Page 144 of A Crown Without Mercy

“Yes.”

She tilted her head to the side and images of the life they had lived flashed through his mine with each swallow of her decadent blood.

She gently pulled away and walked toward the cell door that speckled like a starlit night. She waved her hand and disappeared.

Kadric heard a clank and as he pushed on the door, to his surprise, it opened. He followed Myrine through a labyrinth of hallways and winding stairs. Myrine walked through another door and as he pushed it open, an indiscernible aroma washed over him. The forest was awash in a palate of colors glowing beneath the rays of the two silvery moons surrounded by a halo of colorful light. Myrine disappeared before him and he ran, following nothing more than her scent.

He didn’t know how far he had run or how long he had been running, but he came to a sliding stop when a tidal wave of blackness appeared before him like an impenetrable iron wall.

Kadric stared into the soundless void; even the silvery rays of the moons seemed to have been swallowed by the darkness.

“This is where we part ways, my love.” He heard.

“Do not leave me. We can figure something out?”

“You are standing before the veil. Step through,” Myrine replied as she slowly dissipated from view.

“Myrine, where are you? I can no longer see you.” His stomach churned and his heart sank.I cannot lose her all over again.“Myrine!” he stated again.

“I have to go, my love.”

“I beg of you to come with me,” he replied.

“I cannot. I belong here now. I will never escape the shadows. I love you Kadric Armond Orfaedo.”

“What shadows?” Myrine? Myrine?” he whispered harshly. “Do not fucking leave me,” he demanded.

He paced back and forth and reached his hand out, when he noticed a shimmer in the blackness, and it hit some sort of invisible barrier.Shit! What am I to do now?he wondered as he paced back and forth dragging his hand through his hair.

“There is a tear in the fabric. When the snow-crested owl appears overhead, follow her.” He heard.

Follow a fucking owl? Okay, I’m either dreaming or I have lost my fucking mind.

Riordan pulled his stallion to a halt. “We are close enough to head the rest of the way on foot. As they dismounted, Riordan held up his hand and cocked his head; Nicolai and Kieran walked over, stood next to him and tilted their heads; they heard a veritable cacophony of sounds, so continuous they blended into a single withering echo which seemed to be miles away.

“The Faye have gone to war with the Lycans,” Riordan stated.

“All we have to do is stand back and let them destroy each other, and then we can finish whoever is left,” Mordeci replied.

“Sylvana is somewhere in the mix of the war,” Nicolai said.

“How are we going to search for her without either the Faye or the Lycans sensing our presence?” Kieran asked.

“We don’t know if she is with the Lycans or beyond the veil,” Tobias said.

“I assume the Lycans have her. It was their scent we picked up on,” Riordan answered.

“So they have either gone to war having found Dronve or there is the possibility the Lycans have Sylvana and the Faye found out?” Astaroth questioned.

Riordan paced back and forth, contemplating both scenarios. “We will use this to our advantage. While they are distracted, I want half of our warriors to search the edge of the veil and remain cloaked within the mists. The rest of us will search the surrounding areas on the outskirts of the battle.”

“How do we know she hasn’t been caught in the middle of the shit?” Nicolai asked.

“We don’t,” Riordan replied. “Mordeci, Rhazien, and Norix, take your warriors and search the edge of the veil. Tobias and Astaroth, you will accompany us.”

Sylvana awoke in the pitch black, and when she slowly rolled over, she realized her wounds had failed to heal when a searing jolt of pain radiated through her body the moment her back touched the wood. She opened her palms and a soft blue light chased away the darkness, but it could not relieve the desperation and fear gnawing at her. Her mind was spinning in turmoil. She wanted to cry out, to call to her mates, but knew it was of no use. She kicked at the wood and pounded the side with her fist, if for no other reason than to do something, anything rather than lay there and accept her fate. However, it wasn’t long before she was out of breath and exhausted. She slid her parched tongue over the gash on her lip, and spit the dirt and blood from her mouth; she could no longer decipher her tears from the sweat dripping down her face?

She did not know how long she had fallen asleep again when she woke to the sounds of scraping and trickling dirt. She listened intently and whatever it was, panted and dug in the same rapid manner as a dog; the scraping of claws crossing the top of the box scared her all the more.Shit! Whatever it is, it has picked up on the scent of my blood.

---