Page 98 of A Bargain with the Fae King

It takes everything I have to stare myself in the face. “Yes, I am.”

I brush past her and race for the pathway she exited.

“Stop! Lia!” voices cry behind me.

But I don’t. I can’t. Not anymore.

“Stop!” An unearthly voice scratches at my eardrums like nails on a chalkboard.

Leaves rustle. Then all is quiet. I look over my shoulder and hedges have closed behind me. My sister, my family, Riven, Sigurd, Katiya…they’re all gone.

A cool breeze blows past my face, taking my fear and heartache with it.

I can breathe again. My heartrate slows.

Win or lose, there’s only one way forward now. I square my shoulders and press on.

Around another turn, the path dead-ends into a square courtyard with a pedestal in the middle. Atop it sits a stone the size of a chicken egg, slightly oval, completely smooth, and brownish-gold in appearance.

My mouth goes slack. The stone hums a foreign tune, sending out little waves that ripple through the air. It draws me forward like a magnet, begging me to take it.

Twigs snap and leaves rustle as the path closes behind me.

Lightning courses under my skin, sizzling with excitement, potential, anticipation. This is it. It has to be.

Hesitantly, I take the stone. An unnatural chill radiates from its surface, crawling across my skin. It literally sings as I hold it. The chiming melody is strange, a tune so foreign I can’t begin to describe it. Dissonant notes war for dominance yet weave a strange harmony that’s both perfectly in balance and skewing wildly all at once.

No human musician could make it. No fae could stand it.

A wave of air rolls out from the pedestal, knocking me back. I scramble to hold on to the stone. Limbs crack. Leaves rustle. The hedges around me shake and waver as their leaves leach of color.

I twist around, fear seizing me by the throat and squeezing tight.

There’s no way out.

Chapter 31

Shit.

I’m trapped in this collapsing maze with no exit in sight.

“Lia!” The fearful cry cuts through the hedges.

Riven. My heart cries out, but only a breathy whimper escapes my lips.

It’s him. Really him. I know it in my bones. I swallow the trembling fear threatening to crush me and cry out, “I’m here!”

The ground shakes. The hedges buck and bend like palms in a hurricane. Dried leaves take flight and pelt me, cutting like little blades.

“Riven!”

“I’m coming!” But his voice is far. Another leaf slices at my cheek. He won’t make it, not at this rate. “Be still!”

“I—” A scream chokes off my words as brown limbs split from the earth like skeletal hands.

No. Oh, no.I clutch the stone to my chest and hunch against the invaders, still trying to keep my feet. The tree limbs arc above me, weaving together. Green leaves sprout from all directions, sheltering me, blocking the debris tossed by the crumbling hedges.

Things crash and crack outside my cage. The earth heaves, and I fall, only to land on cushiony moss. A vine of honeysuckle springs to bloom, dousing me with its calming scent.

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