Allie POV
It felt as though we were giants walking through a tiny village. The buildings were unlike anything I’d seen before. All reds and earthy hues and exquisitely built from clay and brick. The level of detail would have taken my breath away, except there wasn’t much left.
The tunnel had opened up into a large underground cavern which housed the village, and small waves of claustrophobia nagged at me. I had to take a few deep, steadying breaths to try to stay calm, but they were only delaying the inevitable.
There was nothing but earth above us, and the thought of it caving in, along with the ever present potent smell of earth, made me feel ill.
My breathing increased, and I felt the familiar flutter of panic. But this time, Josh was right there behind me,
Allie POV “These are giant spiders,” said Gerard. “Even the babies that have just hatched are bigger than the three of you.” Spiders bigger than us? Trapped underground with them? Oh, dear Goddess. I leaned over and checked under the bed and Gerard laughed in a slightly unnerving manner. “Won’t fit under there,” he chuckled. “You three get some rest. You look like you’ve seen better days. There’s a washroom through the back there with spare clothes and anything else you should need. I’ll be back in the morning with breakfast.” “Is it still night, or is it night again?” Mulberry mused out loud.
Josh POV I felt as though my entire body was a dead weight. I’d slept so deeply, I was sure I hadn’t moved once all night long. I may have been on the floor, but it was no worse than the so-called bed in my cell, or the ground I’d been sleeping on for the last few weeks. I heard movement across the room and opened one eye to see Mulberry moving about in the kitchenette. I felt a weight on top of my head and turned to find Allie lying face down in the bed, her hand hanging over the side resting on my head. What the? How did I end up next to her? I’d set myself up in the middle of the living room when I went to bed, and now somehow I’d made it across the room and was right next to Allie. I sat up and tucked he
Josh POV By the time I’d washed up and dressed after breakfast, Allie was awake and eating. Thankfully, I didn’t think she was aware of our closeness during the night. She got embarrassed too easily over stuff like that. It was better that she didn’t know. There was a knock at the door followed by Gerard greeting us and he motioned us to step out into the village. We walked through the small town until we came to the entrance to what looked like a mine. Several gnomes stood eyeing us, holding tools. “The community has agreed to make you weapons as you requested yesterday,” said Gerard, and a flutter of excitement ran through me. If we were going to get out of the forest, we needed a way to defend ourselves. “The only thing we ask for in return is a day’s hard work.”
Allie POV Fear raced through me as I watched the giant spider knock Mulberry to the ground. I ran to her, trying to grab hold under her arms to drag her away, but she pushed me away. Her eyes never left the spider’s. The spider had stopped moving and instead cocked its head, as though it was letting each of its eight eyes inspect her in turn. A flash of movement caught my eye, and Josh charged at us. He held his pickaxe above his head as he came in to strike. I moved out of the way to give him room, but Mulberry screamed at him. She jumped up and pushed him out of the way with all her might. They stumbled and fell, the pickaxe falling from his hands. “What the fuck, Mulberry?” he yelled, waving his arms in ob
Allie POV We walked away from the mountain, which we had been able to determine wasn’t Samson’s mountain. Mulberry’s words about Olive’s sacrifice kept turning over in my head. They made my chest ache but also gave me a feeling of pride. Olive–my friend–did that. Mulberry was right. She gave the entire Ivory Court fae hope. She gave me hope, too. The Obsidian Court could be made vulnerable. The only downside was that it took a sacrifice of that magnitude. Replicating that would be incredibly difficult; it could only be done naturally, not planned or forced. Josh’s hand in mine felt right, and we all walked in silence, apart from Spidey and his occasional unsettling noises. It was going to take some time to get used to being followed by a giant spider, but I was surprised at how natural it was beginning to f
Allie POV By the time we slowed to cross a stream, the sun was up to signal the start of a new day. We stopped by the water for a bathroom and drink break, and managed to find a few strawberries. They were a welcome treat, since we had eaten nothing since breakfast in the gnome village. Had it really only been a day? It was hard to believe, given everything that had happened in between. Josh helped me back onto the horse and climbed up after me. This time he wanted me in front of him, and the view was amazing as we sped along. He had one powerful arm wrapped tightly around my waist and I held onto it, keeping it pulled against me as I relaxed and leant my back into his chest. I was getting sleepy, and I really wan
Allie POV “Wake up, Princess,” a deep voice whispered in my ear, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. My nose scrunched as I woke to the tickle of Josh’s beard on the side of my face as he kissed me. I didn’t seem to mind being called Princess when he said it like this. The horse huffed and it felt like we’d stopped moving. I opened my eyes slowly; they were unwilling to cooperate. I’m not sure how long I’d been sleeping for, but it was pure bliss, despite the sore rear end I now had. “Are you ready for me to let go?” Josh asked. I nodded, and he untangled his arms from my waist and hopped down from the horse, letting out a grunt with the effort. I felt the loss of his touch and his warmth immediately, and wanted to throw myself off the horse just to land back i
Allie POV I looked back up, ready to thank Skye, but she had already gone. It was as though she’d disappeared into thin air. The horse suddenly spooked and took off. Josh swore under his breath and raced after it, but quickly realised it was pointless. I unfurled my hand to reveal a smooth golden circle. It looked like a compass, but was the size of a watch face. It had no markings, directions or coordinates, just a single black arrow. When I turned in a circle, the arrow never lost its place, always pointing me in the same direction. Josh looked over my shoulder, studying the navigator. “I know what you just heard is a lot to take in, but it’s time to go home, Allie,” he said gently. “What about Mulberry?” I replied, my