“What’s your name?”
“Phelan,” he said and glanced around. He reached for her arm, but she moved back. “What are you doing, lass?”
“As long as Balladyn is after me there is time for you to get Rhi as well.”
“Wait,” Phelan said when she took another step away from him, half-turning as she did.
But it was too late. Shara was already running down the hall. Phelan started to follow her when he spied a group of Dark coming at him led by none other than Balladyn. He quickly altered reality again so to them he was part of the wall. He stood silently against the stones as Balladyn knelt beside the fallen Dark One.
“I’m going to kill her,” Balladyn stated angrily.
Balladyn rose and stormed off with his men behind him. Phelan waited until they were gone before he appeared and once more looked like a Dark Fae. Phelan looked to where Shara had ran off to and knew he had to go after her. She was putting herself in danger to help them. The least he could do was make sure she didn’t die.
Phelan followed Balladyn and his men as they tracked Shara through the labyrinth of hallways. He slowed, and then halted altogether when he approached the great hall and saw the multitude of Dark soldiers lying upon the floor unmoving.
Balladyn stood in the middle of the hall looking at the devastation of his men in confusion. “Shara!”
“Shara didn’t do this,” said an ethereal voice Phelan recognized.
“Usaeil,” Phelan whispered. A smile formed when the Light Queen appeared next to Balladyn with a bright light around her. She floated a few inches off the floor, her inky hair billowing around her in slow motion.
Balladyn’s face contorted with rage when he saw Usaeil. He turned his head and spit. “You dirtied yourself to visit me finally.”
“No. I came for Rhi.”
Balladyn shifted his feet, his hands clenched in fists at his sides. Behind him, his men were fanning out around them. Phelan crept closer in order to help in any capacity that he could. Not that the queen needed it.
“Your precious Rhi. I should’ve known. I was that important to you at one time,” Balladyn said.
Usaeil never dropped her gaze. “Had I known you were being kept by Taraeth, I’d have come for you myself. Rhi would’ve as well.”
“I don’t believe you!” Balladyn shouted.
“And I no longer care what you think,” she replied calmly.
“I’ll never let you have Rhi.”
“You’ll have no say in the matter once I’m finished with you.”
Balladyn smiled confidently. “It’ll never happen.”
Phelan had witnessed the Dark Fae fighting, but he hadn’t seen the queen. Balladyn’s men began to close in on the duo, their intentions clear. Phelan’s claws lengthened and his fangs filled his mouth. No one was going to lay a hand on his queen.
He readied to leap out and attack when the light surrounding Usaeil grew, becoming larger and brighter until even Phelan couldn’t see. He raised his hand to shield his eyes while trying to squint and still see Usaeil. There were shouts around him that soon turned to screams of pain.
Then there was nothing.
Phelan opened his eyes to see the Dark who had been about to attack Usaeil lying upon the ground at odd angles, obviously dead. All except for one—Balladyn. He was missing.
Phelan straightened and lifted his gaze to his queen who turned to him.
“Find Balladyn,” she ordered and then disappeared.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Kiril ignored the blood running down his arm from the cuts on his wrists as he continued to yank on the chain from the wall. As soon as a cut opened, his body began to heal it. One of many perks of being a Dragon King.
“You won’t be getting free.”
His head jerked around to Balladyn who stood in the center of his cell. A look behind the Dark revealed that the door was still closed, which meant Balladyn had teleported in. “Always so confident. You’ll be knocked down a peg or two soon.”
“I doubt it,” Balladyn said with a smirk.
Kiril grinned as he realized there could be only one reason Balladyn would use his magic instead of walking through the door. His friends were there. “I doona.”
“Tell me, Dragon King, why did you ever trust the lovely Shara? She’s Dark.”
Balladyn’s words struck their mark, just as he’d intended. Kiril didn’t want to ever hear her name again or even think about her. And he never wanted to speak of her again. It hurt too much. But he couldn’t let Balladyn know that.
“Who says I trusted her?” Kiril taunted. “Did it never cross your tiny mind that I might’ve been using her to get you to do exactly what you’ve done?”
Kiril’s grin grew as he saw Balladyn’s expression shift from confident to a glint of uncertainty. That flicker would soon turn into a full-blown tide of doubt. He might not be able to help his brethren fight the Dark Fae, but Kiril would do all he could with what he had. Words were a sharp weapon.
“Lies,” Balladyn stated, one side of his lips lifted in a sneer.