Scorched by Darkness (20 page)

“Who would dare to hurt a baby dragon?” he demanded.

Ravel abruptly turned to pace across the barren cavern, her features tightening with a fierce emotion. “Synge has made enemies over the years,” she muttered.

Torque rolled his eyes. Synge was a brutal, insatiable predator who ruled his vast kingdom with an iron fist. There was a good chance the bastard had made thousands and thousands of enemies. Torque was wise enough, however, to keep his thoughts to himself.

Turning back to face them, Ravel clenched her hands at her sides. “One of them managed to penetrate the lair shortly after the birth of Blayze and cursed her.”

Torque hissed in horror. “What sort of curse?”

“Eternal madness.”

“Oh dear goddess,” Rya breathed. “That’s horrible.”

Torque shuddered. It was indeed horrible. He’d never actually met anyone who was cursed, but he knew they rarely survived.

But it wasn’t his thought of Blayze’s unfortunate fate that was making his skin crawl. It was the thickening malice that swirled through the air.

He desperately wanted to be out of the strange cavern, but he sensed that Rya wasn’t going to budge until she heard the full story of her sister.

“What happened?” he pressed.

“The decision was made by the Dragon Council to kill her,” Ravel said in stark tones.

Rya made a sound of distress. “So you left?”

The female nodded. “I pretended to accept the verdict, but I told them I couldn’t live without my child. I promised I would destroy both of us.” She shrugged. “It was the only way to get her out of the lair.”

Torque arched a brow. It would have taken enormous courage to defy the ancient Council.

“How did you convince the dragons you were dead?” he asked.

She gave a wave of her hand, indicating the cavern around them. “I have a talent for illusion.”

“
Oui
,” Levet suddenly intruded. “Your skill is magnificent.”

“Yes, it is,” the female agreed.

Torque hid his smile. Clearly she had the customary humility of most dragons.

None.

He steered the conversation back on track. “So you convinced the dragons you were dead and brought your daughter here?”

“Not at first.” Ravel’s eyes grew distant, as if she was lost in memories. “I traveled to various worlds in the hopes of finding a cure. But every year that passed, the madness consumed more and more of Blayze.” She heaved a deep, painful sigh, smoke curling from her nose. “Eventually it became too dangerous to travel with her.”

“Is the curse physically hurting her?” Rya asked, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

Clearly the thought of her sister in pain was troubling her.

“No, but the madness…” Ravel paused, wrapping her arms around her waist. “It doesn’t just affect her. It spreads to everyone around her.”

“Sacre bleu,”
Levet exclaimed. “That is why you were coating her in ice.”

Ravel frowned, as if she hadn’t intended for them to see the memory of her and her daughter. Had it been a part of her dream that they’d accidentally stumbled into?

It was hard to say.

Nothing had made sense in this crazy place.

“Yes,” the dragon grudgingly admitted. “It is the only way to protect her until I can find a way to break the curse.”

Torque nodded. “Have you had any luck?”

“Not so far,” Ravel said, frustration smoldering in her pale eyes. “Blayze claims she can sense the creature responsible for cursing her, but I can’t be sure it’s not just a figment of her growing instability.”

Torque was struck by a sudden thought. “Could Sylvermyst be involved?”

Ravel blinked in confusion. “Why would you believe the dark fey were connected?”

“We think they’re the ones who brought the frost sprites here.”

“Why would they do that?” she demanded.

Torque shrugged. “We don’t know.”

Looking more impatient than concerned, the dragon turned and gave a wave of her hand.

Instantly a shimmering circle appeared, hovering in midair. The dragon gave another wave of her hand and the circle widened, revealing the image of an icy cavern.

Torque assumed Ravel had created a tiny portal to check on her daughter.

Like a magical nanny-cam.

Covertly inching his way to the side so he could see through the opening, Torque wasn’t entirely surprised at the sight of the strange fey who were standing beside a large swell of ice. The three had varying shades of hair and eyes, but they looked enough alike to make Torque assume they were siblings.

They had to be the Sylvermyst responsible for opening the portals.

His gaze moved to study the motionless female form lying on the ground. It looked like another Sylvermyst, although the others weren’t paying attention to her. Instead they were all focused on the huge mound of ice in the center of the floor.

There was a hiss from the female dragon, the air heating as she leaned toward the portal. “They’ve stolen my treasure.”

Holy shit.
Torque grimaced as his gaze caught sight of the cavities roughly gouged into the frozen floor. Were the dark fey truly stupid enough to try and steal a dragon’s hoard?

Rya stepped to stand at his side. “Look.” She pointed toward the male form almost hidden by the tallest of the Sylvermyst. “It’s Finn.”

The heat in the air intensified as Ravel growled low in her throat.

“The fool,” she rasped as they watched Finn lift his hand and point it toward the mound of ice. “What is he doing?”

Torque felt a childish stab of pleasure at the female dragon’s annoyance with the sprite.

Rya, however, was swift to rush to defend her friend.

“He came here to save his people. I think the Sylvermyst must be forcing him to use his powers,” she murmured. “Is there more treasure under the ice?”

“No.” The ground shook beneath their feet as Ravel’s power caused a ripple of tiny quakes. “It’s Blayze.”

The dread pulsing in the air became a tangible threat.

Torque’s stomach clenched at the potent sense of danger.

“Why would they want to release your daughter?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ravel snapped. “They must be stopped.”

Magic exploded through the room, the illusion of a cavern shattering to reveal they were standing in the middle of a swirling mist.

Torque stiffened, unnerved by the strange fog.

The ground beneath his feet was solid, but everything else felt…unsubstantial.

Before he could adjust, however, Ravel was pivoting to move away from them. Not about to be left behind in the haze, Torque grabbed Rya’s hand and hurried after her.

“Hey,” Levet called from behind them. “Wait for me.”

***

Finn’s powers faltered as a dense wave of evil crawled over him. The sensation made his hair stand on end and his skin feel too tight for his body.

Hell.

He didn’t know what was under the mound, and he didn’t want to know.

As if sensing Finn’s less than enthusiastic participation in removing the ice, Micah turned his head to glare at him.

“Why are you stopping?” he growled.

Finn kept his hand extended, although his magic was a mere trickle.

“I’m doing the best I can,” he muttered.

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

He was exhausted and in need of food. His powers were running on empty.

“It’s not good enough,” Micah snapped, his eyes shimmering with a feverish hunger.

Finn took an instinctive step away. He suspected that whatever nastiness was floating in the air had already infected the Sylvermyst.

“This isn’t natural ice,” he reminded the male. “It’s protected by a powerful magic.”

“All I hear is excuses,” Micah snarled.

“It’s not an excuse—” Finn bit off his words as Micah turned around and violently slammed his foot against the side of Adair’s face. The unconscious female jerked, but she didn’t wake, thank the goddess. “Stop,” he commanded.

Micah deliberately touched the bow that was strapped across his chest.

“If you care whether the bitch lives or dies, you’ll try harder.”

Finn hissed with frustration. “I can’t perform miracles.”

“Now.” Micah leaned forward, the stench of rotting herbs wafting from him. The male had gone from greedy to full-throttle frantic.

The next step was no doubt batshit crazy.

“Dammit,” Finn muttered, releasing the last dredges of his magic.

Small fractures began to form over the top layer of the ice. Like an eggshell being cracked.

Micah released a sharp laugh, stepping forward with his hand outstretched.

“It’s working,” he crowed in pleasure, seemingly unaware of the ominous glow of light that was spreading deep beneath the ice.

His joyous mood wasn’t shared by the others in the cavern. Jarvis and Lila inched backward, their expressions reflecting a snowballing sense of dismay.

“Micah,” the younger male Sylvermyst muttered. “Maybe we should—”

“Not now,” Micah snarled, interrupting his brother even as he sent Finn a fierce glare. “Keep going,” he ordered, turning back so he could step closer to the shattered ice. “I see something.”

Finn could see something too. Something that had an iridescent shimmer. A brief sense of relief eased Finn’s raw nerves.

Maybe it was just a pile of gems that’d been coated with an aversion spell. That would explain the thick dread that pulsed through the air.

But as the ice continued to break away, his premature relief was snatched from him.

The lustrous gleam wasn’t coming from a priceless jewel. Instead he could see an inky blackness beneath the shimmer.

Was that a scale?

“It’s not treasure,” he muttered, his hand dropping as he continued to back away.

Lila cursed, pulling the bow over her head and grabbing an arrow.

“He’s right, Micah,” she warned.

“Keep your mouth shut,” the male growled, his narrow face bathed in the light shining from the ice. “I won’t be denied. Not when I’m so close.”

“Idiot,” Finn muttered, angling his retreat until he could lean down and scoop Adair in his arms.

Thankfully no one was paying attention to him. The Sylvermyst were fully consumed with the sight of the ice cracking and popping. Whatever was beneath was shedding the thick coating.

Which meant Finn had time to cradle Adair against his chest and duck into the hidden tunnel just before all hell broke loose.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Rya had a split second to reach for Levet’s outstretched hand before Torque was dragging her through the weird fog. Hanging onto the tiny demon, she tried to ignore the mist that swirled around them.

Just seconds ago she would have been convinced there was nothing more unnerving than the ice that wasn’t ice. The sensation of being trapped in the maze was something that was going to give her nightmares for weeks.

Now, however, she realized the fog was worse.

Much worse.

Not only did it hide any enemies that might be lurking nearby, but it gave her the sensation that they were running through clouds. As if the world wasn’t quite solid.

“What is this place?” she muttered.

“It’s a small pocket between dimensions,” Ravel answered, her hectic pace never slowing.

Rya grimaced. She’d traveled through portals that were basically holes that burrowed through dimensions, but she’d never visited the space in between.

Now she knew why.

“How can you tell where we’re going?” she demanded.

Ravel waved an impatient hand, her robe fluttering around her despite the lack of a breeze. In fact, the air was stifling. And eerily thick.

“We must hurry,” the dragon warned. “Blayze is already awake.”

Rya shivered, clutching Torque’s fingers even as Levet clung to her other hand.

“I can feel her,” she muttered, almost able to taste the darkness in the air. “It’s…evil.”

“It’s not her,” Ravel protested. “It’s the curse.”

Rya grimaced. She believed the dragon. The malevolent sensations that vibrated in the air were magical, not physical.

At last Ravel slowed her pace and came to a halt. Then, with a dramatic gesture, she gave a wave of her arms.

The fog moved aside, like a shroud being parted to reveal the cavern they’d glimpsed when they were still in Ravel’s lair.

Or at least she thought it was. Only now the ice was gone and instead of a mound in the middle of the floor there was a very large, very angry dragon spewing fire at a tall, redheaded male.

“I think we might be too late,” Torque muttered.

Rya grimaced, taking in the sight of the infuriated dragon.

She was lovely. In a lethal, melt-your-flesh and chomp-on-your-bones kind of way. Her scales were a deep ebony with a glossy sheen. Her eyes were pearly white and shimmering with a radiant light. Her snout was long and elegant, although at the moment it was widely parted to release her fire.

“Help,” a female screamed from across the cavern. “You have to stop her.”

Rya’s attention moved toward the two fey who were huddled together, trying to inch away from the beast who’d finished with their companion and was turning her head in their direction.

“This is your fault,” Ravel insisted, flames dancing over her skin at the sight of her daughter in full fury. “Why did you release her?”