Talwyn! Her cousin looked up, green eyes narrowing, when Rhi screeched in her head.

What's going on? Talwyn demanded.

What do you think?

Bloody balls.

Well, don't just stand there! Rhi snapped in her cousin's head. Do something.

But when Talwyn averted her eyes, Rhi knew that her cousin wouldn't be doing anything to stop this. Nothing!

Rhi began to panic, but she was also angry. Angry that her cousin was letting this happen without lifting a finger. And Rhi's panic and anger together were not a good thing. And realizing that made her panic even more.

Auntie Annwyl walked up to them; her body looked relaxed even though Rhi knew it was not. She could see the rage and fear coming off her aunt in big gushing waves.

"Can we help you, m'lady?" one of the witches asked. Her name was Odda. She smiled a lot, but Rhi avoided her because that smile was a lie. She tried to hide it, but she was mean and didn't like being here. She especially didn't like Auntie Annwyl.

"No," Annwyl said. She motioned to Talwyn. "Let's go."

Odda gave that smile. "I'm so sorry, m'lady, but Commander sta has asked us to work with Talwyn today. So she'll have to miss your little picnic, I'm afraid."

"Are you under some impression I'm asking your permission? For anything? On my territory?" She motioned again to Talwyn. "Move. Now."

Talwyn took a step, but Odda held up a finger and to Rhi's shock, her cousin stopped. Instantly, without question. When had she started doing that? Following orders? From anyone? She never followed orders. Even sane, logical ones. Not ever!

"Perhaps another time, my lady. But today . . . I do have my orders."

It all happened so fast, Rhi didn't see anything until blood splattered across the front of her pretty dress. That's when she saw the blood-soaked dagger in Annwyl's hand and the brutal slash across the left side of Odda's face. It traveled from just beside her eye, across her cheek, and out the corner of her mouth. Blood poured down her jaw and onto her shoulder and chest.

The witch's blue eyes darkened and her fingers curled into fists as Annwyl stepped in close and said, "I know your lot can fix that, so in a day or two it'll be nothing but a faint memory. But get between me and mine again-and the next cut will be something you can't fix. Understand me?"

The pair had their gazes locked, but Rhi watched as more Kyvich suddenly appeared. They knew when their sister witches had been harmed or were in danger, and they protected their own, the way Annwyl protected hers. So Rhi's body began to shake when she saw those Kyvich come from the stables, from the blacksmith, from their quarters.

An arm went around her and Rhi looked up at Talan.

"Aye, my lady," Odda answered Annwyl. "I understand."

Then the witch backhanded Annwyl, sending her flying across the ring and into-and through-the wood fencing.

They were moving down the road toward Garbhn Isle at a good clip when Izzy saw her mother not far ahead.

"Mum!"

Talaith turned and waved. "Hello!"

Izzy rode her horse to her mother's side. "Hello, Mum."

Her mother stepped closer, placed her hand on her booted foot. "Feel better?" she asked low.

"Uh . . ."

She knew what her mother was talking about and to be honest, she hadn't thought about it much once the fuck festival began between her and eibhear. But she wasn't about to say that to her mum. Not now. Not ever.

"We should talk more," Izzy said instead. "I still have many concerns."

"I know. I know. So do I. Perfect timing, though. I was heading back to the castle. We're having a picnic." Talaith glanced back. "Oh. You brought company."

"Aye. Gaius Domitus."

"The Rebel King? He's here?"

"With his sister. He came to see Uncle Bram. He wants an audience with Annwyl and Rhiannon."

"Gods. This can't be good." Talaith held her hand out to her daughter. "I'll ride with you. I'm sure Annwyl's at the-"

Talaith's words stopped abruptly and her gaze focused on the other side of Izzy's horse. Izzy looked over at the forest but didn't see anything.

"Mum?"

Talaith blinked, then caught hold of Izzy's arm. "Your sister," was all she said. All she needed to say.

Izzy hauled her mum onto her horse and looked at Gaius over her shoulder. "Wait here. Someone will be back for you."

"All right."

"Macsen. Stay. Protect!"

"Izzy," eibhear asked from above her, the power of his wings making the forest trees sway. "What is it?"

"Just follow," her mother ordered and Izzy spurred her horse toward home.

Talan tried to stop his cousin, but she'd always been stronger than she looked and she easily pulled away from him, stepping between an advancing witch and his unconscious mother.

"Please," Rhi begged as she quickly cut in front of the witch. She brought up her arm, most likely to ward the witch off, but this was a Kyvich and as far as the Kyvich were concerned, Little Rhi was no more than a Nolwenn witch. Their most hated enemies.

Rhi hadn't even touched the witch, but the Kyvich grabbed his cousin's arm and twisted. He and his sister locked gazes across the ring, but neither moved to intercede, to step in. But Talan was much kinder than his sister and offered the following advice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Odda."

Not surprisingly, the witch ignored him. She'd never liked him. None of them really had. They were only interested in his sister. To the Kyvich, she was the true power. But their narrow vision would be their enemy when it came to the three of them.

Like at this moment. This very moment.

Talaith dismounted her daughter's horse, Izzy right behind her. She slapped the horse's rump and sent him running toward the stables.

With one quick look at the training ring, Talaith could easily see what was going on. Yet she knew as she stepped closer, it was already too late. She was too late. She grabbed her eldest daughter's arm before she could run in there and do what she always did when it came to her sister. Protect her.

"Mum?" Izzy asked.

With no time, Talaith yelled out, "eibhear! Take her!"

"Mum!"

"Take her!"

A blue tail with a sharpened steel-like tip came down and wrapped around her daughter's waist, yanking Izzy up. Talaith charged a few feet over and landed in the dirt in front of a nearly unconscious Annwyl, her hands coming up, a powerful chant on her lips, a mere second before everything around them exploded.

Dagmar was rushing toward the Great Hall doors, Frederik by her side. She saw Morfyd running down the stairs and she motioned to her.

"You'd best come along, Morfyd. We may need you to-"

Morfyd's arms went around Dagmar and Frederik and she yanked them both back, a spitted-out chant slamming the heavy wood doors shut. They hit the floor in a heap as the ground beneath them suddenly shook.

Dagmar quickly covered her head as weapons and tapestries that had been tacked to the walls began to crash around them, the long dining table they ate at nearly every day moving several feet while the chairs turned over.

And just as quickly as it started . . . it stopped.

Dagmar lifted her head, glad to see that her spectacles had survived this new . . . issue.

"What the battle-fuck was that?" she demanded.

Morfyd helped Frederik sit up, taking a moment to look him over for any damage before saying, "Rhi."

One second Izzy was being dragged away from her mother and plopped onto eibhear's back and the next he was bellowing, "Down!"

She took hold of his hair and ducked between his shoulder blades. Seconds later they were flipping and spinning out of control, heading up and up until Izzy briefly wondered if she could reach out and touch the clouds.

It seemed to take forever for eibhear to get control again, but it was probably not even a minute. When he finally got himself righted and was able to hover, Izzy raised her head and demanded, "What the hells is going on?"

"I don't know." He shook his head. "I really don't know."

Izzy leaned over the tiniest bit so that she could look around eibhear. That's when she realized how far away they were from actual ground. In fact, as many times as Izzy had ridden on the back of a dragon, she'd never been this high before.

"Rhi," she said softly.

"What?"

"Rhi did this."

"That's impossible," eibhear argued, his head turning enough to look at her. "She's just a little-"

They stared at each other for a very long moment until Izzy ordered, "Get me down there now."

eibhear spun around. "Hold on." Then he sped back to the earth below.

eibhear wanted to know what the mighty hells was going on, too, but his curiosity would have to wait. His main concern was getting his little niece to safety.

He'd known from her birth that Rhi was powerful. Magicks flowed through her like water through a river. Even he could see it, and the world of Magicks was not where his skills lay. But he hadn't realized until now exactly how powerful the girl truly was, and why his kin were so concerned.

Although it wasn't her lack of control that had them worried-it was the fact that others would want that power for themselves or to destroy it. Which made his little niece very vulnerable, unlike her cousins who had never been vulnerable a day in their lives.

As eibhear neared the ground, he felt Izzy stand up on his back.

"Take Rhi out of here!" she yelled over the rushing winds. "Find my house! I'll meet you!"

"And what are you going to-Izzy!"

But it was too late. The crazed female charged over his head and dived off his snout like she was diving off a cliff into the ocean. He tried to grab her, but she flipped past him, and landed on Brannie, who'd come up under him. She grabbed hold of Brannie's mane and held on until Brannie dropped a bit lower; then she let go.

Letting out a sigh-and suddenly understanding why Talaith worried about her eldest daughter all the time-eibhear dived down. He saw Rhi just standing there. He knew even if he screamed at her to run, she'd continue to stand there. Unable to move. Unable to function.

Izzy landed in front of Rhi, her body in a crouch, her sword out. After a breath, she stood tall, her mother moving in beside her.

Knowing Izzy and Talaith could take care of themselves, he did what he'd just done to Izzy. Using his tail, he snatched his niece up and yanked her out of what was about to become a very dangerous situation.

He knew it was about to become dangerous because Annwyl the Bloody had just picked herself up off the ground, while Morfyd the White and The Northland Beast were coming out of the Great Hall and heading to the training ring.

Aye . . . dangerous indeed.

Chapter 22.

Izzy stood by her mother, her head lowered, gaze locked on the three witches who stood across from them. Unlike the others near the training ring, the witches weren't on the ground, trying to pick themselves up. Instead, they were standing tall, the witch named Odda had her hand raised, and Izzy sensed she'd surrounded herself and her comrades with some kind of protective wall. Talaith probably had done the same thing for the twins and Annwyl, the queen currently getting to her feet while Talan went to his sister's side.

"Your daughter's strength has grown, Nolwenn," Odda said to Talaith, her fingers closing. She tightened her hand into a fist, her knuckles cracking. "She seems to have outgrown you, this place."

"Mind your own, Kyvich," Talaith shot back. "Or my daughter will be the least of your worries."

"Really?" Odda asked, suddenly moving forward. "And what will you do, Nolwenn, when she's unable to restrain her power and she kills someone you care about? Or destroys your little utopian kingdom here?" The witch stopped a few feet away from Talaith. "You know what has to be done. Just do it already."

Izzy quickly cut between her mother and Odda, her sword out and ready, her body tense.

"Stay away from my sister."

"Or what, General?" Odda asked, her smile smug. "What can you do to a Kyv-"

The witch's words were cut off and Izzy stumbled back into her mother as a white claw slammed into the ground, smashing the witch into the earth.

Izzy looked up at the dragoness standing over her. Her grandmother smiled. "What did I miss? I sensed I was missing something!"

Rhiannon looked down at her claws. "Did I step in something? I feel like I stepped in something."

Izzy covered her mouth with her free hand, desperately trying to stop the laughter and failing miserably at it.

Behind Rhiannon, Commander sta walked toward the training ring, the rest of the Kyvich falling in behind her. Rhiannon saw them and looked back at Izzy.