Page 33 of The Wars of Monsters

But he didn’t reply as he took my lips again and slid his hand lower.

“We can’t,” Ode hissed with wide eyes, pacing across the grass. We were alone in the forest, just outside the Forgotten Fae camp, and I was pretty sure no one had seen us leave. Xander and his select group of warriors had gone through a portal two hours prior, and I stood, my single knife bulging in my pocket.

“Please, Ode,” I begged. “Every time the warriors go out on a new mission, they return with more serious wounds than they did the last time. The king is fighting back hard, and I need to be there to make sure Xander, Ellis, and the others don’t get themselves killed.”

Ode chewed her bottom lip. I knew it wasn’t fair of me to bring Ellis into my argument, but it worked to sway Ode’s mind. Besides, I’d grown rather fond of Xander’s younger brother. If he was in danger, I would do everything I could to save him.

She let out a frustrated noise. “Fine, but if Xander asks, this was all your idea.”

“Itwasall my idea,” I pointed out to her with a grin, and she smiled back at me. In spite of what she’d just said, I already knew that no matter what happened, she wouldn’t let me take the blame on my own, even though I wanted to.

“Do you know where they went?” I asked. All Xander had told me was that they were going to a small village further to the north where a group of the king’s elite soldiers were said to have made camp. Apparently, Xander had received word that the soldiers were mistreating the village folk.

Ode bobbed her head. “I do, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had to create a portal.”

“Just take your time,” I said giving her a reassuring smile. “You can do this.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she turned around and closed her eyes, blowing out a steadying breath. “All righty, a portal. Sure, I can do a portal. Easy peasy like pumpkin pie.” She fluttered her wings, and shook her body, bouncing on her toes.

Pumpkin pie?The more she rambled, the more I began to second-guess my whole idea of following after Xander, but as Ode moved her arms in the air a large ring of blue fire began to materialize. When the circle of fire was large enough for us to step through, Ode snapped her eyes open, and squealed, giving me an ecstatic grin. “I did it!” she squeaked. “I didn’t think I still had it in me, but whoa!”

I grinned, stepping up beside her. “If anyone could do it, I knew it would be you.”

She beamed at me, but her smile soon fell. “You sure about this Cara? Xander never lets us go on any of the missions. Especially not you. If anything bad were to happen…”

She trailed off, and I grabbed her hand. “Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I’m a healer, remember? But you don’t need to come. I’ll pretend someone else made the portal.”

She raised a brow. “Right, because Xander would believe that.”

“He might,” I defended.

“Nope. If you’re doing this, I’m coming with you.”

I squeezed her hand tighter, knowing there was no point in arguing. “Okay then. You ready?”

“No,” she said, but she stepped into the portal with me.

I don’t know what I expected exactly. Maybe that we’d find ourselves standing in a village with dilapidated wooden cottages, dirt roads, and simply dressed villagers like back on my island. In hindsight, given my time with the fae, I probably should have known better.

I stood gaping at the tall glass houses on either side of us, the buildings even more elegant and colorful than the structures back at the Forgotten Fae camp. Flowers and greenery sprouted everywhere, including between some of the polished stones on the cobblestone road, and the air smelled like burnt toffee and spice.

“Where are we?” I asked Ode who was peering around, looking just as dazed as I felt.

“This is the village Qurea, home to the largest library outside of the Royal Palace.”

I frowned, entirely confused by her statement. “A library? Is that why the king’s elite soldiers are here? Is it something to do with the books?”

“I’m not sure,” Ode replied. “All I know is that in the last few months, Xander has been talking about needing to get his hands on some rare texts. Ellis says he keeps ranting about it, almost like it’s an obsession.”

Texts?My heart began to race as I remembered Xander’s promise to find a book about portals and the different worlds. Had he discovered the book he needed wasn’t in the royal library but out here instead? Was Xander here because of me? Maybe there weren’t even any soldiers.

“Look!” Ode said as she pointed above the buildings, and I lifted my gaze to where a trail of smoke had risen into the sky. Shouts and cries carried on the wind, and I took off running, fearful for the lives of the Forgotten Fae. Ode fluttered her wings, flying just above the rooftops and directing me through the maze of streets until we reached the heart of the village.

“What in the name of Falia?”I gasped as Ode dropped down beside me. On the opposite end of the village square, a massive structure burned, flames licking at the glass, and the roof close to collapsing. A symbol showing a stack of books hung just above the huge double-doors of the building, so I guessed it was the library. But there weren’t any of the king’s soldiers around, and Xander stood before the building with the Forgotten Fae warriors, watching calmly as the library was destroyed.Something’s not right.

A group of fae I didn’t recognize kneeled just in front of the doors of the building, their robes torn and dirty as they cried and wailed, staring in horror as the flames rose higher.

“We should go,” Ode breathed, a hint of fear in her voice, but I was already jogging toward the Forgotten Fae.