Ashvale

Claire took in the sight of Ashvale, enamored by the cottages spanning the main thoroughfare. They reminded her of Taylynn's. Only, these were less overgrown. She hadn't yet been inside the city of Esterpine—Taylynn wanted to wait for her to regain her memories first—so this was the first spriten settlement she'd set eyes on.

It had taken two days to get here. Two days in Talon's brooding company. She'd quickly learned that the best way to halt his brooding was to surprise him with kisses, so she'd done so at many opportunities. But, that also came with it's own challenges, because he had a way of pushing her towards the point of no return, and she wasn't ready to give her body to him. Yet.

"I don't even know where to start," she mused, setting off down the main thoroughfare. Sprites were out and about, some in their yards, tending to gardens, others out for a stroll. At first, no one noticed them. Then, a gasp sounded and a female sprite rushed over. "My queen," she cried, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Others stopped, turning to gaze at her. Within moments, she was the center of attention. Sprites gathered around her, echoing their surprise. Talon moved in close, as if worried they'd harm her. His hand squeezed hers.

"I am looking for a woman named Lixiss," she announced. "And possibly...a place to stay."

"But, you already have a home here," one of them said, while another said, "I can take you to Lixiss." Suddenly they were all talking at once, offering up information, making it impossible to follow.

She looked at the spriten woman who'd first recognized her. Perhaps they'd met? She didn't want to ask, for fear of revealing the loss of her memories. "If you are willing, can you act as our guide?"

"Yes, of course," she said. Then, "Back to your own business, all of you!"

The crowd dissipated.

"This way," the woman beckoned.

"What is your name?" Talon asked, saving her from having to do so.

"Neiah, Your Majesty. It is an honor to meet our queen's mate. I did not know you would be here—none of us did, else we might have prepared a feast in your honor. But that is no matter, as I am sure we can whip something up tonight."

It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but Talon beat her to it. "Do not trouble yourselves on our account, Neiah. We have other matters that will keep us busy."

"Very well. Now, here we are. The royal cottage. This was where you stayed the last time you visited Ashvale."

"Yes, of course. I remember now," she lied.

"I can also take you to Lixiss, if you are ready."

"Thank you," Talon said. "We would like to go at once."

Lixiss's cottage sat at the edge of the city's settlement. The woman in question greeted her warmly, sending Neiah on her way. Her cottage was cluttered with books, crates, and other nicknacks stacked precariously. Everything looked a single breath from toppling over.

They gathered in the kitchen, around a large central table. "I assume you are here for the drink of enlightenment again?" Lixiss asked, curious.

"Actually, I am not sure." If the king tree felt it safe to trust Lixiss, then she would. She told the woman of her missing memories, of the way her magic had been cut off after Kane had done something to her. Lixiss listened in silence, bustling about her kitchen as she placed ingredients into a pot, humming here and there. When she finished, Lixiss set a cup in front of her and Talon, each filled to the brim with dark liquid. It let off a repugnant scent that had her crinkling her nose.

"You want us to drink this?" she gaped. "It smells foul."

"And it is. But you need to free your mind, do you not?"

"And what about Talon?"

"I should think it obvious. He is your mate. The two of you are connected, even if your mind is locked up tight. He will do this with you."

She shot a look at Talon, who merely shrugged. His expression was unreadable. She didn't want to drag him into this if she didn't have to.

"Are you sure—"

"I am positive," Lixiss said, cutting her off.

"What will happen once we drink it?"

"That is for you to discover. I cannot say what the confines of your mind hold."

"I mean, will we crumble to the floor in deep sleep? Do we need to get comfortable somewhere?"

"Oh." Lixiss waved a hand. "No. There is fine."

Claire lifted her brows, but didn't argue further. Instead, she reached for Talon. He took her hand, eyes studying hers. "Ready, mih cralla?"

"I guess this is it," she managed, lifting the cup. He did the same. Together they drank.

She didn't breathe, doing her best to ignore the taste of the thick liquid as it spilled down her throat. Her stomach heaved, and she tightened her muscles, continuing to drink. She managed to finish the cup, slamming it down on the table, as her throat gagged. She waited for the sound of Talon's cup but it never came. She blinked—

She was in the forest. She staggered backwards a step, surprised. "Easy," Talon murmured, catching her stumble.

She whirled to find him beside her. "You're with me," she said in relief. "I thought it would put us to sleep, or something. But it looks like we've been teleported into the forest."

"It would seem so," he said, frowning. His eyes were in constant motion, taking in their surroundings.

"What are we supposed to do?" she wondered. He remained silent. "Maybe we should just walk?"

"All right." He tugged on her hand and they set off. Several steps later, the forest began to change. It grew darker, and the trees, once green and lush, began to rot. The sounds of birds and insects disappeared, until an eery silence set in.

Her brows pulled together. "I don't understand. Is something wrong?"

Talon blinked, slowing their pace. "When you last came here, the forest was sick. But you vanquished the sickness when you killed Jade."

"Maybe it's sick again?" she wondered.

Even with Talon beside her, she grew uneasy. They pressed on. The dead trees grew more grotesque with each step, curving and twisting. They reminded her of snarled words.

A clicking sound made her freeze.

"Did you hear that?" Her heart rate doubled.

Talon cocked his head to listen, hesitated, then shook his head.

Several steps later, she heard it again. Chills spread across her skin. A flash of movement made her breath hitch. She gazed into the darkness.

"What is it?" Talon asked, voice hushed.

"I thought I saw...I don't know. Something is out there." She squinted against the gloaming.

There! She caught it again. A dark shape, low to the ground—

"Oh my—!" she cried, all but throwing herself at Talon. A giant spider disappeared into the shadows. "There are spiders here. Giant spiders. I can't—we should go back."

"Take a deep breath," Talon said, his voice low.

"Did you see it?"

"I did."

"Aren't you...?" She was going to ask him if he was scared, but then she remembered who and what he was. He could probably squash the spider in his dragon form with little effort. She was being silly. She cleared her throat. "Let's keep going."

"Good." Talon indicated for her to lead the way.

Several minutes passed, punctuated by the same scultttling sound. Sometimes it came from her left, then her right. Sometimes it was behind them, then in front of them. She got the feeling there wasn't just one spider, but many.

Was this what her other quests had been like, when she'd earned her spriten marks? Had she been forced to go out into the forest and battle spiders and other little beasties? If so, she must have been braver than she was now, to do it all alone.

That thought made her feel like a fraud. How was she supposed to be queen of the sprites, queen of Dragonwall, if things like this frightened her. She clenched her teeth and pushed aside her misgivings.

Their surroundings brightened. "Is it getting lighter outside?"

"I don't think so," Talon said softly.

She squinted. It wasn't the forest, she realized. Far ahead, something white loomed, taking up her entire field of vision. Beside her, a glimmer caught her gaze. She hesitated, looking at it. "Spider webs." She shuddered. It made sense, given all the scuttling.

Her stomach hardened into a tight ball. They were walking into a spider den, and she wasn't sure that was wise. Yet, she couldn't turn back now.

The webs grew denser, blocking off areas along their path, forcing them to go alternate routes. Their progress slowed. "This would be easier if I had a way to—"

Her words stopped short as a sword appeared in her hand. It had spriten markings down the length of the blade. She frowned. That was strange. Had she been holding it the entire time?

She hacked at the tangle of sticky webs before her. They resisted at first, then gave way. A few got tangled on her hand and she hissed in disgust.

"Hold still," Talon said, helping her remove them.

There was a sword in his hand now, too. One of the swords carried by the drengr. She glanced at the black stone decorating its pommel, then looked away.

"What do we do when we get there?" She pointed at the wall of webs in the distance.

"I think we will know when we get there," he answered.

The white she'd seen in the distance was indeed a dense area of webs, wrapping around trees so tightly she couldn't see beyond. They had reached a dead end. Behind them, another spider scuttled, but when she turned, it disappeared from sight. So far, none of the spiders had attacked. That had to be a good sign, right?

"What do we do now? Should we go back?"

Talon frowned, looking over the wall of webs. It traversed the forest top to bottom, left to right. They couldn't go around. Nor could they go up and over. "I think we must go through."

She saw a shadow move behind the web and jumped backwards, crying out in surprise. Then, another shadow moved, and another.

They weren't spiders, they were too large to be spiders. She placed her hand against the sticky barrier and a deep sense of recognition slammed into her. There was something on the other side, something important, and she needed to get to it, to free it.

"I think...Talon, I think that's my memories on the other side. My magic."

He looked thoughtful, placing his hand next to hers. "Yes," he said at last. Then he glanced at the sword in his hand. "But, something tells me this won't be easy."

"What do you mean?" She lifted her sword, about to hack away at the dense barrier, when Talon's free hand wrapped around her wrist. He was so quick, that he had her in a blink.

"Just a moment," he warned.

"Do you have a better idea?"

He released her wrist. "No."

"Then let's free my memories." She lifted her sword again and swung it at the webbed barrier. The moment it struck the sticky membrane, a scream tore through the world. She wasn't sure where it had come from. The next instant, the sound of scuttling surrounded them.

"Watch out!" Talon cried.

She glanced over her shoulder, eyes wide with surprise.

Scuttling towards them was an army of giant spiders. She had only a moment to take a breath, before the spiders were on them. She swung out with her blade, hacking at legs. Talon did the same, moving with ease as he put himself between her.

"Take down the web!" he shouted, trying to distract the spiders.

Her breaths came faster and faster. While she had never been deathly afraid of spiders, she certainly didn't like them, and seeing a mass of scuttling bodies, all trying to get to her, made it nearly impossible to think.

"Claire!" Talon cried again. "Hurry! I cannot hold them forever!"

She began hacking at the web, cutting through the sticky strands. Yet, every time she destroyed one, another seemed to appear in its place. Sweat dotted her forehead.

"It's not working!" she cried.

"Keep trying," he shouted. She spared a glance, to see a mound of spiders accruing around him. Bile lifted into her throat, stinging. She turned her attention back to the task at hand. She needed something more powerful. Something that could destroy the webs once and for all.

If only she had her magic! Then she could abracadabra them away, or some such. Hopefully.

She hacked and hacked, moving faster to try and get the upper hand, to try and carve a gap in the webs before they grew back.

Talon cried out. She spun around. "What happened?" she shouted.

"One of them stung me."

She gasped, noticing the red hole near his shoulder. Fear spread through her, numbing her thoughts. If he died here, trying to free her mind, this would be her fault.

Whirling, she channeled all her strength into hacking at the webs. A small hole began to appear, she hacked faster and faster, to keep the webs around it from growing back into place. Then, without thinking, she shoved her hand through the hole, into the empty space beyond.

Something velvety caressed her skin. A memory slammed into her. It was a small black kitten, napping on her lap while she caressed its soft ears. Another memory crashed into her a moment later, but she was too distracted by the sight of webs growing around her arm to view it. She tugged, but her arm was stuck. The webs continued to knit, spreading over her shoulder, and then across her chest.

It was swallowing her whole! She cried out.

"Claire!" Talon shouted behind her. She turned to see him stagger to his knees before forcing himself back up. More red welts littered his body, poking holes through his tunic where he'd been stung. He continued to fight, trying to keep the spiders from getting to her.

She needed to save him. She needed to destroy them. She needed—

"Fire!" she hissed, flexing her fingers on the other side of the barrier. Her arm was tingling, as if the circulation had been cut off. It probably had, as the hole in the barrier shrank around her bicep, trapping her further.

"I need fire!" she cried again, flexing her fingers, as if coaxing it to her.

Suddenly, a memory slammed into her. It was riddled with green flames and words from another language. It burrowed into her bones, twining with her mind. She began to sing, letting the words free. It was a song she'd sung before, a song that had saved her more than once—according to this memory.

Her voice grew steadier.

Talon felled another spider, staggered again. Webs were creeping up her neck. If they reached her mouth, would they silence her song?

She continued to sing, the words wrapping around them. A loud cracking sound pressed against her ear drums. Then, the wall before her erupted into green flame. She flinched, only to find that the heat of it didn't burn. She jerked her arm free, then whirled. Talon had fallen to the ground. She had just enough time to lunge for the spider as it sank its stinger into his chest, right where his heart lived. She shoved her blade through its glittering eyes, moving in a way she never imagined she could. The fire spread, racing away from the place the wall had once been, before engulfing spider after spider, the dead bodies and the live.

She gasped, dropping to Talon's side, shaking him. His eyes fluttered open. "Did you do it?"

"I... I don't know. The fire."

"Your sprite fire," he said, closing his eyes. A soft smile spread across his lips. Then, a moment later, he disappeared. She screamed as her hands fell through empty air.

When she next blinked, the forest had disappeared and she was sitting in a room, a kitchen. She blinked again, gasping. Talon was sitting beside her, his eyes open and fixed on her, a pained expression on his face. It was so intense, she could feel it.

"You're alive!" she gasped, throwing her arms around him, kissing him. The force of her body sent both of them backwards, until they were splayed on the floor. He grunted, and his pain flared, as if it were her own.

All she could think was, oh, gods, he's alive. She'd thought...she'd thought she'd lost him. The mere idea opened a chasm inside her chest. Because she loved him. She loved him so much!

But, it would take more than spider bites to bring him down. Wait, was that her thought, or his? If it was his...

His thoughts were in her head. She felt him there, his presence, his awareness, his—

"Oh, gods!" she breathed, pulling away from his lips, looking deep into his silver eyes. "I remember. I remember everything!"

He only smiled, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, like he'd known all along that she would eventually conquer this. Then he groaned again, his pain flaring. Her eyes widened, sweeping over his body. When she spotted the bite near his neck, and noticed how pale and clammy his skin looked, her blood turned cold.

💕❤️💕Don't forget to vote for this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Hello Bookdragons! 

I spent a long time thinking about how Claire would free her mind. In the end, I knew that Kane had used some kind of potion on her, and that he'd caught spiders at one point, and probably used their webs in his potion, as one of the fancy ingredients. From there, I thought, hmmm those webs are sticky and could definitely bind both her memories and her magic. 

I had tons of fun writing this little adventure with Claire and Talon, just the two of them. Hope you had fun reading it :) 

Next week's chapter is from Talon's POV. SEEEEE??? Didn't I promise you we'd get lots more C+T chapters once they got to Esterpine??

--Mel

PS. So excited to announce that the special edition for Reyr the Gold is now available for preorder over on my website (you can only get the special editions for this series through my website because I've got to go through a special print company and buy them in bulk). These will be available for purchase through November 30th :)