What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3)(91)

Caldris snatched the sword and sheath from Soren’s grip as he approached, wrapping it around my waist. His fingers brushed over the waistband of the leather trousers Nila had dressed me in. The faint scales of armor at my sides and over my chest and arms jangled as he touched me.

They were so much heavier than I’d ever imagined them being, so much more weighted than Caldris made them seem. A circlet hung over my forehead, peeking out from beneath the smokey gray hood that concealed most of my hair.

“Why do I need all these weapons, exactly?” I asked.

Malachi brushed that hood back, and I went rigid beneath his touch, hating the feeling of his skin on mine. His fingers wound into my hair, removing the collar from my neck. I drew in a deep breath, spinning to look at him.

Weapons and magic at my disposal. It seemed like I would not particularly enjoy any of the festivities for the day.

Mab stepped to the front, her eyes on me as she spoke. “Welcome to the Hunt,” she said.

The other Gods nodded their heads. From the Goddess of the Harvest to the God of the Sun, all were present as they readied themselves for the hunt.

But what were we hunting?

“One by one, you will be brought to a remote corner of the Pillars,” Mab said, her voice dropping low. The others knew the place she spoke of, were clearly familiar with the Pillars in a way I could never be. “There, you must hunt down something that has escaped from Tartarus and bring its head so we can return them to where they belong and appease the prison.”

I swallowed, leaning into Caldris. I didn’t like the thought of being separated from him—of fighting some horrific monster that was terrifying even to the Fae. He wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me close as if Mab would take pity on me and allow me to be partnered with my mate.

Aderyn, The Goddess of the Harvest and Queen of the Autumn Court, stepped up to one of Mab’s elite guards, the ones who never spoke and always lingered at the edges of her space. The male raised his hand, summoning the shadows to do his bidding. Taking her arm, he guided her into the shadow realm, and they disappeared as we watched.

“How will I know if something has escaped Tartarus or if it’s just another creature of Faerie?” I asked, staring at Mab as her lips spread into a joyful grin.

“The creatures have made the Pillars into their home. It is their safe haven, their hunting grounds. If you find something alive, the odds are likely that it has escaped from Tartarus,” she explained, holding out a hand for me. I didn’t leave Caldris’s side, remaining with him and ignoring that extended hand. “Come, Estrella. Consider this your chance to prove yourself.”

“I would have thought I’d already done that with the Minotaur,” I snapped. I stepped away from Caldris’s side, anyway, holding my chin high as I prepared for certain death.

“All you proved with the Minotaur is that you and Caldris have a solid bond and his magic flows through you. I wonder how much of yours is in his veins?” I turned to look back at Caldris, watching as his lips parted ever so slightly.

He glanced down at my hands, at the fingers I used to touch the threads before his gaze drifted to his own.

It was the last thing I saw before Mab brought me into the shadows.

***

The bow in my hand felt strange, harsh, and unforgiving. There was something brutal about killing my prey before they could ever reach me to engage in battle—about taking away their fighting chance.

The leather pants and tunic covered my body as I crept through the Pillars of the Court of Shadows surrounding Tar Mesa. The ground beneath my feet was an odd mix of grass and rock, the steps jagged as I continued down the pathway through the trees. They were barren of leaves in the area Mab had dropped me in, as if nature itself had died when the creatures took over the Pillars.

The wind howled through the trees, sending a scattering of snow over the path. I stepped through it cautiously, slinging the bow over my shoulder as I walked. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was really hunting for anything.

Or if I was merely being hunted.

There was tension in the air, and I should have been more afraid of it. I should have given into the urge to be cautious. But my bones rattled with the magic simmering in my blood—with the knowledge that for once, I was free from prying eyes. My throat was un-collared. There was no iron to prevent me from touching the surface of that deep well.

The creature who lurked beneath the surface of my skin rose to greet me, opening her golden eyes as she took control of my limbs. I looked to the surface, thinking of Caldris’s lesson in summoning my own magic.

In creating, rather than shaping, whatever already existed.

Closing my eyes, I paused in the clearing. Cupping my hands, I thought of the way the threads of the stars felt when I grasped them between my fingers.

They were warm—the surface smooth like silk. But the stars themselves were rough and molten, like a giant burning flame held trapped within the cold of the night sky. I focused all that energy into my palms, embracing the feeling of fire against my skin as a wave of cold air brushed against my face.

I opened my eyes slowly, peering down at the orb of light that floated above my palm. It was smaller than my hand, glowing with the golden light of fate in the dark of the woods.

I smiled, a laugh bubbling up from my throat. I curled my hands around it, imagining the light dimming to a soft glow. Shadows wrapped around the surface, encasing it in a dark film around the curves of the ball. I let it free, watching as it floated through the forest.