Darc strode to the inter-castle contact charm that hung near the bedroom door. “Lord William,” he said to the charm.

  A few minutes passed as we waited and then William's sleepy voice came through the charm. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

  “Sorry to wake you, William,” I said. “We've just returned and are speaking with Sara. She's brought up your concerns with the castle, and we think they're valid.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” William said in relief. “What are your commands.”

  “You have free rein while we're gone, William,” I said. “Bring in as many supplies as you feel are appropriate.”

  “And notify Sir Ren to put the castle under a state of emergency,” Darc added. “No one unknown gets into the castle. In fact, make that no one unknown or not from Kyanite; understood?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty!”

  “We have enemies who may be coming for us, Lord William,” I explained, even though he knew it already. “Sara suggested they may try to sneak in to abduct us.”

  “No one will get past our guards, Your Majesty,” William vowed. “Sir Ren is an exemplary soldier; he will make sure you both are safe. I will notify him immediately.”

  “Thank you, William,” Darc said.

  “My pleasure, Your Majesty.”

  Darc let go of the charm, and Sara sighed in relief. I wish I could have felt the same, but Gods are devious. We were dealing with ancient beings who had created worlds and entire races to fill those worlds. They may be limited to working through Beneathers, but as long as they could make themselves heard, they had a chance. They had knowledge of their own imprisonment that could help them while we fumbled about trying to discover it and them. There could be gods awakening every day for all we knew. There were undoubtedly those who were smart enough to lay low and stay quiet until their plans came to fruition.

  Such infinite wisdom could easily come up with a way to surmount Shining One defenses. Despite postponing the weddings, I'd allowed myself to believe that Tír na nÓg was moderately safe, and I should have known better. I had been one of those gods once. I had thought as they do. I suppose I didn't want to know better; I needed to have a place where I could rest my head without worrying about someone trying to remove it from my shoulders. But there wasn't anywhere safe when you were dealing with Gods.

  Sara said goodnight and left, but I continued to stand forlornly at the foot of my bed.

  “Elaria?” Darc's hand slid up the side of my neck and settled on my cheek. “We will prevail; I promise you.”

  “How many gods will I have to sing to sleep?” I whispered. “How many will I miss and then have to battle later? This feels endless, Darc.”

  “It isn't.” He pulled me into a hug. “Nothing is endless except my love for you. We will put the Gods to rest and free ourselves.”

  “Do you think it's wrong?”

  “What?”

  “Helping to imprison fellow gods so that we can live as Shining Ones.”

  “We didn't imprison them, Elaria,” he said gently. “Their children did, and we know firsthand that even the best of us most likely deserved it. But regardless of what's right or wrong, it's a question of us or them. They are coming for us, my love. Every single one of them would gladly see us dead for the mere possibility that it might free them. So, no; I don't think it's wrong. I think it's survival.”

  “This is war,” I whispered.

  “Just so.” Darc's hands moved down to my shoulders and started to massage me. “But we are not fighting now. We must take these moments to remind ourselves that life is not simply battle; it is beauty and laughter and so much glorious pleasure.”

  Darcraxis scooped me up suddenly and set his mouth to mine. I groaned into his savage kiss, my blood starting to race with something other than anxiety. I tore at Darc's clothes as he fumbled with mine until we laughingly broke apart to remove our own garments. Then his hands were back on my skin, soon followed by his lips, and I laid beneath my dark god and basked in the glorious pleasure he had promised me.

  Darc's thick biceps bracketed my torso as he eased over me, settling his body between my legs. I pulled him closer, one hand sliding into the raven locks that hung in a straight line around his face. His hair had gotten longer—nearly down to his shoulders—and I loved running my fingers through its silky weight. But my stare was locked on his as the ocean depths of his irises darkened to indigo.

  “Light to my Darkness. Fire to my Water,” Darc murmured as he slid into me.

  I lifted my hips to meet his thrusts and clawed him even closer. “Let's make some steam, lover.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next morning, Gage, Darc, Cerberus, and I headed back to Coven Cay. Kyanite Castle was as secure as we could make it, and I couldn't worry about it on top of everything else. We found Prince Saif waiting in the Coven's courtyard along with his guards, Odin, our witch escort, and my other men.

  I had dressed warm, despite the Prince's assurances that he'd have gear for me. He smiled at the fur-lined leather coat that hung over my leather pants and layered shirts.

  “You will be warm in the palace,” Saif warned me.

  “I can always take off my coat.” I shrugged.

  “And we won't be at the palace for long.” Saif conceded. “Is this everyone?”

  “This is it,” Odin confirmed.

  “Are you going to twitch your nose or nod your head to get us to Planet Genie?” Cerberus asked with a smirk.

  “Oh, how amusing,” Saif said dryly. “I've never heard that joke before.”

  I laughed at Cer's annoyed expression. “You deserved that. And the Jinn's home planet is called Zuja.”

  Saif nodded to me and held out his hand. “Well said, Your Majesty. If we could just clasp hands, I will wish us home.”

  “See?!” Cerberus pointed at him. “I knew it would be something like that.”

  “He's joking, Cerberus,” Odin said with an eye roll; literally one eye since that's all he has.

  “Oh.”

  “We travel in spirit form,” Saif explained. “My men and I will carry you with us. It will be over in a few moments, but you must not look. A small glimpse of spirit traveling has made men insane.”

  I turned a hard glare on Cerberus.

  “What?” He asked in annoyance.

  “Don't you look, Cer,” I growled at him.

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because someone told you not to.”

  “Yeah. All right,” he gave in. “I won't look.”

  I continued to glare at him.

  “I promise!”

  Saif nodded to his guards, and they divided our party into smaller groups for travel. Torin and Slate formed a circle with Saif and me, and then Saif instructed us to close our eyes. I felt a strange shivering and a bone-deep cold before solid ground formed beneath my feet, and Saif told us we could open our eyes. My eyes popped open, and I immediately searched for Cerberus. Breath rushed out of me in a sigh of relief when I saw him standing beside Odin, apparently still sane. As sane as a hellhound could be.

  Then I took a look around our location. Several Beneather races had settled in regions of Earth that reminded them of their homes. Jinn were no exception. Zuja—or at least this part of it—languished beneath a blazing sun; sandy stretches of desert spotted with hardy plants that congregated around gleaming pools. The capital city of Dahabi had some elements of the Middle East to it as well. Intricate carvings and latticework adorned stone buildings and their roofs, though angled instead of domed, were gilded.

  The Prince had taken us to the palace courtyard; a circular expanse of packed earth bordered by a swath of grass and stubby trees. The palace stood proudly behind us, staring out from its perch onto the city below. In the distance, I caught the glint of a great body of water and the sharp peaks of a mountain range.

  “Those are the Yahmina Mountains,” Saif said to my look. “The Albards are much further away. We'll ree to the coordinates after we gather our gear.”

  “Ree?” Slate asked.

  “That's what we call our spiritual travel,” Saif explained.

  “How ironic,” I said. “I was just thinking of the planet Ry.”

  “Ah, yes,” Saif said. “A different spelling, though the same pronunciation. Why were you thinking of Ry?”

  “We visited an underwater city where the buildings were paneled in silver to reflect the light,” I explained. “Do you gild your roofs to reflect heat?”

  “Actually, the gold absorbs the light,” Saif said with a proud grin. “Dahabi is a solar-powered city.”

  “I remember reading about that once,” Odin said with a fascinated tone. “The gold is enchanted to immediately transform solar rays into energy that then gets stored in the stone walls.”

  “Just so.” Saif nodded. “I can talk about my city all day, but my parents will be waiting to meet you. We should head inside.”

  “Your parents are here, Son,” a man's voice came from behind us. “The guards alerted us to your arrival.”

  We turned to see a resplendent couple approaching us. The man was an older version of Saif except his hair was cropped short and a crown of gold and rubies sat over his curls. The woman's raven hair supported her similar crown with complicated braids, and her eyes nearly matched the rubies. Her body curved generously beneath her pink, silk gown, which set off her golden-brown skin perfectly. They both wore welcoming smiles.

  Saif quickly introduced us to King Baha and Queen Sabah, his parents.

  “Thank you all for coming,” King Baha said. “I'm sure you're eager to be on your way so I won't badger you with questions. A contingent of our soldiers will accompany you to the Albards.”

  He waved his hand behind him where a group of twenty men and women came marching into the courtyard right on cue. They were dressed in thick, white garments and carried packs in the same color.

  “Cold weather gear,” I murmured.

  “It's better to blend in with the environment,” Saif said. “Also, our coats have metal wires woven into the fabric which are enchanted in a similar way to the gold you noted on our rooftops. They provide heat.”

  “How cold is it going to be up there that we need enchanted coats?” Cerberus asked warily. “I'm a hellhound; we don't like the cold.”

  “Neither do we, Hound of Hades,” the King said. “It will be freezing and difficult to breathe but, as my son said, the gear will protect you.”

  The King waved some of the soldiers forward, and they brought bundles over for each of us. The King took my bundle and opened it. He handed me the coat and while I slipped into it—right over my other coat—he removed a scarf from a white backpack.

  “Wrap this around your face and it will help you breathe,” King Baha said as he handed me the woven scarf.

  I experimentally held the fabric up to my nose and took a deep breath. Pure, warm oxygen rushed into my nostrils. I nodded in gratitude and draped it around my shoulders.

  “I suggest you place it over your face now, Queen Elaria,” Queen Sabah said. “Make sure to use the gloves and goggles as well. My son will be taking you straight into the peaks.”

  “All right.” I fished a pair of goggles out of the pack and settled them over my eyes before I tied the scarf around the lower half of my face, drew up my coat's hood, pulled on a pair of white gloves, and slipped the backpack over my shoulders. The only bit of black that still showed on me was from my boots.

  Darc had already stuck his backpack inside his new white one and geared up. He nodded to me when he caught me watching him. The orbs were secure. I glanced around and saw that everyone was ready.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you both,” I said to the Jinn King and Queen. “If all goes well, my group and I will leave straight from the mountains so this will be hello and goodbye.”

  “In that case; I hope I won't see you again. At least not today. Good luck to you,” the King said.

  “And if all goes well,” the Queen mimicked me, “you will be welcome back for a longer visit anytime you wish.”

  “Thank you. You have a lovely city, and I'd be happy to see more of it,” I said diplomatically.

  This time, we had enough jinn for us to travel—or ree—in groups of two. Saif took my hand again, and I nodded at my men before I closed my eyes and a-ree we went. Sorry; I couldn't resist. At least it was better than; we went ree, ree, ree all the way there.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The crunch of snow and the slap of cold air against my forehead welcomed me to the Albard Mountains. I opened my eyes and looked around the plateau we'd reed to—Reeded? Reeed? Ree-ed?—the plateau we'd jinn-traveled to. Dismal gray rock peered through a ghostly veil of ice at me. I cast my stare upward, along its length, and lost the tip of it to the looming clouds. Heat radiated inward from my hood and kept the portions of my face that were bared to the elements from freezing, and the scarf provided breathable air. If I ever saw Queen Sabah again, I'd be sure to thank her for her advice. I had a feeling that if I'd stepped onto this mountain without the scarf in place, my lips would have frozen together and my nose would have been instantly frostbitten.

  We perched on a snow-laden shelf of rock, a view of thick jungle spreading out below us. Wisps of stratus clouds lay between us and the expanse of green, making me feel detached from the rest of the world. A flock of crimson birds sped over the treetops; rubies cast across emerald velvet.

  I turned to look at the Prince. “Beautiful. Really damn cold, but it's a nice view. Fit for a goddess.”

  The Prince chuckled, the muffled sound of it filtered through his scarf. The strip of his forehead and eyes showed starkly against the white of his hood. He gestured behind us, and I turned to see the mountainside curve inward and widen. I moved out of his way and let him take lead.

  The Jinn settled around our group, guiding us down an icy path with ease. They may not enjoy the cold, but they knew how to navigate the territory. The cutting breeze softened once we rounded the bend and sunshine peeked through the clouds. Prince Saif and his soldiers stomped and scraped snow aside as they walked, clearing the path for us and revealing the undulating terrain below our feet; pitted and pointed with rocks and rubble. A careless step through the even cover of snow could have easily broken an ankle or even a neck.

  “There!” Saif called back to us as he pointed up the mountainside.

  About a half mile ahead of us, the passage curved up. At the height of the incline, a dark spot marred the gleaming gray rock; a cave. I smiled in relief; perhaps we wouldn't have to suffer the brutal conditions for long.

  But just as the Prince started to make the climb, a bellow rent the air, and the snow came to life around us. Massive shapes reared up, powder and crystals bursting off white fur in glittering showers. Mouths gaped open—sable and garnet caverns full of dripping canines that marred the stark porcelain perfection of their coats—and emitted horrendous cries that trembled through the rock. The beasts lumbered forward and dropped from perches into our path; ape-like creatures with claw-tipped hands and glacier blue eyes.

  I gaped around me as bodies went flying and blood painted the snow in vibrant ruby swaths. Fire flared from the hands of several jinn, disintegrating fur and blistering the bodies beneath. War cries became bellows of pain, quickly cut short by enormous blades that appeared out of thin air to behead the beasts. No, not beasts. I knew these creatures, or rather, I knew their cousins; the Sasq'et.

  “Yeti,” I whispered in shock.

  The Yeti came from the same realm as the peaceful Sasq'et, but another planet entirely. A cold, barren world that had nonetheless birthed a relatively amicable race. I'd never met a yeti, but I'd heard they were nearly as calm and kind as the Sasq'et. So, what would make them behave like this? And what the hell were they doing on Zuja, to begin with? What or who had brought them there?

  A great rumbling shivered through the air as Slate lifted his hands and commanded the very mountain to defend us. Rock shot upward and downward; crushing a yeti who had been mere steps away from me. The crack of his skull jolted me out of my statue-pose, and I nodded my thanks to Slate.

  “Stop, Slate!” Odin cried. “I feel the rumbles of a quake beginning!”

  Slate nodded but grimaced. This was the second time his main magic had been hobbled. He may be able to control the mountain, but he couldn't control the snow. So, instead of manipulating rock and earth, he shifted his hands; talons sprouting through his gloves as he sank into a battle stance. All of my men stood in a similar fashion around me; ready to strike with magic or steel or claw. They had circled me as soon as the fighting began, giving me the time to come up with a song that might end this, and I had squandered precious seconds on confusion.