Mists of Velvet

smell him. But I could try to summon him.”
    “No.” Bronwnn halted him with a hand on his arm. “That is not the intended path. He has chosen his path, and now he must follow it.”
    “You saw something,” Keir snapped.
    “I—I saw us finding Carden; that is all.”
    Keir halted her. “You also saw something else.”
    “A fleeting vision. Black wings. But I felt the anger. The pain. And it was not that of the mage, but of the newly born Destroyer.”
    “Who is it?” Keir demanded, gripping her arm. “It’s Suriel, isn’t it?”
    “I could not see his face. There was only blackness.”
    “Now is not the time to worry over this,” Bran grumbled. “The light from this torch wanes, and if we are now in the mortal realm, which I suspect we are, my magick will soon grow weaker.”
    “Rhys should lead the way,” Bronwnn suggested. “He is mortal, but a warrior. He will lead us safely through the cavern.”
    “How do you know?” Drostan growled.
    “Because he is my mate and I know his strength. He has shown me his exceptional tracking abilities.”
    “He’s a mortal,” Drostan snorted. “He has no abilities.”
    “My mortal,” she said with a smile. “And a capable warrior.”
    The raven shared a look with Bronwnn, then immediately reached for Mairi’s hand and fell back, allowing Rhys to step forward. Pulling an arrow from his bag, Rhys notched it into his bow. The adder wrapped around his arm hissed quietly, letting Rhys know the snake would guide him through the darkness.
    “This way,” he ordered.
    Rhys was conscious of the others behind him, but most importantly, he felt Bronwnn. She stayed close to him, and he was glad of it. It allowed him to focus all his attention on leading the warriors through the winding cavern.
    “What is this place?” Drostan asked.
    “Shh,” Rhys hissed. “Your voice will echo, and if the mage is here, he will hear you and be alerted to our presence.”
    The griffin glared at him, but Rhys didn’t particularly care if he was affronted by a mere mortal. Rhys had spent enough time in the cave with the mage. He knew how the sound carried. Shit, he could still hear the screams of the woman as they ricocheted off the walls.
    Something scurried across the floor in front of them, making Rhys pause. “It’s just a rat.”
    “The radan is not favored in our world. As a shaman, you should know that,” Drostan snapped.
    “I’m a mortal,” Rhys growled to the griffin. “I have no magical abilities, remember?”
    “Anyone who can tame an adder is a shaman.”
    Ignoring Drostan, Rhys pointed his bow up and searched through the gloomy depths. It was safe to move forward.
    As they walked the winding path, Rhys began to wonder if there was any merit to the griffin’s claim. Perhaps Daegan had seen that in him. Maybe that was why he had spent so much time regaling Rhys with the stories of animal allies.
    “There.”
    Rhys glanced over his shoulder to see Bronwnn pointing at a flickering silver light.
    “Are you certain?”
    She nodded and pressed forward, making to pass him. He held her back with his arm. “I don’t think so.” Their gazes met, hers unflinching; his just as unmovable.
    “I’ll be all right.”
    Rhys brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “But I won’t if something happens to you.”
    “Nothing will happen.”
    Keir pushed past them and climbed the steps. At the top of the staircase was a huge oak door, which the wraith easily pushed open. Candlelight brightened the dark cave, and Rhys took the steps two at a time. Moonlight flooded through stained glass windows, and he followed the silver moonbeams until they came to rest upon an altar.
    “This is the chapel at Our Lady of Mercy,” Mairi whispered.
    “Are you certain?”
    Mairi glanced irritably at Bran. “I’ve done penance here, many times. Trust me.”
    “What is that?” Rhys demanded, pointing to the altar draped in a white sheet. Moving quickly to it, Keir pulled the sheet, letting it fall away. On the altar was Rowan.
    Keir and Mairi both cried out, and Rhys pulled Bronwnn into his side. “Stay with me.”
    “He’s here,” she whispered, trying to get free of him. “I can feel it. There is evil that surrounds this room.”
    “Rowan,” Keir groaned as he pulled her limp body from the altar and hugged her close to his chest. “She’s alive. But barely.”
    “Let me go, Rhys,” Bronwnn commanded as Mairi ran to her friend. “I can find