Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,42

that.”

“Good, then—” I doubled over. Pain shot through my stomach again, and that familiar gnawing ache ignited inside me. I gasped, tryin to get ahold of myself.

The queen had called.

I have to go to her.

I straightened, the urge consuming me.

“She’s at it again.” Arinitti grimaced.

Bitch.

All the same, the ether tugged at me. As if my transport power wanted me to make the pain stop by going to her.

“Let me.” Hestia stepped forward, reaching out to press her fingertips to my shoulder. Her touch drove away some of the pain and the horrible compulsion.

I straightened, breathing more slowly. “Is there any way for you to stop it entirely?”

She shook her head, her eyes dark. “There is a potion, but I do not have the ingredients. It would give you enough control to resist her call, but I don’t know that it would cure you.”

A potion.

Connor was looking for the antidote. Perhaps he’d found the one she spoke of.

I nodded. “Thanks. What can you tell us about getting to the Eternal Fire? We need to hurry.”

“The fire is located at Mount Chimaera,” Arinitti said. “It has been there for over a thousand years, undisturbed.”

“Mount Chimaera?” Tarron frowned. “Like the beast with a lion’s head and a snake’s tail?”

“Don’t forget the goat head growing out of the middle of its back,” I said. “That thing is real?” It had always sounded too crazy to me, an ancient myth created in a time without TV.

“Not the creature, no,” Arinitti said. “The creature took its name from the mountain, which is populated by lions, goats, and snakes.”

“And some ancient philosopher historians just smooshed them all together to make a weird animal?” I asked.

Vesta scoffed. “Indeed. Morons.”

“In fairness, one of them got it right.” Hestia tapped her chin, then shook her head. “I can’t recall his name, but it doesn’t matter. You must make your way past these creatures to get to the top. They will try to stop you.”

“Do you have any advice for that?” Tarron asked.

After our encounter with the fluffy murder mice, I couldn’t blame him for asking. Even the cutest creatures could be deadly if there were enough of them. I didn’t even want to discover how a bunch of goats could turn on us.

Vesta stepped forward. “You must go to the village of Amata. There, you will find a shepherd by the name of Devrim. Pay him, and he will help you reach the base of the mountain where you will find the safest route to the top.”

“Do not deviate from that route,” Arinitti said.

“What do we pay him with?” Tarron asked. “Is there anything particular he wants?”

“This.” Arinitti stepped forward, then yanked out a piece of her hair. She handed the perfect black strand to Tarron, who took it with a frown. “A goddess’s hair is valuable currency in some circles.”

Tarron nodded, then conjured a small metal box and placed the hair within. He slipped it into his pocket.

“The lions,” Brigid said. “You must not kill them. They are the last Asiatic lions in Turkey. The rest were hunted into extinction in the nineteenth century.”

I wasn’t keen on killing any furry critters—but especially endangered ones. Still, I frowned at her. “Is there anything we can do to get them to let us pass without harming us?”

She shrugged. “Be creative.”

Okay. That wasn’t the best advice, but I was glad she’d at least told us about them. So far we’d gotten help from three of the four goddesses.

I looked to Hestia, who stepped forward. “One more gift.”

She hovered her hand over my shoulder once more, and I nodded.

Lightly, she rested her fingertips on my skin. Warm magic flowed into me, racing up my neck and into my mind.

I shook my head, getting used to the strange feeling. “What was that?”

“You will see.” She smiled and stepped back.

I forced myself to smile gratefully, even though I wanted to make an annoyed quip about the pointlessly enigmatic nature of goddesses.

“You must be careful,” Hestia said. “The magic that is drawing you to the Unseelie queen is extremely powerful. You may need to be chained to keep from going to her.”

I grimaced. “Could I just block my transport magic?”

I had no idea if that was even possible.

“Perhaps,” Hestia said. “If you have a charm to do so.”

There was probably no time to find one. Please have an antidote, Connor.

“Do you know how to break this magical chain on her?” Tarron asked.

“A bit of the queen’s blood could do it,” Hestia said. “Put it into an