by Linsey Hall
“Two or you don’t get the stones,” Tarron said.
“We don’t have two,” the king said.
I nearly growled, but I could see from the look on his face that he was telling the truth.
Shit shit shit.
Panic began to flutter in my chest. I shared a look with Tarron, and memories of what he’d said in the fight ring flickered in my mind.
I knew how he was going to try to play this.
Even so, I didn’t see his actions coming. He didn’t even hesitate—he just grabbed the Aranthian Crystal from me and gave them both to the king and queen, then barked, “Give her the resurrection stone.”
He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, looking stoic.
“Aren’t you lucky.” The queen looked at me, and I wanted to hiss at her.
She shoved the resurrection stone into my hand. Before I could force it toward Tarron, she recited an incantation in some ancient Fae language. I tried to catch it, but I was too slow. I began to glow with a golden light.
Next to me, a golden portal appeared.
Tarron didn’t glow at all.
“No!” I begged. “He has to come with me!”
“No.” The queen’s voice was hard.
“Please!” I’d never begged for anything in my life that I could remember, but I’d beg for this. Even if it wasn’t possible. “Please. He has to come with me.”
He couldn’t die here. I couldn’t bear it. His soul, gone forever?
No.
Panic tore a hole in my chest as I began to glow brighter. The ether inside the golden portal tugged hard at me. I looked frantically at Tarron.
“It’s all right,” he said. “I know you can save them.”
“But I want to save you!” Tears started to prick my eyes.
This was so damned unfair! I couldn’t lose him again.
“Go!” he said, his voice firm. “Go before I throw you through that portal.”
“We’re both going.” Somehow.
“If she doesn’t go, she’ll be extinguished too,” the queen said.
Tarron apparently couldn’t tolerate that. A tortured expression flashed across his face as he grabbed me and began to carry me toward the portal. “Go, Mari. For me. Please.”
“No!” I kicked and screamed, my mind racing.
I wouldn’t settle for this.
“You have to go.” Tarron begged.
“Not without you.” There was no way I’d let this happen.
I called upon my amplification magic, focusing it on the charm in my hand. The magical signature was distinct, and I forced it to grow stronger. Power swelled inside me, forcing outward and into the resurrection stone. The stone glowed brighter. I pushed the magic toward Tarron, clinging tight to him and trying to envelop him in the same golden glow that surrounded me. I forced it to grow bigger, to grow stronger.
It began to work. Tarron glowed as well.
“No!” the queen shrieked. “No! This shouldn’t be possible.”
But it was. After facing my fears here in the Court of Death, my magic was stronger than it had ever been.
Except, it wasn’t as strong as it needed to be. I could feel something—a barrier. It was like the magic was almost powerful enough, but not quite. We couldn’t push through to the other side.
“No!” the queen shouted. She thrust out her hand, shooting a blast of power at us.
It slammed into us, throwing us back.
The golden glow faded.
The portal disappeared.
No!
“The incantation.” Tarron struggled to his feet. “We must say it again.”
The queen stood over us, rage on her face. I stood, shoving the resurrection stone into my pocket.
“Only one may leave!” she shrieked. Again, she threw out her hand.
Before the blast could hit me, Tarron shoved me aside and shot a blast of water at her that was so strong she slammed back into the stone wall and collapsed, the two Aranthian Crystals tumbling from her hand.
Tarron turned toward the shocked king, hitting him with a gale so strong that he blew back into the stone wall and collapsed, unconscious.
I sprinted toward the queen, grabbed the crystals and shoved them into my other pocket, then turned to Tarron. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“The resurrection stone—use it!”
“Not without you!”
“Use your amplification magic again—I can try to go with you. But if it doesn’t work, you must go.” His words vibrated with such force that they shook my bones.
“Not here.” I looked around, frantic. “Guards will come soon. And this place—we can’t do it here. I need a place where the barrier between realms is weakest.”
“We don’t have time,” he said.
“We do.” I glared at him, tears in my eyes. “Don’t make me lose you again. I’m not doing that.”
He growled.
“You don’t get to be the one who sacrifices yourself. Now come on,” I said. “We need to get to Aethelred’s place in the white wood. That was a weak place in the boundary.” It was the reason we’d been able to see him before.
He nodded sharply. “It was.”
Together, we ran from the room. I didn’t know how the hell one called upon a Royal Stag, but we really needed a ride. I tried to call them with my mind.
As we reached the end of the throne room, Erala appeared in front of us. The Fae who’d escorted us to and from our tower prison looked shocked. Her eyes widened, going between the sight of the fallen king and queen and us, running toward her.
“They’re not dead,” I said.
She nodded, then stepped aside so we could race through the door, toward the castle exit.
“Good luck,” she said as we passed.
Thank fates she didn’t try to stop us. I sprinted through the main entry hall, spotting the guards out of the corner of my eye.
Tarron shot a massive blast of fire at them, forming a flaming wall between them and us. They shouted and yelled, but couldn’t break through. We sprinted for the door and burst out into the sunlight.
Two stags with golden horns waited for us.
Oh, thank fates that had worked. They pawed the ground with anticipation, snuffling as we raced down the stairs toward them.
I leapt onto the nearest stag. Tarron jumped onto his.
“To the white wood,” I said. “Aethelred’s house.”
The stags spun around and galloped through the town. Fae leaned out of their windows to look at us, but none attacked. I turned around and spotted the royal guard spilling out of the castle, but they were nearly two hundred yards away now.
I turned back and leaned low over the stag, whispering, “Faster. Faster.”
The creature gave a great burst of speed, and we were to the gates a few moments later. Two guards stood on either side of the main gate, and their jaws dropped when they saw that we weren’t slowing.
Their gazes fell to the golden horns of the royal stags, and they hurriedly opened the gate. The stags raced out into the white forest, galloping over the bridge and into the meadow. They sprinted for the trees, and we were within the wood in seconds.
The stags took the path I remembered, going straight for Aethelred’s house, where the barrier was weakest. They leapt over boulders and dodged trees, and for the first time, I felt a bit of hope.
We can do this.
As if he’d heard my thoughts, a dark figure appeared between the trees. His magic hit me first—death, despair, decay. Cold wind carried the scents, sending a shiver across my skin.
“Ankou,” I whispered. The embodiment of death in Celtic lore.
He was far more massive than the winged reapers had been. At least twice the size of a normal man, he drove a cart through the woods. I didn’t want to know what he put in that cart.
He climbed off the bench, his great black cloak waving around him. It concealed his face, but I could just spot the gleam of his flame-r
ed eyes.
He raised his hands, and his dark magic swelled on the air.
“Faster!” I shouted.
The stags ran impossibly quicker, and I crouched low.
Ankou shot a blast of dark magic at us. I pressed on the stag’s side with my leg, telling him to veer toward it. He did, and I took the blow head-on. It shook me to my core, nearly making me fall from the stag, but I sent it back toward Ankou. He dodged to the left, and it slammed into a white tree, blackening it.
Tarron’s magic swelled on the air. The trees near Ankou reached for him, then grabbed him around the waist and held him tight.
In the distance, I could see where the forest ended. Through the trees, I could spot Aethelred’s house.
“We’re almost there!” I shouted.
Ankou, still bound by the trees that Tarron controlled, shot another blast of black death right at us.
“Out of the way!” I shouted, veering toward it on my mount.
The magic slammed into me, nearly making me black out, but I sent it back at Ankou. This time, he couldn’t run. It crashed into him, and he went limp.
Our mounts burst from the forest a moment later and galloped across the field. We were nearly there!
The magic even felt different here. Weaker.
The stags skidded to a halt in front of Aethelred’s white front door. We leapt off, and I spared mine one quick pat before racing up the stairs.
“I’ve got this.” Tarron slammed through the door, not even bothering to knock.
I ran into the foyer and glanced behind us, catching sight of a dozen of Ankou’s minions floating toward us. Behind them, the massive Ankou himself floated, rage wafting out from him as black smoke.
Shit, I had to hurry. I looked at Tarron. “Did you understand that incantation?”
“I did.” He began to recite it.
I pulled the resurrection stone out of my pocket and threw myself at Tarron, wrapping my arms around him. As I began to glow, I called upon my amplification magic. It burst to life, and I focused it at the resurrection stone, forcing some of its magic to grow and envelop Tarron.
It was so much easier here. The barrier between the realms was weakened, and within seconds, I felt the ether pulling on both of us. The portal to my left pulled us in, and I clung tight to Tarron.
Ankou’s minions were nearly to Aethelred’s house. My heart thundered.
Then the ether pulled us in fully, and we disappeared.
13
Seconds later, the ether spit us out in Aethelred’s foyer.
Suddenly, everything was in color. And Tarron felt warm and real and alive.
I pulled back and looked at him, joyfully shocked, then hugged him hard. “Holy fates, it worked!”
He gripped me in his strong arms and held me tight. “I can’t believe you did that.” He chuckled roughly against my hair. “Actually, I can. You’re amazing.”
I pulled back. “Thanks.”
His gaze dropped to my lips.
Suddenly, all the tension between us tightened unbearably. It felt like it’d been ages since we’d been able to really touch. Desire blazed within me. His head swept down to mine, and he captured my lips in a kiss. His tongue slipped between my lips, making my head spin.
For the briefest second, I fell into it, letting the pleasure sweep me away. His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his broad chest. Heat seeped into me, making my muscles go lax and my core heat with desire. I plunged my hands into his hair and ravished his mouth. Passion sparked between us like fireworks, and I wanted to pull him to the ground.
No.
“Aeri.” I gasped, pulling back. “She needs us.”
He nodded, eyes dark with need. “You’re right.”
I shivered, thrusting away the sensations as I reached up and touched my fingertips to my comms charm, hoping the magic would ignite. “Aeri?”
There was nothing on the other line. Only static.
My stomach pitched. “Something happened to her charm.”
Concern gleamed on Tarron’s face. “The magic could be blocked. It’s not necessarily bad news.”
I nodded, doing my best to believe him.
“Can you call Claire or Cass on that? See how they’re coming with finding her?” he asked.
“No. It only connects to Aeri’s charm. I’ll have to call them—”
“What’s all this?” Aethelred’s creaky voice sounded from the left, and I turned, looking down the hall.
He appeared at the base of the stairs, his gaze riveted to us. His bright blue velour track suit matched his eyes, and his white hair gleamed brightly.
“Mordaca!” He shuffled toward us quickly. “You’re alive!”
I nodded. “We barely made it out. But we have to go rescue Aerdeca. Can I use your fire?”
“Of course, of course.” He gestured for us to follow him into the cluttered living room.
Dust motes sparkled like tiny diamonds in the air as he went to the fireplace and tossed a bit of pink powder in. The flames burst to life.
He turned to me. “You want to contact someone, I presume?”
I nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
He reached for a tiny tin of powder and handed it to me, chuckling. “Have at it. All the long distance calls you want.”
Despite my worry, I managed to crack a grin at his dad joke. “Thanks.”
Quickly, I took the little pot of powder and tossed a pinch into the flames, then asked to see Claire.
Her face appeared in the fire. The blood was gone from her cheek, but she looked tired. Her eyes brightened when she saw me—the magic of the fire was making me appear as an apparition to her.
“Mordaca! Are you out of hell?”
“Just got back to earth.”
“Alive?”
“Never felt better. Have you found the entrance to the Unseelie Kingdom?”
She nodded. “Luna thinks she found it, but we don’t know how to open it. I’m back here at P & P with Connor getting food for the team and a few potions that might help us.”
“We’ll be over there in a flash.”
“Good, then we can go back. I think they’ve almost got it.”
“No sign from Aerdeca?”
Claire shook her head. “Nothing. Not a peep from the Unseelie, either. But the magic is strong there.” She shuddered. “Stronger than it was.”
I frowned. Bad news.
“We’ll be right there.” I cut the connection and turned from the fire, meeting Aethelred’s gaze. “Thanks.”
“Of course.”
“Can you look at something for me?” I asked.
He nodded.
I reached into my pocket and withdrew the two Aranthian Crystals. “Do you know what these are? They’re called Aranthian Crystals.”
His eyes widened, and he hovered a hand over the two glowing red stones. “I don’t know, but they are immensely powerful.”
I nodded. “We got them from the Dark Necromancer. The king and queen of the Court of Death wanted them.”
He whistled low. “No, I’ve no idea what they are. But I’ll ask around.”
“Thanks. And if you happen to see anything about Aerdeca and how we can rescue her, will you let me know?”
He nodded. “I’ll contact you through the fire.”
“You’re the best.” I gave him a quick hug. “When all this madness is over, we’ll take one of our walks.”
He grumbled. “You’d better believe it. I’m getting out of shape. And that means less attention from the ladies at Bocce Ball.”
I grinned. Like most of the old people in town, Aethelred played Bocce Ball on Tuesday nights. It was a hotbed for gossip, flirting, and crazy old folks. They really knew how to party.
“I’ll see you later. I promise.”
“Thank you for the use of your home,” Tarron said. “I appreciate it. And I’ll send someone back to fix the door I broke.”
Aethelred nodded and grumbled, then escorted us f
rom the house. As soon as we stepped out onto the street, I looked at my own house. We’d already packed up earlier, and as much as I wanted a change of clothes, there was no time.
“Come on.” I reached for Tarron’s hand.
He gripped mine, and I called upon my transportation magic, using it to zap us toward P & P. The ether sucked us in, and a few moments later, we were standing on the sidewalk in front of Potions & Pastilles. The tall warehouse buildings stretched into the distance on either side of us, the glass windows gleaming in the sunlight.
P & P had the Closed sign flipped over, but the door was unlocked. We pushed inside, finding Claire behind the counter, shoving pasties into a paper bag.
Tarron touched my arm. “I need to make a few calls to my kingdom. I’ll be just over here.”
I nodded, and he walked over to the corner.
As I turned toward Claire, her gaze flicked up, relief shining in her eyes. “Thank fates you’re back.”
I hurried toward her. “Thank you so much for looking for my sister.”
“Of course. Anytime. Connor’s in the back, collecting potions. Once I’ve got these pasties packed, we’re heading back to the woods to keep looking for how to open the gate to the Unseelie Court.”
“I’ll help. I’ve got a knack for it. But first…” I pulled out the Aranthian Crystals and showed them to Claire, explaining what they were. “Any idea what they do?”
Her brow wrinkled. “Not a clue in the world, to be honest.”
“Damn.”
“Maybe Connor can make a potion to determine what magic they’re capable of.”
Hope flared. “Speaking of magic… What did you hit my mother with that wounded her so badly?”
Claire’s face fell. “The golden light? You saw it.”
I nodded. “What was it?”
She frowned. “No idea.”
“It might have made my mother stronger.”
Claire winced. “I hope not. I really have no idea what it was.”
“Dang.” I squeezed her arm, knowing how frustrating it was to get a completely new power and not know what it was. “I’m going to ask Connor about these crystals.”
She nodded. “I’ll be done in just a moment, then we can head out.”
“Thanks.” I was desperate to get a move on. The knowledge that Aeri was in my mother’s clutches made me feel like I might vomit or cry at any moment.
