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I pulled my capelet closer around my shoulders and started forward, pushing past the guys. With Smoky at my side, I headed forward toward the other side of the frosted lea, in the direction of the rock-faced ravine leading into the glen. Trillian fell in beside Delilah.
Nothing stirred, save for a few crows watching us from the branches of the overhanging oaks. Silently, we passed through the magical realm, and with every step, the sense of heavy, old magic surrounded me. Something had been through here recently.
As we entered the ravine, I could feel the call of the rocks. There was quartz in the cliff face; that I’d bet my magic on. Quartz crystals sang to me, and ever since I’d been Earthside, I’d started noticing it more and more. For some reason, my connection to the mineral was more prominent over here, and I used it for the wards around the land.
Beside me, Smoky was keeping a close eye on the sides of the ravine, his gaze darting from side to side. We passed silently through the short passage and came to the thick foliage that separated the ravine from the bog.
“Be careful. Yannie Fin Diver is in that bog. At least we know the Bog Eater isn’t around. Although the fact that he’s prowling Tangleroot Park isn’t any comfort, either. But Yannie is dangerous, and now he has a grudge against me because he couldn’t get hold of the unicorn horn.”
I pushed through to the open swath of ground that divided the forest from the peat bog. The sour tang rang in my nose, and as we passed by, I kept close watch for any sign of activity out on the surface. I didn’t want to have to go into combat against one of the Elder Fae, but with Smoky, it would be a hell of a lot easier to take care of than with just Delilah and me. We crept along and had almost reached the area where we could cut into the bushes when a ripple on the surface of the marsh caught my eye.
Hell. Yannie Fin Diver rose out of the water. He spotted us and, a feral gleam in his eye, rose with a triumphant howl.
“It’s him! Watch out!” I headed on a dead run for the woods, Delilah right after me.
Barely a beat later, Smoky turned into his dragon self. As he transformed, his long, snakelike body shimmering into sight, Smoky towered over the Elder Fae. He rose into the air, his front claws long and dangerously sharp, his wings whipping up a storm. The ripples on the bog water caused by Yannie’s appearance turned into a flurry of waves, cresting against the path.
“Oh shit,” Delilah said, turning to me. And then she flailed, her back heel sliding. Even as I tried to figure out what was going on, she fell backward into a quivering mass of sand and water and began to sink. Her head disappeared and I screamed, but then her head reappeared.
“Don’t struggle—try to float on the surface as much as you can. Struggling will only drag you down quicker.” Turning to find Trillian, who was watching the brewing confrontation between Smoky and Yannie, I yelled at him.
“Help me.”
Trillian’s gaze snapped to me, and when he realized what was going on, he raced over.
Yannie Fin Diver glanced up at the opalescent dragon and began to backpedal. Interesting; so even the Elder Fae could be cowed by dragons. I had been wondering if it came down to it, who would kick whose ass. But even though he was backtracking, Smoky didn’t stop, but headed right for him.
I tore my attention away from them and fell flat on the ground, my walking stick out in front of me. I tried to push it across the sinkhole that was swallowing Delilah, so that she’d have something to grab on to.
Trillian leaped over the shifting quagmire in which Delilah was caught, barely landing on solid ground. He wavered, flailing his arms for a second, then regained his balance and immediately went down on his stomach like me, bracing the other end of my walking stick. We held it steady over Delilah, who was by now chest deep in the mire.
She grabbed the lifeline, dragging herself out of the sucking sand. As she clung to the staff, Trillian and I slowly edged it over the side of the sinkhole and she struggled to clamber out. I slipped one hand under her left arm, as Trillian reached across and slipped his hand under her right, and we pried her out as she scrambled onto the ground, covered in the wet slimy sand. She leaned her head on her knees, her short spiky haircut matted down by the gunk.
“Damn, that’s more bog than quicksand. I hate that stuff. It’s scary hard to get out of,” she gasped, spitting out bits of sand that had gotten into her mouth.
A huge roar filled the air, and we all jerked around to see Smoky engage Yannie. The Elder Fae had grown terribly large, big enough to fight back. Crap. Maybe he wasn’t so vulnerable after all. He raised his huge arms, and the kelp boas that flowed around his shoulders rose like stinging snakes and launched themselves at Smoky, catching him around the neck.
Smoky let out a loud rumble, blasting him with flame and smoke. I gasped, but the Fae managed to jump aside, merely singed. Smoky turned in midair, strafing at Yannie with his dragon fire, as the Elder Fae kept growing, reaching a good fifteen feet in the air.
He swiped at Smoky, hitting my dragon on the butt and knocking him off balance. Smoky caught himself and dove for Yannie, barely missing the top of his head with his talons. His wings gave one major shove and managed to beat up enough turbulence that Yannie went cartwheeling back into the bog.
Like a hawk diving after a fish, wings back, talons at the ready, Smoky barreled down toward the Elder Fae, who took one last look at his incoming opponent and splashed beneath the waters, churning a wake behind him as he headed out toward the marshy wastes. Smoky pulled up, skimming the surface of the water, chased him for a bit, then headed back to shore.
He transformed even as he settled to the ground, his hair whipping around him in a frenzy. I froze, staring at it, remembering what Hyto had done to me with his long locks, then slowly let out my breath, reminding myself that—at least for the present—I was safe from the freak.
Smoky wasn’t even panting. And, as usual, clean as a whistle. I really had to find out how he did that, but so far, he wasn’t telling anybody.
“He disappeared before I could kill him, but I doubt if he’ll bother us now.” He turned to Delilah. “Are you all right?” He sounded abrupt, but I knew that he cared about my sisters—even when he pretended not to.
“Yeah,” she said, pushing herself up and wiping off what she could of the gunk that clung to her clothing. “I’m cold and wet, but I’ll be all right.” She shivered and Trillian offered her his duster, but she shook her head. “I move better without a long coat. I’ll be fine for a bit.”
I considered trying to dry her off with a spell, but the better part of wisdom prevailed, and I refrained.
“You cannot travel while chilled. Take off your clothes and lay them down on the ground.” At her look, he shook his head. “Just do it.”
Delilah obeyed as Smoky moved to the edge of the bog and, without another word, was in his dragon shape again. He swung his long neck toward her clothes and let out a great belch. Instead of fire, smoke came out, and soot. Even from where I was standing I could feel the intense heat behind the gust of air, and after two or three more puffs, he turned to her and blew a gentler gust over her.
“Thank you, Smoky.” She grinned at him, and headed over to her clothes, which were dry, if still dirty. As she pulled on the stiff material, she caught my gaze and shook her head, trying not to laugh. I repressed a smile as Smoky shifted back and—looking pleased with himself—motioned for us to move on.
