CHAPTER 18
he veil glows in the distance, ethereal, silver-violet radiance in the darkness, a pearl beaming from the shadows. It would be gorgeous ifT I didn’t ache all over, if our horses weren’t stumbling with exhaustion, and if the sadness of losing Arzel didn’t weigh us down with the cold pall of grief.
As we draw closer, the veil’s hum buzzes in my ears. I need to summon the reserves of my energy to get us across, but I feel nauseated and exhausted. I’m pretty sure I’m dehydrated.
I could almost fall asleep against Raphael with his arms wrapped around me. The way he shifts against me as he rides makes me want to close my eyes, and I lean back into the sensual heat and strength of his body. I feel his heartbeat through my back, and my eyes drift shut. After the horrors of the night, it’s strangely comforting.
“Are you falling asleep on me, pixie?” For the first time, the term almost sounds like an endearment. His voice is a quiet murmur, and his breath warms the shell of my ear.
“Of course not. I’m always fully alert.”
“You might as well rest if you can.”
“Riders!” The sharpness in Freya’s voice has my eyes snapping open.
I turn to look, but I can’t see a thing in the dark.
“Where?” asks Raphael.
“Following us on horse,” she says. “I can’t see them well in the dark, but I can hear the hooves getting closer.”
Raphael tugs the reins, slowing his horse to a stop. “We need to dismount. My horse is at the end of her strength. She won’t be able to go any faster.”
“Same here,” Freya says. “And we’re more visible when mounted. Since I can hear their hooves, they might be able to hear ours.”
Raphael slides off the horse, then helps me dismount. My leg muscles feel so cramped from the long ride that I nearly stumble to the ground.
“Silently now,” he whispers, steadying me.
We creep forward, leading our horses through the grassy field and doing our best to make as little noise as possible. My heart jumps at every crackling leaf, every snapping twig. The two agents seem to be able to glide along the earth, silent as the air.
As we move, dawn starts to break, the sky blushing with coral, blending into indigo. As the sun rises, the pearly barrier reflects the dawn light—rust, violet, tangerine.
And then, all at once, Freya and Raphael halt. I take another step and freeze as well. A rumble grows louder, a faint vibration through the grasses.
The sound of galloping horses.
“They’re coming right for us,” Raphael says. “Let’s go.”
He releases the reins and slaps his horse, who goes off in a mild canter.
Freya does the same, her horse following Raphael’s mount. Instinctively, the horses trot away from the veil.
“That’ll buy us some time,” Raphael says, his voice still low. “Let’s run.”
I race after his silhouette, desperately trying to keep pace. We run crouched, trying to stay in the shadows, but as we get closer to the veil, it becomes impossible. Now, the magical barrier is washing us in a shimmering glow. The only thing still keeping me moving is my adrenaline, which spikes as I hear the hooves thundering over the earth.
We make a mad dash through the grass, and the veil hums in my ears, prickling my skin like a thousand tiny needles.
Freya reaches it first and whirls to look at me. “Can we cross?”
“No,” I whisper. “Wait!”
I try to concentrate on the magic, but I can feel the weight of their eyes on me.
“They’re getting closer,” Freya snaps. “Come on, Nia.”
“Let her focus,” Raphael says.
I can feel it, the mesh of energy, the thinness of the weaker sections. If I
channel my powers at one of them, the veil will crack and let us through. I summon all the energy I can muster, feeling for those vulnerable parts.
The veil keeps humming, the hooves pounding closer. If I don’t figure this out now, we’re going to die at the hands of the Fey.
“We’ll have to go through,” Freya shouts. “Either we live or we die. We can’t afford to get caught, and they’re almost here.”
“Wait.” I clench my teeth.
I concentrate, trying to forget about everything, the people whose lives depend on me, the mission, Arzel, whose death will be meaningless if I don’t get us through. Only the veil matters.
And its noise seems to grow even louder in my ears.
“Nia, it’s now or never,” Freya says.
I turn to glance at the incoming riders. They’re so frighteningly close, just a few yards away. The leader’s eyes bore straight into me, a malicious golden gaze. With a snarl, he raises an enormous axe above his head, screaming a battle cry.
My fear nearly paralyzes me, but I use it instead to drown out my other thoughts. I hurl it at the veil, unfocused, directionless.
The entire veil flickers, its buzz dying. Raphael grips my arm and pulls me across.
I stumble, racing for a few steps through narrow fields crisscrossed by stone walls. An oak forest spreads across the landscape. Coppery light kisses the tree leaves.
My body feels frozen, shivering. Icy air stings my skin, and my teeth chatter. It looks like spring, but it feels like the dead of January.
The hum rises in my ears, and I can see the riders through the haze of the veil. They rear their horses to a halt on the other side, and one of them raises his bow.
Fuck. We might be through the magical barrier, but it won’t stop arrows.
Something whizzes past me, but it’s coming from behind. Freya’s arrow finds a soldier’s throat on the other side.
“Keep going!” Raphael shouts.
He and Freya are off again.
I follow after them, but my muscles feel frozen. I’m shivering violently, my body bitten by the cold. The glacial air pierces my body down to my
marrow.
“Nia, let’s go!” Raphael shouts.
My muscles are ice. An arrow from beyond the veil zooms by, inches from my face. “Go!” I shout through clattering teeth.
Raphael rushes back and scoops me up, pressing me against his firm chest. Enfolding me in his arms, he starts to run. Up ahead, Freya is covering him, unleashing one arrow after another into the misty veil.
As we reach the shelter of the forest, I’m shivering against Raphael’s chest.
He slows once we get out of range. “You’re freezing,” he mutters.
“I used too much magic.” And yet, my body feels boiling now, flushed.
“But I’m not cold anymore.” I want to take my dress off. “I’m too hot.”
“You’re going into hypothermia.” He raises his eyes, and the rising sunlight catches them as they spark gold. “Freya, wait. She lost too much heat. We need help. Now.”
The world shimmers and fades for a moment. When I open my eyes again, it’s just Raphael. Golden light dapples his high cheekbones. He’s leaning against a tree, holding me close.
My eyes drift shut again, and I’m not sure if I’ll manage to wake, but I don’t mind either way. He’s carrying me against his broad chest now, moving swiftly, like I don’t weigh a thing.
What a strange thing to feel safe with Raphael.
It stirs a memory from long ago, something I’d tried to forget.
