by Linsey Hall
“What are you?” I demanded.
The tree straightened. “That’s quite rude.”
Shocked, I blurted, “I’m sorry.”
I’d never had a tree call me rude before.
“You should be.” It looked between Roarke and me, its barky face creasing with annoyance. “And now you should turn around and leave.”
“No.”
“Out of the question,” Roarke said.
“You are not permitted past this point.” The tree indicated a line in front of itself with a branch.
But Draka was past that point. I knew it. “We have to cross. My friend needs us.”
“I assure you, your friend is not here.”
Fat lot that he knew. I stepped left, intending to inch around him. “I just have to check.”
“No!” Blue light swirled around the tree’s branches. The scent of its magic welled in the air—green leaves and dirt.
I did not want to find out what that magic did.
Instinctually, I threw out my hands, sending my ice magic at the tree and envisioning a dome. As I’d hoped, blue-tinged ice grew up from the ground, forming a thick dome over the tree. The blue magic shot from the tree’s branches, slamming into the ice. The ice didn’t so much as crack.
“Quick thinking,” Roarke said.
“Yeah.” I admired my handiwork and the tree within, surprised I’d accomplished something like that. I hadn’t even taken the time to doubt myself, which was probably a good way to go about things.
“Rude!” shouted the tree. “You’ll regret this!”
“Will it be all right?” Roarke asked.
“Yeah.” I grabbed his hand and tugged him around the ice dome. “But we better get out of here before the dome melts. He doesn’t look pleased.”
We hurried away. I glanced over my shoulder to see the tree glaring at us through its icy prison. Yikes.
The feel of magic in the air increased as we walked. I was about to draw my sword when the ground exploded in front of me. Snow and dirt flew as a massive root burst out of the earth. It whipped toward me, wrapping around my waist like a thick lasso and hoisting me up into the air.
Shit!
Blood rushed to my head as it flipped me upside down. The forest floor was at least forty feet below. I strained, twisting in my cage and trying to find Roarke.
He hung upside down as well, gripped by the tree to my left. My gaze traveled up the massive trunk, three hundred feet into the air. At least I didn’t see a face on that redwood.
A tornado of gray light swirled around Roarke. His gray demon form appeared. The root holding him exploded as he burst free, using his massive strength to break the cage that held him.
He plummeted for only a second before flipping in the air and shooting upward toward me. From the look in his eyes, he was going to break me out the same way he had himself. But I didn’t want to hurt the massive tree.
It wasn’t the best idea, in terms of self-preservation, but these things were damned majestic and thousands of years old. They were like the archaeological sites of the tree world. And weren’t roots like super important for survival and all that?
They needed those roots.
“Don’t!” I cried as he neared. “Don’t hurt the tree. Hover below me and catch me, okay?”
His gaze snapped to mine as the tree’s root shook me like a baby with a rattle. Or Godzilla with what’s-her-name. Either way, it sucked.
“Just do it!” I cried.
He nodded sharply and darted down, waiting just below where the tree held me. I called on my Phantom magic, letting the icy chill flow through me. My limbs turned blue and transparent, and a moment later, I fell from the massive root’s grip.
Wind tore through my hair, and my stomach jumped. Roarke caught me, clutching me close and zooming off, his massive wings carrying us between the trees. He darted around roots as they popped out of the ground and snapped toward us.
A moment later, I realized that he hadn’t even flinched when he’d caught me. Was he immune to the Phantom magic that made most people miserable when I touched them?
It seemed so.
I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Roarke turned left, dodging a hefty root that burst out of the ground, and my dragon sense protested.
“Go back!” I cried. “To the right.”
He whirled on the air, dodging the root, and followed my directions. He flew so fast that my hair whipped in the wind and my eyes watered. I clung to him, grateful that he was a little bit warm in the icy wind. We passed a dozen more trees before the roots finally stopped breaking out of the ground and attacking.
“We can go down now,” I said.
Roarke nodded and drifted to the forest floor. His boots crunched in the snow, and he set me down. My skin chilled as soon as I lost his warmth.
“Aren’t you cold?” I nodded at his chest. Magic had removed his shirt when he’d shifted. Wings didn’t exactly fit in the average human-shaped shirt, after all.
“It’s not bad,” he said. “I’ll stay like this. Who knows what’s coming next.”
“Well, you got us out of that one, so I’ll take the next,” I said.
“You handled the mini tree.”
“Not as impressive as you taking on a forest of giant redwoods.”
“Not really. The blue magic that small tree was about to throw was a powerful memory loss charm. I recognized the signature. It would have blown our minds away, and we’d have spent eternity wandering the forest with no idea where we were.”
I swallowed hard. Shoot.
Talk about scary.
“Then we’re even,” I said. “We just see what the next challenge brings.”
I turned and led him through the forest, trying to keep my senses alert. It was hard not to be awed senseless by the majesty of the giant trees, but the memory of the ones with enchanted roots kept me on track.
“Whatever we’re going for, it’s well protected,” I said.
“That’s what has me worried. Why would she send you to such a dangerous place?”
He had a point. Problem was, I didn’t know the answer. So I kept my mouth shut and shrugged. The forest grew ever more silent and ever more magical as we walked. The snow glittered white and pure, and flakes began to tumble from the sky.
“I think we’re getting close.” My dragon sense was really starting to roar.
A half second later, I slammed into an invisible wall, bouncing back and falling on my butt.
“Del!” Roarke knelt by my side. “Are you all right?”
“Just a moron.” My face and chest ached from where I’d slammed into the barrier. I rubbed my nose gingerly, grateful to feel that it wasn’t broken. “You’d think I’d learn, you know? I ran into one of these things just two weeks ago.”
Roarke held out his hand toward the barrier, no doubt feeling for the magical signature. He turned back to me. “In fairness, it’s a well-made barrier. Barely a hint of magic.”
I sure hadn’t felt the warning prickle that normally accompanied enchantments like that one.
Roarke stood and offered a hand. I grabbed it, and he hoisted me up.
“Think you can break this one?” I asked.
“Not a problem.” He turned to the invisible wall. His magic filled the air—the scent of sandalwood and the taste of wine. I sucked it in, unable to stop myself from enjoying it as he drew back a fist and slammed it into the air. His fist plowed through, and a hundred tiny white cracks appeared in the air, radiating out from the blow.
I reached out, and my hand passed through. “Good job.”
Together, we stepped through the barrier.
And right up to a wall of fire. Heat blazed, singeing my face.
Panic flared briefly before I threw out a hand and blasted a wall of ice at the flames. Roarke and I stumbled back as the blue ice grew and engulfed the orange flames, killing them.
“Bloody hell.” Roarke dragged a hand through his hair.
All
I could do was pant, adrenaline making my limbs shake, as I stared at the charred line on the forest floor where the flames had once been.
“That was quick thinking,” Roarke said.
“Yeah.” My voice was whisper-soft. “That was a really good backup protection. Was it hidden from sight?”
“Yeah, an illusion charm, I think. Once we broke the barrier and stepped through, we could see it.”
“Geez.” I looked around at the forest.
Besides the scar on the ground where the flames had once been, it was as quiet and pristine as before. Majestic trees stood witness to our near-barbequing. “I thought that castles and dungeons were the real scary places. But this forest is nuts.”
“That’s the truth.”
“We’re close. Really, this time.”
“Just stay on the alert,” Roarke said. “We may make a good team, but this forest has had some serious tricks up its sleeve.”
Team. I liked that.
I shook away the thought. Roarke and I were… I didn’t know what we were. But now wasn’t the time to start wondering or to get all sappy about it. We had a deadly forest to survive.
“This way.” I set off, following my dragon sense.
When we reached the clearing, I pulled up short. Ahead, there was a precise circle of redwoods.
Surrounding nothing.
“We’re here,” I said.
Roarke met my gaze, skepticism on his face. “Really?”
“I know. It’s weird. There’s nothing there.”
“Not that we can see.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
He laughed. “Let’s take a look.”
We explored the clearing, which was roughly half the size of a football field. When I found nothing interesting, I went to the middle and began scraping at the snow with my boot. If ancient sites had taught me anything, it was that if there wasn’t something above ground, there was something below it.
The snow was only about four inches deep, so it was easy to move. Ground gave way to gray stone, so I scraped off more snow from the rocky area.
“Give me a hand!” I called to Roarke.
He came over and helped, his bigger feet and longer legs making quick work. We made our way in a circle, revealing one large, flat round stone. We were careful not to step on it.
“What do you think it is?” Roarke asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve only ever seen one similar, and it was a portal.”
“Portal?”
“Yeah. Let’s try it out.”
I went to step on it, but he held out a hand to block me. Before I could dart around, he stepped onto the stone with both feet, not giving me a second to get a word in edgewise.
Nothing happened.
“Not a portal,” he said. “I feel no magic here.”
“You jerk. You jumped me.”
“I knew you’d hop on.”
I scowled, stepped onto the stone next to him, and poked him in the chest, ready to deliver a lecture.
But the ether pulled at me immediately, sucking me into the blackness of space. My head swam, and my heart raced.
A moment later, I was spit out into another forest. It had smaller trees and no snow, but it was no less magical.
Behind me, Roarke said, “Where are we?”
I spun, taking in my surroundings. The trees were thick with bright green leaves, and violets bloomed at their bases. In the distance, a burbling brook provided a lovely accompaniment to the chirping birds. It had a very Enchanted Glen feel to it.
And the weather was entirely different. A balmy seventy degrees that was toasty compared to the redwood forest.
“It feels familiar,” I said. “There was only one other place that felt like this, and it was accessed by the same type of portal, but it’s—”
A deep growl sounded from behind us. I whirled, but Roarke pushed me behind him protectively.
Annoyance surged as I darted out from behind him to get a look at what was coming. He flared out a wing to keep me from going closer, but I peered over the top of the gray feathers. I caught the briefest glimpse of fiery eyes peering out from between the leaves of a full bush before a massive beast leapt out at us.
The huge dog pulled up short when its gaze locked with mine.
The growl died, and the dog’s lips pulled back in what I could only assume was a doggy smile. But it was no normal dog. It was nearly the size of a horse and jet black. The fire in its eyes had died—and when I said fire, I meant literal flames—and they were now a glittering black. The lolling pink tongue was the only color on the animal’s whole body. The scent of brimstone rolled off of it.
“A hellhound,” I said. But not Pond Flower. She was brown and white, and I’d know her anywhere.
“You trust it?” Roarke didn’t lower his wing from where it held me back, but that didn’t stop the dog. It trotted toward us.
“Yeah. I know this hellhound.” I darted around Roarke’s wing.
He—or she, I couldn’t tell—stopped right in front of me and gave my arm one long lick. It was a thank you lick. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did.
Leaves rustled from behind the dog, and other hellhounds popped out. Five of them.
Roarke stiffened. “Get back.”
“No. Seriously, I know these dogs.”
They trotted up, their happy gazes riveted to me. Each one gave me a good lick, and while I appreciated the sentiment, that much hellhound spit got gross after a while.
“They sure like you,” Roarke said.
“Yeah. I saved them from a pretty crappy owner. But we didn’t have room for thirteen hellhounds, so we sent them here.”
He turned toward me, brows raised. “Thirteen?”
“Yeah. The others must be somewhere else.” I met the first dog’s eyes. “Will you take us to the fortress?”
The hellhound nodded, then turned and trotted off toward the sound of the river.
“You’d better shift.” I pointed to his wings. “You look a bit threatening, and our hosts won’t appreciate it.”
He nodded. A swirl of gray light gave way to his normal form, now dressed in the same sweater he’d been wearing earlier.
“Who are our hosts? Where are we?” he asked as we followed the small horde of dogs.
“We’re in the Arcadian forest. It’s at a waypoint, a magical place between here and nowhere, and it’s the home to the League of FireSouls.” I’d known it felt familiar. Cass, Nix, and I had come here a couple months ago, though we’d entered through another portal and ended up in a different part of the forest. “Why would Draka be here?”
“What is the League of FireSouls?”
“Cass calls it a magical justice league, and that’s basically what it is. A group of FireSouls that’s been around for hundreds of years, though members rotate. They aren’t immortal. Their goal is to protect our kind from persecution. But because we’re still targets, their base is located here.”
He glanced around. “It’s well hidden, I’ll give it that.”
“Exactly. But I have no idea why Draka would be here. She’s part of my Phantom side, not my FireSoul side.”
“Are you sure she’s here?”
“I thought she was, but now that we’re close, I don’t feel her.” That didn’t mean she wasn’t here, but I was starting to doubt. I called on my dragon sense and it pulled hard toward the FireSoul’s fortress. “She definitely wants us here, though.”
A rustling sounded from up ahead. A brown and white hellhound burst through the trees, charging us with her tongue flying out the side of her mouth.
“Pond Flower!” I knelt and she collided with me, painting my face with kisses. I laughed. “Gross! Quit it.”
“This one is your favorite, I take it,” Roarke said.
“Shhhh. Don’t say it where the others can hear.” I stood and ruffled the fur on her head.
She turned and we followed, headed toward headquarters, tail wagging high in the air.
>
“For some reason, when we rescued them, Pond Flower and I really hit it off. She lives here most of the time.”
“Except for when she comes to help you.”
“Exactly.”
Magic prickled on the air, but it wasn’t dangerous. Just the signatures of the FireSouls who lived at the fortress.
“We’re nearly there,” I said.
A moment later, the tall, gray exterior wall appeared through the trees. It was built of massive blocks of stone. Though it was nearly impossible to get to the Arcadian forest because of its location at a waypoint, whoever had built the forest expected battle.
It’d been a while, though, and the tops of the ramparts were worn down. The space where two guards could stand was empty. Ivy had grown wild on big sections of the wall.
“Can we expect a warm welcome?” Roarke asked.
“I think so.”
“I’d settle for anything that’s not outright attack.”
“Me too. But I think we’ll be fine.”
The dogs raced ahead, stopping at the massive wooden gate that blocked the entrance. They howled, their deep cries echoing through the forest.
A moment later, an irritated voice shouted, “Hang on, hang on!”
The gate began to creak open, and I could just make out the sound of a woman muttering, “Every hour of the day and night, these dogs set up a racket wanting to come in.”
I grinned. This really had been the right place for the hellhounds.
Once the gate had creaked open, the dogs rushed inside. The woman looked up from them, her gaze widening at the sight of us. She reached for the sword at her waist, a quick move that looked instinctual, then lowered it.
“Del?” Corin asked. Her short blond hair and burnished red armor were just as I remembered.
“Corin. Good to see you.” I walked forward, but she didn’t step back to let us enter.
Her gaze darted to Roarke. “How did he get here? Who is he?”
“Roarke Fallon. Warden of the Underworld.”
“Not one of us?” She didn’t actually use the word FireSoul.
“No,” he said. “Though I am sympathetic to your cause.”
