Page 9 of A Dark and Lovely Devastation

No, no, no. This was wrong. This couldn’t be happening.

Dagda stepped up to me and held out his hand. “Welcome home to the Otherworld, my queen.”

Chapter 4

Dagdastoodoverme,his hand extended.

The darkness pressed around me, the moon the only light. Near the tree line, two figures lingered next to some white-winged horses. One of the hooved creatures stomped its feet and raised its spotless feathered wings, tossing its head restlessly.

Pegasi.

I was in the Otherworld. The place I’d vowed never to go.

I slapped Dagda’s hand away and rose to my feet. “You…” Rage shook my voice. “What did you do to me?”

He took a step back, his expression less than sorry. “I used Rowan smoke to cause you to pass out.”

“Rowan smoke?” I asked.

“The smell of burning leaves from a Rowan tree will make any faerie lose consciousness.”

I recalled the small ceramic ball he had smashed at my feet and the stench of death in my nostrils. “You kidnapped me.” I drew my hands into fists.

Dagda’s gaze took in the movement. “I had no choice. Time was of the essence, and you refused to come. The Chimera could hold the portal open for only so long, and if I did not get you back in time, it could have taken months to return. And then it would have been too late.”

“Too late?”

He stepped toward me, his dark eyes both entreating and frustrated. “There is much to explain, but know, Morrigan, I did this foryou.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Stop calling you by your name?”

Whispers tugged on my mind. No, not now.

Worry showed on his face. “You must remain calm.”

I growled at him and jerked to the Chimera. “Open the portal. I’m going home.”

My family and friends must be freaking out. Not to mention the swim championships in a few days. There was no way I would stay here and be queen to some man I didn’t even know.

The Chimera stood there, much too serene, hands folded in front of him, reptilian eyes taking me in. “I may only open the portal to the one who wields the scepter. It is the key to opening the passageway between realms.” His voice held many timbres at once.

I swung to Dagda, who still held the burlap sack with the scepter inside. “Give it to me.”

“Child.” An aged hand landed on my shoulder. “Go with the king to the castle. He can explain what is happening to you.”

I turned to the ancient face of my mentor, Illya. He brushed his palm over his long beard, his bushy white eyebrows raised, his milky eyes imploring. Illya lived in the Otherworld, but what was he doing here at the portal? It was as if he knew I’d be coming through.

“You sent him, didn’t you?” I asked.

His head dipped in a nod. “I told the king about the whispers, and he insisted he come for you himself.”

My anger sharpened at his betrayal. I stumbled back from him, the very thing Illya had warned Dagda about growing louder in my mind. “Give me the scepter, now,” I said to Dagda.

His hand dipped into the bag, as if he were about to comply, but then his jaw clenched as if fighting something. He shook his head, his expression growing intense. “If you do not remain calm, then they may take over.”

I had no clue what he was talking about, but I wouldn’t let him distract me from my goal. God, I hated faeries. They were devious, murderous. If there were faeries in the human realm that wanted me dead, how many might want me dead here? I’d be surrounded by them.

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