Bite Of Winter (Fae's Captive #3)(21)

“A powerful fae with expertise in some peculiar areas. She’s a valuable member of the Phalanx. Now, we must hurry. We’ll discuss it all later, I promise.”

“Okay.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out. “I trust you.”

Has my heart ever beat this hard? “Good. That’s what—”

“Leander, we must go!” Gareth calls from the front entry.

I kiss her forehead, then grab a few more items and hurry her out the door.

Back out in the hall, Keret waits for us. Alone. His guards have dispersed, but I can still feel unease in the air. Some of the Vundi may have been in league or agreement with Vanara. We need to leave before the situation boils over even further.

“Para will lead you out. She has your provisions, and Cenet will bring your horses. You will be safe.” Keret gestures down the hall. “Para will show you the secret way that leads to an entrance near the walls of Timeroon.”

“Timeroon is at least a week’s ride from here.” I glance at Gareth.

“Week and a half, at best,” he adds.

Keret nods. “Our ways are underground, faster than the road, safer too, but it will still take you five days to get there.”

We can take our chances on the plains, risk another storm and the wind wights, or remain trapped in this stone world for a few more days.

I tense as Para appears down the corridor.

She kneels in front of me, her head low. “I swear on the soul of High Priestess Delantis that I will see you safely to the walls of Timeroon.”

“Why this allegiance?” I, like any fae, distrust an oath so freely given, though the sting of magic is just as potent.

“You tried to save her, didn’t you?” Her eyes meet Taylor’s, and I realize she isn’t kneeling for me, but for my mate.

Taylor steps to my side, and I let her stay there despite wanting to keep her safely back.

“I did. I tried to stop Vanara, but I wasn’t able to keep her from—” She chokes up and puts one hand to her mouth.

Para’s mournful voice reverberates from the walls. “Delantis is—was—our guiding light. That you fought to save her means more to me than I can give voice to.” She takes a deep, shuddering breath and bows her head again. “I offer you my sword for as long as you wish it. To the walls of Timeroon and beyond, I will serve you. Upon my life and honor, I make this vow.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Taylor steps forward and offers her hand. “Please.”

Gareth clears his throat. “My queen, her oath is as sacred as the one sworn to you by the members of the Phalanx. You can either accept and honor her by doing so or decline and leave her to her shame.”

Taylor looks at me, her gaze questioning. But this is a decision she must make on her own. I am her king, but she is strong in her own right and grows more so each day. She seems to realize that and returns to Para.

“Your pledge is honored. Bladanon thronin.” She holds her hand out again, and this time, Para takes it.





10





Taylor





We travel for what feels like a day in the unending stone world. Over bridges and through tunnels, we find abandoned mining equipment and mushrooms that bloom wide and translucent along the walls. Water is plentiful—so different from the dry, dusty landscape above. It makes me wonder if there is some way to pull the water from underground and recreate a farming oasis on the plains, restore it to its former state.

Too often, my thoughts wander to Delantis’s death. It has weighed on me each moment as we trudge along, the horses following behind. Even more than that, Vanara haunts me—the way she looked when the darkness crawled up her arm. I wince when I remember it. The darkness that came from me. Leander has given me so much comfort, but I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that something is wrong with me, and taking a life has made it even worse.

“We can camp here for a bit,” Para says as we enter a medium-sized cave covered with glowing crystals overhead. “We’re making excellent time. I didn’t intend to reach this crystal cavern so soon. After this point, we should be able to ride the horses. The ceilings are much higher.”

“Are you all right?” Leander keeps a steady hold on my hand. He’s offered to carry me about a dozen times, but I’m fine. At least I am, physically speaking.

“It’ll be nice to have a rest.” I squeeze his fingers.

He drops a kiss on my hair and strides to Kyrin, unloading our supplies with unnatural speed. Before I’ve even had time to stretch, he’s got a fur pallet set up for me.

Beth plops down on it and pats the spot next to her.

Leander frowns, but doesn’t order her away. “I’ll be back, little one.” He gives Beth a hard look. “And you will be gone so I can attend to my mate.”

“If ‘attend to’ means ‘mate with,’ I’m all for it.” She gives him a thumbs up.

I snicker despite myself. I must be tired.

He stalks off to Gareth, who’s unloading Sabre.

“Why do I always miss the good stuff?” She kicks her feet out and lies back. “Come on. Tell me what happened. Begin at the beginning.”

I lie next to her and close my eyes. Somehow, telling her about the council, the crops, Delantis, and Vanara lifts a weight from me. I suppose her exclamations of “you’re so smart” and “Delantis knew you were special” and “that bitch Vanara got what was coming to her” helped a bit. I hold back on the details about the blackness that destroyed Vanara, the way it seemed to come from somewhere inside me.