by Linsey Hall
Behind it, a tall volcano jutted into the sky. It was peaked, made of black stone, and looked scary as hell. I was going in that thing?
I shuddered.
But first, I had to get through the castle.
“It looks like an evil fairytale castle,” I said. “Nothing like the ones on earth.”
“It didn’t always look like this. I’ve seen pictures of it from before the Burtnieki moved in.”
“He crapped it up, huh?”
Ares nodded.
The place had seven spires reaching high into the air. The curtain wall was at least a hundred feet high, and the road led right up to a big gate. There were no roads around. Just dense forest.
“We can’t go into the forest,” I said. I could just feel it. In my heart and bones and muscles. That forest was dark, and it would kill us.
“We have to go through the castle?” Ares asked.
“Yeah.”
“That sounds more dangerous. Are you sure?”
I glanced at him, studying his green eyes. “Is this a test? You know the way, right? As part of my trials?”
“I don’t know everything. But through the castle seems like it’s courting danger more than necessary.”
I pointed to the black trees that surrounded the place. “Those are danger. The last trees that attacked us didn’t even feel bad to me. But these? They’re giving off a big stay out.”
“Do you have some kind of magic over plants?” Ares asked.
Surprise flared in my chest. “No.” Right?
Something red caught my eye. It was hurtling from the castle, but it wasn’t a Pūķi.
“Fire!” I dove left, rolling away as a fireball exploded into the ground where I’d been standing. Dirt flew into the air.
I scrambled up, turning. Ares had dived right and was surging to his feet.
“The Burtnieki knows we’re here.” He turned to the castle, squinting.
“Clearly. You sure you couldn’t just transport us to the castle?”
“That’s not part of the challenge.”
“We could die.”
“That’s the point.” His gaze was serious, brooking no argument.
Damn. I called upon my magic, conjuring a tall shield. I handed it off to Ares, then conjured my own. It was heavy, and wouldn’t protect me from everything, but it was useful.
“Let’s go.” I set off down the path, trying to keep up an even pace while watching for more fireballs.
Ares ran at my side, his gaze alert on the castle.
Another fireball flew through the air, plowing into the ground right in front of us. I ducked behind my shield. Dirt sprayed up, clattering against the metal.
“Watch out! From the left!” Ares yelled.
I dove right instinctively. Another fireball hit the road where I’d been standing. While I’d been hiding, another fireball had been flying.
Shit.
I scrambled to my feet, racing forward. We dodged the fireballs. When we were about fifty yards away, I could make out a tall figure on one of the towers. His black cloak whipped in the wind, and his hands glowed with blue magic. The magic was the only reason I could see him—otherwise, he was camouflaged against the dark night.
He threw the blue light at us. It hurtled through the air, landing ten yards in front of us. The ground buckled, then rose up like a wave of dirt coming right at us.
Chapter Four
“Run!” I yelled. There was only one way through this, and that was over.
As I sprinted toward the wave of dirt, the two Pūķi hurtled toward the castle. I left them to it, focusing on the rocky ground beneath my feet.
Ares and I crested the wave of dirt, slipping and sliding as we sprinted. The ground was broken on the other side, a pit that plunged into the ground. It widened with every moment. Even now, it was four feet across.
“Jump!” Ares yelled.
I leapt, flying over the pit. My foot caught on the edge, but I lost my balance, pinwheeling my arms. Ares, who was so much taller, had no trouble landing on the other side.
He spun, his gaze stark with worry, and reached for me. His big hand gripped my arm, yanking me onto solid ground. I stumbled toward him.
“Come on!” He turned and sprinted for the castle gate, which was only thirty meters away now.
I ran after him, panting, my skin still cold from the fear of hanging over that pit of death. Had he been allowed to save me like that? Was that part of the rules?
I’d thought that if I died, no big deal to the Vampire Court.
I shook the thought from my head. I had no time for distractions.
High in the tower, the Pūķi were bombarding the wizard with blasts of fire from their snouts. He threw fire at them, but they absorbed it, growing bigger. So he changed tactics, hurling blue light instead—sonic booms, it sounded like. Though they tumbled through the air, they righted themselves quickly and returned for the attack.
They bought us enough time to reach the gate, which was a solid wooden affair painted black.
Ares turned to look at me, brow raised.
“My job, huh?” I asked.
“Your challenge.”
“No problem.” I leaned my shield against the gate, closed my eyes, envisioning the ingredients for dynamite, and conjured two sticks. If my calculations were right—and I’d studied hard so that they would be—this would be enough to take out the door but not the wall.
“Dynamite?” Ares asked as I conjured a match. “You sure about that?”
“I’ve done my research.” I struck the match and lit the dynamite, then laid them at the base of the gate. “Come on.”
I grabbed my shield, then sprinted twenty feet away and knelt behind the protection. Ares followed suit, looking at me.
“You’ve got guts,” he said.
“Thanks.” I grinned, waiting for the boom.
It didn’t disappoint. Nor did the scream of rage that the wizard let loose.
I leapt to my feet. “We’d better hurry!”
I didn’t know how long it would take the wizard to reach us, but I didn’t want to find out. I raced through the burning rubble of the gate, entering a wide courtyard that was as black as the outside of the castle. The floor was dirt, and the torches on the walls were flickering with orange light.
“Creepy.” I called on my dragon sense, seeking a way out of here. There had to be a gate on the other side. But I didn’t want to go through the big building right in front of me. The main keep was four stories tall and radiated malevolence.
No wonder the goddess of fate hadn’t wanted anything to do with this guy. If this was what was in his soul, it didn’t matter how nice he was on the surface. Laima had sensed that.
“Which way?” Ares asked.
“I think we can go around.” I dropped the shield, hoping for extra speed, and sprinted left, toward a dark alley between the main keep and another building that flanked it.
Whoever had built this place had filled the main compound full of stone buildings, but this would take us to the other side. I ran down the stone-paved corridor, Ares at my back. It was so dark in here, away from the light of the moon and torches, that I had to hold my hand out in front of me to make sure I didn’t slam into anything.
In the distance, a red light glowed.
One of the Pūķi! It hovered at the exit of the alley, waiting for us. I raced faster, desperate to get out of the disgusting corridor and away from the mopey wizard with violent tendencies.
We spilled out into a back courtyard. Another gate loomed—smaller, but still big enough to cause a problem.
“Going to need more dynamite,” Ares said.
The wizard yelled from somewhere in the castle, rage in his voice. He was getting closer. He had to be in the other courtyard, just a short run from us.
I began to conjure the dynamite, but the Pūķi who’d greeted us in the courtyard flew toward the gate, hurtling like a bomb.
He plowed into the door. It explod
ed outward, pieces of wood flaming.
Jackpot!
“Come on!” I cried.
We raced through the opening, onto a path identical to the one we’d left. Both Pūķis waited for us. I didn’t hesitate—just kept running.
Ares stayed at my side, occasionally glancing back. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw the shadow of the wizard standing in the gateway. He wound up another one of his blue balls of magic.
“Sonic boom coming!” I yelled.
We sprinted faster. My heart thundered, and my lungs burned.
I so needed to work out more.
I could feel the sonic boom coming before it landed, like an energy in the air that prickled against my skin. When it hit the ground behind us, the force hurling me off my feet. I flew forward, throwing my arms out in front of me. Pain flared at my back, sharp and bright. Another burst of pain at my thigh.
I crashed into the ground, skidding on the dirt. Ares was at my side, in no better shape. The Pūķi slowed, turning to stare at us.
Pain sang through me as I scrambled up. A quick glance behind showed the wizard charging up another sonic boom.
I gasped. “Another one.”
We ran. My leg blazed with every step. The next sonic boom took the wizard at least twenty seconds to charge up. By the time it hit the ground, we were far enough away that the blast only made me stumble.
I caught myself and kept running, my lungs burning.
Fates, this sucked. Give me a demon fight any day.
I couldn’t remember ever being in a real school, but I’d have been shit at track and field.
The wizard’s roar of rage pierced the air, making the hair stand up on the back of my neck. But it was frustrated, too. As if we were out of his range.
I glanced back over my shoulder. It was almost impossible to see the wizard in the darkness. He had no magic blue ball to light him up.
“He’s given up.” I panted, stumbling to a walk. Holy crap, I needed a breather. Pain throbbed in my back and leg. I could not get a break with my leg these days.
Ares slowed beside me. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” I twisted my torso, trying to figure out what was wrong with my back. “Did you get hit by anything?”
“Metal shards. I think they were in the sonic boom. A combo spell.”
Freaking clever wizard.
Ares grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Let me check your back.”
I wanted to say no, just to avoid the intimacy, but it hurt like the devil. “Fine.”
I turned my back toward him. His hands were gentle as he moved my leather jacket. I assumed he was peeking at my wound. I heard him shift, then glanced behind to see him kneeling and checking out the gashes on the back of my thigh.
“They’re deep,” he said. “Let me heal them.”
And make a greater connection to him through his vampire blood? Hell no. “Isn’t that against the rules? Healing me?”
“I don’t care.”
Which meant it was. And he was going to break them. For me.
I stepped away, not wanting to think of what that meant. I wanted his trust—wanted his help. But him breaking the rules for me… That was a big deal.
I didn’t like big deals.
Sure, I’d seen Del and Cass with their guys and thought that’d be pretty nice to have. Who wouldn’t want a partner to stick by your side?
But Ares?
He was scary and dangerous and powerful. And he’d gotten me into this situation—these trials for my life. I didn’t want to complicate things. Especially not by developing a growing bond with him through his blood.
“No.” I turned to face him. He stood, meeting my gaze. “No rule breaking.”
“I’m not going to watch you suffer.”
Oh. Holy crap. His gaze was intense. I swallowed hard. “Fortunately, you don’t have to.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out the little vial. There wasn’t much left, but it’d do the trick. I handed it to him. “If you could put just a bit of this on the wounds, it’d help.”
He took it, studying the contents. “What is it?”
“A potion I made that has healing properties. It’s rare.” It’d taken me two years to track down the Arabena plant. The seeds were ancient, growing only in a small part of Croatia. Now, I was glad I’d made the effort. I turned, presenting him with my back. “Go on.”
I heard the pop of the cork coming out of the vial, then felt my clothes rustle as he gently moved them. His hands were as light as a butterfly’s wings on my back. For such a big guy, it was amazing how gentle he could be.
“It’s going to take all the potion,” he said.
I sighed. Since I could barely walk or twist my torso, it was necessary. “Fine.”
The only pain came from the burn and sizzle of the potion. First on my back, then on my thigh. Knowing that Ares was so close made a weird shiver of pleasure race over my skin.
“This is impressive stuff,” he said. “Your wounds healed almost instantly.”
I turned to face him and held out my hand for the vial. It was empty, as he’d said. He passed it over.
“Could you make more of that?” he asked.
“Not much, and not quickly. It takes months for the plants to grow even a centimeter.” It was why I so rarely used it. Twice in one day was unheard of. But desperate times and all.
“You’re talented, Nix,” he said.
“Thanks. I know.”
He grinned. “Modest, too.”
“Hey, I know my faults.” I held up a hand, ticking them off on my fingers. “I’m crap at running, impulsive, drive too fast, eat too much cheese—my cholesterol must be terrible—and I’m a terrible writer. But I also know what I’m good at. I don’t think people should downplay their accomplishments. No need to be a jerk about them, but…”
“I like that,” he said.
“Thanks.” I turned, starting down the path. “Now let’s get a move on. That volcano waits for no woman.”
It loomed tall overhead, a threat in the distance. We were probably only a mile away. It jutted straight out of the ground, like something from a fairy tale. Just like the castle.
“The Baltic doesn’t have volcanos. But you guys do?” I asked.
“It also doesn’t have giant trees with silver leaves. It’s the magic. It manifests differently everywhere.”
So of course it decided to manifest into a giant volcano that I would have to climb into. Fun!
We trekked toward the volcano, gradually ascending until we reached the true base. The rock was black and bare. There was no scrub brush or vegetation—just jagged stone climbing steeply up to form the mountain.
“Well, that looks delightful,” I said.
Ares laughed.
I began to climb, scrambling over the steeper parts of the ascent. Some of the rocks were so sharp they cut my hands. I tried staying upright, but the mountain was so steep in places that it was impossible.
“Hang on.” I stopped. Ares stopped beside me. I called upon my magic, conjuring sturdy leather gloves, then tugged them on over my abused hands. I glanced at Ares. “Want some?”
He held out his hands, which were undamaged.
“You’re just that good a climber, huh?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Not bad.”
“Then onward.” This time, my ascent was quicker. The stone couldn’t cut my hands, so I placed them more quickly, scrambling up the mountain.
As I climbed higher, exhaustion began to pull at my limbs. Then a sharp pain bit into my calf. I yelped, looking downward. A dark gray tentacle had whipped out of the ground, sneaking from a crevice in the rock.
It had sharp, serrated edges that had bit into the muscle of my calf. I scrambled farther up a rock.
“What the hell is that?” I demanded.
“Mountain Laurel,” Ares said.
“Uh, no. Mountain Laurel is a flower.” I pointed to the tentacle, which was waving ominously. “That is a monster.”
“It’s a land squid.” Ares climbed around the tentacle. “We call them Mountain Laurel.”
“You vampires have a weird sense of humor.”
He grinned. “Now move faster, or it will come out of its den.”
“Righto.” I gave it one last look, and climbed higher up the rock.
Unfortunately, another tentacle whipped out and sliced me across the arm. Pain flared and blood dripped down my sleeve. Ten feet away, another tentacle popped out. It was four feet long, and slowly inching out of the hole.
I did not want to see that guy’s body.
All around, tentacles darted up out of the ground, waving in the air, their serrated edges gleaming in the moonlight.
Oh, shit.
Nightmare city.
The Pūķis, seeming to have realized how bad it had gotten, joined us. They swooped and dived around me, blasting fire at the Mountain Laurel. Though they could hold off some, there were just too many.
I called upon my magic, conjuring a small shield. It’d have to do for now, because I couldn’t manage a blade when I needed one hand to climb.
I looked at Ares. “Need one?”
He’d already conjured his shadow sword. “I’m good.”
I nodded, then turned and climbed up the mountain. From left and right, the tentacles lashed out at me. Twenty yards up, a great black eye peered out of a little cave on the ground. A tentacle whipped out, straight for me.
I threw up my shield. The tentacle crashed into the metal, shoving me backward. I scrambled not to fall, then climbed higher up the mountain. At my side, Ares sliced off attacking limbs.
“They’ll grow back,” he said.
The higher we climbed, the worse the tentacles got. There were dozens, whipping out from beneath rocks. I could stop some, but others sliced into my arms and legs and back, leaving shallow, painful wounds.
Every inch of me was on fire.
I gasped. “Are these tentacles poisonous?”
“Not to vampires.” Ares grunted and sliced at another.
Considering I wasn’t a vamp, I must be allergic, or something. Because the wounds burned and itched. My head swam as I climbed higher, my lungs heaving. Gradually, my vision grew blurry.
