Page 43 of Awakening Storm

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Soaring above the crowd, Aidan held his breath as he watched. All of the people who had gone with him to the barrier were dead, including his beloved Rhianna. He flew to the highest perch at the top of the library to watch and wait as the leaders gathered their dead.

Katsu carried Rhianna. A sharp pain stabbed at Aidan’s heart seeing her limp body in her great-grandfather’s arms.

Aidan was afraid to breathe or move. What if Theodora decided not to revive them this time? What if she chose to keep Rhianna from him forever to get back at him?

He ground his teeth at the thought, trying to restrain himself from going down there and demanding Theodora release Rhianna from the grip of death.

Theodora made a show before her players, bringing the warriors back to life. The tension in Aidan’s chest eased. She was doing it. He would get another chance with Rhianna, another chance to get her out of Riam.

The sorceress set down her scepter when there were only four bodies left unmoving on the ground—Dillon, Steve, Sean, and Rhianna. All the pain rushed back into his body as her eyes searched the crowd him, probably for him, he knew. Would she make them pay just to twist the knife in his gut? Of course she would. He turned and flew down the street, intending to present a devil-may-care attitude, just as he had essentially done for years when she’d stole people from his island. He hadn’t known then what this life was like for them. A living hell.

The guilt set in. He had ignored all those poor people . . .

He didn’t know how he could have stopped her, but he could have at least made it a lot harder and perhaps not worth her while. Not on his island, anyway.

At last Theodora waved the staff, breathing life back into the three men. They rolled on the ground, groaning in their agony.

Sometimes pain is good,he thought.It means you are alive.

Then Theodora shot him a piercing stare and hesitated. His breath caught. She had to bring back Rhianna. Shehadto.

Pointing the scepter toward Rhianna, Theodora called out to Katsu. “Old man.” He looked up silently, as if waiting for further instruction. “Bring the girl to my palace.”

Katsu nodded, though Aidan could see the man’s clenched jaw and the sadness in his eyes. Rhianna remained unconscious as he carried down the road. He disappeared into the woods, following the long trail that led to Theodora’s castle in the mountains.

Theodora must have been pleased with herself, her voice raised in jubilant eagerness as she announced, “A bonus for all!”

Immediately, a long table appeared down the length of the street. It was piled high with food in one long horn-of-plenty: platers of roast beef, lamb, ham, and poultry, with every sort of fruit and vegetable imaginable.

The people stepped back with hesitation, their eyes wide. When they realized this feast was meant for them the scene turned into a mob attacking the food both eating and storing what they could. A man removed his shirt to create a make-shift satchel. Other’s stuffed pocket and hats with goods.

Theodora peered straight over at where Aidan was perched, the challenge evident in her eyes. He read the message loud and clear...she was in control. Then she disappeared in a swirl of red smoke.

Aidan understood Theodora’s taunt. She’d taken Rhianna because she assumed that he’d come after her.

And she was correct. He’d go beyond this dimension...and to the end of the earth for Rhianna.

His heart pounded in his head, making it hard to think as he soared to the mountain range. At first, he thought to intercept Katsu and Rhianna en route. But when he didn’t encounter them, he realized Theodora must have already intervened and taken them to her palace.

He flew over the ridges, watching and ready. There was no telling what Theodora would do to stop him. She would not make it easy. That was part of the game. Yes, she expected him to follow her. He was only certain she would be ready for him. His first weapon to thwart her would be speed. If he could just get there before she locked him out—and he was sure she would—then he may have a chance.

He flew low, close to the treetops. As soon as he was within sight of the palace, he anticipated smashing into some sort of barricade or force she’d put up. What sort of trap had she laid for him?

But nothing happened as he approached. Perhaps he’d managed to get through before she’d set one up. Still, it made him nervous that he hadn’t run into resistance yet. His back and shoulder muscles tensed as he pushed his wings into an extended glide. He glanced toward the woods and saw nothing.

When he looked forward again, he noticed a cloud of roiling red smoke was heading toward him, moving swiftly before overtaking and enveloping him. He couldn’t see but a foot in front of him. Within seconds, he grew disoriented.

Panic began to set in. He couldn’t fly blind. So he descended, going slowly, hoping not to face plant into a tree or cliff. As he landed, he wondered if that was Theodora’s intent—to make him approach from the ground and not the air.

For now he called on his tiger to run and scale the high cliffs, maneuvering with the confidence of the big cat he was. The going proved much slower than flying, but thick red smoke still permeated everything. If he could find a trail up the mountain, the travel would be easier.

He knew one thing for certain: the castle sat at the top of the mountain. So if he kept going up, he was heading in the right direction. Relying heavily on his sense of smell and his superhuman hearing, he crept silently through the shadows, allowing them to conceal him. He didn’t actually expect Theodora to be in the woods, but he couldn’t be positive, either.

Near the top of the mountain, he finally came upon a path and halted, peering across a gigantic ravine to where he thought Theodora’s castle stood. He barely made out the suspended drawbridge and castle base on the other side. The rest of the structure vanished in the red fog.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he stared at an empty space in the middle of the bridge making it look incomplete. He suspected the space only materialized due to some mystical persuasion from Theodora, so that whoever tried to cross would think it was impossible, or they would risk ending up at the bottom of the gorge.