I blinked. That had never even occurred to me. “I sure hope his parents like me.”
As we approached the doors leading out into the village, Elan laughed. “Don’t count on it. I say this with the utmost love, but no woman will ever be good enough for their son. Trust me. It’s always the way among nobility.”
And with her “encouragement” ringing in my ears, I stepped out of UnderBarrow to greet our visitors.
ONE LOOK AT the injured and my words died on my lips. They didn’t need a Rah-rah-welcome-to-the-fold speech. They needed comfort, food, and pain relief. The majority were sporting bandages wrapped around various body parts, but here and there, the bandages had come off or been nonexistent. Gaping patches of raw skin and burns slick with pus made me queasy. The smell of charred flesh hung heavy over the group, and my anger toward Shay flared. How could he have done this to people who had trusted him and followed him for so many years?
As our guards led them in and they gathered in the town square with our own injured, I cleared my throat.
“My name is Fury, and I’m the queen-to-be, betrothed to Lord Tam. I’m here to welcome you to our village. I had a speech all prepared, but you look weary and in pain, and hungry, so I’ll save my speech for later. For now, please follow the instructions of the healers and guards, and be welcome. We’ll do our best to help.”
With that, I instructed the guards and healers to get them settled, and turned away.
Elan motioned for me to head back to UnderBarrow with her. “You did right. They don’t need a formal speech, they need painkillers. Some of those burns look horrible. I hope the healers and menders can ease them. Burns hurt worse than just about anything.”
Part of me wanted to stay put and help, but there wasn’t much I could do that wouldn’t have me in the way. I had no training in healing. As we re-entered the Barrow, I hoped Damh Varias wouldn’t be upset by the change in plans.
I thought longingly of my phone, wishing the cell towers still worked. But last time we had tried, there had been no signal—not for miles around. Seattle was reporting as dark. Our raiding parties said there weren’t any lights left on in the city. What people were still there hid when our scouts came through. Zombies wandered the ruins, and the smell of mold and decay were still heavy, made worse by the warm, wet weather.
Elan and I found a bench near the door and sat down. “Some days this seems a wonderful adventure, and then we see this—” she nodded toward the door— “and I wonder how any of us managed to live to adulthood.”
I leaned forward, my elbows on my thighs, clasping my hands between my knees. “I wonder if we should. Some days, I understand why Gaia went so ape-shit crazy on the world. We can’t even keep from destroying ourselves, let alone everything else. It’s a scary-assed life.”
“I’ve seen worse. I’ve seen far worse,” Elan said, but when I prompted her to tell me what, she shook her head. “No, not today. There’s too much pain already. I suppose we should gather some of the servants and get them busy ferrying food and blankets out to the wounded. I’m sure the healers don’t have the time to think about that, as well as tending to wounds.”
“Let’s go talk to Dame Ferrika. She can manage it much better than we can.” With a sigh, I stood and held out my hand to Elan. She let me pull her to her feet and, discouraged and out of sorts, we headed into the depths of UnderBarrow.
TWO DAYS LATER, a surprise visitor arrived. Tam and I were walking through the encampment of the wounded when one of our guards from the watchtowers escorted a familiar—and welcome—face into the village.
“Tigra!” I let go of Tam’s hand and raced over to the weretiger, grabbing her and hugging her before she could get out a word. “I’m so glad to see you!”
Tigra was a lovely woman, tall and muscular, sturdy as most weretigers were. Her skin was a pale yellow and she had faint black chevrons running up her arms and legs. Her hair was tawny blond, with black highlights. We had last seen each other over six months before. I glanced beyond her to see that her brother, Carson, was following her into camp. He looked winded, whereas Tigra was fresh and peppy.
“You brought your brother—” I paused. “Does that mean that Bend’s gone?” Last we had seen Carson, he had been living in Bend. He was a research scientist for an independent laboratory, and the Corp-Rats had tried to shut them down but never managed.
“No, Bend still stands, but the company he worked for is gone. No more electricity. At least not right now. And anybody even suspected to have worked for the government is being driven out. Carson never worked for the Conglomerate, but people mistakenly thought so.” The look in Tigra’s eyes told me it was worse than just a simple case of mistaken identity, but I didn’t want to press, not where others could hear.
“Come on, let’s get you settled. Have you come to stay, or are you headed elsewhere with Lightning Strikes?” The organization Tigra had worked for was under Gaia’s direct authority and kept a watch out for any resurgence of the Weather Wars.
“That’s another thing, but it needs to wait until we can speak privately.”
We settled Tigra and Carson in, and then we all met in one of the council chambers. I asked one of the servants to bring an early supper. Once we were settled and the doors were closed against prying ears, Tigra and Carson told us why they were there.
“The quake that happened a couple days ago? Lightning Strikes traced it back to something in this area. It wasn’t Lyon, unless he snuck out here. But it wasn’t natural, either. The epicenter was pinpointed in Willow Wood.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “That’s impossible. Nobody here has any artifacts. At least that we know of.” I paused. “We don’t really know, do we? But who would want to destroy the village?”
“Somebody who doesn’t like you. You’ve taken in a number of people from Seattle, haven’t you? Have you vetted every one of them? What if there’s a spy from the Order of the Black Mist in your midst? You know that Lyon has to be keeping an eye on you, Fury. You’re his biggest enemy right now.” Tigra shook her head. “This wasn’t random happenstance. The quake was triggered from this village, and Lightning Strikes—which is now loosely held together, who knows for how much longer—was able to verify that it wasn’t caused by natural forces. We don’t know what set it off, but we know that it wasn’t just a fault rumbling.”
Damh Varias spoke. “We should clear UnderBarrow of strangers, Your Majesty. We can’t take a chance on anyone targeting you or milady Fury from within the Barrow.”
The thought made me wince, but I had to agree. “He’s right.”
After what Shay had done to Tera and his niece, I had lost any residual naiveté about trusting strangers. I had lost most of it watching my mother be tortured by the Carver.
Tam was in immediate agreement. “I don’t like turning them out, but Willow Wood has space enough, and if we speed up the crews building cottages, there will be shelter for all by winter. Those who are in critical condition may stay—but keep an eye on them. Everyone who wasn’t living in the Barrow when we arrived must move to the village. Damh Varias, instruct the guards to begin the transition. I don’t anticipate it will take a long time, but best to start immediately.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “How many days till Heimdall’s done with the explosive?”
“Explosive?” Tigra asked, looking alarmed.
I explained what we were planning. “I will have to sneak back into Seattle, into the Sandspit, and find the gate on the Tree. Once we destroy that, the Order of the Black Mist can attempt to cause all the chaos they want, but they won’t be able to bring in the Elder Gods through the portal. And I’m sure they’ve tried magical means, but it obviously hasn’t worked yet.”
“Twelve days yet,” Jason said, staring straight ahead. He had been awfully quiet lately and we hadn’t had a chance to talk for some time. We had both been so busy.
“Twelve days. Does anybody in the village know about our plans? Th
at’s the most dangerous scenario—that someone will find out what we’re planning and tell Lyon. As long as he thinks we’re just futzing around in the woods, then he’ll probably be focused on other things.” At first, I had thought the idea of a spy in the village was a little too paranoid, but now that Tigra had brought it up, a cold ripple raced up my back.
“Just those of us in this room, I think,” Jason said. “Oh, Kendall and Tyrell as well. I don’t know if Shevron knows, but she wouldn’t tell anyone.”
I paused. “Is there a way to tell if we’ve got a turncoat in our midst? A truth spell?”
“I suppose there is, but right now I suggest we just keep our eyes peeled and keep as tight a ship as we can.” Tam pushed back his chair. “Tigra, does Lightning Strikes have any way of finding out what kind of artifact we’re looking for? Would it be like the Thunderstrike?”
We had chased down the Thunderstrike, an artifact from the Weather Wars, and managed to steal it away from Lyon’s group. At least we had known what we were after and who was carrying it.
I broke in to answer that one. “No, we gave it to Jerako, remember? He destroyed it, I believe.”
Tigra pulled out a folder and opened it. “There were only so many weapons made that were like the Thunderstrike and each was unique. Ten of them were destroyed. Two…we have no clue of where they are. The Thunderstrike is now gone, but that leaves one other.”
She slid a photo to the center of the table. “This is the Earthshaker. It, too, focused on wind and earthquakes. We believe it was what the Order of the Black Mist used to set off the quake that engendered the tsunami. And yes, we think it was used to set off the most recent quake. If we don’t find it soon, whoever has it in their possession could easily destroy this entire area. It would be a suicide stunt, but if they’re loyal enough to Lyon, they might try.”
With that thought, we moved on to other subjects.
Chapter 8
OVER THE NEXT five days, we managed to secure UnderBarrow and erect large, temporary shelters for those who had lost their homes. Tam ordered all those who were able and not involved in gathering food for the winter or tilling our gardens to help with building sturdy structures to replace the flimsy ones that had been lost. We decided to build several large dormitories for the single men and women, and later on they could build their own cottages if they wanted.
As the building continued, Elan, Jason, Tyrell, Kendall, Tigra, and I tried to keep our eyes open for anybody suspicious, who might possess the Earthshaker. I had my doubts, though. Oh, it would be wonderful to magically run across the spy but the reality was, although things like that happened on occasion, it was too much to expect. Finally, after several fruitless days of trying to gauge who might be our hidden enemy, we gave up.
“This isn’t going to work.” We were sitting around one of the conference tables. I pulled the calendar to me and stared at the date. In one week, Heimdall would have the explosive ready for me. “We should decide who’s going with me and how we’re going to get in.”
“Who do you want on your team?” Tam asked.
“Jason, Hans, Greta, of course. Tyrell—you and Kendall if you’re willing to go.” I couldn’t ask Tam. UnderBarrow relied on him, and so did Willow Wood.
He seemed to understand, because he gave me a grave smile. “I’d like to come with you.”
“Your Majesty—” Damh Varias began, but Tam waved him off.
“I know. I’m needed here.”
“I’d like to help, but I think I’d be more of a hindrance,” Tigra said.
“I appreciate the offer, but this is going to be a rough trip.” I didn’t want to tell her I didn’t think she was physically up to the challenge, but the truth was, if she came, I’d be concerned about protecting her and it would cost me my focus.
“I get it. Don’t worry about me. I think I’m more useful right here.” She winked at me. “I’m strong and sturdy, but I wasn’t trained to fight.”
“And that’s what we will probably have on our hands. We’ll be going into zombie territory, and who knows what else. I wish we could teleport there, but I don’t know anybody who has that ability besides the gods, and they don’t seem inclined to use it to help us.” But then I snapped my fingers. “Of course, I know one way we can get there in minutes, but it’s draining.”
“How?” Jason gave me a suspicious look.
“Through the Crossroads. I wonder if I can get tokens from Hecate?” I hadn’t considered it before because the Crossroads was my territory and I wasn’t used to other people being there, except for the rare souls I met at the juncture. But it would answer our needs if Hecate thought it possible.
Hans looked slightly nauseated. “I don’t think I want to head out on the Crossroads. The mere thought makes me queasy. But I have another idea, though again, it depends on the goodwill of the gods.”
“What’s that?”
“I can ask Thor if he’ll take us in his chariot. That thing can hold a small army—it’s like some weird black hole that expands to fit whatever you try to shove in it. It can travel through the astral, so he might be able to take us all.”
“I like that idea,” Greta said. She and Hans had been married six months and the Valkyrie had really blossomed into her own after getting her wings at her flying-up ceremony, as well as marrying the love of her life. I tried not to think about their wedding because I had been an unwilling volunteer to witness the consummation of their marriage. It had been…eye-opening, and I had been forced to congratulate Greta. She was a lucky woman with what Hans had to offer her. And I had seen everything he had to offer.
“Can you go ask him now? The sooner we figure out all of these details, the better. But don’t tell anybody else what you’re asking. We still have no clue who is hiding the Earthshaker, or whether they’re even still here.”
“I’ll return as quickly as I can.” Hans excused himself.
For all we knew, the spy could have been passing through. In one way, I hoped that would be the case. Then again, if they were still out there somewhere with a weapon that could level a city, it meant every city was a potential target.
Elan held up her hand.
“I want to ask you something, Lord Tam.”
He inclined his head. “Go ahead.”
“I’d like to request sanctuary. I don’t intend to return home to Verdanya, even though my father requests that I do so. By refusing to obey, I’ll be cast out from my people. May I formally pledge myself to the Bonny Fae and to UnderBarrow as a permanent resident?”
Damh Varias cleared his throat, speaking before Tam had a chance. “Are you sure you’ve thought through what this means, Elan?”
Elan nodded. “I have. I’ve been thinking about nothing else for days now. I’ve considered the consequences, and I want to move forward.”
Tam rubbed his head, pinching the top of his nose. I knew what that gesture meant. It meant he had just been jumped by a massive headache. He let out a long, slow, breath before answering. “You realize that this will set your father and me at odds, if I agree?”
“I know it’s a great deal to ask. I know that I’m causing trouble by asking. But I can’t bear to go home. If you can’t agree, I do understand. I can leave and find another village.” Elan’s voice was calm, but I knew that beneath that cool exterior, she was treading water, trying desperately to stay afloat. One thing our friendship had taught me—just because she was reserved, didn’t mean she was devoid of emotion. Her doe eyes were soft and shimmered in the Barrow light.
“This can’t be an easy decision for you,” Tam said. He finally let out a slow breath. “You may pledge to the Bonny Fae, and take your place as one of my people. But you must inform your father that this is your decision. I will not have a war break out if he thinks I’m refusing to let you return home.”
Elan leaned back in her chair. “Thank you. I will send him a message. I will make it clear this was my decision, and mine alon
e.”
“Then Damh Varias, will you begin the process of sanctuary?” Tam glanced at me.
I stared at him, clueless.
“Fury, this will be something you’ll also have to deal with in the future. So while we wait for Hans to return, let me explain. Whenever a member of the Woodland Fae Court asks to join the Bonny Fae, and vice versa, it’s considered a traitorous act. While we act as allies as much as we can, the Woodland Fae and the Bonny Fae have been at odds since the beginning of time. We were once known as the Dark Fae, or the Unseelie Court. Also—the Winter Court. The Woodland Fae were known as the Light Fae, the Seelie Court, and the Summer Court.”
“So you’re natural enemies?” I was beginning to see why Elan’s request was so daunting.
“Let’s say we are not the best of friends, though we don’t actively seek out confrontations. At least we don’t now. There was a time when we were at war and I expect such a time to come again.” Tam shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“Elan, I will come with you if you want to return to Verdanya.” Jason leaned forward, looking like he, too, had a massive headache.
“No. I won’t allow my father to cart me off to a secluded existence, and that’s what would happen. He’d just stick you amongst one of any nameless nobles—connected to the court by our marriage but nothing else.” She turned to Damh Varias. “Please, make the arrangements. I will send a message to my father. There will be no going back.”
“As you wish, Elan.”
There wasn’t much to say after that. Tigra told us about their harrowing journey and how the Lightning Strikes team had been caught by the tsunami, stranded on a rooftop for several days first by the water and then, after the waves retreated, zombies waiting below.
“We lost three members, sadly. We weren’t prepared for the secondary wave rolling in. Headquarters hadn’t been able to notify us. We scrambled to the top of the tallest building we were near, but three of our team didn’t make it,” she said. “It was harrowing. I’ll never forget Matt’s screams as the waters sucked him under. There was nothing we could do. No way we could reach him.”
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