Page 26 of Whispers of Fate

With no other choice but to agree to whatever this madman wanted, I gave a single dip of my chin.

“Good girl, Momma. Kahleena will thank you for choosing her over the alternative.”

The room spiraled around me as if I’d stepped on a Tilt-A-Whirl ride. Once again, the sense of weightlessness exploded through me, and I shrieked as red-hot pain slashed against my flesh, jerking me forcibly from consciousness.

Chapter Fifteen

Thesoundofwaterdripping against rocks caused my eyes to drift open. Rot, mustiness, and something I couldn’t distinguish offended my nose. Blinking rapidly past the haziness swimming in my vision, I slipped my palm over my curved belly, pushing hard against it to ensure the babe still moved. A soft kick caused relief to flood through me, but that was short-lived when the noise of something scraping beside me had me scrambling in a crabwalk to put distance between me and whatever it was.

Multiple men were perched on boulders, scrutinizing me quietly and smirking at my retreat. I memorized each of their faces as I slowly pushed to my feet.

They were dressed richly instead of in the worn clothing I’d expected them to be wearing. Tiptoeing back, my spine struck the cool, rough wall of the cave we were in.

The entire cave was saturated with powerful magic, overwhelming me until I felt I’d suffocate under its weight. Electrical currents crackled in the air, deliberately dipping to touch the uncovered skin of my arms and shoulders. It reminded me of the warded caves and passageways inside the seelie prison that purposely led you down the wrong tunnel. It meant this shithole was rigged to play with your mind, and I was over dimensions fucking with my head.

“Welcome, High Queen of Faery, though I believe you won’t carry the title for much longer, I’m afraid,” the male sitting between the others announced, causing the men around him to snicker cruelly. “I must say that you’re slightly unremarkable in the flesh. I was expecting someone more . . . powerful.”

“Interestingly enough, I don’t think your welcome is sincere,” I returned frigidly before buffing my nails on my shirt in boredom. “I’m supposed to just believe you have my daughter? I don’t believe, or trust anything I have not seen with my own eyes. How about you send me back before you and I get a lot more close and personal than either of us want to be.”

The area we were in was cramped, and stunk of mildew and animal grease from the few candles burning, and I barely contained the urge to throw up from the array of mixing aromas caused by the lard used. There was insufficient light coming from the small flames high on the walls for me to see everything around me. My eyes weren’t adjusting to the murky dreariness of the darkened cavern either.

“This is the goddess we intend to slaughter?” one man inquired, gradually sauntering closer to where I calmly stood. “I say we bend her over and make the bitch bleed for us as she screams.” He paused in front of me, and I struck my fists into his sternum, savoring his confusion as he sailed through the air and collided into the far wall. The harmony of bones snapping and breaking crowded the space long after he’d collapsed to the ground.

A few of the men shot inquisitive glances between the man writhing and contorting in agony, to where I stood nonplussed by his pain. The prick who brought me here regarded me with an intensity that had my warning bells trumpeting noisily inside my head.

He rose to a towering height that matched Ryder’s. Dark, inky-black hair settled over his brow, and wings stretched from his spine. I unleashed mine, hearing the gown splitting as they spread behind me. Where his were dark and ominous, mine were almost luminescent and fragile in comparison. His skull dipped, and a devilish smile stretched over his mouth.

Power slithered over me, and I shuddered inwardly at the sheer force of it. He wasn’t just powerful, though. No, he was ancient and unending. I felt it to my marrow, and he wasn’t even trying to intimidate me yet. If he could unleash that much magic and power without exerting himself, how fucked were we?

“Delicate things you’ve got there, goddess. Do you even know how to use them?” Then he exploded toward me as I twisted, sending the wings blasting in a rapid motion that forced him to shift defensively to avoid them.

The bastard hadn’t expected me to brandish them as weapons. His mistake. They were marvelous weapons that operated with the same dexterity and precision as me. His gaze hardened and narrowed on the tips of my wings, which had become razor-sharp barbs. Then, his profile changed and returned to a calm facade as if he was finished.

“What the fuck do you want from us?” I demanded in an acerbic tone. “Why don’t you cut the shit and just tell me what your master plan is? Is it that you want war? Have you ever even tasted war? It’s fucking disgustingly brutal,” I offered, planting a hand on my hip while offering him a bored, irritated glower. “Oh, come on. Don’t keep a woman waiting. We tend to get murderous when men do that to us.”

“I’ve tasted war many times. I could tell you what I have planned, but what would be the fun in that? The surprise is what makes it so . . . exhilarating. Not knowing what is coming for you keeps you on your toes.”

I felt his magic probing me just as Zahruk had, seeking a weakness to exploit.

“I’m not really a fan of mysteries or horror stories.”

“You think this is a joke?” he asked in a deadened tone.

“Isn’t it? I just thought that since you were playing games instead of telling me what you wanted, I didn’t have to take you seriously. I, for one, would rather cut to the chase and be told why I’m here.” I spoke in a firm, calloused manner that had his eyes hardening to angry slits of glittering fury.

“You’re here to make a choice,” he informed harshly, forcing me to suck in a deep breath as he sent a wave of power rustling the air in the cave. “And to decide on how we proceed from here.” He flicked his attention to the side before rolling his focus back on me. “Knowing your enemies can help you make informed choices in the end. Don’t you agree?”

“I do. In case you aren’t aware, there are also these amazing things called words. We use them to inform others of our wants, needs, or ideas. They’re rather handy when one needs to convey questions or answers as well. So, if you are as fluent with them as you are at bluster and pomp, then please explain to me why I’m here and what you want. I tire of repeating myself.”

His power turned horrifyingly intense. I blinked as the wind bit at my flesh and caused my eyes to water. The candles flickered but remained lit, bathing the space in dreary lighting. Aerokinesis was rare, but not unheard of. The fear that was sinking into my mind, making my adrenaline spike, wasn’t my own, but I was struggling to remember that. However, I believed I’d just found the sources of the storm enshrouding Faery.

He tilted his dark head, once more aiming his soft curious gaze on my wings. I shimmered, and they vanished without difficulty.

“How is it you and your insufferable king both have wings, but your dainty little daughter doesn’t?” he inquired with humor dancing in his silvery stare.

“She’s not a goddess, fuck-head,” I explained, circling him as he did the same, examining me with intrigue burning in his bottomless depths. We continued moving, both of us continuing in a wide circle while keeping the other in sight. He lurched, and I sidestepped him before kicking his knee hard enough to send him sprawling forward. As he dropped, I sent an elbow into the back of his head.

“You forced me to come here? For what exactly? To watch your tongue wagging aimlessly with your pathetic threats? Or so you could insult me? I don’t play nicely with jackasses and I don’t have time to coddle fools who think they’re something special. If that is why you forced me here, we’re finished.”

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