Page 22 of Night Fae (Monsters of Veridia #3)

"Yes." Daniel didn't look as relieved as Adrian. Malik could guess why; his brother had still not been found.

Caelen seemed aware of his mate's troubles too. He moved next to Daniel, rested a hand on his shoulder, and whispered something into his ear that seemed to relax him slightly.

They had to wait a good little while before the doors opened again.

Two guards entered, supporting a figure between them whose aquamarine hair was unmistakable despite being matted with what looked like dried blood. Lyrian's clothes were torn, his face bruised, but his eyes were alert as they scanned the room.

"Never thought I'd say this—" his voice was raspy but unmistakably his, "—but I'm so glad to have made it to the Shadow Kingdom."

Knox moved first, crossing the room in swift strides to clasp Lyrian's shoulder. "What happened to you?"

The guards helped Lyrian to a chair. He collapsed into it gratefully, wincing as he shifted to find a comfortable position.

"I ended up near my grandmother's territory, thank the gods. Her prophetic powers told her I needed to go to the Shadow Kingdom…" He hesitated. Malik understood why.

From the web novel, he knew that Lyrian's grandmother commanded great power—every once in a while, when she wasn't high on moon berries, which she was most of the time.

It could be difficult to tell if she was speaking prophecy or if she was just having a really good trip.

Lyrian gathered himself. "I was right to trust her words this time, it seems, but on my way here, I ran into a bit of trouble with the Night Court."

Zev cut in. "What did they want with you?"

Lyrian shook his head. "They weren't looking for me specifically, but I saw them hunting humans and had to intervene."

"Hunting humans?" Daniel shot up from his seat.

Lyrian nodded grimly. "Not just any humans. Specifically, those who've crossed over from Earth recently."

Zev's hand came to rest on the back of Malik's chair, fingers just brushing his shoulder. The touch seemed unconscious, a protective gesture that sent warmth through Malik despite the chilling news.

"They mentioned you by name," Lyrian said, looking directly at Malik. "They want you and humans like you."

Malik felt the blood drain from his face. "Why?"

"I don't know," Lyrian admitted.

"Why target humans from Earth?" Adrian wondered aloud.

They all speculated while dark thoughts formed in Malik's mind. He flashed back to the moment his hand had been forced to touch the shadow path.

The Night Court had used him to experiment.

What had they found?

Malik looked at the pattern on the map again. "Maybe they need us," he said. "For some kind of ritual. Maybe it's exactly because we crossed over from the other side."

Silence fell as the implications sank in.

"We need to find Jamie and Leon," Daniel said finally. "If the Night Court is hunting humans from Earth..."

"We'll find them," Caelen assured him, squeezing Daniel's shoulder.

Malik looked up at Zev, whose expression had transformed into the cold mask of the assassin once more. Their eyes met briefly, and in that moment, Malik saw something fierce and resolute flash in Zev's violet gaze.

"They won't take you again," Zev said, his voice low enough that only Malik could hear. "I won't let them."

Lyrian shifted uncomfortably in his chair, wincing as he did so. His eyes darted between the faces around the table, finally settling on Knox.

"There's something else," he said, his voice dropping. "Something my grandmother told me. About Leon."

Daniel sounded hopeful. "You know where he is?"

Lyrian hesitated, his usually confident demeanor faltering. "She saw him in one of her visions. He's... he's with Yuri."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

"What do you mean 'with Yuri'?" Daniel demanded.

Lyrian's fingers tightened around the armrests of his chair. "According to my grandmother, Leon is working with him. Willingly."

"That's impossible," Daniel protested immediately. "Leon would never?—"

"Are you certain of this?" Caelen interrupted, his gaze sharp on Lyrian.

"I was hoping she was wrong," Lyrian said. "But she wasn't wrong about all of us gathering here."

Zev moved from behind Malik's chair, his expression hardening. "So what you're saying is that Leon is conspiring with the enemy."

Of course Zev jumped straight to suspicion. Malik couldn't let that stand. "We don't know that," he countered. "Yuri could be manipulating him somehow."

Adrian agreed. "Malik's right. We shouldn't judge so quickly."

Knox turned to Lyrian, his voice calm in spite of the tension building in the room. "Did your grandmother say where they were going?"

Lyrian's expression remained grim. "The Fields of Memories."

Daniel gasped. "Wait—the Fields of Memories?"

Malik felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered reading about those. "The place where shadow paths spill into the open air..."

A place where memories became real—at least to the person immersed in them. Malik had tried to imagine once or twice what it would be like to go there and interact with his dead loved ones again.

The novel warned against the place because everyone who went descended into madness. But Malik always wondered if it was the happy sort of madness.

Caelen studied the maps before him. "The Fields of Memories sit at the border between my kingdom and Night Court territory. They're considered neutral ground—or perhaps more accurately, no-man's-land."

"Why would Yuri take Leon there?" Adrian asked. "It sounds incredibly dangerous."

"Because the Fields don't just reveal memories," Caelen explained. "They can reshape them. Alter them. If Yuri wanted to change someone's perspective..."

"He could use the Fields to manipulate Leon's mind," Knox finished, his expression darkening.

Daniel stood abruptly. "We have to find him. Now."

"There's another complication," Lyrian added. "Night Court activity is increasing around the Fields. They're sending scouts, perhaps even excavation teams."

Malik felt Zev tense beside him.

"If both Yuri and the Night Court are converging on the Fields of Memories..." Adrian began.

"Then whatever's happening there is central to everything," Knox concluded.

Daniel turned to Caelen. "How quickly can we get there?"

Before Caelen could answer, Zev cut in. "We're not all going."

"What?" Daniel protested.

"The Night Court is hunting humans from Earth," Zev pointed out, his gaze flickering to Malik. "We'd be delivering exactly what they want right to them."

"So we just abandon Leon?" Daniel demanded.

"No." Zev spoke without feeling. "We send those best equipped for the mission. Not those most likely to be captured."

Tension crackled between them, and Malik found himself placing a hand on Zev's arm. The fae warrior stiffened but didn't pull away.

"Zev's right," Knox said before Daniel could argue further. "We need to be strategic."

"I'll go," Caelen said. "I've ventured into the Fields before and survived. I know its dangers better than most."

"Oh?" Zev asked. "Was that before or after you were possessed?"

Caelen didn't dignify the question with a response. Only with a cold glare.

"I'll accompany you," Knox said. "I'm not afraid of the Fields."

"I'm going too," Daniel spoke up. "Leon is my friend."

Caelen shot him a sharp look. "No, you won't. None of you humans are coming." He raised his voice a little when it looked like Daniel wanted to protest. "You don't have any protection against the magic of that place."

"Neither does Leon," Daniel said. "But he's going."

Caelen remained firm. "Leon is working with the enemy."

As much as Caelen tried to be in charge, though, it was obvious he'd met his match in Daniel, as Daniel stood up to him easily.

"Look," he said, jutting his chin. "You can try to leave me behind, but I'll just follow you, and then I'll be less protected as I'll have to try to hide from your guards. "

Caelen regarded his mate. "Do I have to lock you in a room before I go?"

Daniel smirked. "How confident are you that you can keep me confined?"

After a moment, the Shadow King sighed in defeat.

Daniel's grin widened. "That's what I thought."

"I'll go as well." Zev's voice cut through the tension between Daniel and Caelen. All eyes turned to him.

Knox frowned. "Are you sure that's wise? The Night Court?—"

"Won't know what's coming," Zev finished darkly. "They'll regret running into me again."

Caelen regarded him with cool assessment. "You think you can manage that?"

"I know it." Zev's expression remained impassive, but his fingers tightened imperceptibly on the back of Malik's chair. "Whatever they're planning at the Fields, I intend to stop it."

Malik twisted in his seat to look up at Zev, his heart stuttering at the determination etched into those perfect features. "But what if they capture you again?"

Determination flickered in Zev's violet eyes. "They won't."

It almost sounded like he meant he wouldn't be taken alive. Malik fought the urge to reach for Zev's hand and tell him not to go.

"I agree with Malik," Adrian said. "It's too risky."

Zev's jaw tightened. "This isn't a debate. I'm going."

Malik opened his mouth to say something—he wasn't even sure what—but Zev silenced him with a look that brooked no argument. The fae warrior turned back to the others, his decision clearly final.

"Fine," Knox conceded. "So that's Caelen, Daniel, Zev, and me."

"And me," Lyrian attempted to rise from his chair but winced, clutching his side.

Knox shook his head. "You need to heal first."

"I want to go," Malik said.

"You're staying here," Zev rebuked him immediately.

Malik bristled. "I can help."

"You can barely walk across the room," Zev countered.

"I'm recovering quickly."

"I don't care." Zev's voice turned sharp. "You're staying." There was a finality to his tone that Malik couldn't argue with. "We can't be worrying about you while we're fighting."

He said 'we,' but Malik knew what he really meant.

The sentiment warmed him enough to take the sting out of the night fae's words.