Page 20 of The Dark Rises
Cormal draws a wavy magic line on the dirty stone floor. “This is the shoreline. If Lux sets off the traps, he can contain the damage, then leave when it’s done. We need to decide what to do once the Phoenix are on land. In order to save Rivan, we need time. Can the Water Fae set traps to draw them inland and keep them busy?”
Hyne looks down at the floor. “It would take all of us, but we could do it. The problem is… we need a way to defend ourselves if caught, and I don’t have access to all the weapons Fisk collected. Brixton laid siege to several stashes and confiscated them for his army.” His dark eyes are full of deep-seated anger toward the leader of the Phoenix.
Cormal flashes him a smile. “Luckily, we have access to a large shipment. Once we retrieve them, they’re all yours.” He proceeds to give Hyne a detailed list. “Will that help?”
Something shifts in Hyne’s demeanor. “It would. What do you want in return?”
Cormal waves a hand in my direction.
Hyne warily turns me, and I smile broadly. “I could lie and say it’s not much, but it’s a huge ask. You could even die. On the positive side, you’ll have the chance to look Brixton in the eye and tell him what a piece of shit he is for betraying the Water Fae and murdering Fisk.”
His jaw drops. “You want me to request a meeting with Brixton? Why?”
“They’re holding Rivan on Avalon. Apparently, it’s full of traps and old magic that shouldn’t be disturbed. We need a way in,” I reveal with a nonchalant shrug. “Brixton needs the Water Fae, but to get them, he needs you out of the way. It would be the perfect opportunity for him. How could he resist?”
Hyne stands there staring at me, silence filling the room around us until my nerves are at a screaming point. Then, suddenly, he doubles over and roars with laughter.
At the sound, Cormal and Madoc stand, hands on weapons and move closer, ready to protect me from the crazed kraken.
Hyne takes a deep breath and the laughter ceases. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.” He straightens and rolls his eyes at the two men. “Please. Like I would hurt her. Although, come to think of it, it’s probably good you had her ask for the favor.”
Hope begins to bloom in my chest. “You’ll do it?”
“Damn right I will. Fisk saved my ass more times than I can recall,” he says with a fierce look in his eye. “Confronting his killer and, hopefully, avenging his death will be an honor.”
He points a finger at Cormal. “I want you to create a detailed plan of action I can take to my second in command.”
His hand moves to Madoc. “I don’t know who you are or what your role is here, but you look like you can handle yourself. You’ll go with me as my second. It will throw Brixton off his stride, and we need all the advantages we can get.”
Instead of arguing, Madoc arrogantly dips his head in agreement.
Cormal creates a map and starts marking it up. Minutes later, he’s done. With a wave of his hand, he creates a copy and hands it to Hyne. “Show this to your men and let me know if they want any changes.”
Hyne takes it from him. “The weapons?”
“Where do you want them delivered?” I ask him, brushing the hair back from my clammy neck. The damp air in this basement is making me nauseous.
“There is a ship in this port called the Blue Chameleon,” Hyne informs us. “It will hold them. Send me word, and I’ll havemen meet you. Once the weapons are in our hands, I’ll contact Brixton.”
He takes a deep breath. “This will either be our beginning or our end. Regardless, we can’t sit in the middle forever. See you soon.” Taking the stairs, he leaves the same way he entered.
Relieved to get out of here, I follow Cormal into the shadows while Madoc protects the rear. Breathing deeply as I step out into the meadow, I take a moment to fill my lungs with clean air. “All right. Who the hell are Lux and Aamon?”
Cormal chuckles. “Lux is a shadow demon in my employ. You haven’t met him because he’s a bit—what was the word Hyne used?—psychotic. Only to be used in extreme emergencies.”
Sounds lovely. Where does Cormal find these demons? I turn to Madoc. “And Aamon?”
Tensing, he explains his friend and how they met.
Eyes round, the first thing that hits me is how much Leandra has wronged Madoc. She took everything from him, then left him in The Below. An unending pit of darkness with no way to escape. It’s so black there are no shadows. It makes The Pit look like a holiday.
I shudder. His willingness to stick around suddenly makes sense. He’ll do anything to end her existence. No wonder Cormal changed his mind about trusting him. What is surprising is Madoc’s willingness to suspend his search to help us save Rivan.
“Honestly, I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through. Once we’ve saved Rivan, we’ll switch all of our attention to finding Leandra. I promise you.” I lay a hand on his arm and squeeze.
He stares at me, then lays his hand on top of mine. A ghost of a smile appears. “Honestly, I thought you’d lose your mind about the monster.”
“It’s nice to hear you have friends. Besides me, of course,” I tease him. “But I’d hate to be you when Callyx and Lucifer findout.” My voice might be a tad too gleeful, because I hear Cormal snort loudly behind me. “Now, let’s go get those weapons.”
