Page 2 of The Dark Rises
Interest flares in Theron’s eyes, and he flicks a questioning glance toward me as he answers him. “Yes. It’s a bit uncomfortable for some, but this is the only way to travel around The Abbey. Too much magic in the walls makes the shadows unreliable.”
Madoc stiffens and steps inside. He inhales sharply when the doors close and darts a glance at the ceiling, clearly uncomfortable.
I slide closer, letting my body brush against his, hoping it will help. He unclenches his hand, but the moment the elevator begins to move, his hands form fists again, all comfort gone. I hope the ride is short.
My mind lingers on his words. Contraption. Almost as if he’s never been in an elevator, which is odd. They’re everywhere… in all the lands.
The steel doors slide open, and Theron extends his hand toward the hallway. “This is your floor. Any time you want toleave, just step in. The elevator will take you to your destination with just a thought.”
By unanimous agreement, we all decide to let Madoc out first. He steps foot into the hallway and loudly exhales.
Theron brushes past him to lead us to our rooms.
It’s the same wing I stayed in the last time I was here, so Cormal and I are already familiar with the layout.
Cormal clasps hands with Theron. “Thank you. I’m in your debt.”
Theron’s eyes briefly slide to Cormal in acknowledgement, but his attention remains on Madoc. “No debt. Not for family.” His violet gaze swings to me and warms before he reenters the elevator.
Madoc enters first and prowls around the room, his eyes darting from one item to another, inspecting everything.
I step into my previous room and see little has changed. Plain white walls. Nearest to the door is a small sitting area with a loveseat and coffee table and in the corner, a dining table with two chairs. On the far wall sits a dresser, a couple of nightstands, and a large bed covered with a fluffy white duvet. Two doors lead to a closet and an attached bathroom.
When Cormal enters behind me, I whirl around, unable to wait a second longer. Lifting his shirt, I trace the wound left by the Killian Blade. Pink puckered skin is all that’s left of the gaping hole where it plunged into his heart.
My lips replace my hands, skimming the scar on his chest, grateful that we’re both alive to fight another day. I pick up the reassuring sound of his beating heart and tilt my head back to look at him.
“Good thing you’re hard to kill.”
His eyes are full of bemused wonder, as if seeing my concern is still a surprise. He grabs my hand, presses a kiss to it, then links our fingers together.
Adrenaline clashes with reality, and it suddenly feels like a truck ran over me. With Cormal in tow, I move to the couch to contemplate the magnitude of the events that occurred earlier today.
“That was one hell of a morning. Allandra and Camon dead. Lorn a monster or whatever the hell he turned into. Gone forever, I hope.”
An image of his green scales flashes repeatedly in my mind. He had me completely fooled. I never saw it coming. Not once did my intuition or self-preservation pick up on his deception or his other form. Enemy. Monster. Thank goodness we never went further than the briefest of kisses or I’d need therapy.
“And to top it off, I had to give a copy of the peace treaty to Faris, of all people,” I say with a disbelieving shake of my head.
At the thought of the treaty, I can’t help but think of Rivan and wonder if he made it safely to the Water Fae.Goddess, please keep him safe.
“A hybrid of a dryad and some sort of serpent,” Madoc says with an odd glint in his eye. I raise an eyebrow, and he clarifies. “Lorn. You couldn’t sense his other self when you were around him?”
Defensively, I shrug. “No. Fae were drawn to him, but he didn’t seem to affect me as much. Isn’t a dryad a type of nymph?” That would explain why the Fae hung on his every word.
“Tree nymph, yes, but as the light Fae queen, you should have been able to sense his true self,” he interjects impatiently when it’s clear I’m not getting the point.
Gritting my teeth, I reveal the truth about my reign. “When I became queen, an extensive amount of knowledge poured into me, but accessing the threads to the people and the land wasn’t possible. It was nothing but a black hole.” I lift a shoulder. “Eris, one of the brownies in the palace, told me everything disconnected from Nyssa, and the crown, a long time ago.”
Madoc paces, quiet for a moment, then shakes his head. “As their queen, the magic should have reconnected with you, but it could be corrupted. Too many deviations from its true purpose.” He eyes Cormal. “Where did you send Lorn?”
Cormal returns his stare. “The Underworld.”
When Madoc arches an eyebrow, silently demanding more information, Cormal’s only reply is a smirk.
“Does it matter?” I ask Madoc.
He ignores my question and resumes pacing.
