Page 84 of Spellbound
She pulled her fingers from his, her face paling under the dim light of the oil lamp. “Lucius will not forsake us. I let him out. He owes me.”
Alexander’s eyes creased at the corners. “We should, perhaps, go to our home in the mountains outside of the barrier until this is over. Just in case.”
Her eyes reflected the flickering of the lamps as fear flashed in them. “He will not hurt us; I am certain. But I had planned to go to the mountains regardless. A fight between gods will cause untold damage, and I choose to be out of the way, at least until they are dead.”
I couldn’t believe it. She was running scared. With her and Alexander leaving off their own backs, I wouldn’t have to hurt Alexander, which was something I’d been considering. Once Freya was gone, which I’d hoped would be to aid Lucius, although that didn’t seem to be her plan at all, I was going to knock Alexander out, then bleed him out enough to weaken him so his barrier spell weakened and I could get out.
I was glad I didn’t have to do it.
Alexander cleared his throat. “What about Eleanor?”
Freya blew out a tense breath. “We let her go.”
“Now?” His eyes bulged.
“Yes.” She looked out the large window overlooking the forest and mountains. “Leave her to the mercy of the gods and the wilderness. There is little she can do now, and the gods are already through the barrier. It is made from his blood, therefore only trapping them. So we can leave.” She closed her eyes. “I can sense them.”
“I will collect my paints.”
“There’s no time,” she snapped, standing. “We will leave now.”
Alexander relented far too quickly. I wondered why they were together, but then I saw it. He would do anything for her, and she needed that. She’d been hurt by men her whole life, and Alexander was different. He was softer, gentler than them, and he would die to protect her.
For him, she was his rock in an ocean of madness. I saw it when he’d slip into a dreamy, far-off look and mutter to himself. She grounded him. Together, they were each other’s lifeboats. I was curious as to what would happen when inevitably one would have to leave the other.
He looked back and nodded as he lifted the spell. The buzz of magic, which I hadn’t even noticed until it was gone, fizzled out. The heaviness in the air dissolved with it.
Freya fled into the night. The white silks of her dress flickered behind her as she took off. Alexander was at her side as she carried him toward the mountains.
I ran to the door, breathing in gulps of fresh air. Howls from demon hounds erupted again. The cool night air prickled my skin as I climbed down the steps toward the ground. Jumping off the bottom one and onto the grass, I closed my eyes.
I sent a magic quill to Naomi first.Tell me you’re all okay - Elle
Within twenty seconds, a message back tingled onto the back of my hand.Where are you?
The forest by the mountains. Freya kidnapped me. She let me go.
I ran into the tree line, which was coated in darkness. Carefully I treaded the underbrush, plants, crunched leaves, and roots as I felt my way through. I felt a message come back, then another, but I couldn’t make the words out in the blackness.
The howling grew closer, and suddenly everything felt colder, like the leaves grazing against my hands and the twigs brushing up against my neck and cheeks as I fumbled through the forest. It was as if the ice was pricking at me. The temperature dropped until fog left my mouth with each breath. Slithering accompanied hissing from the underbrush as something slid around my boot. I suppressed a scream as I jolted back. Snakes.
A hiss of a whisper circled the air, trapped in an icy breeze as it danced along the wisps of moss stuck between branches.“What do you desire?”It repeated over and over until I pressed my hands against my ears to block it. My heart hammered as I continued forward, trembling.
Everything fell into dead silence. A forest absent sound was as eerie as a world without people. There was no scurrying of animals through leaves, no scratching against trunks, or even a hoot of an owl. Fog crept through the trees, freezing the tips of my fingers and frosting my lips until my teeth were chattering.
The disjointed voice returned, caught in the wind as it picked up.“We’re here. We can taste death.”
I pinched my nose when a waft of rotten eggs and decay hit me. Faltering forward, I did my best to block out the sound. Who did the voice belong to? Why was it dropping into winter in the middle of fall? Where was Raiden?
My scream was muffled against a palm when a hand flapped against my mouth, causing a shock of pain to ripple through me. My heart almost stopped as her voice fluttered into my ear. “It’s Thalia. Don’t make a sound. I am going to move my hand now.”
I nodded yes. I was on the verge of having a heart attack. I swear my nerves would never be the same after this—if I got out of it alive.
Thalia pulled me back into the shadows behind a tree. Her voice softened to where I could barely hear it. “Lucius is here.”
“I know.” I felt sick from the adrenaline. “Where’s Raiden?”
“Close. He’s with Aziel, tracking Lucius. We must attack our father before he finds us. The element of surprise is the only tool we have.” Her silver gaze found mine. “Where is Freya?”
