Page 30 of Immortal Alliance

“After I brought her back to the palace, I kept a strict eye on her. I noticed she would fall unconscious for long periods of time, always forgetting what happened each time she awakened again,” I explain, shaking my head as I remember the impossibility of the situation. “But, I couldn’t watch over her each day, everyday as I was king…”

“So?”

“So one day I left her on her own, and I went in search of Dragan so we could meet with Baron and decide what should be done about Variant. We went to the Castle in the Sky and that was when we watched Variant kill Baron. After that, the war erupted. And everything went to hell. I never went back for Eilish because I was never able to,” I confess.

“You were wrong for using father’s spells without any guidance, especially when we both know he succumbed to darkness.”

“I’m well aware.”

He nods to let me know he isn’t finished. “And leaving Eilish on her own? You have some nerve berating me for the way I’ve treated Aima when you’re just as guilty, yourself.”

After he takes several deep breaths, Theren leaves me standing at the center of my bedchamber without another word. I feel the weight of our conversation, but an unusual sense of relief washes over me. My brother isn’t as vile and corrupt as I once thought.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MORRIGAN

The Threst

Fine silk brushes my cheek as I blink against the gray hue of light filtering through the opening of my tent. Variant is beside me, curled around me like ivy, and I press myself against the hardness poking my hip. His hands grip my waist and he rocks his pelvis into me. I smile in the muted glow of dawn, feeling his hand slide along the curve of my thigh. This vessel has already known his possession and yearns for it once more. Part of me wonders if Variant prefers this form over my true figure... and then I wonder if Abedon preferred another to me, as well.

But I shove those thoughts aside and pull away from the angel beside me. He grumbles something underneath his breath and rolls out of the tent. I tug my clothing back into place before I join him. Variant calls for his riders to pack up the camp as I wander through the bog. The waterlogged patches of grass beneath my bare feet squelch with each step. The air is tainted with dank must and the scent of fungi. There’s a dark creature who lurks here, and I intend to claim it as my own.

Water splashes and I peer out from the corner of my eye, catching just a subtle swish of tail before the surface ripples once more. I continue through the marshes, cutting through the fog with care so I don’t fall into the murky waters. Another flash of movement and I raise my hand as if to cast a spell. Great sadness fills my heart as I drop my hand to my side, useless without the magic that once coursed through my veins.

I reach for my sword instead, carved of pure gold and dotted with sapphires. Faint light twinkles off the tip of the blade and the creature who lives here stills in its movements, no doubt sensing danger.

“I heard your song in the night,” I explain. “You seek a rider who holds the same darkness in their heart that rests in your own. I come to offer you myself, for I know little else but vengeance.”

The sound of hooves trudging through the marsh catches my attention and I spin around, aiming my blade for the creature’s heart. Her large, pale eyes stare back at me, and a smile curls my lips. Tilting her head to the left, she regards me with caution. I sheath my blade and offer my hand. Her skin is pure white, slick with the same dew that clings to the blades of grass beneath my feet. Cold fingers rest in mine, but only for a second as the creature steps back and transforms, shifting into a black horse with a dripping mane.

A kelpie is quite rare after the war. I’m lucky to find one in the marshes that surround theThrest.

The kelpie lowers its head in a show of submission, and I circle around to mount the large beast. It tosses its mane and nickers as I click my tongue and urge it back toward the camp.

Variant’s eyes widen at the sight of the mystical creature. “You... captured one?”

“I didn’t have to. I think we’ve come to an understanding.”

“Not many have the courage to ride a kelpie, Morrigan.”

“I am not just anyone.” My tone is harsh, but it’s time for Variant to learn which of us is truly in charge. He eyes me with interest before climbing into the saddle of his own horse.

We ride side by side to the large dome at the heart of the marshes. The dome is made of pure crystal, held together by glistening silver that’s nearly invisible to the naked eye. It can only be seen when the sun has just barely begun to peek over the horizon, or if one dares to approach the army that lays beneath it.

Nearly four hundred orcs and demons guard the sphere, night and day.

“Your army is plentiful here, Variant,” I say. “I’m impressed.”

He shrugs. “I’m not Theren, I don’t spare any expense when it comes to safeguarding our resources,” he mutters. “It’s bad enough we have rebels fighting us on top of Eilish and her brutes,” he finishes. His eyes cut toward me with animosity. If I had even an ounce of power, I would have made him swallow his tongue for his insolence.

I ride toward the front gate and climb off the kelpie. She shifts into her female form and walks beside me into theThrest. One of the guards stands before me to block my entrance, clearly not recognizing me as the Midnight Queen. The kelpie’s eyes turn bright red and the guard drops to the ground, gurgling as he drowns on water summoned by my new companion. A kelpie’s loyalty is something earned through the darkness of one’s soul, and it’s everlasting.

I chuckle as we pass cages and cages of fae. A large door opens on Variant’s command and the artificer looks up from her workstation. The short, pudgy woman glances my way and hurries over with the talisman clutched in her thick fingers. I snatch it from her and feel the power within the artifact as it begins to match the pulse of my heart.

Finally!

This is the moment I have long been waiting for.

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