Quickly, I do an internal check to make sure my magic is there and accessible. Thank God, it is, which means the rope tying me is nothing but a rope.
Pyke waves his hand in front of his face, and the cut under his eye disappears. Glaring at me as he advances, he growls, “Now… give me the Blood Stone.”
“I don’t have it,” I yell. “Carrick does, and he’s not here.”
With two long strides, Pyke stomps up to me and crosses one arm over his chest, only to let it fly in a backhand at my cheek. It connects solidly and I go stumbling backward, but I manage to stay on my feet.
“I hate liars, Finley.” Pyke moves so fast I can’t even see it, but he’s suddenly gripping the front of my shirt and jerking me up to my tiptoes as he glares down at me. “If I could so easily put a tracking spell on you, don’t you think I could do the same to the chalice? I felt it when you arrived.”
The memory comes at me as fresh as if it happened today rather than a week ago. After the battle with Micah in the forest clearing was over, Pyke was the one who had picked up the chalice and returned it to Carrick.
He had touched it.
He had put a tracking spell on it.
Before I can ask why, he’s swinging me around and pushing me toward the hut. “It’s in there. Now get it.”
Heart hammering, hoping to God Zaid escaped, I walk to it. The fact Pyke seems to think it’s in the hut doesn’t give me hope, though.
With a feeling of dread, I step into the hut, Pyke behind me. My gaze immediately flicks to the bed. The satchel is gone, and there’s no sign of Zaid.
I look over my shoulder at Pyke, whose expression has turned thunderous. “Where is it? I felt it with you when you appeared in Faere.”
“It was,” I rush to assure him. “As was Carrick. He brought me here for safekeeping, then he left to go hide the Blood Stone.”
That explanation makes no sense as Carrick would never leave me behind. He would have battled Pyke right then and there, but the prince is either so outraged, so stupid, or a combination of both, that he doesn’t bother to puzzle that out.
“Where is he?” he demands. “Where did he go?”
“I don’t know,” I say, which is the absolute truth.
Pyke must hear the veracity in my voice because he doesn’t ask me again. Instead, he starts a short pace back and forth in the hut as he obviously ponders his options.
Finally, he stops, bringing his gaze to me. “Carrick has the Blood Stone, and I have you. This could work out.”
Panic hits me as the meaning of his words sink in. I lunge for the opening of the tent, but I’m not sure where I think I can go with my hands tied behind my back. I stand firm in my resolve not to use my magic, because that’s a secret I’m not going to give up unless I’m in a life-or-death situation.
Right now, Pyke seems to want me as bait.
Surprisingly, I make it through the tent flap and halfway around the side before I’m stopped by Pyke grabbing my elbow. He whirls me around to face him and smiles down at me maniacally. “Yes, I think a trade will work out nicely.”
I lift my chin defiantly. “Carrick will never give it to you.”
Pyke laughs with genuine amusement. “I guess there’s only one way to find out, right?”
Before I can object, my body is pulled hard as Pyke bends distance, able to easily glide through the veil without ripping it. Benefits of being a Light Fae royal, I guess.
Instantly, we’re inside a dimmed bedroom. I don’t think we’re in Faere as the decor looks distinctly Earth realm and is lavishly but traditionally decorated. The walls are wood-paneled with heavy velvet draperies closed almost all the way so only slivers of light come through. Sconces on the walls are lit, interspersed with oil paintings that appear costly. Several table lamps are also lit, providing more glow, and there’s a huge canopy bed with red velvet bedding.
“Where are we?” I ask as I slowly turn around.
From one of the darkened corners of the room, I make out a figure moving toward us. Tall, lithe, and wearing some type of cloak. There’s a slight vibe of nausea indicating something dark, but I quickly turn it off. I’ve gotten good at pushing that feeling away so as not to get distracted.
When it steps into the light, I gasp in shock as I take in Kymaris standing before me. Her face is burned in some places, as is her skin showing outside of the cloak. Some are just pinkened skin, others are black with scabs. Based on the description of the explosion Carrick described, she healed a lot faster than we thought she could, which means her powers are greater than we thought.
What’s more shocking than actually seeing her—being in her presence—is that Pyke is the one who brought me to her. I simply can’t comprehend why he would do this.
Pyke shoves me so hard that I fall to my knees, almost toppling over to land at Kymaris’ feet. I lift my head to see Pyke move past me straight to Kymaris, where he leans in and kisses a healed portion of her cheek.
“Brought you a present,” he murmurs.
Kymaris doesn’t take her eyes off me, but she curls an arm upward to bring her palm to his cheek. “Indeed, you have, my love. Indeed, you have.”
My stomach sinks, finally realizing the implications of Pyke being in cahoots with Kymaris. Immediately, I realize it wasn’t Boral who told her that we had the Blood Stone, but rather Pyke. And given Pyke has immense powers that are probably on par, or even greater, than hers, the situation just got unbelievably bad for us.
The only saving grace is that the chalice is with Zaid back in Faere, and Carrick will soon be arriving there.
Kymaris bends to peer at me, reaching out to take a lock of my hair. She rubs it thoughtfully between her fingers before bringing her eyes to mine.
“What makes you so special that you’d be written into this prophecy?” she asks quietly, her gaze boring angrily into mine.
Relief sweeps through me at her question. She knows absolutely nothing about me, and I’m grateful we never brought Pyke fully into the fold. The only thing he knows is that I’m part of a prophecy, but he’s never been told another piece of information.
Which means Kymaris is still in the dark.
I don’t respond to her question because I have a feeling that any answer I give—hell, just my voice alone—will anger her. Silently, I stare resolutely right back at her.
For a moment, I think she takes it as a direct challenge as her eyes start to turn red. But she reins it in, a slow smile curling her lips. She leans in just a little closer until I can feel her breath on my face.
“Nothing,” she murmurs in a light voice. “Nothing makes you special.”
The final battle is approaching, and Carrick Byrne must deal with the betrayal of a friend while searching for Finley Porter. But finding Finley may mean giving Kymaris the only thing she still needs to bring down the veil between the Underworld and the Earth realm. CLICK HERE to see if Carrick, Finley, and their army of allies can win the battle in The Rise of Fortune and Fury.
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