Page 95 of Wind and Water
Aaran stands an inch or two taller than Liam, and he is dwarfed by the horses, which are taller than the centaurs. He helps Harper onto a white horse, then mounts a black before spotting us and grinning. “I thought you decided not to go.”
A pair of gorgeous grays stand waiting with a groom holding the reins.
Liam stands next to one and looks at me with raised eyebrows.
I jump up with one foot on his thigh and hoist myself into the saddle. “I’m from Texas. We don’t scare easily.” I thank the groom for the reins and wait for Liam to mount.
“I hadn’t been on a horse in years when I got here. I had to learn all over again.” Harper stares at me with her mouth agape. “You look like you were born on a horse.”
“I spent a lot of time on the back of a centaur when I got here, Harper. This lovely beast has a saddle. It’s already easier.”
Impossibly, her eyes and mouth get wider. “Holy crap.”
The road to the oracle is more of a well-kept path. It would be tough for a cart or carriage to make this trip, but perhaps they’re not meant to. We don’t rush, and Aaran tells us about their journey and when they realized Venora could gain access to this continent via water.
“That’s likely why she built her obelisk in the lost lands, but it was dry where we were taken. She’s gaining strength, as is Ciaran.” Liam spits out his name.
“He nearly killed Niamh. Well, I suppose he did kill her, but Rían was able to pull her back to her body. You can imagine, he wants Ciaran dead.” Aaran doesn’t sound as if he minds the idea.
A low growl rises from Liam. His eyes narrow. “I love Rían like one of my brothers, but he’ll have to fight me for that honor.”
“I wouldn’t mind a crack at him.” Harper breaks the uncomfortable moment.
The men look at her, then grin.
“What? The guy is the worst kind of traitor. And he poked around in my head where he wasn’t welcome. He held me while Venora tortured me. I deserve a shot at him.” She sits up taller in her saddle and stares them down.
“By those standards, I should put my hat in the ring.” I give my horse a nudge to keep up.
Eyes filled with regret, Liam nods at me. “One thing is certain: Ciaran Seveline will not find justice in a courtroom.”
My heart pounds and my stomach tightens. I grip the reins too tightly, and the horse shifts until I’m nearly in the bushes. I force myself to relax and pat her neck. “Would a court here let him free after all he’s done?”
When Liam doesn’t respond, Aaran says, “It’s unlikely, but he could claim Venora had bewitched him. If that argument held, he’d likely be sent to the oracle for rehabilitation.”
There’s that growl again. Liam’s temper is far too close to the edge. “He’s not going to be rehabilitated.”
No one disagrees with him.
I open my mind and send my love through our connection.
Liam’s shoulders relax as we arrive at an archway that leads to nothing but rock.
Inside, Aaran rings a bell or something that’s tucked inside an alcove to gain us entry through a portal. I’m too focused on Liam and the diminished bloodlust he’s trying to get under his complete control to see the process for entry.
Once through the portal, we enter another chamber through heavy wooden doors. Liam and Aaran cover their left fist with their right hand and lower their chins in a kind of reverent greeting for the ten elves seated behind a high desk that wraps the circular room.
Everything is white with no adornments of any kind. All ten men and women are dressed in white robes. They stare at me, yet there’s a peacefulness about them that is reassuring. Sconces burning all around the chamber light the space.
“My brother has returned successfully.” Aaran's words are good news, but his tone is grave.
One of the oracle elves appears in front of us.
I stagger back, not expecting her to be there. One second, she was behind the desk thing, and the next, she landed like a brightlight a few feet from us. Her dark skin gleams in the fire’s glow, her eyes are dark, and her stare is direct. She places her hand on Liam’s forehead. “The journey was more than you expected, Liam Riordan?”
“In all ways, oracle.” He steps back from her touch and offers me his hand.
Taking it, I step next to him.
