Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,33

hundred feet off the ground, are some buildings carved right into the rock. There are seven of them. Only one is safe—the middle one. Enter through the door right at the center, but you must give the dirt at the entrance a bit of your blood. Otherwise, it will not grant you access.”

“Spend the night there,” Domitia said. “Ride out the storm and don’t dare to leave before dawn.”

“The storms are deadly at night.” Aurelia’s eyes were serious. “Once they have passed and dawn has approached the horizon, you may travel deeper into the tunnels inside the plateau. These will lead you to the guardians’ domain.”

“It’s underground?” Tarron asked.

“No.” Domitia shook her head. “At the termination of the tunnels, you will find stairs leading upward to the top of the plateau. This will get you to the guardians’ territory. The path is dangerous, but you must not try to cross overland, out in the open. That is even worse.”

“The field of flames surrounds their domain at the top of the plateau,” Aurelia said. “Not the flames you are looking for, but deadly all the same. The other woman will have to travel through those.”

Thank fates we’d stopped here for help. These women were weird, but I didn’t want to get trapped in a storm or travel through a field of flames. Hopefully it would slow my mother enough.

“Do not forget to pay tribute to the building,” Aurelia said. “It is ancient. As ancient as the Hittites who once lived here. Respect it, and it shall protect you in return.”

I stood. “Thank you.”

She inclined her head, then pinned me with a look. “Don’t forget to send some nice people back here.”

“Will do.” I was sure I would have no trouble.

Tarron and I hurried out, striding through the courtyards to the exit. I could feel the burning gazes of the two Vestals behind me. Others spotted us as we left, their heads turning and interest glinting in their eyes.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” I murmured.

“Couldn’t agree more.” Tarron strode quickly through the courtyard, and I hustled to keep up.

“Feel like a prime cut of beef at the market?” I asked.

“A bit, yeah.”

“Not into it?”

He glanced down at me. “Only if it’s you doing the shopping.”

I choked out a laugh. “That’s the worst pun.”

“But you laughed.”

“Fair enough.” I stepped out into the forest, hurrying down the steps to the leaf-strewn ground.

Tarron joined me, and I met his gaze. “I can’t help but wonder where my mother is.”

He looked up at the sky, which was darkening. “About to be caught in a storm.”

I glanced up. The light was dimming due to the setting sun, but I also spotted the telltale black clouds on the horizon. I shivered. “Let’s fly. We’ll have all night to rest, and I want to make it there before the first drop of rain so much as drips out.”

Tarron nodded, his wings extending. I called upon my own, and we took to the sky.

The evening was cooler and the shadows longer. I ascended above the trees and spun until I spotted the plateau. We were nearly there. The carved building facades right in the middle of the vertical wall called to me. They looked more like artwork than anything else—as if a sculptor had built a scaffold up to the middle of the vertical face of the plateau and carved in the fronts of glorious, classical buildings. Huge pillars and pointed roofs decorated with carvings that I couldn’t make out from a distance. Doorways were like little blackened eyes. Instead of walking into an actual building, you would be walking into a cave carved into the rock of the plateau.

Tarron and I flew quickly, outracing the birds who were seeking shelter for the night. They flew with purpose rather than panic, so I had to believe they had somewhere safe to go.

As we neared the plateau, the air sparked with magic. It came from the flat surface, no doubt due to the goddesses. Up close, I could spot the plateau glowing orange at the top.

Tarron pointed and shouted. “Must be the field of flames.”

“Thank fates we’re not crossing that.”

We reached the towering buildings that had been carved into the rock. All seven of them lined up in a row, with shadowed entrances leading deep into the middle of the plateau.

I aimed for the middle one, just like the goddesses had said. It was smaller than the rest, and I landed right on the edge of the entrance, wings