18. Lira
18
LIRA
F or some asinine reason, after the close call with Eiric and the guard, I’d expected that we’d come out of this unscathed. I should’ve known that, with my luck, something else would happen. I figured Fate would give us a break. Boy, had I been wrong.
I could use water against the guards, but at least one, if not more, would have the same affinity as me. We’d wind up canceling out each other’s magic, and I’d be wasting time and slowing us down.
I assume you don’t have the power to cloak us in darkness? I asked Tavish. If we could move close enough to the cliff’s edge, we might have a chance of blending in with the surrounding darkness.
The whooshing of the guards’ wings drew closer. They wouldn’t risk harming me or Eiric, which was our only salvation because I was certain that at least one archer was part of their party.
Tavish’s guilt and disgust with himself made our connection feel icky. I’m trying, but I can barely feel it. Your healing helped, but I drained everything I had with my light illusion.
That’s when it hit me. Why did everyone believe you were dead when you arrived?
I should’ve been. I could feel his confusion as he answered. But our fated-mate bond flared to life, and I felt something coming through it… He trailed off, and warmth replaced the horrible sensations. You shared your strength and magic with me.
Exactly. I wasn’t sure if he’d initiated it or I had, but if he could use my strength, I’d gladly let him. We had to get away, and his magic was the best option. We need to try.
“They’re going to be on us in less than a minute,” Eiric gritted out. “If anyone has a plan, now would be the time. Until then, we need to fall as far as possible.”
She was right. Though stopping ourselves in time from that sort of drop was risky, we had to buy time. “Fall halfway, then pull back,” I whispered, hoping the fast drop would prevent the guards from hearing our plan. “We can’t risk splatting on the ground.”
“I don’t know what splatting is, but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to learn,” Finnian added as Eiric and I nodded at each other.
We stopped flying and let our bodies drop.
The air blew past and lifted my blonde hair like some sort of blanket, making us easier to spot in the night.
Tavish yanked on our bond, opening it wide. Our emotions mixed, though our souls didn’t come close to merging like they did when we had sex and orgasmed as one. Still, I could read his emotions more easily, including his panic.
I didn’t know what to do, but I wanted to help, especially since we were close to pulling back. I tugged at my healing and water magic and pushed them toward our connection.
Tavish’s breathing became labored, and nothing happened.
Then something pulled on my magic, and a siphoning sensation slithered through me, draining my strength.
“Pull back,” Eiric muttered.
I flapped my wings, and my body and Tavish’s jerked from the sudden change of momentum. I gritted my teeth, his weight heavier than it had been seconds ago, but maybe that had to do with him using my magic. He flew in tandem with me as I glanced over my shoulder to see how close the guards were.
We were still twenty feet from the ground, and they were right on our wings. We’d only kept the same distance between us and them, and they were quickly descending.
We were at the edge of a village, out in the open. The trees were thirty feet away, and the guards would be on us by the time our feet touched the ground, despite Eiric and me angling our escape as close to the trees as we could.
My magic is responding, Tavish revealed with some relief, and some of the weight fell from my wings and shoulders… but we still weren’t hidden.
“What’s the plan?” Finnian croaked. “I’m assuming Tavish can’t access his magic anymore, and I almost don’t feel the pulse of my own. I’m blasting worthless.”
Then, the cold, tingly feeling of Tavish’s magic brushed my skin, covering me whole.
“Blighted abyss!” the deepest-voiced male guard exclaimed. “It’s like they disappeared right before our eyes. I thought he couldn’t use his magic within the veil.”
Tavish’s magic also affected me, making it appear as if I were in a dark hole. If not for his comforting arm around my waist, I’d have been hysterical. Even through my panic, I kept my wings steady, and before I understood what was happening, my feet touched the ground.
Suddenly, I could see through the shadows as if we’d been freed from the darkness, the only indication we were still covered in the comforting chill.
We need to move. They know where we landed, Tavish connected, intertwining our fingers and tugging me toward the village instead of the tree line.
Eiric’s eyes widened, and I watched as Finnian placed a finger in front of his lips, telling her to be quiet. He took her hand, and they followed on our heels.
My breath caught. Shouldn’t we go into the trees? You might not have to use your magic for as long.
Feet hit the ground where we’d been, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a guard less than ten feet from us. All four of us somehow moved quicker, adrenaline pushing us harder than before.
“Even though we can’t see them, we can still catch them,” a male guard with a high-pitched voice said behind us. “They aren’t invisible, and they’ll be heading for the trees. It’s the fastest route to leave Gleann Solas. Pay attention to anything that feels strange.”
That’s why we aren’t going toward the trees. We need to gain distance before they can home in on my Unseelie magic and use it to track us. His lips pressed into a firm line. It won’t take long for them to realize that.
Eiric’s jaw clenched as she continued to keep pace with us, but I could see from the way she held her arms close to her sides that she didn’t like not being in charge.
We passed by four stucco cottages when a female voice called out, “I sense strange magic.”
“It must be the king of the nightfiends,” the deeper-voiced man spat. “We’ll follow your lead until we can all sense it for ourselves.”
I pumped my hands at my sides to move faster. Flying would be ideal, but there was no way Finnian and Tavish could handle that.
The four of us were halfway through the village when the deeper-voiced man said, “Where are you leading us? I thought you were following the essence of his magic.”
“I am ,” the woman gritted out. “And it’s leading toward the village.”
“Impossible,” the deeper-voiced guard responded. “They wouldn’t risk staying in the open longer than they needed to. The Unseelie can’t hold on to his magic for long, not after being bound and neglected.”
Of course a male wouldn’t trust a woman’s senses. Why would they be different here than on Earth? In this moment, though, I appreciated the sexism.
My side ached, reminding me I far preferred swimming to running. Eiric and I had a lot in common, but she didn’t find swimming as enjoyable and much preferred to pound the ground with her feet. Maybe that had something to do with the affinities of our magic.
Tavish and Finnian were slowing as well. I could feel my mate’s exertion, and I wished there was something more I could do for him.
“Unless they wanted to hide behind a cottage while we went into the woods,” the woman countered. “Because they know we’d expect them to head for the trees.”
Even though our gait had slowed, the end of the village was in sight. Luckily, most of the lights were off, blanketing us in complete darkness. Most of Gleann Solas was asleep for the night, and this village wasn’t on the edge of the kingdom, so no guards had been allocated here to watch for the dragon prince to circle back.
“She has a point,” the higher-voiced male countered. “And they’ll get away if we continue to argue amongst ourselves.”
We were near the woods on the other side of the village. My heart hammered. Us reaching the trees didn’t mean shit. I knew better than to believe that Fate would bless us with a reprieve.
My magic was running low, making me move slower. I wouldn’t let Tavish know, or he’d beat himself up for draining me. He needed to be focused and not riddled with guilt.
As we stepped through the tree line, I waited for the next obstacle we’d be forced to face together.
The guards had slowed as they carefully tracked our movements, allowing us to get deeper into the woods. Their voices faded, indicating we were gaining distance from them. But there was no telling for how long.
The tingling of the darkness vanished from my skin, leaving me exposed, and the funneling of my magic stopped.
No.
Had Tavish realized I was growing fatigued? What are you doing?
Before he could answer, the woman exclaimed, “I lost his magic.”
Now that we’re deep enough, I don’t need to hide us, which will make following us far more difficult, he replied.
I glanced over to see that Eiric hadn’t noticed that the magic was gone and was continuing forward. Her breathing wasn’t labored at all, while I felt sweat beading on my brow.
We continued our trek with Eiric in the lead. My legs became heavy, and I struggled to lift my feet. I bit the inside of my cheek and closed the connection between Tavish and me so he couldn’t sense my fatigue. It covered me like a weighted blanket, and the ground felt a little off-center like I was on a rocking boat.
The guards’ voices got farther away as we continued deeper into the woods. Still, none of us risked speaking. I had no doubt that guards were rushing throughout the kingdom to alert everyone that Tavish and Finnian had escaped.
After what felt like hours but had only been minutes, we slowed. Finnian blanched and hunched over. There was no way we could make it off the island, not with Tavish, Finnian, and me drained. We needed rest.
Nonetheless, we couldn’t risk staying here. The guards would be searching for us in this area.
“Let’s find a place to hide so the two of them can eat and rest.” Eiric ran a hand through her curly hair, which bounced when she removed it. “They can’t fly for long, and we can’t bear that much weight for hours.”
I hated that she was right, but worse, I was now part of that equation. I sighed as the trees closed in on me. “Where do we go?” Everywhere I could think of meant my parents would think of it too, and they’d find us. Eiric would be in the same boat as me. We were at a clear disadvantage.
Again .
“I have an idea.” Tavish inhaled deeply. “If we can get there.”
Eiric grimaced, but my heart leaped with hope. Neither set of our parents would know Tavish’s habits, and he’d spent time in Aetherglen, the kingdom’s name when both Unseelie and Seelie had occupied the lands here.
“Let’s go,” I said, taking Tavish’s hand. Eiric wasn’t likely to argue against him if I agreed. “We’ll follow your lead.”
He nodded. “We shall travel slowly and steadily because it’s a ways away.”
Of course it was, and I noticed Eiric flinched at that as well.
Finnian used the bottom of his tattered, soiled tunic to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Let’s go, or I may fall over. Slowing down makes my body want to rest.”
With no disagreements, Tavish headed south, away from the castle and guards.
The moon rose high, the light shining down on us. Thankfully, it illuminated the ground, so we didn’t struggle with the path or require additional lighting to move fast.
I struggled not to let my feet drag over the ground and make more noise, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go on. I suspected I’d done too much when I funneled my magic and strength into Tavish.
Something tugged at our connection, opening it back up to its normal state. Tavish jerked his head toward me, a deep scowl on his face.
You’re exhausted, and you didn’t tell me. Tavish’s eyes darkened to the storm-cloud gray that conveyed his anger or annoyance. What happened? I didn’t see or hear anything.
I swallowed, hating the way his betrayal rolled into me. It was when you were using my magic. Our bond tugged, and I pushed everything I could through it. I added the last part, not wanting him to blame himself. I didn’t know what I was doing.
He bit his bottom lip, and anger pulsed through him. I should’ve known better. I thought it felt too easy, and now you’re more exhausted than I am. You were angry because I kept the fact that Finnian and I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything from you, and you do this?
I winced, hating that he was right.
“What’s going on?” Finnian huffed. “We’ve slowed down, and if we stop, I may not be able to get moving again.”
Several pairs of flapping wings sounded overhead.
I froze.
That had to be the guards searching for us. We’d been walking for four hours, and the moon was setting. We had to get out of here before they located us.
“Get down and hide in the brush,” Tavish whispered.
We obeyed, and my legs dragged along the fallen leaves, making a sound. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t get the noise to stop. My heart clamored, making my actions more erratic.
Tavish gripped my arm, pulling me behind him, his face turning purple from strain. I was putting a strain on both of us. Eiric came over to help, and we got under the thick purple brush that would hide us from above. The brush indicated we were close to the Unseelie side of the kingdom.
Eiric flanked me with Tavish on my other side.
“Did you hear that?” a guard asked from above us.
There was a pause, and I held my breath.
“Probably an animal, but we should investigate,” a woman replied.
Between exhaustion, fear, and a lack of oxygen, I grew dizzy.
I took a deep breath, trying to be as quiet as I could, but the damage was done. My vision blackened, and I linked, I’m passing out. Then my body gave out, and darkness took me.
My head throbbed. I reached up to rub it, and the memory of what had happened flooded into me.
The guards.
I must have alerted them to our location.
My eyes popped open, and I saw a smooth silver ceiling overhead that I’d never seen before.
We’d gotten caught. I had to find Tavish.