Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
FINLEY
The trio stood together in a circle, and Finley and Ai each took one of Rafe’s hands. They could have easily gone to the castle the day before, but Finley was now glad to have had the time to clear her mind before facing Princess Eira and her two beastly men.
Having sex with Rafe had been the best way to do so.
She’d almost forgotten how a good romp helped to get her head back where it needed to be.
That and a good night’s rest. In fact, from the position of the sun it was far later in the morning than Finley would have liked.
They’d let her sleep and she wasn’t sure if she should be grateful or frustrated they wasted time.
“Maybe this will be your last late morning,” Ai said as though she’d read Finley’s mind. “Who knows, by this evening all of this could be behind us.”
The thought lifted Finley’s spirits. She could finally be free of this wretched curse. If only she hadn’t caused The Mystic’s crew to be captured in the process. That would be the next order of business, she swore to it.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Finley asked. “Rafe, take us away.”
“As you wish.”
The now somewhat familiar sensation of his dark magic swept through Finley, and her body tingled as they traveled from location to location.
Within moments they stood at the foot of a mountain.
Finley shivered at the cooler air in spite of it being near the end of summer. They certainly were in the north now.
Rafe took a step back and looked about the area, his head whipping back and forth. “We should be inside the mountain. I’ve never been blocked from entering before. They must have enhanced the enchantments protecting the castle.”
“Considering how many people have broken in within the past year, ourselves included, I don’t blame them,” Finley said.
Months before, when they were still in Oxare, they’d snuck in with Myra, using the mirror and it was her original plan to return until Amelia stole The Mystic. “So how do we get in?”
Ai looked back and forth between them with a small coy smile playing on her lips. “Clearly the two of you haven’t been doing your research.” She placed her palm onto a thin crack in the mountain rock. “Put your hands on mine.”
“I don’t need to research when I have you to fill us in later,” Finley said, but did as she was told. After a heavy sigh Rafe did too.
The mountainside warmed at their touch and turned a gentle pink as the crack widened and split apart to reveal a narrow and sparkling passageway only wide enough for them to enter one at a time.
“Diar assisted with the design of the mountain,” Ai explained. “And only the most powerful magic would allow people to enter. Love.”
Finley could have groaned and rolled her eyes. Of course. At least it worked.
Ai led the way entering the mountain, and Finley followed with Rafe after.
The walls seemed to be made of dark sparkling stone that molded and adjusted to their bodies as they walked through.
The glimmer of the stones shone the way for one step at a time to guide the group to Luana’s legendary castle.
Then, the mountain around them began to shake and they had to pause to hold onto the walls to keep from falling.
“I knew it couldn’t be that easy!” Rafe called out from behind Finley.
An icy blast shot through the air, sending a chill all the way through her body as though she’d stepped outside in the middle of a snowstorm without a thick cloak.
The ground frosted over, and a large figure hovered before them, blocking the rest of the way.
The narrow passage was too dark to tell what the figure was, but Ai backed away until she ran into Finley.
She was shaking. Finley grasped the hilt of the Shadow Slayer sword, even though it would be a miracle if she could draw it in such cramped conditions.
As Finley’s eyes adjusted, whatever it was that blocked their way took the form of a two-legged being with wings and stalked toward them. Sharp blue eyes and glimmering white scales sparkled in the glow of the walls and Aytigin’s cruel smile greeted them.
“Intruders!” His deep voice wasn’t loud but still reverberated against the walls and made them shake. “Did you think you could enter here without our knowledge?”
Finley grabbed Ai’s shoulder with her free hand and straightened her spine. “We’re here for?—”
“I know what you’re here for,” Aytigin interrupted. “And so does Eira. She’ll be wanting you to see her before you attempt any antics. And I’ll be wanting these.”
He snapped his fingers and the sword at Finley’s side disintegrated from her touch then appeared strapped to Aytigin’s back along with the bow and dagger.
Damn it all to Stula’s realm.
“You’re lucky that’s all I do, but Eira discourages unprovoked attacks.”
Rafe huffed. “She has you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she? The Aytigin I used to know wouldn’t have listened to a human princess like that.”
Ice daggers could have flown out of Aytigin’s eyes the way he glared at them. “I’d watch your mouth, boy. You’ll find I become provoked more easily than the princess.”
Finley had to resist from laughing. Aytigin must have been ancient if he could call Rafe a “boy.”
The dragon must have noticed because he looked at her next with those dangerous eyes. “Something funny, captain?”
She couldn’t help but be pleased he called her by her true title. He was an ass, but a respectful one. “Life amuses me, Aytigin. Now can we be done with this little intimidation scene and just get us where we need to be?”
Aytigin scowled and hit both walls with his palms making the mountain tremble.
The world went fuzzy and wind blew gathering the four of them up and within moments were deposited inside the castle.
Finley slid and sprawled across a cold icy floor with Rafe and Ai on either side, both also stumbling from the landing.
The only one who landed on their feet was Aytigin, of course, who fluttered his wings and gently placed his feet on the ground.
Fine. Maybe he wasn’t that respectful.
They seemed to be in a grand hall of sorts with two thrones at the front where Eira and Cadeyrn sat.
The thrones seemed to be made of stars and shone in the light pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling windows as though they sat in the night sky itself.
Finley had only met Princess Eira briefly, during her time in Eral Forest only a few weeks ago, and she had been ethereal then.
But here in a castle built by and blessed by the goddess Luana, Eira could have been confused to be the goddess herself with her long flowing black hair and snow-white skin.
It was like she would fly away into the night at any moment.
Finley liked a pretty face as much as the next person, and if these were other circumstances she might have tried to flirt her way into what she wanted.
Cadeyrn wasn’t terrible to admire either with his wild dark hair, glowing eyes, and muscular build.
There were rumors that he could turn into a bear which only made him even more appealing.
But flirting wouldn’t work with them. The pair were madly in love and had no desire to bring a third into the mix as far as she was aware. Pity.
“I knew it was only a matter of time until I saw you again, Finley,” Eira said. Her voice didn’t boom and make the room tremble the way Aytigin’s did, but there was a gentle and powerful firmness in it anyway.
Finley climbed to her feet and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “You missed me, Eira? I had no idea you would feel that way.”
Rafe grunted as he stood, and Finley felt a slight pang of guilt after their time together the day before. She couldn’t help it. If there were beautiful people around, flirtation was like breathing. She didn’t mean anything by it and wouldn’t act on anything. Probably.
“Because I know you want the Chalice,” Eira said calmly.
“You didn’t miss my winning personality?” Finley asked and batted her eyes.
Cadeyrn leaned over his chair toward Eira. “Is this how I sound to everyone else?”
Before dedicating himself to Eira, Prince Cadeyrn had been known for being a notorious womanizer. Finley had never had the opportunity to experience it for herself.
“Yes,” Eira said along with two other voices that came from the other side of the room.
Ai was standing now too and saw who it was that had joined them first. Her eyes lit up and she bolted toward the newcomer. “Myra!”
Finley’s heart jumped, and she ran toward her friend after Ai.
The three women squealed and laughed as they bombarded one another with hugs.
She thought she was about to burst. From the moment Finley had met Myra she had known they would be good friends.
She had hoped for more at first, but a blind man could see Myra and Alvis were besotted with one another and Finley was more than happy to be friends.
Yes, they might have tricked her into helping them smuggle Crown Jewels out of the Golden Palace, but they’d helped Myra escape when everyone was after her in the process.
Finley liked to think she was a grand help to Myra in becoming engaged to Prince Alvis.
Aytigin cleared his throat and the reunion paused.
“Myra, we don’t know if we can trust them,” Eira said gently, in the way a family member would remind someone of conversations they’d had previously.
Myra’s shoulders slumped and gave Eira a look. “Eira, they’re my friends. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for Finley and Ai.”
“If we wanted to kill Myra or Alvis we would have long ago,” Finley said.
“I know, but that’s not what we’re talking about,” Eira answered. “We saw you with Amelia.”
Finley’s stomach plummeted. Of course. She should have known there was more to this than just them not wanting to let Finley use the Chalice. “It’s complicated.”
“Maybe you should take this discussion somewhere more comfortable,” Alvis suggested.