by Linsey Hall
“Pedestals?”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.” I walked closer to the water to get a better look. My gaze caught on three dark blue spots deep in the pool. I squinted at them. “Did you see those earlier?”
“See what?” Roarke joined me and peered into the water. “I just see water.”
“Really? Not dark blue orbs?”
“No orbs.”
Huh. They were definitely orbs. I pulled the sword off my back and stripped out of my jacket, then toed off my boots. “I’m going in. But you’re not allowed to look.”
“Not allowed?”
“I’m not gonna wear my clothes in, crazy.” I shivered at the memory of being soaking wet on the deck of the boat.
“What if something happens to you in there? I can’t exactly let you jump in a magical pool alone.”
“Sure you can. Anyway, I’m the only one who can see them. And I have a feeling that if this is some kind of challenge, then I need to be the one to complete it. Isn’t that how quests work? I’m seeking the answers, so I have to pass the test.”
He nodded. “Yeah, fair enough. But I at least need to know if you need help.”
“Fine. I’ll wear my underwear. No staring.” At least I was wearing conservative stuff. I wasn’t the sort to go on quests in scratchy lace underwear.
Anymore. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
He grinned. “Deal.”
I stripped down to my simple black bra and underpants. Roarke kept his gaze on the water, but I couldn’t help but blush. Today really wasn’t going the way I’d expected.
Scratch that. The details might be a bit off, but the reality was—standing here in my underwear in a weird cave, clueless and cold, wasn’t that much of a surprise.
I adjusted the straps on my sword sheath and strapped it over my back.
“You’re taking that underwater?”
“Never know when I’m going to need it.” Though I now had the ice magic to help out, I was running on magical fumes.
I poked a toe in the water, grateful to find that it was at least temperate, then plunged in. With a deep breath, I dove deep. The water sizzled and bubbled around me, hot at my back. When something molten dripped onto my skin, I shrieked and thrashed, tearing my sword sheath off.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the metal of my sword melting out of the sheath, dripping to the pebbled lakebed.
Shit!
I kicked for the surface, breaking through and gulping air.
“What the hell was that?” Roarke demanded.
“My sword melted!” Damn it. I’d loved that sword.
“Get out of the water.”
“No.” I had to get those shining blue spheres. I was certain of it. “I have to do this, Roarke.”
His gaze hardened. “I will come in and get you.”
“You better not.” I peered into the water, taking stock of my location in relation to the orbs. I was close to one. Right over it. “I’m going back down.”
Before he could say anything, I dove deep and opened my eyes. Everything was sparkly and blue. I kicked downward, heading toward the closest blue orb.
It sparkled as I neared, a perfect sphere of glass. I poked it with a finger. When it didn’t burn or shock me, I picked it up. The thing had to weigh thirty pounds if it weighed an ounce. My lungs burned as I kicked for the surface. When my head broke through, I gasped, then swam for the closest shore.
It was the one opposite where Roarke stood, with the pedestal-like things.
I heaved the orb onto the shore, then returned to the water twice more, retrieving the other two orbs. I was panting by the time I crawled out of the water, ready for a drink and a nap.
As I staggered to my feet, I studied the four pedestals. If only there had been four glass orbs. It’d have been obvious to put them on the four pedestals. I approached the pedestals anyway, catching sight of indentions on each one.
Might as well try. I made quick work of stacking an orb on each pedestal. When the last was finally in place, the air in the cavern vibrated.
“Whoa.” I stumbled back from the pedestals, up to my ankles in the water.
The air vibrated so strongly that the glass orbs shattered. Blue mist exploded from them, coalescing to form three massive figures.
Phantom dragons. As big as a house and right in front of me.
Chapter Eleven
Standing here in my underwear in front of three Phantom dragons had to be the anti-highlight of my day.
Especially when they roared. The deafening sound echoed through the chamber, blasting my eardrums.
I stumbled back, falling on my butt in the water.
My heart leapt into my throat, and I scrambled deeper, away from them. I could tell immediately that none of them were Draka. One stalked forward, its transparent shimmery scales gleaming as it loomed over me with its great jaw hanging open.
“I’m supposed to be here!” I cried. “I mean no harm!”
The water splashed behind me. Roarke jumping in to come save me, if I had to bet. But I didn’t dare take my eyes off the Phantom dragons.
“No! Go back!” I shouted to him. They wouldn’t want outsiders nearby.
The dragon above me roared louder. Yep. They didn’t like him coming closer.
The splashing from behind stopped. The dragon leaned over me until its great blue eyes were level with my own. Distrust gleamed in their depths.
I swallowed hard, sweat breaking out on my skin.
Why was this happening? I had the map. I was supposed to be here!
I had to show them I was one of them. But I was utterly drained. Managing even an ounce of magic sounded impossible.
Not that I had a choice.
I had to turn Phantom-ghosty or get chomped.
I called on the last of my power, letting the icy magic of my Phantom gift flow through me. It took a long, stressful moment to catch on, but my skin turned blue and transparent.
The dragon backed off, its gaze considering.
I stood on shaky legs. “I’m Delphine Bellator. I had a map that led me here.”
A tense moment passed. I held my breath.
Finally, blue light swirled around the three dragons, and they transformed into human-shaped Phantoms wearing long, simple robes. Just like Draka. Each possessed timeless features. Mostly human, a little bit not. I thought one might’ve been a man, but I wasn’t sure.
The one who felt the oldest approached. I had no idea how she felt old, but she just did.
“You may stand.” Her voice was smooth and deep.
“Uh, okay.” I stood on shaky legs, glancing behind me to check on Roarke.
He stood in the water up to his waist, frozen in place, his gaze riveted to us. Smart man. It definitely wouldn’t please the dragons if a non-Phantom got involved.
I turned back to the Phantoms. “So, um, I’m here for some answers. About controlling my magic. But…but who are you?”
Wow, I was handling this smoothly.
The woman smiled. She was so transparent that I could make out the details of the slate wall behind her. “We are the last of the Phantom dragons, and we have been waiting for you for a long time, Guardian.”
“Me?”
Oh fates. There was that Guardian thing again. Just like what Draka had called me. “Is Draka one of you? Where is she?”
“She is our fourth. But we don’t know where she has gone or what has happened to her. Something knocked our vessels off the pedestals. Draka’s vessel disappeared then. We don’t know where she is.”
That sucked. Worry gnawed at my chest. “Is she in danger?”
“Perhaps.”
Damn. “But that’s why you were in the lake, then?”
“Yes. The Coblynau protect us, normally. It should be impossible to reach us here. Except for you, because you had the map.”
Double damn. “So if I’m supposed to be able to reach you, that means you can help me get control of my power? Because I’
m having a hell of a time controlling my new Ubilaz demon power.”
She nodded. “Yes. That is a particularly difficult one to control. Worse, the curse upon your mind makes it impossible.”
“Who cursed me? How do I get rid of it?”
“The Shadows cursed you. Your goals are directly opposed to theirs. But the curse has been breaking down with time—you’ve been overcoming it. First by perfecting your ability to transport when you were a child, and then by practicing with your Phantom magic and ice magic. Some types of magic come more naturally to you than others, of course.”
“Of course?” She was losing me.
“Yes. That which you were born with. The Phantom magic and the transporting, specifically. Stolen powers are much more difficult to manage. But we have something that will help you. A talisman.” She walked to the water and knelt, laying her palm flat upon the glittering blue surface. Her blue robe floated on the lake around her, glimmering in the light.
The water glowed bright from the very deepest part of the lake. Instinctually, I stepped out of the water and watched. The glow became almost blinding until it coalesced into a tight little spot and zipped through the water toward the Phantom. She gripped something shiny and stood, then handed it to me.
I stared at the gleaming sword hilt in her hand. There was no blade, just the hilt, and it was decorated with incredible inscriptions of some kind.
“Is that my sword?” I asked.
“Not the one that you so carelessly wore into our water, no.” She thrust it toward me, and I took it.
As soon as I clasped my hand around the metal, it felt as natural as if I’d been born with it in my hand. “Then what is it?”
“It is yours. Your Phantom blade. It will become part of you when it is whole. A talisman that will help you focus and control your power.”
“But there’s no blade.”
She smiled. “No. Nothing is ever easy.”
“You call getting here easy?”
Her smile didn’t falter. “You are near to the end, but you have farther yet to go. You must find the other part of the sword and prove yourself worthy of it. The hilt gives you partial control of your magic. Manipulating the past will be easier now because you’ve practiced it before. But the blade will complete the circle, giving you control of magic that you’ve failed with. Such as the demons.”
“Where do I find the blade?”
“I do not know, or we would have it. You are the only one who can find it. Use your gift. Once you’ve joined the two halves, you’ll have full control of your magic. This blade will become a part of you—forged with your mind and body. You’ll be able to kill demons with it, stealing their powers only when you desire. And it won’t require a sheath. It can be stored within the ether and will appear to you whenever you need it.”
“That would be handy.” In fact, all of that sounded very good. I’d loved my old sword, but this one felt just as good in my hand. Better even. And it had some badass upgrades. “But if my dragon—” I cut myself off, remembering at the last minute that Roarke was listening “If my gift didn’t work to help me find this place, will it work to find the blade? Or do I need a map for that, too?”
“No. Your sense will work. Our cave is protected from any who seek us using anything but the approved map. We didn’t want just anyone wandering in here.”
“Right. Of course. So, I’m just supposed to leave here and assume I can find the blade to this sword?” I held the hilt up.
“Yes. When you are ready, seek the blade and the control that you desire. It will be your talisman, imbuing you with control. You need only be near the blade for it to work.”
“But what if someone steals it?”
“It will always be yours. You can call it back to you.”
That was handy. “Who are the Shadows who cursed me?”
“That, I do not know. But you will face them in a great battle. To win, you must embrace your power. Acquire new ones.”
Ah, shit. Those were answers I didn’t like hearing. “When is this battle?”
She shrugged. The two behind her shrugged as well. Great.
“Am I immortal?” The question had been bugging me ever since I’d come back from the Underworld.
“No. Yes.”
“Which is it?” I wanted to add a damn it, but bit my tongue. Didn’t want to disrespect the Phantom dragon and all.
“All supernaturals are immortal in the sense that there is life after death in the Underworld. You, however, can cross the boundary from the Underworld to Earth, unlike your fellow supernaturals.” She peered around me, her gaze pinned to Roarke. “Except for that one. He shares the same power.”
“Oh shit. He’s not my brother, is he?” I didn’t want some Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia situation to go down. I really liked Roarke.
She shook her head. “No. I do not know how he shares that gift. It is rare for all but demons.”
Ah, bingo. Because he was half demon, which the Phantoms apparently couldn’t sense.
“But to answer your question,” she said. “You are immortal in that sense. Though as you’ve experienced, it’s not easy to escape the Underworld.”
“Sure isn’t.” More questions popped to mind. “What about my parents? Who are—”
A great shattering noise exploded through the cavern, then the thunder of footsteps.
Oh no. My ice wall had broken. The Coblynau were coming.
The Phantom’s startled gaze met mine. “You didn’t kill one, did you?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Stupid! Now they will come for you!”
“I thought they were your protectors! Can’t you call them off?”
“No. Not once you have killed one. You must run.”
I whirled. A horde of Coblynau had spilled into the cavern. Roarke was out of the water, facing them, ready to battle.
“No time,” the Phantom said. Blue light swirled around her as she resumed her dragon form. She leapt into the air, picking me up in one of her massive claws.
Magic surged through me, power like I’d never felt. Almost as if I were hooked up to a magical battery. She replenished all that I had lost, and then some.
She swooped over the lake and plucked up Roarke in her other claw, then clutched us close to her belly.
Roarke’s wide gaze met mine as the dragon flew over the horde of goblins and out through the tunnel. I gripped the sword hilt tight in my hand.
Holy fates, this was wild!
As soon as we burst out into the fading sunlight, the cold hit me. I was in my underwear. In the mountains of North Wales. Shivers wracked me as the dragon flew us toward the edge and dropped us into the old iron mining cart. I was jammed in next to Roarke, the cold metal freezing my butt and the sword hilt gripped in my hand.
Behind us, the Coblynau spilled from the mouth of the cave, a maddened horde.
“Use your gift! Bring it to life!” The Phantom dragon’s voice sounded in my head.
I looked up, frantic. She hovered in the air above us, her gaze intent on mine.
The Coblynau were nearly upon us. There was no way to outrun them. Especially in my underwear and with Roarke’s wings torn up.
“Your gift!”
Shock hit me in the gut when I figured out what she wanted us to do.
She’d fueled up my magic, so it was possible. I gripped the sword hilt tight and called upon my gift over the past, envisioning this place up and running.
In a flash, it burst to life. I didn’t even have to struggle for it. The broken-down track repaired itself, and the rust flaked off of the cart. Real miners—not Coblynau—appeared around us, shocked.
The dragon swooped down and nudged our cart with her nose, sending us flying down the ramp. Icy wind burned my eyes as we hurtled down. The enraged screams of the Coblynau sounded from behind us.
“Holy fates!” I cried.
We plowed through the mist, the cart hitting the flat section of the mountain with a bump and
careening around the curve, following the track. Another curve and we were on the next ramp, speeding down and out of the mist that had cloaked the mountaintop. An enormous vista of the black quarry and distant mountains stretched out ahead of us.
It was so thrilling that I couldn’t even feel the cold, a crazy rollercoaster ride straight out of history. Roarke gripped me from behind, trying to keep me from flying out of the cart. We were hurtling through space as we careened down the mountain. We passed the slate-cutting buildings and the shocked miners, but I had eyes only for the track ahead.
There was another cart, and it wasn’t moving nearly as fast as ours since a dragon hadn’t given it a nudge.
I focused my magic, imagining that specific cart sent back in time to where it belonged.
It disappeared, easy as that.
I gripped the sword hilt, grateful of its help, and held on for dear life as we plunged down.
When we reached the bottom near the lake, the cart flew off the tracks and skidded onto the beach.
The old boat still sat there, beached just as we’d left it.
Laughing, I turned to Roarke. “Wasn’t that amaz—shit! Run!”
Coblynau had caught up. We leapt out of the cart and raced across the beach.
“Morwena!” I screamed. “Help!”
She popped out of the water, her gaze wide, then swam for the boat. We jumped on board just as she climbed up.
“You’re going to owe me,” she said.
“Okay! Anything!”
Roarke pushed us offshore just as the Coblynau reached the water. Morwena took over from there, using the power of the water to direct the boat to the other shore.
I stood on deck, panting. “Holy fates, that was wild.”
“Beyond wild.” Roarke joined me, stripping off his jacket and draping it around my shoulders. He then swooped me off my feet and into his arms. Only once my bare feet were off the freezing deck did I realize how damned cold I was.
“Why are you naked?” Morwena asked.
“Long story.” I met her gaze where she stood at the back of the boat. “What do I owe you for helping us?”
“A favor. To be determined at a later date.”
“Deal.” I really didn’t have the energy to deal with it right now. I needed a freaking nap.
