Chapter 3
DAWN HAD BARELY as we started for the portal. I hadn’t even known this one existed, but it was hidden deep in Talamh Lonrach Oll, behind a cedar grove used for seasonal celebrations.
As we headed toward the grove, the guards followed in back. Smoky and Shade walked together, and Merlin was leading the Keraastar Knights. I looped my arm through Delilah’s as I glanced at the early morning sky.
The day promised to be cool but clear, and the sun was streaking the sky with faint streaks of lemon that filtered in long fingers across the pale blue. Wispy clouds would burn off, but before long, the autumn rains would come and sunshine would be a distant memory. The Seattle area was well known for its gloom-and-doom cloud cover, and with good reason. While we had an occasional heat wave, most of the year tended to be cool and damp.
“So, are you ready for the trip?” Delilah was dressed in a tunic and trousers—clothes she had brought over when we first came Earthside. She was wearing a pair of Doc Martens and had her dagger strapped to her side. A pack slung across her back made her look like she was ready for a day hike into the mountains.
I envied her. While I had tried to get away with wearing the cat suit I had adopted for when we took trips, my maid had been adamant and refused to let me out of the Barrow without wearing a calf-length skirt, a strikingly embroidered bustier, and my crown. Apparently, going around crownless was a big no-no for Fae Queens.
“I think so. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I’ll figure it out. I’m looking forward to getting away from the Barrow for a few days, though. I’ll tell you that.” I lowered my voice. “Playing queen isn’t nearly as fun as you might think. I was ready for some tough challenges, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer bulk of bureaucracy that’s involved,” I grumbled. “I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing, but honestly, Kitten, I miss living back home. I miss Maggie, and I miss my old life, where I didn’t have to answer to anybody.”
“You always had to answer to the Moon Mother,” she said.
“True, but…”
Delilah laughed. “You remind me of Menolly. You were always so stern about us doing our duty, but right now, you sound exactly like her. At least you’re a queen. She’s stuck with being a princess.”
At that, I snorted. Using the words “Menolly” and “princess” in the same sentence felt like an oxymoron. “True, and at least I don’t have to live around a bunch of vampires. Living with Menolly? I had no problem with that. She’s our sister. But I don’t think I’d fare well living at Roman’s.”
“At least Nerissa takes it in stride.” Delilah fell silent for a moment, then let out another laugh. “I just thought of something—you’re part of the Triple Threat now!”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me.” I had come up with the term years back, when our distant cousin Morgaine had joined Aeval and Titania as the Queen of Dusk and Twilight. But now that she was dead and I had taken her place, the nickname didn’t seem quite as funny as it had.
“Your Majesty, can we carry anything for you?” Luke asked as he and Amber passed by. They were walking with Chase. The other knights were also strolling along. None of us were in a great hurry this early in the day.
“No, but thank you. The guards have my things.” I waited until they were out of earshot. “Chase is adjusting remarkably well. There are a lot of babies for Astrid to play with and they seem to be accepting her without a problem.” I paused, wiping my hand across my eyes. “I would have done anything to spare him this. The seals change you. I’ve seen it in the others. He’ll change, too.”
Delilah hung her head. After a moment, she said, “You did what you needed to do. What destiny intended. Chase was always meant to be one of your knights. Maybe…this will help him and Sharah be together, after we knock down Shadow Wing. If Chase is more than an full-blooded human with a long lifespan, then maybe the elves will allow him to join her on the throne.”
Sharah was queen of Kelvashan, the Elfin lands. She had been forced to move back to Otherworld—to Elqaneve—when the old queen was killed. It had torn her and Chase apart, and she had been forced to leave their daughter with him as the rebuilding of the war-torn lands continued. It had been harsh on both of them, and there were no easy answers to solve their situation.
We rounded a corner and were coming up on the portal ahead. Before we arrived and the others could hear, I decided to ask the one question that I had deliberately avoided asking.
“Do you ever regret breaking up with Chase?”
Delilah pressed her lips together for a moment, then shook her head. “No. I loved him, and I still do—as a friend. But he needs a wife like Sharah. For all that she’s a queen, at heart she’s still a maiden who was looking for her knight. I could never be as gentle as she is. I will always intimidate Chase. Shade and I are a good match. We fit together. He adores me, but he doesn’t hesitate to call me out on my bullshit and I need that. We make each other stronger.”
“I won’t ask again,” I said. “I just needed to know you’re happy. I need to know that you’re on the path you want to be.”
She rolled her eyes. “Face it, we’re all destiny’s pawns. Look at you. Look at Menolly. We’re all facing a future that was laid out for us without asking for our input. But we accede gracefully. Not just because we have to, but because it’s the right thing to do. You’ve told me that often enough. Even if I had the remotest inclination to run away with Chase, and I don’t, I wouldn’t. I’ve come to believe that you have to embrace your fate in order to be truly happy.”
And with that, we joined the others.
The portal was waiting. It was a wide one, large enough for two to go abreast. Two of the four guards went first to make sure everything was clear on the other side. When they reported back that it was safe, I sucked in a deep breath and—holding hands with Delilah—stepped through the portal, back home to Otherworld.
STEPPING THROUGH THE portal was like being sucked into a crackling force field. I felt twisted around, stretched and elongated, then splintered into a million atoms. Before I could panic, a magnetic force drew me back together, snapping me like a rubber band through to the other side. Jarred, with every nerve singing, I caught my breath, then moved to the side with Delilah to wait for the others.
When the Merlin came through, I was surprised to see Áine with him. She had been the Merlin’s love back before the Great Divide, and she had been a dragon shifter. She was now permanently stuck in dragon form, a beautiful serpent with vestigial wings. Her body was sea green, streaked with an icy blue. A rare mix, her heritage placed her as both green dragon and blue dragon—earth and water. Áine wasn’t exactly a baby, but she was young for her kind.
Smoky and Shade came through, followed by my knights, and finally, the two other guards.
We were just east of the Golden Wood, near the road leading to the Silver Falls—not the Silver Falls of the afterlife. The weather was cooler here, with temperatures in the low forties. We weren’t anywhere near the Northlands, but the difference between here and Y’Elestrial—our home city—was like the difference between being in Seattle and mid-California.
The portal on the Otherworld side was unattended, buzzing between two oak trees. There was no way of telling how long it had been there, but by the look of the trees and the strength of the portal, I had the feeling it was old. There were no bigger cities around here, only small villages along the way. No city owned this area, no government claimed it. The land here was untamed. The swath that passed for a road was wide and worn down, but even the compacted dirt had weeds growing through it. Travelers took turns rooting out the worst of the overgrowth, I guessed, but it was still bumpy going.
We were facing east. The Golden Wood stretched as far as we could see, spreading out to the north and south. We weren’t far from Silver Lake and the falls, but to get there, we’d have to climb. The road ran north, leading to a steep incline. I wasn’t looking forward to the hike, even though it was mostly over dirt and grass.
In front of us, in the distance to the east, we could see the foothills of the Silver Mountains. Constantly swathed in mist at their base, the peaks rose in a slow, graceful curve, but up close the forested slopes were intimidating. They were far steeper than the road we were near, which had a treacherous grade. Most caravans turned back at this point, dropping travelers off to make their own way up the slope.
“Are you ready, love?” Smoky wrapped his arms around me. One of the guards scowled but said nothing. I leaned back against my dragon shifter, breathing deeply.
“I guess we’d better get moving. We want to be at Erastel’s End by dusk.” I pressed my lips to his chest, then stepped away. It was time.
Smoky moved to one side, and we cleared away from him. In the blink of an eye, he shifted form, turning into his dragon self. He was huge—massive compared to Áine, who was still impressive. His scales shimmered under the light. Journeying by dragon back would be quickest and safest.
Shade took his place near Smoky and he, too, shifted into dragon form. Shade was a shadow dragon, with a massive skeletal body, his brown bones creaking as he walked. Áine swept past, over beside Smoky. I realized that she, too, could carry people—at least a few. She would be harder to ride, but for those with good balance, it should be all right.
We divided up. I motioned for two of my guards to join me, along with Tanne, Lisa, Bran, and Clyde. We fit comfortably on Smoky’s back, as Smoky shifted a little, helping us settle in.
Delilah, the other two guards, Chase, Venus, Luke, and Amber rode on Shade’s back, squeezing themselves between his vertebrae. I wasn’t sure what he’d have to do if he needed to move his neck, but he had probably already worked that out. The Merlin swung over Áine’s sinuous form. Once we were settled, Smoky launched himself into the air and we were flying toward the top of the peak, with Shade and Áine behind us.