Lila nudged his hand and gestured toward the treasury. Rhys checked his watch and descended another twenty feet to follow her.
By the time they were at the treasury door, he was feeling more at ease. It was the deepest point of their dive and he remembered all of Balthasar’s instructions about timing his oxygen. Lila ducked through the treasury door with a flick of her tail, Nyssa right behind her. Rhys avoided a moray eel keeping guard over the opening, then followed them inside.
It was darker in the treasury, but he could see that Nyssa had been right. There were stacks of loot on all sides—if he’d been standing, the piles would have been shoulder-high. It was all covered with a coating of algae and debris, but when Rhys waved a hand over one pile, a bowl full of glittering gold coins was revealed. He saw pearls and he saw chalices. There were chests with jewelry spilling from them and silver coins everywhere.
Divers would have a field day with this ruin.
But they had to find the dark mirror. The two selkies cleared debris with their flippers and tails, as Rhys used his gloved hands. The water was soon frustratingly filled with floating debris and it was hard to see. Rhys was aware of the press of time and checked his watch repeatedly.
Then he saw the other half of the crucifix he wore. He stared and it caught the light, as if to summon him closer. Rhys nearly missed it, then he could only gape at it. Was he mistaken? Was he dreaming? Had Llewelyn’s half of their mother’s crucifix ended up here?
It wasn’t out of the question, if Gwendolyn had walked into the sea wearing it or holding it. Nyssa had said that Nereus collected treasures from shipwrecks and drowned corpses: who knew how far he went to hunt? Who knew how the currents flowed? Not Rhys.
He looked around but couldn’t see either Lila or Nyssa. There was a cloud of muck rising from the other side of the treasury and he assumed that they had found something of interest. The half-crucifix was in a crevasse, as if there was a hole in the floor of the treasury or a crypt beneath it, as if it had fallen through. It would only take him a second to retrieve it, and he didn’t want to leave without it. He wasn’t thrilled about reaching into that dark hole, either, but he wanted the rest of his mother’s gem.
Rhys turned again but still couldn’t see Lila. It was against everything Balthasar had taught him, but he thought it worth taking the chance.
He dove, then learned he was wrong.
No sooner had he ducked through the gap into the crevasse than the pile of treasure shifted. It cascaded down behind him, filling the gap, moving with relentless persistence. Rhys seized the gem, tucking it into the pouch at his belt, then turned to stop the cascading treasure. He thought it was only coins and gems, but there were trunks, as well, too many of them for him to stop the avalanche.
He was being buried alive, and no one knew where he was!
“Lila!” he shouted to her in old-speak, hoping she’d hear, but there was no reply. He pushed aside the falling treasure, but there was only more of it cascading down upon him.
Rhys caught the barest glimpse of a hand before his mask was tugged away. He couldn’t see for a moment, but he felt that hand grab his respirator. He struggled against his assailant, and spun to see it was Nereus. They were locked together, each trying to control Rhys’ respirator when Nereus seized the knife from Rhys’ belt and cut the hose. The air bubbled toward the surface with alarming speed.
“Good bye, dragon,” he said, eyes glinting with triumph. The King Under the Seas shifted shape in a shimmer of blue, becoming a large sea lion, then turned to dive through a gap that Rhys hadn’t seen before. Rhys tried to follow but it was narrow: Nereus slipped through it like a fish but Rhys couldn’t make it with his tanks.
On the other hand, they weren’t much good to him now. He spit out his respirator, held his breath and grabbed his own dagger, which Nereus had abandoned. He swam hard after Nereus, fearing he wasn’t going to make it.
He’d do one last favor for the world, Lila and their son, even if it took his dying breath.
Nyssa had found the dark mirror with only a bit of searching. Lila knew it would have taken her a lot longer to find it, and they needed every minute. The mirror had been buried in rock and treasure, only the top of the frame revealed, and they worked together to clear it.
It took far too long. Lila silently cursed the fact that the mirror was so big. It had to be five feet in diameter, with an elaborate frame. There were anemones by the dozen growing on the frame, but fortunately the surface of the mirror itself was clear.
There was something about it that made her shiver and she avoided looking at its surface. Then she heard Rhys call her name.
She spun, wondering where he was. Nyssa looked at her with alarm and confusion.
“Good bye, dragon.” Nereus’ voice was the last thing she wanted to hear.
Lila saw the stream of rising bubbles and guessed what had happened, although she couldn’t see Rhys. The treasure was shifting and tumbling on the far side of the treasury. Judging by the clouding of the water, that had been happening for a few minutes, but she’d been so fixed on the mirror that she hadn’t noticed.
Nyssa gave her a nudge, then swept at the remaining debris with her tail.
Lila understood. She saw Nereus swim out the door of the treasury in his selkie form and swam after him. Rhys shot out of the debris in pursuit of Nereus and caught one of his tail fins.
He didn’t have his tanks anymore!
Nereus spun and thrashed, hitting Rhys with his tail hard. Rhys ducked the blow, then slashed at the selkie with ferocious power. Nereus moved in the last minute but the blade found home all the same. A red trail of blood drifted into the water from Nereus’ tail. He spun with fury and bit Rhys hard, his teeth tearing through the wetsuit and burying in Rhys’ arm. Rhys struggled and Nereus held tightly, even as more blood flowed into the water.
Lila knew they had to move away before predators were drawn to the blood. Rhys shifted shape, though, slashing at Nereus with his dragon claws. Nereus snapped and bit, then shifted shape himself, taking his human form again. The water was bright with the blue shimmer of their changes. Nereus seized the dagger and stabbed at Rhys, tearing a scale loose from Rhys’ chest. Blood flowed crimson and mingled in the water. Rhys grabbed Nereus, squeezing him tightly in his dragon claws, then letting his talons dig into the trapped selkie.
Rhys had to be running out of air, but he held on, squeezing Nereus until the King Under the Seas went limp.
Rhys shifted back to his human form in a brilliant shimmer of light, then went limp himself. Nereus flicked his tail and swam away slowly, as if in great pain. The water was full of blood and Lila saw the silhouette of the approaching sharks. She seized Rhys, shifted shape and gave him a breath of air. She felt him stir in her embrace. She assessed the distance to the surface and the speed of the approaching predators and knew they didn’t have a choice.
If she didn’t take Rhys into Fae, he’d die and Lila couldn’t let that happen. She dragged him back to the dark mirror.
Nyssa moved away, revealing that the surface of the dark mirror was completely exposed. Its surface shone like obsidian, glinting as if it would warn them of the perils of entering Fae. Lila knew them all. She’d been afraid of the Dark Queen’s kingdom for as long as she could remember, but Rhys needed a chance to survive. She pulled him closer without dwelling on her fears. As soon as she touched the surface, the dark mirror flashed silver. It seemed to ripple, then inhale, because it sucked them in.
She had a sense of a dark wind behind them, as if something or someone followed, then saw a blinding flash of red light.
She and Rhys landed hard on dry earth, both back in their human forms. There was no sign of Nyssa or the treasury of the palace. There was no one else behind them.
They were in the middle of an arena, with sand beneath them. The crowd filling the stands cheered at their appearance. Lila ignored them. She pumped the water out of Rhys’ lungs, seeing that his aura was faltering. She breathed
healing mist at him and pleaded with him to survive.
To her relief, he coughed and sat up, wincing at the wound on his chest. Lila tried to speak to him, but no words came from her lips.
There was a red string on her wrist.
There was a red string on Rhys’ wrist.
She met his gaze in fear as the crowd roared.
“Welcome to Fae,” he said, his tone rueful even in old-speak, but Lila had no ability to reply. A dragon bellowed and she turned to see a carnelian and gold dragon breathing fire as he lunged forward to attack. He had multiple small wounds, all of which were bleeding.
Another dragon, aquamarine and silver, bounded to defend them. His injuries were more extensive. Both dragons had red cords around their ankles.
“Theo,” Rhys whispered, glancing at the carnelian dragon. “And Arach.”
Lila realized the two Pyr were engaged in mortal combat for the entertainment of the Fae, undoubtedly against their will. A woman in a cage at the perimeter of the arena shouted at Theo to stop but the Dark Queen herself, seated on her throne, clapped her hands as she laughed.
Rhys stood up and Lila knew he was trying to shift shape. There wasn’t even a faint shimmer of blue, courtesy of Maeve’s spell.
“Now things become interesting,” the Dark Queen said with glee. “I never watched the elimination of my prey before. I should do this more often.” She waved a hand. “Carry on with the carnage.”
Theo roared and opened his mouth to breathe fire at Rhys and Lila. Lila closed her eyes, bracing for the worst, but Rhys straightened and turned to Maeve.
“Let’s make a deal,” he said, to the astonishment of everyone.
Seventeen
Nyssa saw Nereus drop something as he swam frantically away from the sunken palace. Blood trailed behind him in a crimson ribbon and predators were circling. Nereus was obviously trying to make it into the palace itself, and she assumed he could barricade himself in the throne room. How long could he survive there?
She wasn’t going to wait and see. She swam down and scooped up the sparkling item that he’d dropped. It was garnet red with gold and shaped like a large scale. It was exactly the same color as Rhys’ dragon scales and she sensed that it was important. She picked it up in her mouth, then swam hard toward the surface. Three sharks brushed past her, their eyes and teeth gleaming. Her heart nearly stopped but they swam lower with sinister purpose, following the trail of blood.
Nyssa swam harder, straining to reach the yacht in time. She shifted as she broke the surface of the ocean near the yacht and Thorolf cast her a line. He helped to pull her aboard, working so quickly that she knew he’d seen the cloud of blood.
The sea churned just when she stepped aboard and Chandra brought her a big towel. They all looked as the water boiled, a tide of red blood rising to the surface. Nyssa turned away, then saw Thorolf and Balthasar’s expressions.
“It must be Nereus,” she said. “He was injured when he tried to kill Rhys.”
“And Rhys?” Thorolf asked.
“And Lila?” Chandra asked.
Nyssa shook her head. “They went through the dark mirror to Fae.” She shivered and looked at the water again. Then she remembered the scale. She showed it to the Pyr and couldn’t miss their dismay. “Is this important?”
“Rhys has lost a scale,” Thorolf said grimly.
“It means he has a gap in his armor and is vulnerable,” Balthasar said.
“It means he’s in love,” Chandra added firmly.
But in Fae. Nyssa swallowed.
“We’ll wait here, in case they need us,” Balthasar said. “Maybe there’s still a portal here, or maybe someone will open one.”
Nyssa hated that there wasn’t much else they could do.
It was perfectly simple, to Rhys’ thinking. Lila carried his son and the promise of the firestorm had to be defended as diligently as his mate. He was aware of her fear: once again, she was silenced and unable to change form to defend herself. She’d been afraid of Fae as long as he’d known her, and yet she’d brought him through the portal to save his life. Rhys took that as proof that she was becoming persuaded of the merit of a longer relationship.
He couldn’t shift, but he could talk. They’d solve this together.
He certainly wasn’t going to be compelled to dance in this place again, not if he could help it. Nereus had tugged a scale free from his armor, but it had fallen with the barest touch. Rhys understood. He loved Lila and now he’d show her—and everyone else—what that meant.
It might make all the difference in the world to her.
The royal box was crowded. In the middle sat Maeve on a large silver and red throne, the gem of the hoard gleaming gold in her left hand. Her precious book was on her lap and a red glow of magick emanated from both the book and the orb. The bartender from Bones was seated at her left hand and looked unhappy about it. Sylvia was seated on Maeve’s right hand and didn’t look significantly more pleased than the bartender. There were two guards standing slightly behind the Dark Queen’s throne: Rhys recognized the one behind Mel as being the warrior who had seized the book in his restaurant. The other wore a helmet so his face was hidden. They stood at attention, crossbows loaded and daggers gleaming in their belts. He wasn’t truly surprised to notice Kade seated with the spectators near the royal box, much less to notice that Pyr’s displeasure. Whatever he’d gotten—or not gotten—for betraying his fellow shifters was his to enjoy forever, as far as Rhys was concerned.
The arena was large and round, with sand beneath their feet and a high wall around the perimeter. The seating for spectators rose beyond that in rows and it looked as if every seat was filled. The crowd was all Fae, their wings sparkling as they drank and ate and gossiped. It was dark overhead, although he couldn’t tell if the sky was starless or there was a high roof. The air was filled with red fireflies that had to be magick on the loose, and there was dragon blood in the sand. Evidently, Arach and Theo had been intended to fight to the death and his sudden arrival with Lila had interrupted that. Rhys noted more Fae warriors placed at intervals around the perimeter of the arena, their weapons loaded and ready.
It would take a miracle to get out of Fae alive.
Rhys faced Maeve to make his appeal, Lila’s hand in his own. Against every instinct, he turned his back on Theo, who was prowling closer. There was something wrong with his old friend because Theo’s eyes were snapping with bloodlust and Arach had considerable wounds. They’d fought, which made no sense. It had to be because of Maeve’s spell. Somehow, Theo’s intentions had been affected. Rhys hoped Maeve found his suggestion compelling and did so in a hurry.
Maeve, seated on her throne, eyed Rhys for a long moment, then held up her hand. He felt Theo stop, felt the fan of Theo’s dragon breath behind him, but didn’t dare to be relieved. “A deal?” she asked. “What do you have to offer?” Her tone hinted that he had nothing to tempt her, but Rhys thought otherwise.
“I’ll trade you my life for the safe release of my mate,” he said and heard Lila catch her breath. He tightened his grip on her hand and nodded at the book on Maeve’s lap. “You’ll be able to draw a line through my name in your book and move one step closer to eliminating the Pyr. It’s an easy victory for you.”
The Dark Queen was skeptical. “And you’d make this sacrifice, just for the selkie to leave Fae?”
Rhys nodded.
“There’s nothing to stop me from hunting her and killing her later,” Maeve noted.
Rhys remembered an old story. “If you’re going to agree to let Lila leave Fae, there has to be a time of safety for her. I like a year and a day. I thought the Fae did, too.”
He felt a nudge in his thoughts and grimaced as something moved through his mind like a bulldozer. He stayed on his feet only with a considerable effort, feeling sweat bead his brow, and staggered a little when Maeve abandoned her search. Lila watched him, her concern clear.
“You actually mean it,” Maeve said with some surprise.
“You really would trade your life for hers.”
Rhys bowed his head.
The Dark Queen smiled and he had a moment to fear what she would do. “Then I agree,” she said and lifted the gem of the hoard before herself, cupping it in both hands. She stood and the red light swirled from the globe with renewed frenzy. Silver static spun around it as Maeve murmured, her words lost in the crackle of the mustering magick. She flung out a hand, casting the spell toward him and Lila clutched his hand tightly.
Rhys held his ground and watched the magick hurtle toward him. He only hoped it killed him quickly.
“I love you,” he said to Lila in old-speak and felt her fingers tighten on his hand in acknowledgement.
The magick struck Rhys right in the half-crucifix that he wore on a chain around his neck. It felt like an explosion in his soul. It set his dragon tattoo afire so that sparks flew from it, then jolted Rhys’ heart hard. He was shaken to his marrow and his body shifted shape of its own accord.
Rhys loved her.
Rhys surrendered his life for her and their son. Lila couldn’t believe the magnitude of his sacrifice. There was nothing she could do as he made his wager. She couldn’t protest. She couldn’t argue with him. She knew Maeve could hear her thoughts but Rhys couldn’t—and she couldn’t even use the speech of her kind. It was a special kind of torment to be compelled to watch as he threw his life away.
But it was a thousand times worse when the magick struck and he suddenly shimmered blue. He shifted shape, which she knew hadn’t been his plan, taking his dragon form in a heartbeat. She was abruptly holding his front claw instead of his hand and his dragon form towered over her.
The crowd roared approval of this spectacle. She remembered his comments about Hadrian and wondered whether he’d rotate between forms, then realized that instead of having garnet and gold scales that caught the light, Rhys was grey. He was utterly motionless.
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