Sorcha would ask who that was, but this didn’t seem like the best moment to say anything. His mother’s anger was too tangible for that.
With a flick of her hand, Senka opened the portal and stepped through.
Helly appeared at Sorcha’s side, then ran forward, pulling her. “Let’s not get left behind again.”
Tightening her grip, she ran with Helly until they were safely on the other side.
But as soon as she stepped through the portal, Sorcha let go. Stunned by the beauty, she couldn’t believe this came from a group of mushrooms.
Unless someone ate the mushrooms.
I’ve become Alice. That was how it felt. Everything felt larger around her, even though it wasn’t. Harsh white was everywhere. The ceiling, the marble floor, the walls. It was almost as if someone was afraid of color.
She would have thought the fey lived in a green, forest-like settings. This was a contemporary and harsh environment. One that seemed at odds with the…
Cartoons she’d seen?
Yeah, okay. She’d never known anything about the fey other than what she’d seen in anime and Disney movies. And this proved to her just how little she knew.
“Have you been here before?” she asked Helly.
“No. But it looks like what I’d expect from Queen Tanith.” Helly gestured toward the queen who was the tall, slender fey, wearing a crown. One whose hair matched the walls and her shimmery dress.
The same queen who was currently cornered by Senka while her fellow hellhounds were being held at bay by a group of fey guards.
“Where’s my son?”
Tanith lifted her chin defiantly after she finished sweeping a disdainful sneer over his mother. “You don’t question me, beast. Ever.”
“And you don’t want to ruin your dress…with blood. Show me my child. Now!”
Still, Tanith refused. “I’m the queen here. You don’t command me!”
Senka’s eyes flared. “And I stand at the side of the leader of the most powerful Order to ever exist. Would you like me to summon my lord?”
The threat made the queen smirk at Senka. “From what I hear, Luke no longer holds any favor with his father. In fact, I’ve been told that the High One wants nothing to do with our boy. So why would you interfere with a brand-new existence where he’ll be treated like the prince he is?”
“If he’s to be a prince here as you say, let me see him and he’ll tell me what he prefers.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. He’s rather tied up at the moment.”
The fury in Senka’s amber eyes was terrifying. She took a step toward the queen, only to have the fey guards cut off her access with the tips of their spears.
Before anyone could move, Senka let out a howl that belied her graceful form. One so piercing that Sorcha had to plug her ears, as did Tanith.
It caused the guards to drop their spears while the other hellhounds ran down the hallway to the left.
Falling to the floor, Tanith cringed, still pressing her fingers deep into her ears. Not the most dignifying pose for a queen.
Helly cupped her hands over Sorcha’s. “Now you’ll be fine.” She reluctantly let the imp pull her hands away. Even though she could still hear the howl, it was no longer piercing or debilitating.
Beyond grateful for the relief, she gave Helly a hug. “Let’s find Luke.”
They went down the hallway, after the hellhounds. On their way to find him, they passed a number of fey who were on the ground, also holding their ears.
“What is the noise his mother’s making?” she asked Helly.
“The Bale-cry. It’s how hellhounds locate each other when they’re hurt.”
