Lord of the Abyss - By Nalini Singh Page 0,75

on foot would take too long, so they'd have to find some other way, but that was a problem for another time. Right now, she had to focus on keeping her sanity.

Later, she would remember the hellish heat, the noxious scent of sulfur, but most of all, she would remember Micah's arm holding her, implacable and strong as steel, his body her haven. They flew for hours, over the glimmering sands, over the eerie marshlands filled with flickering lights and six-legged animals that loped and cackled, over the waving red grasses that hid the cunning predators with the sharp teeth, over the mountains of ice so cold a man without magic would freeze before taking a breath, until finally, they came to the rolling plains of verdant green.

The Great Divide lay on the other side.

Sweeping down, the salamander bellowed again, scorching the grasses to nothingness and burning the earth to black on landing. Alighting as quickly as possible, Liliana somehow managed to stay on her feet, though her legs were cramped, her muscles stiff. Heart in her throat, she fought not to scream for him to get away as Micah walked around to face the beast, so near that mouth that could easily belch flame. "I thank you, friend," he said, rubbing that huge scaly head with a gloved hand.

To Liliana's shock, the salamander dipped its head to the side, as if shy. Suddenly unable to bear her own cowardice, she forced her legs to move forward until she was close enough to look into one of those multifaceted eyes. "My thanks," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Coming around to stand beside her, Micah said, "Fly home."

Wings of flame shot out on either side of the salamander and then it was ascending with a roar of yellow flame against the darkening sky. Tracking its blazing progress, she was forced to admit that it was a magnificent being - one that would forever scare her, that much she knew, but at least now the terror wouldn't debilitate.

"Come, Lily." Taking her hand in his, Micah led them to the very edge of the Great Divide.

A crossing such as this, she thought, must only exist in the Abyss and the Always. It offered passage to all of the realms, but the shimmering wall of magic could not be passed by most mortals. However, Micah, as the Guardian of the Abyss, had the right to cross it at will. "The ability is, I think," he'd said when she'd brought up the point, "a fail-safe lest one of the condemned manages to slip into another realm." Now, he touched his fingers to the rippling sparks of color, and it was as if the magic sighed in welcome. "Yes, this part of the crossing will take us to the kingdoms."

She came into the protection of his arms and he stepped through the barrier. The experience was... Like being kissed with magic, if such a thing was possible. Yet there was a subtle menace to the sensation - if she hadn't been held in Micah's arms, the shield would've repudiated her with wrenching violence.

"It's done."

Liliana saw that they were in a night-dark wood. "What is this place?"

"The path to a borderland village."

"Micah." She touched his left cheekbone - where he was now marked by the symbol of a sickle and a sword crossed. "The sign of the Abyss."

"To ensure no one forgets who it is who walks among them." He took her little pack. "Come - the screaming pines mark the village boundaries."

The trees lived up to their name as they approached, keening and wailing, their arms waving in agitation. As a result, the villagers beyond were waiting for them armed with scythes and pitchforks. A single look at Micah and they dropped their weapons, turning as pale as ghosts. A few ran. However, a sturdy man with a peg leg and a tremor along one side of his face walked forward. "My lord. Do you come for us?"

Micah put one gauntleted hand on the brave man's shoulder. "Your soul is not black. I seek the services of Esme."

A whispering sounded from the gathered villagers, but the shoulders of the man who'd spoken were suddenly set with pride. "She be my wife, then - I'm her George." A beaming smile. "Come with me, honored lord."

Liliana heard the words ugly and hook-nosed creature as she passed, and though it hurt, it was a hurt she could shrug off. Because Micah didn't think she was ugly even though he knew