A Crown Of Fire And Wrath (The Shadow Walkers Saga #5) - Sloane Murphy Page 0,105
the new map, it looks totally different from the one I saw before. She spelled the parchment before we walked through the portal, to set a new course once she got us to where we needed to go.
“Okay, well let’s get moving, because I don’t want to give them any more advantage than they already have on us.” Nevin nods at my words and takes up the front again, pushing his way through the greenery. Fallon stumbles along behind him, her glow from before dimmer, but her eyes still cloudy.
“Are you okay, Fallon?” I ask quietly as we move closer to our target.
“I’m fine,” she says, but she doesn’t even really sound like herself. Worry crawls up my throat threatening to choke me, but I’ll just need to keep her guarded too. She’s obviously used too much of that unknown power of hers. I know she said she was getting closer to mastering it, but she obviously hasn’t.
I try not to sigh as I follow behind them, keeping my eyes and ears open for anyone in the forest around us.
It doesn’t take long for us to find the building Fallon mentioned. What she failed to state, however, was that the building is a fucking fortress. “How the fuck do we get in there?”
“I have an idea,” Nevin says, looking as pissed off as I feel about this situation. It’s not the first shitty position we’ve found ourselves in together, but even so. I knew this wouldn’t be easy, but fuck.
Nevin motions that he’s going to scout, and I nod, staying with Fallon, who’s sitting on the floor with her eyes closed. I leave her to rest and keep watch while we wait for Nevin to return.
He’s not gone long, but when he returns he looks happy and crouches down to where we’re huddled. “I found a bridge. It’s not the most inconspicuous of ways in, but it is the quickest. Is she going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Fallon grumbles opening her eyes. Her glow is back a little brighter, but her eyes are still clouded.
“Okay, well then, lets head out. It’s not far from here,” he says, getting to his feet and looking out into the distance. I help Fallon stand, and he takes the lead. I keep Fallon in front of me again, because she doesn’t seem steady on her feet.
It doesn’t take us long to reach the bridge, which is a fucking rope and wood bridge. Fuck my fucking life. We cross one at a time because it seems old and fragile, like it might snap at the lightest of weights. While I can fly, there’s a big fucking drop between where we are and the fortress. If I hit the ground, it’s going to fucking hurt.
My heart is in my throat as Fallon crosses, she loses her footing a couple of times, and I hold my breath each fucking time. If anything happens to her, I won’t forgive myself. Especially not after everything she’s already been through because of all of this. Because of me.
We reach the door, solid wood nestled amongst the sandstone, and Nevin breaches it as quietly as he can. While the map led us here, this place, is well, a fortress. They could be anywhere. I check Fallon’s map, and it still shows that they’re here, so we head inside into the dark corridor.
“You need to rein in your power,” Nevin tells her. “Just until we reach them. Your glow is going to give us away.” She nods, and slowly her glow dims. She still seems a little out of it, but considering the amount of power she’s been using between the wards, the map and the portal, it’s not that surprising.
We move forward through the dark, damp hall, and I’ve never been more thankful to be at one with the shadows, because I can see, maybe not super well, but well enough that I don’t trip. I keep one hand on Fallon’s shoulder to keep her heading in the right direction, since her eyesight won’t be any good in here.
We reach the end of the corridor, and it splits in two directions. “Which way?” I whisper.
Nevin shrugs, but heads to the right. We follow him until the corridor opens out to a huge, high ceilinged room, light filters in through windows close to the roof.
I move with Nevin and Fallon towards the middle of the room, trying to work out where to go from here, when a wave of dizziness washes over me.
“Fallon,” I gasp, reaching out to her, but I miss and fall to my knees. “Something is wrong.”
I open my eyes, they feel dry, and my lashes are stuck together. It takes me a minute to remember where I am.
What the ever-loving fuck is happening?
I blink again and my vision starts to focus. I’m on the floor, face down, the cold seeping into my numb bones. I move to sit up, and the sound of metal dragging on stone pulls my attention. That’s when I feel the burning at my wrists.
I look down and see the iron cuffs, attached to what looks like iron chains.
Fuck.
Amelia must have known we were here after all.
I push myself up so I’m sitting, when I spot Fallon standing in the corner of the room, her eyes still cloudy, her glow back. In front of her, Nevin is sitting on a chair watching me, a smile on his face.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice hoarse, and Nevin belts out a laugh.
“You should’ve known better by now, who to trust.”
To be continued…
About the Author
Sloane Murphy is the author of the international bestselling series, The Immortal Chronicles, as well as a range of other paranormal and contemporary romance. Sloane lives in Peterborough, England, with her husband & fur baby and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for cheesy YA Films, cupcakes and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales, ballet and all things supernatural, drinks far too much coffee, and watches an ungodly amount of Netflix. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the world with her husband and chocolate Labrador.
If you would like to send Sloane an email, you can reach her at [email protected]
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Acknowledgments
There are too many people to thank for this book, so I know I’m going to forget someone somewhere, but here goes…
To Jenna and Cassie, my thruple, my musketeers, thank you for dealing with my whining and bitching, and making me do all the words. I love you guys.
Sarah, as always, thank you for just putting up with me, just because your family doesn’t mean you have to put up with my shit, but you do, and you do more for me than I have words for here, but thank you, for everything.
Claire, thank you for dealing with my shit, for picking me up when I couldn’t, and for loving these guys so freaking much.
Heather, you’re a freaking rockstar. You know it, I know it, the whole world knows it. But still, thank you so much for everything!
To everyone at HII for believing in me. Steph, Blake, thank you guys. For all of it!
To my husband, thank for you accepting that sometimes I write on fucked up timezones (I’m looking at you Jenna aha), thank you for not complaining when we’re mid conversation and I space out because plot lines reveal themselves in the weirdest of ways. I love you more than words can say.
Finally, thank you to all of my readers, without you I wouldn’t be here. I’m so very thankful that you’ve stuck with me, even when I took a huge hiatus. For reading and loving Remy and her guys, and her friends, and just this entire world inside of my head.
Thank you all from the bottom of my twisted little heart <3