I fell backward as a drakkan dived through the opening in the tree canopy and snatched up the boar in his massive claws. I barely caught a glimpse of red and gold scales before the drakkan and boar disappeared into the trees. I covered my ears to block out the terrified squeals and the sound of ripping flesh as Gus made up for the meal he had abandoned to answer my call.
I’d stopped shaking by the time he walked out of the woods, licking his snout. He paused to chew on something stuck in his claws, and a full body shudder went through me when I saw it was a curved tusk. He tossed it to the side of the road and trotted toward me, looking calm and sated.
I cleared my throat. “Hey, Gus.”
Gus stopped close enough for me to smell the scent of fresh blood on his breath. He lowered his head, and I tried not to gag as I reached up to pat the end of his snout.
“Good boy,” I said and stepped back so I could breathe. “You want to take a little trip with me?”
He shifted restlessly and angled his head to look at me with one big red eye as if he was awaiting instructions.
I shivered at the intensity of his stare. “I need to go to the temple on the island.”
I should have been prepared, but I wasn’t. One second, I was standing on the road, and in the next I was rising into the air in Gus’s claw. I barely had time to do the glamour to make me invisible before we were flying over the main road. The people below looked up but didn’t point or anything, so I assumed my glamour was working.
I couldn’t take any chance of someone seeing me, so I held the illusion until we were out to sea. I relaxed and dozed on and off until the island came into view. Then I created a new glamour to hide me. Drakkans didn’t normally go to the island, but no one would make a big deal of it unless they saw he wasn’t alone.
Gus landed in the same spot as before and let me go. I plucked the stone from my hair and clutched it in my fist as I walked to the building that housed the temple. I stood in the doorway, my heart thudding at the realization of what I was about to do. I had to take a few calming breaths before I could continue.
The circular room at the bottom of the steps was as I remembered it. I crossed it and peered into the main chamber below. From here I could not see the guards who were stationed on either side of the stairs to give them a full view of the altar.
My stomach quivered. What if my glamour wasn’t strong enough? What if I tripped and broke the illusion? What if…?
I shook off my nerves. I was here, and there was no going back now. Aedhna believed I could do this, so I would.
I descended the stairs and looked back at the two Seelie and two Unseelie guards who were so still they could have been statues. Lukas had told me it was a great honor to be chosen to guard the temple, and every court guard asked to be in the rotation. The job was mostly ceremonial since it was the ward that protected the ke’tain, but that didn’t matter to the guards. I felt guilty for deceiving them when they took their duty so seriously, but if all went as planned, no one would ever know the ke’tain had left the temple.
I felt the ke’tain’s energy as I approached it, but it wasn’t overpowering like it had been my first time here. Now, there was no invisible wall that kept me from getting close to the altar.
I looked down at the ke’tain that glowed from within. For months, I’d lived in close proximity to it, and I’d held it in my hands for a short time, but I’d never had the time to study it because I’d been too busy being kidnapped and getting shot. If one small stone could hold enough power to affect the balance of magic in the realm, I understood why Aedhna had kept the existence of the others hidden. I didn’t want to imagine the damage someone like Queen Anwyn would do with all four ke’tains.
Glancing at the guards again, I stuck my free hand into my pocket and pulled out a small cloth sack. Inside it was the plain blue stone Aedhna had given me last night. It was the same size and shape as the ke’tain, and if I created the illusion correctly, it would look like the real thing to anyone who entered the room. The illusion only worked as long as no one got close to the stone, but the wards would keep people away from it.
Holding my goddess stone in my right hand and the blue stone in my left, I focused my gaze on the ke’tain. Then I closed my eyes and visualized the blue stone taking on the physical properties of the real thing. The fingers on my right hand tingled, and it intensified as a current flowed up my arm, across my chest, and down my left arm. The sensation faded, and I opened my hand to reveal the exact replica of the ke’tain lying in my palm.
Almost there. More confident now, I moved to the last step. I pushed out the illusion that hid me until it enveloped the altar. The tricky part of this was to portray an image of the ke’tain sitting on the altar so the guards could not see me switching it out for the fake. It was the one step that Aedhna had needed to work on the longest with me last night, and I was about to find out if her tutelage would pay off.
Using one hand, I made the switch. My hand prickled uncomfortably when it touched the ke’tain, but as Aedhna had promised, it didn’t harm me. I carefully placed it in the sack that had held the fake and put it in my pocket. Then I held my breath and pulled the illusion back to me.
One of the Seelie guards took a step forward, his eyes narrowed on the altar. “What was that?”
I froze.
“What do you see?” his partner asked.
“The ke’tain… It moved.”
The other guards jumped to attention. One grabbed the hilt of his sword as the four of them crossed the room toward me.
Chapter 15
My mouth went dry, and my heart pounded so hard I was afraid they would hear it. Thoughts of what would happen to me if I were caught stealing the ke’tain made my stomach roil.
The guards reached the ward and spread out, but their eyes remained focused on the ke’tain. One of the Unseelie guards lifted his eyes and stared right at the spot where I stood. Could he see me?
He turned his head toward the Seelie guard who’d spoken first. “I see nothing out of place, and the wards are working.”
The Seelie guard scowled but kept his eyes on the altar. “I know what I saw.”
“It looks normal to me as well,” said the second Unseelie guard. “But if you are certain, it is protocol to send for our heads of security.”
I bit my inner cheek so hard I tasted copper. I was as good as dead if they sent for reinforcements. My only option was to try to slip past them and pray to the goddess that the fake ke’tain held up under scrutiny until I could return the real thing.
The first Unseelie guard shifted his stance. “Korrigan is attending the conference with the king today. I do not think it would be wise to interrupt them unless we are sure there is a problem.”
The two Seelie guards exchanged a fearful look. The one who hadn’t sounded the alarm said, “Bauchan is with the queen as well. Do you want to send for him?”
“No.” The first guard glanced from his partner to the Unseelie guards and back again. “The wards are up, and no one but the goddess could walk through them. It must have been a trick of the light.”
I let out a breath. It was evident by the guards’ expressions that no one in the room wanted the heads of security coming to the island. Now, if these guys would return to their stations, I could get out of here. The illusion made me invisible, but it wouldn’t hide me if I brushed up against someone.