Page 8 of The Mating Quest
When you longed to die, there wasn’t much left that could hurtyou.
“Yes,Ilana?”
Her blood ran cold. Danu, the earth goddess who had created the race of Others, stood before them in a pool of pure white light. Clad in a forest-green gown, she was breathtaking. A nimbus of red-gold hair flowed down past her hips. Her brilliant green gaze was soft as she looked atIlana.
Both Ethan and Ella dropped low, and even the mighty Caderyn bowed before theirgoddess.
Not her. Despite her natural fear, she was too pissed off. She glaredinstead.
Danu looked more amused than angry. “Ilana, you called uponme?”
She rubbed her eyes, suddenly wary, and weary. She did hold the cards, but not with this goddess, not if there was still a chance she’d get her ultimategoal.
“I did. We need…” She bit her lip and forced a humble note in her voice. “I mean, I would like to talk to you. But not in front ofthem.”
Barely had the words fled her mouth when she found herself surrounded by water. Deep blue water, where fish swam close by and eerie sounds echoed in the depths. Ilana struggled to control her fear, calmed herself when she realized she couldbreathe.
Under water. “Where are we?” she asked the goddess, who floated besideher.
“We are two hundred feet below the water, in the Atlantic Ocean. It has been too long since I have visited with my finfolk.” Danu cooed at a mermaid swimming by, whowaved.
Her dark magick granted her much power, but couldn’t give her gills. “Am I finally dead?” she askedhopefully.
The goddess sighed. “No, Ilana. I created a bubble of air around you that is pressurized. Now, what is it that ailsyou?”
She kept her hands folded before her. Drowning was an unpleasant way to die, so she didn’t wish to invoke the wrath of the goddess. Ilana kept her voice quiet and respectful. “You promised me if I delivered the locket that was the Shadow Wizard’s talisman, you would grant my favor. I need a little more time. Not to be on thisquest.”
“I promised you that soon as you delivered the locket, I would deliver to you that which you longed for themost.”
Mollified, she nodded. “Death.”
The goddess gave a serene smile, her long hair floating out around her like wet silk. “In a manner ofspeaking.”
Danu toyed with a luminous fish that floated nearby. “I have a boon to request of you. I no longer require you to secure Caderyn’s talisman. It is safe with Brianna. Instead I want you to join the quest with Ethan and the Wylding wolves. They need you to protect them, for until they gain their powers, they remain vulnerable. Ethan is a good alpha, but he cares deeply about his sisters and he may not retain the impartiality such as youpossess.”
Terrific. The last wolf in the world she ever wanted to team with, and she had nochoice.
She dared to voice the small fear inside her. “Is time running out forCaderyn?”
Danu’s expression did not change. “Worry not about my Shadow Wizard, onlyyourself.”
“So what happens if these talismans aren’tfound?”
The goddess seemed unusually patient. “They may be used against my wizards and help to destroy theworld.”
The old destroy the world gig. Yet Ilana suspected the goddess wasn’t exaggerating. “Gettingthem…”
“And destroying them before the Dark Lord confiscates them and uses them for evil will aid in the tremendous fight we face head against darknessspreading.”
She thought for a moment. Her powers had been insufficient to battle evil until she’d absorbed the Dark Fae’s magick two centuries ago. Even after, she was one woman standing against a multitude of evils. Nothing she did seemed to matter. Yet deep inside, she still craved justice for the vulnerable and wished she could have her life amount to somethinggood.
Finding and destroying these magick items would perhaps bring her the closure sheneeded.
Danu looked thoughtful. “I will trust you with knowledge of the first two. They are the easiest to find, but may be the most emotionally challenging for all. Tristan’s talisman is barely hidden, on lands he loved to roam. I moved it from its original hiding place for safekeeping when his son was kidnapped, for he was too vulnerable to dark forces and the land on which it rests is well guardednow.
“Drust’s has been hidden for centuries, long before he became the Coldfire Wizard.” Danu gazed into the distance. “Of all the wizards, he is the least powerful, for the time he spent as a mortal soul in the Shadow Lands after he died still haunts him and fears for his Lacey have drained his magick. All the dragons know of his talisman and see it as sacred. It is guarded by dragons. His is the most powerful talisman. Drust knows where it is, for I promised him of its power when the time was right, but like the other wizards, he is forbidden from aiding you from retrieving it. He may render you protection before you embark, for you will be dealing with dragonsand…”
“They like to spit fire,” Ilana saiddryly.
