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RAFFERTY
Dead and dying cover the once green lawns bordering the castle. Blood stains it now, crimson streams that travel between those unfortunate enough to have been inside when it was clearly overthrown.
Even Taranus would not have allowed such carnage because doing so would mean there were fewer to wait on him. He is a selfish fucker. Nearly as selfish as he is brutal.
Ahead, ancients drag a bruised woman out and throw her onto the body of a dead man. She doesn’t move, and even from here, I can sense her soul slowly slipping away.
“They killed them all,” Bea whispers, choking on her own tears.
I look to her and Thorish, who looks more pissed off than anything as the three of us peer from the bushes we’re hiding in. “We won’t know for sure until we go inside.”
“You can’t be serious!” Thorish whispers loudly. The young fae has been slowly digging his own grave since the moment we met.
To be frank, I’m not even sure how such a coward ended up in my ranks to begin with. “Why can I not be serious?”
His golden eyes widen. “You are going to risk our lives to go in after one woman?”
A low growl emits from my chest as the dark energy in my veins flares to life.I can order him to walk out onto that lawn. His death could create the distraction I so desperately need.
Bea touches my arm, and I swallow hard, shoving that thought back down. “Thorish,” she says softly, “We need to know who is leading the ancients.”
“Is it not clear? It’s his brother! Or his ex-mate! Take your pick!”
That does it. I close my hand around the fae’s throat and squeeze. “Taranus is no brother of mine,” I snarl. “And he is not the one leading them—of that I am sure. As for Ailis? She is far too selfish to be a leader. My guess is an exchange was made, and Ember is what she wanted.” I drop him, and he wheezes, scrambling back from me like the coward he is.
“How can you possibly know that? We could be walking into a trap!”
“Possibly,” I reply. Then, I turn to Bea, who has more bravery in her pinky than Thorish does in his entire body. “Can you get me close enough that I can slip inside?”
“I can try,” Bea offers as she reaches over to take my hand. Her golden eyes meet mine, and she takes a deep breath before the ground disappears from under our feet.
When we reappear, we’re standing just outside the kitchen entrance. Pulling away, I press my ear to the door and listen for any signs of a struggle inside. When there is none, I turn my attention back to the woman still by my side.
“Go. You and Thorish maintain a safe distance until you see me out here again.”
“I should go in with you. That way—”
“We cannot dematerialize outside from inside the walls,” I remind her. “You coming in will not help should I need to make a hasty exit.”
Bea swallows hard but finally nods and disappears from view. Unsheathing the blade at my waist, I reach for the handle and pull open the door.
Silence.
Eerie, given this place was once one that boasted joyful laughter. At least, prior to Odrahn, Sheelin, and now Taranus. Creeping inside, I shut the door soundlessly behind me and head for the hall.
Ember has to be here.
Because if she’s not, I’ve no clue where Ailis would have taken her. The Veil is a possibility, sure, but I cannot imagine my ex-mate being willing to return to the place where she was held prisoner for thousands of years.
I reach the hall and use the blade of my weapon to check around the corner. When no one is reflected in the surface, I creep forward, doing my best to stick to the walls as I move toward the dungeon that once held me.
As soon as the entrance is ahead, I hit the stairs quickly, moving down two at a time until I reach the bottom. Groans drift out from the cells, pained whimpering filling my ears. My stomach churns with the stench of death and dying.
“Who is down here?”
Silence. And then—“Rafferty? Is that ye’?”
The feminine voice has my heart hammering. “Bonny?” I rush toward the bars and peer into the shadows as she scoots along the stone. “Oh fuck, Bonny.”
