CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
WE WAKE THE NEXT DAY to Celeste quietly humming in the kitchen with the smell of meat and fresh bread drifting through the small cottage. I glance around the quaint space we all dragon-piled into and notice sketches of what must be Celeste’s coven or family hanging on the wall.
Aemon tugs me closer to him. “Good morning, Little Dream. How did you sleep?”
Jesper takes that moment to pop up from the spot where he was lying on the floor. “Oh good, you’re awake—I’m starving, and whatever she’s making smells delicious.”
“I’m with crazy on this one,” Nero adds, stretching his wings from the nest he made on the end table.
“I slept okay. Ready to get on with the day and get back to Maleen though,” I mutter, yawning.
Kill, who slept on the floor at the end of the bed, starts moving, Talyn and Aemon who also slept on the floor getting up from their spots. They all greet me with a kiss before adorning their gear.
It seems we all are a bit slow-moving this morning, probably from the long days of travel and sleeping on a rocky ledge the night before.
Nero takes his place on my shoulder once I’m geared up, and we all head into the living space of the cottage, where a full breakfast spread has been laid out on the table.
Celeste grins. “Finally!... I’m sorry, it’s been a long time since I’ve had visitors. It’s been a bit lonely, so I hope you don’t mind.” She gestures to the table and we all take our seats and dig in.
“No need to apologize,” I add. “But why do you live in the Nairiden Woods?”
Her grin becomes somber. “Unfortunally I am tied to this forest, and I cannot leave until my job is done, if it ever is. I’m happy here, especially when I can I help wayward travelers.
Though there aren’t many these days. Plus it’s best if I remain a rumor: one of the fearsome beasts and beings that occupy these woods. ”
We settle into our delicious meal. Maybe once things calm down, I’ll make trips to visit her often, so she isn’t as lonely. If we survive all this.
“So, what is this creature we are going to fight?” Aemon asks, always wanting to be prepared.
“I can’t tell you,” shrugs the old lady.
“You won’t tell us anything?” Killian asks, his fists gripping his cutlery hard enough to bend it until I nudge his leg under the table.
“Now, I didn’t say that. It has a stinger—make sure you avoid it! The venom causes a horrific death. It’s not instant, but you’ll wish it was.”
“Is there a cure?” Aemon asks.
“Well, the best cure is not to get stung in the first place! Good luck getting back here to ask me for one when the venom has disabled all of your magick.”
I notice Killian’s expression, like he’s busy mentally checking every book in the library. He asks, “So it’s some sort of manticore?”
Talyn pauses in eating to ask, “What in the Fates is a manticore?”
Celeste is waving the idea away. “No, no. Their hide is rubbish. And don’t waste your energy using magick to kill it, either. The reason it’s good for our plan is its resistance to such things.”
Now Talyn is also gripping his cutlery hard. “Then how are we supposed to kill the thing?”
Celeste dabs at her face with a napkin after eating some berries.
“Have you forgotten that you are good fighters? Ha! And you’re supposed to be the young ones with good memories.
You’ll need courage—keep your wits about you.
Oh Aemon, and Ravina dear, take these.” She hands us each a bracelet with intricate beading and braids with a singular opal charm on them.
“These will let you blink directly here next time if you need my assistance again. I have my home warded against all sorts of unwanted entries.”
“Thank you,” I murmur gratefully as I slip the bracelet onto my wrist and Aemon does the same.
The rest of the meal moves quickly after that, and before I know it, we are outside the cottage, waving goodbye to our new witch acquaintance.
“Alright,” Aemon starts. “Everyone hold hands; I’m going to blink us to the beginning of the canyon. Ready?”
I take a big deep breath, trying to center my nervous system for the feeling I know is going to happen.
“Ready,” I state, trying to sound sure. Celeste wouldn’t budge on telling us anything more about the beast. Shadows pulse around us and I relax in their embrace as they pull us through the shadow realm.
The moment we have our feet firmly planted on the ground again, the feeling of despair hits while the call to go down the path takes over.
This time we let it, and step off the trail.
I KEEP GOING over the plan in my head. Kill the beast, however we do that. Then while Killian and Talyn remove the hide, Aemon will blink back to the castle and then to the witch to grab the stones, then meet us back here to wrap them.
I need this to work.
This part of the forest seems darker, more haunting, and I find myself drifting closer to Killian to the point I’m nearly tucked under his arm.
“Are you okay, Little Warrior?” he asks.
My chin dips jerkily. “I just have the creepy crawlies. I’m okay though.”
He takes my hand in his, and I find myself relaxing. That is, until Jesper walks into a sticky webbing.
“Oh, what the fuck is this shit?” He struggles to free himself but just gets more tangled up in it.
“Stop moving!” I hiss, my eyes widening and my heart racing as I piece together what we just walked into. I burn the web, freeing Jesper, but it might be too late.
“The beast is a fucking spider,” Talyn grumbles as he rolls his shoulders, coming to the same conclusion I do.
I gulp. I’m not a fan of even little spiders, and judging by the size of these webs, I don’t think we are dealing with a tiny one.
I understand now why Celeste didn’t forewarn us—because I don’t know if I would have come…
I might have even saved this as a last resort.
Fuck. No. I’m a badass Galallaus Fae Queen, and I can kill a giant spider.
It’s fine, totally fine. How hard could this be?
The ground shakes once, then again, before it stops and the forest goes completely silent. I glance around looking for any sign of movement but there’s nothing.
A screech rents the air and a massive spider appears, even bigger than I’d imagined, crawling down the web through the canopy right towards us, the whole group of us reflected in its many beady eyes. Its pincers click together and what looks like saliva drips from its mouth.
Oh Fates-fucking no. Nope. Burn it all with fire.
“So many eyeballs,” Nero whispers in awe.
I strike my belt and huge flaming orbs come to life in the palms of my hands as I shift my feet into a fight stance. “Not the time for eyeball hunting.”
I can practically feel him roll his eyes. “It’s always the time,” he states sassily.
Jesper is bouncing on his toes, not an ounce of fear coming down the bond from him, just pure excitement for the hunt—and right now it’s either kill or be killed.
Killian positions himself slightly in front of me while Talyn also summons flames and Aemon unsheaths his sword.
The air is still as we watch the beast watching us, almost as if it’s calculating its first move. I bet it’s not every day five powerful fae wander into its nest.
The web it’s on bounces slightly as its many legs seem to tense.
It spins, and shoots a net of webs toward us which has all of us jumping out of the way, separating us.
I throw my flames at the webbing below it, and watch in satisfaction as the white sticky substance dissolves like tissue paper.
The spider falls to the ground, uncharred.
Killian and Jesper charge at it while it’s stunned. Kill swipes at its legs with his sword, successfully severing one of its legs. It screeches its rage and pain, snapping its pincers at Jesper who flings one of his many knives into an eye.
It bellows with rage and jumps up into the trees, disappearing from sight.
“Where did it go?” Talyn yells, spinning as he searches the towering canopy, but it’s too dark to see anything. It’s as if the sun isn’t up, though it has to be noon at the latest.
My heart pounds with adrenaline and fear as my body stays tense in case I need to pounce at a moment’s notice. A web net shoots in my direction and I blast it clean out of the air with fire, before a barrage of web netting rains down on us.
Talyn and I do our best to protect everyone, but next thing I know, I’m flung back and stuck against the trunk of a tree. The spider drops down in front of me and I see its stinger—aimed right at me.
My hatred of spiders sends an involuntary scream from my throat as the monster prepares to thrust its massive stinger into my stomach.
Somehow I get a hold of myself and squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself to blink Nero and I across the nest. When I open my eyes, they widen in horror.
Aemon is where I was, holding his stomach with wide eyes before collapsing to the ground.
He must have blinked the same time I did, taking the blow meant for me.
I scream, “Aemon!” My shadows burst from the darkest parts of the forest, tendrils gripping the monster’s legs, stopping it from causing any more damage—but its strength is almost too much as it fights against my magick.
Killian, Talyn and Jesper pounce on top of it and simultaneously stab into its body before severing its head, and it thuds to the ground.
My magick takes over blinks me back to Aemon, and I fall to my knees beside him. “No, no, no. Aemon, you’re going to be okay. You have to be okay.” I roll him over and he groans and gasps, clutching his stomach.
“You’re safe,” he gasps, smiling slightly before wincing and groaning.
Tears are streaming down my face. “I need to look at it,” I tell him, moving his hands and removing his armor so I can lift his tunic and see the damage.