Masters of the Hunt: Fated and Forbidden
Page 356
“Can ye feel her?” Fionn asked.
The wolf’s amber eyes gleamed in the dim kitchen. “No, but if she is in Taltos, I will know once we open the gateway and I cross over.”
“They might’ve her shielded in some way—” Fionn cautioned.
“Enough words.” Rune nipped Fionn again. As if to support her fellow bond animal, Bella landed on Fionn’s shoulder and dug her talons deep.
A wry smile split Gwydion’s face. “It would appear the animals have spoken.”
“We did tell the others we’d do a reconnaissance.” Fionn stood.
Gwydion followed suit. Both men went to the corner of the kitchen with the hidden trap door. Fionn kicked the rug aside and tugged the door upward. When he looked back, he saw Gwydion’s staff glowing with a blue-white light.
Fionn worked his way down the ladder, helping the wolf. It was awkward. When Aislinn had gone into Taltos without him, she’d used magic to transport the wolf to the gateway. The thought of her seared his soul. His throat felt thick. A pulse pounded behind one eye, promising a mother of a headache if he didn’t focus magic to soothe the inflamed blood vessels.
At the bottom of the ladder, he strode to the section of wall holding the gateway and began the incantation from Marta’s journals. Gwydion’s energy vibrated next to him. Stones scraped against one another as the gateway swung open. Fionn bent to give Rune instructions, but the wolf bounded through the opening and disappeared into the dark.
“Damn it.” Fionn swore softly. “Ye stay with me,” he said to Bella.
“I am not going past this doorway,” the bird informed him. She fluttered from his shoulder to a chair and perched on it. “Fewer of us, less chance of discovery. Safer for Aislinn.”
Fionn couldn’t help but agree with her. His bird had warmed to Aislinn, much to his relief, since she’d taken a perverse delight in making all the other women in his life—including Tara—miserable.
“Mind speech,” Gwydion said sharply. “And precious little of that.”
“I suppose we follow the wolf. He gave us little choice.”
“After you.”
Fionn stepped through into a dark tunnel. Careful to mute his magic in case the Lemurians had posted guards nearby, he turned left and trailed after Rune. Guts tight, barely breathing, he moved beneath Taltos, the city built by Lemurians deep inside Mount Shasta. Desperation thrummed through him.
I have to find her. Failure is not an option.
The End
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Ann Gimpel is a national bestselling author. She’s also a clinical psychologist with a Jungian bent and a vagabond at heart. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. She’s published over 25 books to date, with several more contracted for 2015 and beyond. A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.
Follow Ann Gimpel online at:
http://www.anngimpel.com
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Masters of the Hunt: Fated and Forbidden © June 2015
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