by Alexia Purdy
Zena fed me. She gave me her food even though she’s also been given so little. He didn’t even have to speak. He had a telepathic voice that felt like an unscratchable itch inside my head.
I nodded and reached down as Xyon held his shackles toward me. I placed my hands on the charmed irons clasped over his wrists and broke them. A deafening snap of metal assaulted my already overwhelmed senses. This magic was powerful, and it took the last bit of power I had in me to sever the bind the witch had placed on him. The guy was so weak, I doubted it’d take much power to keep him put.
I wasn’t sure how I’d pull all of this off. I was sure I wouldn’t have been able to if my ancestors had not joined me. I had no idea how I’d called upon them, but something had carried my voice across the veil between this world and the next. Just pondering this in my mind revealed the answer—there was that much magic in this place. The cottage was built over an energy vortex leaking power directly from the Land of Faerie. I must have channeled it when I took Iana down. No wonder she’d chosen this spot for her treacherous work. It amplified magic with ease.
I sat for a moment beside Xyon, recovering a bit of strength. I had to bind Iana to keep her from doing any further damage. It was going to take more than the magic I had left inside of me; it was going to take even more than I could capture from everyone in the cottage.
I helped Xyon move into the main room where Zena sat recovering from the magic bind that I’d released her from by freeing Xyon. They held on to each other, murmuring reassurance to one another. I was glad to see Zena’s color returning to her cheeks.
I, on the other hand, needed a boost.
“Soap. Go get the others. They should be able to enter this place now. I need their help. I need their magic to help me bind Iana before she wakes up. Otherwise, I’m done, man.” I knelt down onto my knees, huffing as my body struggled to keep itself upright. Breathing in and out, I felt my body scream in protest. A nap would be awesome.
Soap nodded and eyed the woman with great concern before getting to his feet. He was also drained from being near her when I’d cursed and almost killed the witch, but he managed to straighten up well enough to go outside and gather the Teleen warriors.
If there was one thing I was happy about, it was that I had several Teleen to help me. Their powers were stronger than most faeries, save for my sister and the ancients, but none of them were readily available. Teleen recovered a lot faster than ordinary fey, and I needed their strength to recharge.
Dylan rushed in and surveyed the room before throwing me a wide-eyed look. “Benton… are you all right?”
I nodded and waved him over to where I sat by Zena and Xyon. I pointed at the twins. “Help him. He’s Zena’s brother. They both need to get out of here. But first, I need some more of your power and that of the other soldiers. I need to bind Iana with these.” I held up the same chains that had once bound Xyon. “I need to do it before we leave this vortex of power.”
He nodded, not in any position to question me. That was one thing I liked about my brother-in-law: he was never one for petty doubts or drama. He knew when things needed to get done and did them.
He held out his arm and gave me a slight nod. “Do what you have to do. I’ll send the others in to help you as much as you need.”
“Thanks, bro.”
***
Returning to Aluse’s domain was going to take some time. No one was in any condition to travel right after our encounter with Iana. Not Soap, not Zena, not Xyon, and especially not me. We were all drained, so the decision was made to head back to the Teleen Caverns until we all recovered. We sent word to Aluse and also to Shade, who needed to meet us at the Teleen Caverns and help us figure out what was needed of her and the other three to cure Trey.
The Teleen Caverns never looked more welcoming as I tossed myself onto the bed in the room I’d occupied the night before. Every millimeter of my body ached, and I could probably sleep for weeks, but I knew just a few hours would be enough for the moment. Draining some of the Teleen soldiers’ powers had helped, but it’d been an excruciating ordeal, and I was done with siphoning power off others for a good long while. It felt unnatural and left psychic fingerprints from every person I did it to. Sometimes a memory of theirs would flit through my mind, but it never made any sense to me. Other times I felt an unreasonable panic over something. I wondered if Ferdinand, the self-titled “Siphon Lord” I’d met in Chicago, ever felt this way after draining faeries to peddle their magic to others for profit.
Siphoning magic sucked, and I made a note to myself to never do it again if I could help it. Besides, it was forbidden in Faerie.
A whisper of concern slid through my mind, but I brushed it off. I wasn’t a faery, so therefore the rules of Faerie didn’t apply to me. I was an elemental, a human warlock. And I’d just saved the entire realm from destruction, right? That had to buy me a pass. No, I thought, it didn’t. Faerie doesn’t like to play fair.
I had to ask Zena and Xyon about how the witch had made herself the focus of their power. And Shade fit into it all in some way. Iana wasn’t the only player in this game. Faerie was weakening, spells were fading faster than they should, and healing took longer than it should have. No one knew why. Something had weakened Faerie, but I had no idea how it all worked.
Once Shade arrived, I’d have to ask her what she thought about it. Maybe it had something to do with Kilara or what whatever was messing with Rowan. The Ancients were very much involved in the wellbeing of Faerie, but I had to figure out how.
Until then, the witch would have to be kept alive and imprisoned while I returned to the archives to find more information about tying the powers of Faerie into Zena, Xyon, Shade, and Iana, four beings of a very unusual nature. Maybe this was what Rowan had been speaking about when we’d run into her at the archives. It reminded me of her gift, and from my pack I pulled out the tiny flower pin she’d given me.
Use it in your darkest hour.
I’d been in a dark hour and had failed to use it. I cursed under my breath as I tossed the pin onto the bed and rubbed my face. Oh, well. It probably would’ve been disastrous.
“It wasn’t a disaster, Benton. Even the Ancients of Faerie can provide help to others not of their land when they are in need.”
I sat up and stared in utter disbelief at my uncle Brendan. I knew it was him even though I had never laid eyes upon him before his vaporous spirit had shown up at the cottage.
“Uncle? How are you here?”
“The pin Rowan gave you. It was my wife’s.”
I turned toward the flower pin sitting on the bedspread, shiny and looking brand new, not centuries old.
“How was that your wife’s? What was Rowan doing with it?”
“The Ancient needs your help too. Rowan is trapped. You have helped Faerie immensely by finding the three supreme beings who can unlock what is wrong in Faerie, but this is only the beginning. Zena, Xyon, and Shade never had a choice; they are fused to the fate of the land. But now Iana has willingly made herself a part of it, upsetting the balance. I’m afraid that by circumstance, you’re entangled in it too.”
I scoffed. “You can say that again.” I picked up the pin, studying it before glancing back up at my uncle. “What does this mean? What do I do now?”
“Speak to Zena and Xyon. Do what you must do for now. The answers will come sooner or later. Just know that with this pin, you can call upon me and your ancestors when in need.”
“Huh, neat trick. Why would Rowan give me that power?”
“No one knows why the Ancients do what they do, but I believe you owe her for this. The Ancients don’t grant favors without wanting something in return.”
I groaned. Rowan would come calling sooner or later. It was just as well. Something was going on with the Ancients, and I was bound to run into her anyway.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“Good night, Benton. Get some rest. You’ll need it more than you th
ink.”
“Um, thanks. Listen, Uncle?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for your help.”
He gave me a curt nod before disappearing, leaving me alone once more.
“Faerie gets weirder and weirder each and every day.”
A knock came at the door, and I groaned again. I just wanted to sleep. Was that really too much to ask?
“Who is it?”
“Benton?”
The voice was familiar, but I hadn’t heard it in over a year. My ears perked up as I stared at the door, not quite believing what I’d heard.
“Yes?”
“It’s Isolde.”
My heart jumped. Isolde? The very one who’d helped me hone my magic and had been my first real love? No freaking way.
“Isolde?” It had to be a trick.
“Yes. I was told I could find you here in the Teleen Caverns. Can I come in?”
My voice stuck in my throat. I hadn’t heard from her in so long, this all felt unreal.
“Yeah, once sec.”
I went to the door, unlocked it, and yanked it open. Lo and behold, it really was Isolde. In the flesh.
“Benton. I can’t believe it’s you. I have so much to tell you, but first, what do you know about an Ancient named Kilara?”
I sighed. “Not much except that my sister is related to her. She tried to kill Shade the last time she was around. Why?”
Isolde chewed on her lip pensively before she looked back up at me. “Well, I have her. She’s near death and asked me to find you. I couldn’t believe it at first, but she told me things no one would know about you and your sister. She insists upon seeing you.”
“Can this wait? I’m exhausted.”
Isolde looked desperate and pleading with her deep, dark eyes. “No. She needs to see you and Shade.”
I tapped on the door, knowing this girl would never take no for an answer. “All right, then. Let me get word to Shade. I can’t do anything until she gets here.”
Isolde nodded and stepped away from the door. “I’ll stay here until you’re ready. Kilara can wait a few days. Thank you.”
She wheeled on one foot and headed off into the dark tunnels of the Teleen underground. I watched her leave, shaking my head and groaning.
Damn. The woman still looked really good, even when she was walking away.
Chapter Thirty
Soap
I watched her closely, studying her face, memorizing it. It was familiar, and with each second that passed, more and more memories popped back into my head. I’d believed my dearth of memories about my mother had been because I hadn’t seen her in so long, but now that I knew the truth, the memory spell she’d cast on me years before began to unravel. I stared at her softly breathing figure, remembering the love that had once passed between us.
I had so much to ask her. I’d spent years imagining what our conversation would be like if I ever found her. For years I’d fought to remember even the slightest detail about her—her face, her scent, her voice—but there had been nothing concrete, only barely remembered dreams that I couldn’t be certain were real. Now she was here. In the flesh. We were still worlds apart, but at least we had a little time to be together.
We didn’t have to leave yet. We’d received word that Aluse was bringing Trey to the Teleen Caverns. Benton had no idea how we would cure him, but something told me that if we had Shade, Xyon, Zena, and Iana in the same room together, they would figure out how to do it without even blinking.
I couldn’t wait to get it over with and start piecing together the fragments of my past. I deserved at least some answers.
“She awake yet?”
My eyes shot up to find Shade’s kind face peering down at us. Her joy at seeing me once more spread across her beautiful features. I jumped to my feet and pulled her into my arms, where she should always be. Though she let me go quickly and blushed, she didn’t step away when Dylan came into the room after her, followed by Benton, Zena, and the now restored Xyon.
Xyon was the descendant of an angel, born of a faery with angel blood and mixed with a human lineage. He’d had his wings repaired to their full glory. They were hidden for now, but he could call them forth with a thought and expand them to full size in mere seconds. The funny thing was, Zena also had this power, but she had never known it. She had never known she was Nephilim until she met Xyon. They held hands and stood side by side, but there was a stark difference between the twins.
Now, together, they gave me the creeps. They seemed almost conjoined, and I was unsure of where one ended and the other began. They fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. They needed this connection, though. It was as vital to them as air.
Unfortunately, Benton and the healers of the Teleen had been unable to restore Zena’s sight. Her emerald eyes were trapped behind a thick film of white, causing her to look out of place in the sea of dark pupils in the room. I felt horrible that she’d suffered such a fate but was hopeful that when Iana woke up, she’d be able—and willing—to reverse the spell that had stolen the girl’s sight. Zena, however, had mentioned that she was doubtful that Iana could fix it and appeared accepting of the fact that her vision was gone.
I shook these depressing thoughts from my mind and greeted them. “Hi, guys. How are you? Zena, Xyon. Good to see you again.”
“Hello, Soap.” Zena smiled and held out her arms.
I pulled her into my embrace and then held her at arm’s length. “You look well, Zena.”
“Thank you. I’ve much to learn, but Xyon has done an excellent job of getting me up to speed. He’s even helped me learn to use my wings. It’s amazing, the feeling of flying! You’d never believe how wonderful the air feels!”
I grinned. Oh, I knew. “I bet it’s quite a feeling.”
She nodded, and I turned to her brother who, with a good shower and some fattening up, now appeared much like his sister. Deep maroon hair draped across his shoulder, and sharp emerald eyes studied me curiously before he held out his hand and shook mine with a firm grip. “Hello, Rylan. Good to see you again. I never did thank you for helping us. I truly owe you and Benton everything.”
“It was nothing.”
I tried to play it down, but I knew Benton had accepted the thanks more graciously than I had and felt somewhat awkward about my casual response. To my relief, Xyon didn’t seem offended. He and Benton began chatting like they were old friends. I found Benton’s unusual giddiness disturbing knowing that his old girlfriend, Isolde, had come to visit him. He had agreed to join her on a mission once Trey was cured.
It seemed odd to me that he’d run back to Isolde with Zena now in the picture. It made me glad Zena couldn’t see what was happening and was more than busy with Xyon, but I was sure she was bound to find out about his new mission soon. I hoped she would take it well.
“Aluse is coming with Trey. Make room!” Dylan waved us to the side, and I peered over at Iana, who was now staring at the ceiling, her eyes watering and sending a small stream of tears down the sides of her face. She had awakened, and I hadn’t even noticed. I ran to her side and knelt beside her.
“Mother?” I spoke softly, hoping the crowd wasn’t startling her. She shifted on her bed and turned toward me. The sound of chains clinking together as she moved sent a sadness through me, but it was a necessary precaution.
“Unchain me, son.”
“I can’t. You know I can’t.”
“What’s to become of me?”
“We need your help.”
“I cannot help you. I can’t help anyone.”
I had to shake her out of her melancholy. Her life had suddenly taken a sharp turn, and she wasn’t prepared for it. I got that. But still, the evil she had done couldn’t be so easily overlooked. She had a long journey ahead, and I had decided that moving her to the Scren Palace after Trey was cured would be the best thing for her.
“You’re going to help us, and you have no choice. If you want to live, this is the path. There ar
e roads to redemption and roads to darkness. You pick one. For now, you will help us.”
She peered at me with a strange look on her face, like she had momentarily forgotten who I was. It was probably better if she didn’t remember right now. She seemed to be experiencing some memory issues since being hit with Benton’s spell. Slowly, we’d take the shards of her life and put them together. I hoped she would let me help her; I hoped she could understand how much I wanted to know her.
“I’ll help you,” she whispered, sitting up slowly, flinching at her sore muscles. She hung her head as though ashamed to look at anyone else. “Just don’t ask too much of me. I feel weak. Drained.”
“I need but one drop of your blood.” Zena stepped forward. “You took the Sight from so many like me that it’s a part of you now. You have linked us, witches and the Nephilim, forever. Your blood is part of us. Blood from all four of the beings who represent the magic of the earth is needed for the ultimate healing spell: a drop from one human with the Sight, a drop from one who roams the sky, a drop from one with all elemental powers along with human and faerie blood alike, and a drop of the witch blood that runs with fire but is as dark as everlasting night.”
Zena held out her palm to the witch. When Iana held up her hand in response, Zena produced a knife. I couldn’t say I didn’t hold my breath as the young girl pricked my mother’s finger and collected her blood in a tiny glass vial. She handed her a small bandage, but my mother healed the wound quickly and sucked the residual blood off her finger.
Zena did the same to Shade, Xyon, and herself, collecting all four drops into the vial. She shook it around and held it up to the light, smiling.
“Here.” She held the flask toward Aluse. “This is for Trey. Give him the blood to drink, and he will be cured of all ailments. It will make him impervious to all magic on earth, and no one will be able to hurt him again.”
Aluse took it silently, bowed her head in a grateful gesture, and turned to her brother, who sat in a normal, human-made wheelchair, his head on his chest, bent down as though he was already dead. He was so close to it; I knew his life force was hanging on by a thread.