“There is one thing,” he said grimly. “Unfortunately, it will have no effect on this war.”
He felt Bree perk up, excitement charging through her. Taveon sighed.
“Well, go on,” she said eagerly. “What is it?”
“Sunlight,” he said dryly. “I discovered this when I travelled into Otherworld for Norah and then for you. I could spend less than an hour in that realm, beneath the gaze of the sun, before my skin began to burn. Too long spent in the light would turn me to ash. It’s the only way to kill me.”
Taveon felt Bree’s hope drop. Her one idea for fighting the demons, gone in an instant. The sunlight would do them little good. It didn’t exist here in Underworld.
“Okay.” She blew out a breath. “That’s not ideal.”
“You cannot tell a soul, Bree,” Taveon warned. “If Lord Dagen found out, or any of the others, they would drag me into Otherworld and let me burn.”
“I know. I would never tell anyone. You know that, right?”
He closed his eyes. “I do.”
“So, what can we do?” she asked. “Lead them into Otherworld? If they can’t survive there…maybe we could relocate all the dark fae. Go through the gate.”
“The demons would never go,” Taveon said. “Not during daylight. They would hold back until night fell, and then they’d attack. Slaughter all the troops within a single night. Harsh but effective. Besides…the dark fae love this realm, Bree.”
“I understand,” she whispered. “They wouldn’t want to abandon it. Neither do I.”
Suddenly, alarm jolted through Bree. “Someone’s at my door. I have to go. I’ll speak with you soon.”
13
BREE
Lord Dagen scowled and shoved past her, striding into the room with shoulders as tense as the knot in her stomach. The chat with Taveon had been illuminating. As she’d hoped, the demons did have a weakness. It just so happened to be the one thing that could not be found inside this realm.
How did one bring sunlight into a world of endless night?
“What did you do?” Lord Dagen hissed at her. He snatched her wrist in his tight grip and squeezed the bone. Bree winced from the sudden flash of pain, and hurt pounded in her skull. He’d never before hurt her like this.
She lifted her chin and snatched her wrist out of his grip. “I redid the bond I had with the king. I missed it.”
His eyes narrowed. “I know that bond does more than give you a connection with Taveon. It gives you strength, power.”
Bree didn’t tell him that she already had access to all that strength and power. It had never left her. Instead, she lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “Just a bonus side effect.”
Lord Dagen surprised her by tipping back his head and laughing. “You really think you’re clever, eh? Do you think I can’t see right through you? You’re going to use that power against me.”
He snapped his fingers, and five armed warriors rushed into the room. She scanned each of them, taking in their thick leather armor, their glittering swords, their shoulders covered in heavier steel. Five against one. But it wasn’t enough.
“I didn’t want to do this to you, Bree. We could have been so much better together, us against the world. But I can see you’ll never listen to me. So, I’m going to have to put you in the dungeons, where you’ll be safe.”
Bree’s hands fisted, and she called upon the ancient power that thrummed in her veins. Hair sprouted along the back of her neck and on the backs of her hands. Teeth elongated, jutting out between her lips. Lord Dagen’s eyes widened as he realized what she had planned a second too late.
The beast roared to life from inside her. And then she pounced.
Her body moved in a whirlwind of death and rage. She took on the first soldier first, swiping her sharp claws through his gut. The leather armor did little against her. She moved to the next guard, but the rest had run shouting from the room, leaving Dagen alone to face her.
Snarling, she stalked toward him. A horrified gasp shook from his throat. The whites of his eyes grew as large as the moon.
And then he turned tail and ran.
Bree thundered into the hallway after him to see his frantic steps leading him closer and closer to the door that led out into the back courtyard. To the barracks. A part of her yearned to throw all caution aside and chase after him. The army be damned. She was a Redcap. She could take them on. Thousands of warriors would die, but it would be worth it to watch the light leave Dagen’s eyes.
