Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “It’s like the magic I peddle here,” Ferdinand offered without looking at any of us. “It’s highly addictive to energize oneself with the magic of others. Such an addiction is irreversible if you let it get that far.”

  Oh, now he wanted to be helpful.

  I pulled the bottle away from my lips and stared curiously down at the silvery liquid sloshing inside. The draw to it was unbearable, begging me to sip on it and savor its delicacy.

  “What’s in this draught that makes it so addictive?” I asked, still holding onto the tiny flask, afraid of what I was going to hear.

  “It’s not anyone’s energy,” Braelynn said. “In Faerie, magic is everywhere, it comes from the trees and especially flowers of the Eliquinscence tree. It’s full of healing power but doesn’t grow outside of Faerie, so none of the banished have access to it. They must drain power from another source, like other faeries.” She watched me holding the flask. Unlike how my face probably appeared at that moment, her face was a mask of calm, without any desire for the draught. That alone made me angry, hating the fluid more than ever. I quickly snatched the cork from her fingers and plugged the bottle.

  Now that the heavenly scent of the draught was no longer lingering, it made it easier to resist, and I no longer felt an insatiable desire to drink the fluid. I handed it back to Braelynn and frowned.

  “Don’t give me any more. I can walk with a little help.”

  “Going so soon?” Ferdinand perked up at this and watched as Sary bent over me to help me to my feet. Before I stood, Ferdinand interrupted once more. “Wait. Before you go, I need to warn you about something.”

  Sary turned and let me go. I slumped back onto the couch, my legs unstable. Turning one’s back on a siphon lord could be dangerous, so I didn’t blame her one bit for keeping an eye on him, even though the movement made my body flare up with pin pricks of pain shooting through me. It was enough to make my head spin.

  “What makes you think I want any help from you?” Sary hissed.

  Ferdinand visibly flinched at her words, but nevertheless continued. “I’m not the only thing you need to fear out on the streets of the world, little Sister.”

  Sary’s eyebrow lifted, and I managed to pull myself out from my misery to listen up. “Like what?” she asked.

  “Not what … whom.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oran’s tribe.”

  Silence fell across the room. I felt lightheaded from the lack of air. I swear Ferdinand not only sucked the life out of people, he also thinned out the air, too.

  “Who’s Oran?” I managed to ask, though I think I squeaked it more than anything else. I could feel a sheen of sweat across my forehead as I breathed hard to keep from passing out.

  Ferdinand focused his shiny green eyes on me, though now they were as hard as gems. “Oran is the leader of the Unseelie in the mortal world. He’s a self-proclaimed king and ruler of all the banished. If you’re waging a war against the escaped Unseelie and the banished, you’ll definitely have your work cut out for you with Oran backing them up.”

  “How come I’ve never heard of Oran before?” I asked, feeling slightly better. “No one in Faerie ever mentioned him before.”

  “Because he is the forgotten one. He’s an Unseelie prince, probably some sort of relative to Aveta. Arthas had many children who can possibly claim the throne, but none had power enough to take it from Aveta. Now that’s she gone, Oran is gearing up to return to Faerie to claim it.”

  “So why is he in the human world? I thought Faeries hated it here.”

  Ferdinand smiled. “I don’t hate it here, but I’d love to return to my home. I actually feel more loved and powerful here than I ever did in Faerie. As does Oran. He doesn’t suffer the effects of the human world like most lowly fey. He’s immune to the iron effects and, like me, can share power with his underlings. Therefore, those who follow him do not suffer the ill effects of the human world.” He sighed, looking tired as he explained the history of Oran. Why he was offering up this information was beyond me. It made me wonder if it was a trap or not.

  “Why are you telling us this? Why would we even trust you?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I’m tired of being the enemy. We need each other. A delicate irony in that, wouldn’t you say?” He grinned but I didn’t return it. “If Oran expands any further, he’ll grow into my territory. I’m happy here. We get plenty of fey pouring in due to our proximity to the borders of Faerie. It’s enough to keep us supplied with magic without killing anyone. Some look for a better life than Faerie has to offer them. Not all are fortunate in magic, and some have more family on this side of the border than the other. Who knows why they come here, but they do. I like my territory and have created a small kingdom for myself and my followers. It suits me. If Oran doesn’t return to Faerie, he’ll come here to take my lands. I don’t want that to happen.”

  He leaned forward and drilled his eyes into me. I felt a pinch of a drain again and pushed out what I had left of my own shields to meet it. He backed off but not before throwing me a wicked grin.

  “If anyone can stop Oran, it’s Benton and Shade’s family. They have ties to both worlds and are the most powerful of the original elemental family.”

  The what?

  “Excuse me?” I sputtered. I couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. Ferdinand enjoyed catching me off guard. This was getting to be too much for my aching head to handle.

  “The original elemental family dates back to the time the Ancients came into being. Faeries aren’t the only magical beings out there. Like you, Benton, there are elemental witches and warlocks, vampires, werewolves, anything you can think of. It’s all real, not just fairy tales told to keep little kids in line. Just well hidden. Your family was the original elemental magic family, and your blood is as old as the Ancients. Why do you think Shade is so powerful? She’s descended from not one but two original magical families. You’re almost as powerful, but you still need to hone your ability.”

  “That’s bull crap. You almost killed me with a lift of your finger.”

  Ferdinand laughed. “If you’d read your family’s history and knew all the spells you’re capable of casting, I’d be no match for you, Benton. Keep at it. I’m sure you’re as immortal as your sister.”

  “Where can we find Oran?” Braelynn’s voice surprised all of us, for she’d been unusually quiet the entire visit. Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised us at all. She was a powerful sorceress and would want to know more about anything magical.

  “He’s based in the Western lands.” Ferdinand offered. “I’m not too sure, the exact location is secret. You’ll have to ask around there, or start in Las Vegas. I have an informant there in the Golden Nugget Casino. His name is Lorell. Harmless, really. He’s a runt-riff faery.”

  “What’s a runt-riff faery?” I asked.

  “A non-magical faery,” Braelynn mumbled, looking tired.

  “You mean a faery who has no magic? How’s that even possible?”

  Braelynn shrugged and sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s very possible. They usually die before they reach adulthood in Faerie. Most escape Faerie to live with the humans. One good thing about not having magic is that iron doesn’t affect them.” She turned toward Ferdinand. “How do we get Lorell to trust us?”

  Ferdinand lifted a finger and got up from his chair. “One moment.”

  He exited into the next room where I heard him move a bundle of stuff about, as if he was going through a storage area. I sighed, almost feeling near normal except for the full body achiness and fatigue. I flexed my magic around me and felt the fiery warmth return, not yet at full strength, but it felt loads better than what it’d been right after being siphoned. I frowned at how helpless it had left me, vowing to read the rest of those darned grimoires back home in the Pyren as soon as I could, before any more adventures. If Ferdinand was right, I had to do it. Not only to protect myself, but to protect everyone I loved.

  Ferdinand hurried bac
k into the room with something in his grasp. “Here, give Lorell this. He’ll know to trust you with anything.”

  He tossed Braelynn a tiny figurine. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a small crystal statue of Elvis Presley.

  “You’re joking, right?” I snickered.

  Ferdinand shook his head. “No, I most certainly am not. Lorell loves Elvis. He’s an Elvis impersonator. This crystal is from the mines of Yalil. It helps create illusions. Even humans can use it, so it’s perfect for a runt-riff faery. He’ll know it came from me.”

  “And how will he know that?”

  Ferdinand gave me sarcastic smile. “Because Lorell gave it to me to hold for him. There’s only one crystal from the mines of Yalil, and this is it.”

  Chapter Nine Mystery Girl

  Mystery Girl

  July 15th, 1702

  There are many creatures in this new land beyond the wards, and I do not believe I could ever meet them all. There are those which are harmless, curious and playful. Others are more like humans, inquisitive and as interested in my world as I am in theirs. And there are still others whose darkness emanates from every pore of their body and threaten everything crossing their paths. These Unseelie, as the Seelie beings call them, are demonic creatures who serve no one but themselves and chaos. I have not made it as far as the Unseelie territory, but the stories of such creatures frighten even this old man.

  One advantage I have in this new world is that my magic is amplified by the power of this magical land, increasing my chances of survival should any choose to do me harm.

  ~Brendan

  “Well, that was a quaint family reunion.” I limped along, one arm around Sary and the other around Braelynn. I was beyond mortification since I was barely able to walk on my own after Ferdinand’s draining session. It helped that two of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met were doing the assisting. Still, I was going to need some recovery time if I was going to get back to my manly self. I wasn’t going to count on the faery draught anymore. Not if it was going to become a lifelong dependency. I might’ve been immune to almost all faery magic, but I wasn’t indestructible. This was one addiction I didn’t need. So not worth it.

  “I’m sorry, Benton. I didn’t know he’d become so … so …” Sary stumbled over her words and looked ready to tear up again.

  “Insane?” I offered.

  She sighed, not laughing at my sarcasm. I suddenly felt bad I had said that. How insensitive. The guy was still her brother.

  “No. He’s just lost his way. He’s been gone from our family and those he cared about for too long. When we fix this stuff with the broken wards of Faerie and capture this Oran guy, I’ll have to figure out how to save him.”

  “Some people don’t want to be saved, Sary.”

  We walked to a nearby hotel where they sat me on one of the chairs in the lobby and went to get us a room. I was surprised they had money to pay for a night at a posh place like that. I shrugged it off and felt my stomach growl. The expenditure of power had me consuming calories like crazy. I needed a recharge badly, or I’d be of no use to anyone.

  The lobby was busy, even though this was a smaller hotel than some others in the middle of downtown Chicago. A sudden prickle slipped up my neck, warning me I was being watched again. Surprised, I darted my eyes around the lobby, searching for the culprit.

  I turned toward the glass front of the hotel and caught a girl peering in from the outside. To my surprise, it was the same girl I’d seen on the subway train. I didn’t think she’d seen Sary and Braelynn, but she looked as if she was searching for someone else, even though her eyes had skirted over me for a moment. I wondered if she’d gotten a good look at me on the subway car. Maybe the glare on the glass outside made it hard to see in. I think she suspected we were there but wasn’t sure. I was in no position to get up and chase her either. It made me wonder if she knew that, and this was her way of unabashedly scanning the lobby without fear of being caught.

  Well, how about that?

  I watched her as she stepped back, seemingly satisfied by what she saw. I couldn’t be sure, but as her eyes landed back on me, they seemed to narrow. I hoped she wasn’t planning on doing anything, because if she was, I was so screwed. I couldn’t fight yet. Hell, I could barely walk. I hated being helpless, and my mind drifted back to the faery draught as the girl turned away and hurried down the sidewalk, rushing off into the crowd.

  I watched her, focusing on a lock of burgundy hair hanging out from her hoodie before the world swallowed her up. Something made me want to follow her. It was like I was compelled to, but no one was forcing me. I just needed to know what she was looking for, what she thought we were doing and why she had freaked out in the subway car. Also, how was it that it seemed she could see past our glamour?

  A panicked feeling ensued as I felt for the familiar film of my glamour shield, which was hiding the fiery Empyrean sword strapped to my back. Assured it was intact, I let out a sigh of relief. Not only would having a flaming sword visible in the middle of a hotel lobby cause certain panic for any who saw it, the fiery wisps it emitted would surely send everyone into a horrified chaotic run from me or set some security guards on me before I could even get away. Would do me no good to sit in jail right now.

  So the non-magical girl could definitely see through my glamour. How?

  “Got our room key.” Sary waved the plastic key card in front of my face before her smile faded and she wrinkled her face at me. “You look like crap, Benton. Come on, let’s go.”

  “Ah, thanks? I feel like it if that’s what you want to know,” I muttered and straightened up in the chair to my utter discomfort. “I need to eat. I’ve used up all my reserves.”

  Sary nodded and waved Braelynn over. “Right. I forgot how often you humans need to eat.”

  “You don’t need to eat as often as humans?” I asked, surprised that I hadn’t really noticed that.

  “We’re not required to eat three meals a day,” Braelynn offered as she took my other arm and yanked me to my feet. “We mostly eat for pleasure, not out of a constant necessity. We must eat at least once a day, but not nearly as often as humans do.”

  “Umphf … awesome. Well, we mere humans need sustenance.” I pointed to the front door of the hotel. “There’s a burger joint next door, and I’m starving. Let’s get something. Or we can go to the room if you guys want to order room service.”

  They nodded and headed out the door with me in tow. If we looked strange with two women holding up a guy, no one seemed to notice. I looked at Braelynn, and she winked at me with a subtle smile when she realized why I was looking at her.

  “An aversion spell, right?”

  She nodded. A woman of few words. I was starting to like her more and more. People were avoiding us because she’d bespelled us to avoid attention. Smart gal.

  Ten minutes later, I was stuffing the second cheeseburger I’d ordered down my throat before chasing it with an ice-cold soda. Both Braelynn and Sary had stared at their own hamburgers with curiosity before taking a few tiny nibbles. They’d ordered veggie burgers, of course. I frowned at their plates, shaking my head. Sary ate without really savoring the food, and Braelynn, made a face with every single bite. I almost choked on my own burger watching them eat human food. They obviously hated it, even though they’d been outside of Faerie for a few weeks. How they survived out here on the few things they did like was beyond me.

  “What the hell do you girls eat out here anyway? I’ve only seen you eat salad.”

  Braelynn dipped her fries into ketchup and licked off the red sauce before stuffing the fry in and grabbing another. “We buy fruits and vegetables at what you call a grocery store. They taste funny but are fresh enough for us to consume. Anything labeled organic seems to taste okay, but it depends on if it’s in a box, canned or fresh. We only eat the fresh food.”

  “Ah, I see,” I mumbled, my cheeks probably puffed out like a chipmunk as I chewed thoughtfully. At least they didn’t not
ice my atrocious table manners. Apparently etiquette in Faerie was different than here when it came to talking with a mouth full of food. Still, I hoped I wasn’t terrifying any other patrons. My hunger felt insatiable, and I couldn’t eat fast enough. So that’s what happened when drained by a siphon lord. I was going to need another order of burgers.

  “These French fries are delectable.” Braelynn stuffed three more ketchup-coated fries into her mouth. She looked as happy as she ever had, but it was hard to tell with her.

  “Fries are the bomb. I could live on them.”

  She stared at the fries, confusion passing over her face. “You can? I would think it wouldn’t be enough nutrition for a human. Though, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to.” Another fry met its end in her mouth.

  I laughed, almost choking on my burger. I grabbed my soda and took a nice long draw from it. “No, I mean, yeah, if I could, I would. You can’t live on just that, though. You’re right when you say it wouldn’t be enough nutrition. I’d be malnourished if I lived off just fries.” I held up the last bite of my burger. “Hence why you eat a burger with it.” I winked at her and stuffed the last bite into my mouth.

  She frowned and stared down at her mostly untouched burger, lifting the bun to scrutinize the fake meat. “The burger isn’t quite as savory. It tastes odd, like mulch.”

  “Next time ask for Angus beef, then.”

  She lifted an eyebrow at me.

  I sighed. “Never mind. Stick to the salad, fruit and fries.”

  Sary ignored us as she studied a map of the world. It wasn’t a map of our world, at least not as you’d see it on a regular map. No, this was a map with all the land, including all the realms of Faerie. It made the United States much larger than it appeared to humans. In fact, for a moment, I thought it was Siberia until I recognized some landmarks marked as “Human Domain.”

  It was nice to see how well-marked the human world was. Why not just mark it with “Wasteland,” which was what Ferdinand had called it?

  “Wow, that’s pretty cool to see the world as it really is,” I said. I continued to study it over Sary’s shoulder, but she didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she nodded, completely immersed in the map. “What are you looking for?”