“Uhhh, on Blue Moon’s back?” I peered around, squinting in the darkness. My eyes had adjusted, but the night mares had way better night vision than I did. “I can see the barrier over the tree tops, and we rode due east from the castle.”
“Good. Any concerns?”
“Nope. Unless you count dive-bombing pigeon-raccoon-griffins—do you think I should call them piffins, or piggins?”
“I have heard some of the guards refer to them as trash griffins,” Chase said.
“Yuck, I’m not referring to them as trash!”
“Because you intend to turn them into pets?”
“I don’t know. They puke too much for me to really want to bring them inside the mansion.”
“I see. Any other concerns?”
“Nah. My lesson went well, all in all I’m pretty psyched. Another fifteen minutes, and the night mares and I will come on back.”
“Excellent,” Chase said. “I’ll have a team waiting for—”
A rumbling noise rolled over the land—it was loud, like crashing rocks.
The night mares threw their heads and shrieked—though Blue Moon very thoughtfully refrained from moving.
“Shoot—the wards,” I cursed.
“What’s going on?” Chase asked.
“The wards are failing—the realm is going to shrink if I can’t supplement its power. I’ll call you back!”
“Wait, Queen Leila—”
I ignored Chase and ended the call, then crammed the phone back in my pocket. “Get me to the barrier,” I shouted to the night mares as I shortened my reins.
The magical equines bolted, moving like shadows.
I had to hold on for dear life and trust the night mares as they galloped at their top speed. I closed my eyes from the whipping wind, and I clamped my legs around Blue Moon’s sides.
When I felt the gelding start to slow down, I started blinking, trying to clear my vision. I flung myself off his back before he came to a complete stop and landed with a stagger.
My sense of direction was swirling because we’d left the trees far behind and popped out in what looked like a long-abandoned farm field, but I saw the one thing that mattered most: the wards.
Constructed of pale yellow magic held together by the fae symbols and letters burnt into it, the ward marked the Night Realm’s property line. The symbols and letters were the bones of the massive spell previous generations had cast to keep back the toxic force that had torn through the fae realm and ravaged its lands.
I don’t know if it was because so many years had passed, or because magic was dying off, but the ward spell weakened occasionally, and the toxic forces outside pushed it in, claiming precious acreage and laying waste to it.
Even now, through the barrier, I could see the continuation of the farm field into the toxic area.
The soil on the other side of the barrier looked gray, and as dry as dust. The air was hazy and clouded with smoke. There was no plant life, only destruction.
“Astrum!” I shouted, making my prism ignite with magic.
Because of all the frequent attacks, I’d taken a leather bracelet and used it to tie the crystal to the underside of my wrist—that way I wouldn’t have to bother pulling it out since it just needed contact with my skin to be used.
Normally, I’d have been pretty psyched that it worked, but the stakes were too high for me to give it more than a split thought.
The night mares shrieked behind me as I started pouring magic into the wards.
Since the barrier’s spell was intact, all I had to do was add my power to it, strengthening it as the spell weakened and sputtered.
