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forty-seven

R af and I fumbled to get our clothes on in the dim light of a dying fire. The cold bit at my nose as he launched us into the air in his pegasus form and we sailed towards the mountains under a blanket of stars.

The first glimmer of dawn nearly brought me to tears with its beauty.

Once the sun was peering over the lake, we were already soaring over lilac mountains, surrounded by the most glorious sunrise I’d ever seen.

We were in the middle of a peachy pink oil painting, full of colors and textures that I hadn’t known existed until this moment.

As we began to descend, cold wind whipped at my face, making me grateful for the fur-lined coat I was wearing. Even with the ice that ran through my veins, my limbs were numb by the time we landed in a thinning patch of forest.

Rafael was all business, immediately barking orders at me once we’d touched ground.

“You can change into your animal form now. We want her spies to tell her you’re on your way—that you’re alone.

I’ll shift into a bird and be by your side the entire time.

If there’s any hint of danger, I’ll be ready. ”

I nodded, trying to find my courage. My body hesitated, still traumatized from the events of yesterday. I took a few deep breaths, closed my eyes, and imagined myself back in the sky with Raf, far from anything that could hurt us.

I blinked and took in my surroundings through the eyes of a unicorn. Rafael had shifted as well and sat high in a tree, tracking me as I began walking towards the witch’s lair. The birds stopped singing as trees grew scarce and a glittering purple cavern came into view .

Sentinels spotted me, standing guard in the depthless black eyes of the skull-shaped rock. As they came down to greet me, I noticed they were different than the last set of men—though they had the same sunken eyes and dull, sagging skin.

My instincts were screaming at me to run, but an even stronger impulse told me to fight . To destroy this place. Dark magic had reigned here long enough.

“She’s ready to see you. Please follow us.” Their hollow voices rang out in unison. I didn’t budge.

They gaped at me, repeating themselves. “You must follow us if you want to see the Oracle.” I stood my ground. They reached out to touch my neck and I reared up, pointing my horn at them in warning.

“What’s your game? Do you wish to see her or not?” They hissed, shielding themselves when my head lowered in their direction.

Out of morbid curiosity, or perhaps some primal instinct, I commanded my magic to break the spell they were under.

A white light shot from my horn, hitting one of them square in the chest. I reeled back, surprised at how responsive my magic had been.

Pure energy shot from me like a bolt of lightning.

He screamed, shriveling and decaying before my eyes.

His sockets caved in first, his nose followed.

Fingers turned to bone, then dust. He’d rotted into…

nothing . The only trace left of him was a pile of white sand and a few scraps of clothing.

I should’ve been appalled, and yet I could almost feel his soul thanking me as it floated away on an invisible wind. Finally free.

“You think destroying my creations will get me to come out? The only thing you’ve succeeded at is making me angry. You shall meet me in my lair or die waiting!” The witch’s voice rang out from her sentinel, now retreating back into the cave.

“ What a time for experimentation, Goldie.” Raf’s laugh echoed between my ears. He’d told me Fae could speak mind to mind in their animal forms, but I still wasn’t prepared when I heard his silky voice inside my head, like he was whispering in my ear.

I concentrated as I sent my thoughts back to him. “ I don’t think we’ll be able to flush her out of her lair. She knows I only have a few more days to visit her before I must pay the cost or die. ”

“Let’s at least try to smoke her out. Fire should clear out anything else living in there too.

” The last thing I wanted to do was summon fire.

I gave a shaky breath and began walking towards the cave entrance.

“You’ll want to use your wind magic as well,” he continued.

“Fan the flames into the cave as far as you can. Use an ice shield to protect yourself. ”

“You’re very bossy.” I resisted looking back at him, but felt his answering grin.

I tried to summon what I knew of fire. It was mesmerizing, unpredictable…

dangerous . There were many parallels between the element and the male who wielded it.

I opened a small door within my mind that I’d locked all thoughts of Galen in.

Compartmentalizing was the only thing keeping me upright, but I had to pull from my knowledge of fire magic.

I was pummeled with pain as I let myself think of him—how easy I’d made it for him. I’d been a doe-eyed fool caught in his crossfire, forgetting even the most basic of survival lessons. Play with fire, get burned.

I stood paralyzed at the mouth of the cave as feelings of Galen rendered me useless. I aimed my horn at the tunnel, put up a shield of ice, and willed my magic to send out flame. I’d watched Galen do it a thousand times.

The tiniest ember sparked in front of me before sputtering to the ground. The witch’s cackle reverberated through the cave, making me dance like a dressage horse as I resisted the urge to bolt.

Crushed velvet brushed against my mind as Raf said, “Instead of thinking about magic, think about the element. What does fire mean to you, beyond my brother? Nights where it kept you warm, kept your loneliness company, illuminated the pages of a dirty book…”

I choked back a laugh, shaking my head. “I can’t. He’s ruined fire for me.”

“No. He’s already taken enough from you. You and the flame that lives inside of you are one in the same—both bringers of light. Darkness cannot contain you or claim you—just like he couldn’t. Take back your light. Burn it down, Goldie. You can do this.”

I wanted to reject his words, but instead I exhaled and let them sink in. Rafael was right. Galen hadn’t wanted a partner, he’d wanted a fix. No amount of love, no amount of magic, would ever be enough. I couldn’t save him; he had to save himself .

He’d done his best to snuff out my flame, but I could still feel it burning, deep inside my chest. I let that small ember grow until it consumed me… until I remembered my greater purpose, beyond Galen. I had people to save and a witch to kill. I had a home to return to.

It was me or her—and I would not cower. Ever again . Maybe once I’d been easy prey, but not anymore. I turned around and walked away from the entrance. Once I was far enough back, I sprinted forward, screaming at my magic to blaze.

Flame shot from my horn in shades of indigo and white.

It streamed out in a monstrous wave aimed right at the mouth of the cave.

I knew it was burning hotter than any natural fire, by the color alone.

The skull seemed to shrink from the flames as I burned through its belly.

I came to a sliding stop at the entrance and sent wind after the fire, pushing it farther and farther down the cave.

First I heard screaming. The shrieking rang in my ears, making me grit my teeth as I held the flame as long as I could. Then I felt movement. Pebbles on the ground began to vibrate. A herd of something was racing towards me.

I broke off the flame and raced back towards Raf—towards a thin line of pine trees that seemed to reach for me with outstretched arms. The screaming got louder, and then too many spiders to count were crawling out of the cavern’s many orifices.

They completely covered the rock with their scuttling legs. Each one was the size of a large dog with shiny, sharp fangs bared, ready to give their life for their master. Some were on fire, but still running at full speed. There must’ve been hundreds of them.

“Flame, now!” Rafael shouted.

I panicked and created an icy wind instead. Some froze solid and bounced back, while others continued towards us, unscathed. Rafael shifted into his Fae form and ran to my side, sending a tornado of shadow at them. Where darkness touched, they disintegrated into nothing.

They were close enough that I could see them in detail now. Some were black with shiny round abdomens and long, stilt-like legs. Others were burnt orange and brown, covered in fine hair, creeping low to the ground.

As they approached, they reared up on their back legs, fangs glistening. We threw up our shields simultaneously. Two spheres of ice and shadow encompassed us, while a living carpet of arachnids swarmed us. Tapping their legs on our shields, they searched for any weak points.

Spider silk clung to branches as they dangled from the trees, finding new angles to terrorize us. Rafael’s shadows weren’t eliminating them fast enough.

“Close your eyes, ” I shouted through our mental bond. Starlight erupted from my horn, cracking like lightning and illuminating the top of the mountain in a brilliant glow. It radiated out in waves of pure energy, before a new round of screaming began.

A chorus of shrieking spiders formed a haunting melody as they began to roll over onto their backs, curling in on themselves.

One by one, they turned to piles of sand.

If starlight broke curses and spells, then the entire herd of spiders must’ve been created by the Oracle’s dark magic.

And holy gods, my magic. I could feel it in my chest, my veins…

pumping through my heart. I felt electrified— invincible .

Raf and I exchanged a look of disbelief. “I know you don’t want to be a savior, but you aren’t helping your case with magic like that,” he said, panting.

The witch’s voice called out from the caves.

“A powerful form, indeed. You may have destroyed my children, but once your horn is mine, I’ll make an entire army.

I look forward to tasting that magic of yours.

It’s been a long while since I’ve tasted sunshine.

You’re not worthy of the power you wield, human filth. ”

Rafael placed a hand on my cheek. “She’s lashing out because she’s nervous. I won’t leave your side.”

A shadow dragon was a convenient bodyguard.

Our best chance of survival relied heavily on him killing her as fast as possible.

What business did I have even showing up to this fight—besides the fact that I had to .

I was not a fighter, but I would become one if that’s what the world needed from me.

And this horn did give me a boost of confidence.

I might not know how to wield a sword, but my magic…

it was unstoppable. And Galen had known it.

The thought made me stumble over my feet as we made our way into the cave.

“Watch yourself, Princess,” Raf murmured, keeping a hand on my back.

Most of the debris we’d passed in the cave during our first visit was now blackened or nothing but ash. Some items were still on fire. I spotted a small toy unicorn burning and used my ice to douse it.

“Superstitious?” Raf asked, picking it up and putting it in his pocket. I snorted in response.

“Personally, I’ll take luck wherever I can find it,” he said with a dimpled grin.

We moved carefully as we made our way deeper into the cave, leaving a trail of ice and vines along the walls. All I had to do was see her in my unicorn form and the cost would be fulfilled. I wasn’t above running if it meant staying alive.

I started to breathe in short, shallow gasps as claustrophobia set in.

Raf kept a steady hand on my back in an attempt to comfort me.

Once it was too dark to see in front of us, I emitted a soft light from my horn and the purple walls of the cave lit up.

We were surrounded by glittering, crystal-like rock that twinkled in shades of lavender and violet as the light refracted through it.

It would’ve been beautiful, had I not been so petrified.

When we began running into thick webbing, I knew we were close. It stuck to my face, my horn, and legs, causing me to trip over my feet. Raf made us stop several times while he methodically removed the silk that clung to me.

It was so dark that we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us and I was afraid to shine my light any brighter and draw attention.

He sent his shadows into crevices and corners, making sure we couldn’t be ambushed.

Panic squeezed at my ribs, making me light-headed.

I was too large to maneuver quickly through the narrow walkways that we now stood in.

I could barely turn around. This was suicide. We needed to move, now .

I sprinted forward in a frantic instinct for survival as Rafael raced after me.

I began to slide on loose rock and screamed, surprised to hear the whinny that erupted from me instead.

Unable to find a foothold, I continued to careen down the steep path.

This was a trap. We were going to die. I somersaulted forward, preparing to topple off a sheer cliff and into the dark abyss below.

Just as I was beginning to accept my fate, Raf lassoed a vine around my neck, lunged for me, and turned us into shadow.