Sun Broken (The Wild Hunt #11) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,86

almost any portal at will. Very little can keep me out—or in.” He paused, then added, “Oh yes, I’m addicted to passion.”

“He’s a form of incubus,” Herne said. “He feeds off sexual energy and creative energy, though if I remember right, you leave your victims alive.”

With a snort, Trinity said, “My victims? Oh, they’re all willing, trust me on that. They willingly give themselves to me and I leave them with no regrets.”

“That depends on the person you’re talking to,” Herne said. “Anyway, Trinity’s a valuable member of the team, and if we come to a locked door, chances are good he’ll be able to open it for us. He’s not going to give us away to the enemy.”

“I work for myself and only myself,” Trinity said. “I won’t be used by a pack of flying lizards.”

“That’s what I thought,” Herne said. “Anyway, continuing with our earlier discussion. My mother is correct. Typhon’s children are returning even now. The vortex is slowly opening because he’s waking, and so his children are able to return any time they like. There will be those who join with their father, and others who simply want to establish their own holds. The world will never be the same again. Pandora’s most likely scouting for a stronghold, even while she tries to destroy those who could be an enemy against the forces of the dead.”

The final push up to the summit reminded me of Hurricane Ridge when we’d rescued Rafé. One side of the road was tree lined, with straggly timber. The other side overlooked a steep drop off into the valley below.

The treeline ended at around forty-five hundred feet. Scrub took over from there, sparsely scattered around the massive batholith. The entire mountain looked like it had been the core of an ancient volcano, left standing when the sides fell away. More likely, it had been lifted out of the collision between the heaving tectonic plates that had birthed the Cascades. Whatever the geology, it was barren and stark and beautiful.

We parked. There was one other car in the parking lot, a sleek, black Jeep.

Morgana crossed to the car. She held out her hands and closed her eyes. A moment later, she turned to us, her lips set in a grim expression. “Pandora’s signature. And Raven’s.”

“We need to move. I doubt she knows we’re coming, but you never know. If she does know, I wouldn’t put it past her to kill Raven out of spite, to prevent us from finding her alive.” I shouldered Serafina and my quiver, then fastened my sword, Brighid’s Flame, to my belt. The sword was almost too long, but I had adjusted the sheath to slant backward rather than straight down, and as a result, I could carry the sword easily while walking.

Viktor slung on his own pack and mine as well—he carried my gear when we went out—and handed Herne and Kipa theirs. We all made sure of our weapons. Morgana and Merlin held out their hands and their staves appeared. Which reminded me…I fished around in the back and found my walking stick. Since I always ended up looking for one, anyway, I’d asked Herne to fashion me one that I could take with me each time. He had carved and polished a diamond willow bough that was five feet in length. Lightweight and sturdy, it did the trick.

We headed out onto the trailhead that would lead us to the summit. While there were some trees around, they were scattered quite a distance apart, but the scrub brush and wildflowers grew thickly among the long-bladed grass.

Herne and I took the lead, with Trinity by our side. Morgana and Merlin came behind us, and Viktor and Kipa followed behind them. We kept to the trail, which was compacted dirt, as we wound up the mountain. Kipa’s wolves reappeared, and they kept pace, two to each side of our party.

The birds that inhabited the sub-alpine zone echoed their song as the afternoon faded into evening. I estimated the time to be around five. Up here, when the darkness fell it would be cold and lonely. I glanced around, trying to pinpoint anything that might look familiar from my dreams, but I couldn’t pinpoint anything.

“Are there rattlesnakes up here?” I asked, glancing at Trinity.

“No,” he said. “But there have been rumors of black widows, and the night hawks have been known to hang around here, come down from the Cascades.”

“Night hawks?” Herne asked.

“They’re similar to shadow people, caught between spirit