Page 23 of The Dark Rises
Aamon considers his words, then shrugs. “Sort of. It’s okay.”
Lux turns to me and smiles. “I like Meri. And him.”
Thank hell for small favors.
Before he can turn his attention to Madoc or Hyne, I direct him to the map. With my finger, I trace each line from the shore to the trap, then I show him how to set one off. When the first one explodes in a geyser of water and fire, he jumps back and squeals in delight.
He sets the next one off and once the dust settles, I pat him on the back. “Good job. The rest of the traps are laid out on the map. Follow it to the end, setting them off along the way. Then Aamon will take you with him to the Wilds, okay?”
He claps his hands and jumps up and down with excitement. “Got it. This is fun!”
“We’ve got to go to a meeting,” I explain to him. “Kavi will meet you at the edge of the Wilds tomorrow morning to take you home.”
Lux is barely listening to anything as his eyes dart from the map to the next target. I hope this works. He gets so caught up in causing destruction, he doesn’t know when to stop.
“Bye, Lux,” Meri calls out.
He whirls around and waves his leathery hand. “Bye, friend!” Then he dashes off with Aamon on his heels.
“Keepers help us all,” Hyne pleads in a gruff voice. “This better work.”
After waving goodbye to Kavi, the four of us move to a little stone cottage on a seaside cliff. Warded by Kavi earlier, it provides us with the perfect view of the sea and Avalon. From here, the ancient island is shrouded in fog, with only the mountain peak visible, but we can clearly see the ships in the sea below.
“Sneaky,” Hyne rumbles behind me, his eyes on the seventeen ships unfurling their masts. Phone in hand, he texts his second command to let him know the Phoenix are coming.
Seconds later, they sail off, using magic to whip the wind and get there faster. “They should arrive when the last charge goes off. Hopefully, they’ll chase their prey inland instead of returning here.”
Covering the windows with the darkest of shadows, I light the fireplace and sit at the table, Solandis’ map of Avalon before me.
Meri frowns for a second, then closes her eyes. Her brow crinkles with concentration, then she holds out her hand. A rolled parchment appears, and she hands it to me.
“It’s a map of Avalon’s castle,” she says nonchalantly, but the smirk on her face tells me I should have asked her for this earlier.
She’s right, I should have. Just like I should have included her and Madoc in the debriefing for the weapons cache. She gave me hell for that one, too.
I lean over and kiss her pink lips. “Thank you. This helps tremendously.”
Rolling it out, I secure the corners, then we all stand to look at the massive castle. Bailey, outer courtyard, battlements, outer gatehouse, portal, and all the usual rooms and layout you expect to see in a castle as well as a few unknown areas.
“You’ll enter here.” I tap the arch in the portal. It stands in the outer courtyard. “We need to find a way to shield you from the battlements.”
Hyne shakes his head. “Brixton won’t kill me right away. Most of the Lesser Fae like me.” He pauses for a second. “Well, they did before my mate passed. Anyway, the point is, he won’t want too many witnesses. It could make me a martyr. That’s the last thing he needs if he’s going to convince the Water Fae to join him when I’m gone.”
His dark eyes scan the castle from head to toe. He taps his finger on a rough area depicted by rocks and water. “There. If I die in the water, I won’t surface. Everyone knows krakens return to the deep.”
I bend over to read the small type. “Grotto.” Moving my finger to the rear, I follow a long hallway. Along the way, small rectangular rooms catch my eye. “Dungeons.”
Meri taps her finger on one. “Do you think that’s where he’s holding Rivan?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe,” I murmur, skimming the rest of the map. “There aren’t that many secure rooms. Most are open to the next. It’s either one of the bedrooms or the dungeons.”
Hyne snorts. “Brixton hates Rivan for surrendering. It would have been better if he’d have died with his men. He’ll hold him in the worst place possible.” The blunt tip of his finger taps the dungeons.
Meri’s face lights up with anger, but she looks away before anyone else can see it.
Madoc’s hand rises and hovers over her shoulder for a second, as if he intends to comfort her, but he drops it when she lifts her head. His dark eyes meet mine, and his face resets into his usual scowl.
Something to deal with later. “You know Brixton better than us. What do you think he’ll do first?”
