Sparrow was off, running, looking for water.
“Thank you,” Alvere said, head lolling to one side, gazing at me. “I… knew you’d come. I wasn’t going to give her what she wanted… I promise.” He was still delirious, that was clear.
“Here.” Ahmaia was at the bedside a moment later, producing a heavy water-skin, seemingly from nowhere, probably from one of her many ‘pockets.’ She handed it over to Ant who dribbled some onto Alvere’s cracked lips, wetting them. He licked the moisture away and Ant continued in the same fashion, giving him a bit at a time. The poor man drank heartily.
Ahmaia produced bread and slices of dried fruit. I fed my love slowly, carefully as he rested. But really, I wanted to be up with the others. I wanted to punish Merlin for what she’d done to one of the men I love so dearly.
Also, I knew the plan for the team going against Merlin was to try to take her alive, but… if Alvere was cursed, I couldn’t allow her to kill him. She might be able to do it at any time, or it might happen if he got too far away from her specifically. There were too many unknowns, but one certainty: Merlin had to die.
“I can stay here with him, if you need to leave,” Ahmaia said, as if sensing my thoughts.
Sparrow, returning with water, which was no longer needed huffed out a breath. “I’ll stay too.”
Ant hadn’t been at full strength when we’d started, still depleted from his efforts to heal so many, even though that was over a week ago. “I’ll stay too,” he said.
“I’ll be back,” I said softly to Alvere and he smiled, nodding. I rose. “Thank you,” I said to the others, then turned to Midnight and a stone-faced Silence. “Are you coming with me?” They both nodded. “Good, let’s go.”
We made our way up out of the basements of the estate to what we believed to be the main floor. Once there, we could hear the sounds of fighting. Hurrying toward the noises, we passed the bodies of other brutes who’d been guarding the main audience chamber.
We reached the half-open doors and looked through. Before us was a scene of utter carnage.
Merlin was floating in the center of the room, looking to be in some fit of ecstasy, head thrown back and laughing. Below her, mists covered the floor of the audience chamber. Tendrils were wrapped around several members of the party sent to apprehend her, squeezing the life out of them. Skyfire was still up, shimmering wings on her back, though she was bloody and looked on her last legs. Merlin had a few cuts on her — Skyfire or someone had gotten in a few hits — but she didn’t seem affected by her wounds.
To one side of the room a polar bear and a massive gorilla fought, roaring at each other. Hale was losing that fight, which I didn’t mind at all. But it was clear the force who’d gone against Merlin had vastly underestimated her. Perhaps I had as well. Perhaps Hazra, her sister, had been weaker by far than Merlin. I didn’t know. I knew only that I was glad we’d come when we had. Merlin was winning this fight.
I entered the room.
Merlin’s eyes shifted and locked onto mine. The grin that spread on her face was almost too large, obscenely maniacal. “Did you see what I did to your little king? I’d heard he liked it rough, and yes, he did. He couldn’t stop filling me with his seed as I bit and scratched at him. He was screaming my name by the end.” Then she laughed and a red haze of rage filtered over my vision.
She’s goading you. She wants you to face her head on. If you do, you’ll die!Auwei’s warning stopped me from rushing in.
Midnight, already unseen, murmured in my ear. “Keep her busy, and I’ll get behind her.”
“That I can do.”
It seems we’re to be the distraction, so head on it is,I said to Auwei.
I felt her fear, but she said nothing. She knew what needed to be done.
But even before I could rush in, Silence let out a terrible, feral roar and charged the mad mistweaver.
Chapter 26
I watchedSilence leap up at Merlin as Skyfire swooped in, perhaps hoping the mistweaver would be distracted by the raging man.
A tendril of mist snaked up to grab Silence’s leg, then slammed him down to the floor. I couldn’t see where he landed, as the swirling mists had risen too high, but I heard the wet crunch of his landing and the groan of pain.
Skyfire hacked at Merlin, but a shield of mist blocked the attack, then knocked Skyfire away.
“Leave me alone, little dragon,” Merlin said. With a dismissive wave of her hand a cocoon of mists rose up to encompass Skyfire. “I’m done playing with you. I have a new toy!” Merlin was staring psychotically at me as she floated down, toward me. “Come on Legs, let’s see what you’ve got. I’m slowly killing that young man in my mists. Let’s see if you can save him.” She laughed. “Even if you freed the little king downstairs, you can’t save him. He’ll die if he gets more than a few hundred feet away from me.”
So, my guess had been right. It was possible she might be lying, but I suspected not.
She smiled that impossible, crazy grin again. “He needs my kiss to survive, and I’m sure he wants more as well.”
Oh, she was goading me something fierce, but I’d not give her the pleasure of seeing my pain. Instead, even with the trembling rage building within me — myHerogift straining to be released — I closed my eyes and focused on my other senses. I could feel the billowing mists and the many bodies trapped within it, including Silence, who was twitching desperately.
But no, I had to be smart, be careful. It was clear Merlin would be nothing like Hazra. They were both insane, but Merlin was clearly far stronger than her sister. I had no doubt that she’d be able to feel people moving through the mists, which meant she’d know if Midnight was sneaking up on her, so I didn’t know if I could count on the other woman… though… even with my enhanced senses I couldn’t feel Midnight anywhere. Interesting.
