“To our knowledge, only Alastair can harvest souls to be Shadowborn, limiting the speed at which he can create an army and hunt Lila. Though his creatures can still detain her and summon him through the underworld to claim his prize.”
“Okay,” I said, my fingers drumming harder along with my pulse. “Let’s pretend I’ve lured this shadow guy somewhere. What then? How do we kill it?”
“There is no we, Lila Gray,” Laerni said. “Knowing how this creature operates, any who accompany you in a final confrontation will most likely fall—their souls trapped forever to do Alastair’s bidding with no free will to stop his atrocities. This, we believe, is the human’s basis for the realm they call Hell.”
I scratched fingers through my hair. “Back up a second. Why do you think I can take this guy out if he’s such a bad ass? You’re supposed to know and see all, how can I take him out if you can’t?”
The two elves glanced at one another, more evidence of their fear glowing in their eyes. Alogason turned back to me. “There is one who has foreseen your coming, though the outcome of your battle with the Shadowborn is not clear.”
Another damned prophesy? I leaned toward him, waiting for him to elaborate, but his giant eyes kept staring. “Who has foreseen it, Alogason?”
Laernie dropped her head to the side, resting against his shoulder, and his arm slipped around her. Still, he said nothing.
“It doesn’t matter.” Liam shot up and pointed a finger at me. “You’re not doing this.”
“Stop with the macho bullshit.” I planted my feet and shifted forward. “Have you been listening? This thing is stealing human souls to build an army just to kill me and whoever else it pleases along the way. If I can stop Alastair, then I don’t have a choice.”
“Make no mistake, Lila Gray,” Alogason said. “Before meeting you, we did not believe and forbade our sister to seek you out. Now … the potential we feel in your mind will transcend all we know about the fae. The Goddess favors you and has not finished with you yet. Though … the dangers are great. For all of us.”
I waited for more, but he sipped his drink and smiled at me. “What does that mean, exactly? Do you mean dangers other than having our souls ripped out?”
The two elves stood, blood draining from their faces. They bowed at me in unison. “We will contact you tomorrow evening to make plans for your training.” With that, they turned and disappeared into a gap in the roots.
“Training?” I flew up, Gallagher matching my speed to block my path to them. Although he waved his hands in front of my face, I talked around him. “That’s it? I need to know how to kill him now, Alogason! How am I supposed to protect my people until tomorrow? Come back here!”
A sweet song filled the air, my mind, my every cell. The euphoria I floated on consumed me. We all burst out laughing.
My vision dimmed. My stomach did a flip-flop, and I landed hard on rough ground. When the blurriness passed, I stared up from the forest floor where we’d first picked up the medallions. Cool fingers touched my neck. Moments later, my head stopped spinning.
“I really hate that ride.” I cleared the mess of hair from my face. When I looked up to find everyone else standing over me, I groaned. “Why am I always the last to recover?”
Liam offered his hand. I stared at it for a moment before I took it and let him help me up. “I need to talk to you,” he said.
“Not now. How dare she sing us into a bunch of stumbling drunks!” I brushed the leaves from my jeans and picked a stick out of my hair. How could I have been so close to answers only to be jettisoned away before they were delivered?
“I can’t leave with this hanging between us,” Liam said.
“This?” I laughed, half frantic, half pissed, because I didn’t want to cry. “By ‘this’, are you referring to your impending nuptials?”
Nix nodded to me as he and the others
“Okay,” I said, my fingers drumming harder along with my pulse. “Let’s pretend I’ve lured this shadow guy somewhere. What then? How do we kill it?”
“There is no we, Lila Gray,” Laerni said. “Knowing how this creature operates, any who accompany you in a final confrontation will most likely fall—their souls trapped forever to do Alastair’s bidding with no free will to stop his atrocities. This, we believe, is the human’s basis for the realm they call Hell.”
I scratched fingers through my hair. “Back up a second. Why do you think I can take this guy out if he’s such a bad ass? You’re supposed to know and see all, how can I take him out if you can’t?”
The two elves glanced at one another, more evidence of their fear glowing in their eyes. Alogason turned back to me. “There is one who has foreseen your coming, though the outcome of your battle with the Shadowborn is not clear.”
Another damned prophesy? I leaned toward him, waiting for him to elaborate, but his giant eyes kept staring. “Who has foreseen it, Alogason?”
Laernie dropped her head to the side, resting against his shoulder, and his arm slipped around her. Still, he said nothing.
“It doesn’t matter.” Liam shot up and pointed a finger at me. “You’re not doing this.”
“Stop with the macho bullshit.” I planted my feet and shifted forward. “Have you been listening? This thing is stealing human souls to build an army just to kill me and whoever else it pleases along the way. If I can stop Alastair, then I don’t have a choice.”
“Make no mistake, Lila Gray,” Alogason said. “Before meeting you, we did not believe and forbade our sister to seek you out. Now … the potential we feel in your mind will transcend all we know about the fae. The Goddess favors you and has not finished with you yet. Though … the dangers are great. For all of us.”
I waited for more, but he sipped his drink and smiled at me. “What does that mean, exactly? Do you mean dangers other than having our souls ripped out?”
The two elves stood, blood draining from their faces. They bowed at me in unison. “We will contact you tomorrow evening to make plans for your training.” With that, they turned and disappeared into a gap in the roots.
“Training?” I flew up, Gallagher matching my speed to block my path to them. Although he waved his hands in front of my face, I talked around him. “That’s it? I need to know how to kill him now, Alogason! How am I supposed to protect my people until tomorrow? Come back here!”
A sweet song filled the air, my mind, my every cell. The euphoria I floated on consumed me. We all burst out laughing.
My vision dimmed. My stomach did a flip-flop, and I landed hard on rough ground. When the blurriness passed, I stared up from the forest floor where we’d first picked up the medallions. Cool fingers touched my neck. Moments later, my head stopped spinning.
“I really hate that ride.” I cleared the mess of hair from my face. When I looked up to find everyone else standing over me, I groaned. “Why am I always the last to recover?”
Liam offered his hand. I stared at it for a moment before I took it and let him help me up. “I need to talk to you,” he said.
“Not now. How dare she sing us into a bunch of stumbling drunks!” I brushed the leaves from my jeans and picked a stick out of my hair. How could I have been so close to answers only to be jettisoned away before they were delivered?
“I can’t leave with this hanging between us,” Liam said.
“This?” I laughed, half frantic, half pissed, because I didn’t want to cry. “By ‘this’, are you referring to your impending nuptials?”
Nix nodded to me as he and the others
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