by Linsey Hall
“Look.” Cade pointed toward the alcove where the foundations of the shrine had been located.
Now, it was a complete shrine. A large flat stone sat upright and contained a carving of Cocidius. Like the one we’d seen before, it was a simple inscription of a man holding a shield and sword.
Only this time… “It’s glowing.”
“It’s the entrance.”
Cade stepped off the center stone and waved me toward him, then held out a hand. I slipped my hand into his larger one.
He looked down at me. “Ready?”
I nodded. “Ready.”
Mayhem appeared at my side.
“Hey there, looking for an adventure?” I asked.
She yipped.
“Glad to have you.” I rubbed her ghostly head.
We walked toward the glowing carving of Cocidius. The stone was taller than we were, the carving nearly the size of Cade. He stepped toward it. The stone platform and spell had mistaken his godly power for that of Cocidius. Hopefully the portal would do the same.
One Celtic war god was as good as another, right?
I sure hoped so.
Cade stepped through the carved stone, and his foot disappeared into the rock.
“Whoa.”
I followed him inside, Mayhem pressing close against me. Magic shivered coolly against my skin as the rock enveloped me. It felt more like mist than stone, though my heartbeat still ratcheted up as my face neared the rock.
I squeezed my eyes shut and lunged through, focusing on the warm grip of Cade’s palm.
Cold mist touched my face, then disappeared.
I opened my eyes.
Large trees towered all around us. The fort was gone.
“Ancient Oaks,” Cade said. “Long since cut down by the Royal Navy to build their ships.”
“This is what England used to look like?”
He nodded. “A different land.”
I turned, noting the magic that sparked on the air. It smelled vaguely of blood, like Cocidius’s. The forest itself was shadowed, the trees cutting out the light. The ground was dark, almost black.
Despite it all, the place felt like Earth, not like a true godly realm. Not like Yggdrasil and the realm of the Norse gods that I’d visited.
“It feels like a mirror realm,” Cade said. “Like we’re actually walking upon the earth, but in another dimension.”
“It’s weird.” The portal that we’d exited glowed gold. I was glad we had the heavenly transport stone and could get out of here in a jiffy if we needed to.
The sound of a horn broke through the silence of the forest.
I stiffened. Cade spun around, searching for the source of the sound. It came again. Then the baying of hounds. Or wolves.
Near my head, Mayhem growled low in her throat.
“War dogs,” Cade said.
“Or hunting.” My gaze caught on the portal again. It pulsed with golden light. “Could they have been alerted to our arrival? Could they be hunting us?”
The baying hounds sounded closer.
Mayhem growled again.
“Run,” Cade said.
He took off through the forest. I followed, sprinting to keep up. He held himself back so he didn’t leave me behind, and I wondered why he didn’t shift. We’d be faster if he were in his wolf form.
Panting, I raced behind him, leaping over tree roots and dodging large rocks. The wind tore at my hair as my lungs burned.
The sound of the hounds and the horn broke through the loud heave of my breaths. Ahead of us, a wide, dark river gleamed with light.
“We’ll cross,” Cade said. “Make them lose our scent.”
I called upon my magic from the Norse god Njord, commanding the river water to part. It split, rushing away from a thin trail of dry land that cut straight through the river.
We sprinted across the river rocks. As soon as we reached the dry land on the other side, I allowed the water to crash back into place, concealing our scent.
Cade sprinted toward higher ground, an area where a cliff rose tall at the edge of the forest. My chest ached as I ran behind him, Mayhem at my side.
Man I could really use a wolf ride right about now.
We reached the cliff, which was jagged with many large outcroppings. He began to climb, swift and sure. I followed, scrambling my way up the rock. The cliff face turned to the side, and he followed it until we were partially concealed behind some rocks.
We were high enough up that the dogs couldn’t get us right away, and we could always run for it, continuing along the side of the cliff.
I leaned back against the stone, panting.
In the distance, the horn and dogs sounded. They were moving slowly closer.
I gasped. “I think they’re definitely hunting us.”
“Aye.”
“Why didn’t you shift into a wolf? We’d be faster.”
“I don’t want them to know who I am. My magic is distinct. In my wolf form, it’s even more so.”
“Smart.” He was right. We didn’t want to reveal our hand too soon.
The forest was quiet save for the distant sound of the hunters and our breaths.
“Do you think these are Cocidius’s men?” I asked.
“I hope so. We need to find out. Perhaps we can follow them to their master.”
“As long as they don’t catch us.” I didn’t want to meet those war dogs face to face. Mayhem was more my style. She fluttered in the air next to me, panting. Then emitted a fiery little fart, and looked startled.
I stifled a laugh—now was not the time—and turned to Cade. “I’m going to use Loki’s power to make myself invisible and fly over them to see if I can figure out who they are.”
He looked torn, as if he didn’t like me going alone, but finally, he nodded. “Be careful.”
“You too. Stay here. I’ll come back to find you.”
He reached up, and his big hand cupped the back of my neck. Gently, he pulled me forward, pressing a kiss to my lips. Heat flared, along with affection, and I returned the kiss, reluctantly pulling away after a moment.
“I find that saying goodbye to you becomes harder and harder,” he said.
I leaned my forehead against his chest and murmured, “Same.”
I swore I could feel his grin against the top of my head. Before I lost any will to move, I pulled away and let my wings unfurl from my back.
“That’s more impressive every time I see it,” he said.
I looked back at the silvery feathers, a little thrill of pleasure going through me. “Agreed.”
“Be careful.”
I nodded, pushing off into the air, my wings carrying me toward the tops of the huge oaks. I called on Loki’s magic of illusion, imagining myself as invisible. The power shivered over me, letting me know it had worked. I turned back and looked down at Cade, who watched me from the cliff.
He shot me a thumbs-up.
Good. I was definitely invisible. I didn’t want to be caught because my magic didn’t work.
I whirled away from Cade and flew faster, high above the trees, following the baying of the hounds.
Wind whipped through my hair as I flew. The orange sun flared bright as it dipped toward the horizon, casting the forest below with shadow.
A bird flew past me, faltering as it neared. It was a small one—maybe a sparrow—and it turned its little head to look at me, bright eyes seeming confused.
Could it see me?
Eventually the bird flew on, and I ignored it, pushing myself toward the hunters.
They weren’t far off. Maybe a few hundred yards from where Cade stood. A flash of movement in the trees below caught my eye. I swooped low.
Bingo.
There were a dozen mounted hunters, all of them wearing strange-looking leather clothes—like the stuff you’d see on a museum dummy. Six hounds, giant scraggly things that looked almost like wolves, trotted nearby, noses glued to the ground for scent. They crossed the river and were tr
ying to pick up our trail again.
Eventually they would find it.
I dipped lower, trying to figure out if they were associated with Cocidius in some way. I could already tell that he wasn’t amongst their number—they had strong magic, but nothing like a god’s.
And, even more tellingly, none of them had giant horns sheathed in gold.
One of the men turned his horse, showing me his back. The leather tunic that he wore was burned with a design—that of a simple figure holding a sword and shield.
Jackpot.
I was about to fly back to Cade when a bird cawed. Then another.
I glanced around.
A group of hawks flew toward me, little leather strips hanging from each of their right feet.
Their black gazes burned with intent—and all were pinned to me.
From below, the hounds bayed, louder than ever.
I glanced down.
Each dog looked up, eyes riveted to me.
Oh, crap.
Could they see me?
3
The warriors looked skyward, searching. Their heads turned and eyes darted. They couldn’t see me.
But their animals could sense me. Only now did I notice the leather armbands they each wore—protection from their hawks.
I turned and darted away, pushing my wings to carry me far and fast. My heart thundered in my ears as the dogs barked louder and faster. A flash of black appeared in my vision.
A hawk!
It bombed, going for my wings. A sharp prick of pain flared in my left wing. The hawk had gouged me with its claws or beak.
I darted away, but another hawk met me, digging its sharp claws into my arm. It took everything I had not to cry out. Not to drop the illusion.
The birds attacked with ferocity, somehow sensing my presence. I veered away from the path back to Cade. I wasn’t going to be able to outrun these creatures. I couldn’t lead them—and the hunters—to Cade.
Pain flared all over my body as I tried to outfly the hawks. Wind tore at my hair. I occasionally dipped low enough that the tree branches clawed at my legs, but the hawks kept coming.
I drew my sword and shield from the ether. With a hiss of pain, I swung the shield toward an oncoming hawk. It slammed into the metal, then wheeled away. But another bird came after it. And another.
Mayhem shot from the forest below, flying right for a hawk. She shot a blast of fire toward it, singing the hawk’s wings. The bird shrieked and spun away. But there were still a dozen of them.
Mayhem did her best, darting around in full attack mode, her dragon form flickering over her pugly one. She was able to keep some of the birds off me, but others darted past. They were too fast to hit with my sword, and they drove me lower, toward the ground.
“Go, Mayhem!” I didn’t want her getting caught by the hunters.
They thundered along below, their horses’ hooves a cacophony against the forest floor. The hounds bayed, bloodlust in the sound.
Panic thundered in my chest, my heart threatening to break my ribs. I panted, awkwardly trying to dodge tree limbs as the hawks drove me on.
I just needed to get up high again!
Except the hawks flew above me, keeping up their attack. More joined them.
So many!
Lungs and muscles burning, I was only fifteen feet above the ground when I caught sight of Cade running through the forest, headed for the hunters, who hadn’t yet seen him.
Idiot!
He’d try to save me. And maybe he could go up against twelve hunters and six hounds—very possibly—but it was such a risk. And these hawks were so damned ferocious.
I extended my power of illusion to him, turning him invisible. But the hounds’ baying faltered. They turned their heads toward him, nostrils quivering.
Damn!
They’d caught his scent. Just like the birds had caught mine. The dogs wheeled, darting toward him.
Pain flared at my scalp. A hawk dug its claws in. Agony shot through me. My wings faltered. The pain distracted me, and a branch struck my left wing. I lost control, tumbling through the air.
I skidded against the ground, rolling head over heels, until I slammed against a tree.
Panic flared in my chest as I struggled to rise. My wings made it hard, so I absorbed them back into my body.
My magic faltered, the illusion flickering due to the pain and exhaustion. Invisibility was the most difficult skill, and I was starting to lose my grip on it.
When a dog jumped on me and tore at my shoulder with his teeth, I felt the magic fall away completely. In the distance, Cade appeared as my invisibility magic fell away from him, too.
Shit!
I slammed my shield against the war dog, forcing the animal away, and threw an illusion toward Cade, imagining his bone structure changing slightly. If we were going to run into Cocidius, we didn’t want him recognizing us. I used the last of my magic to give Cade lighter brown hair and heavier features. I did the same to myself, praying that it worked. They were small changes, enough for me to hold on to, but hopefully they’d do the job.
The dog came for me again, muzzle drawn back from its fangs. I raised my sword and shield, crouching low. More dogs prowled closer, and in the distance, the eight mounted riders approached. Four more hunters were off their horses, necks broken.
Cade’s doing?
I swung my sword, making the attack dog back up and growl. As I held off the dog, I watched Cade leap for a fifth mounted hunter.
He’d nearly reached him when one of the men threw a silver rope toward him. It glinted as it flew through the air and wrapped around Cade, pinning his arms to his side.
He roared, face turning red as he strained to break the rope.
“Struggling will have no effect,” one of the men shouted.
I shouldn’t have been able to understand him—it was clear that his language was different—but somehow I could. Magic of the godly realm, perhaps.
Cade thrashed, but it did no good. A war dog plowed into his side, throwing him off his feet and to the ground.
The dogs that lunged for me suddenly quit their attack, darting away. I had only a moment to feel dread before silver glinted in the air.
A rope slammed into me, the ends wrapping around me like a terrible embrace. My arms pinned to my sides, I dropped my sword and shield, unable to maintain my grip.
Panic flared, my skin chilling.
I left my weapons where they lay. I didn’t need to retrieve them, or even store them in the ether right now. The expensive magic that allowed me to use the ether as storage would retrieve them for me. And I didn’t want to reveal to these hunters that I had that power.
A dog crashed into my side, sending me flying to the ground. Leaves lodged in my hair, and my cheek rubbed against the dirt. Overhead, hawks circled and cawed.
A man leaped down from his horse. I struggled as he stomped near, desperate to break my bonds.
In the distance, Cade was lifted by three men and tossed into the back of a small wagon that I hadn’t noticed earlier. He was still bound in the magical rope. If he couldn’t break through, neither could I.
I lay still, panting. The boots stopped in front of my face, and the man bent down and swung me up over his shoulder.
My stomach slammed into his shoulder and the breath whooshed out of me, pain flaring in my middle.
“Bastard,” I muttered.
He chuckled, an ugly sound, and carried me to the wagon. He tossed me in next to Cade. I was aligned so that I could see the back of his head. We had both lost our backpacks in the fight.
Fortunately, I hadn’t seen Mayhem in a while, which could only be a good thing.
“Yah!” shouted a man, and the cart began to move. It bounced slowly over the forest floor as the horse pulled it behind the warriors.
The dogs trotted along, sniffing us, their gazes bright with interest.
“So, this isn’t ideal,” I murmured.
Cade turned until he was fa
cing me. No one was around, so I let the illusion fall away. He looked normal again, thank fates.
“At least we’re headed straight for him,” Cade murmured.
“I hope so.” I recalled the symbol on the back of the man’s tunic. It was our best hope—and if we were lucky, they lived in the same place as Cocidius.
“Let’s see how this plays out,” Cade murmured. “It could work in our favor.”
I shifted against the tight binding, every inch of my body burning from the pain of the animal attacks. Blood slicked much of my skin, cooling in the night air. Darkness was falling, bringing with it a greater feeling of danger.
“I hope you’re right,” I murmured. “Because this feels pretty dire.”
About thirty minutes later, after the sun had fully set and I’d used some of my magic to heal my wounds, I heard the sound of a town. Talking people and lowing cattle, along with the clang of metal and a low thudding noise.
“I think we’re almost there,” Cade murmured.
“Thank fates.” It had been a miserable ride. I was freaked out about what we might face in town, but I was beyond ready to get out of the cart.
Nerves made my breath come short as golden light began to glow in the distance. I called upon my magic, giving Cade and myself the same simple glamour I’d done earlier. I didn’t know if we’d see Cocidius, but just in case, I wanted to be prepared.
Fortunately, it was getting easier and easier to use Loki’s magic. Which was good, since the last thing we needed was for Cocidius to recognize us. And I was tired, most of my power sapped.
For his part, Cade suppressed his magical signature, keeping it tightly controlled. He left the scent of a storm at sea so he didn’t appear completely powerless—that would send alarm bells of its own since powerful supernaturals could conceal their magic. Better to try to run under the radar as nobodies. I did the same, having to work harder to conceal my new magic. It didn’t come naturally to me. Hopefully the hunters hadn’t noticed earlier.
The cart bounced toward the town. As it rolled past the first ancient round building, I caught sight of a wary looking man with a metal ring around his neck.
