“It’s not my fault,” he said. “She smelled you.”
“That’s right! All over you!” the nymph cried, wriggling free from him. “You cheating, lying, imp-hole!”
Magda chuckled.
“You think this is funny?” the nymph shouted at her. “You may be a Rae, but if you think that I’m going to step aside as you steal Kaelan from me—”
“Honey, I told you,” Kaelan said in a strained, but patient tone. “She wasn’t the one who stole me. She helped me escape.”
“Yes, I can tell how she helped you. You stink of her.”
Magda held up her hands, drawing back her blades. “All right... whoever you are.”
The nymph folded her arms over her chest. “My name is Honeysuckle.”
Magda’s throat squeezed, forcing the laugh back down.
“Honeysuckle,” she said, in a measured tone. “I have no interest in your...”—she fluttered her hand at Kaelan—“him.”
The nymph’s huge cornflower blue eyes wavered. “You say that—”
“I’m not just saying it. I’m living it, right now. I’m leaving. And I won’t even cut off your hair for striking a Rae,” she said, giving them a wide berth as she headed for the opening the nymph had made in the brambles.
“You don’t fool me,” Honeysuckle snapped. “I will not allow you to drag him back into your nasty Pixie world after everything that’s been done to keep him safe.”
Magda rolled her eyes. “Wonderful.”
She shot Kaelan a black look that she hoped he understood.Get this nymph out of here. But he just stood there looking exasperated.
She jumped to catch a root at the top of the gully’s edge, but before she could fix her grip, Honeysuckle grabbed her waistband and heaved her back, into the mud. Hero flew from her shoulder before impact.
Honeysuckle squealed, leaping back. “Keep that filthy thing away from me!”
Magda landed with a grimace, the breath knocked out of her, and her clothes, once again, caked.
She stared up at the clouds, now turning indigo as the last of the sunlight melted away. “Why?” she asked the heavens, but as always, received no response.
Then Honeysuckle screamed again, a full, real scream. Magda pushed up on her elbows in time to receive a face full of mud as Honeysuckle splashed by into Kaelan’s arms.
In the gap above, Damion appeared, glaring down at the scene, sword in hand.
“Damion,” she said, extracting herself from the goop. “Are you all right? I was afraid you’d been killed. Riker was taken.”
Damion leapt down, sneering at Honeysuckle. The nymph squeaked and buried herself deeper into Kaelan’s arms.
“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. I sent him ahead while I fended off the ogre. I managed to escape, but I couldn’t find him. I went back and tracked him down into the portal, back here. I lost his trail. I was headed home when I picked up your scent.”
“I would hug you, but I’m covered in mud.”
A small smile pulled at his lips. “I see that.”
“I’m just glad you’re alive. Now we can get out of here.”
“Who are they?” Damion asked, demeanor hardening again as he turned to Kaelan and Honeysuckle.
“We were just leaving,” Kaelan said.
“You fought an ogre?” Honeysuckle said, gazing at Damion over her slight shoulder as if he were the ogre.
