by Donna Grant
“We keep it all in our heads.”
“Humor me,” she urged.
Dubhan shrugged and did as she asked. Ten minutes later, he sat back and surveyed the map and the areas that he had searched.
“Is this just your searching? Or the other Reapers, as well?” Kyra asked.
“Mostly mine, but there were occasions when we searched in teams. I added what I knew. What is this?”
Kyra sat back, her knees pulled to her chest as she stared at the map. “I don’t know, exactly. I just had the urge to get out the map and find the locations you had been to.”
“Kinda like how you had to look for me?” he asked.
She glanced at him, nodding.
“Then don’t stop,” he told her. “I’ll ask the other Reapers to add in their locations.”
“Could you?”
Dubhan might not fully understand how Kyra’s mind worked, but he didn’t need to. Whatever power or magic had given her the ability to find him, might also do the same to locate Xaneth somehow.
“Don’t worry,” she told him with a grin. “I don’t have romantic feelings for Xaneth.”
Dubhan wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. “I’m not the jealous type. Or at least I’ve not had reason to be in the past.” He frowned. “Hmm. Maybe I am jealous.”
Kyra laughed and looked up at him. “We will get through this.”
“Yes, we will.” He sat up, forcing her up, as well. “We need to talk about what to do if the Others appear.”
“Okay. What do you want me to do?”
“Get out of here. Teleport somewhere safe.”
She was shaking her head before he’d even finished. “I’m not leaving.”
“Not to be indelicate, but you aren’t a fighter.”
“I’m aware,” she said with a smile. “But I’m not running away this time.”
“I can’t even tell you to stay near me because the moment they realize the depths of my power, they’ll come at me with everything they have.”
Kyra cocked a brow. “So?”
He looked at her a moment. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a bloody Reaper.”
“Did you not hear the stories I told you earlier? The Dragon Kings have the greatest magic of any beings on this realm. And for all I know, the greatest of any realm. Light and Dark Fae, and mie and drough Druids, joined their magic together to create something so strong that it can set the Kings back on their arses.”
She didn’t seem fazed by his words. “You aren’t a Dragon King.”
“I’m aware.”
With a roll of her eyes, she replied, “My point is that you said Death gave you some of her power to become a Reaper. She returned your soul to you, increased your magic, and enhanced your senses. Right?”
He nodded.
“Well, if she isn’t afraid of the Others, why should you be? My guess is that their magic won’t affect any of the Reapers or Death and Cael like it will the Kings.”
At this he frowned. “Why do you say that? The Kings’ magic is greater than even a Reaper’s.”
“And Death’s?” she asked.
Dubhan shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. Erith has incredible power, but then so do the Dragon Kings.”
“And you think because the Kings are affected by the Others’ magic, that all of you will be, as well?”
He gave her a pointed look. “It stands to reason, yes.”
“Hmm,” she said and looked away, lost in thought.
Dubhan waited as she continued looking at something in the distance. The Reapers had been so focused on first Bran and then finding Xaneth that none of them had stopped to think about the Others.
Or what might happen if they defeated the Dragon Kings.
Dubhan knew it was a long shot to think the Kings might lose, but it was a scenario that had to be considered. He couldn’t figure out why it was so important to the Druids to defeat the Kings.
The Dragon Kings hadn’t gone exploring other realms. They were content with their home. Yet they had made room for the mortals and Fae—and look what that had brought the Kings.
“Have any of the Kings been unaffected by the Others’ magic?” Kyra asked suddenly.
Dubhan thought for a moment. “Unaffected is probably the wrong word. V was able to find a weakness in their magic and eventually break it apart, but it took him some time.”
“All the Kings need to know how to do that. And so do the Reapers.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” he said.
Kyra licked her lips. “There’s also something else to consider.”
“What’s that?”
“Do exactly what the Others have done. Combine your magic.”
He blinked, his mind going blank at the suggestion. His first impulse was to refuse, but then a moment later, he reconsidered it.
“Exactly,” Kyra said. “If the Others’ magic, which is nothing more than Fae and Druid combined, can hinder a Dragon King, can you imagine what magic from the Kings and Reapers could do?”
“It would be more powerful.”
She nodded.
Dubhan leaned back and blew out a breath. “The Others use their magic in traps and situations where the Kings aren’t prepared. Not once have the Kings faced the Others head-on.”
“And you don’t think they ever will?”
“I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “It stands to reason that the Others have always known exactly what course the Kings will take and set things directly in their path to thwart them. Why would they gather and stand for a fight when they don’t have to?”
“But they do.”
Dubhan shook his head. “They don’t. For all we know, they’ve set thousands more traps that will eventually take out the Kings one by one. Look what they did to V, taking his memories for those eons of time.”
“I disagree,” Kyra said. “If the Others didn’t intend to make a stand, they wouldn’t have put up symbols to announce who they are. They don’t need to let members of their group know who they are. They did it to alert anyone who might be looking for them.”
Shite. She was right. Dubhan ran a hand through his hair. “Erith said the girl in the bookshop knew we’d sent Mike in. She gave him that fantasy book for a reason. I wonder if we weren’t meant to read it, as well?”
Kyra shrugged and raised her brows. “I think we should find out. More than that, I think we should let the others know all of this.”
“I hope you’re wrong.”
“Me, too. Otherwise, we need to prepare for war sooner rather than later.”
Dubhan briefly closed his eyes. “And with the Light and Dark in disarray without leaders, they’re primed for someone to step in and take over.”
“You don’t think the Others would do that, do you?”
“I think the Fae involved in the Others would.”
Kyra’s mouth formed an O.
Dubhan got to his feet as he called for Death.
Chapter Eighteen
Somewhere . . .
He missed the sun. Xaneth looked up at the semi-dark sky and cringed. Nothing changed in this world Usaeil had put him in. The sky was a peculiar blue color that bordered on purple and stuck in perpetual dusk. No moon. No sun.
That was enough to drive someone insane. But Xaneth wouldn’t let himself get that far. Although, he wasn’t sure what he could do.
He’d been running from the creature after him for . . . well, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been in this hellhole, but it felt like an eternity. The beast always seemed to find him. Xaneth couldn’t rest for any length of time. He had to stay on the move, had to stay as hidden as he could just so he could remain alive.
It had been some time since he’d heard his aunt’s voice coming down from the sky like she was some god. How he hated Usaeil. He hoped that someone—Death, Rhi, the Dragon Kings, hell, even Balladyn—would kill Usaeil. She was a cancer that needed to be cut out before she infected all Fae.
What if he quit playing this game of hers? What if he stopped running? What’s the worst that could happen? He’d die?
At least he would no longer be in this putrid place of never-ending torment. He didn’t fear death. Over the last weeks, he’d actually come to pray for it a few times. Then he’d come to his senses and kept fighting.
But he was growing weary of it all. There was a way out, of that, he was positive. He just had to find it. And if he no longer had the fekking beast running him down, then he might be able to locate it and get back to Earth.
Xaneth squeezed his eyes shut. The growl of the creature was closer now. Xaneth put his hand on the tree, felt the bark digging into his palm. Whatever this place was, it prevented him from using his magic. That didn’t deter him, though. He would get out.
There was something that kept niggling at the back of his mind, something he should know, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. Every time he tried to concentrate, the thought retreated and got farther and farther away. It was only when he was thinking of something else that it came close enough to tease him with its presence.
Xaneth jumped up from his hiding place behind a giant oak and ran over the rugged terrain, jumping over fallen trees, and using his hands for balance when he slid down steep valleys. He could put enough distance between the creature and himself to allow him the time he needed to climb up the mountains. Some were harder than others, but he always managed to get to the top before the beast appeared.
He slid to a stop, his arms flailing when he came to the edge of a cliff. The dense tree line had hidden the cliff. He glanced over his shoulder, determining how close the beast was. Then he looked over the side of the cliff to see a river below him, jagged rocks protruding from the water, no doubt with many more below the surface.
There was no time for him to retrace his steps and find another route. He only had one choice—jump.
Xaneth didn’t hesitate to leap from the edge. For a second, there was silence, and then the whoosh of air rushing past his ears as he plummeted toward the water far below. It felt like forever before he got close enough to the river that he held his breath.
Then he was beneath the water, his senses buffeted by the roar of the currents and the chilly temperature that was so at odds with the warm weather. Xaneth wasn’t able to brace himself before he was slammed against a boulder. He did manage to turn himself and use his foot to prevent his body from being hit a second time, though. After that, it was a matter of using the currents and the rocks to rise to the surface.
Once his head was above water, he drew in a deep breath and made himself relax as he floated with the swift current. To fight it would only tire him, and he was already drained. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the rocks disappeared, and the water calmed enough that he was able to swim to shore. His fingers dug into the wet sand as he pulled himself out of the water.
He shivered as the air brushed past him. Xaneth paused to look around. There was something about this place that looked familiar, but he’d never been here before. At least now, he might have more time to get some rest and eat more than the berries he found as he ran through the woods.
Xaneth longed for a fire, but he had no idea how to make one without magic. He’d have to settle for removing his clothes and allowing them to dry. After he’d spread them out on the rocks, he waded barefoot back into the water. Once long, long ago, his father had taken him to a river where he’d tried to teach Xaneth how to catch a fish using his bare hands. Xaneth hadn’t been interested at the time. He wanted to swim, not fish, but he still remembered the lesson.
The longer Xaneth stood in the water, the warmer it became. Or maybe he was simply getting used to it. His lower arms and legs were much warmer than the rest of him that wasn’t submerged, but that was just one more contradiction in this place Usaeil had thrown him.
The first brush of the fish against his arm made his heart leap. He didn’t move, though. The fish got closer and closer, finally swimming between his hands. That’s when Xaneth grabbed it and brought it out of the water.
His arms were raised above his head, a smile on his lips as he turned toward the shore. And just like that, the memory was there of him doing this same thing all those years ago, turning to show his father that he’d succeeded.
The breath was sucked out of Xaneth as he got lost in the memory for several seconds. It was the fish wiggling in his hand that pulled him back to the present. Xaneth killed the fish and walked to shore.
He stood with his back to the water, his eyes closed as he recalled as much detail of that day with his father as he could. Then he turned to the river and opened his eyes. That’s when he knew. He wasn’t on another realm.
He was locked in his own mind.
Xaneth looked down at his feet and spotted the rock with the sharp edge. He picked it up and used it to clean the fish. He found a smooth boulder and used it for a seat as he ate the raw fish, his mind sorting through what he’d learned.
Usaeil must have used some powerful magic to lock him inside his own head, but that didn’t mean he was stuck here forever. He could get out. The problem was . . . how? In many ways, it was more difficult than finding his way off a realm.
“Damn you, Usaeil,” he muttered.
But he couldn’t allow himself to get bogged down by his hate. He had to get past that in order to clear his mind and discover the exit.
First, he needed to get rid of the creature hounding him. The best way to do that was to lay a trap. Xaneth had been young when he and his father came to the river, that was why he hadn’t remembered it at first, nor did he recall the territory around it.
He left his clothes and scouted the area on first one side of the river and then the other. By the time he returned, his clothes were dry, and he put them back on. The fact that considerable time had passed without the beast appearing meant that he had drifted quite a ways on the water.
But how much longer did he have before the creature returned? It wasn’t enough for him to set the trap now, but he’d found a location. All he had to do was come up with a way to trap the beast and kill it.
He wanted to stay ahead of the fiend, so he started walking along the river. Now that he didn’t have to run, he was able to get a better lay of the land and come up with a design for the trap. The mountain and boulders would help, but it would all come down to the beast following him.
How to kill it was the next question? He couldn’t use magic, nor did he have any weapons. Xaneth grinned. There were rocks aplenty, and if he had to bash the beast’s head in, he would.
Xaneth kept the river to his left. He went most of the day without hearing the creature, and he used every second of that time to gather the items he needed to make the trap, creating sections of it as he walked, and setting them aside when they were finished. He knew exactly where each part was so he could gather them and take them to the place he’d set to snare the beast.
Since it seemed as if the creature followed his every footstep, Xaneth zigzagged through the woods, making sure to keep under cover as best he could.
Just when he thought he might have lost the beast for good, he heard the growl. Xaneth finished making the last part of the cage and tied off the thick vine that held the sticks together.
He hesitated, wondering if there was enough time for him to circle back around to gather the sections and head to the spot in order to trap the beast, but the second growl was closer. Very close.
Xaneth hid the piece and took off running. He’d rested most of the afternoon, but his walking days seemed to be over. He’d enjoyed it while it lasted, and he was going to make sure that what hunted him didn’t last much longer. Because the hunt
ed was about to become the hunter.
Chapter Nineteen
The silence after Dubhan had told Erith and Cael about her proposal was frightening. Kyra forced herself not to shift her feet or fiddle with her hands. She had spoken her mind to Death earlier. This was no different.
Oh, but it was, and she knew it. Kyra drew in a shaky breath. Erith might have accepted her, but that could be snatched away at any moment.
“I’m actually upset that I didn’t think of that sooner,” Cael said.
Erith cut him a look before her gaze moved to Kyra. “For someone who hasn’t seen battle, you are awfully willing to join it.”
“I’m willing because I know what’s at stake. Also, they’re after me. So, really, I’m just trying to survive,” Kyra said.
And why did she have to sound so . . . idiotic? Kyra inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. If only she could sound as impressive as she had earlier. Then again, pressure had a way of causing her to do irrational things.
“I admit, you might have stumbled across a solution,” Death said.
Kyra bit back her smile. It wasn’t nearly time to celebrate yet. “It just seemed logical.”
“Sometimes, others who aren’t warriors are what we need because we don’t see the entire picture,” Dubhan said.
Without looking Dubhan’s way, Erith said, “Cael does.”
“I have to meditate on it,” Cael replied.
Dubhan’s forehead furrowed. “You see all?”
Cael shrugged. “If I meditate long enough, I can see the best outcome for a battle.”
“That’s why you never lost,” Dubhan said with a grin.
Cael’s smile was his only answer.
Kyra looked between them, trying to read between the lines.
“Did you use that same scenario against Bran?” Dubhan asked.
Cael’s smile vanished. “Some things are out of my control.”
“The battle with the Others will be, as well,” Erith stated. “For all of us. Including the Dragon Kings.”
Kyra almost asked if that meant that Death and the Reapers were going to join in, but she thought it best to keep Erith’s attention off her for the time being.