Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,10
right. But I do think this is an attempt by your mother to draw you to her. You must not go. It is too dangerous. For you, and for the world.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Have heart. You may be able to find a way out of this.” Aethelred shuffled off to the corner of the kitchen and climbed onto a stool. He reached to the top of the shelf and pulled down a little tin, then fished around inside. After he retrieved something, he returned to me and held out a small golden charm on a chain. “Wear this. It is an amulet that will help strengthen your gift.”
I took it and clasped it around my neck. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “My mother gave it to me over a century ago. Now it will help you. Wear it to the Circle of Night. Clear your mind and focus on your connection with this problem. The answer may well come to you.”
“I hope it does.” I looked back toward the main living room where Tarron waited. “Because I really hate the future I’m seeing right now.”
He squeezed my arm. “Fix it, then we’ll take our walk on the beach.”
I smiled at him, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. “Deal.”
I just hoped I wouldn’t be grieving the loss of Tarron by my own hand by then.
An hour before dawn in Scotland, we met our backup on Factory Row. It was nine p.m. here, and more people were filing into P & P for a night out on the town.
Aeri, Tarron, and I arrived via my transport power to find the three FireSouls ready and waiting for us on the sidewalk outside of their shop. Cass, Del, and Nix were all incredible fighters with some serious magic. The three were best friends, though they acted more like sisters.
“We’re waiting for Claire,” Del said. She was dressed entirely in her usual black leather, a perfect match for her midnight hair. Bright blue eyes glinted in the light of the street lamp as she met my gaze. “She was worried about you, and when we mentioned we were helping with a bit of backup, she wanted to join.”
“Always handy to have a fire mage around.” Nix grinned. She was a skilled conjurer and known for her goofy cartoon T-shirts. Today’s was a cat playing the piano. In a sense, it was as much of a disguise as my Elvira look. Enemies rarely expected the pretty girl in the cat T-shirt to be able to kick their asses without breaking a sweat.
She genuinely liked the goofy shirts, just like I loved my Elvira dress.
Weirdo. I loved her, but she was a weirdo. I was my own flavor of weirdo, though, so it made sense.
“Here she comes.” Cass nodded down the street, her red hair swinging.
I turned to see Claire hurrying out of P & P, dressed in her fighting leathers again. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and a smudge of white flour decorated her cheek.
She grinned when she spotted me. “Connor wanted to come, but we decided it was more important for him to keep looking for an antidote to that potion. We’ve called in backup at the bar, and he’s been in his workshop since you came by.”
“Thank you. So much. Really.” It was good to have friends. Especially in situations like this.
“Let’s go,” Tarron said. “Dawn will be here soon, and if we decide we want to enter the Unseelie kingdom, we’ll need to do it then.”
My friends shot us a confused look.
“The Circle of Night only opens at dawn and dusk,” I clarified.
Together, we transported directly to the base of Mount Schiehallion. A chilly breeze swept through the valley, and I turned to look for the noble stags that had helped us reach the peak last time. They’d known just how to dodge the booby traps that were buried beneath the mountain soil, keeping us from being blown up.
I explained the drill to the team while Tarron conjured a massive cart full of rowan berries, the stags’ preferred treat.
As before, they came out, somehow knowing exactly how many rides we’d need. Each of the seven was huge and beautiful, with a gleaming coat and an unmistakable aura of magic. A beautiful pale one with enormous horns stooped in front of me and knelt. I mounted him—a bit more easily this time, thank Fates—and our group of seven started up the mountain.