Rootbound

“Are you real then?”

Shazer snorted and butted his head against Ryk. “I’m real, you idiot. You aren’t supposed to attack legendary creatures, you know.”

Ryk closed his eyes. “I can’t defy my queen or her consort. It was not my choice.”

I shook my head. “Queens need to be defied if they are wrong.”

He glanced at me. “You aren’t going to hurt her, are you?”

“No. I’m here to make things better,” I said.

His eyes lit up with hope. “Tell me you’re getting rid of her consort.”

That was an unusual request. “Why would I care who she’s got in her bedroom?”

Ryk looked around like he expected someone to pop out and point a finger at him. “Because we all think he’s controlling her.”

I struggled to swallow around the sudden lump of certainty in my throat. “What is her consort’s name?”

He took a breath and shook his head. “If I tell you, you might not remove him.”

“Why wouldn’t I do that?”

“Because he’s your brother.”

CHAPTER 18

“aven is Samara’s consort?” I spat the words out, horrified that they could be true. He was the only brother I had left alive. Unless Bramley was out there, waiting for me. I wasn’t going there. Not yet.

Suddenly the strange attacks that didn’t fit into the pattern I’d been seeing made sense. The Sylphs had been sent by Raven to kill me and take the stones I’d collected so far, rather than do it himself, the lazy bastard. But why then were all the Sylphs that had come at me weak, and easily dealt with? Could Samara be trying in her own way to keep me alive, by sending her youngest, most inexperienced Enders after me?

The thought had enough merit for me to hope it was the case.

I grabbed Ryk by the arm and dragged him close. “I will get rid of Raven, and keep your queen alive.”

He grinned. “Then you need to let me tie your hands together. I’ll carry you over my shoulder; pretend you’re unconscious. I’ll drop you right at his feet.”

I wanted to laugh at his eagerness, but I couldn’t get over the fact that Raven had ingratiated himself into Samara’s life. She knew who he was; she’d fought at my side against him.

“He has to be using Spirit on her,” Peta said. “You know that.”

I did know, but my mind revolted at the incredibly strong Sylph queen being sucked under his spell and controlled so completely.

Ryk turned me around and looped a thin rope over my wrists. “I won’t tie it, so don’t tug until you’re ready to stand.”

I nodded. “Drop me at his feet and back far away.”

“Why?”

I didn’t want to say because there was a good chance the Eyrie would be destroyed again. No, that was not the way to make sure Ryk continued to help me. “Because there will be a fight, and you need to stay out of it.”

I turned and he lifted me over his shoulder with a grunt. “You Terralings are damn solid.”

Peta took a swat at him. “Don’t insult someone who could kill you with the snap of her fingers, airhead.”

I grunted. “Peta, you and Shazer follow as if you’re trying to catch up.”

She bobbed her head and ran out of my line of sight. Ryk held onto me with one arm, and though I couldn’t see the lines of power on him, we rose. The wind whipped in a snarling whirl, carrying us high above the first mountaintop and into the thin air.

“You killed the two Enders who came at you in the Deep, didn’t you?” he asked, surprising me.

“One of them, yes. The other fell on his blade.”

Ryk shook his head. “I tried to go on that mission.”

“You wanted to kill me?” That was not a good sign when we were this far up. Mind you, Shazer could probably catch me, but he was no dragon with claws to reach out and snag me from the air.

“No, I wanted to be the one to bring you in. You’re legendary here, you know. The Destroyer.” He tightened his grip on me. “We’re getting close.”

“How old were you when I demolished the Eyrie?”

“I wasn’t born yet.”

I crunched my eyes shut. A baby indeed. He’d not have even seen his thirtieth year. Younger than I was at the time I’d destroyed the Eyrie.

“My queen,” he called out as we hovered. I struggled not to react, but to keep my body still. “I bring you the Destroyer. My comrades were sunk deep into the earth, but I survived.”

The sound of clapping and cheering rose into the air around us, and I dared to peek with one eye. The Eyrie was no longer high in the mountains, but deep in the valley I’d created. From the glimpses I could see, the layout was similar, with pillars, and open to the sky rooms.

“Bring her to me, Ender Ryk,” Samara called. “I want to see her face before I kill her.”

Worm shit, I was hoping I could talk her out of that part. “Remember, drop me and back the hell up.”

“Please don’t kill her. She is a good queen.” Ryk gave me a squeeze and we dropped from the sky like a stone. He landed and threw me forward. I kept my eyes closed and let myself go boneless. I hit the solid stone floor and bounced, rolling several times before I came to rest with my hands under my back and my face to one side. Through narrowed eyes, I took in what I could. The crowd of Sylphs, rimmed with Enders, filled the small section I could see. Samara had not wasted time building their ranks.