“This feels different, somehow. Three years ago, we knew who our enemies were, now…now I don’t even know if our enemy exists.”
“Oh, they exist,” she said softly. “But like you, I cannot see them. That godsdamned ward…even I cannot see through the haze. And neither can Cosimo. You have to get inside. Find this prince. See if he has the Triune. Because if we don’t…”
Her voice trailed off, and ice trickled through my veins, cemented by the hollow expression on her face. Like me, Torin stared into the fire, fingers silently drumming on the table.
But for the first time since I’d met her, Torin looked…hopeless.
This vision had shaken her, and she did not shake easily.
I dug my fingers into my thighs, struck by just how fragile the seer looked right now, and by the realization everything we’d built—a realm, a kingdom, an entire world—might fall to an enemy we couldn’t even fucking see.
When I met these people, they were my enemies.
And yes, it took time to realize I was fighting for the wrong side. But I trusted them now. The least I could do was play my part and remove this threat quickly and efficiently, instead of wallowing in my sad little history with Ryland and Varian.
“Go to the Shadowlands, find those artifacts and bring them back. Use any methods you deem necessary. If this prince is drawing his magic from them, cut off his source. If you get the opportunity to kill him…even better. But the artifacts are now our priority. Once they’re in our possession, wewill lock them away so they can never be united again.”
“You believe that’s what he’s done? Combined them into a weapon?”
“According to Cosimo, who has read every ancient text on the subject, once all three artifacts are bound together, their combined power bridges the primal forces of all magic, Fae, human and otherwise. The bearer could create or destroy entire realms, alter the fabric of time, or rewrite the laws of magic itself.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard the stories.Whoever unites these artifacts would be forever corrupted, their soul forsaken to the winds.” I rolled my eyes as I quoted something I’d once heard. “That much magic is too seductive for one person to resist, and eventually, the artifacts drive them to madness.”
“Well, at least you know the risks.”
“Wait.” I sat up. “How am I supposed to get them back without uniting them?”
The look she shot me was nothing short of sly. “That’s why there are three of you. You’ll each carry one item back to Tempeste, keeping them separate so their powers cannot combine. I trust you can manage that, commander?”
“I see you’ve had plenty of time to sort this all out,” I muttered. “How long have you known about the artifacts?”
“Long enough to work out possible risks, but this isn’t common knowledge, and we don’t need anyone to panic or decide now is a good time for a fortune hunting expedition. Once you’re inside the borders, the Triune is a need-to-know situation. Use your discretion.”
“You could have told me sooner, given me time to plan.”
Oh, she could have, but she didn’t. And I had to wonder why the Seer of Tempeste wanted me walking into the Shadowlands blind.
“I’m telling you now,” Torin said blandly. “Find the prince, and donotkill him until you’ve ascertained the location of the Triune.” I opened my mouth to argue and she held up a hand. “I know you want blood for what he did to your soldiers, I know you want to eliminate the threat, but those artifacts present a bigger threat than one want-to-be tyrant. The artifacts first, revenge second.”
Blood boiling, hands fisted at my sides, I bit my tongue to keep myself from screaming about a hundred foul things. This was complete and utter bullshit. The Triune wasn’t real. No one had ever seen it. A myth that only existed in nursery rhymes and fairytales.
And Torin’s visions, apparently.
The prince was real.
A living, mortal threat I could sink my sword into, over and over again.She’d seen blood? Well, I was more than willing to fulfill that part of her premonition.
“Zeph and Tristan will fly you out first thing in the morning, drop you three close to the border, then wait in Mysthaven for your call.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “And I’m supposed to what? Yell really loud so they can hear me?”
“You really are a pain in my ass, you know.” Torin tossed me a small glass globe, the size of a marble, strung on a gold chain. “Use this to speak to them, Zeph has the other one. Communication is instantaneous, so they’ll know immediately if you are in trouble.”
“Is this one of Cosimo’s inventions?” I peered at the tiny thing, a faint, ethereal glow illuminating the center, like an exploding star captured in glass. Not surprising, since Torin’s lover was the cleverest mage I’d ever met, and this magic was impressive.
“These are Bella’s doing, actually, created from witchmagic. We use a larger version to speak to the northern covens, but she created a dozen of these smaller ones that can be transported. Speak, and Zeph and Tristan will hear you, word for word.”
“Was Storme really the best choice?” I asked, pocketing the small device. “There have to be a hundred trackers out there who could get me in and out.”
