Chapter 60
Darrow
When we first traveled to the east end of the Isle of Penoria a couple of months ago, the forest was lush, green, and teeming with creatures.
Aella had especially appreciated it. Since then, many of the trees had lost their leaves, except a few pines and other varieties that thrived through the winter.
This far north, it cooled faster, with frost still clinging to the ground and vegetation at mid-morning.
We’d all chosen warm cloaks despite the long trek between the regular ring and the intergalactic one.
I didn’t get cold easily, but the chill in the air seemed to hit harder than usual.
The insects were gone already, which none of us minded. Some animals still scurried through the forest, but it was the safest time of year to travel since they still had plenty of food stores, and they preferred to sleep much of the day.
The narrow trail we followed was easier to see and traverse.
Halfway through the journey, we came across a blight-infected area that had begun dying two weeks ago.
At the rate of decay, it would become a dead zone in a month.
There were two other places like it on the island, so the inhabitants were quick to assist us once we explained our mission.
Anyone guarding the ring even received regular meals from the locals.
I led the way because I’d memorized where all the faery sentries had stationed themselves, and I wanted to be sure they were still there. So far, I could account for all of them. I had a bad feeling Vas would show up before we left, and I couldn’t shake it.
Only two hours remained before our window opened.
We’d wanted to give Aella enough time to fully regain her strength before she began channeling because we only had one chance with the narrow time allotment.
The ring on this side of Penoria had extremely complicated and extensive wards, blocking it against anyone except the fairies’ three channelers.
It took a lot of power from my wife every time she worked past those and opened it, though at least we could rest assured that even boosted dark elf portal openers wouldn’t be able to get through.
We asked about adding Aella as an exception, but the one who placed the magic had been very ill for months and was unable to handle it.
Unless they died, ending the protection spells, no one else was powerful enough to alter them.
“Slow down,” she said once we were past the dying vegetation.
I glanced back at her. “What is it?”
“The tractvines are active here, remember?”
I’d been concentrating on everything except that. It was one more reason I kept her close, but also because she would be the enemy’s primary target in an attack. Everyone would die to protect her now. Without Aella, Paxia had no hope of survival.
I slowed my steps. “Is that better?”
“Yes, thank you.” Her brows knitted in concentration as she sent calming energy to the nearby plants. “They’re more agitated than when we passed through here yesterday.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
If anyone else said plants they couldn’t see were agitated, I would have questioned their sanity.
With my wife, I went along with it. The foliage wasn’t thick anymore, but enough remained that the tractvines weren’t easily visible since most of their coiled part was underground with only a small section and flower at the top.
She shook her head. “Something has disturbed them—maybe injured them.”
“Let me know the moment we can move faster,” I said, my unease growing.
Clouds loomed overhead, growing darker by the minute. It rained a lot up here, but it was near freezing. Could snow fall this soon? I should have asked the faeries when I came here last, but it didn’t seem important before.
Five minutes passed when Aella exhaled a breath. “Okay, you can speed up now.”
“Good,” Jax said from behind her. “I’m starting to get a bad feeling.”
He usually didn’t notice danger until a sword flashed in front of his face.
I sped up as I swept the area with my eyes and innate senses.
Pulling the clarity stone from my pocket, I rechecked the area, but it didn’t reveal anything hidden.
For now, I kept it in my non-dominant hand in case I needed to wield magic or draw a sword quickly.
It only worked while someone held it in their closed fist, so even wearing it wasn’t an option.
To my surprise, we made it to the ring without incident, and all the surrounding sentries and guards remained in place.
The ones nearest the portal appeared as tense as we were, though.
I noted Ori pacing back and forth across the clearing in her male elf form, clenching and unclenching her fists.
Unlike me, she could sit still for long periods.
I’d never seen her like this. The druid dragon slayers spaced along the tree line clutched their swords and scanned the area as if they expected something to leap from the trees any moment.
They’d been stoic the last time I saw them.
Aella rubbed her arms. “They’re wearing us down with fear magic.” She gestured toward the clouds, which I could see better from the clearing, and I noticed they had a purple tint. “They spread it through the air above us, so they don’t have to get close…at least, not yet.”
“What made you think of that?” I asked.
She grimaced. “My uncle had a soldier with the magic for it, and he had him do it once on your defenses. I saw the effects.”
“Only once?” I asked, surprised he didn’t order it done more often.
“He failed to keep the soldier away from the battle, so he died that day.”
I grunted. “Poor planning on Lord Morgunn’s part.”
“He always learned his lessons the hard way, but it only took making a mistake once for him to avoid doing it again,” she said, sighing.
As we set down our heavy packs, agitated faeries flew toward us, carrying sacks of food that shook in their hands. Their subclass was smaller and not built for battle, unlike those stationed as guards and sentries. We thanked them and urged them to return home quickly.
We nibbled at our food to pass the time.
While we should have tried to eat as much as possible, the fear spell wore us down.
No one had a way to counteract it. I hadn’t even heard of it before Aella brought it up, so it was a rare talent.
What could appear among light elf lines could also appear with dark elves.
Karganoth had found someone who could do it.
“Why are they waiting to attack?” Aella asked.
I’d been pondering that question myself.
“My only guess is they’re still moving their forces into place, which might not be easy if they’re doing it with invisibility magic.
There are only so many of those stones. Not to mention they had to travel here by ship with only a few days' notice, a dangerous journey at this time of the year.”
The Prondesia Sea, which surrounded the island, had extremely choppy waters and violent storms as we approached winter. Penoria’s trade with the rest of Zadrya always went into a lull as a result. Most preferred to ship their goods in the summer and early fall if possible.
Ori brought her food over to sit with us. Aella tensed but didn’t complain. At least with my previous lover in the form of a middle-aged male elf with sharp cheekbones and short, blond hair, she appeared as less of a threat. It was an interesting choice of form.
“The faeries are excellent with traps and have placed them all over the woods around the portal ring. They warned us to stay in the clearing or the main paths,” Ori said, then took a bite of her sandwich.
Aella sipped her water, hesitant as she looked at the shapeshifter. “Have there been any attacks since yesterday?”
“No.” Ori scrunched her brows. “One faery went missing last night while patrolling, but that’s the only sign we have anyone is out there aside from you figuring out the fear spell. I appreciate that, by the way, it’s a little easier to ignore when I know what’s triggering my instincts.”
It had lost some of its effectiveness on me as well after Aella pointed it out, but not as much as I would have liked. It was like a thick fog of anxiety choking my mind.
“We only have forty-five minutes,” Idwal said, coming to join us.
He carried a pocket watch that he often checked, and had designated himself the official timekeeper.
While I wasn’t a fan of him going on this journey with us, he was the best expert we had on the fountain and Earth, and he’d insisted.
I could only hope he had decent survival skills aside from a sharp tongue.
And if he mentioned his vigorous sexual relationship with his wife again, I couldn’t be held accountable for anything I did in response.
Aella set down her half-eaten sandwich. “It feels like hours to go.”
The older druid gave her a stern look. “When they attack—and we can assume they likely will—you cannot use any magic. You lie low until the time comes to open the portal. Another ten or fifteen years, and you would have been powerful enough to handle it without Darrow and a god boosting your magic, but time ran out too quickly.”
Had the dark elves or Unseelie somehow known that? Was it why they worked to undermine us now, rather than later? They had seers as well, so we couldn’t rule it out. I hated that we had to force Aella into this before she’d reached the height of her power.
“I’ll minimize my use as well to only saving her or my life,” I said.
The druid nodded. “Good.”
Movement in the sky drew my attention. A blue dragon circled near the clouds, diving downward, only to pull back up. “I think Dagra senses the fear spell and doesn’t like it.”
Ori followed my gaze. “They’re more sensitive to such things.”