Destroyer (The Elemental Series #7)(45)

Before I could do more than take a breath, my feet were on solid ground once more. Though I didn’t know for how long. And by the flora and fauna I could see around the edges of the beach, we were nowhere near the Deep and the coastline there. Talan had taken me somewhere else entirely.

“Where are we?” I backed away from him, still holding a shivering Peta close to my chest. Thank the goddess Peta’s bond with me made it so she didn’t count as an extra body.

“We are on the shoreline of Spain. It is a grounding point Raven knows about. Why he wouldn’t bring you here in the first place is beyond me,” Talan snapped as he began to pace the sand. A few minutes later, Shazer appeared in the sky, Raven on his back. Talan stiffened.

“That Pegasus is not coming with us.”

“Viv made him. He can help us find her,” I said, irritation flowing through me.

Talan spun around. “Yes, and she can find us through him. She knows he is your pet. She knows you care for him; that is why she gave him to you. He may be your friend, but he could cost us everything. He may have already.”

Peta struggled in my arms as I just stared at Talan. “He… I think he is right, Lark. You know it yourself; you can find me anywhere if you truly search for me.”

She was right, but that didn’t make me feel any better about what it was Talan was saying. “Then we free him from his bonds now. We send him back as the elemental he was so long ago.”

Talan drew a slow breath and nodded. “All right. But it will show her your hand yet again. The more she knows you are capable of—”

“Doesn’t matter now,” I said. “She knows we are her enemies. She knows I am the one who will find and free your siblings. Does anything else really matter?”

Talan and I stared at each other as Raven and Shazer landed.

Talan nodded. “I’ll get a witch who can help us.”

Raven stiffened at those words but Talan disappeared before he could say anything. “Shit.”

“Why shit?” I glanced at him, unable to look at Shazer.

“I don’t want my daughter hurt any more than she has been.” He rubbed a hand over his face.

Pamela… of course he would worry for her.

There was a space of only a few minutes before Talan was back, dragging a woman with him. Correction, a witch. “Let me go, Tal, my daughter will panic if I’m not home when she wakes.” She jerked her arm from him and he let her go. I stared at her wondering if we’d met. She had long dark hair and dark eyes, and if I were to guess her age, I would place her in her mid-thirties. She wore a long skirt that swept the sand and a peasant blouse as though she was still living as a witch from the medieval era. I arched an eyebrow. “She’s strong enough?”

The witch pulled herself up. “I am one of the most powerful witches this world has left, so you better hope I be strong enough for whatever this one wants.” There was a Scottish undertone to her words.

Talan beckoned her forward. “I’ve known Meghan for a few years and she knows the spell we need.”

She pushed up her sleeves. “The horse is the one trapped?”

Shazer snorted. “Pegasus.”

She went to his side and put her hands on his neck. “Which one of you be helping me do this?”

I stepped forward and Shazer stepped away from her and me. “What the hell is going on?”

“We’re giving you back your original form,” I said.

He gave me a frown, his eyes narrowing. “You still need my help, Lark.”

I closed my eyes. “Viv can find us through you. We need to break the bond between the two of you.”

He snorted. “Well, that is just plain shitty. You sure about that?”

“That is why I kept you penned up and sedated as I did,” Talan said.

Well, there was that question answered at least. I let out a breath. “Meghan, I will be the one helping you do this. Do you have any words of advice?” I needed to learn how to do this if I was going to save Ash. If I was going to bring him back from being a golden eagle.

“You feed me your power. No witch is strong enough to truly do this on her own, but with an elemental backing them, the theory is it will work.” Her eyes were on mine. “The only question is, will you be strong enough?”

I gave her a smile, not taking offense at all. She did not know me. “I think I’ll manage.”

She glanced over her shoulder and then leaned into me. “A word of caution. What has been done for too long, cannot be undone without a cost. Remember that.”

I gave her a nod, and brushed her words aside.

I wished later that I’d taken more care with her advice.

I moved up beside her and Shazer took a step toward us. “I’d like a minute alone with Lark before we do this.”

That surprised me, but Meghan backed as did the others. He dropped his head so his nose rested against the skin of my collarbone, his lips moving across it as he spoke. “I do not know what will happen when you turn me back to my former self, Lark. I… I am afraid that I was cast into this shape as punishment. I don’t remember who I was and it took me many, many years to find the ability to speak.” His lips tickled me, but I kept still.

“You will still be my friend, Shazer. Though I suppose you may recall your real name and I must learn to call you by it.” I smiled. “This isn’t goodbye. If you pissed off Viv then, you were her enemy, and I am her enemy so we’ll be all good.”