“This is Cailleach’s death hound?” Veles said incredulously.
The Raven smiled and reached out to pet the hound. “Dormarth can be a vicious beast in protection of his charges. I’ve seen him in action.”
Dormarth closed his eyes, allowing Raven to pet him. He really was a huge puppy dog, a scary, could-rip-your-face-off puppy dog, and now he was my responsibility.
My cheeks heated as if someone was watching me, drawing my attention across the room. Eva was looking our way, unguarded and vulnerable. There was a twisted longing to her expression, but it only lasted a split second, and then her features smoothed out to cool and unaffected. She averted her gaze to fall into conversation with Caister. He reached up to smooth a tendril of hair behind her ear, and she leaned into him for a brief moment before pulling away.
“We need to get back to the winter lands,” Alaron said.
“It won’t be easy to get inside,” the Raven pointed out. “Rayne has the winter keep guarded, and no one remembers who you are. They won’t admit us, and as far as I’m aware, there is no breach to the keep.”
“You’re right,” Alaron said. “There are no breaches because I designed it that way.” He ran a hand across his face. “I just never expected to be stranded outside of my own fortress.”
“We need a plan,” Veles said.
“No,” Eva said. “We don’t. Cailleach is dead. She gave her life to play her part in the events to come. It’s time the Hunt played ours.”
“What are you saying?” Alaron asked.
Eva’s smile was chilling and deadly. “I’m saying we’ll all be paying the winter keep a visit. I’m saying the Hunt will take you straight into the keep. It’s time to stop evading. It’s time to hunt.”
* * *
We had weapons—short swords and daggers and wicked-looking knives. We had a beast dog, and we had the Hunt. The plan was for Eva and the Hunt to teleport us directly into the keep. Into the throne room, so we could place Alaron on the throne and break the enchantment. The plan was for the exercise to be painless, but we had no idea what awaited us. Would the throne room be occupied? Would our teleporting into the keep trip a magical security alarm?
No idea.
All we knew with certainty was that we’d fight if we had to. We’d protect the king and get him to the throne.
That was the plan.
But my stomach was in knots over it. It was a flimsy plan, and the warrior inside me, the strategist begging to get out, needed more.
“Stay with us,” Veles said to me. “Aurelia had a valid point earlier. If you are infected, then all is lost. If things don’t go as planned, then the Raven will get you out. He’ll fly you to safety.”
They didn’t know about the seeds yet. The pouch was tucked into the inside pocket of my tunic. But having seeds that could stave off infection didn’t mean I needed to take unnecessary risks. But still, the thought of leaving them in danger went against the grain.
“You want me to turn tail and run?”
“You won’t be running,” he said softly, his thumb brushing my jaw. “You’ll be surviving to fight another day. Without you, every effort we make will be pointless.”
I wanted to say I wouldn’t leave him. I wanted to say that I wouldn’t run, but that was a lie. I would go, because if I didn’t, then everything we’d worked for would be for nothing. But I’d be damn certain there was no other option before I retreated.
“I’ll retreat if there’s no other option, and only then.”
He kissed me hard on the mouth. “Until then, we fight like hell if we have to.”
I bared my teeth. “I like the sound of that.”
His ember eyes heated, and my pulse jumped, but then I caught sight of Finn around Veles’s bicep.
His jaw was hard with distaste as he watched us.
“I need a minute.” I kissed Veles softly on the lips and then walked over to Finn.
He crossed his arms as I approached.
“Hey, how are you holding up?”
“I’m okay. I came here to take you back with me, and instead, I’m helping you go deeper into danger. This winter queen is in Oblivion’s grip, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you plan on walking into her castle?”
“It’s Alaron’s castle. Alaron’s kingdom. And we’re going to claim it back.”
“And what if Oblivion gets hold of you? What if it tries to get inside your head again? And what if it succeeds?”
“And what if it doesn’t?” I searched his face. “I’m not willing to live my life shying away from risk. I’m not going to run away from something because I’m scared I might get hurt.”
He reared back, throat working. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
I wanted to hug him. I wanted to shove him away. I wanted to shake him. “I don’t know, Finn. Only you can answer that question. But for me. If I want something, then I do everything in my power to make it happen. The only obstacles are the limitations you set yourself.”
He let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh. “Maybe I’m just too old-fashioned for this new world of yours. Maybe we were just never meant to be.”
I’d thought my heart couldn’t crack any more, but I’d been wrong. I stood taller. “You don’t have to come with us. It’ll be dangerous, and you’re human.”
“So are you.”
“No, Finn, as you just pointed out. I’m not. This is my world now. But you don’t have to stay. You can leave. Take Roxy and go. Yav is safe, and I plan for it to stay that way.”
He stared at me, incredulous. “Would you leave? If the onus to stay wasn’t on you? If you had a choice, would you?”
Oh, crud. “Knowing what I know now? No.”
His smile was sad. “I’ll go home once this is over. Once I know you’re safe and not before.” He stepped away from me and then walked away to join Roxy, who was speaking to the king.
Dareth appeared at my side. He rubbed the crook of his finger across his nose. “I’ll be sticking to Finn, if ya worried, that is.”
I arched a brow at him. “Seriously? What is it with you and Finn? You’ve been spending a lot of time with him.”
“The man’s like a furnace,” Dareth said with a cheeky grin. “A constant source of hot thoughts and wicked desires.”
Oh, God.
Veles’s chest rumbled in a warning growl.
“Hey.” Dareth held up his hands. “Wynter and I had a deal. I could feed if I weren’t using me glamour. No need to use anything with Finn, he’s a walking ball of desire.”
My cheeks blazed hot.
Green smoke bled into the clearing, and the fey lights swirled out of the way. Figures were visible in the mist, the neigh of horses, the crack of whips.
“It’s time,” Eva said.
The green enveloped us all.
* * *
The mist cleared, and my knees hit marble. Veles’s large hand wrapped around my elbow, and then I was hauled up against him. We were in the throne room. High ceilings, carved pillars, and all the way up the other end of the chamber sat the impressive, ornately-carved winter throne.
The Hunt surrounded us, wreathed in tendrils of emerald mist. Dareth and Finn, Alaron and his men and Roxy.
“It’s empty,” Grendel said incredulously. “Quick. Fenn, take the throne.”
Alaron took a step toward the throne.
The hair on the back of my neck prickled.
“Wait!” the Raven called out.
And then bodies flooded the room. Robed in silver and white carrying wicked spears, their faces a network of black veins, eyes like obsidian.
They were tainted, and they were surrounding us. For a moment, we were all frozen in place, but then swords and knives were unsheathed. Whips cracked, and the air rippled with tension. Dormarth let out a menacing growl. My bone dagger found its way into my hand because she was coming. I could feel her.
Rayne appeared at the top of the room by the throne. She was c
lad in figure-hugging britches, calf-high black boots, and a silver, form-fitting tunic. Her silver hair was piled high on her head, and her black eyes glared back at us.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Oblivion’s voice came from everywhere, from all of them. It echoed around the room and battered at our senses.
“I’ve been waiting and thinking, and as fun as this game of peek-and-seek has been, I’m beginning to tire. And so …” Rayne walked down the two steps from the throne. “I offer you a trade. Your lives in exchange for Wynter. Give her to me, and you can all go free. Untainted and untouched. Refuse, and I will claim you all. Hands and feet and eyes and ears. More limbs to my ever growing mass.”
“Wynter,” Veles whispered. “As soon as you get a chance …”
The Raven’s hand was in mine.
They wanted me to run.
Anger at the injustice of the situation, at how close we’d come, surged up inside me. Oblivion had known we were coming. Of course it had. It had seen me through Cailleach’s eyes. It had been in Cailleach’s head. It must have seen. It must have seen what Cailleach knew. The visions.
Oh, God. It must know about the possible outcomes to this very moment because there was no doubt in my mind that Cailleach had known. How did we fight an entity who knew all our moves?
The answer was simple. We didn’t.
Fighting was what was expected. It was what the Hunt would do. Vengeance and righteousness were in our blood.
But surrender wasn’t.
“What will it be?” Oblivion asked. “The lives and will of every man and woman in here or the life of one?”
“You’re not taking anything more from us,” Eva said. “You killed the men I loved. You took what was left of my heart. I’ve waited a lifetime to repay you with pain, and today, I will cut off your limbs. Today, I will close your eyes.”
“Killed?” Oblivion said. “What made you think your lovers were dead?”
Eva’s mouth popped in surprise. “What?”
“Oh, I planned to kill them, of course. You were a thorn in my side, and I needed to break you, but then I tasted them. Creatures from another realm. I tasted their unique flavors and unique powers—savory and sweet. They belong to me now.”
“They’re alive?” Eva’s voice was a ragged whisper.
“Where are they?” Caister demanded. “What the fuck did you do to them?”
Oblivion tapped Rayne’s chin with Rayne’s finger. “Let me sweeten the deal. I’ll tell you where you can find them if you hand over Wynter.”
Hand over. Give. Why not just take?
There was something wrong here. Something we were missing.
“My offer expires in thirty seconds.”
The guard to my right twitched; the blackness bled out of his eyes for a split second before washing back over them again. Up by the throne, Rayne’s fingers trembled, and she curled her hand into a fist.
Revelation flooded my mind. Oblivion was struggling. It was holding on to all these guards, controlling them, and it was struggling to do so. A fight was the last thing she wanted. It was the last thing I wanted. These guards were innocent, just like Rayne was.
“Ten seconds,” Oblivion said.
I looked to Eva, noting the pain in the downturn of her mouth. She could have her lovers back. All she had to do was step aside and let Oblivion have me.
“No,” Eva said.
“Yes.” I stepped forward.
“Wynter?” Veles reached for me, but I was already walking toward Rayne.
I stopped several meters away. “You can have me. I’ll come to you willingly. Just tell Eva where her men are?”
Oblivion’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll give yourself to me?”
“To save the people I love. To protect the innocents in this room. Yes.”
Her lips curled in a smug smile. “Of course you would. Honor above all.”
“Where are Eva’s men?”
“Emerald Falls, in a cave behind the waterfall.” She closed her eyes briefly. “It took a while. It took some experimentation, but I finally found a way inside them. I can feel them now. I can hear their dreams. They dream of the woman they love. They dream all the time.”
Behind me, Eva made a strangled sound, and then she was standing in front of me, green mist clinging to her frame.
“Fuck you, Oblivion. You’re not getting her.”
I felt the tension in the air, the moment when the fight would break out. If it did, then innocent fey would die. I couldn’t let that happen, not when there was another way.
I swerved past Eva just as a battle cry rose up behind me and broke into a sprint toward Oblivion.
It held out its arms, ready to receive me, and I ran into them. My body made contact with Rayne’s, the force of impact pushing her back, knocking her into the steps and taking her down.
Black eyes gleamed up at me. “Eager, aren’t we?”
I brought my fist up and pressed it to her mouth. “Eat this.”
Swords clanked against swords. Someone screamed.
The fight had broken out, and there was only one way to stop it. Several seeds made their way past her lips and into her mouth. She began to struggle, but the power was in my limbs now. Strong enough to pin her down. Strong enough to hold her jaw closed and pinch her nose, cutting off her air. Oblivion might not need to breathe, but Rayne did, and reflex would force her to swallow.
“Swallow. Crudding hell, swallow the damned seeds.”
She made a strangled sound and then began to choke. Her chest heaved, and then slowly, millimeter by millimeter, the inky blackness covering her eyes retreated.
Pale blue irises looked up at me in a daze, and I released her nose and mouth.
The sound of battle behind me ebbed, flowing into confused exclamations. The black veins on Rayne’s face and throat retreated under her tunic.
Rayne’s lips trembled. “Wynter? You came back.”
“Yes, Rayne. I came back.”
* * *
The Hunt had the guards trapped in the mist and disorientated. They may have been free of Oblivion’s control, but they were still under an enchantment with no idea who Alaron was, plus their queen was on the ground, confused and disheveled.
The seeds were doing their work, suppressing the taint enough for Rayne to think clearly. She stared at her father, eyes filling with tears. “I … what did I do?”
Alaron fell to his knees and gathered his daughter into his arms. “It wasn’t your fault. I promise you we will put an end to it. I will free you.”
Her chest heaved. “It’s inside me. I can feel it now. I can feel it trying to take over.”
“Alaron, you need to take the throne. Now,” Eva said.
I looked from Rayne to Alaron. “Eva’s right. We don’t know how long the seeds will be able to keep the taint at bay. Oblivion has a solid grip on Rayne.”
Alaron nodded. He kissed the top of Rayne’s silver head and then straightened and walked over to the throne.
The room fell into a hush as all eyes tracked his movements.
He climbed the steps to the throne and lowered himself onto it. “Let’s hope this works.”
Nothing happened, and my heart shot into my throat, beating wildly.
Please. Oh, please … There had to be something. A flash of light. A crash of sound.
Alaron locked gazes with me and shook his head. His shoulders slumped, and he ran a hand over his face.
How could we have been so wrong? Perun had said this was the way. He’d told us this was the only way.
A woman dressed in a long brown dress and cap walked into the room and froze at the sight of all of us. Her attention went from Alaron to Rayne then back again.
And then she fell into a deep curtsy. “King Alaron, Your Majesty, is there something I could get the princess?”
Alaron’s face broke into a grin, and then his laughter filled the throne room.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Berst
uck
“You’ll keep her locked away until you’ve dealt with Oblivion? You cannot trust her.”
I know. Alaron has had chambers prepared to hold her.
I lean back against the tree and stretch out my legs. My goat’s legs. The curse that being trapped here has bestowed upon me. She shied away from them. Found them distasteful.
It hurt my feelings.
Feelings I’d thought I no longer had. Feelings I’d tried to ease by inflicting pain on others.
But Wynter roused them to life with a sentence. She is in my mind now. Her relief a palpable sensation brushing my mind. Veles is with her. His hands on her body. Bastard. Maybe I should take him again. Slip into his mind and ride him while he fucks her.
My cock twinges at the thought.
I’ve tasted her using Raven’s lips and fucked her using Veles’s cock, but it isn’t enough.
Berstuk, I have to … I have to go.
“Celebrate your minor victory?”
Major victory. The king has sent envoys to the autumn kingdom with news of our victory and to the summer court to request a parlay. The people remember their king, and soon, the kingdoms will be united once more. Oblivion will weaken, and then we’ll strike.
The ground shudders, and the shock cuts off our connection.
The thunderous flap of wings fills the air as every bird leaves its perch and takes to the skies. I close my eyes and soar with them, skipping from body to body, mind to mind, sailing over the night-kissed land until I see it. The glow. The vibrant glow.
The shimmer.
No, wait. That isn’t the shimmer. That’s the dawn.
The shimmer is gone, and all that lies beyond is Faerie.
To be Continued 2020
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Other books by Debbie Cassidy
The Gatekeeper Chronicles
Fate’s Destiny: Heart of Darkness Book 3 Page 12
