Page 96 of Ancient Magic

Gripping her hand in a grasp that was just short of painful, he inched his way down the narrow path, angling his body to block a portion of the heat that bubbled from the nearby lava. He was fully prepared to snatch her in his arms and toss her across the cave if the lava spilled onto the pathway.

Thankfully, his heroic urges were unnecessary as they passed through the lethal maze and reached the far wall. There was no obvious exit, but the golden strand disappeared into the center of the wall. Skye reached out, laying her palm against the rough stones. That was all it took for the hidden door to swing open, allowing them to enter a vast cavern with a towering ceiling.

Behind them the door slammed shut, but this time there was nothing ominous in the sound. In fact, it was a relief to have the screaming heat from the lava trapped behind layers of stone. There was an even greater sense of relief to realize they’d reached the cavern that had been revealed by the magical memory.

There was no mistaking the mosaic tiled floor or the priceless gems that shimmered in the ceiling.

“This is it,” Skye whispered, her thoughts echoing his own. “This is where they signed the treaty.”

He leaned down to speak directly in his companion’s ear. “And there’s the fairy,” he warned, nodding across the cavern where he could catch sight of the male as he moved between the fluted columns. “Let’s have a word with him.”

Skye nodded, walking next to him as he crossed the glittering tiles to approach Lynx from behind. As they neared, Micha released her hand, preparing for the fairy to attack.

Lynx hadn’t come this far only to have his prize snatched away without a fight.

If there even was a prize.

Halting far enough away to react if Lynx was carrying a weapon, Micha watched the fairy as he ran his fist over the tapestry that covered the wall. He had the crystal clutched in his hand, no doubt using it to try to locate the Tempest. If his stiff back and rigid shoulders were anything to go by, he wasn’t having much luck.

“Looking for something, Lynx?” he at last drawled.

Uttering a sharp profanity, the fairy swung around to glare at them, his handsome features twisted with a smoldering wrath. Micha arched his brows. He hadn’t been wrong. Lynx was obviously infuriated by his inability to locate his promised key to world domination.

“How the hell did you get in here?” the fairy snarled.

Micha smiled, a portion of his own frustration easing at the knowledge the bastard was suffering.

“Magic,” he answered, exposing the tips of his massive fangs.

“Bullshit.” Lynx spit out the curse even as he flicked a worried glance toward Skye. “Only the descendent who controls the crystal can navigate the labyrinth.”

The words were recited as if he was trying to convince himself he was the hero of the story and not some delusional jackass.

“It wasn’t so much a labyrinth as a thick hedge and smelly sauna,” Micha taunted, deliberately minimizing the terror of their journey.

Lynx clenched his jaw. “It doesn’t matter. You’re too late.”

Micha arched a brow. “You have the sword?”

“It’s here.”

“Doubtful.”

“Afraid I’ll find it, leech?” Lynx ground out. “You wouldn’t be so cocky if you couldn’t crawl out of your grave like a nasty zombie.”

“Zombies are technically different creatures. We don’t crawl from our graves.” Micha stepped toward the fairy. “We’re resurrected in a new form.”

“Stay back.” Lynx held up his hand that clutched the crystal, a reddish glow appearing to surround his hand.

“Micha, be careful,” Skye called out.

“Yeah, be careful,” Lynx taunted. “Listen to your girlfriend.”

“Always,” Micha retorted without hesitation, coming to a halt. It didn’t appear that the fairy knew how to use the crystal as a weapon, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. Anything connected to the dragons was a threat to vampires. “I’m wise enough to accept good advice when I hear it. Unlike some.”

Lynx snorted at the obvious implication. “The day I take advice from a leech is the day I slit my own throat.”

“This place has nothing to do with your precious Tempest.” Micha continued to provoke the fairy, hoping to keep him distracted long enough to strike. With a sweep of his arm, he indicated the vast cavern. “This is the place where the Dragon Treaty was signed. It’s a shrine to that moment, not to some mysterious demon legend.”

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