Page 44 of The Starlit City (The Shifting Fae 2)

Alisha opened a portal and handed me the rod. “This will take you close to the ruins. Once the darkthing is destroyed, bring Mab back and then we’ll return to get to the prince.”

“Wait?” I said. “How do we know this isn’t a trap?”

“My son will be busy.” Queen Merelda stepped off her throne. The light hit her armor, making the scales shimmer. “I’ve sent a messenger and requested a parlay with my son. He will not miss a chance to be seen facing me in the open, raising his claim to the throne as I am acknowledging him as an equal by parlay.”

“My queen,” Callum interjected. “Do you think that’s wise? If you’re slain, the throne will fall to him. He’s the eldest.”

“Which is why he will accept the invitation.”

“You three worry about destroying that creature,” Alisha said. “We’ll have a plan for handling the prince once he returns from the meeting. Just do it quickly.”

Callum reached down and grabbed Mab’s free hand. “Then on we go.”

He walked into the portal, giving me no choice but to follow.

Stepping through, I entered a world of complete darkness.

No light, just a sea of black.

“Kelia,” Callum said from somewhere in front of me. “Use that ball of yours.”

“Right.” Conjuring my blue flame, I held the light up high like I did in the boat.

Another, brighter white light, haloed around mine, making the area around us brighten. Callum and Mab stood in front of me, hand in hand. Mab turned back and smiled. While our combined magic gave us enough light to see, we were surrounded by black rock with only one opening and direction to go.

“The ruins are ahead,” Callum said, keeping hold of Mab. “When we get close, I’ll scout ahead and see what we’re up against. You stay at my side until then.”

Mab nodded and gripped her doll tighter.

Uneasiness and a sense of foreboding plagued my thoughts. This was wrong. I couldn’t explain why, but something was off about this entire plan. “Callum, wait.”

He stopped and turned back.

Taking the portal rod, I held it up. “We should leave. Use this to take a portal right to the Borderlands.”

“We can’t,” he said, frowning.

Callum snatched the rod out of my hand, leaning in to whisper by my ear. “Alisha would have rigged the transporter to malfunction or explode if we use it anywhere to go other than the palace.”

Mab looked at me. “Are we not going to fight the monster?”

I couldn’t do this. I knew the moment we entered those ruins our lives would be at risk, and I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice this child to appease a mad queen. At least in the Borderlands Mab would have the full power of the magi protecting her. I didn’t like going into a battle without understanding the risks and knowing how the queen felt about me, I was a liability. “There has to be another way out.”

Callum shook his head. “There isn’t but remember what I said.”

It didn’t matter what he promised. We did not know what we were up against.

Fear was ruling my thoughts. Another emotion I had trained out of me. “You’re right. Let’s move on.”

With slow steps we ventured deeper into the dark where the sounds of life didn’t exist, and the coldness of the terrain sent a shiver across my back. Out of all the places I had ventured during my time outside the academy, none had compared to the emptiness of these caverns. Where the Starlit City hosted thousands of twinkling lights and lush colors of deep blues and purples, nothing broke through the vapidness of the real Underground.

The narrow tunnel opened into a vast area with a ceiling too high to see. Crumbling structures of various heights filled the space, the opaque stone shimmering from our light. Once, I imagined this place held beauty, but the decrepit ruins held nothing but jagged, broken steps and corners covered in spiderwebs.

Callum held a finger to his mouth and passed Mab to me. I grabbed her hand and tugged her back a bit from where we were. I nodded, informing Callum I was ready.

He took off into the ruined city, disappearing behind a stone column.

Mab gripped my hand tightly and nuzzled against my side. My heart raced, a wild panic festering, memories of the day I lost everything bubbled to the surface.

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