by Amie Gibbons
I forced my eyes open.
And the swirling red made me slam them back shut before I could see anything else.
“How are you?” a male voice asked.
Took me a second to remember.
Ed.
Right.
“Gonna puke,” I said. “Can’t look without being sick. Glasses? Where are my glasses?”
“They took all your stuff,” Ed said after a moment, voice thick and clogged.
I took a deep breath.
The air smelled musty, almost like molding straw. The cloth underneath me was scratchy and smelled vaguely of sick.
“Where?” I asked.
But I already knew.
“Dungeons,” he said. “This was where they kept me before. I fought. After you fell, I swear I fought.”
His voice broke and he started crying.
I swallowed a mouthful of dryness.
“Ed,” I said, “AB and Grant?”
“AB’s here,” he said after sniffing back tears. “She’s still out. Is Grant the big guy?”
“Oh right, the name thing. Yeah.”
“Grant wasn’t here when I woke up.”
I made a small noise.
“Grant!” I called out as loud as I could mentally.
Nothing.
I focused on him, on his smell, his iced green eyes as they bore into mine.
Not even a flicker of info, let alone a vision.
No. Nonononono.
My mind couldn’t go there. Couldn’t allow it. He’d escaped or something, and was coming back with reinforcements. Or they had him in a special cell cuz of his power.
He wasn’t dead.
And if they tried doing anything worse to him? No way. He’d make them kill him first, and take a ton of them out with him.
But still, he wasn’t dead.
I’d feel it.
“How injured are y’all?” I asked.
“AB has a broken leg. They set it though. She passed out from the pain. I’ve got some burns. They put a salve on them.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?”
“Why treat the injuries? Why not leave them or whatever?”
“Means they’re keeping us for something,” he said. “Don’t need us healthy to rape us, even.”
His voice was flat.
“Ed, we’re gonna get outta here,” I said.
He snorted. “Save that bullshit Pollyanna crap for someone else. They had me for days. Don’t you think if there was a way out, I would’ve found it? You can’t even open your eyes, for Christ’s sake! They burned me; it hurt so bad, I wanted to die right there. And AB…”
His voice broke and he started sobbing.
“What about AB!” I couldn’t keep the shrill edge outta my voice, and I forced my eyes open.
The sickness rolled through me as the swirling red took over everything.
I fought it down, forcing my eyes to focus.
Yep, dungeon.
A pretty big cell, as far as they went, with earth and straw on the ground.
Of course, their spider-net didn’t work without earth to anchor the magic.
And the spiders were here.
Keeping an eye on us.
I was pretty sure the one that had gone into my ear was out now.
At least I hoped.
Cuz that made me want to puke too.
There were four of the itchy, scratchy cots.
AB was on the one across the cell, so I could see her without sitting up.
She looked okay, besides being dirty and unconscious.
“Ed,” I said sharper, “what happened to AB?”
“They told me,” Ed said slowly, “what they’re going to do to her. Said it was what they did to my mom. And they were only going to because she’d come to rescue me. Said it was my fault.”
“But they haven’t,” I said.
Leaving off the yet.
And not asking what they’d told him.
I didn’t want to know.
“And it’s not your fault, Ed,” I said. “We weren’t here for you. We just happened upon y’all, and AB, she’s not the kind of person who can leave others to suffer. That was her choice. And I backed her play. I swear, we’ll get outta here.”
“You’re so naïve,” he scoffed.
“That’s okay,” I said. “You don’t have to have hope right now. I got enough for the both of us.”
He laughed, sharp and harsh.
“What?” I asked.
“You can’t even sit up. You can barely open your eyes. AB’s got a broken leg she’s not going anywhere on fast. Grant’s gone. And I’m so fucking scared, I can’t even move.”
“You always this whiny?” AB said with a raspy voice.
“AB!” I said, unable to keep the relief outta my voice.
At least she was alive.
And where there’s life, there’s hope.
“You okay?” Ed asked, voice soft.
“For someone who got her ass handed to her and her leg broken, I’m just peachy,” AB said. “Any water in here?”
Ed snorted. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said they didn’t give me food or water.”
AB groaned. “Ari, you okay?”
“They took my glasses,” I said. “Everything’s making me sick.”
I swallowed hard.
“And Grant’s missing.”
AB cursed under her breath.
And then louder. “Ed! What happened to you?”
I still couldn’t see Ed from my position, just the edge of his cot.
“After you were all down, they burned me,” he said, voice hollow. “The salve they put on is healing it, but I’ve never hurt that bad in my life.”
“Yeah, burns are the most painful injuries,” AB said. “My leg?”
“You don’t remember?”
“I don’t remember much besides it hurting. My mind doesn’t deal with pain well. I tend to block things out.”
“They set it, and you screamed and passed out,” Ed said after a pause.
“Why’d they take Ari’s glasses and not mine?” AB asked after a moment, sitting up and putting her glasses on her nose.
They’d been placed on the pillow next to her head.
“Maybe they could tell mine were magic,” I said. “And that yours aren’t.”
“Still,” AB said with a delicate cough.
I squinted at her.
What wasn’t she telling me?
AB cleared her throat. “So Grant’s gone? Like they took him to another cell, or what?”
“Like I woke up and he’s not here,” Ed said. “They’re not exactly keeping me informed.”
I squinted my eyes.
We needed to make a plan, but we couldn’t talk with the spider things around.
“Ed, are you powers recharging?” I asked.
“Huh? I don’t know,” he said. “Doesn’t matter, this place blocks magic.”
I opened my mouth and slammed it shut.
It wasn’t blocking mine. At least, not my ability to see magic.
My visions didn’t seem to be working though.
So maybe I just couldn’t reach into the astral plane, but could do my witchy stuff here.
No need to let the Fae know that though.
Or maybe, an evil voice inside said, Grant’s dead, so there’s nothing to see off in vision land about him.
Not possible.
“AB, does your leg hurt?” I asked.
“Not really,” she said. “This all is going to add to my therapy bills though.”
“Why are you in therapy?” Ed asked.
“That important right now?” I asked.
But I didn’t mind.
I wanted them talking.
It’d distract from me.
“One way to pass the time,” Ed said. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere.”
I pulled up a thread of magic, teasing it out as a drop of water on my fingertip.
> It glistened and dropped to my thigh.
I knew I couldn’t keep the triumph off my face.
So I had to hope the spies weren’t paying that close of attention.
“A guy,” AB said. “Messed me up, left, came back into my life. I’m finally dealing with what he did to me. It’s ugly. And a long story. And I don’t think I can tell it without water, because my throat is really dry. Probably a good thing they don’t give you water here though, because I was told not to take any food or water here anyway, and I don’t think I could resist water right now.”
She coughed.
Guilt pinged through me.
I could make water for her, but my powers would probably be better used elsewhere.
Like getting us the heck outta here.
But then, how would we find Grant?
I didn’t have anything of his to track him with. At least, not on me.
But if I could get us outta here, then rip a hole back home?
The pieces fell together in my brain.
I’d ripped through dimensions before. Maybe I couldn’t do it easily without all the trappings of the spells, but I could do it.
I’d get AB and Ed back home, grab something of Grant’s, get some freaking reinforcements, and come back here to find Grant.
Oh yeah, and Shawn.
The whole point of this little misadventure.
I hated to say it, but dragging back one guy was not worth this.
I flinched.
Remembering Emily’s face.
“Ari?”
My head jerked up and I forced my eyes open.
“Huh?” I asked.
“Were you listening to any of that?” AB asked.
“Um, no,” I said. “What?”
“We’re trying to figure out why they’re keeping us alive,” AB said. “Any thoughts?”
“Ed, what were you arrested for?” I asked.
“I told you, leaving,” he said.
“Okay, so you came back here to find your mom?”
“No! I couldn’t. I tried after she was taken and I couldn’t. They came for me a few days ago. Out of the blue. Grabbed me coming out of my apartment and knocked me out. I don’t even know how they got me across dimensions. Probably the same way you made it.”
“I doubt it,” AB said.
“AB,” I said in a warning tone.
She mimed zipping her lips.
“Can’t say without them hearing,” I said to Ed. “So they tracked you down after twenty odd years and dragged you back here.”
Ed shrugged and nodded. “Don’t know why. Or why now.”
“How do you still speak the language?” AB asked.
“My mom didn’t want me to,” he said after a moment. “Wanted me to forget, but I’ve always been good at languages, so it stuck, and I practiced with other Fae and part Fae I met. Thought I might need it someday. And I wanted to know who I was, feel connected to my heritage. Now it sounds crazy, knowing what hell I came from.”
“What about your dad?” AB asked.
“Oh, I never even met him. He was a human who somehow got over here. He managed to stay alive because he could play the guitar, like really well. Him and my mom hooked up, made me obviously, and he kept on playing. The court didn’t really give him a choice, from the way Mom told it. They sold him to another tribe in a peace summit.”
“Sold…? And he played…? I don’t…” AB shook her head.
“Fae are enchanted by music. If you can play, sing, dance, you can hold their attention, and are highly valuable. There are some stories about them being frozen, enthralled, even controlled by music.”
AB and I traded a look.
I could sing.
Like really well.
That could come in handy.
And she could, theoretically, walk through walls or whatever here.
Which could come in really handy.
Unless I could rip a hole out right here.
I focused on the air in front of me, straining my brain, imagining tearing through the fabric of reality, taking us home.
I’d done it before.
Without help.
Nothing.
I squinted harder.
Nope.
Crap!
“You’re awake,” a heavily accented voice made me jump, and my head snapped toward the front of the cell.
My stomach lurched with the motion, and I swallowed a moan with my bile.
The Fae standing outside the cell was a swirling mess of red and green, a perverted Christmas tree of lights and spiders.
I shook the image outta my head and drew in a deep breath through my mouth.
My stomach settled a bit.
Maybe I was getting used to this place?
I sat up slowly.
The Fae’s gaze stayed locked on me the whole time.
He was pretty underneath the glow of his magic and twisted soul. All sharp features, with a wide, soft mouth and gorgeous green blue eyes that reminded me of Quil’s.
My heart squeezed thinking of my guy.
Seemed a little silly to think of a few hundred years old vamp as my boyfriend sometimes.
He had to be awake by now. Probably worried sick and furious at me for going off into the astral plane.
Especially since it’d turned out to be more dangerous than I’d seriously believed it could be.
“What are you?” the Fae asked.
What, not who?
Interesting.
“Hi,” I said in my best perky, trying to get business voice, “I’m Ari, not my full name of course.” I waved a hand, giving him a brilliant smile. “You understand. What should we call you?”
He blinked and took a step back, like my friendliness was a slap in the face.
Or at least as shocking as one.
Which, considering where we were, it probably was.
“What are you?” he said, like that was all he could think to do about the silly little girl.
“I’m a psychic PI,” I said, pouring on the accent. “Do you mind tellin’ me what we’re doing in here, honey?”
He couldn’t have looked more surprised if I’d ripped through reality right there in front of him.
Every good Southern girl knows, when in doubt, be nice and polite.
Takes the wind right outta people getting their dander up.
And you could always get nasty later.
I smiled bright as I could as he stared at me like he was chewing on my words.
Heck, for all I knew, he was.
His gaze moved over to Ed, then AB.
I looked too.
Both of them were staring at me.
At least as surprised as the Fae.
His eyes moved back to me, and I turned to look at him.
It was getting easier.
Not as nauseating.
Good.
“If you wouldn’t mind?” I prodded after a few more seconds.
He blinked a few times, turned on a heel, and walked away.
I held up a hand to keep the others quiet as I listened.
His footsteps rang off ground that was probably the same stone as that beneath us, muffled by the scattered earth and straw.
If they had the dirt going all the way down, it probably meant their network wasn’t able to jump. It meant I could cut through part of it and disrupt it all around us.
Probably.
Likely?
If I tried wiping them out, I’d better be ready to work fast.
Something told me they’d notice part of their network going down here.
I let my hand drop.
“Want some good news?” I asked as I slowly turned in my seat and leaned against the cell wall.
AB nodded fast.
Ed just stared at me like I’d grown another head.
“The nausea is going down,” I said, shrugging. “At least, it’s kinda manageable.”
“Maybe you had to get used to this place,” AB said.
I
nodded, meeting her eyes and mouthing very slowly, “Bugged.”
She squinted at me, then nodded with a knowing look.
She’d already known that. Or at least guessed.
I mouthed the same at Ed.
Took a few tries, but I got it across.
He sighed.
I squinted at the air again.
I’d get us outta here or my name wasn’t Ariana Kay Ryder.
“I think you spooked G,” a woman’s lightly accented voice said.
I squeaked and snapped my head toward the bars of the cell leading into the hall.
And groaned as pain swamped me.
The woman was very professional looking.
Like any efficient business woman in a big company.
Smart dark grey pinstriped suit skirt and white silky blouse that lay perfectly over her tall, thin frame. If she had a curve, you couldn’t tell it by me; she could be a boy if not for the very feminine face. All big, well made up green eyes, sharp features, and full lips painted a delicate pink.
“G?” I asked with a grin, straightening.
I wasn’t scared.
No siree.
“We call the guards G,” she said. “Can’t have prisoners learning their names. Just in case.”
“Not a problem,” I said. “What should we call you?”
She smiled.
It made my stomach flip.
“Didn’t ask for my name. Smart girl,” she said. “You may call me Odyssey.”
Oooooookay.
Weird, but I kept the smile on anyway.
It wasn’t hard.
I smiled when I was nervous.
And right now? Nervous didn’t even cover it.
Fucking terrified and in denial so I didn’t curl up in the corner screaming was a lot closer.
“Well, Miss Odyssey,” I said politely, “do you mind telling me why we’re being held?”
Her eyebrows shot up. “No wonder you threw G off. He’s not used to humans.”
Meaning she was?
“Fine, I’ll play,” the Fae said. “You’re being held because you are invaders, and we want to figure out what you are.”
I nodded.
“Reasonable,” I said. “Do you mind if I ask, can we negotiate for our release? We didn’t mean to invade. We were just trying to find a criminal who ran from our dimension to here. I’ve decided it’s a little too much trouble for what I’m being paid, so I was going to give up and go home anyway.”
She stared at me, big eyes widening further.
Then burst out laughing.
“You killed at least twenty of us,” she said, “and you honestly expect to be released? Only we are allowed to kill Fae.”