Page 8 of Taken By Fury
Once he had reached the outskirts of the city, the landscape changed to tropical forest. While the treetops were thick, he spotted a clearing where he could safely land. On the ground, he shifted again so his wings wouldn’t get in his way and treaded on foot. To where? He had no idea, but instinct was telling him there was something close by he needed to find. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time they found an artifact this way. If not an artifact itself, then perhaps a clue. Uuna had scattered seven artifacts, and no longer recalled where they landed, but she had said they could find clues in Atlantis. They needed all seven artifacts before Zolar could be ended. Aimee, Greydon’s mate, would have the power to end the god once and for all. Each artifact appeared to give the new queen a power of her own.
Zander pushed aside a tree branch, surprised the forest wasn’t so thick that it was impossible to walk through. The magic of this world seemed to keep everything under control. He wondered if this was exactly how it looked when it had been shoved under the ocean so long ago.
“Do my eyes deceive me, or is that a cave?”
He pressed on toward the dark hole in the landscape until he was close enough to see it was indeed an opening set down low into the ground. Moving a few vines aside, he hunched over and stepped inside. It was a tight squeeze and, thankfully, he wasn’t claustrophobic. It was several steps before it finally widened enough he could stand straight and stretch his arms out to his sides and not quite touch the walls. His vision adjusted to the darkness until he could see as clearly as if it were daylight. The tunnel kept going and so did he. He walked for several minutes, his senses on alert for any danger, but his mind wandered back to that damn doctor. He hated that she occupied even a second of his time. Even more so that he felt a desire to taste her. Not just her blood, but her lips, her skin and, most especially, her sex.
As he trudged forward, the air filled with the scent of water so he quickened his pace until the passage widened into a vast cavern. Stalactites dropped like giant icicles of white so pure they held a blue tinge into a pool of aqua water. Something glistened on a rock near the water’s edge and instinct screamed to check it out. Moving closer, it was then he noticed symbols carved into the rocks that surrounded the water and the magic that came from them prickled his skin. It was definitely a protection of some kind that caused him to stop and study it. When he closed his eyes and allowed his other senses to take over, he recognized Uuna’s magic weaved into the symbols. Snapping his eyes open, his gaze fell back on the object that now seemed to cast a soft glow. Could this be another hidden artifact? He moved closer and reached for the glowing object and scooped it up. It was cylindrical and maybe six inches long. He flipped open the end of the tube to discover a small scroll inside. This was likely a clue to where they might locate another artifact, so he shoved it into his pocket and headed back out. He needed to get this back to Greydon and Aimee right away.
CHAPTER4
There was nothing for Sheila to do except lie on the bed wrapped in a blanket and try to get some sleep, as getting out of here would not happen anytime soon. She had no plan and no way in hell was Zander going to set her free.
“Hello.”
She bolted upright at the feminine voice. How had she not heard footsteps?
“Hi.”
“I brought you some food.” The gate magically opened on its own and Aimee walked inside carrying a tray, which she quickly placed on the small table in the corner. Sheila, however, was busy eyeing the open gate, but, of course, it slammed shut as soon as the queen had passed through.
Damn it.
“How kind of you. Did Zander send you with that?” Now she searched the tray to find it held a chunk of bread, something she assumed was butter, some fruit and cheese.
“He does not know I am here.” She took a seat in the other chair at the table, then waved to the empty one on the other side. “Come eat something. I also have some wine.”
Why was she disappointed he hadn’t thought to send her food? She was definitely hungry, and it would be smart to keep up her strength. Besides, the new queen appeared to be on her side, so she got up with her blanket still wrapped around her and took a seat. Tearing off a hunk of bread, she slathered butter on it.
“Are you going to let me go?” She shoved the bread in her mouth and watched the guilt fill the other woman’s eyes.
“I can’t let you go, but I am working on getting Zander to set you free.” She picked up a pitcher and poured wine into a cup. “It would help my cause and yours if you simply shared everything you know.”
Picking at the cheese, she selected a piece and popped it into her mouth. She wanted to tell all, but fear had taken her tongue. “He will kill me and you.” Zolar would actually do worse than kill her, and that was what she feared.
“We can protect you.”
She laughed. “Really? Because you haven’t done a good job of protecting yourself.”
Aimee leaned closer. “Which is why you need to tell us what you know. We’ve only recently begun this fight. What is Zolar’s end game?”
“I think you already know that.” She took a gulp of wine and discovered the taste of plums, black pepper, and cinnamon, with a hint of vanilla. The combination was pretty good, so she took another sip.
Aimee shifted in her seat, leaning back. “He wants Atlantis.”
“The bastard wants more than that.” The woman across from Sheila now appeared shocked.
“What more could he want?”
“You guys seriously don’t know?”
The queen shook her head.
“If he holds rule over Atlantis, then he can make humans his slaves. Everyone will kneel to him.”
“First off, I don’t even understand why holding Atlantis would give him control over humans. Second, why would he even be concerned with the human race?”
Sheila stared into her cup. She knew too much about Zolar and his plans and maybe she could use this as a bargaining chip with the queen. “If I tell you all I know, will you get me out of here?”
