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We were hers to command, until the end of time. Four warriors, one perfect female, and we had ruled this world since it was little more than chaos and darkness.
But if she died…so would we.
So we protected Amalla with our bodies and our magic and our might.
She was our everything, our reason for living…our heart.
“I claim these lands in the name of Astragulus Centaria, in the name of my father, the king. I will smite you foul beasts and send you back to whatever Great Beyond you crept out from.”
“Kill him and be done with it.” Gattica’s words sent snow whipping across the ledge, knocking the Fae prince closer to the edge. One more step and this would be over, and we could go home.
Corvus and Gelvira were not here, of course, so there were only the five of us to face ten thousand Fae warriors. I wondered if that had been a purposeful choice or simply coincidence.
Gelvira and her brother had become secretive of late, jealous of Amalla, of the power she commanded. But jealousy was fleeting when you lived forever.
A deep rumble shook the entire mountain, the stone vibrating against the soles of my feet, but the threat didn’t come from beneath me…this came from above.
I’d lived for an eternity, was forged from the stars themselves.
But even a god couldn’t stop the top of the mountain from splintering apart and plummeting straight toward Amalla. For a single second, her pale eyes met mine, defiant and raging and utterly furious, before her head splattered into pieces, her body disappearing beneath the cascade of stone and ice as the entire side of the mountain cleaved off and took the rocky outcropping with it.
Without so much as a final scream, we all plunged into darkness.
When I came to, I tasted blood.
Tristan stood over me, wiping his bleeding knuckles on his pants while Anaria swayed on her feet, her face filled with confusion. Tavion gripped his head, surveying the room like he was seeing us for the first time.
“What the fuck just happened?”
Tristan offered me his hand and I caught my breath, finally realizing I lay flat on my back. “You went in and got stuck inside…whatever the fuck that was, just like they did.” Anaria and Tavion were both dazed and I felt like I’d just been dragged out of a bad dream, the horror of the vision still clinging to me like it would never let go.
“Did you have to hit me that hard?” I stretched my aching jaw, feeling it pop back into place.
“The choice was either my fist or Dane’s knife, and I figured a bloody lip was better than a stab wound any day.”
The second I was on my feet, I folded Anaria’s shaking body into my arms. “What just happened, Raz? It felt so real.” Her voice shook, her skin clammy, despite the freezing air in here.
“A vision.”No, a memory.
“It was like I was right there; I felt the rock crush me. Felt myself die. Gods, the pain was horrible.” Across the room, Tavion shuffled toward us, his eyes meeting mine, and in them, I saw every bit of the wobbly horror tangling me into knots.
None of us could shake off how real those terrifying moments had been. My swallow sounded loud and desperate I the silence.
“We’re not staying here,” I told Dane, daring the bastard to disagree. “We go through now.”
“There are more bones on the other side.” Dane fingered his knife, his eyes fixed on us. “Two more skulls. One’s even bigger than that one.” He jerked his head at the enormous skull and the piles of yellowed bones.
“But I agree. The sooner we’re out of here, the better. Whatever the fuck is going on, I want no part of this.”
“We’re fine now.” Tavion dragged his hands over his face, his eyes tormented and dark. “That was…just Anaria’s magic. Sometimes her power has an unsettling effect on those closest to her.” His gaze met mine and I dipped my head, taking his hint. Dane could think whatever the fuck he wanted, we had to get Anaria out of here.
Dane didn’t seem convinced. “Looked like more thanan effect. You were in a fucking trance, Tavion.” He jerked his head at Tristan and me. “The ginger had to punch the collared one in the face to pull him out of his trance.”
“And my father’s a half-shifted mess of a wolf. Tell me again how the magic plays by the fucking rules?” Tavion growled. Dane snarled back, but his hand relaxed where he gripped his knife, and he didn’t look like he meant to carve our heads from our bodies any time soon.
“Raziel’s right, we go through tonight. Take our chances on the other side.” Tavion’s face was pale, but he caught me by the arm.
“Whatever you do, don’t touch anything once we’re over there. Like Dane said, there are more bones on the other side,” he murmured before letting me go. We headed for our horses while I kept my arm braced around Anaria’s waist, the only thing holding her upright.
