Soul Mates: Magic (Soul Mates Series) (10 page)

“Princess, you may have set off alarms by breaking her spell,” Cale said with a frown.

I turned and glared at him. “I checked first, there are no ties to any being with that spell. The Queen will not even know we were here.”

“As you say Princess,”
Cale replied.

Chapter
Thirteen

I pushed my power out, searching for Daire’s signature, praying that he was still alive, that we’d made it in time. After a moment or two I registered his faint life sign deep in the heart of the Dark Castle. We were going to have to get in, get past the Queen’s guard and down to whatever torture chamber she’d left him in.

“Princess?”

I turned to Cole, “It’s really not good news,” I said with a sigh. “He’s barely hanging on, but he’s alive. It’s just, he’s somewhere in the center of the castle.”

Cole nodded. “I assumed as much. Do you have a plan?”

I shrugged. “Right through the front door?”

“Perhaps that might work, she definitely wouldn’t expect it.”

I nodded. “Let’s go.” I called up all of my power and my anger rose to the surface. As we approached the front of the Dark Castle the wind picked up and because of my anger, it stirred and swirled all around us. I took one look at the huge oak doors with iron bars and my eyes blazed. I sent that swirling wind straight into those doors and blew them open as if I’d blasted them with dynamite. We continued to move forward, through the doors as a group, pulling our swords as we did so.

“On your left Princess!” Thomas called
as he took down a Minotaur guard that was charging toward us.

I turned, set the creature ablaze with a fire spell, he disintegrated within seconds. I pressed forward, through the dark, chilly hallway. I took out three more
Minotaur guards with an ice spell. I was going to get to Daire, or die trying.

I felt the pull of Daire’s signature coming from below me and I searched for a set of stairs. I could make them out about fifteen feet away, through the horde of nightmares coming our way. I pulled both Virtus and Sapientia and ran forward toward the creatures,
harpies of all things, then dropped to my knees, avoiding their flying talons and slicing through a group of eight of them, cutting them in half. I flipped backwards and jumped up, coming down hard with my swords hacking another two in half. A quick spin sliced open another four and a fire spell took out the remaining six.

“This way,” I called to Cole and the others who
had finished fighting off the rest of the Minotaur guards and had been watching me take out the harpies.

“Princess, perhaps instead of charging ahead, you should let
me lead?” Cole asked respectfully.

“So long as we get there now Cole, he doesn’t have much longer,” I said urging him down the stairs in front of me.

“Of course,” Cole said softly.

We crept down the stairs to find several chambers. I caught Daire’s fading signature coming from the chamber five doors down and I started to push past Cole to run to it.

“Princess, go slowly, it could be a trap,” Cole said softly.

He was right, it was most likely a trap, but I didn’t care. I wanted to get to Daire, so I pushed ahead anyway. It was the wrong thing to do.

“Princess, how lovely of you to join us,” Póg Tocsaineach said stepping out of chamber number three.

My eyes blazed with fury. I called every ounce of power I had and a storm began to build. “Give me Daire, now, and you can live.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. Mother?” Póg Tocsaineach called down the hall.

The Queen of Air and Darkness stepped out of the fifth chamber. “Darling, we have guests, why didn’t you say so?”

Póg Tocsaineach laughed. “Notice anything Mother?”

“The little Princess has power,” the Queen said snidely. “But too bad for her, I’m the Queen of Air and Darkness. The wind and storm are mine to control.” Her eyes glowed brightly as she attempted to pull the reins of the storm from me.

I held fast to them, adding more of my anger, fueling it, making it stronger. “You may be the Queen of Air and Darkness, but Storms are mine. I have Fury and I will unleash it on you and yours if you do not release him.”

“Give me my Dark Stone and you can have him,” the Queen replied, still attempting to wrestle the storm from me.

“You will release him, now!” I said sending a lightning strike to land just in front of her. “Or I shall strike you where you stand.”

“You think you are more powerful than I, little princess? You’d better think again!” The Queen shouted. She called up her own
windstorm attempting to blow us down the hall and seize control of my storm.

I stood firm, calling more power to me. I could feel it flow up through my feet, into the core of me. It was Gaia, adding her power to mine, making the storm fiercer and within seconds I unleashed it on th
e Queen. I watched as she and Póg Tocsaineach were picked up in the massive swirling tornado and hurled into the stone wall. They fell face first to the floor only to be picked up again by the strong winds and once again hurled against the wall.

“Get Daire,” I said calmly to Thomas and James. I continued to let the air swirl, faster and harder than I’d ever allowed before and I watched the Queen like a hawk, waiting for her to make a move.

James and Thomas returned with Daire a few minutes later. He was weak and barely breathing. “Go! Get him to the forest. We will be right behind you!”

Thomas shifted and pulled Daire up onto his back. James climbed on as well to hold him in place. “Hurry Princess,” James said, giving me a hard look.

I nodded. I didn’t want to turn my back on the Queen for fear that she would retaliate. So I had Cole magically hand cuff her and Póg Tocsaineach to the table in the fifth chamber while I continued to hold onto the storm.

As we headed back up the stairs I heard the Queen shout, “This is not over little girl! I will have my Dark Stone and I will have your head along with it!”

We ran, as fast as Faerily possible out of the Dark Castle and into the forest. We connected with Thomas, James and Gurtag within minutes. “Where is he?” I asked searching for Daire.

“Princess, you made it out of the Dark Castle alive,” Gurtag said incredulously.

I just glared at him. “Where is Daire!”

“Here Princess!” Cole called to me and I went to him.

Daire was lying on the ground a few feet into the forest. He looked like death. I pulled a vial out of my pocket. It was a special potion Tatiana and I had been working on, just in case we would one day need it. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it was all I had. I knelt down and lifted Daire’s head. “My love, you must drink it,” I said softly.

I pushed the vial against his lips, and he cracked them open enough for me to pour the contents in. I held my breath and prayed to the gods and goddesses that it would work. After a moment he passed out. I leaned down and checked his breathing and felt the whisper of it against my cheek.

“He’s alive. Let’s get him through the cavern maze to the Goblin King’s palace.”

I nodded at Thomas who once again shifted and pulled Daire up on his back. “I’ll ride with him,” I said climbing up Thomas’s scaled leg to sit astride his back.

“Gurtag, lead the way,” Cole said. “Quickly.”

We followed Gurtag back through the maze, and into the palace where we were greeted by the King. “Princess, you made it,” he said with a smile. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

“We
did, but just barely, King…Gareth,” I said grinning. “I was hoping you might allow us to spend the night while my guard recovers?”

“For another boon?” Gareth asked raising his brow.

“If you like,” I answered.

“Princess! You shouldn’t, he already has two!”

“And for our safety I shall grant him another!” I said with a glare at Cale.

Gareth lifted his lips in a full Goblin grin. “Oh I do like you Princess. Yes, you may stay for another boon.”

“Would you like to cash that boon in?”

“Perhaps later. For now let me have Gertrude see you to some comfortable chambers.” Gareth rang a bell and a female Goblin appeared. I could tell she was female by her curvaceous shape, long flowing blue hair and that her ears didn‘t flop, they stood straight up, large and pointed at both ends. That and she wore a dress made of Fae material. “Gertrude, please show the Princess and her guards to suitable chambers.”

“Of course, Sire,” she said, her voice only the slightest bit gruff.

I followed her up the golden staircase, listening to her spiked heels tap, tap, tap all the way up the steps. I couldn’t help but be fascinated by her large feet in such delicate shoes, but she seemed to be able to walk without any trouble in them. “Thank you
, Gertrude,” I said when she led me to a particularly large and beautiful room. “Where will the others be? I’d like to look in on Daire.”

“Just across the hall,” she replied.

“Thank you.”

“The King will wish to din
e with you. He finds you quite…inviting.”

“I would be honored to dine with your King,” I replied politely.

Gertrude nodded. “I will leave you to prepare for dinner then. I will send Marta and Devotia to show you to the mud springs.”

“Oh, don’t go to too much trouble,” I said, hoping to get out of it.

“It’s no trouble at all, you will love the springs,” Gertrude said with a slight smirk.

“I’m sure I will,” I replied as politely as I could
, considering I was lying through my teeth. She left me then and after a moment I went down the hall to check on Daire. He was sharing a room with Cole, just so that someone was there to keep an eye on him. I wanted that someone to be me, but Cole wouldn’t allow it.

“No Princess, it would not do. Besides, you must dine with the King, and I fee
l certain this will not count as the first boon.”

“I’m certain you are right. Gertrude is sending some w
omen to show me to the springs…I suppose it would be impolite to tell them I’m not interested?”

Cole smiled. “Have a lovely time Princess,” he said and then turned serious. “Do not worry about Daire. I will keep him safe.”

I glanced at the bed where Daire was sprawled, passed out and oblivious to the world. “I will check in as soon as possible,” I said with a nodded. I went to the bed and put my hand on Daire’s forehead, brushing his dark blonde hair away from his face. I leaned down and placed my lips against his cool skin, pouring every ounce of love and magic I had into the gentle kiss in hopes that it helped him to heal faster. I sent a quick prayer up to the heavens for the gods and goddesses to watch over him.

“Princess, you should go.”

I nodded and returned to my room to await Marta and Devotia. I didn’t have to wait long. They showed up within minutes, ready to take me to the stinkiest place I’d ever imagined. “Do come in,” I said when they knocked on my open door.

“Miss, you should not leave your door open. It is an invitation to any male that walks by,” one said frowning.

“And the King would not be happy if you were inviting any and all males to your room,” the other agreed. They never said which of them was which, and it didn’t look as if they planned to.

“I am sorry, I did not realize. I will shut the door,” I said compliantly.

“Shall we go? The mud springs are not far, but if we are to help you prepare for dinner with the King, then we need all the time we can manage to get you presentable for him.”

“Of course, lead the way,” I said softly dreading every second of my coming adventure.

I followed the two Goblin women, who in their way were quite attractive. Both had curvaceous bodies, long flowing hair, one of red and the other jet black. Their eyes were huge, the red head’s were golden, like the coat of a lion, almost buttery and the other’s were black onyx, deep and hypnotizing. Their ears, too, stood straight up, pointed at both ends. From the tips they wore long dangling earrings of gold. Their hands and feet were large, but that seemed to be standard with Goblins. I glanced at Marta’s or maybe it was Devotia’s long slender fingers and saw that her nails were polished to match her shiny dress.

“Here we are
, Miss,” the red head said. “Just through these doors.”

I should have known, the stench was stronger and I worked hard to hide my disgust of the smell. “Great,” I said bravely.

“Tell us, Miss, do you have designs on our King?”

I frowned, “No…”

The black haired one smiled. “Are you sure? He is quite handsome, rich and available.”

“I am sure. My heart is engaged elsewhere.”

“Ah, so if your heart was not engaged, you might be interested in our King?”

“I did not mean…”

“It is all right, Miss. As I said, he is quite handsome and rich. Many women want him.”

“Please, call me Abbey,” I said, tired of the Miss business.

“Abbey, such a pretty name. I am Marta,” the red head replied.

“And I am Devotia. Come we really should make you presentable. Whether you like it or not, our
King is quite taken with you, though I can’t figure out why. Your ears are tiny, and your figure is under developed. I suppose it must just be that you are having that new toy affect upon him.”

I smiled. “New toy affect?” I asked stripping off the last of my clothes. Apparently you went naked into the stinky mud.