Ever Wrath by Alexia Purdy Read Free Book Online Page A

Turning away, she gulped and pushed the thought from her head.
    “One day I’ll travel. But that won’t be anytime soon.” She picked up the pace, in the hopes of not encouraging him any further.
    He pulled back and resumed the rear guard, not wanting to harass her any more, especially since Dylan had been throwing him speared looks from the forward position. He’d just grin and wave an eyebrow until Dylan turned back to the front.
    Something in the back of Shade’s mind was bothering her, something in a story someone had told her long ago. She was afraid her memory loss had affected her recall somewhat, for it was murky and wouldn’t come to her, no matter how hard she thought about it. It was a story about the Ancients that didn’t sit well with her. Maybe it would come to her with more time and focus. She hoped it would return before it was too late.
    Back in the forest, Shade felt a bit more relaxed. Dylan kept turning to check on her and throw her his handsome smiles. It always sent a tingle to her stomach when he smiled like that. His eyes would twinkle in the sunlight, and his long locks of hair would fall into his face. She longed to have more time to pull him closer and run her fingers through those soft strands of obsidian and brush her lips against his.
    It had taken about three days of hiking to go from Lake Tahoe to these forests. The wards were still standing, making travelling a bit easier to different areas of the Land of Faerie, and it was faster than hiking straight though the human world would have been. Still, she was weary of traveling and kept thinking about how useful it would’ve been to have Camulus with them now or at least the use of a car or airplane. Her feet ached, even though she was pretty fit now compared to how soft she’d been when she’d first traveled into Faerie. Hiking took its toll on anyone after weeks and weeks of it.
    Where was that green skinned teleporter now? She hadn’t bothered to inquire since she hadn’t returned to the Glass Castle since Ursad’s betrayal, when he’d dumped her right into Corb’s hands, having Camulus leave them in the Arctic without a ride home. The memory made her frown and feel slightly empty. Her alliances were all in question after that; nothing lasted forever in the Land of Faerie. Not trust, not life.
    “Here.” Kilara stood in the middle of a meadow, a clearing surrounded by evergreens with tall grasses and wildflowers swaying in the constant buffeting of the wind. They had returned deeper into Faerie, a fair distance from Chicago. Her yellow dress was looking a bit ragged after several days hiking, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She never even slept or ate, so a pack with supplies and a change of clothes wasn’t needed, but it was strange even so. Shade remembered how Corb never seemed to eat or sleep either, though he’d had tons of human food served to them in their imprisonment. It was mind blowing to say the least, but they were true immortals.
    Shade bent down to touch the ground. Unsure of how to get to the hidden chamber apparently below the dirt, her fingers raked through the soil to no avail. She craned her neck to look at Kilara, a sea of questions in her eyes. “How do I open it? You said you can’t use your magic, so how do I do it if I’m not her descendant?”
    “This chamber does not have that requirement , as mine did, but a descendant could do it. The problem is, Rowan never had any children. Only those who know of the chamber and its exact location can open it, along with an Ancient’s magic. Since no one really knew both things, it was very safe. You have to but ask the land to open the entryway for you, Shade.”
    A sudden jerk in her mind br ought a sickening feeling growing in her stomach. The story she’d been trying to remember rushed back in. Dylan had told her all the Ancients slumbered together, except for Kilara. If Arthas was awake, he’d know where Rowan was. She would’ve been right next