The sound of snowflakes hitting the earth was my only answer. My breathing quickened, and my heartbeat began to pound so madly, I was sure it would spill out of my chest.
This was my worst nightmare. Emma, gone from me and in a place I did not know. I gave a loud howl of woe, and it echoed across the valley.
Still, my mate did not respond.
I staggered back into my human form, sat on a stone, and sobbed. What had I done? I knew mates should never be separated, and I’d willfully parted myself from her when she had needed my protection the most. Now she was a victim to cultists, and a tool for Gabby to use.
Worst of all, I could not find her, so I could not stop it. Once they took her blood, they would certainly kill her. Emma would be dead before dawn, and I’d cease to care what happened to me after. My country and my wife, both gone. What was there left to fight for?
Nothing. Life did not matter, after all that.
A woman came crawling out of the fortress wall. “What are you sitting there crying for?” she barked. “This is no time for tears! Time is running short, and the eclipse is upon us!”
I lifted my head. Lady Magdalina swept her cloak behind her, appearing displeased… and very, very worried.
“But… Emma.” It was all I could say.
“She is somewhere nearby, I am sure of it,” Magdalina said sharply. “We cannot give up. We will search all of Malovia to find her!”
“Do you think there’s still a chance?” I asked.
“Of course! We can’t allow this to happen,” Magdalina said in a rush. “Droga cannot be resurrected. It would mean the doom of all fae.”
“But how can we prevent it?” I asked weakly.
“By finding her, and interrupting that ceremony,” Magdalina insisted. “Ethan, you’ll come with me. Arthur, get your friends to the place we agreed upon. We’re going to need everyone to be safe, in case the worst happens.”
Arthur nodded. He conjured a portal, and reached out a hand. “In you go.”
He helped Kiara and Alexei through first. I did not know where my friends were going, but I did not care. My only concern was locating Emma, and stopping the bastards from using her blood to raise the dark lord.
“Stay close to me, King Ethan,” Magdalina ordered as we left the fortress behind us. “Where we go, not even the gods dare wander, and only luck will see us back again.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Emma
My head felt groggy as I slowly came out of the trance. Around me were noises… the shaking of wooden rattles, the thumping of leather drums, and the low voices of chanting men. I smelled smoke, and burning incense.
I forced my weary eyes to open. It was completely dark outside. There were trees everywhere. Somewhere in the distance, I smelled the crisp alpine scent of mountains.
Where was this place? I didn’t recognize it.
Other features came into view. Black Claw oppressors were the ones playing the music, singing a malevolent song. Directly in front of me was a stone casket, one overgrown with vines and branches. The grave looked centuries old, completely ravaged by time.
Carved into the side of the stone casket were designs… Malovian runes depicting a warning.
Thou must not disturb this resting place
For to do so would be to incur the wrath of death.
I was bound. Iron chains were around my wrists and ankles. They burnt my skin and prevented me from using magic— not that I had any left to use, anyway. I let out a gasp of pain as my arm brushed against the iron cuffs, causing my skin to bubble and blister. Already, there was blood oozing from the wounds.
There was a Black Claw oppressor on my left side, and my right. As I struggled to sit up, I saw that Lady Korva and Queen Antonia were watching me closely from the trees outside the circle. Both would stop me if I tried to escape.
“You’d kill your son’s wife?” I asked Queen Antonia, directing all my hatred at her.
“I have no son,” Antonia replied coldly. “Just as you will have no father, if you do not comply.”
