There’s another clink and the sound of a chain hitting the floor. Just in time too, because the dragon had just opened his mouth to let out another roar or get himself a meal. Guess we’ll never know and that’s not a bad thing.
The dragon’s eyes roll back in his head until there’s nothing but white showing. Then he sways once before dropping into a heap on the floor. Immediately, he shifts down into human form. Unconscious but definitely less conspicuous.
Aukai moves to carry him, but the fae beats him to it. Heaving the dragon shifter over his shoulder like he weighs nothing proves all the old myths about the fae right. I could’ve sworn by the state he’s in that he’d barely be able to carry himself out of here. Let alone a body twice his size.
“We’ve got to hurry,” Aukai says, pulling up point again in front of everyone to lead us back. We’re what feels about halfway there when several of the doors screech open.
“Weapons!” I yell at the same time Aukai slams into me from the front. We both hit the cavern floor with a snarling beast on top of us. The only reason it wasn’t able to instantly bite our heads off is because my trident got lodged in his throat when I went to stab on my way down. It howls in fury and pain, but this is a matter of our lives or it. Using all my strength, I shove forward, digging the trident all the way in. It goes lack on the top of us, covering us both in black goo.
Grunts and groans around us say the rest are still fighting. The sight of these things is subpar to the stench, which seems to be getting worse as more of them die. Kicking the carcass off my lower half allows me to free myself and get back to my feet. Easton and Zale are running a sword and trident through another one of the creatures. All around us bodies are dropping and thankfully they’re none of ours.
“We’ve got to move before they let out more of them,” the fae barks. “We can’t take them all on.”
Doing a once over to make sure we’re still together, Aukai takes the lead again with the fae. I swear I can feel the tingling on my skin as we get closer to the portal. Never in my life have I ever been happier to know that I’ll be going through one.
We’re within a few steps when more doors open.
“Run!” Aukai barks. “Follow Dain! He’ll get you home!”
Then he dead stops and spins on his heel to face the creatures behind us.
“NOOO!” Zale yells as he’s forced forward by Caelan and Easton at his back.
They’re so distracted pushing him, they aren’t able to make a grab for me as I sidestep. The fae and dragon disappear first then my brother and our guards.
Twisting in place, I move to Aukai’s side.
“What are you doing?” he demands, keeping his eyes trained on the threats looming in front of us. And boy are they ugly. These are the ones I refused to even look at through the bars. Whatever they used to be, there’s nothing of that left in them.
“I’m not leaving a brother behind,” I tell him.
In my peripheral, I see his chin jerk toward my face. As though that’s the opening they’ve been waiting for, the monsters jump. We take turns side by side stabbing and downing them, but it’s obvious we aren’t going to be able to hold them off long enough to get through the portal ourselves.
“Close it!” I yell over the scream of the victim at the end of my trident.
Gods, Rubi. I’m sorry, my love.
“Not yet,” a voice stresses behind us right before we’re all blinded with a light bright enough to be the sun itself.
A human hand wraps itself around my bicep and pulls backward. I don’t bother fighting it since we’d kept the creatures funneled to our front.
“Aukai!” I bellow. “We can’t leave him!”
I still can’t see, but I can feel when we pass through the portal. The sick feeling the first time is nothing compared to this. I’ve failed Rubi. Aukai is stuck in that god awful place and will die a most horrible death.
Trying to open my eyes proves to be worth nothing since the light has left me blind. Voices echo around the throne room as the portal drops with a slight suction to our ears. Already without one of my senses, I drop to my hands and knees.
“Aukai,” I mutter, letting my head slip down to rest against the floor.
A hand presses against my back as I hear Zale say, “He’s here, brother. He made it out.”
If there weren’t so many people around us, I might just embarrass myself by crying in relief. Losing any of us would’ve been hard on Rubi.
Zephyr.
Thankfully, when I open my eyes I can see again, I can see once more. Even if there are still spots dancing in my vision. Zale tries to help me up, and I let him. I’m sure there was a moment there when he thought I was going to be the one who wasn’t going to make it back. Once I’m on my feet, I one arm hug him.
“Let’s go save our brother and kiss our mate,” I tell him, drawing a tight laugh from his chest.
Bouncing back and forth between wearing a hole in the floor and sitting at Zephyr’s bedside watching him deteriorate has worn me out. Especially since none of us got to rest after the long travels it took to get here. It’s been hours but feels like days since my other mates left and worry is a live thing sitting in my gut. Merrick has tried to convince me to get some rest, and I know that he can see how much the stress is starting to weigh on me. He’s as concerned for me as we both are for Zephyr. I couldn’t lay down to rest even if I wanted to, knowing that one mate is slowly slipping away from me as the others are off risking their lives to save him.
A manic sob starts bubbling in the back of my throat, but I push it down as hard as I can. I refuse to lose my cool here when I’ve got the smallest job of all. I’m going to stay strong for them and prove to these mer I’ll be a good queen.
Which doesn’t mean I have to sit still while doing it either. Hopping up from Zephyr’s side, I stroll over to the window that overlooks the kingdom. I’ve done this many times over the past several hours, but it still stuns me every time.
Yhalwgon is absolutely beautiful and as close to paradise I think I’ll ever lay eyes on. When the sun was high in the sky, it reflected off the rooftops of the tightly-knit buildings. Now that it’s setting, the glow causes shadows, making the entire scene look like a painting. At dark I’m sure the streets will seem like those of a ghost town with no one occupying the houses. Maybe one day in our lifetimes we’ll be able to restore all of this to its former glory like it deserves.
My ears pop, and I jerk around to face Merrick, the question I’m not sure I want the answer to on the tip of my tongue. Glancing to the door, I see the guards eye each other, but neither move to investigate.
Please. Please. Please let them all be safe.
Just in case it’s not them, I move to place myself between the door and Zephyr, picking up my trident from where it’s been propped against the foot of the bed. Though he’s already dying, someone will have to go through me to get him while he’s at his weakest.
It takes a while, but voices finally start drifting down the corridor. Clenching my weapon tightly, I’m prepared for anything that walks through that door.
Well, apparently most anything. The sight of the palest man I’ve ever seen carrying an overly large naked dude with his ass stuck right up in the air immediately makes me wonder if the exhaustion has finally driven me mad. He barely spares me and my weapon a glance as he lays the naked guy on one of the other beds before rushing over to Zephyr. It isn’t until he’s at his side that I overcome my shock and jump into motion.