Hey Everyone!! :-)
I don't know about you, but I'm starting to long for a little bit a winter. So, I thought I'd share this piece of it with you. Enjoy!! 😊
Excerpt from Captivated by the Winter King:
Tairise came through the door, speaking as ta did. "There's news! I think I know where she has gone."
Careful to slide the slumbering cat from his lap onto the couch, Ankou jumped to his feet. "Where?"
Motioning the king to follow ta, Tairise led him to the lower levels of the palace. Ta explained as they walked. "One of the guards finally admitted to having seen the runes flare over the door he was assigned to watch yesterday. They indicated that those who passed were residents of the castle, so he did not report the incident."
"That's against protocol! Why did it take so long for him to come forward?"
Hesitating, Tairise tried to find a way to make it sound better. Giving it up as a lost cause, ta just said, "He has been taking bribes to allow certain nobles to enter and exit the palace without entering a note of their passage into the record. He is an Anthropophagi, so he could not see through the glamour and thought it was one of those who had paid him." Seeing the rage in tas king's eyes, ta continued, "He is being held, awaiting your pleasure."
Forcing himself not to give into his anger, Ankou took slow, deep breaths. "So Kate has been kidnapped by Duibhne and Gormal."
The monarch's voice was mild, but Tairise knew the fury that boiled beneath that deceptively calm surface. Choosing tas words carefully, ta said, "I believe so, your majesty. There is no other scenario I can think of that fits all the available evidence."
Knowing he was a hair's breadth from losing control, Ankou focused on breathing in and out. "Where have they gone?"
"I don't know their destination, but they left through the caves," the Elf pointed to the door ta had brought tas king to.
Considering the options, Ankou realized only one fit. "They are taking her to the portal. They intend to send her back to the human world."
Nodding, Tairise conceded, "That is possible. If so, they will be breaking one of the most basic tenets of the law. They know that, so I can't think what their plan might be afterward."
Getting an iron grip on his temper, Ankou forced himself to think through the possibilities. He could use the Black Coach to get to the portal ahead of them, but he would run the risk that they would realize he was waiting and alter their plans. If they did that, he would have to hunt them without the advantage of knowing their destination.
As he debated his options, a scene flickered before his eyes of Kate's body lying cold and white in the snow. The Black Coach was in the background. The vision made him realize his instinct to follow behind Duibhne and Gormal, instead of racing ahead of them, was the right one. He had never been more grateful for his prophetic power and he sent a silent prayer of thanks to the goddess. With his decision made, he turned to his counselor and said one word. "Go."
"I can accompany you, if you wish, your majesty," ventured the Elf.
Shaking his head, Ankou put aside all good and gentle feelings. As he fully embraced his anger for the first time in a long time, his eyes glowed and his teeth elongated. Focusing his power, he summoned the Genii Cucullati and smiled. "I have all the aid I will need."
The evil light behind tas friend's smile made Tairise gasp. As the ghostly forms of the Genii Cucullati congealed into existence, ta backed away, trembling. The hooded spirits were the stuff of nightmares. Ta almost pitied Gormal and Duibhne.
With a gesture, the Winter king set the Genii Cucullati on the trail of the two Elves. The wraiths swirled around him, lifting him into their embrace, and surged through the door to the tunnel beyond. As they departed, an eerie howl filled the hallway sending Tairise running for the stairs. The wind of their passage swept the door closed behind them, and the resulting bang echoed through the empty corridor. The noise jarred the Elf to tas senses and ta paused on the stairs, looking over tas shoulder.
What ta saw made ta rub tas eyes to clear them. But the image remained. The place where the hooded spirits had manifested now held two glowing, blood-red outlines. One male. One female. Tairise shuddered. The Genii Cucullati were outside the mortal realm. Creatures of the Summerlands, they answered to rules beyond the ken of even the wisest Fae. By attempting to tamper with the Siorghra bond, Duibhne and Gormal had earned their fate. But ta did not envy them.
Well, now, that brings a bit of a chill, doesn't it? 😉 Want to find out what happens next? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊
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