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“Testing the field. She wants to know how powerful you are as well as the limitation of her mist. The only good news is that it looks to me as though her mist also affects her own army of wraith-pairs, otherwise they’d be present right now, awaiting her orders.”
“Just get me as close as you can without being affected by the mist.”
“Come to me, Hannah, or the bride dies.” Margetta pulled the woman’s upper body onto her lap, exposing her pale throat. The bride’s crown of lavender flowers slid off her veil and onto her husband’s arm.
Margetta made a surface cut, so that a small rivulet of blood slid down the side of the woman’s neck.
Hannah gasped. “I have to go to her.”
“No, Hannah.”
She turned to look at Jude. Just keep your telepathic frequency open. We’ll talk the whole time. But I can’t let her die and neither can you. We’ll have to wing it, but I know we can figure something out. I also know that I can’t have this woman’s death on my conscience.
Jude’s nostrils flared and he pressed his lips tight together. I understand.
&nbs
p; He set her down outside the circle of mist that lay like a soft veil over the prone realm-folk.
That smell is horrible. She stepped off his boot. Just talk to me.
Jude backed up swiftly, positioning himself thirty feet away, out of range of the mist, but he stayed on the ground. The mist appears to have strict limitations, but I can still smell it even from this position.
Hannah didn’t glance in his direction, but stepped carefully over several people, working not to crush hands or limbs.
As she approached Margetta, she thought yet again that even though the woman personified evil, she was beautiful with even features, a straight nose, and violet eyes not unlike her own.
Margetta’s eyes, however, turned silver in that moment, which Hannah knew meant she was attempting to employ her enthrallment skills.
In response, the fire element of Hannah’s strange emerging power began to burn hot. Her skin grew flushed, and she lifted her chin. She released a sudden burst of that hot energy directly at Margetta’s mind. The ancient fae winced, but her eyes returned to normal.
“So, you’ve got some power.” She looked Hannah up and down. “Yet, I don’t understand what you are.”
Hannah’s gaze slid to the blood still trickling from the elven bride’s throat and to the shiny silver blade in Margetta’s hand.
Meeting Margetta’s gaze once more, she responded, “I have no idea, either. Nor does Vojalie, except that I’m meant to create balance in the Nine Realms.”
“Balance?” Margetta laughed. “Don’t be stupid. Now here is how this is going to go. You’ve got a very simple choice: Either come with me right now, or the bride and everyone in this lovely community square dies. What shall it be?” She rolled the blade at the woman’s neck, creating a second surface slice, but with a stronger flow this time.
Jude, did you hear Margetta?
I did. You’re not to leave with her. She has only one intention; she will kill you.
I know. The problem is, I know the bride. I didn’t recognize her because we were so far away, but a year ago she and her boyfriend came into the Gold Rush and announced their engagement. She started to tremble. Can you tell me something?
Anything.
How fast can you really fly?
What are you thinking?
Hannah worked to keep her heart steady. Only that when I’m airborne and high enough, I’ll blast her, but that means I’ll probably fall and someone will need to catch me. Sound okay to you?
Hannah, you could die. You don’t know all the power she has. And what if I can’t reach you in time?
Then I’ll die doing something worthwhile. She’d made up her mind that the last thing she could ever allow was this woman to die on the happiest day of her life.
She stepped forward and held her arms out to the ancient fae. “I’ll go with you.”
