Trial by Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #1) - Linsey Hall Page 0,22

the air.

The glass exploded against the wolf’s side. A burst of glittering red magic surged upward, a mushroom cloud of scarlet sparkles that filled the top of the dome. The crowd oohed and ahhed.

One of the flying monsters—a two-headed crow—got caught in the blast and plummeted to the ground, unconscious.

I sprinted for the scarlet cloud and the wolf that lay within. As I neared, I slowed just slightly. I didn’t want to get caught in the sedative haze before it dissipated or I’d be unconscious too.

Talk about embarrassing, getting hit with your own potion bomb.

The cloud faded away, and I approached the tree. The branches dipped low, spikey and black. They seemed to be curving toward the fallen wolf, who lay unconscious beneath the limbs.

He’d be out for a while, probably.

The sound of the battle echoed behind me. What if some idiot tried to kill him to get points without realizing how important he was?

Shit.

I hadn’t thought of that.

I crept farther beneath the canopy of blackthorn limbs that hung overhead, my gaze on the wolf. When the tree didn’t shoot any spikes at me, I stashed my shield in the ether. The wolf’s thorny coat was still surrounded in a black misty haze. I probably shouldn’t touch him with my skin, but I couldn’t leave him here.

Shit. What should I do?

The tree was clearly trying to protect the wolf, but the limbs couldn’t reach it.

Thinking quickly, I slipped my hands back in my sleeves so that they were covered with leather, then I crept over to the wolf and reached down to grab its black foot.

I heaved it toward the tree trunk, dragging the unconscious body.

“Damn, you're heavy, pal.” I grunted and heaved, finally reaching the trunk.

I pushed the wolf’s unconscious body up against the trunk. Immediately, the bark grew outward, encapsulating the wolf.

I grinned. “Well, that worked nicely.”

“It did indeed.”

The cool, deep voice sent a frisson of terror down my spine. It cut through the sound of battle clearly and cleanly.

Without turning, I knew exactly who it was.

Tarron.

The king.

I swallowed hard and turned.

The king stood beneath the branches of the blackthorn tree, his suit impeccably cut and perfect. It did nothing to hide the warrior’s body and stance, however. He’d had this look about him when he’d arrived on my doorstep, but not so extreme.

Here, he looked almost feral.

Like being in the Fae realm turned him into his truest self. He was revealed, and the clothes did nothing to hide it.

His green eyes watched me closely, curiously.

I shivered. “Shouldn’t you be up in your box? Watching?”

He pointed toward it. “I am.”

I looked up at the box. His body stood there, looking exactly the same as before. Except he wasn’t moving much. His gaze was still on the crowd below.

“Whoa.” I looked back down at the king, realizing that his form wasn’t quite opaque. “Astral projection?”

He nodded.

Cool. It was a bit like what I could do—appearing in someone’s mind. But he appeared in the world.

“How did you know that weapons would only make the wolf stronger?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“A sword blow gives him strength, an acid bomb makes him faster. Flame will make him grow. But you hit him with the only thing that would weaken him. Kindness.”

My brows rose, and I looked down at the wolf, who was now almost entirely absorbed back into the tree. He was the perfect fighting machine. Almost.

“I just hit him with a sedative,” I said.

“Like I said. Kindness. You chose not to kill him.”

“He was just protecting the tree. I wasn’t going to kill him.”

“You killed the wurm.”

“Not really. The wurm was made of magic. I just destroyed it.”

He inclined his head, looking almost confused. Impossibly handsome. Definitely intrigued. “You are interesting. Almost familiar.”

I shrugged, nerves lighting up throughout my body. “What I am is busy.” I pointed to the golden bracelet still nestled among the tree branches. “I need to collect that prize, then go get some more.”

I turned from him, hoping he would get the hint. I needed to learn more about him. But right now, I needed to ensure I stayed in the competition.

Carefully, I approached the tree. This thing still had plenty of spikes that it could shoot at me, but it didn’t seem inclined, thank fates.

When I neared the trunk, I spared a glance at the space behind me.

The king was gone.

Was he appearing to other contestants like this?

Somehow, I had a feeling that he wasn’t.

I turned back to the tree, drawing in a deep breath.