“Existing.”
My fingers traced the contours of his back, feeling the muscles shift beneath his skin as he rocked against me, more urgent now, punctuated by soft groans that sent shivers down my spine. We exhaled in unison, finding a rhythm together.
I was startled when the vortex within me seemed to respond, an added magical buzz spreading through my core that intensified with each thrust. Tendrils of magic curled through my veins, making my skin glow faintly in the dim room.
When I came it was with a cry that Mistral captured with his mouth, his own release following moments later. We lay tangled together, his head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat as it gradually slowed. In that moment through the bond, I understood what freedom meant to him, and what it might mean to us together.
10
Crispin’s stomach growled loudly. “Why is goblin food so much better than elven food?” he whined as we rode back toward the pathway. If it was just the five of us, six including Ringo, we could have jumped back to the spot where we’d arrived, but Avery and a small retinue of goblins wanted to bear witness to the pathway being reopened.
If everything went according to plan, the goblins would be able to travel back and forth again, reuniting with loved ones who had been trapped on the other side.
I tangled my fingers in my horse’s white mane, nervous, because it was a pretty bigif. I had faith that the six of us could make it back to the waypoint, but healing the old pathway?
I supposed only time would tell. At least for now I had a belly full of what one might call pancakes, only they were more cylindrical in shape and chewy in the best way. Crispin had eaten five of them, and I might have stuck a few wrapped up in a cloth napkin into one of the packs. Another breakfast at Avery’s estate would be more than worth another visit.
“Because goblins understand the finer complexities of cooking,” Mistral answered Crispin. He rode a black horse at thefront of the line with his uncle, the two goblins looking almost identical from the back, if not for the different lengths of hair.
“Those pancakes were better than Gabriel’s,” Ringo whispered in my ear. “We should come here for breakfast from now on.”
“We’ll see what we can do,” I muttered, trying not to laugh. Ringo had had a better time than anyone that morning, getting admired by the goblins who’d come to visit the main estate after hearing of the visitors slinking about in the darkness the night before. Apparently his species was rare even here, and he’d made quite the show of changing his fur to match different ladies’ dresses.
Crispin hurried his horse to ride beside mine, with Gabriel on the side opposite. “Now remember, the old pathway is already there. It’s just been cut. With your mother’s blood running through your veins along with the blade, it shouldn’t be too complicated to patch it up.”
I gripped my saddle as my horse abruptly hopped over a fallen log on the dirt road, then I looked at Crispin. “Do you really believe that?”
He plastered on a fake smile.
“Ye-ah,” I drawled. “Not very encouraging.”
“You’ll be fine,” he soothed. “We’ll all be with you. And there will only be Avery and twelve other goblins to stand witness if you fail.”
My mood sobered instantly. “I can’t fail.” My contract with my great grandfather might have been skewed in my favor, but I still had to hold up my end of the bargain. If I didn’t fully heal the pathways, he would kill my mother, which would have the same effect since she had been the one to damage them. It was by her magic that they remained parted. But with my blood connection to her, and the power of the Realm Breaker, I could hopefully bypass her will.
Sebastian rode his horse up on Crispin’s other side. “There is no limit on attempts within the contract. If you fail this once, it will not be the end. You need only complete the task before your grandfather grows too impatient, kills your mother, and forfeits his life energy to me.”
I frowned. “Yeah, really not comforting.”
Gabriel’s only addition was a grunt on my other side.
“I think we’re close,” Crispin said, pointing ahead of us. The woods did look familiar, though now we were viewing them in daylight.
The plants weren’t glowing with the sun on them instead of moonlight, and I didn’t see any tendrils of darkness. Avery didn’t seem overly concerned about the prospect.
But something still didn’t feel quite right about it to me. The bulk of the darkness had to be somewhere, and according to my great grandfather, it could destroy entire realms. It was only a matter of time before we found it.
Or before it found us.
I had to heal the pathways for my mother, but I wouldn’t let the darkness destroy my city. There was plenty of darkness there already, but there was also a lot of good, and that was worth protecting.
“Are you ready?” Mistral asked, slowing his mount as he and his uncle looked back at us.
The other goblins muttered excitedly, riding up from behind to gather around us.
I answered his question with a nod, which wasn’t quite a lie. I wasn’t ready, but I also didn’t really have a choice. So here went everything.
We foundthe exact spot where we’d arrived. There was no carved symbol on this side that we could find, but even I could feel the echo of the smaller pathway we’d created.
