Lodron’s scowl softened. He pulled his fingers through his hair but still didn’t touch me. My heart ached when he stepped away and sat down at the dining table.

  “It’s also why he wanted me to create the barrier on my mind,” I pressed, not following him. “He knows what Tannivh did to me before we even entered the Elvin kingdom. He knew the Arcanists would try to manipulate me.”

  “You didn’t do it, did you?” Though he phrased it as a question, I could feel the pressure on my brain where he poked at me.

  “No, because you’re right. I need to leave my past behind,” I replied. “But to keep the Arcanists from messing with me, Mal convinced them that I’d bypassed his protections and forced his loyalty to me.”

  Lodron’s eyebrows rose. “You can’t bypass a permanent wall on someone’s mind. The elves know that.”

  I hesitated, hating to even talk about their stupid prophecy. “They think I’m some stupid goddess warrior thing from some equally stupid prophecy.”

  I could see the little light bulb going on in his head. He knew about their prophecy? Of course he did. He turned sideways in the chair and draped his arm over the back. “Do I even want to know what he did to convince them of your ability to ignore his protections?”

  “Probably not,” I conceded, finally closing the space between us. “You know Maldrius trusts no one, right?” Lodron nodded. “The Arcanists know it as well, for the reasons I just explained. When we went to pick up Vethiar, he gave them the impression that I drew him out of his shell and forced him to love me. Something none of the elves were able to do. He seems to think it’ll plant enough fear and uncertainty to keep them out of my head.”

  I resisted the urge to reach out and smooth the frown pulling at his lips. Lodron wasn’t stupid. I really hoped he would see the analytical reasons behind Mal’s actions and not let his emotions rule his thoughts. That didn’t mean I’d tell my captain about Mal’s mouth on my ears and neck.

  Several moments ticked by as he bit his bottom lip and drummed his fingers on the table. The entire time, he avoided my pleading eyes.

  “Please say something, Lodron,” I whispered.

  He looked up at me from his seated position and grabbed my hips, pulling me between his knees. I threaded my fingers into his hair and let out a sigh of relief.

  “I understand why he did it,” Lodron said. “I’m not happy about it, but I understand.”

  “So, the mighty Lodron has finally fallen to a woman.” Mal’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

  I spun around to see the elf leaning against the bathroom door. His blood-covered fae armor hung around his waist revealing tight, corded muscles across his chest. Dark bruises swelled along his jaw, but all I really saw was the puckered scar running across his left shoulder and halfway down his side. I couldn’t begin to imagine what would cause something so extreme.

  “I hear I’m not the only one,” Lodron countered.

  I expected him to jump to his feet and thump his chest at Mal, but he didn’t. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his lap. Claiming me like a caveman. I let him, not wanting drama between the two men. Yep. It had nothing to do with any feelings I might have for the captain.

  Mal’s face transformed with his smile. “Indeed. She must be evil incarnate to distract us from our true selves.”

  “I am not!” I protested.

  The two men exchanged looks, and I scowled at them.

  “The Arcanists did this to you?” Lodron asked, drawing us back to why we were here.

  Mal pushed away from the door and winced, then limped across my living space. I tried to stand and pull out a chair for him, but Lodron held me tight. Mal dropped into the seat across from us, his body tensing with the effort.

  “The Arcanists have a small group of warriors allied with them,” he said. “I suspected betrayal, but it runs much deeper than I imagined. I certainly didn’t expect them to apprehend me after my meeting with the King.”

  “How much do they know about our plans?” Lodron asked.

  “Too much,” Mal replied. I could almost feel his regret. “I didn’t think Vethiar was involved, so I told her we had a way to take down the barrier around the Highland Palace. She doesn’t know how, only that we think we can.” He shook his head, glancing at me before giving his attention back to Lodron. “I should’ve known better.”

  I pressed my lips together. So Vethiar had done something to the portal on our first visit to the Forest, and Mal blamed himself for not seeing it. I should’ve listened to my gut when I doubted her the first time.

  “The king knows of the corruption, but not the extent of it,” Mal finished. “He doesn’t know they dragged me into their lair and did this.”

  “Do we assume the Arcanists can get into the Highland Palace?” Lodron asked. “Or is their magic also negated by the barrier?”

  “I believe the dark magic negates everything,” Mal replied. “The Arcanists are depending on you to get them inside. They cannot make a portal directly into the palace.”

  “Why?” I glanced between the two men. “Why would they side with Neònach?”

  A harsh laugh escaped Mal’s throat. “The promise of power. They aren’t satisfied with the gifts given to them. I can only imagine what Neònach has promised.” He rubbed his throat with his palm and grimaced. “May I have a drink?”

  “Absolutely.” I rose from Lodron’s lap and went to the cabinet to get a glass.

  “Thank you. When we fought the vampires the other day, it opened our eyes to a new magic. This revelation was my reason for meeting with the king last night,” Mal continued. “They are much stronger than any vampire on Earth, and they wield their dark magic easily. It’s why we lost so many of our warriors. Twenty vampires should’ve been easy for fifty elves to dispatch.”

  I handed him a glass of water and noticed my hand trembling. I hadn’t realized it was only twenty vampires versus their fifty warriors. Of course, I couldn’t exactly keep up with the battle either.

  I pulled out the chair next to Lodron and sat down. We remained silent while Mal quenched his thirst. My thoughts reeled in a hundred directions, but I tried to focus on our immediate concern.

  “What’s next?” I asked. “Can the Arcanists communicate with Stephan? Will he know we discovered their treachery?”

  “I don’t know how they communicate with him or Neònach,” Mal replied. “But they must have a way.”

  “Would you know if one of the Highland Fae were in the Elvin kingdom?” I asked as pieces started falling into place.

  Mal gave me a look that said, ‘why the hell didn’t I think of that?’

  “Normally, I know everyone coming and going into our kingdom,” he replied. “But if the Arcanists are opening portals for someone, our guards wouldn’t know.”

  “Or the dark fae could just keep one of their people at an apartment in, let’s say New York,” Lodron suggested. “The Arcanists would only have to go to New York, relay their message, and go home. The dark fae could instantly relay information, telepathically, back to the Highland Palace.”

  My thoughts went to Roe’s wife and the family she had to have in the Highland Kingdom. I didn’t want to mention my suspicions about her in front of Mal. If I was paranoid about her leaking information, I was sure Lodron already considered it.

  Another moment of silence fell between us. Betrayal never felt good. I was grateful I wasn’t the one making decisions on how to deal with it.

  “We need to get our leaders back together,” Lodron said. “I’m not sure of the best strategy. I’m inclined to drop the shield and attack, but if we’re walking into a trap, it’d be better to have a plan.”

  “You will need my king’s warriors to fight the vampires, Lodron,” Mal said. “He may try to prevent the Arcanists from joining them, but you should be prepared for their betrayal.”

  “The Arcanists’ betrayal or your warriors?” Lodron retorted.

  The elf scowled, and I almost smacked Lodron. Mal didn’t have to tell us anything about his people’s betrayal, but he did. Well, actually, he did have to reveal it. I couldn’t see his elementals keeping it a secret from the other Dionadair.

  “Make sure you’re ready to kill the Arcanists if they show their hand,” Mal snapped. “They won’t hesitate to do the same.”

  A bright light filled the room along with a deep foreboding in my gut. Dusha would not have good news.

  “The dragon is at your doorstep,” Dusha said, not waiting for his light to fade. “The portal inside the Highland Palace is open. We should move quickly before too many are allowed to pass.”

  Lodron sprang from his chair, mumbling under his breath. I assumed he was passing the word to Ronquil. Mal rose as well, pulling his armor back on. His eyes lingered on my face for a few moments before he gave his attention to my elemental.

  “I will take the Dionadair with me,” Dusha said, looking down on Lodron. “We will hold the portal until you arrive.”

  The captain’s eyes danced from Dusha to me. The indecision and fear painted plainly on his face made my stomach churn. He circled the chair and pressed a bruising kiss on my lips.

  “We’re not dying today,” he whispered, releasing me.

  “No, we’re not,” I agreed, hoping it wasn’t a lie.

  “We should be at the palace gates in ten minutes,” Lodron stated. “Maybe sooner.”

  I knew the comment was meant for Dusha, but Lodron’s eyes never left mine. So much was left unsaid between us, and now it would have to wait.

  Chapter 24

  A few moments later, I arrived in the middle of the open living space in the Dionadair’s tower with the rest of our team. The tension in the room was so thick, I could’ve cut it with the old proverbial knife. I’d always thought that saying was stupid until now. How do you feel tension in a room? You just feel it, like a heavy fog settling over everything. It sucked.

  A few seconds later, five more spirit elementals joined us without a bunch of fanfare. They really didn’t need it, though. Their glowing bodies and magical wings were enough.

  “In order to control the portal from Trom Laighe, we are going to channel our magic through all of you as soon as we arrive,” a female spirit elemental—the one who had replaced Dusha on the Council—said without preamble. “We’re putting your lives at risk to do so, but we are also risking our own magic.”

  She glanced at Dusha, and I followed her discontented gaze. My elemental nodded, and she frowned. I understood exactly what they wanted to do. A bigger version of our atomic blast would kill anything that had already crawled out of the portal, along with whatever soldiers guarded it. But would the immense amount of magic also render us useless? Maybe spreading the magic between ten people wouldn’t leave us in a pile on the floor.

  “It’s against my better judgement,” she continued, “but I understand the threat looming over us.” Her golden eyes drifted back to the Dionadair, and her lips pulled into a thin line. “If any one of you tries to redirect the magic for your own purposes, your life will end immediately. There will be no opportunity to justify your actions, so don’t be tempted by the power.”

  Her scowl landed on Maldrius, and I growled. She automatically condemned him without a second thought! What the hell? Or…or did she know something the rest of us didn’t? As naïve as it sounded, I refused to believe Mal would betray us.

  “Why will our lives be at risk?” Heidi asked, her voice trembling slightly.

  “You may not be strong enough to withstand the magic,” the elemental replied. “Your own elements will help regulate the power. You must allow them to do so. Fighting it will end badly for us all.”

  Heidi nodded, though she also shared a fearful look with Phoebe. They weren’t ready for this. I could see it in their eyes, but there wasn’t time to argue about it. I just hoped they would trust their elementals and themselves.

  “Everyone join hands,” Dusha instructed as the other spirit elementals interspersed themselves among us.

  I reached for Dusha on my left and Yera on my right. My four elementals attached themselves to my core, filling me with their essence. Before I could think about what was coming, my world lurched, and the tower disappeared.

  It felt like someone was trying to suck my body through a straw. The sensation probably only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like forever. When it stopped, a collective whoosh of air burst from all our lungs. Did we just penetrate the magical barrier surrounding the Highland Palace? It had to be…just like when Niyol and Dusha rescued me from this place last time. At least no one would be put in time-out for breaking through the barrier this time.

  I didn’t have time to contemplate what really happened. In fact, I barely had three seconds to take in the horrific scene below me. For some strange reason, I expected us to arrive at the portal. Probably because Dusha said we would hold the portal.

  Instead, our large circle of Dionadair and elementals hovered over the center tower of an enormous palace. I hadn’t seen the outside of Sabina’s palace during my memory share with Alra, but I had to assume the dark structure below was hers.

  Thousands of creatures swarmed the courtyard. The Saighdear—similar to those we fought in the Forest of Tears—filled over two-thirds of the space. The dark fae flanked the left side of the Saighdear, and groups of shadowy figures streamed from the palace. Vampires?

  The ground was impossible to see past the bodies packed into the large space. My eyes drifted beyond the stone walls and down a wide roadway. More of our enemy flooded through the tall gates opening in yet another wall circling the palace. There was probably a name for the sequential walls, but I didn’t have the time or desire to find out what it was.

  Panic and doubt clouded my vision. I’d stupidly thought our massive army was overkill, but it wasn’t. We could even be outmatched depending on how many more of the dark army were still within the palace.

  What about the elves? Would their warriors be here to help us fight the magically enhanced vampires? After seeing them in action, I had no doubts it would be a challenge the shifters weren’t expecting. Could we even trust the elves if they did show up? We still didn’t know how deep the treachery ran through their ranks.

  And what if we hadn’t just passed through the magical barrier surrounding the palace? I sure as hell hoped we had or this would be a really short battle for us. Spirit’s magic would incinerate us in a heartbeat if it got reflected back on us from the barrier.

  The spirit elementals took away my ability to think about it. They didn’t even give us a warning. Their blinding light forced my eyes closed. Yera’s large hand squeezed mine to the point of pain, which was quickly replaced with the searing heat of spirit’s magic. A chorus of agony erupted around me as our bodies screamed with the influx of power. At least I hoped all that screaming wasn’t just me.

  My insides were on fire, the same as last time. It felt like someone had put turpentine in a needle then pumped it into my nearest vein. Not that I knew what that felt like, but it was how I imagined it. I’d hoped the pain would be lessened with nine more people to absorb the magic, but it wasn’t. More likely, the elementals used more power because we had more people to share the torture.

  I peeled my eyes open and closed my mouth, cutting off the next cry. My fellow Dionadair were in similar states of agony. Spirit’s magic churned around our bodies, creating a funnel of swirling color in the center of our circle. Through blurry eyes, I watched as the magic twisted on itself over and over again. I said a silent prayer as a column of magic, easily four feet wide, plunged into the roof of the tower below.

  The building exploded. A wave of relief rocketed through me, joining the pain scouring my blood.

  Chunks of rock soared into the air, slamming into a shield I hadn’t known existed beneath our feet. The transparent barrier flickered with each impact but didn’t fail. I sent a silent thank you to the elementals for thinking of it. I certainly hadn’t.

  Our little group wasn’t the only one being assaulted by an exploding building. Cries of anguish drifted into the sky, and I looked down at the devastation we created.

  Clouds of dirt plumed around the falling tower, covering the thousands of Saighdear and dark fae in a layer of thick dust. Those not running from the destruction—or buried beneath it—pointed at the crazy circle of people in the sky above them.

  Swirls of shadowy fog gathered around the dark fae, and another moment of panic seized my chest.

  “We need to…”

  Blinding light interrupted my suggestion to get the hell out of the way. I squeezed my eyes shut when the elementals pulled us back through another straw.

  I landed hard in a pile of snow. Yera’s grip didn’t loosen as she landed next to me, but Dusha was gone.

  I sucked in the freezing air, trying desperately to catch my breath. My body was still on fire, and the temptation to roll around in the snow to put it out was overwhelming. Based on how difficult it was to close the portal in the Woodlands, we probably hadn’t closed this one, but I assumed we buried it beneath tons of rock. That rocky barrier wouldn’t last, especially if one of those giant six-armed monsters decided to come through.

  “How did you withstand their power on your own?” Yera grumbled, her voice deep and harsh like sandpaper.

  “I didn’t,” I croaked. “I passed out and let my other elementals baby me for twelve hours.”

  She chuckled. “Now I understand the coddling.”

  “Indeed,” Ronquil grumbled from my other side.

  I forced myself to sit up and look at my fellow Dionadair. Each one of them stirred and moaned and complained. I smiled weakly, grateful to not be alone in my misery.

  “Where are we?” Matt asked, the first to get to his feet. Damn shifters and their super-healing magic.

 

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