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“There will come a time when the only consequence of killing you will be regret that I didn’t do it sooner.” It took restraint not to drag her down to the dungeons. The only reason he hadn’t was because he didn’t want to risk Synick and her scheming together. That was what nightmares were made of.

“I want Valeen to get her immortality as much as you do for my own selfish reasons. So let me help. What do we know?”

His left eye began to twitch. In the back of his mind, he knew he could use her to help move this along, but his pride wouldn’t let it happen. The soldier smiled, leading the horse until the steed looked at Varlett, and started retreating and reared up.

“Sorry, Lord,” the soldier began, trying to regain control. “She doesn’t usually spook like this.”

“Mares can sense backstabbing whores.” His eyes flicked to Varlett and then he was off again.

Varlett was quickly in step beside him. “Hel, please. Let me help.”

“Do you hear that buzzing? It’s a fly that just won’t go away.”

She halted and sneered at him. “When you comeneedingmy help, be prepared to beg.”

Magic cooled along his fingertips and slowly crept out. An invisible cord slid around her throat, and she gasped, reaching up. “If I need your help, the only thing I will hear from you is ‘Yes, Hel, whatever you want, Hel’. Is that understood?”

The corner of her mouth twitched but she nodded. “Yes, Hel.”

VALEEN

The library was quiet,the flipping pages of a book the only sound. Katana and Valeen found Presco at the top of the spiral stairs behind his new desk. Compared to the week before, this room was nearly brand-new again. Some of the shelves were still broken and there were stacks of books in the corners on thefloor. He had beakers of colorful liquids boiling on a table in the corner and at least three books open in front of him.

Valeen set a plate of food in front of him. “You need to eat.”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You’ve been up here for days, and I know you haven’t been hunting. You can eat some eggs at least.”

Without further prompting, he took up the fork and shoveled in the eggs, clearing the entire plate in less than thirty seconds then pushed it aside.

Katana snickered. “Maybe we should have brought you more.”

“I am just eager to get back to work, is all.”

“Katana had an idea to use Zythara as the anchor.”

Leaning back in his chair, it creaked under his considerable weight, and he folded his hands on his belly. “That could work. It did cross my mind, but I didn’t think you would want to part with it.”

“I don’t want to, but I can’t think of anything else and we’re short on time. It’s been over a week since the last attack. They’ll make another move soon, and let’s just pray it isn’t an entire army.”

“Well, we should give it a try then. It will need to be in a secure place not easily found.”

“I was thinking on top of the waterfall. There is a stone platform.” The very same platform she pushed Hel from and sent him tumbling off the cliff. It wasn’t easily accessible, and the mountain’s stone would be secure enough and might even be a good conductor for the shield.

“Let’s go for a ride then. I could use a break to stretch my wings.”

River water spilled over the edge of the slate rock, spraying mist all around them, dampening Valeen’s hair and skin. A pixie fluttered around Katana’s head then landed on her shoulder.The colorful little things didn’t usually fly this high and avoided people, but leave it to her sister to be the one to attract them.

It pawed at her blonde hair and chittered something in her ear. She laughed and held out her finger. It hopped over to the end and danced for her, spinning around in a circle before the tiny wings fluttered and it flew away.

“What was that about?” Valeen asked.

“Nothing,” she practically sang, “she just wanted to say ‘hello’.”

“Those things don’t say ‘hello’. They’re mean.”

“How could you say that? She was sweet.”