Page 231 of The Spider Queen
“I’m not taking Poppy through the Desert of the Forgotten again,” Thane said, his tone dark. “So we’re going around it.”
“That will take too long,” Gabriel complained.
“Do you have any other ideas?” Thane asked.
“I’ll fly Poppy and Thane to their domain,” Auri volunteered, not taking her gaze off Gabriel. “And then you and I can have—”
“Seriously, Auri,” Argentum snapped.
Auri shrugged and smirked.
“We need a mage to ward the entrance to Hell,” Thane stated.
“Where are we going to find a mage?” Auri demanded. “It’s not like any of them showed up to fight on either side. They just kept to themselves and let us battle it out.”
“You know that for a fact?” Thane asked. His voice seemed to rumble like oncoming thunder. “Because the mage Poppy released was trapped in magical binds. Others could still be held, too.”
“I don’t trust mages,” Argentum said, dropping his gaze from Thane’s.
Apparently there was a magical hierarchy, and Thane was at the top of it.
“How does one even call for a mage?” I asked.
“You freed one,” Thane said. “You’re linked now.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Linked to you, linked to a mage, linked to all the emotions that aren’t mine after…”
Thane frowned. “What emotions that aren’t yours? What are you talking about?”
I glanced from Gabriel to Auri to Argentum. They were all watching me with avid curiosity, but I wasn’t comfortable admitting to relative strangers that I’d had to sacrifice Hunter. Grief lodged in my throat when I thought about it.
When you kill a merrow, you inherit their unique talents. Hunter was extremely empathetic, and now I feel other creatures’ emotions.
And you haven’t gone insane from that?Thane’s hand came up to gently rest on my shoulder. The other caressed the back of my neck.
The mage I freed put up a shield in my mind. The shield came down when I died. I found a way to erect it again.
So you’re okay?
I smiled up at him, gripped his hand that was on my neck, and nodded.
“You guys done?” Auri drawled. “You’re worse than two werecats.”
Arching an eyebrow, I let out a chuckle. “Werecats?”
“If you see them in the wild while they’re in heat, run,” Auri suggested.
“Noted.” I looked to Thane. “So. How do I call the mage?”
Chapter 50
I dug deep inside and discovered the wispy thread linking me to the mage. I asked my spiders to carry a message asking for his help.
After the mental letter had been delivered, the mage appeared almost immediately. He looked healthy: his skin flushed dusky rose, his cheeks no longer hollow, shiny dark brown curls. If not for the coldness of his eyes, I would’ve found him attractive. But he’d been the one to demand Hunter’s life as payment to unpetrify Thane. For that I would never like him.
He bowed ever so slightly. “You asked for me, my Queen?”
I balked at the title. “Queen? Call me Poppy.”
