Page 113 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

We flew hard, straight for the coast of the Middle Sea, and though we crossed towards the rainforests of the Ninth Kingdom, Jaxus followed its coastline before tuning us inland right into the raging storms of the Tenth Kingdom.

It was a place where only the hardened natives could thrive and I’d never visited. So all I knew of the place was what Hazel had told me.

My gut revolted. I was not ready for this kind of flying, least of all with the foothills of the infamous wild mountains looming ahead, directly where Jaxus was heading.

“This is the Storm Kingdom, Jaxus.”I tried to sound level, but even my mind voice betrayed my fear. Was he trying to kill us?

“Trust me, Firefly,”he soothed.

Ahead, I could see what looked to be a huge storm surrounding the imposing and forbidding mountains.

“Trust you when you’re flying us into certain death?”Everything in my body told me to stay away. To not go into the massive swirling storm.“This is madness.”

He didn’t say more and I knew it was because he couldn’t, but my trust was worn so thin I didn’t know how to stretch it any thinner.

Dread ached in my bones.

He flew us low over the rocky terrain, dodging lightning and winds and when the wild mountains were upon us, to my horror, he climbed.

I held on for my life, certain that only death awaited if we flew into these mountains. No one survived them. It was well known. Any who ventured were never seen again. So I spent my final moments thanking the Goddess for all that she had blessed me with in this life and asking her to take us gently into the next.

We leveled out over the first peak and the sight that lay before me was nothing like I had imagined. Storms raged and mists lay thickly over the treacherous terrain below. I was sure whatever lay within the mist was where others had met their end. Probably razor like rocks and ravines. it felt like the Valley of the Dead.

Suddenly, we nose-dived into the center swirl of clouds.

A scream left my lips, but we left it somewhere behind us as we plummeted.

I braced, expecting the storm to throw us around like dolls, but it never came. We were soaring, and the roaring sounds of the weather system were behind us.

I realized my eyes were closed and I forced them open, finding a beautiful valley below us. Jaxus swooped over a body of water. I could sense his happiness in the moment, and I knew we must have succumbed to the storm, and were arriving on the Shores of Avalon.

As we came into land on the shore, I readied to meet my creator, glad my mate was with me.

“Where are we?” I asked as I dismounted, my legs trembling from fear.

Jaxus shifted and returned to his fae form before standing in front of me, his bronzed skin glistening in the golden dawn light that reflected off the water.

Jaxus swallowed, flexing his jaw. “My home.” A smile graced his lips.

My chest tightened. He was telling the truth, but how could anything exist here? Dragons had died trying to cross the mountains. The storms that raged here wreaked havoc on the Storm Kingdom.

“Are we not dead?” I asked, confused.

“No, Firefly,” he chuckled. “We are not dead.”

“How?!” I asked.

He offered his hand. “Let me show you.”

“Can you put some pants on first?” I took the pack off my shoulders, trying not to look at him.

“Does this mean you won’t be apologizing with your tongue?” he asked playfully while gripping himself.

“Who said I’ve forgiven you?” I rolled my eyes and threw his leathers at him. “And that’s not what I want to be doing when we are discovered by whoever else lives here with you.”

He laughed, good-humored about it. “To be honest, I’m sure they’ve already spotted us. They keep a tight watch.” There was more he wasn’t saying, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was unable or because he didn’t want to frighten me.

“Is this some sort of secret military base?”

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