Seeing her powerful mother so shaken and speaking as if the world had just come to an end shook her to the core. “I’ll go to Harpina and assess the situation, yes.” Forget her own injury. She strode to the closet to collect daggers, a crossbow and a pair of short swords. Strapping those swords to her back proved excruciating, but she didn’t care. “Whatever these monsters are, they’ll die begging for mercy.”
“Use my key.” Motions more awkward by the second, her mother removed a chain, where a small, dagger-shaped pendant hung.
Realm keys, no matter their incarnation, allowed a holder to flash, moving to a new location with only a thought. She could land in any location of her choosing. The key to the Realm of the Forgotten would facilitate her return. She’d had it tattooed on her lower back, an hourglass set to vanish when her purchased time ran out.
After securing the chain around her neck, she double-checked her enchanted ring. The metal screws anchoring the metal to bone held steady. Excellent. The older she’d grown, the louder the phantom screams had become, until even a few seconds had threatened to push her off the cliff of madness.
She turned to Neeka. “Any helpful hints for me?”
Her friend tilted her head, as if digging deeper into her vision. “You should say yes.”
Say yes to what? “Anything else?” Maybe something she understood?
No answer was forthcoming, the oracle lost. Very well. Taliyah nodded goodbye to her mother, then forced her body to mist. Frigid cold washed over her, weightlessness settling into her bones.
Deep inhalation. She clasped the key to Harpina. With only a thought, she flashed to the other realm. The bedroom faded...
Heartbeat, heartbeat...
The palace formed around her, and she exhaled. Murals covered gold-trimmed walls, featuring General Nissa in the midst of battle. Multiple chandeliers dangled from the arched ceiling. Gold bricks paved the floor.
Usually chattering harpies filled this area. Today? There were no harpies and no chatter. Just dead silence.
Rage sparked in Taliyah. Someone will pay.
A massive set of double doors loomed before her. The throne room waited beyond them. Tall, muscular guards stood sentry, both males clutching a sword—the weapon of choice for immortals with sensitive ears. There were other men present, some marching down hallways, others guarding different doors. Vampires, wolfshifters and banshees, all natural-born enemies, worked together. What she didn’t see? Monsters.
Taliyah wrapped her fingers around the hilt of a dagger, preparing to strike. In this form, no one could see, hear or even sense her. Appearing, striking and vanishing would be easy. But why solidify, leaving dead bodies sure to set off an alarm? Why not spy first?
“Who is the bloodthirstiest among you?” a rough voice called from the throne room, brutal in its intensity.
She stiffened. A monster?
Let’s find out. Wasting no time, she ghosted through the closed doors...
3
Taliyah drew up short. Hundreds of soldiers surrounded her. Other vampires, wolfshifters and banshees stood alongside other natural-born enemies. Elves, warlocks, merfolk. Goblins, minotaurs, centaurs. Trolls, fae, shifters of every kind. Gorgons and even a handful of creatures she couldn’t identify. Everyone focused on... She couldn’t tell yet, the crowd too thick.
She ghosted forward, passing through bodies until—Taliyah gasped. Ten harpies knelt before the royal dais. With their hands chained behind their backs, the metal links connected to their ankles, they couldn’t protect themselves, much less stand. Their wings fluttered like crazy as they struggled for freedom without success.
Rage growing hotter... Where were the other harpies?
Directly behind the captives—each a contender for General—were four men.
The monsters, no doubt about it.
They were enormous, both incredibly tall and stacked with muscle. A wealth of tattoos covered their torsos—Whoa. She did a double take. Did those tattoos move?
They did. But why? What did it mean? She needed a plan.
What would a General do? Aid the captives or hunt for the others?
At the moment, the invaders were distracted by...whatever this was. They remained unaware of the powerful phantom lurking in their midst. There was no better time for a search and rescue. Also, there was strength in numbers. The other harpies could help her save these captives.
What did these men have planned for them, though? Rape? Murder? A little of both? Hatred seethed inside her.
Better stay put.
Where did these monsters come from? What were their greatest strengths? Their weaknesses?
They reminded her of berserkers. Extra-large mutant berserkers on a steady diet of the bones of their foes. Each man wore an elaborate headdress. A mythological creature’s bottom jaw rested on their shoulders, the upper part on their skulls, with saber teeth creating a cage-like effect around their faces.
Taliyah curled her hands into fists. Bloodstained claws extended from their nail beds.
“Come, ladies,” a man called. The man. The one she’d heard before. “Surely someone wishes to claim the title of Bloodthirstiest Harpy?”
That deep voice with its smug undertone drew her gaze toward the throne, where a fifth male reclined.