Absorbing poison, p.15
Absorbing Poison, page 15
I nibbled on my lower lip. “Uh, well, there was this green mist, and I sort of inhaled it.”
“You did what?” Kieran, Zade, and Jase thundered. Issik was the only one who didn’t say anything, but he shook his head.
“It wasn’t like I planned on gulping down some poison. It just happened, and that was minutes ago. I’m still alive, so… no harm done.”
I mean, did I feel different? Yes, but that was to be expected after swallowing a mystical mist. And although I didn’t want to believe I now had another dragon breath swimming around inside me, the logic of it was I probably did, which meant I also had the burden of figuring out how to control it.
Jase snorted. “At this rate, you’re going to be quite the formidable little human if you keep absorbing the stars. Tianna is going to want to get her hands on you for sure.”
“We need to be ready,” Kieran instructed, catching the eyes of the others. The room sobered quickly at the mention of the witch. “There’s no telling when she will strike next, but it will be soon. She will have felt the crack in her spell.”
None of us knew that “soon” was just minutes away.
Chapter Seventeen
“We will be ready for her,” Zade vowed, puffing out his chest. His shirt stretched taut over his flexed muscles, making them visible through the thin cotton. “Star by star, we’ll chip away at this curse.”
I didn’t want to be the one to bring up the obvious, but it had to be said. “What about your waning powers? Should you guys really be fighting a witch?”
It was as if I’d slapped each of the descendants across the face. They all wore shocked, how-dare-you expressions. The descendants considered themselves fierce warriors who could take on any foe, no matter what size or how strong—male, female, witch, wraith. Weakness was not an option. I commended them for their bravery and believed in their abilities, but it didn’t change the fact that I worried about something happening to them. Too many times we’d stared death in the face.
The four dragons looked grim as we walked into the main hall. “Olivia, we have little choice. It isn’t just about our survival. The entire isles are depending on us to keep them safe,” Jase reminded.
Kieran closed his fist over the Star of Poison. “We will fight until we take our last dragon’s breath. This is our responsibility as the last royal blood of our kind. We must stand against her.”
“Even at the cost of your own life?” I argued. “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of trying to save the dragons from extinction?”
Issik’s face softened, losing some of the harshness that had materialized at the first mention of Tianna. “You care for us. We care for you as well, and understand the graveness of our situation. If anything ever happened to you—”
“What Issik is trying to say is we’d die to protect you, no matter the cost,” Kieran finished.
I swallowed back a swell of emotion. They would risk the existence of dragons—of the Veil Isles—to keep me alive. I didn’t feel worthy of such devotion, and what I didn’t say was I was willing to die to save them too. Ironic.
Who would die first?
Because death was imminent, wasn’t it?
Was it possible, was there even a slim chance, that all five of us would live to see another year?
A shiver of foreboding scampered down my neck, causing the hairs to stand up. I suddenly felt as if Issik was hugging me in the center of a wintery blizzard. “You should probably put that somewhere safe.”
I indicated the stone clutched in Kieran’s large hand. A piece of me wanted to hold it again. Something about the crystal called to me. I wanted to keep it close, tuck it under my pillow, but it wasn’t a good idea. Distance, that’s what I needed. Taking my advice, Kieran went to safeguard the star someplace secure, and hopefully magic proof—if such a place existed.
Needing a few minutes to get my wacky emotions under control, I started to walk out of the great hall, toward the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Issik demanded, blocking off my path like a giant boulder.
I had to think quickly. They wouldn’t voluntarily let me out of their sight. “To change. These clothes reek of poison.”
The ice prince lifted his brows. “Is that so?”
“Yeees?” I replied, looking guilty as hell. Why was it so hard to lie to them?
“Olivia.” His voice had dropped below freezing.
“Issik,” I rumbled back, rolling my eyes. “I’ll be five minutes. I’m in the castle with four dragons. How dangerous can that be?”
“Be quick. I want us to stick together tonight.” Issik stepped out of the way.
I strutted down the hallway, allowing myself a few minutes of solitude. The castle was deathly quiet, which I took as a bad omen. Nothing good ever followed a silence so complete. Nudging the door to my room open with my foot, I peeked inside. It was just as I’d left it. Canopy bed, wicker dresser, clothes on the floor—nothing amiss.
It didn’t take me long to change into something more appropriate for running and kicking ass. Both were probably in my future. At the last second, before I headed back downstairs to join the descendants, I grabbed the dagger Jase had given me, and tucked it into my boot. It couldn’t hurt to be armed. Feeling more confident, I shut the door to my room and turned the corner.
Fear slapped me in the face, and the feeling was followed by the hissing of a snake—correction, multiple snakes. I knew that sound was bad news. It was my nightmares come to life.
I shuddered, sucking in a fortifying breath. Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around. Pretend you didn’t hear anything. If only I could. Willing it away wasn’t going to make what I was certain was coming my way any less real. My chest heaved as I took a breath and spun.
Holy dragon balls.
My head tilted to the side, transfixed by the figure headed toward me. “Is that… Medusa?” I mumbled to myself.
A woman stood in the center of the hallway leading into the great hall. I couldn’t tell what color her hair was due to the numerous snakes twining around her neck and body. They slithered up her legs, wrapping around her waist and into her hair.
I wanted to puke.
Or faint.
Most definitely, I wanted to scream.
The red silky gown she wore clung to her like a second skin, moving fluidly as she swayed toward me. My feet backed up with each step she took forward, and yet, she somehow gained ground on me—the magic of a witch.
I was afraid. It helped to admit it and accept it. This wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last time I’d be shaking in my boots because of our fight with Tianna. And regardless of how scared I felt, I was determined to not give up.
Not now.
Not until the last second before the summer solstice.
The warmth in the hallway was eaten away by Tianna’s presence. She might have draped herself in snakes and slapped on a different dress, but the wickedness that lived inside her was the same. Clouds of mist crawled along the wooden floors, and up the veins of ivy clinging to the ceiling.
“If you came for the stone, I don’t have it.” I was shocked to shit that my voice hadn’t quivered.
“But you did find it, didn’t you, dear? I felt the power of the stone leave its vessel, and attach itself to something.” Tianna poked me in the heart. “I’m guessing that something is you.”
“Nope. Not this time,” I lied, keeping my chin firm.
“You’re not a very good liar, Olivia.”
“And you’re a bit—”
Tianna placed her index finger and thumb around my lips. Then she pinched them shut, cutting off my impulsive response. I couldn’t help myself around her. She brought out the demon inside me. I wanted to wrestle her to the ground, and strangle her with one of her disgusting pet snakes. The witch clucked her tongue at me, while I shot daggers of pure hatred tinged with a healthy dose of fear in her direction.
“Someone needs to learn to hold her tongue when speaking to her elders.” One of her snakes agreed. It lunged forward at my face, hissing in anger. Its forked tongue tasted the air around my cheek, making me cringe in revulsion.
With my mouth clamped shut by her slim fingers, the words I attempted to throw at her came out in a muffled shrill.
“Cat got your tongue?” She laughed like it was the funniest line in the world. “Maybe this will help.” She released my pinched lips.
I was two seconds away from spitting in her face. “What is with you and the reptiles? Couldn’t you enlist some Care Bears to do your dirty deeds?”
“I’m going to assume that is some kind of insult.” She regarded me with distaste. “Enough of the cute banter. You and I have a show to put on.” Her slim fingers reached for my hand.
I jerked my arm away from her. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Tianna put her hand on my shoulders and twirled me around. “You don’t have a choice. Now move it, sweet cheeks.” She shoved me forward. “I need you to give a believable performance.”
I didn’t see how that would be a problem, considering the fear I felt was very real. Mentally bracing myself for the fight to come, I berated myself for not putting my hair up into a messy bun or ponytail. Strands of hair kept falling over my face, making it difficult to see where I was going, and for what I was about to do, I needed a clear view.
Tianna was at my back, and I was glad she couldn’t see my scheming face. It was a stupid plan, but it was the only one I could come up with under duress. Tianna had another thing coming if she thought I would be a pawn in her quest to get the dragon stars.
Not happening, witch.
On a whim of courage, I whipped out the blade inside my boot and pivoted. The knife thrust into Tianna’s chest. I took a step back, leaving the weapon embedded inside her. Why wasn’t she bleeding? Not even black blood oozed out of her.
Tianna threw her head back and laughed. She made quite the scene to behold, standing in the dim corridor in a ball gown with a dagger shoved into her heart. She pulled out the blade from between her breasts and smiled.
“Was that supposed to hurt? I’ll give you points for effort, but really, Olivia, I’m disappointed in your originality. You couldn’t have possibly thought a mortal blade could hurt me.” Another haunting laugh filled with superiority released from her lips, as she chucked the blade across the hall.
But that wasn’t the only thing she tossed.
Her hand swung toward my face, and the witch backhanded me silly.
I flew down the hall, landing near the stairwell hard enough to knock me unconscious. I barely held on as black dots swirled behind my eyes.
One good thing had come out of being slapped sideways. Mortal weapons might not be able to kill Tianna, but magical knives were fair game. Now I just had to get my hands on one.
No problem, I thought—heavy on the sarcasm.
“Olivia?” a deep voice called.
My eyes flew to Tianna. “No!” My scream took me by surprise.
Before I realized it, I was scrambling down the stairs and toward the sound of Issik’s voice. Desperation tore through me. I had to warn them. My feet were flying over the steps, and by the grace of God, I didn’t trip once or fall flat on my face. Issik was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and I hurled myself over the last few and landed in his arms.
“She’s coming,” I panted, my eyes large with fright.
Issik took off with me in his arms, and I cursed the curtain of blonde hair that fell over my face. He burst into the great hall. “She’s here,” Issik hissed, handing me off to Kieran, who was still shirtless. The muscles in his arms and chest tightened as he set me on my feet.
They got into warrior mode. A wall of descendants stood in front of me. “I-I stabbed Tianna,” I announced. My words came out in short bursts while I bent over to catch my breath.
“You what!?” four voices roared. Fire blazed in their eyes as the descendants judged me for a moment.
I pressed a hand gently to my cheek, and flinched at the sharp stab of pain. “Then the bitch hit me.”
Based on the strength of their outraged shouts, I thought for sure the roof was going to collapse on us. Never had I heard such a low rumble. The floor vibrated under me. The chandelier above my head rattled. The walls trembled.
Zade cracked his knuckles. “She dies.”
The others all seemed to be in agreement, making similar grunts of approval. Jase shook his head at me, running a finger over my jaw to take a look at the side of my face. “You’re lucky to be alive. Kieran, get her the hell out of here. We’ll take care of Tianna.”
“No, you can’t!” I pleaded, choking on the last word. Knowing she would come for the stone was nothing compared to actually having her in the castle, but not being able to see what she would do to the descendants scared me even more.
“Go!” Jase yelled.
Kieran’s arms wrapped around my waist, and he lifted me off the ground. I twisted and kicked, flailing in Kieran’s arms. “Put me down,” I hissed. Being removed from the chaos that was descending upon me, threw me into a panic.
“Not on your life.”
Kieran remained tense as he bolted out of the great hall, his longs strides swallowing up the floor. He took us to the rear exit of the castle that led straight into the woods. Behind me, Tianna’s voice echoed throughout the stone halls. I couldn’t hear her words, but the high pitch of her voice, was followed by several profound male ones. This was the deadliest game of hide-and-seek I’d ever played. I wanted to quit, but that would mean the witch would win.
Never.
Kieran sprinted outside, and the sky was pregnant with dark clouds. Rain spat and sizzled on the ground, casting up a haze of smoke. As the storm gushed, the air carried the scent of upturned earth. Pine needles covered the ground like a spiky blanket, and a bolt of lightning painted the leaves in a cheerful glow of yellow. Trees swayed heavily from the howling winds, like a thousand tortured voices. It was fitting the sun had decided to hide behind the clouds, while a lunatic witch was hunting me. If there was ever a day for gloomy skies and traces of doom, that day was now.
As Kieran moved us deeper into the woods of Viperus, a roar thundered from above our heads. Jase’s dragon was circling the castle, his scales glistening from the mist of rain pouring from the menacing clouds. They weren’t normal storm clouds, for they twisted and formed into a beast that lunged at Jase—another of Tianna’s wicked spells.
“She’s in the woods,” I told Kieran.
His expression was gaunt. “I know.”
He hung a sharp left, zipping over the ground with a speed that made me dizzy. His eyes were glowing and scales papered over his chest and arms. Kieran was tapping into his dragon, giving him extra strength and speed. This partial transformation fascinated me; I hadn’t known he could.
“We can’t outrun her forever,” I stated. My arms were clinging to his neck.
Ducking under a large branch, he pressed on forward. “I don’t plan on it. We’re almost there.”
“Where?” I asked, wondering what he was up to now.
“You’ll see.”
Jase came sweeping down from the sky in his dragon form, and barreled straight into a cluster of trees off to our left. I could guess what his target was. The witch. She was close, practically breathing down our necks.
Kieran felt it too.
Tianna was never alone in her fights. The prissy witch didn’t like to get her blood red nails dirty. Instead, she had her cursed underlings do the honors. Squawk. Squawk. And here came the goonies.
“I fucking hate griffins,” I mumbled, my eyes lifting upward. Through the trees, a pair of those evil assholes was locked on Kieran and me.
Kieran dropped me to my feet and pressed his forehead to mine. “Whatever happens, whatever you hear or see, you’re not to leave this spot. Do you understand?”
What was so special about this specific spot? Did it have a protection circle? Or a secret trapdoor?
Turned out it was a tree. Not waiting for me to swear I wouldn’t do something reckless, Kieran shoved me into the hollow of the tree before spinning around to shift. His large wing came up, blocking the entrance and keeping me locked inside. Unable to help myself, I peeked through a small crack, needing to see what was going on, or sit in here going mad. Kieran roared, letting a mist of green poison exude from his mouth. It swirled around the griffins, who pawed at the ground, kicking up dirt. They were smart and held their breaths.
Huddled in the corner, I listened as the sounds of a battle echoed over Viperus. It was gut-wrenching—the claws, the roars, and the cries—but nothing was worse than not knowing what was happening. A reverberating silence ensued. My heartbeat hammered in my ears as I cautiously crawled to the opening of the trunk. My fingers gripped onto the edge of the bark. Extending my neck and tilting my head to the side, I went to take a peek, but someone else had the same idea.
A griffin’s head popped inside the hole. It shrieked in my face, blowing my hair back and spitting goo into my eyes.
Disgusting.
I scuttled backward on my ass, wiping a hand over my eyes. The substance was thick and sticky like snot. It also temporarily blinded me—at least I prayed it wasn’t permanent. I told myself not to panic, but this was one of those times my body didn’t listen to my brain, and I was moments away from losing my shit. Blinking rapidly, I tried to wash away the film that blocked my vision, but it was to no avail. Fear clogged my throat. The griffin who had me trapped inside the tree trunk made a clucking noise, its beak brushing up against the side of my face. I froze, my heart jumping out of my chest.
Holy shit. It’s going to peck me to death.
My hands flew out in front of me, warding off an attack I was sure would come.
Claws dug into my shoulders, ripping through my clothes. I cried out in pain as the nails pierced my flesh. The searing agony intensified when the griffin dragged me out of the hole. I dug my heels in, swinging my fists sightlessly. It was useless, but that didn’t mean I would give in, never.
