Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,13

next to her.

“Look at it, you imbecile! It’s there in front of us, the Eternal Flame that never dies.”

“What the hell is that?” I screamed.

The Fae didn’t answer. No matter how real they looked, they weren’t actually there.

I spun, looking for more clues.

There had to be something. Anything.

I spotted another shadow in the distance, so I ran for it, sprinting through the clouds of white fog.

Truth.

It pulled at me.

I stumbled upon my mother, holding a glowing orange crystal. Magic radiated from it, heat and flame. A crazed glow lit her eyes.

I reached for her, desperate to grab the crystal from her hand. It was the source of the flames. I had to get it.

Something pulled at me, dragging at my hand. Shocked, I tried to yank it back.

It didn’t work.

The force pulled on me, yanking me out of the vision and back into the real world. I got the briefest flash of a pale dawn sky, a stone circle, and battle all around.

Then the portal leading into the Unseelie kingdom pulled at me, yanking me in. I felt a strong hand grip my ankle, trying to pull me back. Tarron.

But the ether tugged harder, pulled me through space. My stomach lurched as I tumbled, finally crashing onto the grass in the middle of a dark grove.

Heart thundering, I staggered upright. Tarron joined me.

We stood in the dark forest in the Unseelie kingdom, right at the portal that entered their world.

“You were pulled in.” Tarron spun in a circle, shield and sword raised.

“Shit. We’ve been abducted.” I called upon my shield, going back to back with him.

None too soon.

A dozen Unseelie charged out from behind the cover of the trees, clearly waiting for us. I couldn’t smell my mother’s dark magic, but she’d be here soon if she wasn’t already hiding somewhere.

The Unseelie’s eyes glowed with a strange, sycophantic light. It reminded me of the Unseelie minion who'd stood by my mother’s side when I’d seen her last.

There was something strange about that light. Could it be her influence acting through them, forcing them to do her will?

It didn’t make sense that they’d all be evil. I knew they weren’t. I’d seen the normalcy of parts of their city when I’d visited last. Sensed it in them. They were more likely to go to the dark side, but that didn’t mean they all chose to.

“Get to the portal.” I backed toward it, shoving Tarron.

He moved swiftly, reaching it as the Unseelie began to hurl fire and ice. They were as adept with nature magic as the Seelie.

“The portal is blocked,” Tarron said.

There was no time left to argue.

Burn appeared next to me, hackles raised and growling.

I spun to face the oncoming attackers, spotting the blast of energy as it hurtled at us. It was just a glimmer, and I caught it too late to brace myself.

The energy slammed into me, Tarron, and Burn. Pain exploded within me, and we were hurled up into the air. Panic flashed as I flew, then I crashed to the ground with a hard thud. Agony spread from my back.

Ears ringing, I stared up into the canopy above. Dark leaves quivered against an even darker sky, and I blinked.

For the briefest moment, my mind was entirely blank.

Then it all came back.

I staggered upright as fast as I could. I’d flown far enough away from the battle that I had a few seconds to recover. My muscles felt like jelly and my entire body was a mass of pain. I was a good twenty feet from Tarron, who was already fighting off two Unseelie attackers. He was so pale he was almost transparent, and his movements were stiff. That hit had nearly killed him, too. The three of us had taken the brunt of it, distributing the force and probably saving our lives.

Despite his injuries, the Unseelie were no match for Tarron. He moved with such deadly power and grace that they were dead within seconds. Two more piled onto him, but he cut them down as well, his sword slicing them right through the middle. I’d never seen a fighter like him.

He loomed over an Unseelie who’d fallen to the ground, sword raised over the smaller Fae. The figure scrambled back, fear flashing on his face. For the briefest moment, the sycophantic light faded from the Unseelie’s eyes. He looked around, frantic and shocked.

Like he was surprised to be there.

Holy fates.

Maybe that Unseelie really was under the influence of my mother. And now—somehow—her magic had faded