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I pressed a finger to my lips as Gwenda fluttered her wings frantically, not understanding what was happening. But she sensed the magick as surely as I did. She settled and stared up at Murgha expectantly.
Murgha finally straightened her spine and spoke in a hollow voice. “Darkness is here. More will come. The demon of night speaks to many beings. Even a misguided king. He whispers of blood and massacre, of ruin and the fall. When he is set free, it will be the end of all.”
Then Murgha gasped and blinked her eyes rapidly, coming back to us. I coasted my hands up her arms, squeezing lightly.
“How do you feel?” I asked her.
“Fine, I…”
“You didn’t tell me you were a seer.” I couldn’t help the gruffness in my voice, sounding somewhat accusing.
“I’ve only ever had one other vision. That was years ago. I didn’t know.”
“You had to.”
“I wasn’t sure.” She licked her lips nervously. “Sometimes, I get feelings about things. Like down in that den.”
“What did you sense there?”
She gulped, her slender throat working. “Evil. I think that’s why I had a vision now. It feels so close.” She shook her head, tears pricking in her eyes. “What is wrong here in the Solgavia Mountains?”
That she innately knew something was wrong would normally have put me on guard to defend our terrible secret, the one we kept from the world in order to protect them.
I considered my loyalty to the royal family of Gadlizel, knowing that breaking any confidentiality would be breaking those vows. But Murgha was my mate. Though she didn’t know it yet, she was owed my full confidence and trust. My deepest loyalty. Even above my king.
“Something I can’t quite explain. Not entirely. You felt it in the den. The source of it is stirring deep in the belly of Mount Gudrun, the tallest mountain in Solgavia.”
Sudden realization hit me. I stood and searched the skies, still seeing no scouts. It was nearly afternoon. They’d be circling this way soon enough.
Gwenda flew near my shoulder, her wings buzzing. “We cannot take her to Gadlizel. No, no, Vallon. We cannot.”
Her black eyes were glassy with unshed tears. She tended to cry when she was afraid.
“Don’t worry, my friend. I know. I agree, but we need some place safe tonight so I can figure out what to do next.”
“Why can’t we go to Gadlizel?” Murgha stood, stepping closer. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Gwenda, go to Windolek Castle. Speak to King Gollaya and get permission for us to visit him there.”
“You can’t wait here,” she trilled, her voice reaching a birdlike screech.
“We’re leaving now. We’ll not be far behind you. But you fly faster, and we need to give the wraith king warning that a shadow fae is showing up on his doorstep. I don’t want his archers to shoot us out of the sky or his dragon to eat us.”
“He has a dragon?” Her expression brightened, smile widening.
“Don’t flirt with his dragon, Gwenda. Just get there and get back to me.”
She was gone in a streak of blue into the sky heading southwest.
Finally, I turned back to Murgha, her brow creased with a deep frown.
“I thought the dark fae didn’t get along.”
“They don’t.”
“So why are we going to see the wraith king?”
“We’ve met before. He’s”—I couldn’t think how to explain—“he’s different. He may help. We helped him once when he needed it.”
