Dark Flight (The Shadow Slayers) (9 page)

“Well…crap. Any ideas? You are a thousand years old—forty times older than me, I believe you pointed out. You have to have seen something like this before, right?”

“I’m familiar with maps of the Shadowland as much as anyone can be. But kingdoms made of will can change in an instant, so a well-made map, like the one Mazeki loaned you, has to be able to change with them. The Land of Desolation won’t show up at all.”

And that left her…where? Staring at nothing but an incomplete collection of lines and squiggles. “Okay, so what if we take the design and keep it in the exact same position as what was on the rock, just to see what happens?”

“Try it. You can always re-plot and start again.”

Kara tried to visualize the exact angle of the Y, then she held the map up and traced the shape over the paper with the crystal stylus. When the tip of the stylus hit the paper, it burned a brown line into the fibers like a soldering iron.

“Okay. There. If I stay with the exact same scale and alignment, with one path from the fawn that ends in two locations, this is what we get.” She held the map out to him. “Do those locations look familiar to you at all?”

Gavin stared at the map with his eyes scrunched in thought. “I think so. Here—” his thick finger stabbed the prong to the left, “—is a rather small region of the Shadowland controlled by Nefren. What he lacks in power, he makes up for in hard living. And the path to the right, I believe would land us on the outskirts of one of the largest mountain ranges in this realm.”

“Okay. So where should we start first?”

“My instincts say you might be safer in the mountains than venturing with me onto Nefren’s land.”

“Is he an enemy of yours?”

“No. I’ve helped him a time or two when he had sensitive business on the surface. He should allow us safe passage. Still, you are an unknown female, and that is exceptionally rare here. It’s not in your best interest to ‘mingle’ with the natives.”

Kara pushed to her feet. “I can handle it. Let’s go.” Facing Nefren had to beat slowing down and being trapped with her thoughts.

“You’ve barely rested five minutes. I’m not taking you back this soon.”

“I feel fine, and time isn’t something we have on our side right now. We need to keep moving.”
I need to keep moving.
“I
will
tell you if I start feeling weird. I mean, I’d know before I was gonna get sucked into the Abyss for staying too long, right?”

Gavin laughed. “Yes. You would know.”

“Fine, then. We’re all set.”

“What if you were weakening and I wasn’t in a position to transport you to the surface?”

Kara thought for a moment. Her first instinct had been to say she’d summon Julian, but that was doubly stupid, because number one, he couldn’t leave the Shadowland, and number two, he was done with her. Next, she’d almost said she’d call for Mazeki, but then Gavin wouldn’t take her for sure, thinking she’d owe the black-wing a debt if she called on him. “Jaxon. I’ll call Jaxon in an emergency.”

Gavin’s gaze scoured Kara’s neck, and he seemed pleased when he confirmed that she had her friend’s charm there. “Fine. Of course, if you get him killed, Abbey may never forgive you.”

She approached him, put her hands at his trim waist and met his eyes. “I’m not too worried about needing to resort to that. I’ve got myself a pretty top-notch escort.”

Chapter Seven

Still using the map to pinpoint the general location where they should be searching, Gavin flew Kara deeper in from where her drawing intersected Nefren’s kingdom.

Though the land beyond Nefren’s border was bright and sunny, once they’d crossed into his territory, they were cocooned under a dark, star-filled sky. That was one of the things that blew Kara’s mind—here the Aniliáre even got to choose if it was night or day.

Gavin swept through the low-lying clouds, gliding over a dusky landscape that was similar to what Kara had seen in pictures of Scotland or Ireland. Gently rolling hills, green and rocky, seemed to extend in every direction. If this was one of the smaller kingdoms as Gavin had said, she’d never find her way out of a big one.

“What are we looking for this time?” she asked, then she felt Gavin’s growly sigh where her back pressed against his chest.

“We’re not looking for anything quite yet. First, we need to say hello and get permission to be here.”

Kara scanned her surroundings, but there didn’t seem to be anyone to ask. “I don’t think they care. Wouldn’t someone have approached us by now?”

“They care,” he answered. “They’ve been following us since we crossed the border.”

“Well, why not stop and get it over with?”

“It’s not our land, princess. Not our rules. We’ll continue on to Nefren’s city until someone tells us otherwise.”

And they flew, the warm, humid air making Kara’s skin feel slightly sticky. She would have liked to relax in Gavin’s arms, but knowing people were following them made it impossible to enjoy the moment.

After what must have been another ten minutes at least, lights came into view in the distance. They looked like torches on the walls of a gray, medieval fortress, but a light fog shrouding the scene made it hard to tell for sure.

As she was squinting in that direction, trying to better make it out, armed silver-wings snapped into existence in front of them, not more than ten feet from where they flew. Gavin came to an abrupt stop, and the strong backbeat of his wings made Kara’s legs fling out in front of her.

Swords drawn, the men glared at Gavin and Kara. With their feral expressions, she expected dirty, gap-toothed pirates, but despite their demeanor, they were Demiáre, after all. As handsome and physically perfect as any other of their kind.

“You’ve gone far enough,” the closest warrior said. His sword was so large, Kara wouldn’t have been able to heft it without help.

“I seek an audience with Nefren,” Gavin replied.

“And you are?”

“Gavin Cross, Lord of the Mercury Clan.”

“Gavin Cross?” another called, sheathing his sword. “Ha!” He approached with a wide smile and slapped Gavin on the back so hard, Kara could feel the jolt.

Gavin hesitated for only a moment, then he laughed. “Declan?”

The man he’d called Declan grasped Gavin’s shoulder and regarded his comrades. “It’s Gavin Cross! The one who helped us by leading the raid on Yeba’s nest! All of our best ladies can be attributed to this man!”

Kara frowned as the men made a loud show of sheathing their swords and coming to greet Gavin, offering their admiration and gratitude for what Kara could only imagine was helping them obtain pieces of ass.

“Oh, the ladies are going to be so happy to see you!” Declan said. “But then, look…” His enthusiastic gaze darted over Kara for the first time. “You’ve brought another female! Is she yours, or is she seeking a safe place to stay?”

The men fell silent, as if waiting on pins and needles for Gavin’s answer. “She’s most definitely
mine
,” Gavin all but growled. “I need to speak with your king. I won’t take much of his time.”

The men seemed much less eager now that Gavin had made his claim on Kara, but she didn’t mind. Eager Demiáre weren’t always a good thing.

“What is the lady’s name? What is her parentage?” Declan asked. “Just so I can relay the information to my sire, of course.”

“That is not something I can discuss here. I’m sorry, my friend.”

Kara had known Gavin long enough to hear the ice freezing the edges of his warm, friendly tone. He wanted Declan to feel at ease, but Gavin himself wasn’t feelin’ it. Not by a long shot.

“One moment.” Declan flashed, leaving Gavin and Kara to wade through an awkward moment as the men darted glances at Kara’s cleavage.
Note to self: no more tank tops in the Shadowland.

Not more than a minute later, Declan returned, all smiles. “The king is overjoyed to welcome you, Gavin Cross! He is summoning his ladies and preparing a great feast in your honor! Follow me!”

The men beat wings toward the citadel, and Gavin followed, his grip tightening on Kara until she had to pull at his forearms to take a deep breath. “Easy, there, big guy. We don’t want to crack a rib.”

“Sorry.” He loosened his hold and gave her upper arm a comforting squeeze.

They flew over the wall to Nefren’s city and landed in the middle of a large courtyard. By the time they touched down, there were already long tables set all around that were practically sagging under the weight of the food and drinks piled upon them. Kara was surprised for a moment at how quickly they’d prepared everything, but then it occurred to her that when a black-wing wanted a feast, he simply willed one into existence.

Nefren wasn’t hard to spot—he was the only man in attendance with wide, ebony wings. He wore a red velvet tabard over a long-sleeved white shirt with ruffled sleeves and belted it with gold braid over a pair of black pants. Clearly, he was going for a theme here.

“Gavine!” Nefren bellowed. “It’s been too long!”

Kara stepped to the side as the black-wing clapped Gavin on the back and pulled him in for a fierce hug. Kara had never seen a black-wing quite as exuberant as this one.

As she watched, ladies dressed in low-cut brocade dresses of every color flooded into the courtyard. Some were still hastily tucking their bits away, as if they’d been busy with activities that had required less clothing.

“Gavin!” one squealed and rushed toward him. She had rich, dark skin and shiny brown hair pulled up in the most beautiful nest of braids, and white daisies adorned her head. Her wide smile was so joy-filled, Kara liked her instantly—right up until she threw her arms around Gavin’s neck and kissed him square on the lips.

Kara’s eyes widened, simply watching as the kiss seemed to go on and on. Oh, that bitch was gonna get it.

“Isabelle…” Gavin murmured through moist lips as he took the woman’s hips and gently set her from him. “Praise the Maker. It does me good to see you happy and whole.”

“And who is this beauty you bring to us?” With a greedy gaze, Nefren took in Kara from top to bottom. “How have I not seen her before?”

Gavin took Kara’s hand and brought her to stand at his side. “This is Kara Reed. She is a young female recently able to travel to the Shadowland.” When Nefren looked as though he might speak, Gavin continued, “She belongs to me and the Mercury Clan.”

Nefren folded his black wings away and smiled, coming to take Kara’s hand. “Music!” he shouted and snapped his fingers, and an entire band misted into existence, complete with flutes, harp and some ornate guitars. A couple of the musicians even looked like…no. That couldn’t be.

A horned creature with the body of a man and the lower half of a goat winked at Kara then drew the flute to his lips and began to play. She didn’t even have time to ponder if she should go willingly with the black-wing or try to pull away. Practically slack-jawed, she let Nefren lead her to a long banquet table.

“Kara will be my guest and she will sit with me. Come, my lovely woman.” He pulled a stool out for Kara and then seated himself at the head of the table.

When Kara turned her head, Gavin was right behind her with Isabelle hanging on his arm. He sat directly across from Kara, to Nefren’s other side, and Isabelle scooted her stool closer to him.

With the festive music and the dark, twinkly sky, Kara felt as though she’d been transported back in time. Warriors and ladies alike dressed the part, and Kara wondered whether Nefren had always liked this period, or if he changed the theme every now and then.

Nefren smiled and inclined his chin toward Gavin. “So tell me, to what do we owe the honor of this visit?”

“Kara and I are seeking…an artifact, and we have reason to believe the next piece to the map may be on your land. I humbly ask that we be allowed passage through your territory.”

“Ah.” The black-wing nodded, not seeming terribly interested. “And your father? How is the crazy old bastard?”

Gavin’s jaw tensed. “Still crazy and still a bastard.”

Nefren chuckled. “The constancy of this realm warms my heart. I would have bet Brakken would have tired of himself after a few thousand years, but he has not.”

“No,” Gavin agreed. “He very much enjoys the same old games.”

“Engus!” Nefren hollered, setting his goblet down hard as he cast a glance over his shoulder.

A moment later, a red-haired man strolled out of one of the nearby hallways, tying the strings on his green velvet breeches. He wore no shirt, which was normal on Mercury Island, but something unseen here on Nefren’s land.

“Father.” Engus nodded. As he walked closer, Kara almost gasped at the bright green color of the man’s eyes. It was like the highest quality emerald, and it looked almost backlit, bright and shining. He was gorgeous. As in, the sexiest man she’d ever seen.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was pushing from her stool and standing to offer him her hand. She was planning to shake, but he kissed her fingers instead. When she looked into those eyes again, she could have sworn time stopped.

“
Kara
,” Gavin said, his voice a rough command.

And at the same time, Nefren laughed. “Don’t be cross, Gavin.” He looked down the table. “Get it? Cross, Gavin?” Artificial laughter broke out all around, and, seeming pleased, Nefren turned back to Gavin. “Engus can’t help his gifts. Come, my son. Sit beside me and meet Kara Reed.”