by Linsey Hall
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine.” A geyser shot up to my left, nearly burning me and my stag. The creature shied toward Iain’s mount. Magic sparked around us, coming from an unfamiliar source.
“Is that Cass?” Iain asked.
“No, I don’t know who it is.” I shifted nervously, scanning our surroundings.
Ahead of us, a deep groaning noise emitted from the earth. Stone scraped against stone, and the dirt split open to reveal a deep crevasse right in front of Connor and Cass. The stags shrieked in alarm, leaping forward to clear the gap. They barely scrambled onto the other side, nearly plunging to their deaths.
The earth continued to split, the crevasse growing deeper and deeper. Dark magic billowed out, the same evil that possessed me. That familiar urge to burn rose within me.
Burn it all.
I gasped, trying to shove the feeling down deep. It tore at my mind and my muscles, trying to force me to call on the dark magic that lurked within me.
But no—my magic wasn’t dark.
It was just fire. Neutral. It was this shadowy evil that was dark, and I had to fight it.
But it was so powerful… nearly impossible to stand up against.
As I fought it, pain cramped my muscles and bones. I gasped, curling over on the stag, trying to resist the darkness. It screamed through my body, nearly taking control. I forced it back, tears pricking my eyes.
My mount bucked, rearing so high that I fell off, crashing to the ground. Pain shot through my shoulder as I rolled, scrambling away from the panicked animal’s hooves. The creature careened right and sprinted away.
Iain’s mount bucked hard, throwing him off. Just before he hit the ground, he called upon his wings. They flared to life behind him, silver and bright, carrying him high into the air.
Behind me, something cracked. I scrambled to my feet and spun around, catching sight of the trees stretching their branches and whipping toward me.
I dived out of the way, narrowly avoiding a blow to the back.
“Fly!” Iain shouted. “Or I’ll come get you!”
Another branch whipped toward me, striking my arm. Pain spiked, and I resisted a shriek.
“No! I’ve got it!” If he came down here, he’d be hit.
I called upon my new wings, feeling them flare to life behind me. Magic sparked through my body, and I launched myself into the air so fast that I nearly got vertigo.
Damn, my new wings were powerful. That was the crux of the problem—they were so much stronger than my last ones that I was always overdoing it.
I tried to slow my ascent as I flew over the crevasse. It was hard going—I still needed a lot more practice—but I was out of range of the deadly trees. Their branches cracked like whips as they reached out, but they never made contact.
Below me, the crevasse gaped. On the other side, Connor and Cass tried to control their mounts. The interior was so dark that it was impossible to see inside, but a beam of moonlight cut through the trees and revealed the wisps of smoky dark magic that wafted from the depths.
I called upon my light magic, about to blast it, but hesitated.
Last time I’d done that, it’d taken so much power that I’d collapsed. I couldn’t afford to collapse now. Anyway, there was so much dark magic everywhere that me blasting it away here wasn’t going to make a difference.
I had to play this smart.
“Can you fly faster?” I shouted to Iain.
“Yes.”
“Do it.”
He put on a burst of speed and shot forward.
“Cass and Connor!” I shouted. “Ride!”
They turned their mounts and darted through the trees. I called upon my new speed, hoping that I could catch Iain. My wings moved powerfully, and I bolted ahead of him in a fraction of a second. I went so fast that I nearly slammed into a tree, managing to dart to the side just in time.
Iain and I sped through the trees, darting left and right and staying right over the top of Cass and Connor. I spared a glance behind me, spotting the crevasse still cutting across the land. The dark mist wafted from it, but it was just a small amount, thank fates.
“Stop!” Cass shouted.
I turned, spotting a meadow just ahead. The trees thinned, ending in about fifty yards. Right before the trees terminated, Connor and Cass’s mounts stopped so abruptly that they were thrown off. The stags spun, then sprinted into the woods.
I landed at a run next to them, Iain at my side. Cass grabbed my arm before I could step beyond the tree line, and I stumbled back. The air in the clearing ahead of us prickled sharply against my skin.
“What is that?” I asked.
“No idea.” Cass squinted at it. “But it’s dangerous.”
I peered hard at the air, able to see the slightest haze of mist hanging over the grass. The land sloped up to a cliff, and I could hear the ocean on the other side.
The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, sending rays of pale moonlight over the front of the most amazing house I’d ever seen. It sat right on the edge of the cliff, an ornate structure made of dark wood and white plaster, with a tall tower in the middle and hundreds of gleaming windows.
It had to be hundreds of years old, but the style was so strange that I couldn’t place the century, much less the decade. The mist surrounded it entirely on all sides, even covering the roof.
“Even if we flew, it’s impossible to get into the house without going through the mist,” Iain said.
“The crown is definitely in there, though,” Cass said. “I can feel it.”
“Thank fates.” Relief relaxed my shoulders. “But who lives there?”
“It looks empty,” Connor says. “Feels that way, too. It’s the biggest house I’ve ever seen.”
I could barely comprehend the size of it. “Do humans know this is here?”
“Unlikely,” Iain said. “Whatever this mist is has to be a repellent.”
“Hang on, let me check something.” Connor dug into his potion bag and pulled out a clear glass orb. He knelt on the ground and rolled it gently onto the grass in front of us.
The orb stopped about twenty yards away, right beneath the mist. The interior of the glass ball turned yellow, a sickly color that couldn’t be good.
“We can’t breathe the mist,” Connor said. “It’s deadly.”
“Do you know what it is?” Iain asked.
“Not exactly, no. But the yellow color indicates poison. Until we know what it is, there’s no way to make it through without dying.”
Cass’s comms charm buzzed faintly, then a panicked voice echoed from the charm. “Cass! Help!”
“Nix! What is it?” Fear echoed in Cass’s voice.
“Captured. Dartmoor. We—”
Her voice cut out, and an eerie silence followed.
All of the color drained from Cass’s face. “They’re caught. But by who?”
8
Terror streaked through me at the idea of Nix and Del being captured. “I don’t know who could have gotten them. This darkness has never presented itself as a force that could be capable of kidnapping.”
“But it’s constantly changing. Getting more powerful.” Cass tapped on the comms charm. “Nix? Del?”
There was nothing but silence.
“Go,” I said. “Go find them.”
Her jaw tightened, and I knew she was thinking about her promise to help me. “You’ve brought us to the crown—Iain and I can get it from here.” I looked at Connor. “You go with her.”
“I can find them alone,” Cass said. “But I may need backup saving them.”
“Anything,” Connor said.
“I’m going to take a sample of the mist back to my shop,” Connor said. “You can’t be expected to wait around here to see if it will eventually fade. Once I’ve identified what it is, I’ll let you know. Then I’ll go help Cass.”
It was the best we could do. I squeezed Cass’s shoulder. “They’re tough. We’ll get them back
.”
She swallowed hard and nodded, her eyes huge and dark. “I can feel that the crown is probably located in the top tower. At least, that’s what’s pulling the hardest on me.”
“Thanks.”
“Be careful.” She looked at Connor. “You ready? I’ll transport you back to your place before I go look for Del and Nix.”
“Just one sec.” Connor retrieved an empty glass globe from his sack. It was about the size of a tennis ball, with a silver cap screwed on tight. He removed the cap and fished a string out of his bag, then tied it around the neck of the globe.
“I’m just going to get a sample of the mist.” He gently tossed the globe onto the grass about fifteen feet in front of us, waiting until it had filled. Once it had, he yanked it back and I quickly recapped it. He stood and hugged me tight. “Be careful.”
“I will. And you, too.”
“I’ll call you when I know what this poison is made of. Until then, stay out of it. Rest.” He looked at Cass. “I’m ready.”
She walked to him, her skin still too pale. Within seconds, they were gone. I turned to look at Iain. “We should find a place to hide out until Connor lets us know what’s in that mist.”
He nodded, turning to inspect the forest around us. We’d arrived in such a hurry that I hadn’t looked around much either. It’d just been a panic-driven flight to get here, followed by a clumsy landing and bad news.
I turned to do the same, peering between the trees. It was silent here, so still and peaceful that it seemed like the attacking trees and splitting earth could have been a dream. The forest itself formed a crescent shape around the meadow that terminated at the seaside cliffs. Where the earth fell into the sea, I spotted a darker shadow.
A building? I pointed to it. “Do you think that’s an outbuilding of some kind?”
“Could be. Let’s check it out.”
We made our way swiftly through the forest, our footsteps silent. We were partway there when Iain turned to me. “You should practice your flying.”
“You’re right.” Life was too insane right now to dedicate serious time to practice, so I needed to take the moments as I could find them.
Iain’s wings flared from his back. The sea-fresh scent of his magic wafted over me, and I resisted drawing it deep into my lungs. I did not need to lose my head over him. Not now, not ever.
Fat chance of avoiding that.
I called upon my wings, feeling them flare to life behind me. Magic sparked over my shoulder blades. It felt like heaven. I’d missed this.
Iain held out his hand. “Do you want help controlling it at first?”
I eyed his hand, both wanting to take it and feeling desperate not to. I shook my head. “I’ll try on my own.”
Carefully, I tried to move my wings slowly. I shot up into the air, but stopped myself before I hit a branch.
I grinned at him. “I’ve almost got control of this fire hose.”
“Fire hose?”
“It’s how my magic feels when I try to fly. Like it wants to burst out of me and fly me so fast I hit the moon.”
“Maybe save the space travel until you’ve got a grip on things.”
“My thoughts exactly.” I flew between the trees, moving jerkily at first. Iain flew alongside, giving me space to move. It took all of my focus since I was so tired from endless fighting, but I managed to make it to the quiet wooden building without slamming into anything.
About thirty yards from the structure, I landed gracefully—mostly—and tucked myself behind a tree. Iain joined me, standing so close that I could feel the icy heat of him. It was strange how he was both hot and cold at the same time, but I loved it. I resisted pressing my side against his and peered around the edge of the tree at the building.
“I think it’s abandoned,” I whispered, hoping that were the case. Exhaustion was starting to tug at me, and I could really use some shuteye.
“Agreed. There’s nothing alive in there. Ghosts maybe, but nothing living.”
I turned toward the huge mansion that sat perched on the edge of the cliff about a hundred yards away. It, too, still looked empty.
A pale figure appeared in an upper window, glowing a ghostly white. I pointed to it. “Speaking of ghosts.”
Iain cursed softly as he stared at the ghost standing in one of the top windows of the mansion. “That will complicate things.”
“No kidding.” I looked back at the small empty building in front of us. It looked like a one room cottage, perhaps for a gamekeeper or gardener, and had the empty feeling of a place long abandoned. Soft rain began to fall, cold on my face. “Want to check this one out while we wait to hear from Connor? I’d rather be dry. And I could use a quick nap.” Even just a sit-down would be good.
He nodded, then stepped out from behind the tree. I followed, and we walked quietly toward the door. An eerie stillness surrounded the place, and there was no sound of movement as we stepped up onto the front stoop.
I knocked quietly, catching Iain’s questioning glance. “I know it looks abandoned, but you can never be too sure. Last thing I want is to get hit by a curse from a disgruntled witch.”
“Fair enough.”
There was no response, so I pushed open the door to reveal a workman’s building of some kind. One wall was covered with tools—both gardening and woodworking, from the look of them. A huge table was pressed up against another wall. Empty pots and tools sat on it. A couple of ratty armchairs were positioned around a hearth on the opposite wall.
“Not bad,” Iain said.
Shivers raced over my skin as I stepped into the space, which was just as cold as the outside. At least it was drier. “I’ll get a fire started.”
I collected some of the scrap wood from the table and tossed it into the empty hearth. Carefully, I directed my new power toward the hearth, calling upon a flame. It blasted out of me, sending the wood crashing toward the back of the hearth. The flame billowed out, and Iain jumped back.
“Crap.” I killed the flame, looking at Iain. “Looks like I haven’t got the fire hose completely under control.”
“Let me help.” He pressed a hand to my shoulder, and I felt his magic flow into me. Like last time, it made my own magic feel almost settled inside me. Easier to control.
I called upon my flame again, sending a small blast of it toward the broken wood in the hearth. It sparked and caught, and a merry flame danced upright.
Iain removed his hand from my shoulder, and I nearly moved back to follow his touch.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Try it without me this time.”
I nodded, remembering the feel of having my magic under control. It helped, and the second ball of fire that I sent into the hearth was a reasonable size.
I grinned as I glanced at him. “It’s so strange to be practicing a magic that I used to have perfect control of.”
“You’ve never had this much power, though.”
“True. At least on the battlefield, I’ll be able to let loose.”
“You’ll be our secret weapon.”
I both liked and loathed that idea. On one hand, it was great. Who didn’t want to save the day?
On the other hand, I was not a fan of being the one who might be responsible for our victory. Because loss meant… the loss of everything. At my hand. Flames crawling across Dartmoor, devouring my homeland. Killing thousands. Powering a nameless, faceless evil that was so ravenous that we might never escape it.
“Hey.” Iain gripped my arms. “What’s wrong?”
I gasped, looking up at him. “Sorry. I just kind of went somewhere bad inside my mind.”
“I could feel that.”
“Feel it? Don’t you mean see it?”
“See and feel. We’re connected.”
The truth of his words struck me. He was right. The mating bond—the mere fact that we were fated mates—made it so much easier to sense him. It was like there was a wire connecting us, and if I focused hard enough, I could feel
him at the other end of it.
And he wanted me.
My gaze flicked up to his, catching heat in his eyes.
This was the first time we’d been alone since I’d gotten this power. At least, the first time we’d been alone with a free moment. Any second now, Connor could call me back and tell me that we could cross the deadly mist that surrounded the haunted house.
But for right now, it was just me and Iain in this empty cabin.
His voice was rough when he spoke. “What other powers do you have?”
I tried to clear my mind, driving the sexy thoughts from my head. “Um… I have this crazy new light power that I don’t understand.”
“The one that drew me to you in the first place.”
Memory flashed in my mind. When we’d first met—when he’d stalked me at that club—he’d mentioned that power. It had exploded out of me once before, and I’d had no idea what it was. I still didn’t really know.
“Yeah, the same. It’s like a supernova or something. Just this overwhelming power that explodes out of me when I need it.” I frowned. “But how did it draw you to me? Did you know I would have that power?”
“No. But I could feel it when it happened. I think it was so strong that the shock waves reached me through our mate bond.”
“That should be impossible.”
“Northing’s impossible. Not with us.”
I drew in a sharp breath, and he changed the subject, almost as if he could feel my discomfort. “Try to do it now.”
“Now?” Nerves skated over my skin. “It was so huge the other times I used it. I’m not sure I should try it inside.”
He gripped my upper arms gently, feeding his magic into me. It flowed through me, lighting up my nerve endings. It felt good. I gasped, swaying toward him.
“How are you feeling now?” he asked.
“Okay.” My voice was embarrassingly breathless as I spoke.
I closed my eyes, unable to bear the intimacy of staring into his.
“Just focus,” he murmured.
I wanted to tell him that his low, rough voice made it nearly impossible to focus on anything except my desire to kiss him, but I bit my tongue.