Page 3 of Vicious Little Vows
Crispin looked at me, clearly unsure if Mistral was being serious.
I shrugged, and he frowned. “Lovely.”
“Hey,” I said, stepping over a fallen log. “At least the old portal here didn’t pull me through into a pocket realm.”
“Silvana is grateful that the one in Emerald Heights did.”
I was grateful in a way, too, even though it had been a harrowing experience. The thought of those elves being stuck in that tiny realm for so long…
They were resilient, I’d give them that much. Especially considering the shadow creatures lurking in the woods. When King Francis first detailed the dark “things” endangering the realms, I hadn’t entirely believed him. Now I did. They had taken the shape of animals in the forest, but what else might they become if they were loosed upon the city? I wished I’d had time to ask my mom about them—she had been the one to sever the pathways after all, and it was for that very reason. But during the short time we’d had with her, my great grandfather wanting to kill her had taken priority.
“You’re wishing you brought coffee, aren’t you? You only make that face when you want coffee.”
I sighed, glancing at Crispin. “I don’t know how you can watch me while walking without running into anything.”
He shrugged. “It’s an elf thing.”
“Here we are,” Mistral announced ahead of us. He looked up a steep rise, at the top of which was a cave. It hadn’t seemednearly as daunting that night when we’d climbed down, helped along by the land, which had been pleased with our… activities.
Crispin leaned in near my shoulder as we stopped to observe the climb ahead. “You don’t think Gabriel would carry me, do you?” he whispered.
I resisted the urge to glance back at the grumpy goblin in question. “Doubtful.”
“Disappointing,” Crispin sighed, then started up the incline after Mistral.
We worked our way up, taking switchbacks where possible. I seemed to be the only one panting, and the only one slipping on stray rocks, but that was to be expected. None of the guys made comment, and Crispin helped me over the more treacherous areas. It was becoming clear just how much the land had helped us last time, including transporting us straight to the cave. Maybe we should have tried that again.
Judging by the angle of the murky sun, it would be dark by the time we returned to the Citadel.Ifwe returned. There was always the possibility that we’d get sucked through another portal, though Mistral deemed it unlikely.
At least all the way out here, there was no one to see us. If someone ratted us out to Elizabeta, the master vampire of the city, there would be hell to pay. She had strictly forbidden us from opening new pathways, and the werewolves of Braxton’s pack were backing her up. The idea of my adopted family turning against me was almost as worrying as Elizabeta’s threats. Perhaps even more so.
And it was a big part of why I was anxious to return to the apartment. Maybe Sebastian would actually be able to reach his sister. She was our best chance of finding my great grandfather, acquiring the Realm Breaker, and protecting my mother.
I wiped sweat from my brow as we reached the cave. My neck was sore and scratched from Ringo’s clinging. Normally hewould run about on his own, but he seemed uneasy being so deep in the forest. Given that we’d first met when I’d saved him from a troll’s cookpot, I couldn’t exactly blame him for being cautious.
Hands on hips, Crispin observed the cave entrance with narrowed eyes. “The magic does feel different here, but I would have missed this place searching on my own. There is already so much… unsteadiness.”
I met Mistral’s eyes beyond Crispin. I had told the elf a bit about the unstable nature of the Bogs, but not everything. Crispin didn’t understand just how dire thatunsteadinesswas.
I jumped when Gabriel touched my lower back, but it was only to move me a step away from the edge. Looking down, I appreciated the gesture. I’d hate to make the climb again, and that was assuming I’d actually survive the fall.
“May I go in?” Crispin asked, his head turned toward Mistral.
Mistral hesitated. He’d agreed to this—it was worth exploring—but I knew he was protective of his secrets, lest they be used against him. He was more comfortable with Crispin exploringmyconnection to the land, rather than the land itself.
When Mistral’s eyes landed on me and he finally nodded, Crispin strode into the cave.
I looked back at Gabriel, who at the very least wasn’t glaring at me, then walked past Mistral to follow Crispin.
It was just as I remembered it, a large stone cavern with glowing blue water at one end, lighting the space. Crispin had already reached the water, and stood peering down into it. I joined him, appreciating the shade and damp air after our long walk. Ringo leaned forward on my shoulder, gripping a lock of my hair like it was a rope tethering him to a mountain. His already large, round, eyes had grown three sizes larger. “Pretty,” he said.
He wasn’t wrong. The aqua glow of the water was almost mesmerizing. I knelt down, running my fingers through it, not nervous since I’d done so before without incident. Where my fingers trailed through the water, brighter currents of shimmering light followed. It was a magical place, that much I could tell, but it wasn’t the overwhelming power of the Bogs I’d experienced elsewhere.
Crispin knelt beside me while Mistral came to stand at our backs. I didn’t see Gabriel, so he must have decided to guard the entrance, or at least, that was the story I was going with. Not that he was pissed and couldn’t bear the sight of me.
Crispin watched me a moment longer before trailing his fingers through the water. It glowed for him all the same, though he had no connection to the Bogs that we were aware of.
Deeming the cave safe enough, Ringo hopped down from my shoulder, creeping closer to the pool, its aqua glow reflecting off his eyes. As I watched, his fur turned darker, matching the gray of the stone beneath him. It was a curious trick of his species that Crispin had learned about, teaching it to Ringo—though it was more a matter of just letting Ringo know it was possible.
