Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“And so when you say you are going over the fringe…?”
He squinted while tilting his head this way and that, thinking through how to explain it. “It’s complicated. We’ll be running toward what looks like a briar-covered hole, the second opening on the right of the large archway. So there is the archway, and we will take the second opening on the right. Do not get confused.”
He paused and waited for her to nod.
“I have tried each and every one of those supposed openings. The first on the right is devastating. I barely lived through it. I have permanent scars to show for it. Okay?”
“Second on the right.”
“Yes. Now.” He held out a finger, the teasing and joking from earlier completely gone. “The moment we cross the threshold—are actually within the fringe—we will stop and collect ourselves. This is the important part. From now on, you will do exactly what I say, when I say it. No stopping to think. No grudging acceptance and dragging your feet. Your survival depends upon you following my orders to the letter, and immediately. I will keep you alive as long as you trust me.”
She quirked an eyebrow at the last line. It was a very large ask for her to trust him in any capacity. He was her captor, her secondhand abductor, and he was taking her to her doom. Trusting a guy like this seemed like suicide. But it was clear he had plans for her, and they weren’t just what he had planned within his chambers.
Besides, what other choice did she have? The bottom line was, she was at his mercy. Completely. Her weapon and his didn’t work on him. Hand-to-hand was laughable—his magic would stop her before she could get anywhere. And yeah, the magic. He had the upper hand in all things. He could kill her at any moment anyway.
He waited patiently, his gaze jogging back and forth between her eyes. He was letting her work it out, wanting her to agree to this willingly.
It was that, above all, that made her offer him a crisp nod.
“Okay,” he said, mimicking her nod. “Take out your blade. You’ll need it. It’ll save your life and, if needed, mine, because if I die, you won’t make it out of this realm. Do you understand? I am your lifeline and you are my responsibility. We work as a team to keep each other alive.”
She repeated her nod and did as he said. Once in hand, the small knife grew to the size of a dagger, her weapon of choice. It clearly knew that.
“Okay.” The word rode a release of breath. “This is the most dangerous part. That blade will cut through fae magic. Remember outside of the charity banquet hotel? The Celestials are no different. They’ll just have more power and more cunning. Defend yourself however you can, and do it while running. They cannot follow us into the fringe. That is where we’ll be safe from them.”
He didn’t say it, but his tone made it obvious—safe from them…but not safe.
“Try not to make any sound until you’re within the fringe,” he continued. “I will speak into your mind. Think any answers, and I will hear. I won’t bother explaining why it’s necessary. From here, we will sprint to the gate. Are you ready?”
Her stomach fluttered with adrenaline. Her body was amped up and a little anxious. A lot wary. She gave in to it for a moment, letting it run through her. Then she focused. She loosened her limbs and prepared for battle.
Yes, she thought.
“My gods,” he said softly, his gaze appraising. “You are magnificent.”
She didn’t get a chance to wonder what had excited him because he thought, Three…two…go!
They pushed forward as one, weapons in hand. The haze cleared, and then the gate was right there, fifty yards away and looming like a great and terrifying barrier. The punch of magical fear nearly made her cry out, but she swallowed it down as her feet pounded the ground. The winged sentinels were much closer to the ground from this perspective, and she realized the view before was a trick, magic attempting to make the coast seem clear. It was anything but!
The thrum of those great wings vibrated the sky. Before she could look up, though, another group nearly crashed into them. Four of them in all, they looked like humanoid trees with branches growing out of odd places and bark for skin.
Kill them, Tarian thought, veering that way immediately. His knife elongated into the razor-tipped staff, light whirling. Quickly. No need to make it pretty. Just get the job done.
She didn’t understand doing it any other way.
She spun and slashed, chopping off a limb and stabbing through the chest. The sword didn’t go in far enough, though, the gray bark-skin much tougher than normal.