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I lost my sanity, whaling on the gobbelin like Jillian had, until its whole body was a mess of shredded flesh.
“Kana, love, come on,” Rush gasped, trying to pull me away from the body. He bent to grab the book, and I ducked under his arm, supporting him on his good side as we hobbled as quickly as possible away from the dead gobbelin.
The others would have heard the noise - they’d be here soon, from one angle or the other.
Kassian Kingston, where are you?I roared desperately in my mind, searching the southern wall of the Prophecy section for the passageway.
“There,” Rush heaved suddenly, pointing to an ornate archway. We hurried to it, finding a mirror in the opening. I huffed at my reflection.
“We look fucking rough,” I said, and Rush chuckled, wincing as more blood leaked from his wound.
“There’s an inscription,” he whispered, tilting his chin up to the golden frame. I tried to shove aside my worry about how much blood he was losing, propping him against the frame so I could see the letters more clearly. They were crusted over with dirt and grime, though, and I ripped a corner of my shirt to try and clean it away.
This had to be the passageway.
Kana?
Fucking finally - Kassian’s voice rang out in my mind, and I nearly laughed out loud with relief.Kas, we’re trying to get into Fauna from Prophecy. Gobbelins chasing us... so fucking many. Where are you? Where’s the passage?I blurted out all the questions, still furiously rubbing at the letters.
“What does it say, love? Hurry,” Rush cried, and I whirled to find him using his earth fae magic to yank mirror vines from the soil. He hurled them around two approaching gobbelins, binding them tightly together.
Heading that direction - describe what you see, Kas called, and I had to fight not to snip at him that this was not the time.
Rubbing the last of the words clean, I shot him a mental image, complete with Rush and the pair of gobbelins, before turning back to the mirror.
Reading out loud, I yelled over to Rush, “I can bring tears to your eyes; resurrect the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. I form in an instant, but I last a lifetime. What am I?”
“Fucking riddles,” he growled, burying one of the gobbelins under a tangle of the razor-studded vines as it managed to slice its claws through the vines.
I flew at the second one, snapping my whip hard across his neck and flaying open the skin there.
The gobbelin slumped to the side before falling to the ground with a thud, giving us a quick reprieve.
I think I know where that passage is, K, but be careful. It’s right next to a fucking oso cave,Kas warned in my mind, and I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
This was fucking insanity.
“Forms in an instant... lasts a lifetime. Resurrect the dead - can’t be the mist,” I was mumbling through the riddle when Rush cursed again. I looked up, seeing another trio of gobbelins round the corner.
I was glad the whole horde hadn’t found us, but it was a war of attrition at this point, and my fae was fading.
“Memories,” Rush suddenly cried, his eyes wild and flashing golden. “Memories last a lifetime.”
We both looked at the mirror, but nothing happened. “Memories! Memory. Goddamn it, remember. Remembrance. Memoir,” I yelled, banging my fist on the mirror as I tried every variation.
The word fit - it had to be right.
And suddenly it was - the mirror dissolved like it was made of mist, and Rush and I practically fell through, tumbling out into the Fauna section.
I jumped to my feet and yelled all the words again, hoping to seal the mirror. Although I could hear gobbelins roaring on the other side of the wall, none of them came crashing through it.
“Rush, I think I love you,” I gasped, kneeling down to feel his pulse and check his wound.
“I hope that isn’t just the joy of escape talking, love,” he murmured, his head falling backward as his turquoise and gold eyes tried to focus on mine.
“You need blood,” I said, pressing my hand against his ribs to slow the bleeding. He winced and shook his head.
“I cannot take yours, you know that.”
