Page 75 of The Dark Rises
Madoc grumbles but agrees.
Cormal keeps staring at his phone.
“She may not even understand the whole phone thing,” I remind him. “Once we get back, call Oryn. See if you can have coffee or tea with her. And him, of course. I doubt she’s ready to do things on her own.”
He puts his phone in his pocket and wraps his arms around me. “I still can’t believe we found her. Alive. I’m incredibly grateful.”
“But you wanted your sister Ri´ back, not Riona, who has lived under Denir’s thumb for such a long time,” I remark. “It’s too early to know what she’ll remember. Stop being impatient.”
He chuckles and places his chin on my head. “Mm, bossy. Maybe I should put you in charge of my new casino.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Not on your life. Although once this is over, I want to find something to do. Maybe help the Fae get their rights.”
All three of them nod. “Maybe there’s something we can all do.”
Rivan finishes tattooing the design onto Madoc’s arm. “Done.” He glances around. “Anyone else want one?”
I prop my arm on the table. “I do. Something pretty and useful. You pick.”
Rivan takes my hand and turns it over until the underside of my arm is facing up. “It’s something I drew up the other day. Three images in a line.” He pulls out the paper from his box of inks, and I smile when I see it.
“Perfect,” I tell him. “And I want my clarity tattoo back, please.”
For the next hour, we all ignore the ticking of the clock as we spend the time relaxing in the afternoon sun, basking in itswarmth, and joking with each other. Madoc slips up and smiles twice, which thrills me but earns him harsh taunts from the other two.
Rivan puts away his tools and peers down at my inner arm in satisfaction. “I’ll have to finish your palm another day.
“I love them. Thank you.” I raise my face to his for a sweet kiss, but Madoc pushes him away and claims it for himself.
The sun sets, and we all stand.
Madoc isn’t sure why they want us to come too, and it makes him uneasy. Aamon is already in their camp, but he feels we should bring Lux, too. Cormal thinks it will be a disaster, but he wants someone who will protect me, and Lux is the best option. The Wild Hunt won’t let anyone in, but Lux, like Aamon, is unique.
“It will take us a few hours to get to the clearing,” Madoc informs us. “We need to gather supplies and be ready to leave within the hour.” He shakes his head when Cormal opens his mouth. “We can only portal to the edge of the Wilds. We have to hike to get to the clearing.”
It doesn’t take long to pull together the necessities. Blankets, water, food, weapons, a massive first aid kit, and several lighters. When I question the number, Madoc gruffly informs me that cauterizing bleeding wounds works the best. Okay. Good to know.
Everyone is at the portal when we get there. Their faces are carefully blank, which is worse than sad or grim.
I shake my head. “When we return, we’re celebrating, got it? Callyx, Lucifer, Evren, Kavi, Oryn, Ri´, and everyone else in this big family of ours. Got it?”
Refusing to give anyone a hug, I enter the portal, after Madoc, and find Lux waiting for us on the other side.
“Meri!” he squeals in delight.
“Lux!” I squeal right back, making him dance around in happiness.
The other two men step through and join us.
Madoc takes the lead, Cormal the rear. Rivan, Lux, and me in the middle.
Wide-eyed, I step into the Wilds and find myself completely enchanted with the world around me.
Madoc gets in my face. “Don’t touch one fucking thing along the way. I mean it. The Wilds are a mixture of wonder and death. Pretty things are deceitful. Plants have a mind of their own. Everything will take a bite out of you. Some will devour you. Got it?”
I put my hands behind my back. “Got it.”
Lux nods his head. “Dangerous. Don’t touch.”
