Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (18 page)

Ainessa flashed a smile over her shoulder. Her velvety voice should have soothed, yet my blood chilled with her words. “Stay close. I’ll protect you.”

I sneered. “Har-har. I don’t need your help.”

“Shhhh!” hissed Taylor. “We have a treaty with the occupants of this place, but I’d rather not provoke them.”

Ainessa sniggered while I focused on the path ahead. The mortal realm was so close the magic fizzled with each step we made. Taylor had told us we’d be in the borderlands for less than ten minutes, as he’d chosen a relatively narrow entry point. I could taste the freedom with each breath. Once free of the fae, I would never come back.

“Ten yards,” whispered Taylor.

Shoes scrubbing against the underbrush were the only sounds until a rustling shot out ahead. Taylor held up a hand, which left me in the middle of a step. I let my foot down as quietly as possible and listened for any hint of what was going on. If we were so close, why didn’t we make a run for it? Why stand here and hope trouble didn’t find us?

I’d been raised around animals, so when hooves clomped on something solid, I heaved a sigh of relief. A cow stumbled through the vines, mewling as it got caught. I shook my head. Stupid didn’t begin to describe the nature of cattle. I unlatched the knife at my side and moved toward the thing. A hand shot
out, pulling me back with so much force I lost my balance. Rather than stab myself, I let go of my weapon and ended up on my knees, staring straight at a pair of shapely legs encased in tight leather boots. A chuckle followed a shuffle of surprisingly small feet. Then a dainty hand appeared before my eyes. I shook my head and lumbered to stand. There was no way I was letting Ainessa help me up.

I’d no sooner got my bearings before a whirring pierced my eardrums. I’d never heard anything like it. The closest thing I could compare it to
was a swarm of bees, but this sound instilled a terror in my heart I wanted to drown. The keening continued until I clamped my hands over my ears. It penetrated my flesh, pounding in my skull. When I thought I would scream from the pain of it, a sharp shriek made me want to puke. I’d heard it before when cattle were slaughtered. They scream every time, as if they know the end is coming. This cry lasted only a second, but it was enough for me to freeze where I stood.

My eyes darted to the place where the cow had been and locked onto a flight of shadow. I couldn’t make out a single creature, but the swarm moved as one toward us. My heart froze in my throat, and a scream died on my lips as a hand clamped tight over them. Ainessa molded herself to me, making a vice of her available arm. If I wasn’t terrified of the shadow killers, I would have thrown her to the ground, girl or not. I was no child, and I didn’t appreciate being treated as one.

Taylor lifted a hand as if in greeting, giving some symbol which was too swift to catch. As quickly as they’d come, the swarm left. I didn’t wait to extricate myself from my fae shackles. Once free, I hauled ass to the border and kept going.

The change in landscape was as dramatic as it gets, but I didn’t care. I wanted as far away from the border-lands as I could manage. The mountain pasture contained a herd of spotted cattle, much like the
one devoured by the Alp-luachra. I’d never forget the spray of blood. One more reason to stay away from Faeresia.

I weaved in and out, avoiding steaming piles of dung in my path. My name was called over and over, but I couldn’t stop myself from running. I wanted as far away from the borderlands and those creepy things. All fae creatures were spooky in one way or another. Some came with flashing signs; others snuck up on you and gave you no other option than to
—

Taylor materialized two feet ahead, his turbulent eyes commanding me to stop. I barely had time to register before I bounced off him and sprawled on the grass. My hand hit into something semi squishy. I closed my eyes, anger lurching up my throat.

At my curse, Taylor smiled. “Appears so.”

I wiped as much of the stuff onto the grass as would stick, then eyed Taylor’s shirt.

He grunted, backing up a step. “Don’t make another mistake you are not prepared to handle.”

Shaking my head, I got to my feet. The others stood around with faces on the verge of contorting into laughter. Ainessa was the only one who looked as horrified as I felt. I’d lost it. I was supposed to be part of this team, and I’d gone and shown them how unstable I was. How were they to trust me? I needed these people to find my girl.

A warm sensation started at the tip of my head, flowing to my toes within seconds. My hands and every other inch of me had been drenched as if in a shower. Before I could open my mouth to ask what the hell was going on, I was dry.

The woman a few feet from me inched closer. “Better?”

I frowned. “How did you —”

She gave a sweet smile. “It wasn’t anything special. We all can do it.”

If I wasn’t careful, I may end up liking her, and I wasn’t stupid. She was kind when it served her purpose. If it didn’t, she’d already shown how past feeling she could be. I took a step back. “Thanks. I … we should get going.”

From behind me, her soft response slithered into my heart. “I’d do anything for you, Travis.”

I LOOKED LONGINGLY TOWARD THE STABLES where Styx and Bastion called home. They were no longer locked up and could come and go as they pleased, but mostly, they stuck around. Since Bastion belonged to Faine before me, I’d let go of my claim when she’d come back. I had no idea if Zach took the two with his team, but I ached to catch up.

Styx might have been a Pegasus, but he’d helped me cope when I had no one else, and Bastion saved my life on more than one occasion. They’d become family, and I needed a visit.

Our team was small: only me and Heath with Cassie, Finn, Amy, Lacey, Natalie, and of course, Gibbit. Drifting might be the quickest way to travel, but it had never been my favorite. Even after all the
times I’d done it, my stomach lurched at the thought. There was something not quite right about cells disassembling and reassembling. What if something didn’t make it back to where it belonged?

Heath’s arm came around me before he yanked me to his side. He looked toward the stables. “You want to see if they are around?”

For a moment, I seriously considered it. When I turned to see the others behind us, I shook my head. “We’ve already gotten a late start.”

His warm fingers came up to stroke the sensitive skin under my earlobe. “We have time for a detour.”

I leaned into his touch, loving that he was with me again. “I’ll be okay. We’ve got more people than can fit on two horses, even if they do fly.”

He gave a shrug and pulled me closer. “In that case ...”

The world dissolved as my thoughts jumbled. I didn’t have time to open my mouth for a scream before we were deposited under the cover of thick trees in the dead of night. No one had to say a word for me to recognize the oppression of the borderlands. It wasn’t the place; it was the day to day suffering of the inhabitants. With the promise of reprieve from the curse heaped upon them, I’d hoped the creatures would be kinder to one another, but as it turned out, the only time fighting didn’t occur was when I put a purpose to their lives. Creed could only do so much in his fae form. There were a few of the monsters who had refused to listen to him anymore. He’d promoted one of his captains to commander, and it seemed to help — for a while.

I could change their lives simply by naming them, but what
good would it do with Valen on the loose? Would they end up worse off?

I’d wounded Valen deeply when I stole his power supply. He’d merged his form with so many fae over the years it had been impossible to keep track of them as they emerged from him. I’d been disgusted with the man, but I’d been helpless to punish him. He’d struck a bargain with the father of all lies and was under protection. I couldn’t help but believe there had to be a way to take the man down. As bad as Lambert was, he hadn’t the centuries Valen lived through to become evil. Lambert did evil things, yet I’d seen his compassion. Hope for the man still lingered in my heart, faint as it was.

The others arrived with a soft breeze which stirred the stench. I covered my nose, wishing I could transform this place once and for all. Soon, I told myself. Amy let out a groan before she vomited. Cassie was certainly green, too. Surprisingly, Natalie smiled before bending to help Amy up.

“How far to the border?”
I whispered to Heath.

“Half a mile, at most.”

I frowned. “Couldn’t you bring us in closer?”

He gave a sharp headshake. “Not with the wraith and Alp-luachra stationed at the perimeter.” I was released as he took a step away. “They tend to act before asking.”

A growl ate through the air, followed by another. Yellow eyes shone in the darkness, dotting the bushes like jaundiced stars. I held my breath, partly because it stank, and partly because more than anything I wanted to see one set of yellow eyes emerge from the shadows.

Black as midnight, the shapes stole forward until they were more distinguishable. These hellhounds were big, but not big enough. My heart deflated. Cerberus had kept his distance since he protected me in the war. I’d traveled to the borderlands to see him a few times, but I’d never been able to locate him.

Heath’s arm lifted high into the air, and he made several signs before lowering it to his side. The hounds sniffed the wind, growling, some snapping. I’d learned to shield myself my first weeks in Faeresia. It was Natalie I was most worried about. Hellhounds were taught to track humans who found their way into the borderlands. I’d asked Cerberus to make sure no human was killed, yet I had no way of knowing if my wishes had been observed. I needed to be a better queen. Commands seemed to be followed much better than requests.

One of the hounds stepped forward, but the others stayed back. This one was female. It wasn’t hard to tell the difference since I’d been shown. Her interest shifted from us to behind us.

Something in her stance made me stiffen. I whirled, searching the darkness for whatever it was. A familiar form stood not four feet from me. The last time I’d seen Levi, he’d left with Valen. My hand lit up immediately, power pulsing under my skin like a snake ready to strike.

He lifted his arms as if in surrender. It was no small wonder the man still was in one piece. Apparently, he had avoided our sentinels, but he was not getting past us. The one thing I knew about Valen was he could take the form of anyone, as long as he had absorbed the person’s matter. How
were we to know this was really Levi?

“Don’t come any closer,” I commanded.

He shook his head. “Wasn’t planning to.” Lowering his chin, he bent to one knee. A hand came over his heart, clapping his fist against his black t-shirt. “I made a mistake. Please forgive me, my queen.”

My first reaction was to leave him where he was and continue as if I hadn’t seen him. He’d forsaken us, not the other way around. “Why should we take you back?”

Heath put a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off. He wasn’t going to make this all go away, even if Levi was his best friend.

Levi slumped where he stood. “I’m sorry.”

My voice filled with the venom in my heart. “How can we ever trust you? How do we know you aren’t here to spy for Valen? How do we know you won’t betray us the first time we turn our backs?”

A growl erupted behind him before bright yellow eyes emerged from the shadows. The dark shape parted the bushes, commanding attention from everyone. It took all of two seconds to recognize Cerberus. I launched myself between the beast and the man he was about to devour. My arms caught hold of his neck, and I dangled for a second before dropping to the ground. His eyes were still trained on Levi, who backed up a few paces. No amount of running would save him from Cerb if he made my list. Staring at the deflated man, a stirring of compassion made me think I was being too hard on him. I’d made mistakes, too. Since he was here practically groveling to come back, I’d give him a break. That didn’t mean I trusted him enough to let him tag along with us. I caught Cerberus by the scruff and turned his attention my way. “See him to the city?” A large black head dipped low before sliming my face with his fat black tongue. I patted his hea
d, and faced Levi. “Go with Cerberus.”

Levi’s protest showed up on his face before it ever passed his lips. “Rayla, you can’t expect
—”

“I can expect whatever I want, and you will do what I say, or Cerberus will have you for lunch. Got it?”

“He could be useful.” This from Heath.

I cornered my traitorous husband between a tree and my hellhound. “Don’t.”

Heath gifted me with his belligerent grin. “Being stubborn is not the way to win this war. Strategy is the game, and what better way to ferret out the enemy than to be led by a previous follower?”

I shook my head.
“Too convenient. It’s a trap.”

Levi looked green. “I’ll follow the dog. I don’t want to go back.”

Heath frowned. In a flash, he grabbed Levi by the collar. “What did you do?”

The man let out an actual whimper.
“Nothing!”

I gaped. Ignisian men were as proud as they come, and here Levi was cowering. I stepped closer. “Let him go. The right question to ask is what
did they do to him.”