The gorge widened in front of us, branching off to the left which would take us home, and to the right which would take us to a dead end. I urged Balder to the right. The only way Steve was going to make it by them now and get the jewel back to Ish was if I kept the giants busy long enough for him to make a clean getaway.
“Good thing I did my homework,” I muttered. I’d scouted the gorge the night before, knowing we would likely need a quick escape and knowing there was a chance we’d be forced to the dead end.
I blew out a slow breath and once more dropped the reins so I had my hands free. This was going to be tight, there was no other way to look at it other than as a Hail Mary. I grabbed the shotgun from its holster under my leg once more. I only had two grenades left in the launcher, and they would have to be enough if we were making it out of this alive. The thing was, death didn’t scare me anymore. It hadn’t for years, which made me perfect for hunting the jewels in some ways. But it also meant that whoever I was working with was constantly put in situations far more dangerous than they needed to be. I couldn’t seem to help it. But maybe if I could trust the partner I worked with, that would be different. As it was, Steve proved again and again that trusting others was not a good idea. End of story.
I didn’t turn all the way around in my saddle but instead held the gun out to the side and pulled the trigger, shooting straight at the wall to my right. Before the recoil had even completed, I twisted to the left and repeated the shot.
Balder’s speed got us out of the explosions’ ranges, but just barely. The blowback from the rock wall sent shards of stone slicing through the air. One cut across my cheek, opening the flesh like a razor blade, and Balder stumbled, hit somewhere on his back end by the feel of the change in his stride.
He began to slow, his smooth gallop turning into a lurching leap.
Shit, this was not good. I looked back.
The rock wall had come down on either side, blocking the giants. For the moment.
But already they pulled at the boulders, throwing them out of the way, screaming at me.
“Pulling pulling her head off.”
“Eating eating her horse.”
“Take take our jewel back.”
“Spray spray her face.”
That last one made me shudder. Far worse than the others, spray was a term used for a giant’s mating so I didn’t want to think too much about it. Not when I was in the middle of seeing if we were even going to survive this race to the end of a dead-end gorge.
I let Balder slow, feeling the limp start to really set in on his right hind leg. I hopped off and ran beside him. There was a gash over the thickest part of his rump, deep enough that it was bad, but not so bad that it wouldn’t heal. Assuming we got out of here, that was.
“Just keep moving,” I said. “Keep moving, Balder. That wall over there? It doesn’t look like much, but there’s a goat trail winding up. If we can get on it, we can get out of here. No problem, right? We’ve been in tighter spots. You remember the jewel we took from the murder of griffins? That was rougher. And the coven of witches in India, that was no small thing either.”
He snorted as if he didn’t believe me any more than I believed me. I hurried our pace and then suddenly we stood at the bottom of the “goat trail.” I’m not sure I’d even call it that. When I’d seen it the night before it had looked bigger, wider somehow. The narrow twisting path was barely a foot wide, and in many spaces crumbled into nothing. A true switchback trail, it wove its way to the top of the fifty-foot cliff. The giants were fifty feet tall at least. Which meant we had to be all the way to the top before they got through the barrier I’d made.
Staring down at us from the top were several goats, brown and white with tiny nubs for horns. And then one of them grinned at me.
Not goats, or not only goats.
A satyr waved at me from the top.
Fucking hell, the last thing I needed was a bunch of randy goat men leaping around us. They liked to cause trouble just because they could. I grabbed at the necklace with the thick man’s ring on it, the only true talisman I carried. We could do this, we had to.
I put one foot on the bottom of the path and from behind us there was a massive crack and a boom as if a rock had been split and tossed out of the way. I didn’t look, I didn’t need to. I could feel the rumble of the giants’ feet as they pounded toward us.
This was going to be tight.
Chapter Two
Merlin leaned back and steepled his hands under his chin as he stared into the crystal ball. They’d been watching Steve and Zamira steal from the giants, watched now as Zamira fought for her life. He itched to help, but they had to see if the young woman would be able to save herself.
“Flora, what do you think?” He touched a finger to the glass of the ball and the image tightened on Zamira’s face, the green eyes and swath of dark hair tipped in auburn as it swept around her.
His companion, a young voluptuous woman with stunning raven-black hair and bright green eyes, snorted at him in a most unladylike fashion. “You can’t be serious about her? That . . . girl is barely a shapeshifter. She’s a runt, Merlin. She has no power, so to speak; how exactly do you think she’s going to bring down the western wall exactly? Not to mention that curse she’s carrying. If that gets loose, there will be no helping her then.”
He ran a hand over the spinning ball in front of them again. The girl was trying to push her horse up a trail that had very little footing. From the angle he looked, he could see the flash of fire in her eyes. “Reckless, determined. I like her.”
“You would. We need someone who actually has a chance at the task at hand. Someone who could face the challenges and has the potential to survive. That other one, the one who has the jewel in hand would be better to help, I think.” Flora leaned forward and tapped a finger on the sphere, changing the image to show the blond man and his horse, racing down the left branch of the gorge. “He has a strong sense of survival.”
Merlin’s eyebrows shot up. “You can’t be serious? He’s out for himself, he just left his partner there to deal with the giants on her own after she saved him.” This turn of decisions was a surprise. Flora had been a champion of any underdog she could be in the past; now, though . . . it seemed that gaining back her youthful visage had made her a bit more ruthless.
“I know. But if we give him a reason to go after Maggi and her three guardians, then I think he could be persuaded.” Flora leaned back, her green eyes thoughtful. “Why don’t we each help our champion of choice?”
He sighed. This was the side of Flora he’d hoped was gone, but as it was, he would deal with it. She loved to win, at any cost. “A challenge then?” he asked.
She smiled, and there wasn’t an ounce of malice in it, nothing but excitement which made it easier to accept that this was fun for her.
“Exactly. We need to see this through. You can’t directly be involved, and I will hold myself back too. We can be like fairy godmothers to our chosen champions.”
His lips turned up in a slow smile. That did sound like a bit of fun. After all, as serious as this was, he wouldn’t turn down a challenge like that, especially if it got him something he’d wanted for a good period of time now—well, the last week if he was truly counting.
The bigger issue that Flora was unaware of concerned the emperor. The emperor was still alive and well and was one of the few people Merlin couldn’t outright stop, which were two rather problematic points. The emperor was the reason he couldn’t take care of the Ice Witch himself. The reason Merlin was trying to figure out this mess. He sighed.
If Flora knew about that side note, she’d be gone faster than a snowflake disappearing in the desert. He had to make her think this was nothing more than a silly game with only a hint of danger. Not enough to scare her, just enough to intrigue her.
“And if I win?” He leaned forward and caught the edge of one loose raven-colored lock off her shoulder and wound it around a finger. “What will you gi
ve me, Flora?”
She smacked his hand away. “Get over yourself, Merlin. I’m too old for that shit.”
He laughed. “Please, you’re Greek, and you’ve been returned to your youth. You’ve probably got so much pent-up sexual energy you’re ready to take on a satyr just to release some of it.”
Her jaw dropped. “I may be a priestess of Zeus but that does not mean I’m like him!”
Merlin winked. “Too bad. I always liked you, Flora.”
Color swept over her high, pale cheeks, and her green eyes glittered. Perhaps he was not so far off the mark after all. This would work in his favor if he could keep her eyes on him, and not on what was out there behind the wall.
She looked away from him and to the sphere. “Fine. We will each choose a champion. You want the little girl?”
He nodded, trying not to breathe a sigh of relief. “Yes. We can help them, but not directly influence. If we do that, we’ll draw the attention of the Desert Guardians, and we do not want that.” Worse, they’d draw the attention of the emperor. They did not need him showing up, not until they were ready for him.
She snorted. “No, we don’t want that.”
“We could have them work together,” he paused, “like we are doing. Burying their differences and learning to love perhaps?”
“She’ll never go for it. She hates him.” Flora’s eyes softened. “Worse, she doesn’t trust him—or anyone for that matter. That much I understand.”
In that he did agree, but it had to be offered on the off chance they could make the two desert shifters work together. They would be stronger together, and the oracle had pointed out that it would take two from the desert to tackle Maggi and her guardians.
Flora frowned. “Perhaps in their journey, they will learn to work together.”
“I’m with you on your initial assessment. I doubt it.” He leaned back, but his eyes were not on the sphere. “I mean, look at us. Together, but not working together.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s because you’re a donkey.”
“But a handsome donkey, with much power and a great need to feel your lips on mine.” He grinned as she blushed once more. Yes, there was something between them. He just needed the time to make her see it too. Apparently, he was losing his touch; normally a week was plenty of time to bring the ladies to him.
Of course, taking down the Western European Wall would elevate him in her eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure she realized he’d been the one who built it. At the time, it had seemed prudent to keep the emperor contained. To put the supernaturals inside a very, very large cage, and keep the humans out. Only it hadn’t worked that way. The supernaturals were already too far spread to be contained properly. Which had only meant more walls.
More divisiveness.
Now, the emperor was building his power again. And Merlin was the only one who seemed to realize the danger they were all in. Which meant he had to move fast, and with great discretion to get someone else to do the work for the job he should have done if not for problems he was dealing with. He rubbed the back of his neck. If there was so much as a hint of his magic on the wind, the emperor would sniff it out. He’d have to be damn crafty to help Zamira without using magic. Zamira’s life would be on the line and he wasn’t sure he could so much as light a fire for her without drawing unwanted attention.
Flora would have no such constraints in helping Steve.
Maybe we should switch was his last thought.
Green eyes flicked to him as Flora arched a delicate swoosh of an eyebrow, as if she knew something of what he was thinking. “Then we are agreed? I help Steve, and you help Zamira?”
Merlin held his hand out to her and she set her tiny, warm hand in his palm. He tightened his fingers over her hand before he brought it to his lips. He spoke against her skin as he raised his eyes to hers, seeing the flush of desire spread up her neck. “Agreed. Let the games begin, Flora.”
Chapter Three
The winding goat path beckoned and I didn’t hesitate another second. Couldn’t hesitate, to be honest, not if I wanted to live a second longer. With a rush of giants behind me, and safety at the top of the path, there was no reason to hold back. I mean, other than the chance that Balder or I could be snatched off the wall like some sort of fast-moving food if we dawdled.
I pulled Balder forward but he refused to take a step up the slope. I spun around and stared at him. “Not the time to act like a jackass, Balder!”
He grunted and I yanked on the reins, something I never did, but panic made me harder on him than I liked. The rumble of the earth increased as the giants once more picked up speed, seeing us standing there as if we were waiting on them. I ran around behind Balder and pulled my leather belt off from around my waist.
“Sorry,” I said as I raised it and brought it down hard on the left side of his ass, the crack resounding in the air. He dove forward and I kept at him, driving him up the hill. This was not the time for being careful despite the shitty footing. This was the time for running for our lives and praying to the desert goddess that we survived.
“Fucking Steve. Fucking idiot. Flipping me the fuck off instead of helping me get us out of here like the fucking douchecake camel’s dick that he is. Shit and smegma for brains, only ever thinking with his tiny, useless cock, goddess damn him and his stupid, frigging lying face . . .” Somewhere in my tirade, about halfway up the path, I realized the giants had reached us and were not doing anything.
I didn’t dare look at them. And in a flash, I knew why they’d stopped. Steve had said the reason, last night as we solidified our plans.
“You know, if you get stuck, just start swearing.” He leaned back against his saddle across the fire from me.
I curled up by my own saddle and ignored him. That was best. If I said anything, we’d be fighting in a matter of seconds and be loud enough that no amount of stealth would help us.
“Kiara told me she read about giants. They love new curse words and people losing their shit in a rant. Or the potential of learning new words. It’s nice to have someone who’s smart and beautiful.”
I hunched further against my saddle, wanting nothing more than to strangle him.
Okay, so they liked learning new curse words. They loved to hear someone get cussed out, and especially if it was a tirade. We were halfway up the path and now Balder didn’t need me to push him. He fought to get to the top, his back leg working hard not to give out under his weight.
Anger spurred through me, anger at myself along with a tentative hope that we would make it. My bestie Darcy would be howling with laughter at me, seeing me here now while I cussed out Steve to the entertainment of a rush of giants who’d only moments before been bent on pulling my head from my shoulders.
“I should never have trusted that cockwomble, cheating camel’s stinking rotten asshole who thought no one would notice he was playing around, no one would notice because he thought he was smarter, but in truth, he was as always dumb as a sack of hammers that have their handles on backward. Useless, no good for anything—not even sex. Fucker couldn’t even seem to figure out that the woman should enjoy it, too, but what does he care? He’ll just damn well go onto the next one and then the next, not bothering with anything other than what he wants . . .” I let the words pour through me and out my mouth, the pent-up anger and hurt that stemmed from my relationship with Steve and having to work with him after said relationship had broken into a thousand pieces.
And people wondered why I had trust issues.
We were ten feet from the top and I didn’t slow my feet or my mouth. The giants obviously liked foul language, and a good sordid story, but I had no idea that it could be so effective. Or mesmerizing. There was no way I was telling Steve he’d actually helped me.
“I hope the rest of his life he spends with a woman covered in warts and yeast infections, that even a whore wouldn’t sleep with his infected tiny, smaller than a worm, limper than an overcooked noodle for a manhood . . .”
From behind me came a screech that ended in a bellow. I felt the air swoop around me as a giant hand swept my way. I spun and fell backward as I pulled a blade from my side. The curved kukri knife was sharper than any razor, and I gave everything I had in that swing as I fell. The three fingers that came for me were curved, grasping, and I saw the queen’s eyes at the edge of the cliff.
The knife cut through her palm, opening it like a ripe peach in a perfect line. Dark blue blood poured from the wound, spilling on the ground, leaching toward me like a floodgate opened. She yanked her hand back and I pushed my way farther from the cliff’s edge as fast as I could, scrabbling while keeping my eyes on the tops of the giants’ heads. The sway of their scraggly strands of hair was like some weird floating forest of dying trees.
A pair of hands caught me under the arms and I jerked away from them, fear making me clumsy. I spun with my knife up, still dripping with the giantess’s blood.
Above me stood a young satyr, the same one I’d seen grinning at me from the top of the hill. His legs curved backward and were covered in hair, and on his head peeking between dark brown curls were two nubby horns, which meant he was young, mid-twenties at best. He grinned at me. “That was amazing. Really, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. Or heard anything quite like it.” He laughed. “I wish I had something to record it with.”
“Thanks?” I pulled a little farther from him.
“I meant the story mostly; fighting I’ve seen before. Were you really cheated on by some guy with a tiny dick? I mean, wouldn’t you be glad that he cheated, because I thought women didn’t like small . . . packages?”
I snorted and pushed to my feet, wanting more space between me and the cliff edge. For all I knew, the giants would start lifting each other up and over to get to me and the treasures I’d stolen.
Witch's Reign Page 2
