It was all gone. Even the stables werenothing but ash.
All that remained were the memories.
But no, it wasn’t all gone, she realized. Tothe far left of the ruins stood a horse. Cricket’s tail swishedback and forth, and her ears flicked as she munched on the lushgrass near the shoreline.
The lazy dog that would often wander onto themanor’s grounds lounged near the willow. She was glad to see it andCricket remained unharmed.
“Where’s Darby?” she murmured as she searchedfor the fourth horse.
He wouldn’t have gone far. He might have inthe beginning as he fled the chaos, but he probably would havereturned by now to rejoin Cricket on the land so familiar tohim.
She didn’t want to think about what mighthave happened to him and chose to believe he’d run until he foundsomewhere safer with green pastures. It was a far prettier picturethan to think he’d filled the belly of a dragon.
“I have to get Cricket,” she said. “I can’tleave her here.”
Cole clasped her arm when she started towardthe lake. “I’ll form a portal closer to her, and we’ll get her toenter it. If someone is hiding and watching nearby, they won’t havea chance to get to us if we do it that way.”
“Okay.”
Cole closed the portal they’d exited from andopened another before him. Opening portals normally drainedimmortals, but it wasn’t slowing him down.
“Does opening a portal drain you at allanymore?” she inquired and braced herself for the answer.
He was getting stronger, but he still had tohave some weaknesses, somewhere… other than her.
“Not as much as it used to,” he said.
She suspected that was as good as it was bad,but she kept it to herself. She was sure he was already aware thiswas another change in him.
Keeping her face composed, she hid herapprehension as they stepped into the portal. When they emerged afew seconds later, they were only a few feet away from Cricket.
Cricket’s head shot up, and she danced backbefore stopping when she recognized Lexi. Her happy whinny filledthe air, and she and Cole walked over to her.
Lexi grasped her broken halter and shiftedher hold to keep it from slipping over Cricket’s head. Cole openedanother portal as a group of the Lord’s guards emerged from beneaththe leaves of the willow.
They had been hiding and waiting, though shedidn’t understand why they waited so long to emerge. Then, sheglanced at Cole. They’d most likely been debating who scared themmore… Cole or the Lord.
The Lord had won, but Lexi doubted it was bymuch.
“Shit,” Lexi hissed as some of the mencharged at them with swords raised while others planted themselvesand lifted their bows.
Lexi’s grip on Cricket’s halter tightened asthe twangs of arrows releasing resonated in the air. She spun intime to see an arrow soaring toward them.
She yanked forward on Cricket’s halter, butthe unexpected movement caused her to shy and jerk back. Unpreparedfor the move, Lexi’s feet briefly left the ground before she wasable to right herself.
But by then, it was too late. The arrow wasabout to pierce through Cricket’s heart when a shadow leapt fromthe ground and tore it from the air.
Lexi’s head spun toward Cole as darknessgathered around him and the shadows split before rising into theair around him. He’d saved Cricket, but at the expense ofhimself.
“Cole, no!” Lexi screamed.
She regained control of Cricket and rantoward the portal before plunging into it. She released the mareand watched as she galloped away. Cricket would have to find herway around the prison realm for now; she was sure someone wouldfind and take care of her.
Leaping back out of the portal, she grabbedCole’s arm and yanked him toward her as one of the guards screamed.She didn’t have to look to know what had made the man scream likethat. Malakai made the same agonized cries when the shadows torehis limbs away.
The man’s inhuman shrieks followed them intothe portal.
***
