by Linsey Hall
“Maybe.” I wasn’t sure that even my mother could kill a goddess, much less four of them. But that damn crystal of hers had really done a number on them.
We reached the road and headed toward the town, which consisted primarily of small, elegant buildings constructed of pale stone. When we reached the village, we stopped at the edge, inspecting it.
Magic sparked on the air, distinct and unavoidable.
“Supernatural town,” Tarron said.
“Better for us.” I searched for what I thought might be a shepherd’s place and spotted a small house at the edge of town that backed up to a big corral full of multicolored goats. I pointed to it. “That place is as good as any.”
“Aye, looks promising.” Tarron started toward it.
Aeri and I hung back a few feet, and I watched him walk ahead of us, his stride confident and sure.
Could this really be the man I was fated to?
It sure felt like it.
But had fate really seen fit to give me a noble, powerful, handsome king?
That was a tall order.
He turned to look back at us. “Any particularly reason you are lagging?”
“Not lagging.”
“You’re the quickest woman I know. You never let anyone get in front of you.”
Fair enough. I looped my arm around Aeri’s. “Just chatting.” I nodded to his legs. “Anyway, you’re going really fast and you’re six and a half feet tall. Of course you’ll cover more ground.”
He grunted and turned back. We kept up the pace behind him—which was really swift, actually—and I leaned toward Aeri.
“Do you think the Fae kingdom will have the reinforcements it needs?” I asked.
“I don’t know. There were plans to evacuate if you didn’t stop the queen, and I’m sure they’re enacting them now. But a lot of the Fae can’t leave. Some are bound there by magic.”
“Against their will?” I was aghast.
“No, not really. Their strength is tied to the place—the young, sick, and elderly, primarily. They rely on the magic of their realm for strength.”
“Well, shit.” That meant that the Seelie kingdom was full of the most vulnerable. The people we were most required to protect.
If Tarron’s death were the only way to stop my mother’s fire, he would step right up to the plate.
“Exactly,” Aeri said. “As you can imagine, most aren’t leaving. Even if they could, they want to stay to protect the others. But how the hell do you protect from a flame that devours everything?”
“You don’t.” And they had to know it. They’d been familiar with the myth of the Eternal Flame. They knew that staying meant dying, but they wouldn’t leave their family behind.
I wouldn't either.
The damned Unseelie Queen.
I wouldn’t think of her as my mother anymore. Not if this was what she’d planned—and it so clearly was.
Pain stabbed me through the stomach, and I doubled over, a cold sweat breaking out on my skin. As if in response to my disloyal thoughts, the queen’s magic tugged hard at me, compelling me to go to her.
Shit. We’d never gotten a charm to block my transport magic.
Aeri bent and supported me. “Mari! Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I gasped the word.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tarron standing right next to me. He’d clearly seen me double over and had appeared at my side in a second, silent as the grave.
His strong hands gripped my shoulders, supporting me.
I drew in an unsteady breath and straightened. “I’m fine. Just her magic pulling on me.”
“It’s a doozy, huh?” Aeri asked.
“She doesn’t do things in half measures.” I felt like it would tear me apart—and that was with Connor’s potion to lessen the effects.
“Can you walk?” Tarron asked.
The unspoken worry in his tone voiced the second question—are you even capable of this journey?
“I’m fine.” I straightened my spine and made sure my voice was sharp. “Let’s go. We’re nearly there.”
We set off again, but this time, Tarron made sure to keep his pace so slow that it was irritating.
“I appreciate your concern,” I said. “But don’t. We need to do this. I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
His brow furrowed, and he sounded disbelieving. “Not worry about you?”
“He seems to think that’s a dumb idea,” Aeri translated.
“I get it, Aeri.” I shot her a look. “Sisters are just the best.”
She grinned.
But his concern warmed me. Despite all the truly horrifying shit that was staring down the barrel at me, that still managed to warm my cold, dead heart.
I sucked in a breath and shoved it aside. There was no time for sentiment. Just action.
We approached a small house, and Tarron knocked on the door. I waited, foot tapping and tension high.
After a few moments, a small man opened the door. His dark hair was curly and his skin a warm brown. Dark eyes sparked with intelligence, and despite his small stature, an aura of danger circled around him.
“I am Tarron. Are you Devrim, the shepherd acquaintance of the four guardians who protect the Flames of Truth.”
The man gave us a suspicious look. “Which goddesses would those be?”
“Hestia, Vesta, Brigid, and Arinitti,” I said.
“Harrumph. Yes. That is me.” His gaze moved to Aeri and me.
“I’m Mordaca.” I tried to smile in a friendly way, but I was sure it didn’t reach my eyes. Until this was settled, no smile would.
“I am Aerdeca.”
He grunted, then gestured us inside. “Come in.”
We followed him into a small but impeccably neat house. He led us to a kitchen, where he began to prepare tea or coffee—I couldn’t quite tell which.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” I said. “But we are in an incredible hurry due to some truly dire circumstances.”
“The type of circumstances that could cost the lives of thousands,” Tarron said.
The man turned to us. “That is often the case with the Eternal Fire. I presume you would like transportation across the fields?”
“We would, please.” I nodded to Tarron.
He reached into his pocket and withdrew the small box, which he presented to the man.
Devrim opened it, his eyes going bright. “The goddesses must truly favor you.”
“Or they favor our goal,” I said. “Will you help us?”
He nodded. “I will. For this.”
“Could we go now?” Tarron asked.
The man looked longingly at the boiling water, then nodded and turned it off. “Yes. If the goddesses gave you this, then I can see that we must leave posthaste.”
“Thank you.” My shoulders relaxed the smallest amount.
Maybe, with any luck at all, we would stop her.
13
Devrim led us out to the back corral. Dozens of goats shifted in their enclosure, their flaming red eyes turning toward us.
“Those are some interesting goats you have,” I said.
“Indeed.” He smiled at me. “Rare, Chimaeran goats. Fireproof wool.”
One of the goat baahed, and a blast of fire shot from its mouth. The flame flew all the way toward us, and I darted backward, narrowly avoiding the blast.
“Ah, yes. You may want to keep a wary eye out.”
I shared a look with Tarron and Aeri. Both eyed the goat speculatively.
“You could probably weaponize them,” Aeri murmured.
One of the goats narrowed its beady eyes at her. She raised her hands in a gesture of apology. “Of course not. Sorry, ladies.”
The creature baahed and shot its fireball at her. She shifted, then met my gaze. “We need to get the hell out of here. Quickly.”
I looked at Devrim, who was leading us toward a dark green open-top jeep parked at the side of the enclosure. “We’re going
to go through fields of these goats?”
“We are.”
“So the only way through, if one doesn’t go with you, is by flying?”
He turned and shook his head. “Not really. You’ll see.”
I raised my brows and nodded, hoping he could tell that I was interested in hearing more. But nope. That was all he had to say, apparently. He turned his attention to readying the jeep.
“He’s as enigmatic as the damned goddesses,” I muttered.
We climbed into the vehicle, with me and Aeri taking the back. I preferred to be able to stand on the flat bench seat if I needed to do any fighting. Not that the goats would necessarily leap into the jeep, but how was I to know? I’d never seen one that could breathe fire, so they could be capable of anything.
“Seat belts!” Devrim shouted.
I grumbled but put mine on. Aeri did the same.
“Normally I’m all for seat belts,” I muttered. “But not when I’m at risk of getting barbecued by a goat.”
“How the tables have turned.” Devrim chuckled, and I had to assume he was making some kind of mutton cooking joke.
If I hadn’t been a complete and total basket case, I might have laughed.
Devrim took off with a hard press of gas. The jeep leapt forward and took off down the street. The crazy shepherd was going a good sixty miles an hour through his little town, and he cranked up the speed when he reached the open road.
Approximately a mile from town, he turned a hard right and headed toward the huge mountain in the distance. The jeep’s big tires ate up the ground as he increased the speed, bouncing over lumps in the grass and dipping into potholes. I tightened my grip on the handle above me and peered at the goats who milled around, chomping on grass. Occasionally they’d blast the green stalks with their fire, maybe to give it a little crunch. Every now and again, one would look at us, red eyes flaming.
“Mari, look up.” Aeri’s voice turned my attention to the sky.
Red clouds swept through the air, which was beginning to turn toward dusk.
“That’s not a sunset.” Horror formed a pit in my stomach.
“The sky is on fire,” Aeri said.
She was right. The red clouds were made of flame.
Devrim turned around, pointing at the clouds as he spoke. “And that is why you don’t want to fly.”
“Then double thanks for the ride.” I gripped the handle above my head tighter, hoping this ride ended soon. I’d rather face down a bunch of endangered lions than hang out in the back of this bumpy thing much longer.
We were about halfway toward the mountain when Devrim turned around to meet our eyes. “Get ready.”
“For what?” Tarron asked.
“The speed.”
“This isn’t fast?” Shock lanced me. I was familiar with speed. I’d bought my mustang for it. I was no slouch. But… “Aren’t we going fast enough?”
“Not for Angry Ahabi.” He pointed to a cluster of goats off to our right and a bit forward.
A huge goat in front stared at us, red eyes flaming. She was twice the size of the others, and her posse had to be made up of two hundred other goats.
“Angry Ahabi was once mine. No longer. She has forged off on her own.”
Angry Ahabi shrieked, a great baa that sent a shiver down my spine. Then she charged, her head low to the ground and smoke blowing from her nose. The others followed, headed straight for us. The ground trembled with the force of their footfalls, the horde of them moving so fast that they would surely intercept us.
My heart jumped into my throat.
This was not what I had been expecting. Being frightened by goats was so not in my wheelhouse.
But Angry Ahabi was a big bitch, and she plowed ahead with the force of a locomotive. Flames burst from her nostrils, blackening the wool on her chest. She didn't so much as slow. Her minions kept up, so many of them that they could trample us to death.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Aeri, who was closest to the goats, unbuckled her seat belt and stood on the seat.
“Hold on!” Devrim yanked on the steering wheel and turned hard left, veering away from the horde.
Tarron stood, his magic rising on the air. The field began to smell of autumn, and he thrust out his hands, throwing a huge blast of water at the goats.
Angry Ahabi’s flame doused, and she howled, a baa that it sounded like it came from the depths of hell. She plowed forward, picking up speed.
With her head down and her feet thundering, she was likely planning to ram the front wheels of the car. She moved so fast that she could probably break an axle, then we’d end up crushed under their hooves.
Ah, shit.
Devrim was a great driver, fast and sure. He swerved and accelerated, keeping just out of range of Angry Ahabi, who was slowed by Tarron’s jets of water but not enough to stop her. She seemed to be propelled by pure, unadulterated rage. Her minions never slowed up, either, ready to pound us into the ground under their hooves.
I unhooked my seat belt and stood. “Aeri. Let’s break open the earth. Tarron, you too.”
He nodded, not stopping the flow of water that he was using to slow the goats, who plowed through like freight trains. I cut into my finger, watching Aeri do the same. Pain sliced, then black blood welled. I used my Dragon Blood to imagine breaking the earth apart as a fissure that would separate us from the murderous goats.
Aeri’s magic surged, the sound of birdsong cutting through the dusk. Tarron’s did as well, and the earth to the right of the jeep began to crack in front of Angry Ahabi.
We created a chasm so wide they couldn’t jump it. I held my breath, hoping Angry Ahabi would stop.
I respected that angry goat. She was just protecting her turf. I didn’t want her plummeting into a pit.
She skidded to a halt in front of the chasm, her eyes alight with rage. The baa that escaped her made the hair on my arms stand on end. She eyed me with her gleaming gaze, and I waved.
“Maybe next time, Angry Ahabi!” I shouted.
“That goat will come for you,” Devrim said.
“I’ll need to stay off her turf, then.”
He shook his head. “Well done. But you’d best hope she doesn’t visit your dreams.”
I swallowed hard, giving Angry Ahabi one last look. I liked my beauty sleep—no way I wanted a pissed-off, fire-breathing goat rampaging through my head.
I sat back down, shoving away the concern. Devrim drove the last bit at a fast clip, the jeep bouncing along as we approached the base of the mountain. It was tall and jagged-looking, with scrubby trees and great boulders all along the lower portion.
Devrim pulled the jeep to a halt at the base of the mountain. Fiery red clouds hung low over the slopes. They blew on the wind, traveling faster than normal clouds, sweeping along. Their movements were erratic and impossible to anticipate.
Flying up the side of that mountain would be a terrible idea. The clouds would burn my wings to dust in no time. They forced us to take the difficult route overland, making us face off against the protections and predators who prowled the night.
Devrim turned to look at the three of us. “We’re here. Follow the path and try not to die.”
“Thanks.” I hopped out of the car. “We appreciate the ride. Best of luck getting back.”
He nodded. “You should be able to transport out of here when you’re done, if you have that power. It’s not protected against people leaving—only coming. So there’s no need to call me.”
“We won’t,” Tarron said, and I got the impression that Devrim really didn’t want to do two drives across Angry Ahabi’s turf.
“Best of luck.” He saluted, then drove off, the jeep’s lights glowing red as it disappeared into the night.
The sun had just set, and it was almost fully dark. Not ideal for walking into lion territory, but there was obviously no choice.
“Here’s the path.” Tarron led the way to the narrow, cleared space through the brush.
I got into step behind him, and we made our way forward, single file. Aeri guarded the back. The fiery clouds from above lit the ground well, providing enough light that we wouldn’t need to conjure anything.
Tarron looked at me over his shoulder. “You good?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t help but notice how damned handsome he looked in the firelight, while kicking myself at the same time since my mind should not be on that. But it would be like not noticing a gorgeous sunset as you rode into battle. You had to see it.
We made our way silently up the mountain, moving at a swift jog. We needed to get there as fast as possible, and the only option was to run. Soon, my breath was heaving in my lungs and my thighs ached from the upward slope. The heat from the fiery clouds blasted down at us, making sweat drip down my back and my lips dry.
“I really wish I exercised more,” Aeri muttered from behind me.
“Ditto.” This was killer.
Eventually, we arrived at a break in the path. What had once been one trail opened up to a clearing and deviated to seven separate trails.
“Shit.” I stared at them. Danger radiated from each.
“The goddesses made it clear that there was one safe path.” Tarron strode from trailhead to trailhead, inspecting each.
I frowned and looked around. “There has to be a clue of some kind.”
The three of us began to search—for what, I had no idea. The moon and fiery clouds were bright enough to provide plenty of light for our search. Trees, rocks, and scrubby brush surrounded the trails, and we stuck primarily to those. I wiped sweat out of my eyes as I hunted, poking through brush that scraped my hands and irritated my skin. It took a good five minutes, but finally, Aeri spoke.
“What about this?” Her voice sounded from several yards behind me.
I turned and joined her at the edge of the clearing. She crouched by a flat square stone that she’d cleared some brush off of. Carefully, she ran her fingertips over the inscriptions.
“Nice find.” I crouched and looked at it, frowning at the writing. “Shit. I can’t read that. Tarron?”
He approached, brows drawn. He crouched low next to me, moving with the grace of a giant ballet dancer. His frown deepened. “That looks like ancient Greek.”
“Can you read it?” Aeri demanded.