Page 44 of Beyond the Winter Kingdom
Lou groaned softly, head lolling against the cold stone. His lip was split, and he looked a sickly shade of white. Despite his haggard, and frankly, repulsive appearance, he stared at me with surprising clarity. Had to give it to the guy; he was a survivor. Few walked away from a visit with Drayden. And even if Junior was the one delivering the blow, we all knew who was in charge in the dungeons.
Sadly, it was not me. There would be more tuna and orgies if it was.
“Gotta say,” I added dryly, “for someone who looks like a meat sack that lost a bar fight, he’s still got better posture than most of the fae court.” Namely because his head wasn’t bowed in reverence at the sight of Vareck or Kaia, let alone Drayden. Brown nosing wasn’t good for the spine.
Drayden ignored me.
Kaia didn’t. “Where have you been? Vareck and Meera went missing at the Witching Hour.”
“Solving your problems, apparently.” I licked my paw then nibbled at my toe beans, trying to scratch the itch that never went away. “I need a portal. Preferably one that leads directly to Evorsus.”
“Why would you need a portal to the twin hells?” Kaia blinked. “You can go there whenever—” She broke off, catching on faster than the other two did. Apart from that leprechaun.
“I take it,” Lucian paused to catch his breath, “the king and his lass found themselves in asituation?” He grunted while he sat up, wrists tied behind his back and leaned against the wall. A cough rattled through him and the green of his eyes glowed faintly with power despite the dungeon's natural affinityfor neutralizing magic. I sensed something in him. Something different, like Meera, but not the same.
. . . somethingold.
“Yes,” I said flatly, not relaying my observations for the peasants present. If they couldn’t sense a predator in their midst, it wasn’t my job to protect them. It’s not like any of these assholes fed me second-dinner when I asked. “And if I wanted to yeet them into the void, I’d do it myself, but I’d prefer not to traumatize the entire court by returning them in pieces. So they need a portal. A real one. Anchored by a witch.”
“Wait.” Drayden turned, frowning. “Vareck and his dream girl are in Evorsus?”
“And Damon,” I added. “And the redcap woman. Her sister. Family get together.” That I wasn’t invited to, rudely. As a matter of fact, I showed up and they pretty much asked me to leave. I questioned why I should help them, but my life was tied to V’s, therefore it was non-negotiable. And his was now tied to the reckless ginger. Alas, I liked her, so I supposed it could be worse.
Kaia’s face blanched. “You left our king and the crown prince in Evorsus?Alone?” Her voice was a whisper, but it might as well have been a shout. My ears flattened on instinct. “What the actual fuck, Corvo?”
“I didn’tleavethem,” I snapped. “I came to get them help, obviously. They’re the ones that went through a portal to begin with and now my realm is in feeding mode. Which means if you three don’t figure out the portal situation, I’ll be attending a banquet I very much don’t want to host.”
“They’re going to be eaten. Great,” Kaia said with a flat affect and purple fire burning in her eyes.
“Can’t he just pyroport there?” Lucian said with a nod toward Drayden. “That’s what he did from Warwick.”
Drayden’s jaw tensed. “I can’t go between realms.”
Kaia pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb and began to pace. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck.”
Cadoc turned to Lucian, kneeling down and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. “You know everyone. Who can open a portal to Evorsus?”
He coughed, wincing. “You need someone who knows how to tap into the ley lines. Someone who’s touched them before and isn’t afraid to bleed for it.”
Kaia narrowed her eyes. “Who?”
Lucian looked past her, locking eyes with me. “You know who.”
My tail lashed once as though it were a whip, punctuating the gravity of my response. “No.”
“Yes.”
Kaia turned slowly to me. “Who is he talking about?”
I didn’t answer.
Drayden’s voice dropped. “Corvo.”
“She’s the last person we should be calling on,” I muttered.
“My sisters are stuck in a hell realm,”CadocDrayden Jr. ground out. “Who. Is. It?”
I sighed, dramatic and long-suffering. “Amelia.”
