by Kyra Quinn
“And my mother?” As I spoke, my throat tightened. I hadn’t expected my father to be the angelic force in my blood. What sort of monster did that make my mother?
Aster’s eyes darted between me and Remiel, her mouth a thin line. “I have no idea. She’s someone influential in the Shadowrealm, but I couldn’t see her face. Shadows obscured my vision.”
Remiel’s face paled. “I cannot imagine that’s a good sign.”
Aster didn’t reply. A tense silence hung in the room between us. Neither of them so much as looked in my direction, as if afraid of what might happen if they did. A bitter taste filled my mouth as a darkness filled my chest. What did any of Aster’s information mean for my life? Would I be forever hunted for daring to exist?
I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to demand someone elaborate further, but my tongue turned to cement in my mouth. Aster’s sudden coyness and the look on Remiel’s face suggested I wouldn’t like the answer.
Damn it all to the depths. I bolted for the door without so much as a goodbye. Remiel and Aster shouted for me to stop, but I didn’t. I kept running until I reached the door we’d entered through. I threw it open and stepped outside onto warm sands with a heavy heart and a fierce determination to find a solution to the madness that had become my life once and for all.
* * *
Within moments of stepping outside, it became obvious I wasn’t in Carramar anymore. The neighborhood around Aster’s building had vanished, the streets and shops along with it. Miles and miles of sand stretched around me. A blistering sun burned over my head instead of the moon. A chill ran down my spine despite the bewildering heat. A single tree stood next to a small pond in the distance. A pair of ravens sat perched in the branches, their heads cocked to the side as I advanced.
I frowned and shot a glance over my shoulder. Aster and Remiel stood side-by-side in her door frame. Their mouths moved as they yelled something after me, but the wind carried their voices away. Aster waved for me to return, but I bolted away from them towards the pond. I couldn’t think straight with them near me.
Samael. An Archangel and some demon had come together to make me. I turned the information over in my mind as I hiked, but it made as little sense as everything else I’d learned. I dug my nails into my palms and tried to swallow the lump of bitterness in my throat. Remiel and Aster knew more about me than I did.
A memory of Father scolding me to sit up straight flashed through my mind. My chest tightened. If Aster’s spell was correct — and they both seemed certain it was — the man who’d raised me for eighteen years shared no blood relation. Yet he’d given his life to save mine when the angels arrived at our door. Why had he never told me the truth about my parents? And how had he come to raise me?
I’d almost reached the pond when realization struck me like a kick in the teeth. The angels who stormed my house, the demons who stalked me in the streets; they all had to work for my mysterious birth parents. Father always said a parent’s job was to love and protect their young, to discipline and mold them into successful and productive members of society. Apparently, no one told mine.
Sunlight shimmered off the surface of the murky green water. I kneeled by the edge of the pond and glanced up at the thick branches above me. They appeared sturdy enough to hold my weight. All I would need to do was find a rope and all my problems could end in one swift motion.
No. I swallowed and squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to banish the dark thoughts. I had too much life ahead of me to give up now, even if it simplified matters for everyone else. I never asked to be born different. And who had the right to decide my existence was a crime? The universe’s karmic balance could be someone else’s problem. My focus needed to remain on survival and my own self-interest.
They only want me dead because of what I am, not what I’ve done. I’m innocent. I jerked to my feet as the seed of an idea blossomed in my head. I’d lived in peace for eighteen years. There’d been no sign of supernatural powers or mystical foes in my childhood. Until the night of the carnival I’d been like everyone else. All I had to do was figure out how to rewind back to that, to normalize my life as much as possible. But how?
I sprinted back to Aster’s place as if my feet were on fire. I had no way to guess how she or Remiel would react to my request, or if it was even possible. But I had to try. I couldn’t sit around and wait for disaster to strike again. The only thing left to do was take control of my life before the demons took it from me.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Crossfire
Viktor slid into one of the bar stools inside of The Grumpy Goddess right as the sun sank behind the treetops outside. Jett’s trip to Mulgrave and back likely had a few more hours left, but Viktor didn’t care. A restless energy buzzed inside of him until he could no longer think straight. Jett and Celia remained burned into his mind. How would Jett explain things to the faerie? Would she agree to come to Carramar? And what explanation could he offer her if she did?
The barmaid from earlier in the day had disappeared. A muscular man stood behind the bar in a fitted black shirt and dress trousers. He shot Viktor a strange look when he sat at the end of the bar, the thin line of his mouth turned downward into a frown. Viktor lifted his finger to order a drink, but let his arm drop back into his lap seconds later. He chewed his finger and busied himself with studying the other patrons while he waited for Jett to return.
“Out of all the establishments in the grand city of Carramar, you end up here?”
Viktor’s mouth twisted. For an angel, Remiel’s tracking abilities almost rivaled his own. “How did you find me here?”
“Irrelevant. I need you to come with me.”
Viktor whirled around on his chair and shot Remiel daggers with his eyes. “You seem to forget I am not in your service. I’ll return to the hostel when I’m good and ready to.”
Remiel scowled. “We found a mage, Viktor. We know what Lili is now.”
Why hadn’t he ordered a drink? The more Remiel’s voice grated on his nerves, the more he regretted his decision. “Congratulations.”
“Are you not the least bit curious?”
“Why should I be?” Viktor scoffed. “Return to your affairs, Remiel. Leave me to mine.”
Remiel’s voice dropped into a low growl. “Her father is the very Archangel who booted me from the Gardens over my decision with you.”
Heat rushed to Viktor’s face. But he refused to take Remiel’s bait, not this time. “A Nephilim? Not what I expected.”
Remiel’s face paled. “Her mother wasn’t human.”
“Pardon me?”
“I think we’ve discovered the match that ignites the crisis to come, Vik.”
A hollow sensation filled Viktor’s chest. He rubbed his chin and struggled to digest the new information. “Are you sure?”
“No. But how certain can we be of anything these days?”
Viktor jumped up from his stool as an idea sparked in his brain. “We ask someone who can see the future.”
Remiel blinked. “Sorry, what?”
“Come, we must hurry. I have an important meeting to attend tonight. But if Savina still lives around here, perhaps she can help us end this before it begins.”
“What are you—”
Viktor grabbed Remiel’s arm and dragged him through the crowded tavern towards the door. “If you’re right and Lili is what causes the problems to come, we need to kill her.”
A hollow laugh escaped Remiel’s lips. “You cannot be serious.”
“I am fond of her as well. But we can’t put one life ahead of thousands of others. I haven’t seen Savina in over five years. I can’t promise she’ll help us. But it’s a good place to start.”
Viktor remembered the way to Savina’s tree as well as he knew his way back to the bungalow he and Remiel shared. He flew through the forest and wove between the trees outside of Carramar with his head bowed in hopes he might catch a whiff of her scent. Remiel studied him with skeptical eyes as the
y hiked.
“Your friend lives in the middle of the forest?”
Viktor chuckled. “She prefers the quiet. Not the most social creature.”
He led Remiel to the tallest and thickest oak trunk in the center of the forest. He balled his fists and rapped twice against the bark. Remiel’s eyes flickered over the area, his jaw clenched. Viktor bit back a smirk.
Remiel’s mouth opened to speak as the front of the bark swung open. A woman with skin as translucent as the moonlight stepped out of the tree. Thin dark hair fell over the angled features of her face. She flew towards Viktor and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jasmine and smoke clung to her wool dress.
“Vik! No one told me you’d returned!” Her eyes twinkled with joy as she planted a kiss against his cheek.
Viktor grinned. “Not back for long., I’ve come to see you.”
Savina took a step back as her eyes widened. “Why? Has something happened? What’s wrong?”
Viktor shook his head. “I’m not sure. But if anyone could tell us what’s coming, it would be you.”
Savina’s expression darkened. “You’re here to ask me about your future? Vik, it doesn’t work that way—”
“I know, and that’s okay.” Viktor released his embrace with Savina, a reassuring smile plastered to his face. “If you’re unable to read me or see anything I promise not to fault you. But it would mean a lot to me, and to the world, if you’d try it.”
Savina’s frown suggested she wasn’t convinced. But she sighed in resignation. “Come inside, before someone sees you. I’ll fix us some tea and you can tell me what this is all about.”
“Is it all right if my friend comes, too?” Viktor gestured to Remiel. “He gets skittish left alone.”
Remiel’s jaw tightened, but Savina laughed. “We’ll find room for him, too.” She opened the tree’s trunk once more to reveal a narrow staircase down into the soil.
Viktor ducked his head and followed Savina, the space too cramped for comfort. He kept his elbows pinned at his sides and shuffled down the stairs. Remiel shot him a panicked glance, as if only an idiot would walk into a banshee’s lair without protection. Viktor only smirked in response.
Savina’s living quarters were humble. The inside of the tree offered hardly enough space to call a home. It made sense for the faeries and smaller species of Feyfolk to live in the forest. Savina, however, stood as tall as many humans. Viktor watched as Remiel’s eyes flitted around to size the place up.
She sat them on two plush pillows on the ground, her space empty of furniture aside from a small made bed tucked in the corner. A steel kettle dangled from a stick above a small open fire. A strong herbal scent perfumed the surrounding air. She stood next to the fire and placed a hand on her hip as her lips puckered.
“Now,” she asked, her eyes glued to Viktor’s face, “what is this about, old friend? Why have you come?”
Viktor scratched his head and hesitated. When he spoke, his words sounded awkward and strained. “I know it isn’t fair. But the less I tell you, the safer you’ll be.”
Remiel cleared his throat. “Viktor tells me you are a banshee?”
Savina hissed in response, her teeth bared. “Call me that again and it will be the last thing you do.”
“They prefer Sensitives,” Viktor murmured. “Banshee is a charged word around some of the more populated cities.”
Remiel scoffed. “My apologies. I have little exposure to the Feyfolk these days.”
“You didn’t come here for sensitivity training.” Savina sighed. “And yet I can see the discomfort dripping from your skin like sweat. Come here, stranger. Give me your hand. We’ll start with you.”
Remiel shot Viktor an uncertain glance, but Viktor only nodded in encouragement. Remiel sucked in a breath as he handed the strange woman his hand. She snatched his arm and pulled him closer to her chest. Her fingers massaged circles into his skin as her eyes closed.
“You’ve suffered great pain already,” she said, her voice airy as she continued to rub his skin. “You’re here for reassurance the future won’t cause you as much pain as the past. But I can’t offer you any such assurances.”
Savina’s eyes snapped open as she dropped his hand. She turned to Viktor. “I couldn’t get a read on his future. I can’t say one way or the other what that means. Perhaps there’s no danger on the horizon for him, or perhaps there’s no future at all. It’s not an exact science.”
“What about me?” Viktor leaned forward. “Maybe your talents will come easier with someone you know. Here.” He reached his hand out towards Savina, his gaze still locked on her face. Remiel furrowed his brow as if to question how well Viktor knew Savina.
She hesitated as her hand floated above Viktor’s. “Are you sure? You’ve never wanted to know.”
Viktor swallowed, his body cold. “This is different. I need whatever advantages I can find.”
Savina nodded and laced his fingers through hers. When their skin touched, she gasped as if the contact sent a jolt of electricity through her body. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her mouth agape.
A terrible wail left Savina’s mouth and echoed through the surrounding forest. The whites of her eyes turned the color of blood as she raked her nails down her face. Viktor called her name, but Savina didn’t respond. She continued to scream as if her body were on fire, the sound twisting Viktor’s gut.
“Savina! Stop!” Remiel shouted.
Savina’s screams turned into a manic laughter. When she spoke, Viktor could hear at least three different voices wrapped within her own.
“Fools!” her strange new voices bellowed as Savina threw her hands out to her sides. “There is no fighting fate. Astryae, and all who live there, will perish in smoke and flames. The war is coming. There is nothing you can do to stop it. Everyone you love will die before your eyes.”
A gurgling sound climbed from her throat as she wrapped her hands around her neck. Savina’s body went limp and crumbled to the ground like a house of cards.
Remiel and Viktor exchanged panicked glances as Viktor tried to figure out what the Fey he’d witnessed. The rumors around town about banshees made a lot more sense after Savina’s display. He opened his mouth to suggest they head for the door when a low moan came from the floor.
Viktor dropped to his knees. “Madam Savina, are you okay? Can I grab you anything?”
Savina groaned. “No, I’m fine.” She pushed herself up to a seated position, her face colored with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I had no idea that would happen.”
“It’s fine, honest. Do you remember what you saw?”
Savina shook her head. “Not all. And what I did see was hard to make sense of. It didn’t feel like your future, at least not specifically. I think the universe offered me a peek at the future of Astryae. It’s not pretty. Viktor, what have you boys done?”
Viktor helped her to her feet and dusted her off. He filled her in on everything he knew about Lili and her mysterious lineage. When he finished, Savina’s expression was blank.
“Well?” Remiel pressed. “Did that provide any context for your vision?”
Savina gave a nod, her face somber. “It makes more sense now. I’m sure I witnessed the aftermath of this conflict brewing between the Gardens and the Shadowrealm.”
Viktor’s jaw tightened. “Is the girl responsible for what you saw?”
Savina shrugged. “I don’t think so. She’s one of many excuses for the growing conflict. But it’s been brewing since the gods banished Zanox all those centuries ago. She might be the match that ignites the war, but that doesn’t mean the blame is on her shoulders.”
Viktor clenched his fists. As he’d feared, even the banshee with visions of the future couldn’t predict the true weight of the implications of Lili’s presence in Astryae. What sort of threat to the world did her survival pose? And how far would the gods go to erase her?
“What if we kill the girl?” Remiel asked, his voice hard. “What if we made sure neithe
r side could use her?”
“You’d be fools who destroyed your best weapon. There’s a reason both sides want her brought in alive. A camphelem in your back pocket is no small advantage.”
Viktor’s voice dropped. “How can we stop this?”
Savina frowned. “Didn’t you listen? You can’t. No amount of power can hold back fate. The war will happen with or without your interference.”
Remiel paced tiny circles around the small distance of the room. Viktor made polite small-talk with Savina as the information settled in Remiel’s mind. The angels had to know what was coming. Elijah must have intended to use Remiel to gain an advantage in Astryae’s destruction. Viktor wondered how the irony tasted; the angels planned to screw Remiel over, just as he’d planned to do to Lili.
They said their goodbyes to Savina soon after. Viktor enjoyed her company more than most in Carramar, but he couldn’t leave Jett and Celia waiting. He said nothing as he scurried away from Remiel back towards Carramar. Bitterness swelled in his chest as he replayed the conversation with Savina over in his mind.
No matter what they did, war would come for them all. If they trusted the banshee, Lili wasn’t a problem to erase. She was their best chance at survival.
* * *
Viktor found no trace of Jett when he returned to The Grumpy Goddess. A pitch-black sky hung over the tavern, the moon absent behind the thick, dark clouds. The friendlier patrons of the afternoon hours had all slinked back to their various holes for the night. The replacement crowd appeared far less welcoming by comparison. Most of the surrounding faces sported metal hoops and dark ink. Viktor held his head high as he shuffled through the maze of people to the bar.
The man from before recognized Viktor the moment he sat. His face darkened as he stomped over to stand in front of him. “Here for a drink this time?”
He hadn’t planned to indulge. But the scowl on the bartender’s face suggested Viktor might be met with trouble if he took up a seat twice in one night and purchased nothing. Viktor ordered a full bottle of ambrosia and a plate of wyvern snacks to appease him. When the bartender shuffled away, Viktor resumed studying the bar for Jett.