Page 5 of Moonlit Guardians

“To the power of the abyss. The Fae King, Theren’s father, never crawled out of the abyss.”

“You’re not suspicious of Theren, then. You’reconcernedhe’ll follow his father’s footsteps through his blood magic.” She lifts her hand and cups my cheek.

I feel the blood of her father sticking to her fingers, but Eilish’s touch is something I’ll never again shy away from. And there’s something in her eyes that holds me steady.

“Thank you for always coming to save me, Dragan,” she continues. “I know I don’t always say it, but I cherish you. I always have.”

“I cherish you.”

She raises herself onto the tips of her toes and presses a kiss to my lips, dry and cracking from the winter air. From the doorway, Baron clears his throat and we separate. I toss Theren over my shoulder, feeling another rush of warm liquid pouring down my back from the wound on his belly, but I’m too tired to carry him with my arms alone. Pyre is more lucid, but he’ll need to return to the Veil soon.

“Heading directly through the desert may kill us,” I say. “We don’t have enough water, strength, or magic to make the journey to the stronghold.” I turn to Eilish, hoping her memories are intact enough to help. “Do you know of any other portals out of here?”

“There’s one across the lake near the location where we came out of the cave. If I remember correctly, it leads to the Dales of Arborel. There was a tribe queen there my mother used to trade with. She guards a portal into the mortal realm,” she explains. “We should be able to get transport from Sori’s camp and ride to the stronghold.”

“What are the odds Variant raided the place?” Baron asks.

Eilish looks at him and shrugs. “Not likely, unless he wanted to go up against a brood of Amazons,” she replies with a smile.

Baron dips his head and steals a kiss from her before helping Pyre steady himself. I hide my grin in the fabric bunching on my shoulder. Looks like I wasn’t the only one feeling a little jealous over Eilish and Theren. It’s strange but the love between Baron and Eilish no longer bothers me—not like it used to. Yes, there are still moments when the jealousy gets me but those moments are now few and far between.

We gather what we need and leave behind what’s too heavy to carry. I have no memory of the dales. Most of the lighter regions of the realms are never seen by my kind.

As we walk, Eilish focuses on healing herself. She applies the techniques Pyre taught her during her training in the Veil, using herself as a filter for the pain and then releasing the energy into the ethers.

“What does it feel like?” I ask.

“Like I’m a balloon filling with air until I’m about to burst,” she describes. “And then I slowly let the air out until the pressure goes away.”

Eilish points ahead to a thicket of thorny bushes, where something in front ripples like a stone hitting the surface of a placid lake. The portal.

“This is it,” I announce. “It’s strange... it feels light. Like the way Earlann used to feel when we crossed through the gates as kings.”

Reaching out with my hand, I push through the thin barrier. I feel sunlight on the other side. Not hot like the Desolate Border, but warm. I step through the portal and a world of lush green greets me.

Birds sing in the trees and the sound of rushing water meets my ears. Plush grass covers the ground and beams of pure sunlight break through the tops of the trees. Fragrant flowers sweeten the air along with fresh morning dew.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper as Eilish and the others follow me. I watch as their eyes widen when they take in their new surroundings. When Eilish smiles, her expression is pure and filled with child-like vigor. I wonder if the dale is the way she remembers it from her youth.

A rustle in the underbrush causes me to turn my attention as a ray of light nearly blinds me. There I see Cambion who stands with a group of women with painted faces and skin as dark asebony stone. He catches sight of his brother and rushes forward. I allow him to take Theren, grateful for the relief of the weight off my shoulder.

“Is he dead?” Cambion asks, his face full of concern.

I shake my head. “He’s alive, but just so.”

“What happened?” Cambion asks.

“That is a question best asked once he’s awake,” I answer as I shrug.

“In other words, none of us has any fucking idea,” Baron adds.

“And Pyre?” the elf asks, glancing over at Baron.

“Will need time and healing,” I respond.

CHAPTER TWO

CAMBION

---