Page 26 of The Dark Rises
“They’re moving… into the bailey,” Cormal says with a frown still on his face. “They’ve stopped again. Their progress is too slow. My gut says they’re in trouble.” He looks up at the cliffs fading above us as day turns to night. “Can you get back to the cliffs? I want to check it out, and it will be easier if I’m alone.”
Mulishly, I shake my head. “No, we’re going together.” Lifting my arms, I channel the wind into a single stream and send the boat farther into the sea. Then I lift up a hand behind me and motion to the water. A wave forms, pushing the boat forward as I use the wind to keep us straight.
“Damn it, Meri!” Cormal yells across the boat. “Who the hell is going to save us if we head straight into a trap?”
I think about it for a second. “Kavi. You told him what we were doing, right? He can grab Lux, Aamon, and whoever else he needs. Callyx. Vargas. Arden and her cadre. We have people to save us. Rivan has nobody.”
Cormal thought about bringing the others to save Rivan, but the balance between the Fae and The Underworld is delicate. The only reason Vargas and Callyx were there when I gave up the crown was because a Fae had kidnapped Solandis.
He runs a hand down his face. “Drop me off at the opening. I’ll unravel the traps, then head inland. You’ll continue into the grotto by boat. If we split up, they may not catch us both.”
Fierce determination settles on his face, and the sight of it eases my fears. It’s his best look. The one that says his will is stronger than our enemies.
Unlike Hyne, it takes me closer to twenty minutes to get us across. From the water, large boulders block our view of the island, but that’s good because it means the remaining Phoenix likely can’t see us either, unless they’re in the air. I look up and see a perfectly blue sky. Maneuvering the boat close to the craggy shore, I hold it still.
Cormal smashes his lips against mine. “They’re not fucking around. Take no prisoners. Kill them first. Got it?” He jumps out of the boat and onto the rocks. “And as Madoc would say, keep your damn shield up.”
Great, now he’s got Cormal saying it. “Don’t have too much fun!”
Magic slips from his hands and hovers over the mouth of the cave. Mouthing words I can’t hear, his fingers dip in and out as he unravels the traps. Once he’s done, he signals to me, then disappears into the shadows. I say a little prayer to the keepers to keep him safe. Although he has an uncanny knack for coming out on top, luck only goes so far.
I maneuver the boat into the grotto’s entrance and spot a hook on a rope suspended above me. With a twirl of my finger, I pull it down and loop it around the slats in my seat. Once the boat is secure, I put my palm on a nearby boulder to steady myself.
My palm heats the second it touches the rock, and I barely refrain from hissing. Shoving aside the pain, I step out of the boat and onto the rocks. Heat sears my hip, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stop from crying out.
What the hell?
Voices echo across the cave. Loud curses bounce off the surrounding stone walls, Hyne’s booming voice easily recognizable. Cormal was right. They’re in trouble.
I carefully climb up to the top to peer farther into the grotto. Hyne’s yelling threats at a tall man in front of him and shaking his cuffed wrists. I’ve never met him, but Cormal described Brixton as a big man with a warrior’s build and flaming red hair. That has to be him.
I move up another inch and find Madoc. Held between two men, with a third behind him, his face is impassive, but his eyes are busy, darting around the cave, likely looking for something to use. His wrists are also bound in gold handcuffs.
The cuffs look remarkably similar to the ones we used at the palace to prevent Estrella from using magic during her interrogation. Would the same key work? Solandis said I still had access to the library but does that extend to other areas of the palace? I close my eyes and concentrate until I can see the interrogation room. Gold cuffs hang on the wall near the door with the key in the lock.
Opening my eyes a second later, I sway. I must have used more magic than I thought. A large hand reaches out and yanks me to my feet.
“A Phoenix can sense power, didn’t you know?” a smooth voice chides me.
I straighten and jerk my arm from his hold. “I did, actually, but thanks for the reminder. You must be Brixton.”
A line appears between his brows. “And you are?” He holds up a hand. “Wait, don’t tell me. The light Fae’s former queen,Meri, right? Wow. You certainly didn’t get the height, did you?” He throws his head back and laughs loudly. His men join in his mirth until the entire cave rings with their laughter.
Thanks to Theron and the information his brother, Oryn, gave us, I know Brixton’s working for Denir, or at least, with his support. I smile at him. “No, maybe I take after my father… King Denir. You know him, don’t you?”
His laughter stops, and he shakes his head. “Denir has no children.”
“Oh, but he does. And even now, he’s turning over every stone to find me.” My voice rings with truth. Granted, it’s not in the way I’ve implied, but sometimes the truth is nothing but simple words spoken out loud. They have no meaning until you give it to them.
Power ripples over me, and he flashes a thunderous scowl. “Dark Fae royalty. Light Fae royalty. How is that possible?”
“If I told you, he’d kill you,” I tell him. Also, true. Like Nyssa, the last thing Denir wants people to know is how I was created.
He shoves me toward the cave’s entrance and his other two prisoners. Stumbling on some rocks at the last minute, I fly forward, letting the momentum carry me into Madoc. My hands brush his for a brief second. One of the guards jerks me away and shoves me back toward Brixton.
Madoc’s elbow whips up and catches him in the throat. “Don’t you fucking touch her.”
The guard bends over, coughing, and Madoc whips the cuffs over his head and chokes him to death.
