stone.”
“She could help you get your magic back.”
“That’s not as important right now.”
“Of course it is. You’re important. This can’t just be about your people. It has to be about saving yourself as well.”
“I’ll worry about that later.”
He gripped both my arms, keeping the stone clutched in one palm, pressed against my flesh. “No, we’ll worry about it now. You deserve to feel whole again.”
The intensity in his voice sent a streak of pleasure through me. He meant it. He really cared about me.
At the doorway, someone cleared their throat.
I turned to look, spotting Connor standing in the hall. He raised a brow. “Bad time?”
“Every time is a bad time these days.” I pulled away from Iain and ran to Connor, throwing my arms around him. He shifted so that I wouldn't crush the large, lidded cauldron in his hands. “Are you all right? Why are you here?”
“I’ve got something you’ll want to see.”
“Is it about the SoulStone?”
“And your magic, yes. Can I come in?”
I stepped back to allow him entrance.
Iain gestured to a large table by the door. “You can set up there. I will call for some food and drink.”
My stomach grumbled at the mention of food, and I smiled gratefully at him. The recent trials had me famished.
Connor strode to the table and set the heavy cauldron upon it. He pulled a bag from his shoulder and handed it to me. “Refill for your potion sack. I have a feeling you’re running low.”
“I am, thanks.” I grabbed my own potions bag from the ground and joined him, taking the sack he handed me. I refilled it, then looked out to the sea that crashed on the rocks below.
“Nice place,” Connor murmured as he unscrewed the heavy metal lid that kept the cauldron from spilling. “Fancy being queen here?”
I pinched him. “Shut up.”
“I’m joking. We’ll find a way out of it for you.” He threw a glance over his shoulder at Iain, who was far enough away that he couldn’t hear us. “Even if it means killing him.”
“We’re not doing that.” The very thought made my stomach lurch. As much as I wanted out of this, I’d grown to care for Iain. But it was also something I would worry about later, if I survived this.
Iain returned just as Connor had totally unscrewed the cauldron lid. A pale gray liquid seethed within, swirling sluggishly.
“What is this?” Iain asked.
“It’s The Oracle.”
“In your cauldron?” I asked.
“Her essence, at least. I’ve contacted her through the ether.”
“You’re getting good with the ether potions.”
“The best.” He shot me a cocky grin. “Now step back. I’m going to call upon her, and she’ll hopefully answer some questions.”
Iain and I did as he requested, moving back a few feet. Connor dug a small packet of powder out of his pocket and emptied the silvery contents into the cauldron. The liquid bubbled and smoked, the dark mist turning a pale blue as it coalesced to form the figure of The Oracle. She was even more transparent than before, but her scowl was easy enough to see.
“What have you done to me, young man?” She glared at Connor.
“We are requesting a meeting, your eminence.” He bowed low.
“You don’t bow to an Oracle,” she snapped.
“Just hedging my bets.”
She harrumphed, then her eyes landed on me. “You!”
I smiled weakly. “Me. I have some questions for you.”
“I’ve already told you what I wanted to tell you
.”
“I didn’t understand what you said.”
“It’s not my fault if you’re not very clever.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Iain. “Couldn’t he help you?”
“I was unclear as well,” Iain said.
She dropped her head, annoyed. “Head full of wool, the lot of you. I swear, the last two thousand years has borne nothing but idiots.”
I felt like that was a bit harsh, but wasn’t going to argue with her. “I’ve found the SoulStone, but it’s broken.”
“You’re both broken.”
“Ouch.”
“I just tell the truth.” She shrugged. “And that is the truth. You are both broken, and until you are both fixed, there will be no saving your people.” Her gaze turned dark. “It’s getting worse, by the way. The flames.”
Dread spiked in my chest. “How much worse?”
She waved her hand slowly over her head, and an image appeared in front of me. A Fire Fae teenager stood still as a stone, his eyes full of flame and his skin turning to ash.
Dread filled me. “It’s moving to the younger ones now.”
“You must hurry if you hope to reverse the curse and save them.”
It tore at my heart to see them that way, knowing that soon, they would burn away entirely.
“More and more Fire Fae are losing control,” The Oracle said. “Now the oldest children are unable to control their flame. So many are affected that the Tor of the Ancients is in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” I asked, remembering the ancient site that had protected the SoulStone. How could anything hurt that place?
The Oracle waved her arm again, and I saw the fortified tor. Wide cracks shot through the stone walls that surrounded the pillars of granite, and the hill itself was torn open by large crevasses. Each crevasse glowed with flame from within, looking like an entrance to hell.
“No.” Horror chilled my bones. “It’s going to be destroyed.”
“It reflects the health of your people. As they burn, so too does it. When the tor is destroyed entirely, there will be no more home for the SoulStone and no more hope for you. All will be doomed. But if you can return the SoulStone’s power to the tor, the people can still be saved and the curse reversed. Their burning can be reversed.”
