by Linsey Hall
Tarron conjured three chain mail coats and handed them to us. I struggled into mine while running. Once I was wearing it, the thorny vines lodged in the divots between the chain mail—but they didn’t cut.
We reached a crossroads, and my seeker sense pulled me right.
The deeper we got, the worse the magic felt.
“Do you feel that?” Aeri asked.
I shuddered, nodding. Dark smoke was now rolling along the ground, freezing my feet and climbing up my legs. Horrible images started to flash in my mind.
Every minute of my time with Aunt rolled through my head. All of the hungry hours, the cold hours, the scared hours. Fearing that I would lose Aeri. That I would lose myself.
Being forced to make magic that scared me. Magic that I didn’t want.
I shuddered and reached for Aeri and Tarron’s hands. They gripped me tight, and we ran. Just touching them made some of the cold memories fade.
“That helps,” Aeri said.
“Aye.” Tarron’s voice was rough with pain.
The memories continued to pull on me, however, threatening to take me to my knees.
I focused on the hedge wall ahead of me, running toward it with one goal—survive to deploy the Aranthian crystal. It took forever. Hours, days, years. I was lost in the terrible memories, tears pouring down my face as I ran.
I couldn't take it.
I couldn’t.
I stumbled, nearly going to my knees, but Declan and Aeri pulled me onward.
When they stumbled, I pulled on them.
Together, finally, we reached the end of the passage.
But the path didn’t turn left or right as I’d hoped. It stopped.
The black mist collected more heavily, stabbing into my mind with every awful thing that I could imagine for the future. Instead of facing my dark past, I was overcome with visions of failure. Visions of losing everyone I loved. Visions of failing the Fae.
Screw this.
I drew in a ragged breath and raised my sword, hacking at the hedge. It towered overhead, and this time, my blade wasn’t able to cut into it at all. It clanged into the branches and leaves, not leaving a single dent.
“My blade isn’t working either,” Tarron growled.
“Same,” Aeri hissed in frustration.
“Over. We have to go over.” Nothing was going to stop me now.
I stashed my blade in the ether and grabbed the branches in front of me. They cut deep, making pain surge. I yanked my hands back and shook them. “Shit. The branches are sharp.”
I called upon my wings, but they didn’t come. Damn it, I couldn’t fly while in the maze. Some kind of magic made it impossible—no doubt to force us to face the deadly hedges.
Tarron’s magic flared, and he handed me a pair of metal gloves.
“At least that magic works,” I said.
“I think my magic is fading, though,” he said. “The closer we get to the well, the weaker it gets.”
The gloves were uncomfortable and awkward when I yanked them on, but when I gripped the branches, they didn’t cut me.
I scrambled up the side of the hedge wall, trying to keep my leather-clad legs away from the sharper bits. Pain cut through my knees, but I ignored it and hauled myself over. Tarron and Aeri followed, and we threw ourselves over the top at the same time.
I sailed to the ground and landed in a crouch, looking up into the face of a huge, fanged monster.
Shit!
I lunged to the right, kicking out with my heel. My boot smashed into the face of the beast, and it lunged backward, shaking its head.
“Watch out! Monsters!” I called my shield from the ether. I crouched behind it and took stock of the situation as quickly as I could.
We were in the center of the maze, thank fates. It was large, about thirty yards in diameter. In the middle sat the stone well, surrounded by four massive monsters.
Dark magic wafted around them, reeking of the false queen’s signature scent. They were built like enormous boars, with huge horns and fang-filled mouths. Putrid green breath wafted from their lips, and their eyes glowed with flames.
“We’ll cover you,” Tarron said. “Get to the well.”
The monsters converged on us, stalking closer. They stared hard at us, their eyes dead. Their chests didn’t rise with their breaths. They were simply manifestations of the false queen’s magic—not living and breathing creatures. The green smoke that emitted from their mouths was more weapon than breathing.
Tarron’s magic flared briefly, then flickered out, dying a quick death. His jaw hardened. “No magic. Weapons only.”
I tried anyway, attempting to call on my wings. They stayed dormant.
This damned maze.
The monsters prowled closer. I shook off the metal gloves and heavy chain mail coat. I’d need speed, and mail wouldn’t protect me from those massive fangs or claws.
I called on my sword, having to push harder with my magic to make it possible. The well continued to make it difficult, but finally, I managed. I sprinted forward, racing around to the side of one. Tarron and Aeri joined me, running ahead to get between me and the monsters. They took the blows as I hurtled toward the well.
One of the beasts got between me and my target. The green smoke wafted from its mouth, and I held my breath.
It roared and charged.
I didn’t slow. I raised my blade and sprinted toward the beast. Rage and fear propelled me. This wasn’t what I’d wanted for my life—far from it. I faced down demons on the daily because I wanted to.
This time, I had no choice in.
But it was also the most important battle I would face.
And this ugly beast stood between me and my goal. I was going through it. The creature was so tall that it towered over me. Instead of swinging my blade to attack, I slid under the legs, stabbing my blade up to the creature’s middle.
The steel plunged deep, and disgusting dark smoke billowed out. I held my breath, jerking my blade hard as the creature thrashed to get away.
I yanked the blade free and scrambled out from under it, whirling to kick it in the side. When my boot collided with its ribs, the creature exploded in a poof of black dust and disappeared.
To my left and right, Tarron and Aeri battled the other three monsters, keeping them off my back.
“Go!” Aeri shouted. “Hurry!”
I sprinted for the well, drawing my potion bag from the ether as I ran. Immediately, my hand found the Aranthian crystal. The well loomed in front of me, so close I could smell the foul water at the bottom.
In the distance, the false queen shrieked. The rage was so evident, so obvious…
She was onto us.
And she was coming.
I called upon my amplification magic, feeding it into the crystal, trying to make the magic stronger. The power in this well was immense, and I needed to freeze it solid if we were to have any hope. In my palm, the crystal pulsed with power.
I slammed into the well, leaning over the top edge and chucking the crystal into the depths. As the sparkling gem disappeared, the false queen’s rage grew nearer and nearer. I called upon more of my amplification magic, trying to force it to the crystal.
“Did you do it?” Aeri shouted.
I spun around, spotting her destroy the last of the beasts with Tarron’s help.
Behind me, the magic that pulsed from the well…died.
I spun around.
There was no more black smoke coming from it.
Del’s charm sparked with magic, vibrating against my neck. Cass’s voice echoed out. “It worked! The Fae are no longer under her spell.” Her tone turned serious. “And it looks like the false queen is headed your way.”
I swallowed hard, fear icing my veins.
“Hold out,” Cass said. “We’re following her. We’re coming.”
I looked to the sky, spotting the ominous figure of the false queen flying against a lightning-riddled sky. The electric bolts seemed to shoot from h
er. She hurtled toward us, so fast that it was almost impossible to follow her with my eyes.
I darted behind the well, but she was too quick. She was upon us in moments, thrusting out her hand and heaving a blast of golden magic at me.
My heart rocketed into my throat.
This was what had hit Tarron!
It slammed into the well, breaking the rock wall and causing it to tumble into the pit. I scrambled away, and she fired another shot. I used all my strength to dive aside, but it hit me in the legs, sending me rolling across the grass. Pain exploded through my body, making my vision go dark.
Screaming started in my head—my screaming. I could feel her magic trying to overpower me, but I fought it. I poured everything I had into fighting the desperate desire not to fall victim to her power.
Agony tore through my skull as I dragged my eyes open. I spotted Aeri right as she got hit by the same golden light. Then Tarron.
They lay completely still.
No!
They couldn’t be dead. They couldn’t.
Weakly, I tried to drag myself away from the well, but the false queen’s magic was too strong inside me. It compelled my limbs to stay still and limp. My mind buzzed with her power as her magic attempted to take over my thoughts. Terror followed quick on its heels.
Was this what Tarron had fought against this whole time?
I’d been right to fear it.
A dozen yards away, Aeri tried to crawl to me. She was weak, but had gained consciousness. Thank fates she was so strong, or she’d have fallen to the false queen’s power. Behind her, Tarron was stirring, beginning to sit up.
The bitch herself landed between us, shooting a glance between Aeri and me. She flung out her hand and hit Aeri with another blast.
My sister collapsed, unconscious.
The queen turned toward Tarron, and delivered a second blow.
“No!” I screamed. The sound was hoarse, weak, and the false queen laughed.
“You cannot fight me!” She strode toward me, victory glowing on her face.
“We froze the well of power.”
A scowl flashed across her face. “True. But I am still here, am I not?”
“Not as strong as you were.” I dragged myself upright, managing to only get as far as propping myself on my elbows. If she were as strong as she’d been, I’d be totally under her spell like Tarron had been. Instead, we’d bought ourselves a bit of time.
Except I was too weak to do anything with it.
It was all my nightmares come true.
She crouched next to me, her eyes gleaming with malice. “You think you've won, but you’ve put yourself right where I want you.”
What were my friends doing outside the forest?
Were they dead?
Tears smarted my eyes at the idea, and I forced them back. Now was not the time for weakness. I struggled to drag myself away from her, and she laughed.
“You are too weak.” An evil smile crossed her face. “Just as I always suspected. Just like I said. I cannot believe that I invited you to join me.”
“Never.” I spit at her.
She slapped me, and pain flared, igniting my rage.
“No,” she said. “You are better used for my purposes.”
She grabbed my arm and sliced my wrist with her sharp fingernail. Black blood welled, and she gave a satisfied smirk. “The tainted one.”
“Tainted by you.” Even as I said it, I hated the words.
It wasn’t true.
I wasn’t tainted.
The Unseelie weren’t evil.
She was evil.
And I didn’t want to be anything like her. Not even to have her strength. I could see now how wrong I’d been to seek that. It really did lead to the darkness.
I tried to yank my wrist back, but she gripped it tight, tilting it over to pour the blood into a little glass vial she procured from the pocket of her dress.
The blood dripped slowly into the vial, and she huffed a frustrated sound. “Too slow.”
She stood and began dragging me toward the well. “I’ll just throw you in. It requires your blood, so why not give it all of you?”
Dread opened a hole in my stomach. She was going to throw me in?
My wings didn't work within the maze, and she was going to throw me into that horrible dark well?
“Don’t worry,” she said. “You won’t be alone. Your sister will be with you. I need both of your blood to become all-powerful.”
“No!” I thrashed, trying to break her grip.
She tightened it and dragged me faster. I called upon my sword, yanking it from the ether and slicing out for her. She grabbed the blade with her hand, blood running from between her fingers, and yanked it away with incredible strength.
“Thank you, I needed this.” She tossed it into the air and caught the hilt, then slashed toward me.
The tip of the sword sliced across my chest. Pain flared and blood welled. She struck out again, slicing my shoulder.
I screamed and tried to jerk away, but she kept going.
“We need to make sure the well gets plenty of your blood,” she said. “And your sister’s. Then I will be all-powerful, and I shall never be caged again.”
“You’re a monster,” I hissed.
“About to become a better one, because of you. How clever I was to have a Dragon Blood for a daughter.”
Bile rose in my throat at the thought. I called upon my bag of potion bombs. No way I’d go down without a fight. But I was weak—slow from blood loss.
By the time I got the bag, we were to the edge of the well. She said nothing as she shoved me in. Just kicked me over the edge as if I were garbage.
I screamed as I fell into the darkness and then crashed to the rocks below. Pain sang through every inch of me as misery exploded.
This was everything that I’d feared.
And it was coming true.
Worse, she was about to do to Aeri what she’d done to me.
A howl of despair tore from my throat. I could barely move, I was so broken and bloody. Trapped, in a pit.
By my own mother.
How had I ever wanted to have her power? Even just to fight her?
Anything associated with her was evil.
I couldn’t let her do this to Aeri. The mere thought made me want to die.
Remember who you are.
Perisea’s words echoed in my mind.
What had she meant by that? I knew who I was. Mordaca, half Unseelie, half Dragon Blood. Mostly dead, bleeding out on the stones at the bottom of a putrid well.
The blood that coated me was sticky, turning cold as my life drained away.
Dragon Blood.
Remember who you are.
Wait…
Had I been going about this all wrong?
I’d been so obsessed with the idea of fighting fire with fire that I’d tried to become like the false queen.
What I’d really needed was to become more like myself.
Her strength had made me doubt myself. But that was all wrong. I was a Dragon Blood, and I had something she didn’t. I couldn't fight the most powerful Fae with Fae talents.
My blood was the reason that Aunt had tortured me my entire childhood, but it could save me now. In truth, I’d shyed away from making huge magic my entire life.
Now I had to create the biggest magic there was….the most quintessential type of Dragon Blood magic.
I had to fight her as a dragon.
I had to use what made me special, and that was it. A dragon was also the only thing powerful enough to maybe defeat her.
I might not even be capable, but I had to try.
She’d already done half the work for me, at least. Most of my blood was gone already, seeping into the well to feed her own power. She hadn’t realized what a weapon she’d given me. I was too broken to even move, pain and darkness blinding me, but I didn’t need to move.
Instead, I called upon my magic, forcing it out with my drai
ning blood. I was already lightheaded, so the effort was nearly too much for me. I gasped in a breath, reaching for strength.
Burn appeared next to me, whimpering low in his throat. He pressed his thorny side against mine, lending me his strength.
“Thanks, buddy.” The words were garbled as they left my throat, but his strength kept me going.
As I forced my magic out of me, I focused on him, on thoughts of Aeri and Tarron and all the Fae.
I can do this. For them. For me.
I imagined becoming a dragon, as big and strong as Perisea. Stronger than the false queen. Strong enough to defeat her.
This was such an insane power—such an amazing power—that I’d never imagined adopting it for myself. I didn’t even know if it was possible.
But I had to try.
Weakness tugged at my limbs, making my head spin even more. Numbness overtook me.
Fear followed.
What if I really wasn’t enough? What if I couldn't do this?
No.
I can.
Burn stayed by my side as the last of my blood, the last of my magic, flowed onto the rocks. My heartbeat fluttered weakly in my ears, but my determination roared strong.
I am enough.
16
The magic in the air sparked, changing. It rushed back into me, more powerful than ever. I gasped, jerking upright. Strength and energy flowed through me, making my head spin and my muscles tear.
Pain followed, but it brought with it a sense of power. I surged upright, and Burn lunged back. He disappeared, as if sensing that change was coming.
My muscles expanded, my bones lengthened. Pain and power flowed through me, and wings burst from my back. I shot toward the sky, growing as I flew.
I hurtled toward the light, desperate to reach Aeri in time. As I neared the surface, I continued to grow. My wings scraped the side of the well, and I burst through to the surface with a triumphant shriek.
It felt as if the sun gave me strength, and I grew, my body becoming stronger and more powerful. My vision sharpened as well.
I searched the ground, finding the false queen dragging Aeri toward the well. Aeri had transformed back to her normal self, perhaps because of her wounds. Several horrifying cuts marred her body, and I shrieked my rage. Several yards away, Tarron was dragging himself to his feet. He, too, looked like himself again.
