Page 108 of The Rebel Seer

Daniel took a long breath and his fangs were out, eyes glowing blue as he inclined his head to Ostara. “I thank you, goddess.”

“He stayed so he could spare me.” Meadow’s eyes stared up at him, shining with tears. “He could have run but he made a deal with that wizard so I didn’t…”

He knew exactly what Devinshea saved her from and what he owed the male. “We will find him. We will figure out how to help him. We need to find his hands if we’re to have any chance at giving him back his magic.”

King’s blood could work miracles. They would find a way to get Dev’s hands back. They had to. Devinshea couldn’t lose his magic. His family depended on him.

“He destroyed them,” Neil said dully. His side was already healing, and he looked so much better color wise, but there was a hollow look to his eyes. “Myrddin burned them for the spell. He wanted to make sure Devinshea can’t work any kind of magic ever again. He’s going to pull Bris off his soul and send him into the mountain. He thinks he can do it. All he needs is the king and Zoey. I think he realized how much power he held when Dev made that deal with him last night. He thinks Dev will make another deal to spare Zoey’s life, and because we’re in Faery it can be enforced through Dev’s line.”

“Yes, that will work on Dev and Bris alike,” Daniel agreed. “They’ll do whatever he wants to save our wife, and they won’t play around if they think for a second the Wild Hunt could tear apart our children. But he didn’t work a spell to make a deal. He did that to find Shy. Why the fuck would he need Shy? Does he want her to talk to his victims?”

“She’s more than a medium,” Sasha said, looking around. The dungeon was quiet, but he could smell blood. He caught a glimpse of bodies in the background. Neil had defended the high priest well, but Myrddin’s magic likely swayed the outcome.

“She is so much more than a medium.” Meadow stood beside him, her small hand finding his and giving him a squeeze. “Ostara knows her. Well, she knows what she is, what she was. She contains the best parts of Arawn’s magic. She is both death and life magic. At one point in time, she was the Cauldron of Rebirth. She could feed armies, revive the dead, turn the wheel of time. She was…is the power of life reborn.”

“But she doesn’t understand her own power.” It was the reason he’d jumped out of bed, though he wanted to stay with his wife. Shy was in danger, and Shy was a danger. If what Ostara said was true, she had immense power and no ability to use it. “If Myrddin knows what she is, he could potentially use her to send Bris where he wants him to go. I don’t know how it works, but I have to think Bris might not have a choice if Myrddin can tap into Shy’s power. Or he’s going to do exactly what Neil said and use her against Arawn.”

“I have to find Zoey.” While Daniel looked better, there was still a slump to his shoulders.

“Myrddin will need the king,” Meadow pointed out. “From what I understand, the mountains where he’s holding the souls is keyed to the king’s family. They keep certain treasures there and have for centuries. It’s a sacred mountain, and the entrance is guarded by wards that can only be opened with the king’s blood.”

“Would Dev’s work?” Daniel asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. While they might look exactly alike, the king is fully Fae and your Devinshea is not. I think one of the reasons the mountain worked for the wizard as a holding place is the fact that those wards are keyed to only one man. The only other with a possible chance of opening it is his son. Lee might be able to because he is a son of the royal family, but I cannot be sure.”

“So he will have to get the king to open the mountains to him,” Sasha mused. “I doubt this version of Devinshea does anything he doesn’t want to.” He winced as he realized what was going to happen, might be happening right now. “Zoey will work as leverage to make the king do his will. She works for both Devinsheas. Damn it. Do we know where she is? Is she still in the palace?”

Neil stretched, his eyes dark as he looked around the room and then took a deep breath through his nose. “She hasn’t been down here. I need to change and then I’ll be able to track her.”

“She was in her room when I left her.” Daniel looked sick again. “I shouldn’t have left her. I shouldn’t have fucking allowed Myrddin to have Dev. I shouldn’t…”

The king was normally a calm presence, but Sasha understood. His partner was injured—possibly irrevocably—and in the hands of their greatest enemy, and his wife could be next. He couldn’t think like a king at this point. He was a terrified husband, and he wasn’t anywhere close to full power. He hadn’t been since they walked through the doors to this plane. There was something about the sun on this plane that took more out of Daniel. Sasha felt it, too. But he spent less time outside, and he had a full dose of companion blood and Ostara’s magic. “Neil, change and help us find the queen. Can you track the other Devinshea?”

Neil nodded, getting to his feet. “I can track anyone, and if you get me close to the wizard, I promise I’ll kill him this time.”

Daniel’s head shook. “No, you won’t. You’ll get Z and Shy out of there, and I’ll save Devinshea. You know the prophecy. I want to kill him, too, but the dark prophet is never wrong. Our only goal at this point has to be to get our people out of here and stop whatever Myrddin plans. You taking a shot at him likely means we lose you.”

Neil nodded tightly. “I’ll get her out. I’ll get Shy out. We’ll run for the door. It doesn’t matter where we go. We’ll find a way.”

“You leave us if you have to,” Daniel insisted.

“Or I can lead you to my home plane,” Meadow offered. “The safest way off this plane is a door not far from the mountains. You cannot use the door you took without access to the blue dolerite, but my plane is accessible through a stable door. We have to pass through the Earth plane, but the door to mine is in a city called Los Angeles. My timeline’s Earth plane is a place of peace and harmony. It is not dangerous to travel through.”

“Well, that’s a change from ours,” Daniel said with a touch of bitterness. “We will need to hide our powers.”

Ostara’s head shook. “Not at all. The Earth plane residents know about the other planes and are very accepting. Like President Taggart says, horns and tails don’t make you an asshole. Your attitude does. He encourages tourism, too.”

Daniel ran a hand over his hair, pushing it back. His claws were out. “We start in the palace. Sasha, kill anyone who tries to stop us.”

Sasha nodded as Neil changed and a large snowy white wolf was suddenly in the room.

Neil took off.

Sasha took his wife’s hand.

The chase was on.

Chapter Thirty-One

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