The League of Illusion: Destiny Page 3

  “I recognize your feet.”

  Her eyes widened. “My feet?”

  “Yes, I remember seeing a dainty pair of pretty feet before I passed out.”

  She smiled at him, a blush staining her cheeks. “You think my feet are pretty?”

  He imagined she was wriggling her toes inside her shoes, the way he’d seen her do it earlier. Her smile was so infectious that he was about to match it when something caught his attention.

  He grabbed her hands, which were holding the reins. “Stop.”

  Without hesitation or question, she tugged on them and the horse came to a halt. “What’s wrong?”

  It wasn’t as if he’d heard something. It wasn’t a sound that bothered him but a feeling. The prickling tingly sensation of magic. Something he hadn’t felt in five years since being here. Could Rhys have come through a portal? Was his brother nearby in the thick copse of trees?

  “Wait here,” he said as he climbed down from the cart.

  “What? Why?” There was panic in her voice.

  “It’s all right, Drea. Just stay here, I’ll be right back.”

  He stepped off the road and into the thicket. Brambles tugged at his jerkin and pants as he brushed past them. After going about twenty feet, he glanced over his shoulder. He could still see Drea sitting in the cart, turned toward him. He pressed forward.

  The tingly feeling of magic intensified the farther he went into the woods. After walking another five minutes, he looked back. Thick branched and lush growth obscured his view of the road. But he had to keep going. The chance to reunite with his brother and the opportunity to go home was too great.

  He stepped over a fallen tree then stopped. He spied movement just beyond the next line of trees. And he heard voices.

  Sebastian crouched behind the nearest thick tree trunk and waited. None of the three voices did he recognize. But one of them, maybe all, had magic or was one of the magical races.

  A snap of a branch from behind jerked him around. Drea stood there wide-eyed staring down at him.

  “I told you to wait,” he whispered.

  “I was afraid. I heard horses coming down the road.”

  He pulled her down beside him and put a finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet. She nodded, and he turned toward the voice and peered through the foliage. At first he didn’t see anything but then a form stepped into view.

  Sebastian gasped. It wasn’t that he recognized the person, but he did know the type. Shimmery skin, long silky black hair, pointed ears. It was an elf in his woods. What the hell were elves doing here?

  “Don’t move.” The voice came from behind where they crouched. And he felt the telltale sharp point of an arrow poking into the back of his neck. “What are you doing here, sorcerer?”

  Eyes wide, Drea turned to him. “I knew it. I knew you could do magic.”

  Chapter Five

  “Stand up, the both of you,” the cloaked man demanded.

  Drea did slowly, her hands out to the side. They shook a little, but not so much from fear as excitement. She’d been longing for an adventure and here it was. Maybe it wasn’t in the form she’d dreamed about but it was definitely exciting. And she’d known she’d find it with Sebastian.

  Ever since he’d arrived in their village, she’d been curious about him. She’d known there was something different about him, something thrilling. And it went beyond his comely appearance, although that didn’t hurt one bit. Looking at him was indeed a pleasure. But it was also in the way he carried himself, always looking around, always ready for anything. He was definitely a man full of secrets and she’d always wanted to ferry those secrets out.

  “Walk.” The man demanded, pointing the arrow in front of them. They did as demanded.

  Sebastian glanced at her as they marched through the woods. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “You?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s happening? Who is this man? What does he want?”

  They came through a thick tangle of branches and into a small clearing. Two other men stood there waiting, horses tied up nearby. Except they were like no men she’d seen before.

  Their skin was unnaturally pale and it seemed to shimmer like dusted silver. They both had long straight black hair and bright intense eyes. Almost luminous. And peeking out from all that hair were pointed ears. The man who had commanded them here pulled down his hood to reveal the same features.

  “What do we have here?” the taller one asked.

  “They were watching us,” the man with the bow said. “And this one’s a sorcerer.”

  “Is that so?” The taller one, obviously in charge, stepped toward Sebastian. His eyes narrowed. “You’re a Davenport, are you not?”

  “Yes. Sebastian.”

  “I knew your great-grandfather, Noah. He was decent for a sorcerer.”

  “And you are?” Sebastian asked.

  He made a little bow. “I am Acari.” He cocked his head and studied them both. “You’d be from nineteenth century London, yes? What are you doing in this realm?”

  Drea frowned at them. What were they talking about? She had no concept of nineteenth century or of a place called London. “What does he mean? What is he?” she asked Sebastian.

  But he ignored her question and said to the man in charge, “I got lost through a portal. Ended up here by mistake. What are elves doing here? I thought your religion forbade you to open any portals.”

  Acari looked at the other two, then back to Sebastian. “We are not as devout as some of our brethren.”

  Sebastian tensed. She could see it in his face and his hands.

  “You’re here for the morrigan.”

  Acari flinched before saying, “You’ve seen her?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “But, Sebastian, we saw...”

  He cut her off with a look, then glanced at Acari again. “Is that what you are doing here?”

  “Of course not. We are merely on...holiday.”

  Drea sensed he was lying. But the morrigan? What did it have to do with these elves? And with Sebastian for that matter? He obviously knew more about the beast than he ever let on. Maybe that was why he’d gone charging after it.

  “I’ve never known elves to go sightseeing.”

  The elf took another step forward, all courtesy gone. His gaze was fierce and direct. “Where are the others?”

  “What others?”

  “Another portal opened early this morning. Only a bunch of careless sorcerers would dare open what they’ve been warned not to.” He eyed Sebastian. “Did the council send them?”

  “You mean that bright flash? I saw it too.”

  “Drea,” Sebastian warned.

  “Drea?” Acari’s eyes brightened and he smiled. “Drea Blairwood, is it?”

  * * *

  Sebastian reached for her hand and squeezed it tight. He knew a threat when he saw it. The elves were not here for anything as simple as a holiday. They had nefarious reasons for their travels. He had to get Drea out of here. Except he didn’t want to use his magic. He’d vowed not to, especially against another person. But he was quickly running out of options.

  “If you are indeed on a holiday as you say, then there is no reason to keep us hostage, as that is what this feels like.”

  Acari smiled. “We’re merely having a conversation. I’m sorry if you feel threatened in some way.”

  “Tell your henchmen to lower their bows,” Sebastian said. “Then maybe we can have that talk.”

  “Let’s just shoot him and be done with it,” the one with the bow said.

  Sebastian watched Acari’s face. He’d know the second the elf wanted them dead, it would telegraph in his eyes. The tension was immense as he waited and
watched. He could feel it prickling over his skin.

  Then he saw it. The dilating of the pupils. A decision had been made.

  As quick as a wink, he unsheathed his sword and cut through the arrow pointing at them. Turning, his hand still gripping Drea’s, he ran, as his magic impulsively discharged. He hadn’t commanded it. It had commanded him.

  * * *

  “Accendo!”

  Flames spontaneously erupted all around them in a circle.

  “Run!” Sebastian yanked on her hand as he tore off in the direction they’d come from.

  But the fire danced before them. Drea tensed, readying for the extreme heat and the possibility of being burned.

  “Aperio!”

  The dancing flames parted as they jumped through. Drea looked back as they ran to see the fire come back together to form a flickering orange wall.

  “What’s happening? Please Sebastian, you have to tell me.”

  “I will, but when we’re safe.”

  They returned to the road where the horse and cart were still waiting. The horse had just stepped off the path to eat some grass.

  “Untether the horse from the cart.”

  Drea jumped into action and undid the harness. Sebastian helped her take it off, and then grabbing the reins, he mounted the horse, which proved a bit difficult without a saddle. He reached down for her. “Get on.”

  She gripped his hand and let him pull her up and onto the horse. She had to scramble a bit on the horse’s bare back, as there was nothing to hold on to except Sebastian. Once she was seated behind him, clutching him around the waist, he kicked the horse into a gallop. They flew down the road. She held on tight, afraid she might slip off.

  “We have to get off the main road,” Sebastian said over the pounding of horse hooves. “Do you know of any place we could hide?”

  “East. On the other side of the river, there’s a cave in the hills.”

  As they neared the egress out of the woods, the sound of more horses echoed around them. Drea glanced over her shoulder to see three elves following them. They were about ten horse lengths back but gaining. Their horses were only carrying one passenger each and looked stronger than their horse.

  “They’re coming,” she said as she pressed even tighter against his back.

  Sebastian kicked the horse harder and steered him off the road and into a meadow. She could feel herself slipping from the sudden change of direction. Pressing her knees in tighter, she shuffled her rear-end back in behind him and wrapped her hands in the fabric of his shirt. They raced across the lush green, the horse snorting with the effort. The elves galloped right behind them, keeping up, gaining ground. It wouldn’t be long before the archer was in range to shoot an arrow into her back.

  “They’re gaining. We can’t outrun them. Their horses are stronger and faster.”

  He nodded to let her know he understood. “I have an idea but you have to trust me. Do you trust me, Drea?”

  She didn’t even have to think about it. If there was one thing she’d learned about Sebastian, it was that he’d risk his life for another without question. She’d seen him jump in front of a charging bull to save a little boy. And he’d always been there for her, waiting in the shadows if she ever got into trouble.

  “Yes, I trust you.”

  “Spread your hands over my chest.”

  “What?”

  “Just do it. Don’t question it, and stay pressed to me as tight as you can.”

  Raising her hands from his waist, she spread her fingers wide and pressed them against his chest. He was as hard as stone. His heart thumped vigorously under her palms. She shuffled up on the horse and molded her form into his. It was the most intimate she’d ever been with a man. Despite the danger, she blushed, thinking about it.

  “You may feel your skin tingle, but don’t panic. And don’t move.”

  Sebastian put the reins into one hand, then slowly leaned forward and spread his hand across the horse’s neck. Then she heard him mumble words. It definitely wasn’t English. It wasn’t in any language she recognized. At one point, she wasn’t even sure they were words, just guttural sounds.

  She assumed the rush would be instant, but nothing seemed to be happening. “Did you do it? I don’t feel anything.”

  He chanted the words again, louder and faster, just as an arrow whizzed by. It narrowly missed her arm. She felt the displaced air on her skin.

  “Hurry. The next arrow won’t miss.”

  Then it came. A stream from her hands up her arms and down over the rest of her body. The warm pricking sensation seemed to be coming from Sebastian himself.

  “Is it working?”

  “I’ve made us invisible.”

  “But...but...that’s...”

  “Impossible?”

  “Yes.” But she risked looking over her shoulder and saw the trio of elves slowing down, looking around frantically. “They can’t see us?”

  “No.”

  But that didn’t seem to stop the elves from following, just farther back.

  “Then why are they still coming?”

  “The invisibility doesn’t mask sound.”

  “They can hear us?” she asked.

  “Most likely. Elves’ hearing is superior to our own.”

  More arrows whooshed by. They weren’t nearly as accurate but Drea worried that one of them would get lucky and find their mark. Right in the middle of her exposed back.

  Sebastian took them toward the river. He urged the horse down the bank and into the shallows. He led the horse a ways upstream then stopped in the middle of the rushing water.

  The elves showed up along the bank. Acari was looking down at the ground, searching for hoof prints most likely. Then he stared across the river to the opposite bank. He was probably looking for muddy horse prints in the dirt. Then his gaze traveled upstream.

  Drea shivered, sure the elf could see them and would nock an arrow in his crossbow any second and shoot it straight into her heart. It was beating so loudly she was surprised he couldn’t hear it even over the rush of the water below.

  After a few more tense minutes, Acari finally turned his gaze then gestured for the others to cross the river. He kicked his horse and took it downstream along the bank.

  Sebastian kept them still for a little while longer, until he was sure they were out of earshot. Then he clicked to the horse and took them out of the water and onto shore.

  “Where is this cave?”

  “To the west, just over that rise.”

  Clicking to the horse, he steered him over the hill. It was then she realized he wasn’t leaning forward or touching the horse with his hand but she was still glued to him like paste.

  “Can I let go now?”

  “If you wish.”

  She wasn’t sure she could, or if she even wanted to. Her heart was still racing and her throat was dry. She wasn’t sure if it was the chase that made her feel so lightheaded and breathless or if it was Sebastian.

  Over the rise between the hills, they found the cave. Just outside it, Sebastian stopped the horse. “You can let go now.”

  Her muscles were stiff as she peeled herself off him. He gripped her arm as she dismounted. On the ground, she felt faint. Her legs were sore and weak. Sebastian dismounted beside her.

  Brushing a stray hair from her sweaty face, she eyed him. “Now do you care to tell me what in hell is going on, and why you can do magic?”

  Chapter Six

  “I need to find the next portal.”

  “And what will you do with it once you find it?” Avaira brushed her fingers up and down Darin’s sternum, mindful of the bandage along his flank.

  After flying all night in the elven dirigible to return to London, Darin had immediately returne
d to his home, Avaira in tow. They had bonded on the long flight, reveling in their shared lust for power at all costs. And in their insatiable appetites for rough sex.

  “I’ll destroy it, so no one can return to mess with my plans.”

  “What plans?” She circled her finger over his navel.

  Darin was getting hard again. They’d already had sex earlier and it had been fast and furious. But he was always up for another go around.

  He buried his hand in her hair and, gripping it tight, rolled her over so he was on top of her. “My plans do not concern you.”

  She gave him a lazy smile. “I could help you with them.”

  “How?”

  “You are searching for natural portals, yes?”

  He nodded.

  “But what if I told you I could create a portal?”

  He stared down at her, gauging her. Elves had much power. Abilities he could only guess at. But to create a portal...this was beyond anything he could’ve ever imagined.

  “Why would you? Don’t elves fear the consequences? Don’t you fear releasing the morrigan?”

  She smiled again, tracing a finger down his cheek and over his lips. “I do not fear her as my father does. But I wish to harness her. Use her.”

  “To what end?”

  “To every end.” She leaned in and nibbled on his chin and along his jawline. “To end the machinations of industry, to bring back a simple world where nature rules. Our people worship both the earth goddess and war goddess equally, but now it’s time to invoke the morrigan so that Danu can rule again in peace.”

  He liked the war goddess part but the thought of eternal peace in a simple time made his gorge rise. Although her motivation for waking the morrigan made him roll his eyes, he still needed her as an ally.

  He laughed. “You are a woman after my own black heart.”

  She placed her hand on his chest. “Yes, I am.”

  “If you could open a portal, how could we know it’s the right one? It could go anywhere.”

  “Elves have been traveling the portals for an eternity. We know where each one goes and where we need to go. My cousin Acari travels them as we speak, searching for the morrigan.”