Page 24 of The Dark Rises
Hyne chuckles. “Invite us in for a drink. He pretends to be very civilized until the knife is slicing across your throat.”
I trace a line from the portal to the great hall. “Ok, he brings you two here. Offers you a drink. How many guards will he have with him?”
“At least twenty,” Hyne replies with a broad grin. “Any less would be insulting to me. More and he’ll open himself up to my insults.”
“That’s good. We can use that to buy us some time. Ask him questions about the real Kaius and Fisk, his plans, and whatever else you think will make him talk. A lot,” I tell him. “Madoc will refuse the drink, stand by your side, and hold a shield around the two of you.”
Hyne raises an eyebrow at Madoc. “A dark Fae with scars for days. He might be too much of a threat. We’ll need to tone him down and make Brixton think there’s nothing out of the ordinary about him.”
Meri studies him for a second, then waves her hand. Glasses appear, along with a navy shirt instead of his usual black. She adds jeans and a simple fisherman’s cap. “Will that work?”
“Give him blue hair, similar to Fisk,” I add. “He can be a mix of dark Fae and Water Fae.”
“Good idea,” Madoc inserts, adding a hint of scales along his forearms while Meri changes his hair to a deep blue.
Both Hyne and I nod at the same time. “Perfect.”
“We need a way to get Meri and me into the castle,” I murmur, studying the expanse of sea between the two. “Can we go by boat to the grotto? It would put us in position for both Rivan and you two.”
Hyne’s large shoulder lifts. “I need to go down and read the sea.”
When we all look at him in confusion, he rolls his eyes. “I need to get in the water. It will tell me about the inhabitants and any obstructions along the way.”
The sun is barely cresting the horizon. “Dawn is coming. You might want to go now. We’ll cover you from above.”
Bitter wind whips around the cliffs in front of the little cottage, but a little magic creates a buffer from it. We stand and watch as Hyne takes a running jump off the cliff and dives into the sea below.
Meri moves in closer to me. “Do you think this is going to work?” Her eyes are full of worry. “What about the old magic?”
That’s the biggest unknown. I couldn’t find anything to protect us. “All we can do is keep our shields up and hope nothing wakes.”
Madoc looks pointedly at Meri. “A shield. Did you hear him?”
She scowls. “I heard. I will. I know I forgot earlier, but it was one lapse.” Her voice has an edge that makes me shake my head at Madoc.
He heaves a sigh but relents. One step brings him closer to her. “Thank you.”
She says nothing, but the tension eases from her shoulders.
Madoc suddenly whips a hand across her eyes, and she laughs. I look down and see a very large and very naked Hyne strolling out of the sea.
“Clothes,” I tell Hyne, who looks at me as if I’m crazy.
He darts a glance at Meri, whose eyes are still covered, and chuckles. “I see. Done.” Tailored black pants and a button-down shirt cover his body.
Madoc removes his hand, and Meri winks at Hyne. “I’m sure you had all the ladies once.”
Hyne preens and winks back. “Krakens are big and known for their longevity.”
Madoc and I groan in unison. “Stop.”
Hyne motions to the water behind him. “There are creatures in the sea I haven’t seen in at least a thousand years. And there are a couple of unknowns, too. Most of them seem benevolent, but it’s hard to tell.”
Tying his wet hair back, he continues. “I can get you across in a boat in five minutes, but there are traps in front of the grotto you’ll have to unravel. The sea had very little information on them, except their presence.”
“Ok, creatures, unknown traps, five minutes,” I say, contemplating the worst that can happen. “We’ll make it work.”
The sky lightens further. “Let’s get back inside before someone sees us out here.”
