Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,50
goat will come for you,” Devrim said.
“I’ll need to stay off her turf, then.”
He shook his head. “Well done. But you’d best hope she doesn’t visit your dreams.”
I swallowed hard, giving Angry Ahabi one last look. I liked my beauty sleep—no way I wanted a pissed-off, fire-breathing goat rampaging through my head.
I sat back down, shoving away the concern. Devrim drove the last bit at a fast clip, the jeep bouncing along as we approached the base of the mountain. It was tall and jagged-looking, with scrubby trees and great boulders all along the lower portion.
Devrim pulled the jeep to a halt at the base of the mountain. Fiery red clouds hung low over the slopes. They blew on the wind, traveling faster than normal clouds, sweeping along. Their movements were erratic and impossible to anticipate.
Flying up the side of that mountain would be a terrible idea. The clouds would burn my wings to dust in no time. They forced us to take the difficult route overland, making us face off against the protections and predators who prowled the night.
Devrim turned to look at the three of us. “We’re here. Follow the path and try not to die.”
“Thanks.” I hopped out of the car. “We appreciate the ride. Best of luck getting back.”
He nodded. “You should be able to transport out of here when you’re done, if you have that power. It’s not protected against people leaving—only coming. So there’s no need to call me.”
“We won’t,” Tarron said, and I got the impression that Devrim really didn’t want to do two drives across Angry Ahabi’s turf.
“Best of luck.” He saluted, then drove off, the jeep’s lights glowing red as it disappeared into the night.
The sun had just set, and it was almost fully dark. Not ideal for walking into lion territory, but there was obviously no choice.
“Here’s the path.” Tarron led the way to the narrow, cleared space through the brush.
I got into step behind him, and we made our way forward, single file. Aeri guarded the back. The fiery clouds from above lit the ground well, providing enough light that we wouldn’t need to conjure anything.
Tarron looked at me over his shoulder. “You good?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t help but notice how damned handsome he looked in the firelight, while kicking myself at the same time since my mind should not be on that. But it would be like not noticing a gorgeous sunset as you rode into battle. You had to see it.
We made our way silently up the mountain, moving at a swift jog. We needed to get there as fast as possible, and the only option was to run. Soon, my breath was heaving in my lungs and my thighs ached from the upward slope. The heat from the fiery clouds blasted down at us, making sweat drip down my back and my lips dry.
“I really wish I exercised more,” Aeri muttered from behind me.
“Ditto.” This was killer.
Eventually, we arrived at a break in the path. What had once been one trail opened up to a clearing and deviated to seven separate trails.
“Shit.” I stared at them. Danger radiated from each.
“The goddesses made it clear that there was one safe path.” Tarron strode from trailhead to trailhead, inspecting each.
I frowned and looked around. “There has to be a clue of some kind.”
The three of us began to search—for what, I had no idea. The moon and fiery clouds were bright enough to provide plenty of light for our search. Trees, rocks, and scrubby brush surrounded the trails, and we stuck primarily to those. I wiped sweat out of my eyes as I hunted, poking through brush that scraped my hands and irritated my skin. It took a good five minutes, but finally, Aeri spoke.
“What about this?” Her voice sounded from several yards behind me.
I turned and joined her at the edge of the clearing. She crouched by a flat square stone that she’d cleared some brush off of. Carefully, she ran her fingertips over the inscriptions.
“Nice find.” I crouched and looked at it, frowning at the writing. “Shit. I can’t read that. Tarron?”
He approached, brows drawn. He crouched low next to me, moving with the grace of a giant ballet dancer. His frown deepened. “That looks like ancient Greek.”
“Can you read it?” Aeri demanded.
“No.”
Shit.
It could definitely be directions, but none of us could possibly read ancient Greek. I touched the carvings in the stone, wishing I could understand what they said.