Page 14 of Harbinger
Victor shrugged. “I can’t exactly let my idiot younger brother die in another realm now, can I?”
Morgan bristled. “Hey, who’re you calling an idiot?!”
“I know for a fact that you’re one,” Victor muttered.
Theo chewed his lip.
Victor raised a thumb to his lover’s mouth and stayed his nervous gesture. “Besides, I’m a demigod of darkness too.” Crimson glinted in the demon’s pupils. “My powers may very well help Morgan against whatever is attacking the Dryad kingdom.”
Galliad and Cedric shared a determined look.
“We shall accompany you, of course,” the prince told Morgan and Victor.
A heaviness settled in Morgan’s chest. He knew this course of action was the right one to take. Still, he could not stop the foreboding twisting his insides.
If Loki’s right, this battle will not be an easy win.
The look in Cassius’s eyes reflected his thought.
Cassius turned to Theo. “Can you open a portal to Ivory Peaks on the rooftop of this building?”
Theo hesitated.
“Yes,” he replied reluctantly.
7
Morgan sensedthe wrongness of the realm beyond the dimensional doorway even before he exited it with Victor and the two Dryads accompanying them. They emerged onto the terrace of the palace overlooking the royal gardens to a sky scored by turbulent clouds and an atmosphere rife with the smell of despair.
He didn’t have to be a genius to divine that the Dryad kingdom was under attack. Heat pulsed through his belly as his soul core throbbed in tandem with the magic that lived deep within Ivory Peaks. A magic that was currently in turmoil judging from what he could sense.
Embedded in the very crux of the realm by Queen Atlanteia herself as a last line of defense against any who would harm her kingdom, Morgan had only become aware of the immense pool of power beneath his feet when Cassius had used his abilities as the Awakener to re-establish his connection to the divine force only he could wield.
“Morgan!”
Morgan turned.
Hildur Esteban, the queen of the Dryads, had rushed out of the throne room. Her husband, Roald, and Cedric’s three brothers followed in her steps as she crossed the terrace.
Hildur clasped Morgan’s hands and kissed his cheek, the relief in her voice reflected on her face. “May Atlanteia’s blessing be with thee.”
“I receive her blessing and grant thee the same,” Morgan murmured.
Hildur exchanged the official Dryad greeting with Victor. “Thank you for coming. Both of you.”
Roald welcomed Morgan and Victor somberly while Cedric hugged Leiv, Arfinn, and Tor. Regina appeared with Elwyn Fremaine, the Head Mage who had taken over Galliad’s role.
Dread quickened Morgan’s pulse as he looked from their strained faces to the glittering city that hugged the highest ice-capped elevation in the mountainous range forming the backbone of Ivory Peaks. He could sense the fear shrouding the capital and its inhabitants even from a distance.
“How bad is it?”
Hildur’s mouth thinned. “Bad.”
“A new wave of the contagion was spotted some hundred leagues south of here,” Elwyn explained stiffly.
Galliad cursed. “When?!”
“Two hours ago.” A muscle jumped in Leiv’s cheek. “Thalia went to investigate whether the rumor was correct. She should be back any moment now.”
