And just like that, we got on our way without eating or changing. I was just grateful I had time to grab my dagger. It was the only thing that gave us light besides Bain’s breath, but that wasn’t safe from the tight space we were in.
Marching out of the tunnel, we’d be following the path until we reached the next season. Fergus told me we’d be stopping at a waterfall right outside of Morrigan’s fortress.
18
Briar
Never in my life had I felt so many aches and pains inside of me as though I had pulled every muscle possible. I knew this came from having sex with all the men, but it didn’t take away the fact that none of them were sore. Was it from having a dick or from how often they fucked their whores? Holding my breath, I had to stop all insane thoughts that led to feeling jealous as I tried to keep up with them.
Our journey began several hours ago, hiking into a new area of Faerie. From the snow, we moved into a season of darkness because Morrigan had already stripped this acreage of its purpose. Apparently, she had done so between all the main courts, creating a dystopic setting that would surely kill those who didn’t know how to cross such lands when moving between kingdoms.
Almost hurtling another tree, I tried to climb over the fallen log, whining with the winds from the scramble for my tiny frame. Cullen was the first to turn around, but he knew better than to say anything to me right now.
“Take my hand, Baby Fawn.” Fergus saddled the tree, offering me his hand from the top to help me over. Grateful, I took it and let him hold my weight as I got on to climb over. The tree circumference was almost the size of two wagon wheels. Being a female human, I didn’t have the height that everyone else did. I was so small in comparison to them, and I knew it had to bother at least one of them.
No one spoke either out of anger or remorse, so we all kept to ourselves as we continued forward. As I said, an enemy of my enemy is my friend. Though, I knew the outlook wouldn’t last long once Morrigan was contained.
Now that Cullen told me the full consequence of the ritual, I knew I was forever theirs. Five men were now my husbands in the eyes of the primal form. Their beasts were magnificent to behold, and I was grateful I could help them obtain it, but my heart still hurt.
I knew Philip wouldn’t be angry at me for choosing the path of vengeance against the woman who had slayed him, but the idea of sleeping with five men that were not him made me feel promiscuous.
What would happen when my mates decided they wanted more? As Bain made me aware, they couldn’t sleep with anyone else but me. They also had sex drives larger than the tallest mountain. Shoving those thoughts away, I knew we could figure out a way to break it after we dealt with Morrigan.
A sense of bitterness filled me every time I thought of her name. I still remembered how she looked, waltzing through my lands as though she had a right to destroy them. These men knew a similar story from what she had done to their families, but they still had each other. Sparing a glance at Cian’s face, I knew her work on him angered me the most. As though he felt it, he turned his head and shared a silent smile with me. It made my heart flutter.
“Dear goddess divine,” Cullen spoke from taking the lead a while ago. Glancing away from Cian, I finally saw what startled him so much.
“Those look like the same thorns that were outside of my castle,” I announced to everyone.
“It’s her magic,” Fergus nearly whimpered. “Displaced magic has a signature from whoever corrupted it, and this is Morrigan’s.”
We all studied the massive forest of vines and thorns that spiraled and knotted together, making it nearly impossible to be able to get through. My eyes studied the grove that once sat here, envisioning all the colored plants and trees that I had already seen when we first entered. It broke my heart to see it all gone. Growing up in the forest had taught me to respect it in ways most men did not.
“Through it, or over it?” Cullen asked everyone.
“I say over,” Cian was more than eager to test out the wings on his back that came from his primal form emerging. After their first few attempts along our way, they were getting better at it.
No one said anything else as I witnessed all four men begin to shift into their dragon forms. Because they weren’t true dragons, they were still mostly men when they transformed. It would take me quite some time to get used to this side of them, but there was no denying their beauty. All their horns and scales matched their court, promising a purpose to their magic.
Naturally, I moved to be near Fergus, but it was Alasdair that came behind me. He swooped me into his hold before taking off in flight, following the first three who had already started. A small squeal of surprise left my lips from not knowing he planned to do that. I wasn’t sure why he did because I didn’t think he liked me.
Fergus stayed close, knowing I might need him to take me if I grew too uncomfortable. My arm secured around Alasdair’s neck to ensure I didn’t fall. From the heights, we could see a lot more of the kingdom ahead of us. My eyes could make out the green thunder coming from the distance as some clouds swirled around the tip of a mountain. I knew that’s where our journey was taking us because that’s where Morrigan set up her headquarters.
“Even with the destruction, your lands are beautiful,” I whispered to Alasdair. I knew he probably wouldn’t care about my thoughts or opinions, but I did feel him tense around me. Maybe I accidentally triggered a memory of his family, so I kept my head down and away from his to make sure I didn’t do it again.
“I thought it was the most beautiful thing, until I discovered you,” he admitted, making my heart swell with pride. These men sure knew how to bring color to my cheeks.
“Even if I’m smaller than your women?” I studied how his form nearly swallowed me whole.
“That’s probably my favorite thing. I know you’re tough, but it drives me up the wall, this urge to protect you. I’ll try letting you be, but I am sorry if my instincts show up randomly.”
My mind recalled when we took on the crow-like birds in the mountain pass. Alasdair had gotten in front of me to protect me, and that was before we mated. Keeping silent, I wasn’t sure how to take all that in.
Just as we were making a small amount of progress, a sound found us that wasn’t of the normal variety. Even with all the shrieks and shrills we had heard coming in, this one didn’t sound like that. These sounded more like women who were crying endlessly as though they had no other purpose.
We all observed over to our right where the sound had started, seeing winged creatures coming at us. Their bodies were similar to a human, but their skin was green. Black wings and beaks cloaked them to hide their beady eyes and bald heads.
“Harpies,” Bain warned us all. The men were drawing their blades in defense. I knew my blade would put them to rest, making me hope it was until their magic got restored. We couldn’t fight all of them with my single blade to test my theory. Then there was also the fact that Áine made sure I was the only one who could control the blade. We were going to have to stand our ground against a lot more than just some winged women that were naked.