by Linsey Hall
“She has powers like mine,” Tarron murmured.
“Cass is a mirror mage.” I’d always quite envied her ability to replicate the magical gift of any nearby supernatural. I squinted at a dark shadow, then drew a potion bomb from my bag in the ether and hurled it at the figure.
The Unseelie dodged, barely avoiding my bomb. I wished for my bow and arrow, but as long as the Unseelie were trying to hit me with a mind control potion, I needed to be carrying my shield.
Tarron launched himself into the air, flying toward the circle with deadly grace. His wings gleamed like silver lightning when he dived for an Unseelie, his blade at the ready.
The rest of the Fae sprinted toward us, an evil horde with ghostly pale skin and midnight hair. Some took to the air, and I launched myself upward, drawing a sword as I flew toward the closest one.
Below me, Del hacked at an opponent with her steel, making him howl and burn. Aeri swung her mace in a deadly dance, crushing the skull of a Fae who dived for her. Cass and Claire hurled firebombs with deadly precision, while Nix took out the enemy with steel-tipped arrows.
In the air, I collided with the Fae closest to me in a clash of steel, blocking with my shield as he attacked. His midnight black eyes glinted with ferocity. Quickly, I landed a blow to his arm, making black blood well.
His blade slammed into my shield, sending tremors up my arm. I gripped the shield tight and struck again, managing to deliver a killing blow to his neck. His eyes widened as he gripped the cut and tumbled from the air, wings flapping helplessly.
I whirled, searching for another attacker.
Just in time, I spotted a blast of flame headed right toward me. I deflected it with my shield and raced for my attacker, a slender woman with a flowing mane of midnight hair. She drew a long silver sword, and we collided, blades smashing together. She was more skilled than the other Fae, and she swiped my thigh with her blade, leaving a long, burning cut.
I winced and pulled back, then hurtled toward her, smashing my shield into hers. I wasn’t as graceful in the air as a full-blooded Fae, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t beat the shit out of them. The force of my blow made her tumble backward in the air, and I pressed my advantage, slashing her in the side with my sword. The blade cut deep, and she howled.
I struck again, finding an opening and stabbing her through the shoulder. Weakened, she dropped her sword and flew backward.
Right into one of Cass’s fireballs.
Howling, she took off into the sky, blazing like a torch.
I spun, searching for more threats.
Tarron was fighting three Fae at once, his blade moving so fast and so powerfully that it was just a blur. Black blood flew in great arcs as he landed his hits.
Shouts and blasts of magic sounded from all around as my friends battled the Unseelie.
“We’ve got this!” Aeri shouted. “Do your thing!”
She was right. Every enemy was occupied, and if they came for me, my friends would have my back. I needed to try to use my power before reinforcements came.
I flew toward the center of the stone circle that was now illuminated with the pale gray light of dawn. Thirteen tall pillars of rock surrounded a large flat stone in the middle. It was decorated with incredible carvings, thousands of lines twisting and turning around each other like a beautiful, complicated knot.
If I fed it a bit of my black Unseelie blood, it would open and permit me access to the Unseelie realm.
But we weren’t doing that now. Not yet.
First, I needed info.
I landed at the edge of the flat stone and knelt.
A second later, Tarron landed next to me. “I’ve got your back.”
“Thanks.” I touched the edge of the rock, shutting my eyes and closing my other hand around the charm that Aethelred had given me.
From behind, I could hear something slamming against Tarron’s shield. Fireball, maybe.
I shoved the thought away and trusted him to protect me.
Slowly, I drew in a deep breath and focused on the feeling of the stone beneath my fingertips. It was a connection to the Unseelie world—to my mother—and I could feel it deep in my bones. Aethelred’s charm buzzed against my palm, some kind of strange seer magic igniting within it. I could almost smell the seer. Old man cologne and brandy.
A vision flared to life in my head.
I was back in the white, cloudy room.
Something tugged at me from the right, and I turned, running toward it.
Through the mist, I spotted the burning Seelie city. The colorful flames licked around the buildings, and Seelie fought it, spraying it with massive jets of water and magic.
The flames didn’t even steam.
The Fae shot more water at it. More and more, until it was a deluge that should have drowned out the fire.
The blaze kept roaring.
No amount of water could douse this enchanted fire.
I ran toward it, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I got close enough to the inferno that I could hear the Seelie shouting.
“It’s Eternal Flame!” shouted a pale-haired woman, her eyes red from the smoke.
“But that’s a myth!” shouted a man next to her.
“Look at it, you imbecile! It’s there in front of us, the Eternal Flame that never dies.”
“What the hell is that?” I screamed.
The Fae didn’t answer. No matter how real they looked, they weren’t actually there.
I spun, looking for more clues.
There had to be something. Anything.
I spotted another shadow in the distance, so I ran for it, sprinting through the clouds of white fog.
Truth.
It pulled at me.
I stumbled upon my mother, holding a glowing orange crystal. Magic radiated from it, heat and flame. A crazed glow lit her eyes.
I reached for her, desperate to grab the crystal from her hand. It was the source of the flames. I had to get it.
Something pulled at me, dragging at my hand. Shocked, I tried to yank it back.
It didn’t work.
The force pulled on me, yanking me out of the vision and back into the real world. I got the briefest flash of a pale dawn sky, a stone circle, and battle all around.
Then the portal leading into the Unseelie kingdom pulled at me, yanking me in. I felt a strong hand grip my ankle, trying to pull me back. Tarron.
But the ether tugged harder, pulled me through space. My stomach lurched as I tumbled, finally crashing onto the grass in the middle of a dark grove.
Heart thundering, I staggered upright. Tarron joined me.
We stood in the dark forest in the Unseelie kingdom, right at the portal that entered their world.
“You were pulled in.” Tarron spun in a circle, shield and sword raised.
“Shit. We’ve been abducted.” I called upon my shield, going back to back with him.
None too soon.
A dozen Unseelie charged out from behind the cover of the trees, clearly waiting for us. I couldn’t smell my mother’s dark magic, but she’d be here soon if she wasn’t already hiding somewhere.
The Unseelie’s eyes glowed with a strange, sycophantic light. It reminded me of the Unseelie minion who'd stood by my mother’s side when I’d seen her last.
There was something strange about that light. Could it be her influence acting through them, forcing them to do her will?
It didn’t make sense that they’d all be evil. I knew they weren’t. I’d seen the normalcy of parts of their city when I’d visited last. Sensed it in them. They were more likely to go to the dark side, but that didn’t mean they all chose to.
“Get to the portal.” I backed toward it, shoving Tarron.
He moved swiftly, reaching it as the Unseelie began to hurl fire and ice. They were as adept with nature magic as the Seelie.
“The portal is blocked,” Tarron said.
There was no time left to argue.
Burn appea
red next to me, hackles raised and growling.
I spun to face the oncoming attackers, spotting the blast of energy as it hurtled at us. It was just a glimmer, and I caught it too late to brace myself.
The energy slammed into me, Tarron, and Burn. Pain exploded within me, and we were hurled up into the air. Panic flashed as I flew, then I crashed to the ground with a hard thud. Agony spread from my back.
Ears ringing, I stared up into the canopy above. Dark leaves quivered against an even darker sky, and I blinked.
For the briefest moment, my mind was entirely blank.
Then it all came back.
I staggered upright as fast as I could. I’d flown far enough away from the battle that I had a few seconds to recover. My muscles felt like jelly and my entire body was a mass of pain. I was a good twenty feet from Tarron, who was already fighting off two Unseelie attackers. He was so pale he was almost transparent, and his movements were stiff. That hit had nearly killed him, too. The three of us had taken the brunt of it, distributing the force and probably saving our lives.
Despite his injuries, the Unseelie were no match for Tarron. He moved with such deadly power and grace that they were dead within seconds. Two more piled onto him, but he cut them down as well, his sword slicing them right through the middle. I’d never seen a fighter like him.
He loomed over an Unseelie who’d fallen to the ground, sword raised over the smaller Fae. The figure scrambled back, fear flashing on his face. For the briefest moment, the sycophantic light faded from the Unseelie’s eyes. He looked around, frantic and shocked.
Like he was surprised to be there.
Holy fates.
Maybe that Unseelie really was under the influence of my mother. And now—somehow—her magic had faded from his mind.
I’d suspected it, but seeing it play out in front of my eyes made it so obvious.
The Unseelie raised his hands. “No, please.”
I could just barely hear his words as he begged for his life.
I nearly lunged for them, determined to stop Tarron from killing the smaller Fae.
But Tarron’s blade hesitated.
He could see what I did.
Despite his rage with the Unseelie for what they’d done to his kingdom and his brother, he stopped.
The Unseelie crawled away. Another came at Tarron from behind, his eyes bright with the light of my mother’s influence.
“Tarron!” I shouted.
The king turned and spotted his attacker. Swift as a wraith, he raised his sword and cut down the Unseelie who lunged for his throat, obsidian blade gleaming in the light.
Fates, this sucked. Some of these Fae were genuinely against us, but others probably weren’t. It didn’t matter when they were trying to kill us, though, and I was probably cutting down those who didn’t deserve to die.
To Tarron’s right, Burn leapt at the throat of a third Unseelie. The wolf looked faster and stronger—twice as big.
Oh right. Tarron had once told me how an attack could make the Thorn Wolf grow stronger temporarily. He was the perfect fighting machine, and the massive attack from the Fae with the energy blast had given him a real hit of power. He tore through the Unseelie with a speed and rage that paralleled Tarron’s.
“Fight your way back to the portal!” I shouted.
We had to try again. There had to be a way through.
I looked behind me, making sure no attack was coming, then crouched behind my shield and ran. I didn’t want to fly—that would give them one more angle to hit me from.
As I sprinted, I drew a potion bomb from the ether. I was really plowing through them today, and I wished that the stock Aeri and I had made hadn’t been destroyed in the attack on our home.
An Unseelie lunged out from behind a tree, raising a flaming hand. His eyes gleamed with a crazed light, and I threw my potion bomb, aiming for his chest. It slammed right into him.
Whatever tug I felt in my conscience for hitting someone who might be under the influence of my mother’s magic, I ignored it. They would kill me as long as her power ran through them, and I couldn’t afford to die.
Not when the Seelie kingdom might burn.
Another sprinted toward me, sword raised. It glinted silver in the moonlight, and the Fae’s wide eyes met mine. The manic light glowed within them.
I drew a steel sword from the ether and charged, my blade clashing with his. With our swords locked at the hilt, I lunged toward him, kneeing him in the balls. He choked and doubled over. I yanked my sword free and plunged it through his gut, then kicked him away.
Panting, I swung around, searching for the big threat—the blast of magic that had thrown the three of us into the air like piñata pieces.
In the distance, I spotted a huge Fae, far taller and broader than any I’d ever seen. The magic that seethed around him made the air shimmer.
That had to be the guy who’d thrown the massive, murderous energy blast.
And I doubted he needed my mother’s magic to sway him to do bad things. I could smell his dark magic from where I stood.
He raised his hand, which was nearly impossible to see because of the way the air waved around it and distorted the image.
My heart jumped into my throat. I so did not want to get hit again. Somehow, I knew he’d been pulling his punches the first time.
“Tarron!” I shouted.
He looked over, then cursed, diving to the side as the giant threw his magic at him. The blast was too big.
Tarron wouldn’t make it.
A second hit like the first could kill him.
I lunged in front of him, bracing myself for the hit.
Please let this work.
My heartbeat thundered as the magic shot toward me. I called upon my new power to reflect the magic back at the sender. Cold sweat broke out on my brow right before the blast plowed into me. Then it hit.
I went blind with the pain and slammed backward into the ground.
Using this power had never hurt so bad.
“Mari!” Tarron’s agonized shout sounded from behind me.
I tried to rise, but I couldn’t.
Had my power even worked?
Strong arms pulled me up, cradling me close. Through bleary vision, I saw the collapsed form of the powerful Fae who had attacked us.
My power had worked.
Except it might have broken me, too.
“Get to the portal,” I croaked.
“It’s closed.”
“Have…an idea.”
The Unseelie closed in, and Burn leapt in front of us. The huge wolf crouched low and growled, his thorny hide shooting spiked bullets at the oncoming attackers. The deadly thorns flew through the air, piercing the Unseelie like daggers.
The scent of putrid night lilies and brimstone rolled toward us.
I gasped. “She’s coming.”
“We’re in no state to take her out now.”
“You and Burn could take her.” But he’d have to drop me to do it, and the Unseelie would be on me in an instant. I still couldn’t move my limbs. There’d be no fighting back.
Tarron ignored my words and sprinted toward the portal, holding me as if I were made of crystal.
As we neared it, I sliced my finger with my sharp thumbnail.
“We needed blood to get in the first time.” My voice was weak, and he leaned closer to hear. “Maybe Unseelie blood will help us get out.”
I stuck my hand into the shimmering air that marked the exit from this realm, and magic shivered up my arm. My blood turned cool on my fingertip, then magic sparked from the gleaming surface of the portal.
“Go!” I shouted.
Tarron lunged into the portal.
I peered back at Burn. “Get out of here!”
The Thorn Wolf disappeared in an instant. Beyond him, the bodies of a dozen Unseelie lay like giant pincushions. My mother appeared in the distance, gliding through the trees with eerie grace.
The ether sucked us in and swept us through
space. My stomach lurched and my limbs ached.
We appeared back in Scotland, surrounded by the thirteen towering stones of the Circle of Night.
My friends crowded near, all white-faced and big-eyed.
“You’re back!” Aeri rushed forward.
“We need to go,” Tarron said.
“No!” I grabbed his arm. “If she comes, we can take her. The six of you are strong enough.”
It would kill me to sit out the fight, but I knew that if Tarron put me down, I’d be a puddle of jello with all the movement of a slug.
But they could totally take her.
“We can’t risk it.” Tarron gave everyone a look. “Can one of you transport and get the others out of here?”
“We’re covered,” Cass said.
“No!” I squeezed his arm tighter.
He didn’t listen. He called upon his transport power—which he used rarely, I realized—and disappeared.
Once again, the ether sucked us in.
5
We appeared in his quarters, high in the king’s tower in the middle of the Seelie Court.
“Why did you do that?” I demanded. “Do you know how powerful they are? The FireSouls could have taken out my mother if she’d come through the portal.”
“You can’t even walk.” A thunderous expression crossed his face. “I’m not starting a fight with an extremely powerful Fae who has mind control powers while you can’t protect yourself.”
“That’s—”
My brain did a record scratch.
Damn it.
That was really caring.
I frowned up at him, confused. “What about your brother? Your vengeance? We almost had her.”
“No, we didn’t. And we’ll worry about that later.” He stalked toward the bed.
I blinked. All he cared about was vengeance for his brother. Right?
“Why the hell did you jump in front of me like that?” His brow was lowered, his eyes angry. “You could have died.”
“You would have died. Only my power protected me.”
“Don’t ever do that again.”
“What, save your life?”
“Risk yours for mine.” He looked like he wanted to shake me but didn’t dare. “I’m not worth it.”