by Linsey Hall
We crested a ridge, and I stopped dead in my tracks, my jaw dropping low. The ridge we’d climbed wasn’t actually at the highest point. No—ahead of us stood two tall gray cliffs. Between them poured a massive waterfall into a beautiful blue pool.
“How the hell is it not frozen solid?” Nix demanded.
“Not cold enough?” Cass asked.
“Oh, it’s plenty cold enough,” Nix said. “And where is it coming from? There shouldn’t be a river big enough in this part of Wales to feed that thing. Especially not here.”
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” I couldn’t take my gaze away from the waterfall. It poured so fast and so hard that it was pure white as it pounded into the pool below. The pool itself glittered the deep, bright turquoise of a glacier lake. I’d never seen such a beautiful color in my life. It made my eyes hurt to look at it. The bank was white snow and the whole scene postcard perfect.
“No, you’re right. This is strange,” Roarke said. “Wales has some pretty impressive mountains, and they can get snowy, but this is year-round, thousand-year-old, Everest-type snow. That’s off. This is magic.”
The dangerous kind.
Aidan stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared up. “We can’t climb those cliffs.”
“We can try flying over them.” Roarke took off his snowshoes.
Aidan nodded. “It may be the only way.”
I stepped back as the tornado of gray mist began to swirl around Roarke. Golden light glowed from Aidan as his magic took hold. It was pretty spectacular to watch them both shift at the same time, especially against the backdrop of pure white snow.
Their magic swelled on the air, competing scents of forest and sandalwood. A moment later, the dark demon-angel and the griffin stood before us.
As usual, the magic had removed Roarke’s jacket and shirt so his wings wouldn’t destroy them, but he wore the same pants and boots. His dark wings were stark against the snow. The griffin was protected by his golden fur and feathers. Honestly, Aidan looked warmer in that form.
Roarke lifted his wings, then brought them down in a powerful motion.
His feet didn’t leave the ground. He frowned.
Beside him, Aidan crouched low, ready to push off into the air and take flight with his massive golden wings.
He pushed off like I expected, but he went nowhere. His feet were stuck like glue.
“Magic.” Roarke’s gravelly voice was thick with annoyance. “No flying. Like at the quarry.”
Shit. The magic wanted to force us to go a certain way.
Golden light enveloped the griffin. A moment later, Aidan stood in its place and said, “Security measure.”
“Which way are we supposed to go, then?” I studied the scene ahead. The two cliff faces were unclimbable. Not only were they sheer gray rock, but further examination revealed that they were covered by a thick sheet of shiny ice. On the far side of each cliff was nothing. Just air. No way around.
“I think we have to go under the waterfall,” Nix said.
My dragon sense tugged that way. The waterfall, though powerful, didn’t look thick. There was space behind it. Occasionally, I thought I could make out the shadow of something.
There was no denying it. That was where we needed to be. So we were going to have to jump into that icy water and swim under the waterfall.
“I think you’re right,” I said.
Aidan frowned. “Going to be cold.”
“And there could be enchantments,” Cass said. “Actually, I’d bank on it.”
“Me too.” Dread curled in the pit of my stomach. I’d almost drowned back at the lake when I’d had to fight the lake monster. My throat burned at the memory of hacking up water.
“It’s not a thick waterfall, though,” Nix said. “It’s powerful, but there’s not far we have to swim underwater.”
I hoped she was right. I started toward the edge of the pond, treading carefully on the snow. The pool was deep, the middle a pure, dark blue that could only come from some serious water depth. Up close, the roar of the water was deafening.
“I do not like the look of that.” I stepped forward, but pulled up short before my foot could hit the ground.
The magic felt a bit funny. Prickly—but so faint.
I reached out a hand, hitting an invisible wall. Then I grinned.
“Why the smile?” Cass asked. “Because this looks pretty dire.”
“There’s an invisible protective barrier here.” I laid my palm flat against the barrier, probably looking like a mime. “The past few times, I’ve just walked into these and slammed my face. But this time! This time I learned. Felt it right before I hit it.”
“Practice makes perfect,” Nix said.
Aidan stepped up and ran his hands over the barrier that protected the pool. “This may be why it doesn’t freeze in the cold. But we still have to get through it.”
“I can break it,” Roarke said.
“If the barrier is broken, will the cold freeze the water and trap us underneath?” I asked.
“Not if we’re fast,” Cass said.
“Then we’d better be fast,” Aidan said.
“We’ll be okay,” Nix said.
“Don’t jinx us.” I knocked on my head. “I think we need a plan.”
“Agreed,” Cass said. “Aidan and I will shift into polar bears. That should help.”
I swung my head toward her. “Polar bears? Well, I guess they don’t fly, so it should work.”
“And polar bears are great swimmers,” Cass added. “If any of us falters, the bears can help. Also, I’ve always wanted to be a polar bear. And they’re printed on your lucky PJs, so it’s got to bring us luck.”
I hoped she was right. But I was feeling pretty lucky to have all of them around right now. Every one of them had skills we needed. As the Origin, a descendent of the first ever shifter, Aidan could change into any type of animal he wanted. Cass was a Mirror Mage, and as such, she could mimic his magic.
“Okay.” I turned back to the pool. “So you guys shift, Roarke will break the barrier, then we’ll swim for it.”
“And remember,” Cass said. “If you use up half your air supply and you don’t see the end, turn back around. Make it back out alive.”
A key rule of treasure hunting. Stay alive.
Everyone nodded.
Magic surged as Aidan and Cass shifted. A moment later, two massive white bears stood beside me. Aidan was bigger, with silky white fur and jet black eyes, but I wouldn’t have wanted to run into Cass in the wild, either.
They were terrifying, but also damned cute.
“I really just want to cuddle up with you guys.” I took off my snowshoes, then turned to Roarke, who was still in demon form. He was stronger this way. “Ready?”
“As ever.” He approached the barrier, swung back his fist, then sent it hurtling toward the barrier.
His fist stopped in midair, colliding with the barrier with a deafening crash and sending crackling white lines streaking across the air like broken glass.
He stepped forward, through the barrier and right up to the very edge of the pond, then turned back to me. “Go time.”
I nodded and shared an anxious glance with Nix. We nodded at each other. On the far side, the bears nodded, too. Roarke turned to the water. I sucked in a deep breath and ran for the water, side by side with my friends, and dived in.
Tiny icicles pierced me all over. It was even colder than Lake Laberge. I kicked as hard as I could, fighting through the water. I hadn’t dove deep, but every foot of this water felt like a mile.
When my head broke the surface, I didn’t stop. Just kept kicking toward the waterfall. The pressure of the water pounding down vibrated through my chest. When we neared it, I dove deep, opening my eyes to make sure I was going in the right direction.
The water glittered clear and blue. As soon as I kicked under the fall of water, I tumbled end over end, caught in the force of the flow. I thras
hed and kicked. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Roarke and Nix in the same position.
My lungs burned as I struggled. The water was stronger than it should’ve been.
Enchantment.
Desperate, I fought to get free of the pull, but it forced me deeper. I no longer felt the cold tearing at my skin. Panic heated my blood and made me fight, kicking and clawing at the water.
But I went nowhere.
A moment later, something hard shoved me from behind, forcing me free of the enchantment. Suddenly, my strokes carried me through the water. I kicked as hard as I could, using the last of my strength to reach the glowing surface above.
Almost there!
My lungs burned, desperate for the air that was so close. With a powerful kick, I reached the surface.
And crashed into a sheet of ice.
An involuntary scream escaped my throat, costing me precious air.
Panicked, I beat at the ice above my head, but it didn’t break. It was so damned thick.
I spun in the water, my hair floating around my head and making it hard to see. Where were my friends?
Nix was swimming toward me, her eyes wide and her skin pale. A polar bear behind her pushed Roarke free of the water trap, then swam for us.
Frantically, I pointed at the ice above my head. The bear looked at it, then swam for it with powerful legs. It crashed into the ice, clearly hoping to break it.
But the ice was too thick. The bear slammed into it again, but the ice held.
Black started to creep in at the edges of my vision.
No!
We needed air!
The other polar bear swam up to join us, its dark gaze on the ice. It pressed its paws against the ice. They glowed red.
Fire! Cass was using her gift of fire to melt the ice!
I strained to stay calm and conserve the last of my air, but my lungs were burning. Cass’s fire was so slow. She wasn’t even halfway through the sheet of ice above when she withdrew her paws. I wanted to scream, but didn’t dare lose the air.
Cass the bear swam down a bit, then pushed up through the water and crashed into the thinned sheet of ice. It exploded upward, rocking me back.
Through blurry vision, I saw the bear drop back into the water and swim down beneath me. Beside me, the other bear caught Nix. They pushed us up through the water until I could catch hold of the edge of the ice.
I sucked in delicious air as soon as my head broke the surface. My muscles felt like noodles as I tried to pull myself out. Mostly, the bear shoved me out like cargo. Nix came through the hole after me.
A moment later, Roarke climbed through under his own power, though he was much slower than normal. Even his demon form didn’t give him enough strength to handle this. Then two giant, sopping wet polar bears climbed up.
Numb, I flopped back on the ice and stared at the sharp blue sky, sucking air into my aching lungs. We all sprawled out on the ice, exhausted.
Unfortunately, the numbness disappeared quickly and was followed by the most aching cold. I shook with it.
Magic swirled on the air with Cass’s signature. And Aidan’s. A moment later, Cass stood over me. Because she’d shifted, her clothes were still dry. It’d taken her a while to learn to keep her clothes when she changed. I’d bet she was glad for the practice now.
“Come on, dude.” She bent and hauled me up.
I slumped against her, legs as wobbly as jello. Upright, I was finally able to check out our surroundings.
They were almost identical to where we’d just been.
Damn it. I’d hoped we’d be on the front doorstep.
“We have to get you warmed up,” Aidan said. He had his arm wrapped around Nix’s waist. “You’re hypothermic and about halfway dead.”
“Ha!” I was pretty sure I’d been halfway dead for a while now. Ever since I’d woken in hell.
Roarke made it to his feet himself, probably a product of his enhanced demon strength, but he was a much paler gray than usual.
As a raggedy group, we stumbled over to the snow piled up on the other side of the pool.
“Do you think the pool on this side was supposed to be frozen?” My teeth chattered as I talked.
“I don’t know.” Cass pointed to a shallow cave in the rock. “We’re headed there.”
By the time we made it to the cave, I was ready to collapse. Cass sat me in the snow, then turned and built a bonfire with her magic. I huddled close for warmth, my teeth chattering so hard I thought they would break. The wind was bitter here, cutting through my wet clothes like knives.
Roarke plopped down beside me, wrapping a strong arm around my shoulders. Warmth flowed through me immediately, and I sighed as I sank into him. It wasn’t enough to warm me fully, but it felt amazing.
“I’ve got this.” Nix’s voice was slurred from exhaustion and cold, but her magic rose strong on the air.
Two large tents popped out of nowhere, conjured with her gift, then piles of snowsuits and a few thermoses.
“Y-you’re a-amazing,” I stuttered.
Aidan and Cass bent for the thermoses as the rest of us scrambled to our feet and collected fresh clothes, then we headed into the tents where we could change without snow climbing into our new clothes. And in this bitter wind, I didn’t want to get buck naked. Modesty had flown the coop right around the time I almost drowned under the ice.
Roarke followed me into the larger tent, shifting back to human form as soon as we made it inside. His shirt returned with his human form, so it was dry, but his pants were still soaking wet.
Ah, the limits of magic.
I tried to chuckle to myself, but my throat appeared to be frozen shut. This would have been a perfect time to check out Roarke getting dressed, but I didn’t want to be a creeper.
And frankly, I was too cold to do anything but shiver as I struggled out of my wet clothes and into the new ones, grateful that Nix knew my size and had a knack for conjuring knitwear and ski apparel.
When I was finally dressed, I was lying on my back and panting, so exhausted from the struggle that I thought I might never move again.
Roarke sat by my side and hauled me up against him. I sank into his warmth again.
“Good thing your friends are here,” he said.
“Yeah.” Finally, my teeth didn’t chatter when I spoke.
“Let’s go see how everyone is doing.”
I didn’t want to get up and leave the tent, but there was a fire out there. And my friends. Who deserved a solid thank you. I nodded and followed him out of the tent.
Aidan and Cass sat around the fire, warming their hands. Nix was climbing out of her tent at the same time we were.
“Feeling better?” Cass asked.
“Yeah. Thanks for saving us. You were right about the polar bears.” I turned to Nix. “And thanks for the clothes.”
“Not a problem.” She rubbed her arms for warmth as she hurried to the fire.
We all huddled around the fire, soaking in the warmth and recovering our strength. The hot chocolate that Nix had conjured tasted amazing, and I passed it to Roarke. He took it with a nod of thanks and grinned.
“So, your house is pretty well protected,” Nix said.
“Yeah.” I didn’t even want to know what the place looked like. We weren’t at the driveway yet, and we’d almost died.
“Do you think we’re close?” Roarke asked.
“I hope so.”
We spent nearly an hour huddled around the fire, recovering from the ordeal. Most of my jobs—whether it was demon hunting or treasure hunting—were strenuous. But this was new territory.
“Ready to move on?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Nix sighed and stood. She glanced at the tents. “We’ll have to come back for these. I hate to litter.”
“Sure.” While Nix could conjure things, she couldn’t make them disappear. Not yet, anyway.
I took a moment to call on my dragon sense and get my bearings. It picked up the trail easily,
tugging me toward it. I pointed west. “That way.”
We set off, tromping across the snow. On this side of the waterfall, at least the white stuff was harder packed and we didn’t need the snow shoes.
As we walked, a mist rolled across the mountains. It was thick and white, an eerie accompaniment to the ever-whitening world we hiked through. In the course of seconds, it obscured everything around me.
The entire world was white.
“Guys?” I called. “We need to stick close together. This mist is thick.”
There was nothing but silence. Goosebumps popped up on my skin. This was scarier than everything we’d just been through. I knew what lurked on this mountain.
My heart thudded as I spun in a circle, searching. “Cass, Nix? Roarke?”
Nothing. Not a sound—not even the wind. Just biting cold and nothingness. “Guys!”
No answer.
Oh, shit.
Chapter Six
Something was wrong. I called on my dragon sense, feeding it my desire to find my friends. But no matter how hard I tried, it lay dormant inside me. Like my friends had just disappeared off the face of the earth.
Panic raced through me, acid burning my veins.
No, no. Get it together.
They weren’t gone. There had to be magic in the mist that was blocking my dragon sense. That was a hundred times more likely than them just disappearing off the face of the earth. They were okay. All I had to do was find them.
I sucked in a shaky breath and tried to still my spinning mind. I took a few steps, hoping that the mist would clear ahead and I could use my dragon sense.
The ground dropped out from beneath me. My stomach jumped into my throat as I fell, sliding down the snowy mountainside. I scrabbled, trying to catch hold of something to still my fall. But I just kept sliding faster and faster, icy snow sneaking into my jacket as I hurtled. I picked up speed until I slammed into a boulder that was almost entirely covered with snow.
Pain screamed through my leg, making tears spring to my eyes and bile rise in my throat. I sucked in a ragged breath and tried to get my bearings, but the mist was still thick down here.
Tentatively, I shifted my leg. Agony flared, worse than I’d ever felt before.