“Unnr!” Agilulf roared, stumbling onto his feet. He tried to reach her as she dropped to the ground.
But the men surrounding him held him down.
The one whose power felt like Grey’s leaned down, bathing his hands in the blood that spilled onto the grass. Unnr’s fingers twitched and dug into the ground as the light in her eyes died.
“She was the light in my life. After the death of my wife and son, she was all I had left,” the Piper said. It—or I should say he—crouched next to the fallen body of his daughter, stroking her face softly, although I knew this was nothing more than a memory. He was merely touching the echo of who she had been.
“They created me. Murdered my child, and then demanded I save their sons and daughters.” The Piper’s face twisted with disgust. “I saved their children from the suffering they would have endured at the hands of such parents. I saved them from the knowledge that their parents were killers…” He turned his gaze up to me, his blue eyes glowing with a ferocious inner light. “I saved them the pain this world would have given them. I took it into myself, and when they realised what I’d done, they locked me away…”
The sunny meadow covered in Unnr’s blood disappeared, and we were suddenly back in the paddock next to my house.
I stumbled backwards, my heartbeat hammering as I struggled to regain my breath. I felt as though I’d run a marathon, even though I’d been standing still, locked in the Piper’s grip.
Everything looked exactly as we’d left it, as though no time had passed at all. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“You wear your pain like a cloak,” he said to me. “Together we could bring this world to its knees. Make them suffer for the things they have done to us.”
“I already slayed my demons,” I said, straightening up. “I killed them, but I didn’t take my vengeance out on a bunch of innocents. I’m nothing like you.”
The Piper shook his head. “And that is where you’re wrong.” He closed his eyes, and the music I’d only ever heard inside my head filled the air.
I tried to move, but my legs were frozen in place. Merry’s excited squeals reached my ears.
“Merry, stay with me, baby,” Carolyn said, fear twisting her words.
The Piper crouched down and held out his arms, and I twisted at the waist in time to see Merry running across the grass toward him.
Panic clawed up my chest as I tried to fight the Piper’s hold.
“Why are you doing this? Why her?” I asked, desperation filling every cell in my body.
“Because she can take my suffering. I cannot die, but I have lived so long with this pain. The memory of my Unnr haunts me, and I do not want to be broken anymore…” He swept Merry into his arms, cradling her against his body.
She smiled up at him as the music grew louder, and I watched as she planted her chubby hands against his cheeks.
“Merry!” Carolyn’s voice was frantic.
I drew my power up from my core. It was a dangerous move, a last resort. I knew using it would mean the other immortals, the gods of old, if they existed anymore, would sense me. But what other choice did I have? I couldn’t let him win. I wouldn’t let him kill her. She was far too precious.
The magic anchoring me in place gave way, and I crossed the grass toward him.
The Piper’s smile faded as he watched me break free of his hold, and his music increased until it was almost unbearable.
“You will not take her from me,” he said, and Merry’s smile faded.
The tattoo on my back started to burn as my power grew. It hadn’t felt this strong in Faerie, and the ferocity took me by surprise. The burn spread, and I threw my head back, letting out a ragged scream. My skin felt as though it was tearing apart, cell by cell, before being remade only to be ripped asunder once more.
I dropped to my hands and knees, digging my fingers into the dirt.
Something slithered away from me, and the sound of its body sliding through the grass as the pain subsided brought me crashing back to reality.
Merry started to laugh and clap her hands joyously as a huge viper circled us. It looked suspiciously like the viper Kypherous had tattooed onto my back, but that seemed impossible. Its green scales shimmered with magic, and its ruby eyes were lit with inner light. It watched the scene with an uncomfortable intelligence.
“Friend!” she cried happily, but the Piper didn’t share her joy.
He placed her on the ground and grabbed her face. I threw myself across the space, my body colliding with his as Merry let out a startled sob.
“You cannot kill me,” he said, grabbing my jacket by the lapels. He gathered his legs beneath him and prepared to buck me off, but I planted my knees on either side of his barrel chest and captured his blue eyes with my gaze.
Magic poured up the back of my throat with enough power that I felt as though I might choke on it before I achieved my aim.
“What are you?” His voice grew rougher, and I let the power I’d amassed spill from me.
His eyes turned grey, before they turned to stone, my magic driving outwards so that his cheeks and jaw were also consumed by my magic. The more I gave in to the power, the faster he turned to stone, and within seconds his body was solid beneath mine.
Trembling, I tugged myself free of his stony grip, my jacket ripping as his fingers crumbled rather than give up the fabric.
I didn’t dare look at Merry. I could still feel my power pumping through my veins, and it longed to be let loose upon the world.
“Close your eyes, sweetheart,” I said, keeping my back to Merry as I pushed up from the ground.
The Piper’s body crumbled away to dust as something dark and formless burst forth from its centre. He couldn’t be killed. Not even turning his body to stone could keep him contained.
The wight bore down on Merry, and I threw myself between them, preparing for him to slam into me. His blue eyes flashed with anger, but as he reached me, the glittering viper intercepted him. I had just enough time to turn and wrap my arms around Merry, shielding her body with my own as the viper’s jaws spread wide. I glanced over my shoulder and watched as the viper swallowed the wraith whole, the darkness disappearing down its huge maw.
The viper then turned on itself and slithered back toward Merry and me.
The necklace I still wore glowed with a blue light bright enough that I was forced to shield my eyes or risk going completely blind. And between one breath and the next, the viper was gone.
We were alone once more.
Chapter 34
Merry planted a wet kiss on my cheek as Carolyn raced across the field toward us. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she swept Merry into her arms and twirled her around, squeezing her hard enough that I wondered if the little girl could breathe.
Leaving them to share their moment, I ran over to Grey. He climbed unsteadily to his feet and gave me an incredulous look.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, then reached out and brushed his thumb over my cheek.
“Damned if I know,” I said, not entirely honestly. Kypherous had hoped I would develop the ability to call forth a viper, but I’d never done it then, and I still wasn’t sure how I’d managed it now.
“Triskel,” I said, turning back toward the fae, who lay where the Piper had left her. Grey hobbled after me as I turned her over in the grass, straightening her out as I searched for signs of life.
“She has no heartbeat,” I said, raising my gaze to Grey’s.
“She needs to shift,” Grey said, but he may as well have been speaking another language for all the sense he made.
“Her glamour is down,” I said.
Grey shook his head. “This is only one form. She needs to shift into her dragon to heal the damage, and the fact that she hasn’t concerns me.”
It concerned me that she hadn’t moved the entire time I’d fought the wight. Was there a time limit on how long a half-changeling, half-dragon could be without a heartbeat before she died? If she’d
been human, she would simply be dead. But the fae were different, and where others would succumb, they tended to survive. I could only hope that Triskel was the same.
“Can you help her?”
Grey nodded, then placed one hand over her eyes and the other over her chest. I felt his magic fill the air, pushing against my skin, and for a split second it felt as though his hands were pressed to my body too, and not just the dying fae’s.
The sound of sirens split the air, and I twisted around to see the telltale blue and red lights of emergency services flashing against the predawn sky.
Grey’s magic surged, and I dug my nails into my palms. Triskel’s body grew longer, her bones popping and rearranging, her skin running from her body like ink from a page, and within seconds she was covered in shimmering scarlet and gold scales. Her face elongated, a long snout popping out as her features took on a distinctly reptilian appearance.
As quickly as the change came over her, she shifted back. Her clothes lay scattered around her in tatters, and I found myself holding my breath as I waited for something, anything, to tell me she was still alive.
Suddenly her eyes popped open and she surged up from the ground. Her chest thrust toward the sky as she dragged in a long, frantic breath. I jumped and fell back onto the dirt with a painful thump that ricocheted up through my spine. I was going to be one massive bruise come morning. She collapsed back toward the earth once more, and Grey caught her, setting her gently back on the grass, careful not to let her hurt her head.
“I think she’ll be fine, but I’m no expert where the fae are concerned,” he said, studying her carefully.
Paramedics and police swarmed onto the field, and Alex appeared, leading the charge toward us.
“Don’t tell me I missed the fun,” he said, managing to sound genuinely put out.
“Is Adrian all right?” I asked, and Alex nodded.
“He’s fine, gone off to the hospital, which he’s pretty pissed about.”
I smiled. That sounded like Adrian.
“You can tell them that the threat has passed,” I said.
Alex shot me a quizzical look, but I shook my head. “It’s a long story, and one I have no intention of getting into now.”
“We should get Triskel and the others inside,” I said to Grey as Alex jogged toward the police, who seemed to be milling around looking more than a little confused.
“Are you all right?” Grey asked, his face a mask of concern. I nodded and pushed up onto my feet, then stretched. My body ached, I was exhausted, and hunger gnawed at my stomach like some sort of rabid animal. But as I glanced over toward Merry and her mother, my discomforts faded into the background. Carolyn was rocking her daughter back and forth in her arms, her face pressed against the girl’s blonde hair. Merry looked entirely serene despite everything that had happened.
“I’m fine,” I said, my throat constricting with the tears I tried to swallow back.
Everything had worked out. Or at least everyone was still in one piece. As I continued to watch Carolyn with her daughter, I couldn’t stop a small kernel of worry from springing up inside me, but I tried to crush it down. We’d won. The creature was gone. But that alone wasn’t enough to quash my worries. Merry’s trusting nature had very nearly gotten her killed. Others would come for her and the gift she possessed, but for now she was safe.
I could only hope that it would be some time before another evil like the Pied Piper arose to threaten the little bit of safety we’d found here together.
Join the Inner Circle
We’ve got cats, candy, and books, so many books!
Join the fun!
The Inner Circle
BE A SUPER FAN
Jenna has her whip, Darcey has her Bone Blade, and Amber’s got her magic. As an author, I have my reviews. They help spread the word about the characters we love, bringing new readers to the series.
I don’t have the marketing push from a mega-publisher, so everything falls to me.
However, I’ve got something so much better.
The most amazing, supportive, and caring readers any author could ever hope for and you mean the world to me.
Honest reviews are the lifeblood of indie authors.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my book, please consider leaving a review on the book’s Amazon page.
Want to know when the next Jenna Faith book is coming?
To learn more about this series and upcoming books, join Bilinda’s mailing list for a chance to get ARCs, member giveaways and sneak peeks.
Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/bEgDrT
Website: bilindasheehan.com
Email: [email protected]
You can also keep up to date and follow her on Facebook
Facebook Page for Bilinda Sheehan Author
Facebook Group
Also by Bilinda Sheehan
Jenna Faith Series
Cast in Stone
Book Two - Coming Soon
The Shadow Sorceress Series
A Grave Magic
Blood Craft
Grim Rites
Wild Hunt
Touch of Shadow
Embrace of Darkness - Coming Soon
Bones and Bounties
Banshee Blues
Huntress Moon
Kiss of the Banshee
Roll the Bones - Coming Soon
Cast in Stone Page 26