Chains of Fate & Fury (Blackblooded #2)

Chapter 1

JACE

“Out of my way. Now.”

The two wide-eyed bodies blocking the exit remain planted between me and the stable doors. It’s a bold move—testing my patience. Even on a good day.

And today sure as all hell does not classify as a good day.

“Jace.”

I shove between Marideth and Dover, yanking the reins of the lithe Stygian horse. The sun glares overhead as I fit my foot to the stirrups and swing my leg over the saddle. Marideth dashes in front of the horse again, holding up her palms.

“I will run you down,” I growl.

And I will. I don’t care who they are—if they don’t move out of my gods-damned way, heads are going to roll.

“It will take you too long on horseback. Vod is a two-week journey without stops. Let us help you.”

“You can’t help! She is my responsibility.”

And this is my fault.

I should have fought harder. I should have cut down everything and everyone to get to her.

It’s been seven days, nine hours, and approximately thirty minutes since Serena was taken during the attack on the final night of King’s Fair.

Seven days since I watched helplessly as blood ore shackles rendered her powerless, and she vanished right before my eyes.

Seven days when I should have been on my way to Vod with Zadyn to get her back.

And every second I stand here talking to these two is a second that she loses.

“And she is my friend!” Mar insists. “So is Kai. We want them back just as much as you. Now get off the horse and follow me. I have a plan that beats this idiotic one.”

“You are wasting precious time! Time she doesn’t have!” I shout, the cap on my temper bursting.

“Listen to her, Jace.”

Something in Dover’s tone hooks my attention. It’s the gravest I’ve ever seen the jovial, even-tempered male. My eyes narrow, meeting Mar’s pale gray gaze.

“There’s something I need to show you.” She stares up at me from the ground, beseeching. I loose a frustrated sigh, sliding off the horse.

“You have five minutes.”

“Where in Zed’s name are you taking me?”

My fingers twitch impatiently as I follow them around the back of the stables.

“I need water.” Mar pauses at the red trough, sinking to her knees before the murky water.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me. “Your thirst can’t wait?”

Rather than answering, she places her hands on either side of the trough and leans forward, closing her eyes. The water begins to ripple as an image forms on the surface. Before I can ask what I’m seeing, it clears. And my heart stops.

Serena.

My knees sink into the caked dirt below.

She’s sprawled out on a black floor, unmoving, blood ore chains clamped around her wrists, dark hair strewn across her cheek. I surge forward, gripping the edge of the metal trough so hard it dents.

“Is she breathing?” I demand.

Mar makes no attempt to answer me. I try to memorize Serena’s surroundings.

She’s somewhere dark—a cell, maybe. Relief blasts through me as she sits up, reaching out to embrace the figure before her.

Then someone new enters the space, and her features shift.

The brief hope in me curdles as her mouth stretches open and her throat strains.

And though the scream is silent, I have no trouble hearing it.

It is the sound of my walking nightmares—the sound that haunts my dreams and my days.

She thrashes, my fierce little warrior. She fights.

She rears against her chains and bares her fangs.

And all too soon, she’s gone. The image blurs and disappears as Mar falls back into Dover’s waiting arms.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

“How did you—” I glance from the evaporated image to Mar’s pale face. A drop of cobalt leaks from her nose. She quickly wipes it away.

Water seer.

“You’re a Blueblood,” I say, unable to look away.

How? In all my years of knowing Marideth, I never even suspected—never even saw her use magic in any capacity. Did Sorscha know? Did anyone know that we had a witch living under our noses far before Serena ever came along?

Focus, a voice inside me chirps.

I swallow back the thousand questions I have, storing them for a time when the love of my life isn’t confined to a fucking dungeon.

“I was.” She pushes out of Dover’s arms and stands, dusting herself off. “I defected. It’s a long story. We can save it for the road.”

Hah. Right.

“You’re not coming with me.”

“Like hell we’re not.” Setting her hands on her hips, she bellies up to me. “I’m a witch. And I can help you.”

“You’re barely a witch if you defected.”

“I found ways to keep my power.”

“Your nose is bleeding after one scrying,” I point out.

“Do you want to push me? Because I’m happy to share my other talents, Captain.”

I don’t bother correcting her. She knows full well that the beloved position I once held is no longer mine.

I stand my ground, refusing to be baited. “You said you have a plan. You’ve got five seconds to win me over.”

She jerks her chin toward the trough. “After you.”

I blink at her, brows quirked. “Excuse me?”

“I’m good with water,” she says smoothly, a challenge blazing in her silver eyes.

Oh, this is going to be fun.

“Get inside.”

When I make no move, she brushes past me, stepping into the trough. Water gushes over the side as she holds out her hand for Dover.

“We’re going with or without you.”

I heave a sigh and grumble, “This had better work,” before taking her other hand and following suit. My boots sink into the water as her eyes drift closed.

“Deep breath, boys.”

The bottom of the trough gives way to the center of the earth, opening up into a bottomless ocean below. We sink, dragged down by an invisible anchor, and my grip on Mar’s hand tightens. I open my eyes to a dark abyss and auburn hair swirling around me like a wild, fiery halo.

My lungs burn in warning. The moment before they burst, we’re spit out onto a bed of pink sand.

The sounds of our choked gasps fill the air as I blink away the white spots in my vision. Dover is on all fours, pounding at his chest, vomiting water. Once he catches his breath, he moves to turn Marideth over.

“Mar,” he coughs, giving her shoulders a shake.

Blood slides down her chin and neck, staining the top of her bodice a pale blue. Her eyes crack open.

“That fucking hurt.”

Dover lets out a weak laugh and dips his head to kiss her. I look away, ashamed of the envy I feel.

I know I shouldn’t feel this way. They’re just as unlucky as Serena and me—Dover, with his unbreakable engagement, forced to marry despite having found his mate.

I think what I’m most jealous of is the fact that they don’t care.

They won’t let something as immaterial as a piece of paper and a couple of rings stop them from the fate the gods planned for them. They are unafraid of the consequences.

I’m not like that. No matter how much I wish I were.

“Where are we?” My hoarse voice slices through their tender moment as I get to my feet, glancing around the unfamiliar territory.

The sun’s beams catch on the waves that ejected us—the effect near blinding. Blues, purples, and greens swirl together like a painting before washing up on the sugar-fine sand. Behind us, the beach is lined with vibrant wildflowers and towering palms shivering in the light sea breeze.

Aegar doesn’t have beaches like this. My homeland is filled with rolling hills and valleys. Mountains and green forests.

“I don’t know,” Mar says, wiping the diluted cobalt off her face with the back of her sleeve.

“You don’t know?” I explode, my tone vicious. “You transport us to the middle of fucking nowhere, and now you tell me you don’t know where we are?!”

Unbelievable.

This. This right here is why I prefer doing things alone.

“That isn’t how water walking works,” she explains, wringing out her skirts. “Without knowing where she is, I can’t get us to an exact location. But I can get close. I don’t know how close, but I’m willing to bet we’ve just cut your travel time on horseback in half. You’re welcome.”

“I’ll thank you when you’ve gotten us to Serena.”

“Everyone relax,” Dover cuts in. “We’re in Vod. I’d know our beaches anywhere.”

“You don’t have to be an ass. We’re on the same side here,” Mar says.

A cloud of shame settles over me. I’m sleep-starved, and from the moment Serena was taken, I have been frothing at the mouth, ready to bite off anyone’s head who so much as blinks at me.

“I’m sorry. I’m just—” I squeeze my eyes shut and drag my hands down my stubbled jaw. “I’m losing my mind.”

Mar places a gentle hand on my shoulder, her gaze loaded with sympathy. “I know.”

Sighing, I squint over her shoulder at the glittering waters of the Praxian Sea.

“She has to be at the palace. How close are we?” I ask Dover.

“Maybe two, three days on foot.”

“Two days.” I shake my head.

“Beats two weeks,” Mar offers.

“Right.” I turn to her with a gentle nod. “Well done, Blue.”