Page 24

Spinning on my heels to face the man, I shoved my hand into the hidden pocket of my dress and pulled out a dagger. “Leave me be.”

On the other side of the row of horses, a man leaned against a post, his face in the shadows. I had seen him before.

“You won’t be getting on a horse.” He pushed off the post and strode toward me, his hands in his pockets.

“Try and stop me?” Then I saw his face. Kit. Fuck. Fear skated down my spine. Was Thorn right? Did they need me to restore the book, and he had come to take me? “Want to end up like your friend, falling at my knees?” I spun the silver-tipped dagger in my hand. The cool wooden handle was a welcome weight in my palm and calmed my spiking adrenaline. Perhaps if I flicked it at his chest, I would get a chance to avenge my brother after all.

“That was a stupid mistake. He’s barely healed and is probably right behind me. I’m not here to arrest you, so you can put that away.”

I tutted; it was a stupid suggestion. “What do you want?” I took a few steps back, but raised my dagger higher.

“A bargain has been struck. Morlan says I have to take you to the Ruckus, and in return I get from her an item I’ve needed for a decade.”

The old witch was one step ahead of me. I wasn’t surprised, but I wasn’t flying with a Rider ever again. Horseback was my preferred method of transport.

“My carrier pigeon and I await.” He raised his arm out and then bowed like a court jester, but as he straightened, a trickle of fire spread out from his index finger. “Let’s go.” Then all his fingertips danced with flames, and the horses behind me whinnied and pulled at the ropes.

My heart pounded, and my grip on the dagger tightened.

“No.” I reached out my free hand and grabbed the reins of the horse I intended to steal. “I don’t need you taking me anywhere. If you’re not here to…”

“If the deal with Morlan doesn’t stand, then I might as well tell the Barren Riders where you are. You choose.”

Indecision seethed through me. “That Master got what he deserved, and you got the book… I’m a nobody and…”

“Now, about that. We can’t read it, can we?”

I must have cocked my head, which he took as an answer.

“Great, let’s go.” The fire became rope-like and snake-fast, shooting out and wrapping around my shoulders and arms. “Unfortunately, you couldn’t just steal the book quietly, could you? You killed someone the King really, really fucking liked, and now the Elite are all charged with flying around after you during Yule instead of getting drunk.” The flames, which strangely held no heat, tightened around my chest and then moved up over my mouth. “I like our chats, you’re growing on me, but no one needs those mages and witches to come running.”

“How did the witch…?” I mumbled through the warm finger-like flames, which blurred my vision.

“Call me? Those witches can call anyone anytime. It’s wildly annoying.” He shrugged and curled a finger, and the rope of flames wound around my neck like a collar and lead. He tugged me forward until I stumbled and reached out for his arm to steady myself.

He flinched backwards. “Do you know what happens if you touch…”

Of course I did. Everyone did. Instant death. But I raised my chin and met his eyes. They were deep, dark brown with flecks of flame inside the irises, and there was a moment when he just froze. More terrified than I was, and I wondered what he had been through to be so scared of his otherworldly power. Had it really been so long since he had been close to a woman? His mouth parted, and he took another step back.

I had one last card to play. “Morlan won’t keep her word to a Rider, no matter that she’s with one of the Lost ones.”

His one gloved hand snapped out, but before it reached me, his eyes glazed over the way the Riders’ eyes always did when they were talking to their phoenixes. And then he came back to me.

“Ah, so you met Patrik. He’s a rare one who survived. And nice try, but she has already given me what I wanted,” he said and held up his hand, revealing a glowing anklet, much like mine, resting in his palm.

Riders didn’t lie. The phoenix bond prevented it. “Who’s that for?”

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t reply. Someone important, then.

Even though he held me captive, I scanned the horses for the easiest one to pick if I could get out of his grip. I would get to the Ruckus on my own.

A phoenix shrieked overhead, and I used the distraction to try to pull away, but the flaming collar held me in place.

“Stay,” murmured Kit as he searched the sky. “There’s a lot worse than me out there.”

A shadow passed overhead, and behind me, the gust of wind meant a phoenix was coming in to land. I tried to turn and see who it was, but a dust storm was hurtling towards us… or was it…?

“Shit! Now he’s going to kill you, and then the deal really will be off.” Kit tried to reach out to me with his gloved hand, but before he could, shadow consumed every part of me.