Windburn (The Elemental Series #4)(44)

“Oh, no,” I whispered. “Let him go. He has done his part.”

Child, you need him. And perhaps more than that, he needs you. Would you turn away a gift from me?

The mother goddess spoke to my mind, and so I could not hide my thoughts from her. Of course I wouldn’t turn him away. “Shazer. You are bound to me. Do you feel it?”

His dark eyes swiveled to mine and he let out a snort, but said nothing. The anger in his eyes spoke volumes that needed no words. He did not wish to be tied to me.

I steeled myself. I’d won over Peta; I had to believe I could win over him too. I touched his side. “I will not lay the harness on you, my friend. Whatever help I need will be temporary, I’m sure.”

The emotions in him softened a few degrees. “I will hold you to that.”

“Elle,” I turned as she approached me, “any final directions?”

She pointed up at the peak that seemed to hover over our heads. “He’s up there, but how the f*ck he’s alive is beyond me. We circled but could see nothing.”

“It’s okay. I can take it from here.” I held my hand out to Cactus. He offered me his hand and I frowned. “My spear, Cactus.”

“Right.” He tossed it to me and I twisted the two pieces together. “Thank you, both of you.”

“The job isn’t done until I return him to you.” Elle stepped in front of me, most effectively blocking me from moving forward.

I put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her ever so slightly. “I said I can handle it from here. I will even give you that bonus. I will give you a favor, Tracker. One to be called in at any time.”

Her eyes widened. “Why would you do that?”

Spirit flowed through me and out my mouth. “You will need me before your life is called to the other side of the Veil. You will give me what you hold closest to your heart.”

The words were out of my mouth, but they were not my own. Chills rippled through me and Elle’s body shook under my hand.

“I f*cking well doubt it.” She jerked away from me, but the fear in her eyes was loud and clear.

“Do not follow us, no matter what happens.” I dropped my hand and walked away. Toward the mountain’s base.

“We can’t stay, Lark,” Elle said.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Then don’t.”

“We can’t pull your ass out of this.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

She threw her hands in the air. “Bram, time to go. We have things to do.”

I watched as they mounted Ophelia. Her big eyes zeroed in on me and for a second I thought she might say something. Her head snapped away as she launched, her wings sending them straight into the air. I lifted a hand, and Elle raised one in return.

A funny twist began in my gut. Whatever part Elle had left in this, she and I weren’t done yet.

They ghosted through the clouds for a few minutes, glimmers of red scales, and then they were gone.

Shazer snorted. “What about me?”

I looked him over. “Will you wait for me? I cannot know what we are walking into, but a backup escape plan is always a good thing to have in my world.”

His dark eyes narrowed. “Call for me. I will hear you.”

I touched him on the nose, the velvet of his muzzle softer than dandelion fluff. I turned and walked away, only then noticing where we’d landed. A small valley at the juncture of three mountains, the peaks towering over us so much, the sun struggled to peer through even though it was midday. Snow crunched under my boots; I had an urge to slip them off and feel it on my bare feet. In the redwoods, we didn’t get snow, not like this. The icy crystals covered everything, giving the world a glittering white, ethereal feel. Cactus caught up to me with ease.

“So now what? We know your father is here, but you aren’t going to accuse the queen of lying, are you?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Peta jumped from my shoulder to the ground in front of us. Her body shimmered and she shifted into her snow leopard form, perfect for the environment. “Peta, what do you know of the queen of the Eyrie?”

“I have not been to the Eyrie in many years. But the queen has been on the throne a long time. Longer even than your father.” She trotted ahead of us, her big paws leaving imprints in the snow making it easy to follow.

“Yes, I know that much. What else, though? I have not kept up on the political side of things.”

“Queen Aria is—from what I understand—very sweet. Kind, merciful. It’s why her Enders get bored.” Peta bounded up the slope ahead of us, turned and looked back. “This is going to be a hard climb. Why do we not use The Bast—Shazer?”

“Because I have no desire to drop in on the Eyrie. We do not know if we are welcome. At least on the ground, we have a chance at defending ourselves if we need to.”

Cactus grunted. “You think it will come to that?”

I stared hard at him. “Are you serious? Have you not been listening to me? The mother goddess is sending me in there to deal with whatever political issues are going on. That is not going to make us popular with at least a few people, and most likely Queen Aria is going to take exception to our presence.”

“Well, that’s a slope covered in slippery shit, isn’t it?” he muttered. I agreed, but said nothing more.