I summoned my blade back to myself and cut the second ribbon. Taliesin flopped forward with only the waist ribbon holding him up. Now would have been a good time to stop me. Yet, no one showed up.
Not until I had Taliesin over my shoulder. He shifted, ever so slightly, and whispered:
“Watch out.”
I lunged to the right just as a dark form slammed into the ground where I’d been. Taliesin bounced on my shoulder and groaned. The dark form immediately rebounded and struck, forcing me back again.
If I dropped Taliesin, I would have been able to run. The man, despite being a fae, was heavy on my shoulder. Cerri needed me. While Taliesin would have been a good ally, if I died here then Cerri would have no one on her side.
“Stairs,” Taliesin whispered.
For a moment, I wondered if I’d picked up a decoy meant to lead me into Beryl’s waiting hands. I glanced back at the lake window. Only magic kept the water from spilling into Beryl’s underground court. I could leap through it and swim to the surface. The water would slow the shadowed assassin down.
But Taliesin might suffer in the water. The man had been through enough. I didn’t know if he could hold his breath long enough, and I’d come all this way to save him. I had to trust that this was the real Taliesin—the aura felt right, and I wasn’t sure if Beryl knew abut my ability to read auras.
Behind you,my beast whispered.
I pushed into action, bolting for the door. Something hit the ground where I’d been. While I should have been worried abut the assassin, my beast’s movement had me more concerned.
The creature inside me paced with purpose. It set its sights on the assassin behind me. My muscles nearly locked with tension. The creature wanted out. It recognized this scent, and it wanted to kill.
Snarling, I fought back my unruly beast. It slashed at me. My feet tangled on the stairs, sending me falling forward. Sucking in a breath, I quickly righted myself. There was no way we would get out of here if my beast and I kept fighting.
They destroyed our Court. They deserve to suffer for what they did. It was our job to protect. Now all we can do is get vengeance.
I flew up the stairs and into the restaurant dining room above. It was empty for the night. I wasn’t sure what I would have done had there been dining patrons. This way, I could plow through the tables with abandon.
The door stood ahead. I could walk in-between and take us somewhere safe once I reached it.
But a cold blade bit into the side of my neck before I could take another step. I rocked back, my gaze sliding in the direction of the shadowed assassin now standing beside me. The figure laughed, a familiar voice booming through the room.
His grin split wide, revealing sharp white teeth that nearly glowed in the darkness. “Back for more, Rhoan Glenwood? I thought you would have learned your lesson the first time. You’re no match for the Unseelie Court, not even with that monster crouched inside your pathetic vessel.”
Fury stirred inside me. My beast lashed out, but it couldn’t make contact with him. I bore the brunt of my beast’s assault. Pain from its claws lanced through me, but I managed to keep it off my face.
“Shut your yapper, Faust,” Taliesin said from my shoulder.
While Taliesin rolled out of my grasp and landed like a cat on his feet, I struck. I summoned my blade and thrust forward.
Faust vanished in a puff of smoke. He reappeared behind us with a maniacal cackle. I would have called it overdone, but the man was a Pookah. He fed on fear and nightmares. His kind was responsible for the nightmare now living inside of me.
My beast twisted. Faust reappeared behind me. Without question, I spun and struck. Taliesin threw out his hand and the room seemed to stop for a moment, but Taliesin’s power was weak. Time slowed before crashing back again.
Chairs and tables clattered to the floor. I charged through them with rage driving my movements. It made me clumsy, but I made up for it in strength when I struck through Faust’s form.
Once more, his body split apart into smoke, and he vanished again.
“Run,” Taliesin called out to me. “I’ve been freed. Faust alone can’t hold me.”
I shot Tal a knowing look. “Fat chance, sir. You’re not in one piece right now.”
Tal pulled himself upright and straightened the lapels of his rumpled coat. Though the smile on his lips faltered ever so slightly, there was a furious blaze in his eyes. They gleamed silver like the passing moon in the sky before he turned them upon Faust.
The assassin stepped out of the shadows and bowed low, his blades dancing in the air as he did.
“You know, we could have used you,” I shot at Tal.
He laughed boldly. “Do you think, back then, that I was half the man I am now? I was not capable of nearly as much when the court fell. I knew that I needed to survive so that I could become more when it came time to put it all back together.”