“Run!” I yelled.
Calendula whizzed past me, not needing to be told twice. I didn’t look at the fae, or the remains of the woodland sprite, or even Caleb. I turned on my heel and fuckingran.
I didn’t need to look behind me to know I was being chased. Wings rustled and scraped along the ground. The noise the fae emitted was so ancient and malevolent, it made me want to drop to my knees and puke. His hunger and rage ripped through the cavern, the energy so fierce and powerful. My legs burned but I continued sprinting, following the curve of the wall until a warm breeze greeted me and I saw the exit, the salt boundary beyond glistening in the moonlight.
The orblight flickered once and then disappeared. I heard the glass smack and crack, before chancing a look over my shoulder. Caleb had tripped over a root, his hand outstretched toward the smashed globe. I turned back. Gripping his hand, I heaved him up and yanked him across the boundary. I collapsed on the dirt, panting, as the fae came flying into view behind us.
The veins in his neck had softened slightly and color had returned to his face, flushing his cheeks with a faint pink tinge. He was a marvel to behold. Terrifying in his beauty. Large, leathery wings unfurled behind him as he licked the blood off his lips.
Onyx eyes pierced straight through me. “I have waited many years to destroy your kind,” he said, voice harsh. He looked down at the salt line before him with distaste curling his lips. “I can wait a while longer.”
Caleb yanked on my arm, but I ignored him. Calendula stirred the air around me, wings flapping anxiously.
Bold with the knowledge that he could not cross, I stood. “Why do you want to destroy us? We have done you no harm.”
A cold, cruel smile touched the corners of the fae’s lips, and he spoke in that commanding, primeval voice. “You do not know? How foolish you have allowed yourself to become.”
I stepped forward, despite Caleb’s insistent tugging, but the fae was moving, back into the depths of the cave. Darkness swallowed him instantly.
“Wait!” I shouted.
The rustling faded to a soft slither as the fae disappeared. Hollow, abject disappointment struck through me. Caleb succeeded then in spinning me around to face him.
“What?” I half-shouted, frantic with adrenaline, questions burning through me like acid.
“We need to go. The hour is nearly up!”
I looked down at my watch. Ten minutes left. It wasn’t enough time.
We took off in a blind sprint, scrambling back up the hill. The dagger clanged against my chest with each stride toward the scry. I slipped at the peak, skidding down the slope and into the flatter part of the plain. I didn’t allow myself a moment to catch my breath before hurtling after Caleb, gaze swinging between the land and the stars ahead, making sure we were going in the right direction. When we crested a mound and I saw the brilliant blue light of the portal up ahead, I nearly sobbed with relief. But there wasn’t time to cry; we had to keep going. There were only three minutes left until the land discovered us and took whatever energy it could.
My lungs protested and my throat was parched, but still I ran. The ground rumbled beneath us and Caleb faltered ahead, tripping over his feet. A massive gurgle came from below and the ground fissured, soil cracking and warping. Boiling water spurted from the slivers in a rapid stream, so hot and close it felt like my skin was melting right off. I instinctively shielded my face with my arms, my knees dropping to the ground.
“Get up!” Calendula screamed.
But I couldn’t. My arms and hands were raw, the skin around my eyes so sensitive. When I blinked, all I saw were waves of silver and gray. Strong hands grabbed me beneath my armpits, yanking me to my feet, and I blinked again. Caleb’s face was blurry as we ambled across the desert, myweight leaning heavily against him. We were too late. Our time was up and the land was waking. I was only slowing him down. He had to leave me. The both of us didn’t have to die in here.
I shoved weakly at his arm, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through my body. “You have to go. I’ll be right behind you.”
Caleb paused for just a second, and I knew he was considering it.
“Go!” I insisted.
He took off as I wheezed. I wiped a hand over my brow. I knew the sticky substance there was not sweat, but peeling flesh. Through my hazy vision, I saw blood coating my fingers.
Calendula was yelling at me to run, but I barely heard her. I could hardly hear my own thoughts through the blood pumping in my ears. My legs moved forward, slow and lethargic. I considered crawling the rest of the way.
The ground lurched beneath me once more, thrumming with energy it could only be taking from us. The hour had to have passed by now.
It was stiflingly hot on Cosanus, but a chill swept through me. It was a foreign sensation, sharp nails dragging across my chest, splitting me open so the land could drink from me.
The sky lit, a brief flash of brilliant light that pained my eyes.
The scry. Caleb had surely made it out. He would tell Kilian what happened.
I suddenly remembered the dagger.
I hadn’t given it to Caleb. Kilianneededthe dagger. I let loose a ragged scream.
