Medea naked under him ...
Yeah, that image was vivid and sharp. And it made his pants uncomfortably tight in the crotch.
Even more agitated, he turned his back to her and considered kicking the shield. It wouldn't do any good, but at this point, he'd be willing to throw a shoe just to get some satisfaction from the aggravating bastard thing.
At least that was his thought until a sharp light almost blinded him.
Summoning his dragonfyre, he was about to release it when the shadow took the form of a man he knew well.
One he trusted not at all.
The moment he saw the glow engulfing Falcyn's hand, Shadow drew up short and set fire to his own hands as if to retaliate. "Whoa, dragon! Down, boy!"
"What are you doing here?"
After allowing the fire in his hands to go out, Shadow tugged one of the three amulets he wore about his neck over his head. "I have a present for you." As he spoke those words, another form appeared by Shadow's side.
Since Shadow didn't react to the peculiar gargoyle with him, Falcyn assumed they must be allies as Shadow tolerated few to stand that far back in his peripheral where they might attack unseen. Especially since the gargoyle stayed back and crossed his arms over his muscled chest as if content to wait for them to finish their business.
Yeah, they were definitely allies of some sort.
"It's a portal key," Blaise said instantly. "I can feel it on him."
"The mandrake would be correct. Varian sent me to escort the lot of you out of here."
"We need to get back to Sanctuary." Medea rose to her feet. "We've wasted enough time."
"First we have to free the dragons at Camelot," Blaise reminded her.
Medea rolled her eyes. "They're statues, right? Been that way for centuries. What's a few more days? Meanwhile my people are dying even as we speak. We need to save them!"
Blaise approached her with angry strides. The fact that he could walk so assuredly while blind amazed Falcyn. It always had. Yet he stopped right in front of her so that he could speak in sharp staccato beats. "If Morgen frees the dragons, she'll tear through your Daimons. They'll die anyway."
"And Falcyn's sister is among those being held at Camelot. She'll be the first Morgen will slaughter should she wake her. Would you condemn her, too?"
Falcyn arched a brow at Brandor's unexpected disclosure. He'd had no idea that Xyn was one of the dragons frozen beneath Camelot. And it stunned him that the fey courtesan would know of her presence there when he'd just learned it.
Shadow frowned as he listened to them arguing. After a second round of their escalating pitches, he whistled. "While this argument is really unamusing and unproductive, and I couldn't care less about the outcome, I feel obligated to mention something you might find interesting." He waited until all of them were facing him before he spoke again. "Why would Morgen summon Maddor for this? Seems a massive waste of his talents, if you ask me."
Falcyn felt the color drain from his face. "What delusions are you suffering?"
"No delusions, friend. Right before I left, they sent a guard after him. Knowing her, it wasn't for coffee or tea, or for an afternoon snack. While he does bear some similar characteristics with her past lovers"--he cut a meaningful glance to Brandor--"he's not her usual fare, and she normally keeps him on a short leash, at a long distance from her, as he hates the bitch with a desperate passion and is likely to tear out her throat one day. But neither of us could figure out why she'd want him. She usually only calls him out for war."
Medea cursed under her breath as a bad feeling went through her. Only one thing came to mind.
And the moment she met Falcyn's steely gaze, she knew he held the same dreaded thought she did. "They're planning to use him to lure you, aren't they?"
Falcyn nodded. "He's walking into a trap."
By the expression on his face, she knew the pain in his heart.
And what she needed to do.
"Urian?" She pulled the ring from her pinkie and held it out to him. "Go to Davyn and make sure he's all right. Tell him I'll be there with the dragonstone as soon as I can. Please keep him safe for me."
Falcyn gave her a puzzled stare. "What are you doing?"
"I'm not about to let you walk into that nightmare without someone at your back. God or whatever you are, you'll still need some support you can count on."
"What about your people?"
"They're not my son. But Maddor is yours." Tears blurred her vision. "For that, we march to hell itself."
His expression softened into the tenderest look imaginable. One that tugged at her heart. In two strides, he moved to stand before her and pulled her against him for the hottest kiss she'd ever known.
And when he pulled back, she saw the first spark of love in his eyes as he cradled her face in his calloused hands. He didn't say the words, but she knew what the softening in his eyes meant. It was the same look Evander had given her so many centuries before. One she'd missed so much that for a moment, it almost broke her, as she'd never, ever thought to have another man look at her like this. To feel the sudden primal rush through her body that wanted her to hold him safe and keep him close.
Forevermore.
With one ragged breath, she shoved her tender emotions aside and forced herself to remember her anger that kept her strong.
This was about blood. And oaths.
Family.
Today, they would fight. Tomorrow, she would feel.
Brandor cleared his throat as he nudged Urian. "I'm thinking they didn't just get lost in those woods."
"Yeah..." Urian dragged the word out. "Wondering if I should kick dragon ass now, or later."
Medea nipped Falcyn's chin, then turned to her brother. "Lay one finger on my dragonfly, brother, and you'll be missing vital body parts."
Urian snorted. "Not much of a threat, seeing how I never use them, anyway."
Medea frowned as she faced Shadow. "Do I know you?"
"No."
And still she had a strange sensation that they'd met somewhere. That she'd seen him. Something about him was unbelievably familiar.
She just didn't know what.
Falcyn stepped around her. "Shadow, get Urian back to Sanctuary. We'll--"
"Ah, no," Urian said, interrupting him. "We stay together."
Shadow exchanged a less-than-amused stare with his gargoyle. "Oh yeah, 'cause a large, unfamiliar motley group sneaking through Camelot would never get noticed. By anyone. Or get reported to Morgen and her bitches. Sounds like a great suicide plan to me. So glad Varian volunteered me for this happy venture into torture and hell. Bastard fey rat that he is!"
"Don't insult my father like that."
They all gaped at the indignant gargoyle.
The gargoyle glanced around them and their shocked expressions. "Well, obviously I'm adopted. While my father might have questionable morality, I promise he never got frisky with a rock."
Medea laughed at the last thing she'd expected. A rock with a sense of humor.
Shadow grinned. "Realizing belatedly that I should have introduced you all. Beau duFey ... this is ... them. Best known as the ones who are going to get us killed."
"Is he a member of the Stone Legion?" Medea remembered Blaise talking about them earlier.
"No." Beau tucked his wings down. "The Legion were all members of the Round Table. Knights who were cursed. I was born long after Morgen took Camelot from Arthur."
"In fact, he was born not too far from here."
Beau nodded at Blaise. "Uncle Blaise was there for it. Sort of."
Blaise made his way to the gargoyle. "And you should have spoken up earlier to let me know you were here with Shadow. I thought I felt another presence, but then you went still and I no longer sensed you."
Beau hugged him. "Sorry, Uncle. You looked busy and I didn't want to intrude."
Blaise clapped him on the back before he let him go. "That's the problem with all you natural-born gargoyles ... not a very verbose b
Falcyn draped his arm over Medea. "You sure about this? Shadow's right. Heading into Camelot with us isn't the sanest bet."
She nodded.
He leaned down to kiss her head.
As quickly as the tenderness had come, it vanished the instant Falcyn met Shadow's gaze. "All right then, demon, off to Camelot to see what trouble we can find."
Shadow let out a fierce groan. "Why do I always end up with the crazy ones?"
Urian winked at him. "Birds of a feather?"
Shadow sneered at him. "Now I remember why I don't like you." He swept his gaze to Blaise and Falcyn. "Any of you, as far as that goes."
With a deep breath, Shadow cracked his knuckles. "All right, kids. Last chance. Those who want a ticket to Sanity, raise your hand and we go out the portal to your home realm."
He waited a full minute before he let out an exaggerated groan. "Okay then, suicide it is. Buckle up, buttercups. Keep your hands inside the cart at all times and try not to get your heads chopped off. Thank you for choosing to ride The Grand Stupidity today, and for dragging me into this when I'd much rather be at home, sorting my dirty underwear and watching the grass grow."
"Oh stop your bitching." Blaise clapped him on the arm. "You love the excitement."
"Yeah, you keep believing those lies, mandrake, and inhaling those fumes." Shadow manifested a long rope.
Medea frowned as he stepped toward Brogan with it. "What are you doing?"
He paused to give her an irritated grimace. "Well, punkin, if we march in through the front doors, Morgen's entire Circle will descend on us like vultures on nummy roadkill. And while I do have more stupidity than the average man and a certain flair for theatrics, I can really do without a thorough gutting. Fact is, I'm doing my best to avoid the experience for the entirety of my exceptionally long life." He knotted the rope around Brogan's waist.
"You plan to take us through the Shadowland." Brogan's voice was scarce more than a whisper.
He nodded. "If we teleport into Camelot, Morgen will know instantly. Only safe way in or out is my realm."
Medea was even more confused as Shadow moved to loop and tie Brogan to Brandor. "And so I ask again ... why the rope?"
"Keeps you from getting lost in the dark, princess." Shadow moved next to Blaise.
"Remember the SOD?" Brandor asked her.
"Yeah."
Brandor double-checked the knot at his waist, which told her how serious this was. "We're going into the world that spawned them."
Her heart stopped beating as she finally understood. "The thread between the worlds?"
Shadow nodded. "Home sweet fucking home. The rope is to keep anything from snatching one of you away from me while we move through it."
Because to get lost there was to never be seen again. The darkness was ever hungry and sought any nourishment it could find.
Life being its number-one sustenance.
Shadow tied in Urian. "Keep your fear in check. Anger more so. Remember that the shadows are only a mockery of the shapes and feel of what they're attempting to duplicate. Nebulous and transitory, they lack all substance and form. They scatter in fear at the first sign of light, because they know they can't hold their own. Trickery and deception are the primary weapons the shadows use to distract the unwary and fool them into thinking they're something they're not. But in the end, those shadows are nothing more than dancing tricks that prey on unsuspecting minds, unable to differentiate the lie from the truth. When all is said and done, the shadows are swallowed either by the rays of the burning sun or the dark that eats them whole."
He paused in front of Medea. "Are you afraid?"
"Truth never scares me. I was here before time began and I will be here long after your shadows are forgotten."
Smiling, he inclined his head in respect for her fight and bravery. But when he moved to reach around her waist, Falcyn stopped him.
"I'll take care of Medea and myself."
Shadow tsked at him. "Careful, Veles. Been a long time since I've seen this side of you."
"Yeah, and I haven't forgotten what a mercenary bastard you are. As you said, shadows are deceitful things, indeed. Ever more likely to lie than to tell the truth."
Unabashed, he smirked at Falcyn. "We do what we have to, to survive, isn't that right, brother?"
Something dark and vile passed between them in a single look. An acknowledgment of their pasts that they each knew about one another, and yet didn't want shared with anyone else. It was so intense that for a few seconds she expected Falcyn to attack him.
Finally, it settled down to be nothing more than a tic in Falcyn's jaw. "Why don't you go hug a wall?"
"That's my plan."
Falcyn rolled his eyes.
As Shadow turned away to double-check everyone's knots, Falcyn caught a strange image at the sight of Shadow's profile. It was so peculiar. His mind transposed a memory of Maxis over Shadow's face. But not a current one. It was of Maxis from the ancient world when he'd been adorned in furs and paint.
Strange ... he'd never realized before how much Shadow and Max favored.
Even the way the demon moved.
Shadow paused as he caught Falcyn staring at him. "Please tell me that you're not thinking of asking me out, dragon. Or worse, for a booty call."
Falcyn sneered at the mere thought of being intimate with someone as treacherous as Shadow. "I think I just threw up in my mouth. Trust me, if I were to bend my tastes in that direction, it wouldn't be you."
Medea arched a brow. "Why do you hate him so?" she asked Falcyn.
"Ever wonder how Jared was able to switch out the swords for his army?"
Shadow froze as an agony so profound even she could feel it darkened his eyes. "You know nothing of what happened that day, dragon." His breathing ragged, he glared at Falcyn. "You judge me, you bastard ... yet you know nothing of my past."
"I know enough."
"That's what they all say right before they pick up the stones to slay a victim for being a part of a crime they never wanted any part of. Wallow in your misery. Whine and bitch, dragon. It's what you're good at. Some of us were never allowed a haven where we could give in to such tantrums."
And with that, Shadow moved to tie in Beau.
Beau stopped him. "I can walk in the front gates of Camelot and no one will notice or be the wiser." He winked at Shadow. "No offense, gargoyles don't do well in the Nithing. I'll be waiting for you in the South Tower."
"Be safe." Shadow patted him on the arm.
Beau spread his wings. "And you." He launched himself into flight and vanished quickly into the dark, gray clouds.
His expression grim, Shadow turned back to them. "Remember to avoid the SODs. Don't listen to anything and stay focused on your goal. Let nothing distract you."
Yeah, that tone wasn't creepy at all.
Medea was about to ask Falcyn about it when Shadow lifted his arm and drew a series of symbols. He reminded her of an orchestra conductor, directing a band only he could hear. Then he began a melancholic humming from deep inside his chest. Haunting and thrumming, he picked up the crescendo, and as he did so, the air around them stirred.
One moment they were standing outside, and in the next they were in a blurry, swirling world of dark sepia. It was like being trapped inside an old nickelodeon machine. Everything had a jerky, surreal feel to it. One that left her disoriented, and a bit queasy.
Medea stumbled. Falcyn caught her and held her against his side.
"It'll take a few minutes to get your bearings." Shadow's voice sounded as distorted as the scenery.
"Why is everything so weird here?"
"You're in the lining of the worlds. Think of it like a hollow realm." Shadow held his left hand up and a small porthole appeared to show them a bright sunny park where children played a game of chase. "From here, you can venture anywhere. Past. Present. Future. In all the worlds." He closed the porthole and opened one on his right that showed a storming sea.
It was both beautiful and terrifying.
Shadow walked forward, slowly, drawing more windows for them to see different times and places.
"You grew up here?"
He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Not as romantic or spectacular as your voice makes it sound. For all the beauty, it's fraught with nightmares."
A howling sounded off in the distance.
Shadow leaned his head back and answered with a chilling, bloodcurdling battle cry.
Medea started to summon a god-bolt, but Falcyn caught her hand and stayed it. "It's a skatos."
She scowled at a term she'd never heard before. "A what?"
"Guardians," Shadow breathed. "To make sure you belong here. If you're an intruder with no business in this realm, they unleash the Fringe-Hunters on you."
"You're not alone, Shadow...."
Brogan let out a squeak at the dark, hooded figure who appeared beside them and uttered those disappointed words.
"Leave off, Mairee."
She tsked. "You dare to flout the rules? Even a prince must answer when he crosses the line."
"Then bring them. I dare you."
The woman floated over to Medea and it wasn't until she was even with her that Medea realized why Brogan had gasped out loud. Half the woman's face was missing. What remained was twisted into a garish nightmare.
"You're not afraid of me?"
Medea snorted. "Something a lot scarier than you tucks me into bed at night."
Mairee moved to hover near Shadow. She studied him intently for several minutes. "Where are you off to?"
He kept moving forward. "I've no time for you. So find another to annoy."
She leaned in to whisper, but her voice carried plainly. "Fear the shadow of the hawk when he flies, for his talons bite deep."
Shadow shoved her away. But she didn't go far before she began to sing a haunting ditty. "Into your life, the hawk will creep ... sing, my child, sing. Let your voice to the heavens fly.... But remember there's no one to save you when you die."
"Enough!" Shadow roared. And when he did, his eyes turned bloodred. They glowed an unholy fire in the darkness.
And still she tsked. "The Shadow Hawk bellows and all the world kneels.... For bow you must or your life will he steal."
"I swear on my rotted and damned soul, if you don't leave, Mairee, I will finish what the Sakers started!"
"Temper, temper, Lord of Shadows and Dark. There was a time when you begged for my smile."
"That was before you betrayed me."
"Do your friends know what they follow? How quick you are to turn?"
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