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“Rian was once head of magicks training for the Earth Fae. Which means he’s incredibly powerful, highly skilled, and likely knows more about magicks than he was ever allowed to teach. On top of that, he’s always claimed his innocence, and his mother died while he’s been exiled. If his story is true, and he is innocent, his motive to harm the Earth Fae is a strong one. It’s not entirely a surprise that the Domnua have found their way to him and likely convinced him to act against us. I don’t know that he would make a play for our amulet unless they were involved, though I can’t be certain. The events of late certainly make it seem so. I think, to be safe, we’ll need to assume the Domnua are involved. Which means, at all times, we’ll need to be on watch for the Dark Fae to make a move.”
“And we’ll be facing off with a master of magick who has a strong vendetta against the Earth Fae. Got it.” Bianca nodded vigorously. “What’s the plan then?”
“I don’t have a great one, sure it’s sad for me to admit that.” Terra sighed. “There’s not much that can be done in the way of capturing Rian or disarming his magick until we’re actually with him.”
“First stop. Find Rian.” Bianca held a finger up.
“After we find him, we either convince him to change his mind, disable him, or capture him.” Terra winced, thinking about having to harm Rian.
Though she’d put on a careless face the night before, his leisurely study of her naked body and his wide-eyed appreciation of her assets had left her aching for his touch. She supposed that must be the way of things with fated mates that, no matter the situation, their attraction would always be strong. She’d have to fight her pull to him, knowing he’d use his power on her, and instead stay focused on what was best for her people. It certainly put her in a precarious position but, at the end of the day, Terra was only one woman. She believed in the good the Earth Fae did for the environment and the world. If she had to sacrifice her chance at a happy future in order to save her people, well, she’d do so in a blink of an eye.
“Let’s start with the lowest form of that, shall we?” Bianca said, an empathetic look on her pretty face. “Maybe we’ll have a wee chat and a cuppa tea and be home for dinner.”
“Ah, my love. Ever the optimist.” Seamus laughed. He nodded to their bags. “Shall we get on with it then? To the portal?”
“Yes, to the portal. I’ve sung our heartsong for the first time ever, which should hopefully have the effect of drawing Rian close to the portal. If not, I’ll sing it once more upon arrival. It’s not likely he’ll be able to resist, no matter how many magickal tricks he employs, so we’ll know when he is near. Once he’s close — be prepared. We have no idea if he’ll attack immediately, and I would deeply prefer neither of you to come to harm.”
“We’ve weathered our fair share of battles now, haven’t we?” Bianca winked at Seamus and then turned back. “It’s also foreplay,” she mouthed to Terra.
Terra bit back a grin and slipped the strap of her satchel over her shoulder. Touching the gold circlet of leaves at her head, she closed her eyes for a moment to center herself. In her head, she imagined being in the circle of trees by her favorite stream, her bare feet connecting to the Earth. The power of her people and the natural world hummed in her blood, and her purpose was pure. Opening her eyes, she looked at the two who were putting their lives on the line to help her.
“Thank you for being willing to accompany me. I want to caution you that portal travel can be disorienting and, once through, it may take a few moments to gather your wits.”
“Yes, it is a bit dizzying, isn’t it?” Bianca said, following Terra as they left the lounge through a narrow hallway that descended several flights of stairs until it deposited them into a side courtyard. There, two guards waited for them, their heavy gold armor at odds with the Flower Fae who flitted among the rose bushes planted along the stone walls. The guards would guide them to the portal entrance, concealing their path from all Fae, as secrecy was vital when it came to the location of the portals. There was more than one, and even Terra didn’t know the location of all of the gateways but, as a leader, she did have knowledge of a few.
“Can you imagine the cost of a suit of armor made of gold?” Bianca gawked at the guards, stopping just short of running her hand over their suits. Seamus caught her hand in time and tucked it by his side, a grin on his face. When he smiled, Seamus went from gawky to starkly handsome, and Terra was beginning to understand why Bianca was so attached to him. That and his undying adoration of her.
“Best not to touch, doll,” Seamus said.
“Oh right. That’s rude of me, isn’t it then? Could you imagine if a stranger came up and stroked my shirt?” Bianca laughed at herself, and Terra was grateful for their easy chatter. Though she was one to prefer the sounds of nature, too much silence allowed her thoughts to turn down dark paths. The light conversation between Bianca and Seamus served as just enough distraction to break the tension that weighed heavily on her shoulders, while also managing not to be an annoyance.
After a thirty-minute walk that led across a field, through a sliver of Terra’s beloved forest, and down a rocky slope to the water, the guards turned to Terra.
“We’ve arrived.” Both guards bowed their heads respectfully.
“Thank you for your escort.” Terra approached the narrow crack in the rock wall and ran her hands over the sun-warmed rocks. No dark magick burned her palms, so she turned back with a brisk nod to the others. “Onward.”
“I swear, these crevices get narrower and narrower, don’t they?” Bianca griped, and Terra smiled. No, the passageway was not suited for a large woman such as herself, but she knew enough about the mercurial magick of the Fae to know that looks were deceiving. It was likely simply an illusion to discourage any passerby from attempting to navigate the crevice, if anyone even got that far. There would be enough wards charmed with magick to repel even the most curious of Fae. Pressing forward, she slipped easily through the entrance.
“Ohhhh,” Bianca whispered after her, catching on to the magick at play. “Cool.”
In only a few moments, the passageway led them to a small cavern where a fire crackled in the corner.
“Damn it. Do we have to jump through fire again? I hate this part,” Bianca moaned to Seamus. “I know it won’t hurt me, but years of conditioning make me think otherwise.”
“That’s what it’s meant to do,” Terra said.
“I get it. I do. It’s just … not a favorite,” Bianca sighed. They gathered in a small half circle around the fire. Terra slipped a dagger from its holster at her side. She wouldn’t use the Earth Fae’s dagger when going through a portal, just in case she lost her grasp of it in the uncertain moments after their arrival, but she still wanted to be prepared for any threat on the other side.
“Arm yourselves. We’ll go as one.” Terra waited until the others had similar blades in their hands.
“As fire burns to ashes and returns to earth whence it was born, we now travel through, our pure purpose sworn,” Terra murmured and together the three stepped into the fire. For a moment, everything went black, and Terra felt as though she was disconnected from her body, an untethered soul, drifting blissfully in nothingness. The return was a jarring one, and Terra gasped for air as they tumbled from the fire into another cavern.
A rope slipped around her neck, and though Terra sliced upwards with her blade, her weapon was knocked easily from her hand. She blinked, trying to shake the cloudiness from her brain, calling upon the power that coursed deeply inside of her.
Cold metal clasped her wrists, their immediate sting causing her shoulders to crumple in defeat. Iron cuffs. She didn’t have to look up to know that Rian had been waiting for them to arrive.
“Terra!” Bianca shouted, but a wave of magick pulsed across the room, stunning her still dizzy companions. Though Seamus launched an attack, Rian quickly disarmed the both of them, binding the two together with what Terra assumed was a charmed rope. Worry slipped through her. She’d known an attack was a possibility, but she’d expected it from the Domnua which were easier to fight as they operated on brute force and sheer stupidity. But Rian? He’d planned for their arrival. She’d miscalculated by assuming he wouldn’t know where the portal was.
