In her mind, Myanin pictured the magic rising to the surface of her flesh, much like the sweat on her skin. She pictured it sitting there, no longer trapped inside, and then she imagined a massive downpour of rain. The kind of rain that kept you from seeing even a foot in front of you, washing away all of the magic from her skin. Suddenly, there it was. One drop, then a second, and then a downpour. She heard Tenia curse, but Myanin just threw her head back and laughed as the power she’d stolen, that she’d forced to bend to her will, was washed away. The rain drenched her in seconds, and it was the cleanest Myanin had felt in years, maybe even centuries. “Thank you,” she whispered through the deafening downpour.
“There is still much to do, my warrior.” The Great Luna’s voice filled her mind.
“Myanin?” Tenia’s yelled, “Are you all right?”
Myanin heard the apprehension in the fae’s voice.
“I am,” Myanin yelled back. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, a few minutes ago you sort of just crumbled to the ground, like your legs couldn’t hold your weight, and you grabbed your head. I tried speaking to you, but you didn’t appear to hear me. I’m guessing that was a little side effect of stealing your elder’s magic? Then you were suddenly back, and you couldn’t breathe, then the sky opened and is currently trying to drown us, and you’re just sitting there laughing. Forgive me if I’m not reassured by your ‘why wouldn’t I be’,” Tenia explained.
“Yes, that was the elder’s magic, but it’s gone now. I’m free of it, praise the Great Luna.” Myanin sighed. “As for the rain, doesn’t it feel good to be washed?” She turned and looked at Tenia. The rain had slowed, and she could see the fae’s face clearly. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks a little flushed, and she honestly looked like she didn’t have the slightest idea how to answer Myanin’s question.
“I prefer my showers in an actual shower,” Tenia said after several beats of silence. “Just, a, uh, personal preference I guess.” She paused as she wiped the water out of her eyes and then asked again, “Are you really all right?”
Myanin took a quick evaluation of her faculties, her emotions, her person. The foreign magic was gone, and she wasn’t burning from the inside out. There was still much she needed to work through as far as the encounters that she’d had with the goddess and the changes she could feel still transforming inside of her. A new heart, the Great Luna had told her. Myanin pressed her hand to her chest and took a deep breath. “I am,” she finally said. “I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m moving forward. Change is hard, Tenia.”
Tenia’s smile was so genuine as she looked at her. “It is,” she said, nodding. “But then nothing worth doing is ever easy.”
Myanin chuckled and her smile widened. “Speaking of doing, I know where we’re going next.”
Tenia narrowed her eyes on Myanin as her lips pursed. “Why do I get the feeling it’s not Romania?”
“Because you’ve got good instincts. We’re going to pay the newly crowned warlock queen a visit. It seems like she needs motivation to move from being the grieving widow to the conquering queen. She’s going to have to be a lot stronger if she’s going to stand against the shit-storm the Order is planning to rain down on her.”
“You’re really picking up on the human profanity,” Tenia pointed out, not for the first time.
Myanin grinned, feeling lighter than she had in months. “I know. Who knew it was so fun to curse?”
Tenia frowned. “Don’t smile like that, ever. It makes you look creepy.”
“Creepy’s bad?”
“Yes, always bad.”
Myanin shrugged. “I’ll remember that. Now, flash us to Cypher’s stronghold. We have a queen to attack.”
“I’m sorry. What?” Tenia’s eyes widened. “I thought you were moving forward. Away from the direction of murder and mayhem.”
Myanin rolled her eyes. “Trust me.”
“Says the creepy, smiling djinn who’s addicted to cotton candy and likes to shower in a downpour of rain,” Tenia muttered before holding out her arm.
Myanin laughed, a genuine throaty chuckle, as she placed her hand on the fae’s arm. It probably was creepy that she was looking forward to attacking the warlock queen. The emotions rolling around inside of her were almost foreign. There was no foreboding magic attempting to crawl out of her. And though she knew she still had to face the consequences of her actions, in that moment, she was a warrior again. Not a fugitive, not a murderer, not a thief. A finely honed weapon, and it had been so long since she’d been in battle. She missed the adrenaline rush. And she knew the queen would rise up to defend herself … hopefully. If she wasn’t a completely lost cause—and Myanin didn’t think she was—her protective nature would take over. Then, perhaps, they could come to an arrangement that would benefit them both. While Myanin had felt the need to help the woman—and obviously, the Great Luna wanted her to because she’d been the one to tell her that she’d use Lyra’s magic one last time—she wasn’t entirely altruistic. Change was a slow thing after all. She suspected the warlock queen could be her ticket out of the Order. And who knows? She might even be able to get Tenia and her son out as well.
“I really hope you know what you’re doing,” the fae said just before they flashed.
Chapter 10
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a fae warrior and a djinn with cotton candy magically appear in your room.” ~Lilly
Lilly felt the air shift a split second before two women materialized in front of her. She leaped to her feet, lightning springing to life in the palms of both hands.
“Who are you and how did you get in here?” she asked. One woman was clearly
