Thirty Seven #2
“You’re not. Glimmering gives the others the ability to cover more ground in less time.” Though I had been growing stronger with my magic, the skill of glimmering still eluded me. “I’m sure we will hear from Killian or Tom soon.”
“If I were his mate, would I be able to feel him through the bond? I’ve read that the connection is like a thread, linking two hearts together.”
“Yes, a mating bond is not as precise as a locator spell, but you would be able to sense if he was in the general vicinity.”
I jumped to my feet, grasping at that tidbit of information as if it were a rope pulling me up. “Do you think Daelana would be able to sense him since she is his mate?”
The Sorceress scowled. “She might have been able to in the past, but Adrian has been taking a special potion I made for him to mute the mating bond.”
Her words extinguished the spark of hope. “I didn’t know he’s been taking a potion.”
“Truthfully, I’m not sure he has needed to. His ardent love for you has rendered the bond nearly nonexistent. He chose you, Emelin.”
“And now his choice might cost him his life.”
“I won’t let that happen.” She strode over to me and handed me back my ring.
“What are you going to do?”
“Someone is concealing him with magic, preventing me from being able to locate him. There is a spell I can try. I will upheave the earth if I have to.”
“You won’t have to,” Finn’s voice rang out from my left as he glimmered in. “I know where he is.”
“Where?!” I rushed to him and clasped his arms.
He looked at me with an impassive expression. “I’m going to require something in return for that information.”
“What?” I stared at him with wide eyes.
“You heard me. A blood oath would do. An oath that you’ll be in my debt, and when I come to collect, you’ll pay it no matter the price.”
My body went numb as I staggered back.
“Emelin,” Lady May warned from behind me.
“Anything. I’ll give you anything you want if you tell me where he is.”
“Excellent!” Finn procured a dagger from the sheath strapped to his belt. Since he hadn’t been wearing one earlier, he must have put it on before he had returned, knowing that I would agree to the oath.
I went through the motions of sealing the vow, barely feeling the bite of the blade on my hand.
“Where is he?” I asked again once Finn had gotten what he’d wanted as I absentmindedly wiped the blood dripping from my wound on my dress.
“The Fallowmere Mountains in the Rolamin Province. Queen Mother and Prince Tarn were spotted there. Zarana and Heiran as well. Oh, and your cousin.”
“Luna?” My brows knitted. Has she been conspiring against us?
Finn sauntered over to the table, waving at me to follow. “They were last seen around this area.” He pointed to a spot on the map.
“One of your informants saw them, and they didn’t do anything?” I demanded in disbelief.
“To be clear, they never saw the king. Besides, meddling in the royal power struggles is above their pay grade.” He shrugged and retreated from the table.
“You’re not coming with us?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“No. I’ve done my part.”
“You got what you wanted from me, so the rest is none of your concern?”
He smirked. “To be fair, I told you I’m not trustworthy.”
I shook my head. “I’m so disappointed in you.”
“You’re not the first, nor will you be the last. For what it’s worth, I hope you save him.”
When he disappeared, I whirled on Lady May. “Are you ready?”
“I am, but are you? Perhaps we should wait for Tom and Thea.”
“There is no time to waste. Take us to the Fallowmere Mountains.”
“Emelin, I’m sure there will be a confrontation.”
“I’ll be able to hold my own. Isn’t that the reason we’ve been training?”
“I was going to say I will handle them. Your sole focus needs to be getting to Adrian to siphon the ancient magic.” When I nodded, she reached for my hands.
“And remember, don’t take too much. You shouldn’t have to forfeit your life to save his.
” I nodded again, knowing full well that if it came down to saving Adrian or myself, I would choose him.
The cool air whipped around me when we appeared on one of the slopes in the Fallowmere Mountains. It was still nighttime, but the blanket of darkness had lightened up, signaling the approaching sunrise.
“We’re in the area that Finnian had indicated on the map,” Lady May said, releasing my hands.
“What do we do now?” I took a sweeping look around, squinting in the semi-darkness. “I wish we had a more precise location. Do we start walking in hopes that we will encounter Zarana and the rest?”
“No. I know exactly where we’re going.” She pointed to a section of the mountain that lay ahead of us. “I sense magic there; the stone itself vibrates with it.”
“Isn’t magic ingrained into everything in the Fae realm?”
“That magic is different. Trust me, our destination lies up ahead.”
Squinting harder, I noticed a fissure in the rock. “There is a cave. That must be where they’re holding him. Can you cloak our approach?”
“I can, but if Zarana is there, it’s only a matter of time before she penetrates the shroud of my powers.”
“We only need to stay undetected long enough to peek inside the cave. Once we know who all is there and where Adrian is, we can glimmer in. I’ll rush to his side while you deal with his captors.”
She nodded and muttered an incantation. My skin tingled as her magic molded to my body. With the cloaking spell in effect, we quickly closed the distance between us and the cave opening. After exchanging a silent look, we slipped inside.
The space was quiet and dark, but a faint orange glow echoed from the depths of the cave.
We set off toward it, our feet making no sound as we stepped over the rough cavern floor.
I could also sense the magic of this place now as the rock walls hummed with it.
Wading through the cool, damp air, we crept closer and closer, and soon voices disturbed the unearthly stillness around us.
“If only you had followed through on our plan,” Tarn’s drawl drifted toward us. “This would have been done and over with hours ago.”
“I couldn’t do it,” Luna wept. “Please let me go!”
“Let you go? Oh, sweet Luna, I can’t. I need you here for when Silberium finally rips my brother apart. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait too much longer.”
My heart plummeted to the pit of my stomach as I halted and listened.
“You never said that Emelin would have to die,” Luna managed to get out in between sorrowful sobs.
Tarn laughed. “How else were you going to become the queen of Aubrielle?”
“She could abdicate the throne.”
“What’s the fun in that? Besides, my mother is entitled to her revenge after Emelin killed my father. The poison was her doing, you know.”
“Unfortunate that it didn’t work,” Celestina spoke up. “No matter. I look forward to making her suffer before I kill her with my bare hands.”
Adrian’s cry of agony tore through the cave, jarring me into action. My pulse beat in my ears as I walked a few more steps toward the light. Placing my hand on the jagged rock wall, I peered into the cavern where the conversations was taking place.
“It’s almost time,” Zarana said, standing with her back to me. “Remember your oath, Tarn. When this is over, Daelana will rule beside you as your queen.”
“W-what?” came Luna’s shaking voice. She was leaning against the wall farthest away from me. With her arms wrapped around herself and tears streaming down her face, she was trying to occupy as little space as possible.
“I have a confession to make, dear Luna,” said Tarn, who stood in front of her, blocking her partly from my view.
“I was never going to follow through on our plan, either. I only told you that you would become my queen to get you to agree to help me kill Adrian. The truth is, Daelana will rule with me, and you will be locked away in a dungeon, only seeing the light of day when it’s time to siphon Silberium from me. ”