The Hidden (Shadowed Wings #1)(54)

Zeph uses his brute strength to push us away. Pigeon and I go skidding back, but as soon as we get our footing underneath us, we’re rounding on him again. Gryphons move in front of Zeph, protecting him, and I recognize some of them as the kids I’ve been training with. Sarai’s distinct diamond like markings on her face stand out to me as I face off with Zeph’s new protectors. I scoff, irritated by their intervention.

What kind of leader hides behind children? He should be protecting them at all costs, not the other way around. I shake my head, my thoughts filled with disgust. Even Pigeon is judging all the shit that just went down. Well, fuck Zeph, and fuck these Gryphon eyas’ too. Little shits were quick to step in to protect Zeph, but who stepped in to protect me and Pigeon when Loa started shit?

I shoot Zeph one last scathing glare before Pigeon and I spread our wings and fly the fuck away. I’m done with this shit and with these people, and for once, Pigeon completely agrees.





19





“That weak bitch owes us some fucking clothes!” I seethe to Pigeon as I get dressed.

I ignore the eyeroll I can feel Pigeon giving me and the distinct impression she’s telling me, “Fat chance.” Angrily, I pull my shirt over my head and curse the fact that I once again don’t have any fucking shoes. My ribs give a twinge of protest at my movements, and I take a second to breathe through the flash of pain. Stupid fucking Loa and her bully bullshit, I grumble to myself as I trudge out of my room and head down in the direction of the kitchens. I get about half way there and veer off toward the hallway that leads down into the Ouphe-haunted level of the cliff castle. This time, there’s no creepy little kid to coax me down here, and when I step off the bottom stair into the hallway, Nadi doesn’t appear out of nowhere and guide me to where I need to go.

The sound of my bare feet on the stone floor echoes around me with each assertive stride I make down the hall in search of the entryway into Vedan. I find the large sealed stone doors and hammer my fist on them. There’s no booming knock or really even much noise other than the impotent sound of my skin slapping against the rock, so I start to shout for Nadi instead. Nothing happens. There’s no darkening of the hallway or dramatic green glowing effect, and for some reason, that makes me feel a little panicked. This was the only plan that I came up with in my efforts to say fuck you and get the hell out of the Eyrie of the Hidden.

“Nadi!” I shout at the sealed doors again, my desperation clinging to the symbols etched into stone. “Your fucking essence is required!”

I step back to look around and see if there’s any other way to get in. Some of the symbols on the door are familiar. Maybe if I can just recall some of what my dad taught me before he died…

“Welcome, Daughter of the Shadows,” Nadi greets me, interrupting my thought.

Her ghostly mouth and face appear inches away from me, and I jump, releasing a surprised squeak. I grab my chest and simultaneously glare at her as I recover from the shock she just gave me.

“You did that on purpose, didn't you?” I accuse, and Nadi shrugs.

“This job gets pretty boring,” she admits casually, and I can’t help the exasperated chuckle that escapes me at the unexpected sign of her sense of humor.

The stone doors scrape open, and Nadi gestures for me to follow her in. Once again as she steps over the threshold, she loses the translucent thing she’s rocking and looks more solid. We make our way back to the overgrown gazebo, and I find myself taking in the ruins around me.

“Have you made a decision about what we talked about previously, Daughter of the Shadows?” she asks me serenely.

I pull my fascinated focus from my surroundings and sober, remembering why I sought her out.

“This whole vow breaking thing, how do I do that?” I ask.

“You have to speak it into existence,” she answers vaguely.

“Yeah, you said that before, but how does that work?” I press. “I’m assuming I can’t just announce the vow is now broken and it will be, right?”

“The words that shatter are lost to the Ouphe people now. You will have to find them and then speak them into existence.”

I nod in understanding. “Okay, I’ll break the vow,” I tell her. “But I think in order to do that, I need to get home. I need to get through the gate so I can look through my gran’s house. I’m positive there’s stuff there that will help me make sense of all of this,” I explain.

I see a hint of doubt in her features. Shit. My plan isn’t working.

“I had a dream this morning about my dad. I was in trouble for using my ability on some neighborhood animals. I had bonded them to me, and I completely forgot that it ever happened until now,” I divulge, as I stare at my hands and wonder just what I’m capable of. “My dad was teaching me to read your language as well as speak it, and I know he had to have books and things back at my gran’s place that will help me remember how.”

Nadi observes me silently for several beats. The quiet is borderline uncomfortable, but I bite my tongue and its need to fill the quiet with useless rambling, and wait. The longer she stares at me, the more worried I start to feel. If she can’t help me get to the gate and figure it out, I just might be screwed.

“As I said before, child, the Ouphe will assist and support you in any way possible. As they were the keepers of the gates, they would be the best source of information on how to navigate them.”