Looking Back

Chapter 96

Avery

I slept off and on, but I don't know for how long. This place was bizarre, to say the least. It was similar to the Unseelie Court, but instead of the hazy darkness, it was almost like being in a colorless world. It was mostly grey and desolate with no apparent vegetation or wildlife. The closest thing to water were pools of rancid puddles that looked more like tar than liquid and the stench was enough to make me swoon. Gabriel seemed to be immune to all of it.

"Chaton, we need to keep moving," he whispered in my ear as he gently shook my shoulder. I groaned as my stomach clenched. I was hungry, but that wasn't my main concern. I was quickly becoming dehydrated. "Are you hurt?" I could see the worry in his crystalline blue eyes.

I shook my head. "Just thirsty and tired."

"I'm so sorry, mon amour, I don't know how to help." His head lowered as he lifted me in his arms. "Can...can you sense any life here? I mean, with your magic, can you?" I paused as I clung to his neck and closed my eyes, trying to concentrate. In my mind, it felt like little waves just at the edge of my consciousness. Something was out there, something that lived, but it was far from us. "Um, Avery?"

I blinked, opening my eyes and looking up at him, and noticed his look of surprise. I gasped as I saw a tendril of black swirling around us, then shooting off in a westward direction. "I guess we follow and shift when it does," I told him. I started to try and get down but he held me tighter. "Gabriel, I can walk, you don't have to carry me."

He kissed my nose, "Save your energy. Besides, I'm taking advantage of the time I have, and carrying you just keeps you closer to me." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. I nodded and leaned against his silent chest. We were both thinking the same thing. If we found a way to get me back, he would still be trapped here - he would still be dead.

Luke

Fiona had taken the children with her and for as much as I knew it was safer, I was still stressed with them out of our sight. My insides itched at the break in Gabe's mate bond. It felt like a cavern growing deeper and deeper with every second, threatening to swallow me whole. Currently, we were all making our way to see if the Kelpie and Serpent could offer any information.

"Back so soon, Dragon?" the Kelpie asked, his sickly head poking up from the dark waters.

"The Shadow has fallen and the Lady is behind the gate. We seek council," I replied quietly.

He bowed his head and spoke solemnly, "I will ask Master Serpent to breach the surface. I fear not all can reach his depths safely. I grieve for you all in the loss of your mate, Dragon. Hail the traveller." I dipped my own head in acknowledgment as he plunged beneath the surface and we waited in silence.

"What does that mean, hail the traveller?" Silas asked quietly.

"It is a way to honor one who has passed from one life into the next," I told him.

"Oh."

A large ripple shook the surface of the water, then the head of the mighty Oilliphéist breached the surface. "You bring troubling news, Sire," the serpent said as he lowered his head to the edge of the pond. "Does the Lady's heart still beat?"

"It does, Master Serpent. She entered the gate willingly so that she could close it to save us all. We want to know if she can escape without reopening it?" I explained.

His pale eyes searched our group and came to rest on Owen. His tongue flicked forward, tasting the air around him. "The shade can enter without opening the gate. He can also bring her out with him, but he will not be able to bring the shadow touched with him."

"Why can I not bring G..., I mean the shadow touched one with us?" Owen asked him.

"You can not resurrect the dead," the serpent said plainly.

Victor's hand gripped mine, "Can he be saved at all?"

The Oilliphéist now locked onto Kota and chuckled. "Ahh, Master Elf. I almost did not recognize you. Your aura is weak within your human form. Seek the unicorn in the Seelie Court. She will remove the block and you will find the answers you already have." Kota's eyes bulged as he nodded. Turning his attention back to me, he spoke again, "If your mate does return, he will not be the same. His humanity is dead and that cannot be undone. Do not seek his return if you cannot accept what he will become, Sire. It would be cruel to take him from the shadows to only reject him."

I hissed, "I would never reject him! I don't care what his form is, he is mine and I will not let him go - not now, not ever!"

"Forgive me, Sire, I only wanted to warn you. My words are not meant to impune your bond, only to provide the counsel that you sought. Give them the full details when you learn them, Master Elf. You better than most will know what awaits should the shadow touched return."

I took a breath to calm myself and nodded. "Thank you for your counsel, Master Serpent. I am in your debt. Yours as well, Kelpie. I know you have been listening."

The horse breached the surface. "Thank you, Dragon. I hope you are successful in your course."

Then both creatures sank beneath the surface once again leaving us with more questions than answers. Just how was Owen supposed to enter when we didn't even know where it was, and how the hell do you find a unicorn?

Author's Notes:  Almost to the end, my lovelies...