Taken by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #8)(32)

Satisfied that I was properly mounted, Broghan launched himself from the face of the mountainside. I screamed, grabbing onto the spines jutting from his back as we plummeted straight for the valley below. We were in free fall for nearly a minute, and then he snapped out his wings and began to glide.

“You’re going to give me a heart attack,” I scolded as we coasted easily along the wind currents.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Broghan chided. “You’re stronger than that. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Where indeed? I thought as we landed in the middle of a large field. His antics made me feel positively sedate and middle-aged in comparison, even if they had saved my life several times now.

A herd of deer had been grazing nearby, but they all fled when Broghan’s shadow covered the land. Thankfully there were no humans nearby to frighten—the last thing we needed was to draw attention to ourselves.

As I slid down from Broghan’s back, I marveled at how quickly my life had changed yet again. Just last week, I’d been wishing I could get away from the palace and all the duties that had come along with it. Well, I’d gotten that wish, and had spent the last couple of days living experiences I’d never imagined in my wildest dreams. Or rather, nightmares.

I’d take paperwork and committee meetings over dealing with Ta’sradala any day, I admitted to myself as I sat down in the grass. At least back home Iannis had been close by, and I’d seen him every night, tired or not. I missed him so badly, it felt like one of my limbs had been severed, leaving me with a phantom ache I couldn’t cure.

Broghan morphed back into the wolf cub and curled up next to me, as if he were trying to console me. He said nothing, simply being there for me as a warm and solid presence, and I was grateful for his company.

As we rested, I tried to muster some optimism. We’d made it out alive, and this had been the third and final test, hadn’t it? Against all odds, I’d survived all her challenges. If she stood by her word, Ta’sradala had no choice but to let me return home to Iannis.

Would she, though? Ta’sradala couldn’t be trusted to let me enjoy my victory; she might easily find some pretext to prolong this evil game of hers. People who accused others of cheating were most likely to do so themselves whenever it suited their purposes. A haughty Tua could be just as hypocritical as humans. And who would dare call her on her bullshit, anyway? Definitely not Iannis’s mother, who didn’t seem to have enough spine to stand up to Ta’sradala even if she wanted to. Anyway, I just wished she’d hurry up and spirit me back home. The sun was setting on yet another day, and I was running out of time.





15





At some point, I dozed off in the middle of the field, with Broghan using my chest as a pillow. I’d scrutinized the constellations above us earlier to try and determine if I was in Recca, but I hadn’t been able to come up with a definitive answer, so I decided I might as well try to regain my strength. I was just having a nice dream about being back at home, surrounded by Iannis and my friends at a feast and sinking my teeth into a juicy haunch of meat, when I felt myself suddenly yanked away.

Opening my eyes, I found myself prone in Ennartha’s garden once again, with the three women staring down at me. Deryna seemed relieved to see me and gave me a tentative smile. Ennartha was impassive, and Ta’sradala furious. I jumped to my feet, adrenaline rushing through my body as I realized I was finally back.

“I passed your tests,” I said, jabbing a finger at Ta’sradala. “You have to take me back home now!”

“Hmph,” Ta’sradala said. “I don’t know about that. The only reason you survived was because of that silly shape-shifter who helped you out. Who was he, anyway? I didn’t know any creatures like that lived in those caves.”

I froze, looking around. Broghan wasn’t anywhere nearby, and the snakeskin belt he’d previously disguised himself as was gone. “Broghan?” I called in mindspeak, a little anxious. “Are you okay?”

There was no reply.

What had happened to him? I guessed that when Ta’sradala had transported me back, Broghan had not come with me, since he wasn’t attached to my body like he’d been last time. He was probably still in that field, poor thing. I hoped he would be all right on his own, though from recent experience, he seemed quite capable of taking care of himself.

“You never specified that I couldn’t use outside help,” I said tersely. “I’ve won your game fair and square. Now take me back.”

“And why should I listen to an impertinent mortal like you?” Ta’sradala asked, looking down her nose at me. “You do not make demands of a Tua—you get on your knees and beg.” The malicious glitter in her eyes told me even that would be no use—she would enjoy my humiliation without yielding an inch.

“I shouldn’t even have to ask!” I thundered, losing my temper completely. “You told me that if I won, you would let me go, and I have! How are you any better than us ‘mortals’ if you can’t be bothered to keep your own word?”

“She has a point, Mother,” Ennartha said uneasily. “Surprising as it may be, she has completed the challenges.”

“That is for me to decide!” Ta’sradala exclaimed angrily. “Besides, promises to humans don’t count. Are you actually taking this pitiful mortal’s side?”