by J. L. Weil
Devyn halted his horse, with Kai following suit. “It must be a defense to keep fools like us away,” the Shaman retorted, his boots slushing into the mud when he dismounted. Turning around, he reached for me to help me down too.
Kai swung his leg over the side of his stallion, dropping to the ground. “Speak for yourself. I’m no fool.”
As we drew closer, every step we took became an effort. The muddy swamp wasn’t helping matters. My boots caked with goop grew heavy.
“Shh,” Devyn hushed, throwing his arm out in front of me.
I stopped. Kai and I glanced at Devyn.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered.
“What?” I mouthed back, but instantly picked up a tiny whistle that could have easily been mistaken as a bird. Tink!
Kai lifted his chin, eyes darkening when he summoned the shadows. “Someone’s coming.”
Wrath and Fury emerged at Devyn’s back. He shifted quietly, staring at the way we’d come. “Not someone. Someones. Awyn’s sentinels are coming for us.”
A small dart whizzed through the wooded swamp, sinking into a tree just over my shoulder. I whirled in the direction in which it originated.
Devyn swore. “We couldn’t have possibly been followed. Awyn knew we’d go for the barrier and set up a trap.”
“Don’t look at me,” Kai snarled. “I said nothing to the queen.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Devyn snapped, unleashing Wrath and Fury like a streak of lightning.
I scarcely had time to draw a steady breath and prepare for the fight that was coming our way, when the swamp flooded with guards. Twelve of Awyn’s sentinels emerged, wearing fierce expressions while they took in Devyn, Kai, and I.
One of them held out his fist. “I think this belongs to you.” Then he opened his fingers, releasing what he was clutching. A small figure fell to the ground with a thud.
Unable to believe what I was seeing, I blinked. No. My head shook. No. This can’t be. No!
Unfortunately, no matter how many times I denied what my eyes saw, it didn’t change that a small body lay in the mud—its beautiful iridescent wings flickering with dying light. Tink. Then the pixie’s light extinguished, fracturing my heart into a million pieces.
The scream lodged in my throat as I opened my mouth. No sound came out. My knees buckled and I sunk into the ground. “Tink,” I cried.
She looked as if she’d been squeezed to death, and the idea sent me into a spiral of sorrow and disbelief. How had this happened? Why? Tink didn’t deserve to die. I couldn’t fathom the loss of my friend.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, and through the extreme pain that lanced my chest, I tried to crawl toward her tiny form. A hand landed on my shoulder, preventing me from moving.
“Karina,” a voice called too softly, with droplets of anger Devyn couldn’t hide.
My nails dug into my palms, a trickle of blood running down my fingers. Dead. Tink was dead.
“Kitten, Devyn said again, but I ignored it, focusing only on the roaring in my ears.
Oh, God. They killed her. Awyn killed her.
That bitch.
That single thought flipped something inside of me. I had been so worried about offending her, but the Lady of Willowland had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She had made an enemy of me.
I shoved to my feet, flames bursting from every pore in my body in an inferno of unadulterated rage. “You will pay with your lives.” All around me, the light of fire burned bright and true.
The twelve sentinels fixed their attention on me. “You were advised of Lady Awyn’s wishes to protect her kingdom,” one of the guards reminded.
I didn’t care enough to distinguish one of them from the other. To me, they were all targets.
“Do you know who I am?” Lightning cracked across the sky.
“You are not queen yet,” the foolish man replied, lifting his chin.
“No. I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I won’t rip you to shreds.” With that promise, I unleashed a storm of fire that exploded from the sky. Hissing and crackling, embers fell like burning drops of rain, igniting the sentinels’ bodies.
In sheer panic, they unleashed their arrows, spears, and magic, hurling them at me. I doubted Awyn’s orders had been to kill me, then again, maybe they had. It didn’t matter whether they were following orders or not, their fight or flight responses had kicked in.
I was a threat.
They should have thought about that before they killed my friend.
Devyn propelled himself in front of me, throwing up a shield that repelled the attacks, as well as protected us from the rain of fire.
With an odd satisfaction, I listened to what should have frightened me—Awyn’s sentinels screaming and begging for their lives. Yet, I spared no one. Felt not an ounce of sympathy.
They burned. Every. Single. One of them.
Within minutes, twelve fae lay dead at my feet. I should have felt a sliver of remorse, after all, I had killed in cold blood for revenge. A piece of my humanity should have rejected what I did, regardless of the agony Tink’s death caused.
And yet, I felt nothing.
I was numb.
No. Not entirely numb.
Part of me relished in the retribution killing Awyn’s sentinels provided. I wanted to hurt her—make her feel a tiny piece of my desolating sadness. However, it wasn’t enough.
“Kitten,” Devyn murmured gently, lowering his shield.
Wordlessly, I went into his arms, letting him hold me, but the pain in my chest lingered like a festering wound. I pressed a hand to my heart, where it felt like a gaping hole had opened, and looked up at my mate. “What am I going to do without her?”
It wasn’t fair. From the time the pixie had found me, she had been only my friend, never asking anything in return. What did being my friend get her?
Death.
How could I live with that?
Gut-wrenching sadness laced my soul.
Chapter Eighteen
KARINA
I didn’t know how Devyn managed to drag me through the marsh. Perhaps he had carried me, because I had no recollection of how we got to the edge of Willowland. We suddenly came to a screeching halt, Devyn and Kai on either side of me, like two pillars holding me upright.
My anger had quickly died with the burning fae, leaving me empty, and with a bottomless well of sadness. Now, staring at the glass barrier, a jolt went through me, waking up my magic. My Kitsune responded to the ancient power, a low growl echoing inside me.
“This is it,” I assured, my voice raspy from all the tears I didn’t remember shedding. My gaze roamed over the one thing standing between me and Katsura.
The spelled shield was like a thin veil of glass. If it hadn’t been for the mystical buzzing that intensified as I stepped closer, I would have walked right into it… crashing. Zapped even. The energy was... Strong. Smothering. Seductive.
Everything I feared in myself.
It was also very old magic.
I let my eyes run up, and up, and still up, searching for where it might end. I couldn’t find it. As far as I could tell, the mystical wall went all the way to the heavens.
Kai’s shadows curled around me, cool and comforting when he stopped by my side. “Now what, little queen? Tell me you have a better idea than just to stare at it.”
“Perhaps that is her plan, to weaken its power with her Kitsune stare,” Devyn retorted bitingly at Kai.
Everything had changed. And yet, somehow hearing Devyn and Kai snap at each other gave me a semblance of normalcy. I mulled over Devyn’s suggestion, despite it being delivered as a jest.
“Is that even a thing?” I asked. The dubious glance from Kai and Devyn told me it was most definitely not a thing. Well, I thought it fucking should be. “And for both of your information, that is not my plan,” I offered, my focus returning to the impossible task before me.
I had to do this for Tink.
Her life would be in vai
n if I failed. That wasn’t an option.
Kai lightly tapped his shoulder with mine. “But you do have one, yes?”
“Just give her a second to breathe,” Devyn barked, raking a hand down his chin and over the stubbles that had started to grow in the last few days. “Stop hovering. It’s not helping.”
“Captain dickhead is back,” Kai mumbled between his teeth.
Devyn sighed harshly. “He never left.”
Ignoring them, I stepped forward, assessing the invisible shield. What now, Karina? How are we going to break through this? I laid a palm flat over the smooth surface, strands of energy jumping over my hand.
Might as well start with the obvious and work through them one by one. I mean, I have seven tails. One of them has to be effective. Right?
Time to find out.
I cleared my throat as I turned around, drawing my companions’ attention. “First, let's test this thing's durability.”
Devyn arched a dark brow. “Do you think that is a good idea? There is a chance it might retaliate. Ancient magic like this has safeguards.”
My chin dipped and a few seconds passed while I considered it. “We won’t know unless we try. Plus, what other choice do we have?”
“You first, little queen,” Kai offered, stepping aside and sweeping his hand in a grand gesture.
“Pussy,” Devyn muttered, disguising it with a cough.
“Mature.” Kai’s lips twitched.
They were doing their best to distract me, keep my mind from going back to Tink. I appreciated their efforts, but nothing they said or did could wipe the image of the pixie’s lifeless body from my mind.
Letting the two guys in my life continue acting like six graders, I centered the power inside me, summoning storm. Above my head, thunder rumbled in a wave through the clouds. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass wall, blue eyes glowing as I waited for a beat to see if there was any change in the shield’s magical makeup.
Nothing.
So, I pressed ahead, sending a lance of lightning directly into the barrier and got more than I bargained for. Upon impact, the energy seemed to take my lightning and distribute it into every molecule that made up its protection. It zipped in all directions in bright electrical flashes.
I blinked. What the fuck had I just done?
Kai’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit, a little heads-up would be nice next time you decide to light up the entire kingdom in one go.”
“Weren’t you the one bitching about me acting and not just staring?” I pointed out, my gaze narrowing at him.
His eyes trailed after the running pulse of light. “Bitching might be a little strong. I only suggested that you strategize. But this works too.”
Gah!
The wall might have prevented me from seeing the other side, but just knowing what waited for me made me crazy impatient. It wouldn’t be long before another round of sentinels found us. “Well, I’m not done yet. Consider this your warning,” I told Kai, facing the problem in front of me.
“Can’t wait to see what you’re going to do next.” Kai’s comment was largely ignored.
Obviously, I could forget about using Time or Void to get to the other side, and the idea of summoning spirits churned my stomach. Planting my feet, I switched from storm to flame, feeling that ember of fire in my blood. The flickering heat licking over my fingers, brought forth those painful memories still too fresh. I needed to bury them… at least for a little bit.
Eventually, I’d deal with the loss of Tink, let those overwhelming emotions consume me. Until then…
“I have an idea,” I whispered.
“Oh, goody.” Heavy sarcasm laced Kai’s voice. “I don’t think any of your current abilities are going to put a dent in this thing.”
“Kai, just shut up,” Devyn grunted sharply.
My brows knitted together in concentration, watching as the fire engulfing my fingers flared. The flickering of orange and red heat mesmerized me for a moment. I let it build up, gathering potency before I laid my hands over the glassy surface and launched a screen of flames that climbed up and disappeared into the night’s sky.
The fire glazed off the barrier, never penetrating it, never melting, or disrupting the magical signal. Screw you, it seemed to say to me.
I’m not done yet, you bastard.
Backing up, I crouched to dip my hand into a puddle of slimy water. Disgusting, yes, but I couldn’t get squeamish now. Water was one of my newly acquired skills. I didn’t know what its full capabilities were, but now was as good a time as any to test it.
What happened when you heated up glass and then froze it? It cracked.
I just hoped that I could control water temperature. Ice was essentially frozen water, and since I could manipulate it, perhaps I could solidify it too.
The world sort of depended on it.
Beads of water clung to my fingers, gliding up my wrists and along my arm. It was a weird, tickling feeling as my skin absorbed it. Devyn and Kai only watched, neither knowing what to expect from me next. My emotions were getting the best of me, but who could blame me after the night I’d had.
What a shitshow.
Still, I refused to let Tink’s death be for nothing. I would break through this damn wall for her. Or so help me…
Standing up, I approached the wall, my flames just beginning to die on the surface. From just the small amount of water I collected, my Kitsune gift let me feel each particle in a single drop. Closing my eyes, I turned my palms around and touched the burning hot surface. It didn’t hurt me, despite being able to feel the intensity of its heat. I pressed my fingers into the humming glass but before I sent the rush of water to douse the flames completely, I altered the molecules, turning them from liquid to solid.
My veins immediately grew cold, but I didn’t give myself time to think about what freezing the water while still inside me might do to my body.
Ice climbed over the wall like a rabid poison ivy plant, infecting the magic. Steam hissed as the ice made contact with the flames, swelling off the barrier. The air around us thickened with mist in seconds. And then...
Crack.
My heart pounded in my chest at the tiny sound. I opened my eyes to find a fissure the size of one of my pinkies. It wasn’t enough, but it was a fucking start.
“Stand back,” I ordered, a muscle thrumming on the side of my jaw. Pissed off and desperate enough to blow this damn wall through worlds, a gust of power churned inside me. It was different. I was different.
I’d unlocked a hidden part of my power when I’d changed water to ice.
The breeze picked up, blowing my hair back from my face. At first, I wasn’t certain where it was coming from, but it didn’t take long for me to realize it was me. The air was too wild, too exhilarating to be anything natural…
I’d gained another tail.
Immortal winds battered and howled around me, tossing my hair in all directions. Yet, despite its lawless potency, the roaring winds were contained, never touching Devyn or Kai. My anger cooled into something sharp and shrewd. Something unforgiving.
Thrusting my hands forward, I directed my power toward the barrier and a raging gust slammed into the ancient wall, causing a large crack to rush down the glass.
A hint of a smile touched my lips. Thirty days my ass.
Lunging with the force of a hurricane, and a deep growl rumbling in my throat, I shifted into my fox, hitting the forcefield with my front paws.
The wall shattered.
Not entirely, but a small section—a doorway almost, which was all I needed.
A part of me regretted my actions; regretted ever leaving the castle. Tink might still be alive, and although Awyn was responsible for taking her life, she’d been protecting what was hers. She was a leader who cared about her people, her home, and I was putting all of that in jeopardy.
Nevertheless, I was doing it because if I didn’t stop the blight, it wouldn’t matter how much Awyn loved or protected he
r kingdom.
The darkness would destroy it.
Destroy her.
Destroy everything.
I stood with two paws over the threshold of the border, and eight tails fanned out behind me as I got my first look at Katsura—my kingdom. The dust of glass and magic settled, but my heart did not.
Yawning darkness stretched out before me like an endless sea of black. Gravely. Untouchable. Every inch of the land was scorched by corruption, decay, and death. Visibility was low due to the smoke and ash that clung to heavy gray air. I’d seen visions before from Tink, seen Katsura’s destruction, but nothing prepared me for witnessing it firsthand.
I guessed there would be no welcome home signs, confetti poppers, or balloons.
It didn’t matter.
I wasn’t in much of a mood to celebrate.
Get ready for the final part of Karina & Devyn’s story!
You’ll be able to get your next Devyn fix in CELESTIAL SHIFT, the last book in the Nine Tails series!
Can’t wait to meet you back in Second Moon!
Thank you for reading.
xoxo,
Jennifer
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