Fantasyland 04 Broken Dove (67 page)

He would struggle.

Apollo knew the instant he explained Maddie’s existence months ago that Chris was uncomfortable with it.

He should have kept watch and planned how to battle it should demons arise.

He should have seen to his son.

These thoughts assailing him, his attention focused on the forest opening up in front of them as they arrived at the house, Frey growled, “Bloody hell.”

Apollo knew why Frey sounded annoyed.

Finnie was atop a steed and galloping toward him.

Frey put heels to his horse and shot forward, thundering, “Wife! I told you—”

“Maddie!” she cried, cutting off her husband, her eyes not to him but to Apollo, her horse in full gallop as it brought her toward them. “Maddie’s gone!”

Even as he felt his son do the same, Apollo went completely still and only at the last minute reined in as Finnie pulled back her own reins so swiftly, her horse wheeled under her.

She turned her head as it did to keep her eyes on Apollo as she continued with her dire news.

“We’ve turned the house upside down, men have gone to the dower house.” She finally stopped her horse and her eyes were still on Apollo. “Ruben found two sets of tracks, both he says were female, leading away from the house. All the women at the house are accounted for so we don’t know for certain who’s with her. But the tracks abruptly stopped and there’s no other sign.”

She drew in a breath, her eyes wide and concerned, before she finished on a whisper, her words landing yet another blow straight to Apollo’s soul.

“She’s disappeared.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Fucked Up. Huge.

Something was not right.

And that something not right was not the fact that thirty minutes ago, Cora, the Gracious surprised the absolute crap out of me by showing up in Apollo’s study telling me that she and Prince Noctorno were riding to Karsvall and found a young boy Noctorno knew to be Apollo’s son. Said boy refused to budge from where he’d dashed from them and was holed up in the trunk of a tree.

That was, he refused to budge unless he saw me.

The house was in disarray, people were freaked, most of the men were out looking for Chris and I was alone in the study, fretting and wishing I could do something.

And this was something I could do.

Not to mention, this was Cora, the Gracious. A woman of my people. One of the women of four couples united over worlds.

One of us.

And, let us not forget, I was freaked too.

Chris was gone and with the enemies we had, that could mean anything.

None of it good.

And most of it
really
not good.

So I’d followed her seeing as she said Prince Noctorno was with Chris and seeing as she was Cora, the Gracious.

And I knew it was her. I’d seen newspapers in Hawkvale, and even Lunwyn, that had pen and ink drawings of her that were printed beside articles that described what she wore to some ball or when she’d do a good deed, like visiting a children’s hospital.

Why she was there with Tor and we didn’t know they were coming, I didn’t know.

Then again, Finnie and Frey had shown without warning so maybe the bird sent with the message they were coming got shot for someone’s supper (or something).

As I followed her, and followed her,
and followed her,
deep into the forest around Karsvall, worried we were getting into a zone that was unprotected by Apollo’s witches, I began to realize that things were not right.

First, if I thought about it (which I hadn’t) the fact that she’d mentioned Prince Noctorno repeatedly and she’d done it just like that was weird.

She called him
Prince Noctorno.

Now, I didn’t know any aristocracy from the Vale, so maybe I was wrong, but the dude was her husband and she was from my world. I couldn’t imagine she’d address her husband as Prince Noctorno unless she was at some official function. And truly, I couldn’t even imagine her doing it then. I hadn’t been to an official function with Apollo but I couldn’t imagine addressing him as anything but Apollo, even to servants, as he called me Lady Ulfr or Lady Madeleine to them.

And that was another thing. She was from my world.

But she spoke like she was from this world.

Now, I’d heard that Americans who lived in England (or wherever) could take on the accent. But she hadn’t been in this world for decades, for goodness sakes. I couldn’t imagine her talking just like people from this world.

Not yet.

Further, I couldn’t imagine Christophe wanting to see me.

For two weeks he’d been doing his best to avoid me.

Demanding to see his father, sure.

But me?

Having time to think on it, lots of it as we trekked through the forest, that wasn’t right either.

Not to mention, she’d said that
Prince Noctorno
was not far.

But he was.

We kept going (and going) and she had to know we were unprotected by men or weapons and the further away from the house we were, the more danger we’d be in.

Apollo had told me that all the women knew what was going on. Their men let them in on it so they could be vigilant and cautious (he’d also added the word “obedient” but I decided to forget he said that; though, it was becoming scarily apparent that I’d forgotten the “cautious” part too).

If she was leading me to her husband who was with Chris not too far away from Karsvall, I could get it.

But she was leading me to what seemed like nothing except deeper into the forest and far away from Karsvall.

And last, she had no guard.

Her husband had let her go like that, unprotected. From what I’d heard about him, that was not something he’d do.

Ever.

No.

This was not right.

I was getting the distinct feeling that I’d been an idiot.

I knew that feeling. It had happened often in my life, this one worse than the rest (except, of course, when I’d picked Pol to pledge my troth to; then again, that remained to be seen depending on whether I could get myself out of what I was currently getting myself into).

I decided it was time to stop being an idiot and called, “Hey!”

She forged ahead, not looking back when she replied, “Not too far now.”

“Uh, I’m thinking that we should turn back, find a man to find Apollo and have you lead him back to Tor and Christophe.”

“We’re not too far,” she mostly repeated. “It would be foolish to turn back now.”

I stared at her plowing through the snow.

Then I stopped.

“Hey!” I called again to her still moving form. “I’m thinking this isn’t smart.”

She looked back, stopped and I saw annoyance flash through her features before she rearranged them and said yet again, “Really, it’s not too far.”

Did Cora, the Gracious who was beloved across an entire country and visited children’s hospitals (and homeless pet shelters, not to mention read to the blind) get annoyed?

I stared at her pretty face with all that fabulous, lustrous brown hair.

And as I did, it hit me.

And what hit me was that I hadn’t been only an idiot.

I’d fucked up.

And huge.

Cora, the Gracious probably found occasion to be annoyed (especially if her husband was an other-worldly macho man like Apollo).

But Cora’s twin, the one from this world, the one who’d disappeared after being kidnapped by Minerva and her crew, would totally get annoyed. From what Apollo told me, she was a screaming bitch.

This had to be her.

It had to.

Cora wouldn’t lead me to danger. She wouldn’t even suggest it.

Okay, I didn’t know that for certain.

But if it were me, I wouldn’t lead Cora to danger. Nothing even near it. Not in times like these.

Not ever!

God!

I’d totally fucked up!

I started backing away.

“Uh, how about you go on to Prince Noctorno and I’ll go back to the house. When I find someone, I’ll tell them to tell Apollo to follow our tracks to you,” I suggested.

More annoyance sliced through her expression before she looked side-to-side in a weird way I did not like then began following me, her hand raised cajolingly my way.

“It’s much further back than forward.”

“I’m cool with that,” I told her, moving more quickly.

She moved more quickly too, saying, “I fear for your safety, walking alone back to Karsvall.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “There are enchantments that’ll keep me safe.”

Again, she eyed side-to-side.

I kept backing up and eyed side-to-side too.

I also hoped like hell Apollo (or someone) found Chris and that they were now searching for me.

I’d take the verbal lashing Apollo was going to give me after he discovered I’d been a complete idiot, and I’d take it since it was deserved.

I just wanted to get back.

I didn’t notice anything side-to-side but when I looked down to ascertain that I was following the same tracks as I’d made coming out not only so I could get home but so that anyone possibly looking for me would actually find me, I stopped dead.

There were no tracks.

I whipped my head around and looked behind me.

There were no tracks there either.

Uh-oh.

I looked back to my feet and took another step.

The instant my foot hit the snow, the snow reassembled where my print had been so there was no print at all.

Uh-oh.

One could say we’d definitely come out of the enchanted safety zone because that couldn’t happen.

Except by magic.

Crap!

My head snapped up and my blood turned to ice when I saw Cora standing with her arms crossed in front of her, gloved hands up high, resting under her shoulders.

And she was smiling a very bitchy smile.

Shit!

At this point, three things happened at once.

The first was that I turned to run.

The second was that two men came barreling out from behind the trees, and the sight of them scared the complete beejeezus out of me.

This was because they were not like any men I’d ever seen in my life.

They were huge.

And when I say huge, I mean
huge.

They had long black hair (one in a plait down his back, the other’s was only pulled back at the top).

They were also wearing hides.
All
hides. Hide boots. Hide pants. Hide shirts laced up to their throats with thick hide threads, and hide jackets that had long lapels that looked to be made of some short fur, like a cow’s.

Oh, and they were carrying massive swords.

Massive
.

Their swords had to be at least a foot longer than Apollo’s and they were way heftier. Even at a glance, I figured they had to weigh double what Apollo’s weighed and his was freaking
heavy
.

They were also running.

Toward
me
.

And the last thing that happened was an enormous flock of birds suddenly appeared in the sky. They were not pretty birds. They were ugly birds. And they were freaking scary birds that had webbed wings that made a sickening sound when they flapped.

And there so many of them, they blotted out the sun.

Yes.

Blotted. Out.
The sun.

They were swooping in, also toward me.

I didn’t scream (though I wanted to).

I didn’t freeze.

I didn’t stumble.

No.

I
ran.

I heard the men running after me so I did my best to run faster, knowing that with their long legs, they’d totally catch up.

But I wasn’t going to give up.

Sure, if I made it to Karsvall, Apollo was going to be pissed.

But I’d take that over whatever those birds (and men) could do to me any day.

Within seconds, I felt the men were almost on me and the instant I did, I heard a grunt of effort.

The next instant, almighty shrieks filled the air and a shower of blue sparks—sparks I’d seen before in a not so happy time—rained over me.

Not that I needed verification those birds were bad magic, still, those sparks gave it anyway.