Drayce’s chest vibrated as he spoke, lulling me to doze within the warmth of his strong body. He protected me from the chill of the wind, and Enbarr’s wings slashed through the skies with a steady, hypnotic rhythm. My eyelids pulled down with the weight of fatigue, and I allowed them to close.
A yawn pushed its way through my mouth, and my mind drifted to the one-eyed giant emerging from a tear in the mist. We’d have to destroy the sword or replace it with a forgery. Resting my head in the crook of Drayce’s shoulder, I inhaled his leather and cedar scent. The breeze shifted my locks, feeling like the caress of a soft hand. Four nights of scant sleep was taking its toll, and if I could steal a few minutes of rest before the next challenge, I would take it. Even if it meant sleeping atop a skeletal horse and in the arms of an Otherworld deity.
Maybe I was already dreaming by the time I felt his lips press on my temple because after that, everything was shrouded in darkness and warmth.
* * *
“Stop this foolishness at once!” roared General Creach.
All around us, horses trumpeted, and men screamed. My eyes snapped open. It was dark, and no stars or moon lit the sky. Torches provided scant illumination, and their light reflected on Drayce’s eyes, making them shine like those of a witch’s cat.
My heart lurched. “What’s happening?”
“I couldn’t possibly explain.” Mirth laced his voice.
That’s when I caught sight of a glowing figure riding to our right. A man atop a black stallion, its tattered, leathery membranes stretched out from obscenely long wing bones. In one hand, he wielded a whip that looked like an elongated spine, and in the other, a head with eyes that glowed like coals on a forge.
The Dullahan.
I shuddered and buried my head in Drayce’s chest. The Dullahan was a creature that took the form of a headless horseman. One of the most terrifying of the monsters I had read about in the leather book. He rode his dead steed over the land, announcing the deaths either by stopping in front of his victim or shouting out their name. Whoever he chose would fall dead. Anyone who observed him would get a bucket of blood in their faces, or if he was in a vindictive mood, he would pull out a victim’s eye with a whip made of a human spine.
“King Salamander!” bellowed General Creach. “Control your—”
A scream pierced the air. I grabbed Drayce around his middle, squeezing both him and my eyes closed. The only protection against the Dullahan was gold. Since I had none, and I wanted to keep both eyes, I hid.
“General!” shouted a soldier.
More screams filled the skies, accompanied by the sound of hoofs hitting the air like tiny claps of thunder. My bones rattled, and my teeth chattered. Even if this was Drayce’s trap, and I was safe from the headless monster, I didn’t need the memory of that creature festering in my mind.
Enbarr accelerated, flying us away from the soldiers, away from the Dullahan’s carnage, and away from the last source of light. I would have exhaled a sigh of relief if it didn’t mean riding in the dark. Closing my eyes, I breathed hard, trying to control my quaking body.
His fingers squeezed my waist. “We will leave the dark zone soon.”
“What is this place?”
“The territory of the Summer Court.”
I burrowed into his chest. “Why is it so dark?”
“With all the original members of the Court asleep, there is no one to sustain its magic. I also suspect that the creature maintaining the curse for the queen fears the light.”
That made no sense, but I shook off my confusion. There was no point in worrying about the sleeping Summer Prince and all his Court if I hadn’t destroyed the items Queen Melusina needed to free the Fomorians. I kept my eyes closed until the first rays of soft light penetrated their lids, and we were out of the stifling dark.
When I opened my eyes, it was to a sky dotted with coal-black clouds whose undersides glowed crimson with the setting sun. Vivid light, the color of liquid fire, filled the horizon beyond a range of domed mountains. We continued flying over their peaks, until we glimpsed two transparent mountains, which emitted a myriad of rainbow bursts through its faceted surface.
My breath caught. “Is that where we’ll find the Sword of Tethra?”
“Eventually.” He flicked the reins, and Enbarr descended toward a small village. “We should rest and eat. This region is treacherous after sunset. Even for Enbarr and me.”
As we descended, Drayce explained that we had now reached the border between the Summer Court and the Free Folk, lower faeries who pledged no allegiance to the Crown. As such, they did not benefit from its protection against monsters that didn’t have enough Fomorian blood to have been banished.
We landed outside a pretty little building about the size of our cottage in Calafort. A crooked window sat within a front wall covered in tree bark, and white, fist-sized berries shone from a clump of vines growing on the overhanging roof.
After settling Enbarr in the stables around the back, Drayce opened the building’s rickety, wooden door. We stepped into a warm, ale-scented room over a dozen times larger than its exterior. Cornflower-blue faeries with large, daffodil-colored eyes served saucers of pearlescent liquid at round tables of low faerie patrons. Chandeliers holding thick candles provided enough illumination to highlight my non-faerie traits.
“Can we share a room?” I wrapped a hand around Drayce’s bicep, eyeing a redcap whose hat still glistened with blood. “This place looks more dangerous than the palace.”
He stilled. “My magic can form a barrier of protection around your room.”
“But—”
“Neara, please don’t ask. I must sleep alone.”
I snatched my hand away, stepping out of the path of a pipe-smoking hag wearing a diadem of rotting finger bones. “Do you turn into a beast after the night fowl crows?”
He grinned. “One that would devour you whole.”
“There’s no need to make fun of me.”
Drayce reached over and grabbed my hand, and we walked around the circular tables toward the bar. “I can’t let you see me. Not yet.”
“Appearances don’t matter,” I squeezed his fingers, trying to convey the truth of my words. “I’ve seen enough beautiful faeries commit acts of evil, and—”
“Neara.” His voice was as heavy as iron. “Don’t.”
My throat dried, and I turned away. Perhaps his personality also changed during his transformation, and he was afraid of eating me. Whatever it was, he didn’t seem proud of his monster form.
The owner of the establishment was a female whose skin was as dark as the midnight sky. Her kindly, yellow eyes shone like the sun, and she welcomed Drayce like an old friend. They spoke in low tones, and she pressed two keys into his hand. My heart plummeted at the confirmation that I would be sleeping alone.
We walked up the stairs to a room containing an oak bed and matching side table. It was stark compared to Drayce’s chambers at the palace, but about the size of the home I shared with Father. He raised his arms, and shadows stretched across the perimeter of the room, curving and twisting like ruffled drapes. They covered the window shutters, the doors, the grates… even the ceiling and floorboards.
“You will be safe here.” He gave me a courtly bow and headed for the door.
I grabbed his wrist, and he stopped, gaze fixed on my hand. My throat dried. “I-it’s not a request to stay, but I wanted to say thank you for protecting me this morning.”
His hand cupped my cheek. “I will always protect you.”
We stared into each other’s eyes, neither of us moving toward the other. I didn’t want Drayce to leave, but I wouldn’t move to kiss him in case he thought it was a ploy to get him to stay the night. Drayce’s nostrils flared, and he stepped closer. My heart exploded into a gallop.
The night fowl crowed, but he didn’t leave.
An excited breath caught in my throat, and I stiffened, bracing myself not to react, even if he turned into something like
the Keeper of All Things. Whatever I would see under the scales would not dim the flames of affection that warmed my heart. No matter what, he would still be Drayce.
He cupped my face with both hands, and without a word, pressed a kiss on my temple and left.
Chapter 16
The next morning, Drayce and I sat at one of the round tables, eating a breakfast of oat porridge and almond milk. A sweet, berry-scented wind wafted through the window shutters, making the inn seem less ominous than it had the night before. Perhaps this was because of the morning sun, which brightened all corners of the room. The lack of patrons certainly helped, as I no longer felt surrounded by strange enemies. After a fitful night of sleep in the embrace of Drayce’s shadows, I was ready to find the Sword of Tethra.
He gazed down at his porridge and berries. “Did you sleep well?”
“Did you?” The words came out sharper than I’d intended.
Guilt plucked at the strings of my heart. I was being unfair. Drayce had given me the protection he’d promised, and his power had embraced me all night. But I’d wanted more. Needed it. These past few days, I’d never felt so close to another person. Everything about him—his strength, warmth, his humor— drew me closer to him. Each of his night fowl-related rejections left me aching.
A gentle sigh eased out of my nostrils. It was selfish of me to pressure Drayce, since he clearly feared his alternative form.
I ate my first mouthful of creamy porridge and hummed with appreciation.
Drayce’s green eyes watched my every movement, but I ignored him and stared through the window at the sun-lit diamond mountains glinting beyond the hills.
“Neara, you’re upset.”
How could I respond? Gripping the handle of my spoon, I lifted my gaze. “You know everything about me. A few facts about yourself would be reassuring, such as why you’re affectionate one minute and running away the next.”
“Please be patient. I—”
The door banged open. Captain Stipe staggered in, holding a semi-conscious General Creach. Bandages covered the upper half of his face, and a dark patch of blood seeped from the space over his right eye. Both their uniforms were slashed, exposing open wounds glistening with blood.
Behind them, Yarrow, Lysander, and another soldier helped Captain Corpan and some lower-ranked comrades into the inn. Their heads were bowed, so I couldn’t see whether the Dullahan had taken their eyes, but their slow, pained movements indicated extensive injury.
A female faerie with short, sapphire hair and cornflower-blue skin rushed forward, skirts flying. “How may I help you, sirs?”
“Send for a healer!” shouted Captain Stipe through clenched teeth.
I turned away. Both the captain and General were my enemies, but it was hard to see the soldiers in this condition. Whenever I fought the faeries, I’d always aimed to kill, not maim. The berry juice in Drayce’s porridge now resembled swirls of blood and bone, much like the ring that had led me to Ecne’s Pool and changed the course of my life. I wondered if Colleen, the human servant, had managed to retrieve it from the laundry.
Someone let out a shuddering moan that sounded like it would be his last. My stomach twisted with nausea, and the spoon slipped from my fingers.
“Don’t feel bad about them,” murmured Drayce. “Most of those soldiers served my father and were happy to turn against him when Queen Melusina offered them positions of power in the world of the living.”
I leaned across the table and whispered, “Couldn’t you have killed the general and put him out of his misery?”
Drayce’s eyes rounded, and his mouth split into a grin. “I had no control over the Dullahan.”
“Liar.”
He shrugged and said in a voice loud enough to carry, “If Her Majesty had not bound my powers, I would have been able to drive the Dullahan away.”
Some of the soldiers sitting at nearby tables turned to glare. I glanced at them in the corner of my eye. Was Drayce trying to sow the seeds of discord? From the way they were grumbling, I wasn’t sure if they were directing their ire at him or Queen Melusina.
He stood and held out his hand. “While our esteemed friends are searching for a healer, we will continue on our mission.”
Captain Stipe shot to his feet. “This was your doing—”
Drayce raised a hand. “No need to thank me for shouldering our shared burden. Rest. Recuperate. Regain your strength. Neara and I will return with the sword.”
The captain rounded the tables and stalked across the room, teeth bared. I stood, keeping one hand over my iron dagger and using my chair as a barrier in case he attacked. But Drayce closed his fist, and the captain fell to his knees with a pained roar.
I narrowed my eyes, staring from the writhing Captain to Drayce. It was clear that he was using his death magic again.
“Shall we?” Drayce put his palm on the small of my back and led me out of the inn.
The morning sun shone down from a sky dotted with pristine, white clouds without a trace of mist. A warm breeze swirled around the inn’s stable yard, carrying the scent of wildflowers, damp earth, and sweet pine from the adjacent forest.
Enbarr trotted out of his stall, hopping from foot to foot as though alert and well-rested. The lights in his eye sockets glowed brighter, and whitish snorts emitted from beneath his nasal bone. I didn’t dare ask why the skeletal horse was in such a good mood.
“King Salamander!” Lysander rushed out of the inn with Yarrow on his heels.
They both looked well, although Lysander’s caramel hair hung around his shoulders, its strands splattered with blood. The entire left sleeve of Yarrow’s uniform was missing, but there were no injuries on the exposed arm. Either the Dullahan had missed, someone had already healed his wound, or Drayce had wanted to keep them from harm.
Drayce mounted, pulled me up to side-saddle, and answered, “Yes?”
“General Creach ordered us to follow,” said Yarrow. His white hair had remained unblemished from last night’s carnage.
Drayce nodded. “Try to keep up, then.”
Before the two soldiers could return to the stables to mount their capall, Enbarr soared into the air, bringing up clouds of dust. My stomach lurched from the movement, and I clung to Drayce’s arm. We flew over the little village of wooden cottages with shingle roofs, over its surrounding meadows, and above what I could only describe as a forest of dagger-sharp, graphite spikes.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and peered down. Each spike resembled a pine tree turned to flint. “What is that?”
“The foothills of the Diamount.” He nodded at the transparent, diamond mountains glinting ahead. “When the gods roamed the earth, the mountains were made of this kind of stone. Over time, they hardened into diamond.”
My brows furrowed. “How long ago was that?”
“Eons ago.”
Below, tiny, white creatures leaped from peak to peak. They reminded me of babies, except for their fur covering, elongated forearms, curling fingers, and whip-thin tails. I strained my neck to get a closer look. “And those?”
“The wind howlers?” he murmured. “They don’t like being stared at.”
A pair of the furry, white creatures raised their black heads, revealing broad snouts and oversized, amber eyes. I snatched away my gaze, but it was too late. A high-pitched keening sound, more piercing as a whistling kettle, reached my ears.
My skin prickled, and fear rolled in my belly like a lead weight. What had I done?
“Enbarr,” Drayce growled.
The skeletal horse raced over the forest, turning the landscape beneath us into a streak of grey. My stomach tried to catch up with his speed, and I clamped my lips together, squeezed my eyes shut and gripped Drayce harder around the middle, hoping my breakfast would stay down until the end of this mad dash.
More and more creatures howled until the air shook with the sound. My eardrums vibrated in sync with my rapid pulse. Every single muscle tensed. My jaw seized, and my teeth gr
ound against each other. My breaths became more and more shallow as my diaphragm squeezed tighter and tighter like a giant hand pulled the strings of my corset.
The noise stopped, and the air stilled, leaving me and my clattering heart. The constriction around my lungs loosened, and I sucked in a deep breath.
Drayce wrapped an arm around me so tightly, I opened my eyes and glanced up into his face. He gazed down at me and said something, but the ringing in my ears muffled the sound.
“What?” I shouted.
Clouds darkened, billowing, thickening, spreading over the sky. The light faded, and a gust of wind scooped us up from underneath and threw us over the stony foothills.
Wind, like mighty fists, hammered on my limbs.
Wind, like vicious fingers, pulled at my hair.
Wind, like frantic claws, scratched at my skin.
A scream solidified in my throat as freezing, white terror seized my bones, chilling me to the marrow. We hurtled through the sky, spinning so fast, I didn’t have time to feel dizzy. At any moment, the wind would throw us on the jagged peaks below, and we would die.
A calm settled over me, soft and smooth as a shroud. I sent Father a silent goodbye and an apology that I had failed. My heart shattered at the thought of him enduring another thousand years of torture, and I hoped that his next daughter would have the strength to free him from his torment.
As we spun out of control, Drayce’s arm, heavy and unmovable as a vise, crushed me to his body. The steady thrum of his heart was the only indication that we might survive.
Then as quickly as it began, the wind stopped. Enbarr righted us and hovered in the air. The diamond mountain stood a mere hundred feet away.
Drayce released me from his crushing grip, and I filled my lungs with air. “I’m sorry!”
When he didn’t reply, I turned to face him. His lips moved, but the ringing in my ears drowned out all sound.
“I-I can’t hear!”
His eyes softened, and he wrapped both arms around my shoulders. Soft vibrations reverberated from his chest, and I imagined them to be words of comfort.
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