The Tainted Web (The Godhunter, Book 7) (7 page)

“Minn Elska,” Trevor was by my side instantly but my other men weren't far behind, including Arach who knelt by me and immediately started stroking my hair in relief.

Azrael alighted before me, sword unsheathed and blazing bright. His wings were outstretched to their full span, at least ten feet to either side of him, and he looked like he was about to lay down some angelic vengeance.

“I'm fine,” I patted the hands patting me, waved down my angelic warrior, and tried to look around them at the crowd.

Sure enough, that bitch was there to gloat, probably thinking all the fuss was because I'd already been found dead. The look on her face was something I will treasure until the day I die... which would hopefully never happen.

As soon as she recovered from her shock, Dubheasa hastily backed away and made a run for it.

“
Stop that murdering mermaid!” I screamed and pointed at her.

My men pulled back and turned to stare in Dubheasa's direction, all as one. Then they, and several fey guards, were chasing after the Water Queen and her knight, Azrael actually taking to the sky again. I sat back with an exhausted huff.

“How?” Arach had evidently felt that the others could handle things and had stayed back with me. I was a little surprised by that, I would have thought he'd be the first to hunt down someone who hurt me but then I got a good look at his face and realized he was in shock. Major shock. “How are you still alive? This is wood,” he held up the stake. “You should have been dead in seconds.”

“
Yeah, about that,” I took the stake back from him. “Why the hell would she put a stake in my heart? She knows I'm dragon not  vampire, right?”

“
That wouldn't have even worked on a vampire,” Blue scoffed and I looked up to find him among the rapidly growing presence of my people.

“
Blue,” I smiled. “I think they might have different rules for their vampires here.”

“
Do they?” He looked over at Isleen, who I just noticed was standing super close to him. Hmmmm.

“
Not just vampires,” she answered, her eyes as big as Arach's.

In fact, all of the fey surrounding me, which included the High King and Queen, were staring at me like I was the walking dead.

“A Thaisce,” Arach took over. “What we were talking about earlier, how there is another way to kill faeries. Well, the surest, easiest way to kill a faerie, is to stab it through the heart with a tool made from an element not of their House.”

“
So to kill me?”

“
Wood, ice, or a shaft of air would have worked,” he nodded. “Our House is immune to metal, anything forged by fire.”

“
They got away,” Trevor growled as he fell to the ground beside me, dropped by Arach who'd evidently been carrying him like a stork delivering a baby. A psychotic werewolf baby with a need for mermaid blood. Azrael alighted behind him, sword sheathed but face grim. “They jumped into a lake and disappeared. Are you alright? Do you need Teharon?”

“
I believe my services would be moot at this point,” Teharon smiled from the sidelines. “I can hear the strength of her heart from here.”

“
Yes, he's right,” I looked up at Kirill, Az, and Odin. “I'm fine, guys. Help me up.”

“
But
how
are you fine?” Arach got to his feet slower, looking up  at me for a moment like I truly was a goddess. “I still don't understand this.”

“
Because she's not all fey,” Azrael explained gently. He was probably the only one who could have said it without starting a fight. His voice alone had a calming affect. “Her body is imbued with the immortality of a goddess and you can't kill a god with a wooden stake.”

“
Well, I never thought I'd be so happy that you aren't fully sidhe,” Arach gave a self-reproachful laugh and then pulled me into a hug. “I was scared. I haven't felt fear in a very long time.”

“
Not very fun, huh?” I smiled gently at him.

“
I don't ever want to feel it again.”

“
Find another woman then,” Trevor grimaced at him. “This one has a knack for finding trouble.”

“
Why did Queen Dubheasa try to kill you?” Queen Meara interjected before Arach could respond.

“
She said she couldn't allow the dragon-sidhe race to continue,” I frowned, then shouted, “And she took my ring!”

“
How did she even get it off your hand?” The King still looked all kind of troubled but at least the rest of the fey seemed calmer.

“
I asked it to go with her,” I grimaced. “I think she was going to cut off my finger to get it.”

“
We'll get it back,” Arach's face started to shift, his eyes burning brighter, and the scales on his face spreading down his cheeks.

“
The House of Spirit will aid you,” the High King nodded to Danal, who left in a rush.

“
The House of Earth is with you,” a man stepped forward, crowned with polished wood and emeralds shaped like leaves. His hair was deep brown but highlighted with muted greens and yellows, like the forest floor spotted with sunlight. “She tried to implicate us in the murder of royalty,” he lifted his head, his yellow eyes flashing with distaste. “I will have vengeance as well.”

“
The House of Air shall accompany you too,” a man with large monarch butterfly wings strode forward and smiled. “Just because we'd hate to be left behind and miss all the fun.”

“
Well, great,” I laughed and looked around at my god friends. “Any of you up for a walk through Faerie?”

“
You know we're with you,” Fenrir smiled like he could already feel Dubheasa's flesh between his teeth.

“
And all of us,” Pan shrugged and looked over to Horus. “Right?”

“
Do you not recall what I said when the Oathbreaker asked if we would stand with him?” Horus looked down his beak, er, nose at Pan.

“
I don't really pay attention to what you say,” Pan winked at me.

“
You memorize every word,” Horus looked Pan up and down, “so you can look them up in a dictionary later.”

“
Hey,” Pan floundered for a comeback.

“
But I'll repeat myself,” Horus stepped forward and looked me in the eye. “I have never run from a fight in all of my life and I have no intention of starting now.”

“
We are with you always, Tima,” Fallon nodded to the other lions who were already shifting forms while the fey around them stared in fascination.

“
Well then,” I looked at my men. “Let's go fishing.”

Chapter Seven

“
Oh fuck,” I breathed as I looked up at the towering cliffs bordering the Road of Neutrality that encircled the Forgetful Forest and linked the four kingdoms.

“
What's the problem?” Arach looked from the waterfall tumbling over the cliff and thundering into a lake before us, and then back to me.

“
Vervain doesn't like water or heights,” Odin frowned up at the castle looming above us like a smirking siren. It perched on the edge of the cliff with the waterfall pouring straight through its main gate and around the sides, an overflow of the ocean behind it. “How do we get up there?”

“
There's a path,” Arach nodded to a ledge that climbed up the side of the cliff. “I'm not surprised by the aversion to water, a lot of us fire fey don't like it, but heights? I thought you wanted to fly?”

“
She loves to fly,” Azrael smiled at me, “under the right conditions.”

“
I know,” Arach looked the angel over speculatively. “I've taken her flying.”

“
In what form?” Az lifted a brow suggestively and smoke began to curl out of Arach's left nostril.

“
Stop it,” I growled, cutting them both off. “Remember what we're here for. That bitch took my father's ring and tried to take my life. Are you guys really going to stand here griping over who got to fuck me mid-flight?”

“
You had sex vith angel in air?” Kirill looked impressed and sent Az a raised brow.

“
It was fantastic,” Azrael grinned, “
every
time.”

“
You wanna give him a fist pound too, Kirill?” I narrowed my eyes on my lion. “When did you turn into a frat boy?”

“
Sorry, Tima,” Kirill looked chastised but I caught him giving Azrael a thumb's up. Boys.

“
Are your people ready to make the ascent?” King Cian was decked out in some shining battle armor. With his white hair and golden skin, it made him really hard to look at him.

“
We're ready, right?” I looked at the men hard and they all nodded. “Yes, how would you like to do this, High King?”

“
The entrance to the Water Kingdom is through Castle Deuraich,” he pointed to the waterfall wonder. “I doubt that Dubheasa will make it easy for us by waiting in the castle. She's probably gone deep into the kingdom, which means we'll have to go through the castle and down into the tunnels of glass. From there we can search the Water Kingdom. King Fionn of the House of Air has fashioned amulets which will create an aura of fresh air around the wearer and will allow us to go deeper into the ocean if we need to.”

“
Into the ocean?” I swallowed hard past the lump of fear in my throat.

“
Hopefully, we will find her in the Under city and not have to go looking in Water city,” King Fionn said as his thin wings shivered.

“
Under...Water, isn't it all underwater?” I asked.

“
The layered cities of Under and Water are made up of two parts,” King Cian explained. “The top of the city, the Water city, is open to the sea. It encapsulates the lower city, the Under city, which is filled with air. This allows the fey with air breathing ability to choose whether they'd like to live in water or not. A lot of them prefer to live in air and only journey out into the water occasionally. Queen Dubheasa however, lives in the top most spire of her underwater castle in Water city, when she is not holding court at Deuraich.”

“
Of course she does, motherfucking murdering mermaid,” I grimaced. Yes, I enjoyed saying it. 

“
I do not relish the idea of being under all that water either but rest assured,” King Fionn handed me a smooth cold stone, a hail stone though it didn't melt. “Simply breathe onto this stone of air and water, and you will find your path through water yielded to you by the presence of air.”

“
Thank you,” I stuck the stone in the pocket of my jeans.

“
My pleasure,” he nodded. “I only wish we could launch an air attack but at least I can contribute in this way.”

“
This is a valuable contribution,” King Cian nodded. “Now after we enter the Under city, we shall split into four units, each composed of members from each of our groups, so that we can utilize all of our skills and elements if necessary.”

“
Smart,” I nodded. “Who will I be with?”

“
I'm sure I won't be able to separate you from your consorts,” King Cian looked over at my men, who all gave him various forms of agreement. “So all of you and King Arach shall be together with Danal, a few of his knights, some of your fire fey, some trolls and earth sidhe, and whomever from your lions and wolves that you'd like.”

“
Well, I'll allow my first born to guard Vervain and I'll lead some Froekn with another group,” Fenrir stepped up next to us. “My second born, TryggulfR and my third, UnnúlfR, will lead a unit of  Froekn in separate groups as well.”

It went that way for a few minutes, each deciding which group they'd like to go with, before we finally got things settled and headed up the winding road. Those who could fly, did so, becoming scouts for the rest of us, and by the time we made it to the outcropping in front of the castle, the sound of fighting was already filtering down to us.

“Damn, maybe we got lucky and she is up here,” I ran forward with my men.

There were two doors, one on each side of the outcropping, divided by a rushing river coming through the middle of the castle itself. We took the right hand door, as we were on that side of the castle already and I didn't feel like wasting time by going over the bridge joining the two sides.

Inside, the fighting was almost over but Queen Dubheasa was nowhere to be found. I sighed dramatically and let my shoulders droop. Nope, not my lucky day but then again, I was still alive.

“
They've retreated,” Danal said, he'd been one of the flying fey who'd taken the castle. “We've restrained the survivors and locked them in a chamber. The way to the tunnels is clear now, my King.”