Free rylee adamson 10 - blood of the lost by Shannon Mayer Page A

out yet. Maybe it’s not all that bad.” He pointed at Rylee and Lark, who had their heads bent together. Marco hopped beside us, doing his best to keep Berget and Liam from bouncing on the ground as he landed.
    I rolled my eyes. “Alex, this is Rylee we’re talking about. How can you say not to freak out?”
    Laughing, he winked up at me. “Because I would like to believe we’re all getting out of this alive. We’ll look back on this someday and tell amazing stories.” He paused and turned his head, sniffing loudly. “Do you smell that?’
    I swallowed hard. “Please tell me it isn’t ogres.”
    He spun around and looked at me. “How did you know?”
    “Call it a bad feeling.” I jumped off Eve’s back and ran to Rylee, fighting the urge to panic. Ogres were tough, and while my magic was strong, we hadn’t been able to fend off the human mob without Rylee getting stuck with a demon. What would happen if it were an ogre mob that came at us?
    Blaz’s voice whispered across to me. Easy, Pamela. You are broadcasting your panic.
    I took a slow breath, let it out, and made myself stop hurrying. “Thank you.”
    You’re welcome.
    I stopped beside Lark and Rylee. The tall elemental made me feel very small, but her eyes and face were kind. She noticed me first. “What is it, witch?”
    “Ogres are coming.”
    Rylee’s jaw tightened. “Better to kill them now than face them later. Seriously, I thought I was done with these assholes.”
    Lark put a hand on my shoulder. “There is a Sylph coming. They were manipulating the weather around us and are drawing closer. Rylee tells me you took down a Sylph when they tried to stop you from taking me out of the oubliette. Is that right?”
    My mouth dried up at the thought of a Sylph and what they could do. I’d been on the receiving end of their power; it was more terrifying than facing Orion as he used Milly’s body.
    “Yes, that’s right,” I managed to say.
    “Then you, Peta, and I will tackle the Sylph. Rylee and the others will deal with the ogres, yes?” Lark said.
    I caught Rylee’s eye and she gave me a nod. “Go, clean his clock. Another thirty minutes, and Berget and Faris will be able to help us with the ogres.”
    Thirty minutes. Did she think it would take that long to deal with the two factions coming at us?
    Probably not. But to be safe, perhaps you should stick the vampires farther back from the field of battle.
    Blaz’s words must have gone to everyone, because Marco flew into the air, his beak moving as he relayed what was going on to Berget and Faris.
    Lark led me away from the others. Peta trotted ahead of us, shifting once more into her leopard form. She sniffed the air and then flicked her head to the north, toward the mountain.
    “Where are we going?”
    “To the base of the mountain. My power and strength lie in the earth, so the more I have it at hand the better.”
    I kept looking for the Sylph, wondering when he would come flying in. “Do you think the Sylph will attack with you here?”
    Lark laughed softly with a bitter note to it. “I’m quite sure if I weren’t here, you would have got through fine. I’ve no doubt they’ve come to stop me.”
    “Why?”
    She took a deep breath and muttered, “Rylee said you asked a lot of questions.”
    “How else can I learn?” I snapped at her, embarrassed that Rylee would warn her.
    Lark held up both hands. “Easy, little witch. It is only that she wanted me to know that was your way. That you were hungry for the supernatural and all the knowledge you could gain. That is a good thing.” She paused and looked to the sky for a moment before answering my original question. “A long time ago, I was set apart by the mother goddess as her chosen one. It means I live outside the rules and stipulations placed on my people, on all elementals, really. It makes me dangerous because I can become the catalyst for change. And change is coming.”
    I looked at her, then at Rylee. “You two