out the castle door.
She pressed her back against the door once it closed behind her and searched the battlements. Even with her shield in place Hayden had kept Warriors on guard.
The gate was closed, and even though she could get through the small door in the massive gate, it might bring too much attention to her. Instead, Isla turned left to the postern door in the castle wall that was hidden between the blacksmith’s shop and the chapel.
The shadows were her constant companions as she made her way toward the door. The latch was stuck from years of not being used, but eventually Isla got it unlocked. The door creaked loudly, the sound like a blast in the silence of the night.
She halted, her eyes glancing around her to see if anyone had heard. No one shouted for her to stop. She opened the door just wide enough that she could slip through, and then hastily shut it.
Hayden would find it unlocked. He would know that’s how she left, but by then she would be long gone and too far away for him to find her.
Isla lifted her skirts in her hand so she could lengthen her strides as she ran. When she was far enough away from the castle, she turned and let her gaze search the towers, battlements, and the other places the Warriors liked to hide.
She saw slight movement on top of the main castle. Without a second’s hesitation, Isla raised her hand and chanted the spell that would make the Warrior forget he saw her — at least for a while.
Isla was sure there was another Warrior, but time wasn’t on her side. She raced to the village and then skidded to a halt in the center.
She looked toward the forests, then to the mountains in the distance. She didn’t know when Hayden would awaken, but she did know the Warriors moved too fast for her to gain any distance on them. Then there was Broc.
There had to be some place she could go that they wouldn’t think to look.
Isla turned and looked at the sea. The perfect solution. She thought of the beach near the castle, but the last thing she wanted was to be near the castle again and chance being seen.
Then she recalled Cara telling her about another beach the villagers used to use when they fished. Isla once more lifted her skirts and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.
Thick, angry clouds blocked the moon, creating an ominous feeling over the land. There was no scent of rain in the air, only black magic.
“You always did like to show off,” Isla murmured as she ran.
She reached the edge of the cliff and found the path that led to the beach. It wasn’t as steep as the one at the castle, but it was treacherous just the same.
Isla navigated the path easily enough and started for the water. Her skirts would hamper her as she swam. She began to undress when she saw the small boat.
Could she be so lucky?
Isla rushed to it. It was turned over and completely out of the water. It took all of her strength, and considerable amount of time, just to flip it right side up. She wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve and gave a mighty push.
It seemed to take an eternity before the rowboat began to move, and when it did, it was in small increments. But Isla eventually got it in the water.
She found two oars and threw them in the boat as she held on to the side. The water churned around her, soaking her skirts and weighing her down.
Isla didn’t fight the water. She opened her magic and felt it grow, felt it seep through her skin. She would need her magic, all of it. After two tries, she finally made it inside the boat.
She cast a glance at the sky. If anyone looked up they would think a storm was about to break, and there was. Just not the kind everyone expected.
After taking up the oars she began to row. It didn’t take long for Isla’s arms to begin to tire, but she kept rowing as fast as she could. She couldn’t get away from the coast, and the castle, fast enough.
That’s when she remembered her shield. It was extended as far as her power would take it. There was no way to make it larger and expand to where she wanted to be. She would keep it in place until she passed the barrier. Her only hope was that Deirdre wouldn’t send her wyrran to attack the castle once the shield came down.
The waves began to grow bigger, pushing her back toward the beach, but Isla kept rowing. She gritted her teeth and used her feet to give her added leverage as she moved the oars.
Isla knew the moment she passed through her shield. The barrier charged around her for a moment before disappearing altogether. She blinked through a new wave of tears and a heart that continued to break for Hayden. She rowed herself farther and farther from the castle, farther and farther away from the only man she had ever loved.
Pain exploded in her head, more ferocious than anything she had felt before.
“You fool,” Deirdre’s voice screamed in her head. “How dare you betray me? You will know the full extent of my wrath. Once I’m done with you, you’ll beg me for death, but first, you will kill everyone at that castle.”
Isla wanted to grab her head, to curl up in a ball as the throbbing continued. But she thought of Hayden, of what Deirdre had made her do to his family, and Isla kept rowing.
“Nay!” Isla screamed into the churning waves. “Get out of my head, Deirdre. I won’t kill anyone else for you.”
“Oh, you will,” Deirdre said with a laugh. “You will kill them all!”
In the next instant lightning split the sky. Isla cringed, for she knew the lightning came from Deirdre. Isla could feel Deirdre’s black magic spread over the water.
Isla wouldn’t give up fighting, though. She would do it for Hayden, for the friendship she’d been offered by those at the castle. It was the least she could do for them. Deirdre would eventually win, but Isla wanted to give everyone enough time to prepare.
The lightning grew closer and closer, its booms louder and louder. Isla had seen Deirdre use her magic this way only once, and the outcome had been disturbing and brutal. Isla knew she would fare no better.
The first strike of the lightning made Isla drop the oars as her body froze amid the torment and blistering heat that scalded her skin. She screamed and crumpled over while Deirdre commanded her to return to the castle and kill.
Deirdre’s magic wasn’t as strong as before, but even in Deirdre’s weakened state Isla had a difficult time keeping her from taking her mind. It was only the thought of Hayden that made Isla reach for the oars once more.
Hayden knew something was wrong as soon as he opened his eyes. He reached a hand over to Isla’s side of the bed and found it cool to the touch. She had been gone for some time.
He threw back the covers and jumped from the bed. As he reached for his clothes, something strong and magical passed through him.
Her shield was gone. Which meant … she was gone.
Something inside Hayden snapped. Broke. The strange and new and glorious emotions he had let into himself just the day before crushed and left him … shattered.
He threw back his head and let out a roar that seemed to go on forever. Time stood still as his mind and heart raged. His god broke free, but Hayden didn’t stop him. Hayden would never stop him now, not with Isla gone.
THIRTY-FIVE
