18. Tahlia

Ahumming, howling sound similar to the one they’d heard earlier started up, coming from the forest and sending shivers down Tahlia’s spine.

A flash of light forced her eyes shut.

She opened them as quickly as she could.

Fara was gone.

And so were Marius and Ragewing.

Panic lanced Tahlia and she held her breath. “Where did they go, Vodolija?”

The Seabreak tossed her head, sniffed the air, then eyed the sky. Ragewing and Marius were far above. They must have taken off in a bout of mind-boggling speed. Already, they were a blur flying over the fog. How had he mounted up that quickly? And where was Fara? Had time passed somehow while Tahlia’s eyes were closed against the light?

Ice flowed through her stomach.

“Fara!”

She ran through the fortress, eyes not moving fast enough and her lungs tightening with fear.

Kicking down the door of the first tower she came to, she called out, “Fara! Please answer me!”

But there was only a broken stool, moldy crates cloaked in dust, and the musty air of a land long devoid of life. As she searched the other three towers, she replayed the last moments in her head. The humming. The light. Had the light been related to the illumination that had shot from Marius’s hands when the shadows attacked? She didn’t know. It had been bright, but she hadn’t had time to see the hue of the illumination.

Back in the open area, she lifted a hand to Vodolija. “Did you see anything?”

Vodolija grunted at the ground. But there was nothing there.

“What is it?”

Tahlia circled the area, but not even a footprint marred the muddy spot. Only dirt and a scraggly plant with thick blood-red leaves. Vodolija bumped her from behind, urging her closer to the spot.

“I’m so confused. We don’t have time for this. We might be able to spot Fara. We’ll search for Ragewing and Marius afterward since a dragon is easier to spot than one skinny Fae female.”

Vodolija tossed her head and sparked fire.

“Don’t be angry with me. I don’t understand.”

The dragon lowered a wing and shoulder, allowing Tahlia to climb up into the saddle, but she was obviously perturbed. She blew a spout of flame, bright in the dark.

“Please. We can figure out whatever you’re trying to tell me later. Let’s get up high and see if we can spot Fara. She can’t have gone far.” Or been taken far.

A shiver grabbed hold of Tahlia and shook her hard. Had the ghosts of this wild place taken her? And if so, what would they do to her?

Vodolija took off and Tahlia studied the land beneath them. She tapped the dragon’s neck, indicating she should fly over the forest. It was too dark to see anything really, but what else could she do? It wasn’t as if she could just leave Fara. Her palms grew damp and she fidgeted with the reins. The air was wet and cold and that first shiver of fear had turned into a constant, uncomfortable trembling. Trees, trees, and more trees. There was no sign of Fara anywhere.

“Fly toward Ragewing!” she called out to Vodolija. “We’ll get him and then come back for Fara.”

Why had Marius taken off without warning? Had he seen Fara stolen by something? Or was he leaving for a different reason entirely? Gods, Tahlia had more questions than could be answered in one dark night. Panic seared her nerves and made her lower herself on Vodolija’s neck. She longed for comfort, for heat, for the ability to turn back time and keep Marius from leaving in the first place. She should have fought with him, demanded answers. Anything to keep him from whatever this was. Then Fara would have been safe at the keep too instead of only the gods knew where.

Tahlia silently prayed for her friend as Ragewing and Marius came into view.

The wind whipped Tahlia’s cloak around despite its many clasps and she fought to keep her teeth from cracking as they chattered violently from both worry and cold. Vodolija flew into a bank of ragged clouds and Tahlia lost sight of Marius and Ragewing.

“Damned clouds!”

She squinted and stood in the stirrups, trying in vain to see more than mist and inconsistent light. If she lost them, what was she going to do? Vodolija’s body rumbled with a trilling purr and Tahlia resumed her seat.

Tahlia was aware her mind wasn’t operating at a top notch level. Panic pinched at her confidence. “I’m trying to be calm. It’s not easy.”

The Seabreak snorted and blew a cloud of smoke. Tahlia set a hand on her warm scales and kept her eyes peeled for any sign of them. A scream of fear and frustration built inside her chest, but she bit it back, gulping down her worry and trying to remember that she was a Mist Knight. She could handle this.

When they broke through the cover, Tahlia spotted Marius and Ragewing.

She exhaled and finally stopped gripping the reins with her right hand. She cracked her knuckles and spoke to Vodolija.

“They’re landing. Do you see them?”

The glowing light flickered, the odd shine emanating from a caldera. From where did the glow originate? Random spots on the ground?

Vodolija soared down toward the rocky formation and landed a few feet from Ragewing. Marius had leapt from his dragon’s back and was tearing at the muddy earth with his hands. Tahlia dismounted, keeping an eye on their surroundings. The air vibrated with something unnameable—magic? Or something under the ground? No, it was more than a physical disturbance in the area. This barren spot felt raw and wrong. The golden light flickered over Marius’s hands, reminding Tahlia of… Of what?

Then Marius shouted, his words unintelligible. Ragewing roared and stomped his feet as if agitated. Rightly so. Vodolija nuzzled against Ragewing, then swung toward Tahlia and pushed her with the edge of a wing. That red-leafed plant grew here too.

“What is it with you and this plant?”

She strode away, hurrying to Marius’s side even though she wasn’t sure this was the right move. What was he digging for?

The golden light created a shimmering border along oddly shaped stones set into the dirt. No, this wasn’t a rock formation.

They were bones.

But not just regular bones. The one Marius was attempting to dislodge was a femur, but it was longer than a dragon’s. Much, much longer. A gnarled skull sat halfway out of the ground and a twisted spine looked like it was about to crawl out of the mud. Ah, and there were hands. Very large hands.

Tahlia shivered violently.

These had to be the bones of a giant.

Giants had existed outside of old children’s stories? Well, here was evidence that they certainly had. Were these bones related to why the Kingdom of Spirits had become the nightmare that it was? Had a huge monster ravaged these lands? But the bigger question was why Marius was attempting to dig up the giant’s bones…

Wait. He had been wondering about his dirty hands when they’d camped. Had he already been here?

Swallowing her fear, she started to put a hand on Marius’s shoulder. He swung around and fell back. His eyes were wide, and his temples glittered with the same golden light that flickered across his hands and along the half-buried bones.

Tahlia stood frozen, the bitter taste of fear on the back of her tongue.

“Don’t,” he growled, his voice low and his eyes vacant and glimmering with gold light. “Lady Tahlia…” He didn’t blink. It was like he wasn’t himself at all.

“Marius, what are you doing?” The urge to shake him was nearly overpowering, but he obviously didn’t want her to touch him, so she held the hilt of her gladius instead.

He bent his head, shook it, then stood. When he raised his chin and his eyes met hers, the golden light was gone from his head and hands. The odd illumination continued to glimmer around the bones.

“I, I don’t know.” He looked like a wild animal about to attack.

“Ragewing, please pick up your rider,” Tahlia said, still facing Marius in case he lost his mind and did something crazy.