by Linsey Hall
Still shaking, I climbed out of bed and dressed.
I’d only gotten a few hours’ sleep—and they’d sucked—but I was feeling better. Faster, more alert. I changed quickly into fight wear, then yanked my hair up into a quick bouffant ponytail and streaked the black makeup around my eyes.
Grimly, I stared into the mirror.
I’d moved so fast and aggressively with my black makeup that it looked more like a mask than ever. Streaks of black paint winged out from my eyes.
Good.
I looked like a crazed warrior of old, and that’s what I was going for.
I entered the living room to find Tarron sitting up from the couch. His arms were still bound in front of him.
Shadows lingered in his eyes, and his wrists were covered in blood.
“What’s wrong with your wrists?” I asked, even as the horrible idea began to form.
“She’s strong, Mari.” His voice was rough.
“Her influence came to you in the night.” I thought of the dream.
“I fought it off, but…” He stood and raised his hands, showing his bloody wrists.
She’d made him try to break free.
To get to me.
“You can take those off now, though,” I said.
He frowned. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“We’re both awake. Aware. We can fight her if she comes to you. Anyway, I need you fighting by my side.”
His jaw tightened and his eyes looked tortured.
“I can look out for myself,” I said. “And Aeri and Declan will be with us, like you requested.”
“Fine.” He nodded his head sharply. “But you must swear to strike to kill if her influence overtakes me.”
I bit my tongue, not wanting to make that promise.
“Mari…I know you’re strong enough to take care of yourself. But you have to be willing to.”
“Willing to hurt you, you mean?”
“Not me. Her. When she is in my mind, I am nothing but a shell. And I will kill you if she takes control.”
“The potion helps, though.”
“It does, which is the only reason I’m willing to take these cuffs off. Now promise me.”
“I’ll aim to kill.” It was probably a lie, but he seemed to buy it.
“Good.”
I walked to him and quickly sliced my fingertip with my sharp thumbnail, then swiped the blood across the metal. The cuffs unlocked.
“That’s dangerous,” he said. “If I get your blood, I can unlock myself?”
“I have to give it willingly.”
“Clever.”
“Always.” I swallowed hard. “My mother came to me in a dream. She’s putting some big plans into place.”
“Any idea what they are?”
“No, but we should tell Claire and Luna what they’re walking into in the Unseelie Court.”
He nodded. “I’ll call Luna and tell her. While they’re making contact with the Resistance, they can try to figure out what she is doing.”
“Thanks. Let me get us some food, and we’ll meet Aeri and Declan.”
He followed me into the kitchen, and I thought how nice it would be to just live here normally with him. Or live anywhere normally with him. I couldn’t imagine leaving Darklane and Aeri, even though she was only here half the time because of Declan.
But Tarron was the king of an entire separate realm. And I was the queen of another.
Oof. Those were some responsibilities I didn't want to face now.
“Is a bacon sandwich all right with you?” I asked.
“Who would turn down bacon?”
“A vegetarian.”
Tarron laughed.
“Also a vegan.” I shot a look at him, glad to see at least part of a smile on his face. “It’ll have to be microwaved. We don’t have time for more.”
“It’ll do. Thanks.” He leaned against the counter and looked at me. “Are you all right?”
“Fine. Don’t worry about me.” I shifted under the weight of his gaze, then turned to the fridge and began rustling inside of it. I’d been eating these a lot lately, but it was major comfort food.
He grumbled in a low tone, “I always worry about you.”
I looked back over my shoulder at him. “Well, you don’t have to.”
“It comes with the territory.”
“Territory?”
“Of loving you.”
“Oh.” I warmed, my heart thundering.
Then my eyes began to prick with tears. Worried tears, not happy tears. There was so much at stake here. And I had no idea how—if—we could fix this.
Why did it have to get all sweet and loving right before it was meant to go to shit?
Burn appeared at my side, pressing his thorny body against my legs. It was as if he’d sensed I’d needed a bit of support.
I sucked in a deep breath and leaned against him, then set myself to the task of making sandwiches. Ignoring Tarron’s last words was the only way I was going to keep it together, so I went with that option.
Ten minutes later, we had three sandwiches—one for me, one for Tarron, and one for my emotional support wolf.
We met Aeri and Declan in the main part of the foyer. As usual, Aeri was dressed in her white fight wear—her ghost suit, as she called it, since it allowed her to become invisible. Her sleek blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she looked ready for battle.
Declan wore dark, sturdy clothes that were perfect for fighting. His longish dark hair was still a bit messy from sleep, but his eyes were alert.
“Ready to do this?” Aeri asked.
“Beyond ready.” I looked between the three of them. “I can transport us in two rounds.”
They nodded. I took Aeri and Declan first, gripping each of their hands and calling upon my magic. The ether sucked us in and spun us through space, spitting us out in the cold misty morning in northern England. We stood in a forest near the medieval town of York. It was still dark, but birds were beginning to chirp. Massive trees surrounded us, and the quiet of the forest was welcoming and creepy at the same time.
We were far enough north that it was quite cold. It wasn’t yet dawn, but it was close. I could sense the arrival of the sun, a new Fae talent I wasn’t used to yet.
I caught Aeri’s eye. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
She nodded, and I returned to Magic’s Bend and picked up Tarron. By the time the ether spat us back out in England, my nerves were humming with anticipation.
Mist rolled along the ground, snaking between the trees.
Aeri rubbed her arms. “We’re in a valley of some kind. Where is the old abbey?”
I called upon my Seeker sense, asking it to help me find the abbey. I hadn’t wanted to put us right on the doorstep in case our sudden arrival alerted someone to our presence. The abbey should be an abandoned ruin, but that didn’t mean there weren’t ghosts.
My Seeker sense tugged toward the left, and I pointed. “I think it’s that way. Not far.”
The four of us started through the woods, tromping between the trees. I rubbed my arms, colder than I’d expected.
Tarron’s magic flared briefly, and he handed me a leather jacket that he’d conjured.
“Thanks.” I took it and slipped it on, immediately warmer. “Nice choice. You have good taste.”
“I thought it would suit you.”
I could get used to a life of him giving me things he thought would suit me. I smiled at him and kept going.
We reached the edge of the forest, and I stopped, staring in awe at the enormous building in front of us. Hills rose on either side of the fantastical structure. The enormous old abbey was illuminated in the pale gray light of dawn.
It was an incredible structure of pillars and arches, statues and stained glass. Now, it stood as a ruin, with parts of the ceiling and walls missing. That only served to highlight the graceful lines and beautiful architecture, however.
“I can’t believe they
let it fall into ruin,” I murmured.
“Henry VIII,” Declan said. “He destroyed many holy structures while he was trying to enforce his own religion.”
I shook my head, not surprised. “Let’s go.”
As we crept toward the ruins, I kept my senses alert for ghosts. The mist drifted over the ground, silent and creepy, but I saw no ghosts. A little village surrounded the abbey, but it was quiet as the grave. We skirted around it, heading right for the ruined building.
“No one lives here,” Tarron said. “These houses feel empty.”
“Agreed,” Aeri said.
I perked my ears, but heard nothing from within the structures. They didn’t look like they were in a state of abandoned disrepair, but I had to agree with Tarron and Aeri. Something had driven these people away.
I shivered and kept going, my eyes on the huge structure ahead of us. It was more than one building—or at least, it had been. Once upon a time, it would have been an enormous complex bustling with monks. Now it was a maze of broken walls and different levels of grass flooring that had replaced the tiled ground.
We stepped between the first set of walls, and the heavy weight of history bore down upon me. So much had happened here, so long ago.
“What are we looking for?” Aeri asked.
“I have no idea,” I said. “My vision wasn’t very clear.”
“Do you feel that?” Tarron tilted his head. “We’re not alone.”
I shivered. “Yeah. It’s like we’re being watched.”
Tarron called upon his wings, and crackling lightning flared behind his back, brilliant and beautiful. He launched himself into the air and surveyed from above. I closed my eyes and sniffed, but got no hint of magic from other supernaturals. I couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary either. Just early morning birdsong.
Declan called upon his fallen angel wings, the black feathers were tipped in silver. He shot toward the sky, joining Tarron in his aerial survey.
Aeri tilted her head back and stared up at them. “They look pretty good, huh?”
I followed her gaze, catching sight of the two men. The morning had turned pale gray as the sun approached the horizon, so there was enough light to see them well. They were graceful and powerful all at once, both too handsome to be real.
“Yeah.” I shook my head, trying to get my focus back. “I don’t think anyone is here.”
“Neither do I,” Aeri said. “Just an abandoned village and ruined church.”
“Then why do I feel them?”
Tarron and Declan joined us a moment later, landing gracefully on brilliant green grass in front of us.
“I saw nothing,” Tarron said.
“Same. We’re alone here.”
I frowned. We needed to learn something from this place, and it clearly wasn’t going to come from people. “Let’s look for a clue. Something inscribed on a wall maybe, or buried under the ground.”
“We should spread out,” Aeri said.
“But stay within sight of each other,” Tarron added.
As everyone scattered, I called upon my Seeker sense, asking it to find me a clue. How was this place linked to the Dragon Bloods? How could we find them?
My magic tugged, so slightly that I almost couldn’t feel it. Almost like it was instinct more than anything. I followed the pull down the grassy lane, walking between the tall pillars of stone that had once formed a fantastic corridor.
All three of my companions were within eyesight as they stuck close to the building walls, looking for a clue. I followed them, diverging into a smaller stone room that had most of the walls still standing but no roof.
It led to a huge chamber that had probably once been the main worship hall. An enormous stone altar stood at one end, majestic in the early morning light. Flowers grew around it, their buds opening beneath the dew.
I hurried toward the altar, spotting a carving in the stone at the base.
What the heck was it?
As I knelt by it, Tarron joined me.
“That’s the first possible clue I’ve seen so far.” He crouched at my side. “But what does it mean?”
I squinted at the squiggles. The inscription was so old and worn that it was impossible to say if it was writing or an image.
Aeri knelt at my side, staring hard at the faded artwork. “In pagan times, altars were for sacrifices.”
“This is a Christian church, though,” I said.
Declan appeared behind the altar, studying the surface with a frown.
I caught his eye. “You’re a fallen angel. This has got to be your area. What do you think?”
“Aeri isn’t wrong. And there were periods when local Christian sects adopted some pagan traditions as a way of influencing those people to join.”
“So you’re saying we should make a sacrifice?”
He shrugged. “Can’t hurt.”
I frowned. “I’m not about to sacrifice an animal on here. I can tell you that much.”
“There’s not much more than squirrels around here anyway,” he said.
“I’m definitely not doing that to some poor hapless squirrel.” I searched my mind. “But I like this idea. Being a Dragon Blood is all about your blood, right?”
“So, we should spill a bit here,” Aeri said.
“It’s worth trying,” Tarron added.
I sliced my fingertip with my sharp thumbnail and swiped a bit of blood across the top of the altar.
Nothing happened.
“Damn.” I swiped some blood across the faded stone carving.
Still nothing.
“Let me try,” Aeri said.
I nodded, watching her cut her finger and drip a few brilliant white dots onto the stone surface. We were both Dragon Bloods, but only she had the pure white blood that was commonly associated with the species. My black blood had been modified—I didn’t like the word tainted, even though it came to mind—by my Unseelie heritage.
When nothing happened, Aeri swiped her bleeding finger across the stone inscription.
Magic sparked on the air.
I stumbled back, watching as the stone grew. The faded inscription became clearer, almost like time was turning backward. The wear and tear of the ages was being reversed.
“I still can’t read it,” Aeri said.
“It’s gibberish,” Tarron added.
They were right. Whatever language the words were in, I couldn’t read it. They were much clearer now, though.
“Guys…” Declan’s voice was tinged with warning. “We’re not alone anymore.”
5
I whirled around, spotting the back of a figure cloaked in a simple brown robe.
Whatever that inscription said, clearly it had done its job. The ancient monk had appeared out of nowhere, and now stood facing away from us, so he hadn’t seen us yet.
“Crap!” I hissed.
Tarron lunged behind the altar, joining Declan. I followed, along with Aeri.
The four of us crouched behind the huge stone altar and peered over the top.
I caught sight of the roof overhead and whispered, “That wasn’t there before.”
Aeri jerked her head to the left. “Neither was that wall.”
“Or that monk,” Tarron added. “And he’s partially transparent.”
“We’ve brought this place back from the past,” Declan said.
I whistled low under my breath. “Cool spell.”
“No wonder we didn’t feel like we were alone.” Aeri peeked up from behind the altar to get a closer look.
A few more monks filed into the room, immediately turning away from us to do something along the far wall. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but it was giving us a short time to get the hell away from here.
“Let’s go.” I sprinted to the door nearest us, darting inside.
My friends followed, joining me in the little hallway that hadn’t existed just a few minutes ago. It was dark and empty, thank fates. Instead of the usual grass ground, the t
ile floor had returned from the past. It had been painted with ornate designs, reminding me of the wealth of the ancient churches.
“So maybe a person actually is going to tell us about the Dragon Bloods,” I said. “Now that they’re here, that is.”
“Which one, though?” Aeri asked.
“We should speak to the abbot,” Declan said. “They generally know the most in a place like this.”
“And the location of the Dragon Bloods would be some high-ranking info,” Aeri said.
“But why would an abbot of a medieval Christian church know about the Dragon Bloods?” I asked. “They aren’t a religious group.”
“They were medieval holders of knowledge and locations of power,” Declan said. “No doubt the Dragon Bloods are an ancient group. It makes sense that religious organizations would know of them. In fact, I doubt the Christians are the only ones who know where they are.”
“But they’re the closest ones to us right now,” I said. “So let’s go find that abbot.”
“Any idea where he’d be hanging out in a place like this?” Aeri asked.
“Nicer quarters, of course,” Declan said. “Not the barracks the regular monks call home. It would be private. A tower of some sort, most likely.”
“I can try my Seeker sense. Look for the abbot and a tower.”
Everyone nodded.
I called upon my power, envisioning an old abbot in a tower. It took a moment, but it tugged on me eventually. I gasped, then pointed down the hall. “That way.”
We started down the hall, past windows empty of glass that provided a view over the fields below. Monks in rough woolen robes tended to the vegetable patches, toiling under the early morning sun.
“Laborer monks,” Declan said. “Uneducated, but they serve the lord with their work.”
We moved quickly and silently through the halls, keeping our ears alert to our surroundings. The monks were early risers, and it seemed most were at work. At one point, we passed an enormous room filled with small desks. Monks sat hunched over them, transcribing books. The entire place was deathly silent.
We passed through wide hallways and twisting corridors, trying to avoid any ghosts we might come across.
We got unlucky near the kitchens.
A monk carrying a big tureen exited a door and nearly collided with us. His eyes widened, and he shouted in an unintelligible language. English…almost.