I laid a palm tenderly on his cheek. “How does one prepare when seeking out a vengeful god who would sooner see us sent to the afterlife than be left alive?” I felt his skin again, moving my hand to his forehead. He wasso hot. “I should go alone. It would be safer for you.”
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “There’s no way in this realm or the next that I’m letting that happen, Princess. I failed you once in that Wood. I don’t intend to do so again.”
Since I hadn’t been lyingto Kole about preparations being useless, and since Kole wanted to stay at my side, and since he was already showing the beginning stages of infection, I knew our time was limited.
If I wanted to save him, we needed to go now.
Kole downed a potion to suppress his fever, and I left a note in my chambers explaining what we were doing and why we needed to do it—in case we never returned—then I mistphased us to the edge of Silventine Wood, on the very northern tip of Stonewild Kingdom.
When the mistphase calmed around us, a biting wind cut into my cheeks, and the snow was up to my knees. Winter hadn’t technically arrived yet, but this far north, it felt as though it had. A few yards away, the edges of the enchanted carpet we’d left behind after I’d found the Wishing Stone poked through the snow.
“Looks like no one has found that or claimed it yet.” I nodded toward the carpet.
But Kole couldn’t seem to care less about the forgotten carpet. He reached for my hand and threaded his fingers through mine as he gazed at the ominous forest in front of us.
A silvery metallic haze enshrouded Silventine Wood, like a dome of gleaming metal. With a start, I realized he had no idea what lay on the other side.
“Follow my lead in there.” I squeezed his hand. “I know how to get the god’s attention.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
I cocked my head and tried to say in a teasing voice, “I see your dry humor has decided to make an appearance.”
“It’s either that, or I let my instincts drive me, and I prevent you from entering.”
“I agree. Dry humor is preferred.”
He chuffed lightly and squeezed my palm too, then we began to walk forward.
As before, an eerie metallic shimmer glowed along the Wood’s border. And even though it was midday and the sun was shining, I also knew that after we passed over the Wood’s border, we could be plunged into the deepest of nights or the brightest of days. It all depended upon whether Diredan, the God of Vengeance, was sleeping or awake and what his mood was.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” The wind ruffled the dark hair around Kole’s forehead as he peered down at me with piercing irises. “Last chance to change your mind.”
I shook my head. “I would never change my mind, not if this is the only chance we have to stop what’s spreading inside you.”
Kole let go of me and withdrew his sword. He held it in front of us just as we stepped through Silventine Wood’s opaque barrier.
Without a backward glance, we entered Diredan’s domain, and the border swallowed us whole.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It was night on the other side. Of course, it was. But optimism swirled through me, and I reminded myself of who we were attempting to contact. Chances were, God Diredan wasn’t in a pleasant mood often.
“Last time it wasn’t hard to get his attention,” I told Kole. “All it took was making him angry.”
His eyebrow arched. “Wonderful. I love making labile gods angry.”
I snorted lightly, then flung my magic out. Similar to the previous time I’d been in this Wood, hundreds of creatures of varying intelligence were in our vicinity, most of them hidden. I latched onto their consciousnesses and grabbed ahold of their essence. Following that, I forced them to march toward me.
A plethora of Silventine wildlings and animals appeared from around plants and vines, out of hollowed trees, and from underground burrows, all of varying sizes and species. They all lined up around us, the Wood’s barrier still at our backs, and every single one of them stared at me, spellbound by my magic.
A part of me realized that I’d used my forbidden magic more times in the previous weeks than I had in my entire life, and I once again used it as easily as breathing.
But this time was different.
I wasn’t using my magic on these creatures at the demand of my uncle. I was using it in hopes of saving my mate, and I would inflict my horrific power on anyone in the realm if it meant saving him.
“Stars and galaxy,” Kole said softly beside me as he surveyed all of the animals before us.
