Page 54 of Taloned Heart

Magic flooded through her body and into her corporeal form. She felt her hands sharpen, strengthen, become something new. And with one sharp jab, she shoved her hand through the guard’s body and wrapped her fingers around his still beating heart.

She could feel it. The warmth and the movement as it thundered against her palm.

She didn’t need to see his face. The guard froze as though he knew something was terribly wrong. And then she felt him realize she was behind him. He turned his head slowly, his eyes seeing nothing but knowing she was there.

Lore leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Are you so sure a goddess won’t save him?”

Before the guard could croak a response, she squeezed his heart. He let out a gasp and tried to claw at his own chest, but he could not stop her from squeezing the thundering muscle into a still, silent, mush.

He dropped onto the floor in front of Zephyr, dead with blood leaking out of his nose. It was a shame she couldn’t do more. She’d like to kick the body away from Zephyr.

But then the power whispered she could. So she did. She kicked his body all the way to the edge of the cell where he would rot for all eternity if she had her way.

“Lore?” Zephyr gasped, his voice hoarse and hopeful. “It is you, isn’t it?”

She replied, “Of course it is.”

And though her voice rang true and clear in the room, she still wasn’t sure if he’d heard her. But perhaps he didn’t need to. Because Zephyr still smiled and then bared his own teeth at the body.

His fight was back. His hope had returned, and that was all she could ever ask for from the young man who had trusted her. Believed in her. So few had done that, and she would reward him in every way possible.

She’d overstayed her welcome, and that dead body would raise questions. For now, all she could do was wave a hand and conjure a mimic to stand in front of the cell. It wasn’t much of a spell, hopefully not enough to make Margaret wonder why there were spells cast in her dungeon. But the other one? The one that she’d used to kill the man?

Margaret would soon know that all her guards hadn’t been so useful to keep them away from her captured prince.

Lore had run out of time. They all had. They needed to get Zephyr out of here as quickly as possible, and then they needed to flee again. Time was no longer on their side.

Bending down, she pressed a kiss to his forehead and promised him they would return quickly. “Just a little longer,” she said before fading back into her body. “Tomorrow, Zephyr. Tomorrow we will find you.”

And as her soul slammed back into her body, she drew a deep gasping breath and opened her eyes.

Beauty and Abraxas stood before her, staring down at her body with hope in both their eyes as well. “I found him,” she said. “We’ve run out of time. We leave now.”

Her two companions eyed each other and then looked back at her. “Are you sure?” Abraxas asked. “You didn’t want to rush anything just moments ago.”

“I didn’t then, I don’t now.” She leapt upright and raced toward their weapons. “And then I killed a man for touching him. Rash, I know, but it’s time to get him. Get ready.”

“Now that’s the Lore I know!” Beauty crowed before rushing to get her own weapon.

CHAPTER21

Abraxas wasn’t a fan of plans that weren’t iron tight. He knew there were a million ways for this to go wrong, namely that they’d already let Margaret know where they were. The elf would anticipate that they were coming for Zephyr, and considering the magical handprint that Lore had left behind inside Solis Occasum?

They would have little time at all to save their friend.

But Lore was adamant that this was their only opportunity. She was frantic as they packed, muttering under her breath about all the weapons they would need. She barely even saw Abraxas and Beauty as she swept past them, her gaze turned inward. As though she had done something wrong and couldn’t quite look them in the eye.

He hated it. He didn’t know how to fix this, though. They were all very aware that Zephyr’s time was limited. And if Lore thought this was the only way to save him, then... he didn’t know how to question her about that.

Sighing, Abraxas made his way out of the tunnel, following the two women who were already bickering again.

“I’m going,” Beauty said, glaring at Lore as if hoping her eyes might set the elf on fire. “You can’t say that I cannot come with you to save him. He will need me.”

“He will,” Lore agreed, adjusting the strap on her shoulder and ignoring that Beauty was glaring. “But that will not happen right now. He won’t even be conscious when we get there if I’m right.”

“Why wouldn’t he be conscious? What did you do?”

“What I had to do for him to stay alive. They won’t kill him outright, but I had to... Look, I don’t have time to explain myself to you, Beauty. We have to go. Now.”

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