Sun Broken (The Wild Hunt #11) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,27
simply can’t get into our realm unless their father is with them?”
“Exactly. Typhon’s rise will open the door for the dragons to return to your world. Some are benign, even benevolent. Others are dark and vile, seeking to enslave others to do their bidding. Remember they are all shifters. And they all love the smell of gold.” She paused. “There are many creatures who live outside the mortal realm, who continually seek a way in. The gods stand between them and your world, and generally, we are strong enough to prevent a clash. But Typhon…he has the key for his kind, and none of us can prevent him from using it. We’re meeting daily, monitoring his progress even as we discuss ways to send him back into stasis. But…some of the gods have chosen to work with him, and so we not only have the Father of Dragons to contend with, but his servants.”
God against god. The thought of that battle sent me into a cold sweat. “Are any of the gods from Annwn aligned with him?”
“A few, but more so those from the isles of Greece, and a few from the Norse and Finnish. Anywhere chaos rules, you will find servants of Typhon.” She stood. “Enough now. I’m scaring you, and I don’t mean to do that. While changes will happen in your world—and soon—this battle may last for centuries. Or longer. So do not trouble yourself. The world will not end tomorrow, and humanity will still continue along its path.” She glanced over at the ocean. “It’s time for you to return to your world, Ember. Go and be safe. The days ahead promise to be dark, but there are lights within the darkness, and there are joys within tribulations.”
With that, she bade me leave. I curtseyed and said good-bye, and turned to go. Ahead, on the distant horizon, I saw lighting flare across the sky, and thunder rumbled, shaking the air and the ground. I shaded my eyes from the brilliant flash, and headed back across the narrow pathway, my thoughts so full that I barely noticed my passage back to Aoife and the portal.
Chapter Seven
By the time I reached the house, Angel was already home. She had a bruise on her left cheek and was holding a wet cloth against her neck as she sat at the kitchen table, wincing. I stared at her, slowly setting down my purse.
“What happened to you? Are you all right?” I looked around, immediately scanning the room for Rafé, and immediately felt ashamed of myself.
“Yeah, it’s nothing. I need to see a chiropractor, but I’ll be okay. I accidentally borked a spell tonight and it backfired on me and sent me careening against a wall. I hurt my neck.” She grinned, holding up a mug. “The tea will help.”
“What the hell kind of spell were you casting?” I asked.
“Well, if you must know, I was trying to cast a Barricade spell—to prevent someone from attacking me. It’s harder than I thought it would be and Marilee warned me not to try it, but I guess I got ahead of myself. I ended up slamming myself against the wall, face first.” She gave me a rueful grin. “She laughed at me, hands on her hips, and said, ‘See, I tell you these things for a reason. Now, will you listen to me?’ ”
I snorted. “I never would have imagined you trying to skip ahead in magic. You’re always so careful.”
She shrugged. “I guess. I’m getting more and more enthusiastic and I thought I’d give it a try because she showed me how to do it. I’m not sure how I bungled it, but I really did screw it up.” She shifted, grimacing again. “I’ll call my chiropractor tomorrow and get in, if I can. How did your evening go?”
I opened the fridge, poking around. I wanted something to take the shock off, and when I saw we had a bottle of elderberry wine, I pulled it out and poured myself a glass.
“It must have been heavy, given you’re getting into the wine,” she guessed.
“You might say that.” I put the wine back and cut myself a slice of the chocolate cheesecake that Angel had made the day before. On second thought, I cut myself a second slice. I knew I would be going back for seconds so I might as well save time. I carried my plate and goblet over to the table and sat down opposite Angel. “Where to begin?”