CHAPTER 3
The border of Danu passed beneath the company of knights in a green haze.
Tyghan lifted his hand as a signal to go dark.
One by one, the knights and their horses faded from view and became part of the sky, invisible to anyone above or below.
Since Bristol hadn’t acquired the ability, and perhaps never would, Tyghan swept her into his circle of invisibility.
Only an amulet created by Master Reuben made them partially visible to one another.
The company stayed in formation behind August, like a wedge of white swans performing a ballet in the sky, dipping, rising, turning in unison, a magnificent and ruinous wonder. Their grace belied their lethal power.
Tyghan glanced over his shoulder and gave another signal—one to Kasta to take the lead.
She eyed him uncertainly, and he repeated the signal.
She moved forward, and he and Bristol dropped back.
He knew Kasta had been flustered when he showed up at the last minute with four extra recruits in tow.
Especially with Bristol at his side. That was not Kasta’s strategizing style, and he hadn’t meant to catch her off-balance in front of everyone.
Not to mention, she was the one who had drilled and prepped the recruits for the mission.
It was best that she lead. But it was more than that.
She wasn’t just smart and prepared—she was loyal, a lifelong friend. He owed this trust to her.
He had another motive too. A self-serving one.
He wanted every bit of his concentration on Bristol and her safety.
They were going down to an area a dozen scouting parties had identified as the likely location of the Abyss portal—a deep, slender gorge half a mile long.
Numerous swarms of restless dead had been spotted in the sky near the eastern end by the watchguards at Mistriven, though the exact spot remained elusive.
It was an odd location for the portal, unlikely even—on the fringes of Fomoria instead of deep within its interior.
If it wasn’t there, odds were they would never find it before the Choosing Ceremony, which meant they wouldn’t be able to stop Kormick from claiming the throne of Elphame.
And if it was there—
His chest tightened, a fusion of hope and terror clutching him.
Knights didn’t depend on hope, and there was no room for terror when heading into battle.
Confidence and cunning were the fevers that usually raced in his veins when he faced an enemy.
He shook off this new feeling with logic.
This was what they had all trained for. What they had trained Bristol for. She would be safe.
The gorge came into view, and Tyghan’s blood raced hotter. “We’re going down now,” he whispered into Bristol’s ear. “Keep watch on the east end. This might be our last chance to find it. On the day of the ceremony, there won’t be time.”
“Last chance. No pressure there, right? Thanks a lot, Your Majesty.” Though she tried to keep her voice light, he heard the breathless flutter in her words.
“You’ll be fine. Just take your time. Remember, the only thing we’re doing today is finding it.”
There was an order to these things. If they closed the portal now, it would raise suspicions over who had done it.
Kormick would look straight to Danu and have Maire reopen it and summon every demon out of hell.
It had to be closed at the last minute, when there wouldn’t be time for Maire to do anything about it.
While closing a portal was a quick affair, opening one took more time, not unlike a construction project.
According to the historical records, a portal could take several days to open, and the Abyss portal, perhaps even longer.
Once Kormick and his entourage had arrived for the parley and were caught up in the pageantry—that was when Bristol would close the Abyss.
Tyghan was glad she would be nowhere near the battle.
She’d be far away while Danu and the hidden forces of Elphame descended on the Stone of Destiny and kept the path clear for Cael to claim his throne.
No doubt a battle would ensue, but it would be one the Danu and Elphame forces could overcome.
Once Cael stepped up, Kormick’s quest was over—the Cauldron of Plenty would be out of his grasp.
August circled and Bristol scanned the landscape.
“Anything?” Tyghan asked.
“Not yet.”
They circled again. Nothing. “Maybe we need to go farther east—” Kasta drew close. “She may need to shed her invisibility to have her full powers available.”
Kasta had read Tyghan’s mind, but still, he hesitated.
“We’ll have you surrounded. Nothing will get past us,” Kasta added.
“Let’s do this,” Bristol said, and Tyghan released the veil hiding them.
Bristol immediately flinched.
“What is it?” he asked.
She pressed her hand to her breastbone. “My chest is so tight.”
“Should we leave?”
She shook her head. “It’s here. Somewhere close.” She peered south. “That way.”
Tyghan looked in the direction she pointed, confused.
That wasn’t what the scouts had indicated.
“Are you sure—” Of course, he thought. South.
Just over the mountains. It was the closest straight shot from Fomoria to the Stone of Destiny.
Only a short ride away if Kormick encountered resistance and Maire had to summon more demons to the ceremony at the last minute.
They headed for the ridge. As they neared, Bristol lifted her palm, as if reaching for something. She nudged August slightly west. They had only gone a dozen yards when she tensed back against Tyghan.
“Hold,” he ordered, and midair, August hovered, his legs still pumping.
Bristol stared at the base of a cliff, tilting her head to the side, listening for something. Tyghan didn’t move or speak, afraid he might break the magic in her.
She reached out, trying to connect with whatever it was. And then she froze. “There. At the foot of that cliff. That wall of rock. I sense . . .” She jerked her hand to her stomach, clutching it like she’d been stung. “That’s it,” she said. “It doesn’t feel like the others. It’s different.”
Only seconds later, a writhing demon emerged from the solid rock, only to be yanked back by a tentacle curling around its throat. The demon squealed and clawed against its captor until it disappeared into the solid rock once more.
Bristol shivered, still holding her fisted hand to her stomach.
“Let me see,” Tyghan said. When she opened her palm, it oozed with bloody blisters.
Tyghan cursed. Some wicked part of that portal had reached out and burned her.
He whispered words of general healing, and for good measure, other spells to counteract poisons, as he cupped her palm between both of his.
“Miche obray,” he said, sealing the magic.
“Doman fi.” He felt the fiery sting of her skin against his, a thousand razor-sharp cuts, and then a gradual cooling.
When he pulled his hand away, the blisters were gone.
He glanced back at the portal. Even from a distance, its malevolence was caustic.
It wouldn’t be gone soon enough. If only his archers had their sights on Maire, he could let Bristol try to close it immediately.
If only Maire was already dead so she couldn’t open it again.
But he had promised Bristol he would call off the kill.
Now he questioned if that had been the right decision.
At least they had finally found the Abyss portal, and that was victory enough for today.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, and nudged August back in the direction of Queen’s Cliff. “It’s time to get Cael.”