Page 4 of Court of Lies and Deceit

Draven’s expression darkens like an oncoming thunderstorm. “He will now. Or I will burn down this whole fucking world around his head.”

CHAPTER TWO

By the time we reach the forest that marks the edge of the Unseelie Court, I’m shivering from the ice that has spread through more than half of my body, and delirious from the pain killer potions that Isera has been feeding me while we’ve been flying across the continent on Galen’s back. My head is spinning from the strong potion, and I’m shivering so violently that I’m shaking, but at least my body has managed to heal enough of the damage that I can now speak without coughing up blood. My chattering teeth still make that somewhat difficult, though.

Three loud thuds sound as Draven, Lyra, and Galen land hard on the grasslands before the forest. Black smoke explodes across the ground as Draven shifts into a half-shift. He shoots out of the smoke a moment later and flies up to where Isera and I are seated. Since I can barely manage to stay upright, she has had to hold me in place while we were flying.

Pulling her arms back from where she has kept them around my body, she lets Draven pick me up and fly me down to the ground instead. Then she slides off Galen’s back while Alistair does the same on Lyra’s back.

My body shakes in Draven’s arms as he flies us down. He presses me more firmly against his chest, as if he can share his own warmth with me. I let him think that it works and try my best to stop shivering so much. But the truth is that nothing any of them has done is working. I’m so cold that I have lost feeling in most of my body. I know that Draven’s chest is pressed against the side of my body because I can see it. But I can’t feel it. I can’t feel anything except the bursts of searing pain that sometimes make it through the drugged haze of the pain killer potion, and the devastating coldness that is creeping closer to my heart with every passing minute.

“You’re going to be okay,” Draven repeats yet again as he sets me down so that I’m sitting on the grass with my back braced against a fallen tree. “Just hold on a little longer.”

I manage a nod.

For a moment, he only holds my gaze with those agony-filled eyes of his. As if he doesn’t want to leave me alone even for a second. But then he finally tears his gaze from mine and stands up. Sprinting back towards where Galen and Lyra are waiting, he shifts back into a dragon.

Wings boom through the night as the three of them take to the air. Alistair and Isera stagger sideways and have to brace themselves on the fallen log as the blasts of wind their wings create slam down over us. Climbing over the dark tree trunk, they sit down on either side of me.

After the hours Isera has spent holding me on Galen’s back, she must already know that sharing body heat doesn’t work. But she still sits down so close that her body is pressed against my side. To my surprise, Alistair does the same on my other side.

But before I can say anything, fire roars through the air above us.

I gasp as it barrels towards the trees ahead. My heart thuds in my chest. The moment those flames catch, the whole forest is going to be incinerated.

But right before the dragon fire can wash over the woods, the flames slam into an invisible wall.

Instinctively, I duck my head to protect myself. But the fire doesn’t bounce back towards us. Instead, it washes out along the sides of the curving barrier.

My head is spinning, so I have to blink hard and squint before I can concentrate properly. It’s only then that I realize that the air in front of the forest is rippling and shimmering slightly. Kind of like a thick and clear liquid moving against glass.

“Is it just me or is the air shimmering?” I find myself saying.

“Yes, the air is shimmering,” Isera replies. “I suspect it’s the wards that they mentioned.”

“Oh good.” I giggle. I’m not even sure why. It wasn’t particularly funny. But I suddenly want to burst out laughing for some reason. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m dying or high on pain killers.

Alistair and Isera glance at me, as if they are wondering the same thing, but neither of them says anything.

Winds beat down over the grasslands as Draven, Lyra, and Galen hover at the edge of the forest. Opening their jaws, they breathe massive torrents of fire straight at the transparent barrier. The orange and yellow flames crash against it and wash out over the rippling surface. The three dragons simply torch it again.

The flames light up the night over and over again as they continue their onslaught.

Around us, the rest of the grasslands are silent and still. The bright moon shines down from a clear sky to illuminate the landscape in the brief moments between the waves of fire.

The trees on the other side of the barrier are strong and healthy and covered in bright green leaves, despite the fact that it’s winter. As if those magical wards that both Nysara and Galen mentioned somehow keep out everything else. Even the seasons. I watch them, wondering what the Unseelie Court is like.

“How are you holding up?” Alistair suddenly asks.

This time, I do laugh out loud. Raising my eyebrows, I turn to meet his gaze. “See? It’s not such a stupid question after all.”

He winces, and embarrassment flits across his face, as he remembers our conversation back in the Ice Palace. The first time I snuck down to see them, I asked Alistair that very same question. His answer had been a bit snippy, but given that ithadbeen a stupid question, I hadn’t minded. Now, it appears as though he understands why I asked it.

Clearing his throat, he drags a hand through his curly blond hair and then gives me a small nod. I’m not sure if it’s the pain killer potion making me hallucinate, but I swear I can almost see the hint of a smile tug at his lips at my playful jab.

Above us, fire roars through the night in endless torrents. Isera discreetly wipes her temple where a bead of sweat trickled down. I watch her, my teeth still chattering and my body almost entirely numb from the cold, wishing that I could feel the heat of those flames too. She tugs at the collar of her tunic as another wave of fire crashes into the barrier before us.

Both she and Alistair are still wearing those silver garments that the Icehearts made them wear in the castle. Though I suppose we’re lucky that they were allowed to even wear these fancy tunics and pants rather than the underwear-like garments they were forced to wear earlier. But still. I can tell that they would much rather be wearing their own clothes.

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