by JD Cole
“Maybe.” Erica had left a note back at the house for Devon, letting him know that they were at the Ingram ranch to see Kelli. There didn’t seem to be any reason to cancel their plans with the Ingrams, though they both worried over the youngest Kunali’i, immortal or not. Vanessa walked up with a tray of lemonade, then, and all three women shared smiles and lifted the glasses.
“Tom,” Vanessa called, and held up the last glass. He waved and patted Orion before walking over. Vanessa put the glass back on the tray, rubbed at the pendant around her neck and looked at Erica. It was a struggle for them to contain their excitement, with no little bit of fear. Kelli had said she wanted to bring them to her castle to speak with the sprites and experience the Faery Realm.
“I can’t imagine what you’ve all been through,” Erica shook her head.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster,” Kelli’s mother agreed. “No more than the one you’ve been on, though. How’s the baby?” she asked, looking at Erica’s tummy.
Erica rubbed her unborn child. “Anxious for daddy to get home, just like me.”
“Things will work out,” Vanessa said, handing the lemonade to Tom as he drew near. “I just have that feeling…”
Tom nodded as he took a swallow of the cold drink. “I wish I could hold my baby girl again.” He looked at his wife with love in his eyes. “We did pretty good with her, didn’t we?”
Vanessa smiled. “It was mostly me, but yeah.”
Just then, Orion reared up and whinnied, then ran off to the far side of the pen. A gold flame raced upward from the ground several yards to the left of the Ingrams, ripping the air open to reveal a magical world beyond. An alien-looking creature, at least eight feet tall, ghost white and thin as sticks, stepped through. He was dressed richly in silks and formidable gold armor, and he carried a large spear. Three more like him followed, and they stood at attention on either side of the gateway. Next to come through were five tiny little people, with ears like cats. Each of them was dressed in simple robes of various colors, and they carried short wooden staffs with large gems buried in the crooks at the top. Another gangly sprite, this one a female dressed as if she were the Queen of the Universe, stepped through and approached the humans, a warm smile on her face. Her eyes were as green as Kelli’s, and her voice was a beautiful instrument as she addressed them. She did not speak English, yet somehow they still understood her words.
“Thomas and Vanessa Ingram. Fear not, I bring tidings of joy to you. On behalf of the sprite kingdoms, I offer you honor and praise as the parents and keepers of our Birthright. I present to you now our Queen, the daughter you once thought lost to you.”
The sprye bowed and backed away, and the Ingrams stood wide-eyed as their daughter stepped through the gate. Kelli stood there for just a moment, her face free of any emotion, but then she cried out and ran toward them. “Mom! Dad!”
For several minutes, no one moved or spoke, allowing the Queen to hug and cry with her parents. Finally, the Ingrams pulled away, still crying but laughing at the same time.
“I can’t believe it,” Vanessa smiled, tears streaming.
“Oh… where do I even start, you guys?” Kelli bubbled.
Dufangen stepped beside Kelli, who was so enthralled with her parents she did not notice her Counselor’s presence. The mystic hesitantly tapped the Queen’s side.
“Young Derek is in trouble, my Queen. Something in this world assails him with magic.”
Kelli froze. She looked at her parents. Why now? Can’t the world just be calm for this one day? She shook her head and scolded herself: her friend needed her. The Queen looked to Brevha, all confusion and meekness gone as she instinctively claimed her authority. “Aunt Brevha, take my parents to the castle, and make them comfortable until we return-”
“Kelli,” her father grabbed her hand, alarmed. “What’s happening? You pop out of thin air, with all these, these…” Lost for words, he flailed his hands about. “And now you’re sending us away with them? What’s going on?”
Kelli closed her hand over his. “My friend Derek needs help. He saved my life, dad. I have to go get him.” She motioned at Brevha. “The sprites will look out for you. Please, don’t worry, you’ll be safe and taken care of, I’ll meet up with you guys soon.”
“Wait,” Vanessa said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but what about Erica? She’s pregnant, Kelli, we can’t just leave her behind!”
Kelli sensed discomfort in the sprites, but ignored it and waved to Erica and Kim. “Yes, we’ll take care of it. Aunt Brevha? We’ll figure everything out when Derek’s okay. Please, take care of my family and friends. Explain everything to them. We’re all family, this is just a visit at my new home. I’ll fix this when Derek’s safe, I promise.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
“Mom, dad, you guys, quickly, go with Aunt Brevha!”
“But I’m waiting for Devon to get back-” Kim began, and Erica also started to protest.
“No time!” Kelli exclaimed, obviously flustered but single-minded in needing to help her friend. There were confused and anxious looks shared by the Ingrams, Erica and Kim, but they followed Brevha. The Queen watched as the five of them stepped through the gate back to the castle, then she motioned her guards over and turned to the mystics. “Take me to Derek.”
~ ~ ~ ~
The Hood pulled Veylsa free of the concrete and pushed forward into a sprint. Like a cheetah, he leapt forward more than he ran, and within three bounding steps had caught up to Undine. The elemental had murder on the brain, but Derek wasn’t quite ready to inflict such a penalty on these people.
He gripped the ancient weapon two-handed, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He held the blade out to his side as he jumped into Undine, but instead of knocking her over, he passed right through like she was a waterfall. He immediately recovered himself from a quick stumble, controlling his fall, and with a flick of his wrist, flung the sword ahead of himself. Veylsa arced forward at a velocity that kept it moving above him as he let himself tumble. Bending himself at the waist, he landed on his back with his legs stretched over his chest, his hands planted in the concrete on either side of his head. Spreading his legs, he rapidly swung his hips upward, spun his waist and pushed with his hands to send himself into the air once more. The combined motions twisted him around to face Undine before he landed on his feet between her and the soldiers. She leapt. Derek caught Veylsa’s hilt, drawing it horizontally above his head to block the elemental’s twin swords as they came down. She was aiming behind him, to slice through Marc and the man who’d shot Derek.
Undine’s blades bounced off of Veylsa and she stumbled back. Hand guns were produced from the soldiers around them, and they began firing at her, to no effect. “Cut that out!” the Hood shouted. He pointed the tip of his sword —his sword?— at Undine. “I didn’t summon you. Leave, now!”
“They tricked you!” she protested. The water swords spun like rotor blades before locking in her grip, and she crouched, as if she meant to jump over the Hood completely to get at the soldiers. “Your enemies are my enemies!”
In his peripheral vision, Derek caught one of the soldiers aiming at him with his sidearm. Derek pointed his fist towards the soldier and fired a blast of compressed air from the pneumatic weapon above his wrist, knocking the gun out of the soldier’s grip. “If you guys want to walk out of here alive,” Derek shouted, “knock it off!” He paced sideways , keeping the sword held out before him, but moving so that neither the soldiers or Undine were behind him. He couldn’t trust anybody in this building.
“I do not understand you, Hood,” Undine said, lowering her weapons and standing more casually. “You’re willing to walk away after what they just did? Leave them free to hunt you again?” She pointed a sword at the group. “They tried to kill you!”
Derek lightly slapped his shoulder. “It’s called non-lethal ammo, they were trying to stun me!” He pointed his air cannon at the rifleman who’d shot him and blasted him off
his feet. “Like that!” Derek concluded, unconcerned with the man’s pained groans as he lay on the concrete, and only mildly concerned with the handguns that swiftly turned in his direction in reply to his action.
Undine stared at the ground, apparently confused. But then her head shot to the side, as did everyone else’s. An ethergate opened in the middle of the warehouse, a fair distance from them all. Four sprites, armed with shields and spears, rushed through, followed by several little mystics and…
“Kelli!” The Hood let the sword’s tip fall to the ground. “What are you doing here?”
Dufangen stepped in front of everyone, staring at the elemental, and the weapon in Derek’s hand. “Undine!”
The soldiers pointed their weapons at the newcomers, and the sprites responded, two of them taking flight to meet any human aggression, while the remaining pair shielded the Queen. Shots were fired, and the sprites on the attack darted left and right, using their shields to deflect a bullet or two, while the pair guarding Kelli ushered her behind a support column. Dufangen slammed the butt of her staff against the ground, angling its gem at Undine and chanting a spell. Her free hand began signing ancient symbols as she chanted. Kelli tried to rush to the mystics, but the guards restrained her.
“My Queen,” one warned, “please, stay behind us!”
“What’s going on?” Kelli looked at Derek and shouted so he could hear her. “Derek! Who is that?”
The white Hood fled behind Derek, her hands lightly gripping his arms as she stood peering over his shoulder; her swords had disappeared. “This one is mine!” she shouted at the mystics, oblivious to the battling humans and sprites in the background. “You cannot take me back! The Queen will not let you hurt him!” With that, she vanished in a gust of vapor.
Derek dropped Veylsa, and turned to look at the flying sprites, who were nearing the soldiers. “Kelli! Stop them!” he pointed.
Kelli looked to them, nodding her understanding, and shouted. “Petriz, Teriss! No violence! Come back to me!” The sprites immediately obeyed, and the gunfire ceased. Marc began motioning for his troops to calm down and lower their weapons as he stared at the Sprite Queen. His people were fidgeting with uncertainty, their weapons ready to resume firing at the first hint of danger.
Dufangen’s chanting ceased, and she turned to Kelli. “He has been bound to an elemental, Highness.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Undine’s booming voice replied, “that I am safe from my creators.” Everyone looked at Derek, and could see the elemental’s shimmering sprite form hovering above him. “He is mine,” she continued, “his body and spirit belong to me. His welfare is my concern. His safety is my priority. His joys are mine to fulfill.”
Derek fell to one knee, grabbing at his helmet. “GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!”
Holding his temples and rearing back, the Hood screamed before lurching forward at the waist like a catapult. Faery and human alike watched in confused amazement as the watery sprite was somehow flung from his body. Undine was sent spinning into the metal struts of a support column, slamming against them with a loud splash.
Dufangen stared, momentarily paralyzed by the sight she had just witnessed. For the second time in history, a human had defeated powerful sprite magic with nothing more than the strength of his will. And for the second time, that human was Derek Hawkins.
Derek was on his knees and one hand, sucking in heavy breaths of air. Undine shook her head clear and rose, floating legless on a pillar of mist, and took a fearful look at the faeries. Immediately Dufangen began chanting again, this time joined by her fellow mystics. Undine scrambled into flight back toward Derek, who picked up Veylsa and held it out in front of him. Undine’s watery swords appeared in her hands reflexively, and Derek was lifted from the ground by her momentum as she deflected Veylsa away from her neck. He managed to land on his feet, stumbling backward a few steps, and pulled the sword up once more.
“Please, Derek,” Undine cried. “Accept me!” She looked back at the mystics, and Derek saw raw fear in her eyes: she’s no longer bound to me! But then her gaze flickered between the other humans, as well as the sprites and…
Kelli.
Undine was going to try to claim the sprites’ vulnerable queen if she couldn’t have Derek. Kelli should be powerful enough to resist, he reasoned, but…
The Hood was not going to gamble his friend’s safety with assumptions. There was no telling how much time the mystics needed to cast whatever spell they were chanting about. Veylsa whistled as Derek spun it before him, and he quickly stepped between Undine and everyone else. It had taken nearly everything he had to flush her out of him, and his remaining strength was leaving him in one big hurry.
The elemental frowned, and towered high over Derek, floating on her vaporous lower half. “You would have me imprisoned, then? I came to you as a friend, offered you all I have, all that I am. You are the master I chose, Derek. But I will not be denied my freedom. I will bind with someone this day, even if they might use me against you.”
The soldiers had all quickly moved to take positions all around Undine, their weapons aimed and ready.
“Kelli!” Derek shouted aloud, thinking instructions at her and trusting her to hear. The sprite queen nodded and ran forward, pointing at her hooded friend. Using a telekinetic boost, she launched Derek with lightning speed up into the air above the elemental. He brought Veylsa down against Undine, who blocked him with her swords. Derek used the sword strikes and his own acrobatic prowess to keep himself airborne, while allowing Kelli into his mind once more, just as had happened in Sen’giza. Together, they silently coordinated his attacks as the Queen used ethergates and telekinesis to the Hood’s advantage, creating doorways and invisible footholds for him to quickly rebound from Undine’s blows. The clanging sounds of blades echoed through the warehouse, angry sparks of magic flashing every time the swords struck each other. Undine danced and swayed, curiously enjoying the battle.
“I don’t know what you are,” Derek shouted, “but I’ve seen what this weapon can do! Better,” he swung again, his strength draining with every movement, “to just bury you again!” Undine moved to block yet another strike, but Derek feinted and planted his feet against the flat of her blade. Kelli read his intentions as he used the strength of his suit to launch himself backward, where the Sprite Queen created another ethergate that he rocketed through. The exit point for this gate was directly above Undine’s head and, like an arrow, Derek shot into Undine sword-first, stabbing through the elemental’s neck. His momentum carried him into Undine’s open arms, which snapped around him like a trap.
“Welcome back, master,” the elemental whispered, and vanished along with Veylsa. Kelli was not quick enough in catching Derek, and he slammed into the ground, unconscious.
~
Dufangen cursed to herself. The last threads of the entrapment spell were being woven into place, and Undine knew it. Derek was keeping her pinned for the mystics, somehow using Veylsa against her, but he was weakening swiftly. Too late, the Royal Counselor realized that Undine was letting Derek fight her, wearing him down. When Undine vanished into the Queen’s young friend, Dufangen slapped her staff against the floor again, breaking the concentration of her fellow mystics. If they completed the spell now, Derek would be frozen in the Ythsimerin along with Undine. The two of them were bound once more. How the devil had she escaped in the first place?
~
Kelli pushed her guards away, running to where her friend had fallen. The sprites scurried to keep up with her when she summoned her wings and flew to him. She ignored the strain it put on her to do so, and landed in a skid on her knees, tearing her pant legs open all the way down her shins. The scratches and scrapes she earned healed immediately. “Derek!” she shouted. He’d fallen on his stomach, and she turned him over. The Queen shook off the flashbacks of their escape from the alien, when she’d turned him over just like this in that dark, menacing cave. There was a commotio
n behind her, and Kelli turned furiously at the humans, pointing. “Hold them!” she ordered her guards. She was surrounded, and saw several guns in their possession, but one of the mystics scattered them with a wave of her staff. As before, two sprites remained to protect the Queen, while the other two followed her order and corralled the humans together.
Cradling Derek’s head in her lap, Kelli pushed his hood away. Back in the cave, he had not been wearing his armor, but this time, with his helmet in place, she found that the inside of the hood was stitched into the mask. The whole thing was one big piece of nanomachine cloth-stuff. She wanted to see his face, but refrained from trying to remove the mask or helmet. “Derek,” she whispered. “Derek, talk to me.” A small ethergate opened beside them, and Kelli saw Dufangen step through from where she’d been standing in the distance.
“We must get him back to Windham, Highness.”
“What the heck was that thing? What did it do to him?” Kelli pushed her glimmering white hair from her face, then put her hand back on Derek’s chest protectively.
“He is not in any danger,” Dufangen assured Kelli. “Undine will not harm young Derek. Far from it, she will kill anyone who threatens him. But he needs to be declared to the sprites.”
“Declared? What does that mean?”
“It would probably be best to get him back to the castle, and discuss it there,” Dufangen stated. “We are not safe here.”
Kelli looked up to her guards. “Oren, Metra, please take him. Gently.” The guard named Oren knelt and scooped Derek up as his Queen requested. Kelli stood and turned to the other two guards, her face stern. She pointed at the gathered humans. “Bring them,” she ordered.
“Kelli!” one of the men yelled. His gaze was more interested in the sprites covering him, but he managed to meet her eyes. She looked at him without patience. “Kelli, I’m Marc Tritt! We met in the forest. I’m the soldier who held you in the snow, and got you those blankets.”