Once we had our share of viewing the landscape from her tower, it was time to head to the wall for a more in-depth look. She went to call Birdy for me, but I shook my head. “I’ll pass on the lift, thanks.”
Midnight swelled up larger. I can take you.
Thank you! I appreciate you.
“My bonded mist is going to take me.”
Her smile was brittle. “Great idea.”
When Midnight swelled out, wrapping around me, it was like a warm hug and weighted blanket in one, and I felt secure and loved.
We should travel like this more, I thought as we soared over the landscape, many curious, furry faces looking up from below.
Our bond would like that. I would like that.
The mists were not sentient, literal beings, but the longer I was bonded to Midnight, the more it seemed to form its own identity. No wonder Inky always felt like a person in mist form. It’d had thousands of years to develop a strong sense of self.
When we reached the wall, my view was blocked at first by Midnight as it drifted down toward the path woven between the top tiers of the snowflake fence. This was where we landed, and as I stepped out to the edge, I found an uninterrupted view of the landscape beyond. “Fuck,” I breathed.
Shadow’s chest rumbled behind me, and I hadn’t realized he was that close. I’d been too caught up with the view of The Grey Lands. Turning to see him, I shook my head. “Was it always like this?”
“I never made it here,” he reminded me, “but I don’t think it was.” He faced Ixana. “What caused this destruction?”
It was a wasteland, with not a scrap of grass, or tree, or visible source of water. There was nothing except parched grey dirt. A deep, dirty grey that I would guess was a mixture of the elements of this land and decay. The Grey Lands.
This part at least, was exactly the way I’d imagined it.
“It’s been on the decline for many years,” Ixana said, her eyes focused on the landscape beyond us. “Even when you were still here. But it has continued to deteriorate, especially with Cristell abusing her power, taking more creatures, stripping the energy, and then… there’s her.”
And now she was looking at me.
“How do you figure?” I had my hands on my hips. “I’ve never even been to your world until now, so you’re going to need to point fingers somewhere else.”
Her face darkened, her next words coming out as a hiss. “Your energy. It was an energy that used to be in this land, and ever since it disappeared, the creatures have been out of control. The structure disappearing, their society falling, and it’s one constant war against each other. Abervoqs rule the top of the power structure, and they are fine with killing everything.” Her eyes flashed to Shadow. “You know how they get.”
Meanwhile, I was over here having a minor freak out because I did not want any part in the destruction of this world or the creatures. Creatures I was drawn to protect.
“How do we fix this?” Angel asked, her ancient eyes heavier than ever.
Ixana’s laugh was bitter. “We could kill this one and see if that works.”
“This one” was definitely me, but fuck, it was a slow day when I didn’t get at least one death threat, so I wasn’t going to panic. Besides, I doubted anyone else here would support that plan.
Case in point. Angel’s blades were against Ixana’s throat. “You ever touch her, and I will kill you and every single being you control.” She delivered these words with a cold, clinical promise.
I waited for Shadow to step in and save his mate—there were no guards here since Ixana had chosen to travel alone—but he didn’t even twitch, choosing instead to watch it play out.
The ice queen had been looking to him for a save, judging by the way her pupils shifted between Shadow and Angel, and when no rescue appeared, her lips trembled. “I am no threat to the wolf,” she choked out. “I was just offering a suggestion for the most likely way to fix the situation.”
Shadow growled. “No one touches Mera. Ever. If her death is required, then this world will continue to fall. It’s as simple as that.”
Well, fuck. It was hard to hate someone who was willing to sacrifice worlds for me.
Angel took her time withdrawing the weapons, and when they finally disappeared into her magical pockets, Ixana rubbed at her throat. There wasn’t a mark on it, due to the sheer skill and control of Angel.
“Then we have no choice but to journey to the original source,” Ixana finally said, sounding bitter. “To find out for ourselves where the destruction is originating. I’ve never been to The Nexus, the spot of convergence, but it has to hold answers. Maybe here we will find our army and figure out how to heal this land.”
The Nexus. All of a sudden, I was desperate to go there.
“And you think I can do this?” I asked. “Bond the creatures and form an army?”
She didn’t want to look at me; it obviously cost her something to turn my way. “Yes. I think you’re the missing link, and even if you’re not willing to sacrifice yourself to save this land, there could be another solution. I just won’t know what it is until we get there.”
I didn’t miss the digs. The not-so-subtle way of calling me selfish. I think we all knew she just wanted my death to get me out of the way, though, and there was one seven-foot-tall reason for that.
“Let’s do it!” I said with fake excitement. “I live to save worlds. It’s my calling, and I so appreciate you making this happen for me.”
Ixana didn’t know what to do with that, staring blankly at me like I was crazy. A tried and tested response to a bully was to confuse them with your enthusiasm for their bullshit.
“Okay, well, I will call for supplies,” Ixana choked out, “and once we have that at our disposal, we should head straight out.”
“How will we travel?” Shadow asked.
She sidled closer to him, her eyes focused with laser intensity on his face. “We cannot use any sort of energy near the Nexus. Our aim is to go in slow and secretive, gather the creatures who cross our path on the way, and by the time we reach the place of their birth, we’ll have an army at our disposal to deal with whatever we encounter there. I have only watched the chaos from the outside; all of my power used to keep my world safe here. I’ve been waiting for you to return so that we could face this together.”
How. Fucking. Sweet.
She placed her hand on his arm, and my wolf growled so deeply in my chest that a little of the sound escaped my mouth. Both of their heads swung toward me, but I was already looking out to the depressing landscape, my face devoid of any emotion.
I would never let either of them know how much this was affecting me. Never.
If it fucking killed me, I would get through this trial with a smile on my face.
And hopefully answers about myself would be my reward.
