by Emma Slate
The troll stared, blinked bright red eyes, and then the air around him shimmered. And once again, my jaw gaped open.
Chapter 21
He was stunning.
Brown skin the color of the tree trunks. White hair down to his shoulders. And a lean, muscular body. The lower portion covered in a loincloth. His eyes were still red—that hadn’t changed—but they no longer looked feral. They were warm as they raked over me.
“Your realm holds some interesting surprises,” I said to Thane.
“Your realm?” The leaves on the trees shook at the sound of the forest troll’s voice. “You are Guardian of the Bridge?”
“Yes,” Thane said.
The forest troll lowered his head in shame. “My apologies. I did not know it was you. Otherwise—”
“Otherwise you wouldn’t have rendered me unconscious and stolen my woman.”
“Your woman?” the troll and I exclaimed at the same time, though with very different tones.
Thane raised a dark eyebrow and addressed the troll. “Did you not see her army of spiders demolish the Flowers of Fire?”
“I was finding food and water for her.”
“Her has a name,” I snapped. “And I’m right here.”
“I wouldn’t have taken her had I known.” The forest troll dropped his gaze respectfully. “There has been an absence of potential mates these past many years.”
It was Thane’s turn to appear ashamed. “I hope to rectify that in the near future.”
The troll’s expression brightened. “How?”
“I am on a mission to un-ward these lands.”
“Is that what the issue has been? Wards?”
Thane nodded. “It’s very hard for creatures to come and go as they please.”
“Where have you been these past many years? If you’re Guardian of the Bridge?”
“I am Guardian of the Bridge,” Thane growled, causing the troll to shrink back in fear.
“No harm, no foul, right?” I climbed to my feet. “Thane, we really should be on our way.”
Thane looked like he wanted to argue, but my pointed look shut him up. He nodded. “We will continue moving.”
“Where are you going?” the troll asked, dogging our footsteps.
“We are headed to the Desert of the Forgotten.”
The troll’s dark skin paled ever so slightly. “You don’t want to go there.”
“We have to,” Thane said. “There’s no other way. We must be there when the Ebony moon is at the highest point in the sky.”
“You only have three days until that happens,” the troll said. “And right now, you’re five days from the desert.”
“Do you know a shortcut?” Thane asked. “We’d be forever in your debt.”
The troll’s expression turned pensive. “Yes, I know of one. But I will not step foot in the Desert of the Forgotten.”
Thane nodded. “Your name?”
The troll bowed ever so slightly. “Virbius, Guardian.”
“I’m Poppy,” I said. “Nice to meet you. Officially, that is.”
“Oh, I can’t call you by name, lady. Not when you belong to the Guardian.”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” I said with a look at Thane.
Thane cocked his head to one side. You don’t like belonging to me?
I don’t belong to you!
What if I said we belonged to each other? Would that make it better?
I sighed, my anger assuaged. “It would.”
Thane flashed a grin.
Virbius cleared his throat. “We really should be on our way. There’s no time to lose.” He quickly darted through the brush.
Thane?
Yes, Poppy?
I used magic.
I know.
Will it be bad?
I don’t know. Probably. But we can’t worry about it now.
“Come along!” Virbius called.
Thane grabbed my hand, and we ran after the forest troll. Leaves and twigs brushed my arms and cheeks, leaving burning trails in their wake. A branch almost got me in the eye, but I blinked at the last moment, sparing myself a very painful injury.
We didn’t stop for hours, until finally, I had to beg for a break. I wasn’t immortal yet—according to Thane. So I had little stamina for the pace we were keeping. I perched on a large rock near a stream, panting, my brow stained with sweat, while my two male companions looked like they could run all day and night. Thane handed me the canteen of water, and I took a long draught. When I had my fill, he took it back, drank, and then filled it in the stream.
Virbius bent over the water and sifted his hand through the clear liquid and then brought it to his mouth. After he quenched his thirst, he headed to a bush ripe with pearlescent berries the size of grapes. He plucked a few, bounded over, and presented them to me on one knee.
I smiled and thanked him.
Thane growled.
Virbius scurried away from me and headed back to the bush, taking a few for himself.
Be nice. I placed a berry on my tongue and then crunched it. It burst apart in my mouth, coating my tongue in thick cinnamon honey.
“Oh,” I moaned in rapture.
Virbius beamed and pumped out his chest, shooting Thane a knowing glance.
He’s still trying to seduce you. From the look on your face as you tasted the fruit, I’d say he was succeeding.
Maybe I should play you off one another. Your turn. Give me something.
Instead of words through our connection, he sent me a vision, a fantasy. Us. Together. Black sheets mussed and wrinkled. Our bodies slick with sweat and each other.
I swallowed, choking on the berry.
It was Thane’s turn to look arrogant as his tongue trailed across his sensual mouth.
A quiver shot between my legs.
Too bad we have a companion. Otherwise—
I sent him back an even filthier fantasy.
Thane threw back his head and laughed.
Chapter 22
Hours passed and there had yet to be any consequences from summoning my spiders and using magic.
Don’t be fooled into thinking we’re safe, Thane said through our connection. I have no doubt that my brother knows our whereabouts. For whatever reason, he hasn’t done anything with the knowledge.
I stood up from the log I was sitting on and began to pace. The forest floor was littered with an array of decaying leaves. Brown and white nightshades clung to stumps of trees.
Virbius was off scouting the next leg of our journey. Apparently we had to slog through swampland if we wanted to reach the Desert of the Forgotten in time.
Joy.
What critters lived in Purgatory swampland? Maybe I didn’t actually want to know.
What is the Desert of the Forgotten?
You can speak out loud, you know. Virbius isn’t here.
Sometimes this is easier.
Thane snorted out a laugh. He pressed his back to a tree and watched me as I walked off the nervous energy that pumped from my cells.
It’s hard to describe the desert. It’s…well, sandy. And hot. The sun beats down relentlessly. It’s not a…stationary place.
I have no idea what that means. I arched an eyebrow and waited.
The dunes shift. There is no path. It’s taken me weeks—months—to find my way to the other side of the desert before.
I blinked. “Then how are we supposed to navigate it?”
Thane pushed off from the tree and stalked toward me. “There is no navigating it. We walk through the desert for as long as takes for the Ebony moon to rise to its highest point, and then the barren tree will appear.”
“How will it appear? In a cloud of smoke?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that we had to be in the desert when the Ebony moon rose?”
“I didn’t know about it,” he admitted. “Not until a little while ago. Cassandra told me. In a dream—the night Gabriel visited us. Th
e prophecy comes in pieces. We succeed at a certain stage, the next part of the prophecy becomes clear to Cassandra.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “The way of prophecies, I suppose. Prophecies can have different outcomes. But certain things can’t happen if other things don’t happen first. Does that make sense?”
“I think so. What does Cassandra see?”
“Multiple outcomes for the same prophecy. The fact that we’ve gotten this far has allowed her to see a bigger portion of the true outcome.”
I sighed and hung my head. “I’m tired.”
“I know.” He reached out and gently lifted my chin so I met his gaze. “But we have to keep going.”
With a deep inhale, I nodded. Thane gently pressed his lips to mine. Through it all, I wanted him. I moved into his embrace and grazed his arms with my fingertips.
“No time for that,” Virbius stated.
His arrival made me jump. My head bashed Thane’s jaw, and the both of us scurried away from one another, rubbing our stinging body parts.
“Make a noise,” Thane growled, his hand dropping from his chin.
Virbius grinned. “Walking silently is how I bested you.” He bowed in Thane’s direction, but when Thane took a menacing step toward him, Virbius shrank back.
“We should continue on,” Virbius stated, swallowing his fear. He glanced at me. “Are you ready to keep moving?”
I shook out my arms and legs. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Virbius handed me a chunk of leaves. “This will keep you going.”
I took it and brought it to my nose, giving it a sniff. “What is it? It smells like rotten eggs.”
“Exactly.” Virbius grinned.
“I don’t get it.”
“Virbius climbed a tree and found a bird’s nest. They’re the ones with all the colorful plumes. That”—he pointed to the putrid leaves in my hand—“is a part of the nest.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said, gently setting down the leaves on the log.
Virbius dashed forward. “But you must eat it. It will keep you full for days.”
“There is nothing in the Desert of the Forgotten,” Thane added. “And you’re still human.”
“You are?” Virbius asked, his eyes gleaming.
“Forget it,” Thane snapped at him. “She’s changed most of the way, but there are still some parts of her that remain from her old life.”
“What parts?” Virbius asked in curiosity.
I looked at Thane, curious too.
“Her heart.”
I frowned and absent-mindedly rubbed my chest. How? I chose you.
Part of you did, yes. Not all of it.
So I am divided.
For now.
“Stop doing that!” Virbius snapped. “I feel left out!”
“You are left out,” Thane stated dryly.
“Thane,” I warned. Virbius was our guide—our only hope of getting to the desert before it was too late. We didn’t have the luxury of pissing off a forest troll.
Virbius glowered, but his expression brightened when he looked at me. “You really should eat that.” He pointed to the soggy mess that was losing its shape and in danger of sliding off the log. I thought about letting it fall but realized dirt wasn’t going to make it taste any better.
With great reluctance but surprising fortitude, I managed to choke down the nest.
“What’s it taste like?” Thane asked in amusement he wasn’t even bothering to conceal.
“Like wet dog hair mixed with foot odor.”
“And how do you know what those two things taste like?”
“Shut up, Thane.”
The day turned to evening, and when the sun set, the three moons ascended the sky. The Cerulean moon was still the highest and the fullest, but it looked like it was waning. One could only hope.
“How are you feeling, lady?” Virbius asked, looking over his shoulder at me.
“Surprisingly alert. And full.” I felt like I’d eaten an entire Thanksgiving meal, and I had food just underneath my esophagus.
“Good, we’ll keep going. We’re almost to the swamp.”
I swallowed. I was not looking forward to the next leg of our journey. “What kind of beasts live in the swamp?”
“No beasts,” Virbius explained. “It’s not that kind of swamp.”
Do I want to—
No. You don’t.
I sighed and kept moving forward.
Chapter 23
My mouth gaped. “An ice swamp? Really?”
Virbius nodded.
“Are those ice caps?” I demanded with a point of a finger.
“Yes,” Virbius replied.
“And is that—” I looked up at the sky. “Snow?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure this is a swamp?” I asked.
“It is,” Thane stated. “Not all things in Purgatory look the way you expect them to.”
Boy, wasn’t that the truth.
Snowflakes continued to lazily float down from the dark sky and fall into the gently rippling water.
Ice stakes rose out of the swamp, iridescent blue and pulsing.
You’re not cold, though, are you?
That’s rhetorical. Right? Because of the spidey suit?
Yes.
“I am going to change into my other form.” Virbius’s eyes glowed red. “You understand?”
“Sure. That form has fur.” I looked to Thane. “How do we do this?”
Virbius gestured to the floating slabs of ice. “There’s a walkway.”
“Are you sure there are no swamp creatures?”
“Nothing to fear. I promise.” Virbius took a few steps away from us, and we gave him a wide berth. His skin rippled and shifted, his limbs elongating. Suddenly he was seven feet tall and furry.
With a wave of his paw, he gestured to the ice swamp. He was already on the third block, hopping to the fourth, by the time Thane and I had approached the first one.
I still wasn’t convinced that there wasn’t some danger lurking at the bottom of the swamp’s icy depths. “You sure this is a good idea?” I asked.
“Virbius has no reason to lie. If anything, he could try and have me killed, and take you for himself.”
I snorted. “I feel like I’m just wanted for my body.”
Thane’s head dipped down my form. “I’m not going to lie, I’m enjoying the view in that suit.” I pushed against his chest, but his hand latched around my wrist and tugged me toward him. “It will be fine.” He leaned over to brush his lips against mine. “You first. I’ll follow.”
“You just want to stare at my ass,” I said, smiling.
He cocked his head to one side and grinned. “You’re feisty tonight.”
“Energy. That gross bird’s nest in my stomach is keeping me going. It’s like Purgatory Red Bull.”
Thane released my wrist and then gently patted my rump. “Onward.”
With a deep breath, I stepped on the first chunk of ice. I expected it to wobble and bob, but it seemed anchored and solid.
“I can do this,” I muttered to myself.
The flakes continued to come down and settled on my cheeks and eyelashes. Out of sheer instinct, I stuck out my tongue and caught one. It fizzled and popped in my mouth.
Virbius’s furry head whipped around and barked something in his forest troll gobbledygook.
I opened my mouth to explain, but my tongue wouldn’t move. Numbing snowflakes.
Of course.
We continued on in silence. My tongue showed no signs of thawing, so the journey was quiet. I didn’t even reach out to Thane via our mental connection, wanting to focus entirely on my footing.
My gaze drifted to peer at the thin, iridescent, pulsing ice reeds that disappeared into the dark waters. Did they have roots? Could you cut them off and gather them in a bouquet? Would they die if plucked from the ice water?
Would I ever have the chance to know the answers to a
ll my questions? Would I ever have a chance to explore the hills and valleys of Purgatory, to run and laugh with Thane, to have a life full of passion…to have a life at all?
We were doomed to fail, the odds stacked against us. We were the underdogs, already bleeding and down for the count. And still we were fighting, putting one foot in front of the other, because there was no other choice.
My gaze landed on the serene, undulating waters of the swamp. It was dark, nearly black. The moonbeams that hit the surface quickly disappeared, as if consumed by the murky depths.
Something glinted in the light. Something silver, like a blade of a knife. It swirled in circles toward the surface. I gasped when I realized what I saw.
A long, shimmering, silver tail slashed through the water. Blond hair floated around a face that had once been golden from the sun but was now a wan gray.
Hunter, in his new merrow form, opened his mouth and called out, “Save me, Poppy.”
He reached a hand up, and I grabbed it. Before I knew what was happening, I was in the ice swamp’s frigid clutches.
The mirage of Hunter disappeared right as the first ice reed pierced my heart.
Chapter 24
My eyes flicked open to stare at the dark sky. The Cerulean moon blotted out most of the stars winking from above. I gazed at them in curiosity, wondering if the same constellations I’d grown up with were here as well. Or was that a different sky?
What was real? I couldn’t tell anymore.
“Poppy.”
My gaze dipped. Thane sat by my side, his hair dripping wet. His lips were a glossy blue, like he’d eaten blue watermelon Laffy Taffy.
“Poppy,” he said more forcefully.
“Give her some time,” Virbius snapped.
I thought for sure Thane would reach out and lift the forest troll by the neck and shake him like a rag doll. But he didn’t. He kept his eyes locked on me.
“Why do you look so sad?” I asked, a cloud of air escaping my lungs. It was difficult to make my lips move. They felt frozen, stiff, like they’d shatter if I smiled.