I finished the roll up onto my feet and listened. No more footfalls on stairs. So I looked down the corridor on this level in both directions. 50-50 chance. “Mother?”
“Camera malfunctions tracking counter-rotation.”
I turned left and charged down the corridor, and maybe fifty yards down, there was an open service bay door. These are supposed to be on lock-down, only authorized personnel and Brigade. I drew my dual MMGs, and glanced quickly into the bay and pulled back, and played back the footage at half speed so I could take in the space.
There were a couple of maintenance drones moving about and I saw a door to a hangar bay beyond. This was a Ready Squadron auxiliary hangar! I saw a figure at the door looking into the hangar and exhaled then took in a deep breath, brought my MMGs up and stepped into the room ordering, “Enforcer, stay where you are, Lord Sindri and keep your hands where I can see them. Consider yourself bound by law for the murders of...”
I trailed off as the shadowy figure turned around when the blast door closed and sealed behind me. I relaxed. Shit. It was an Enforcer. Probably the one who had been following Sin. Had he been looking out the window because Sin had taken one of the Ready Squadron ships to escape? I holstered my weapons as I stepped up to him.
I was about to ask the Minotaur what happened, when his face went slack, looking past me, his bovine eyes wide in adoration and worship as he asked like a child looking for approval, “Did I do good?”
I started to spin around, mentally slapping my visor down, remembering what Rory had said about it, as a voice behind me said, “You served your master well, pet.” I hadn't been fast enough with my visor, because the last thing I remembered was a spell hitting my unprotected face. It was so powerful that I was flung back spinning in the air to strike the bulkhead hard enough I heard bone crunching.
As I floated between an unconscious state and waking, I realized this was a trap. Sin must have glamoured the Enforcer, making him his thrall before I arrived at the Jump terminal. How could I have been so stupid? A rookie mistake. But then again, none of us were ever trained to arrest a Fae Lord. An Enforcer would be crazy to even think a Fae would... ow!
I was struggling to wake and, son of a bitch! Ow!
I was so cold. And I screamed as I sat up from the cold deck. Someone with immense strength pushed me back down, “Stay put, I'm almost done. I see that bitch of a sister of mine outdid herself. That was my most powerful stunner spell and you've shrugging it off already. But she never followed through. I looked you up after you came to the Brothel.”
I struggled but winced, my guts were on fire and I realized I was wearing only my undergarments as my eyes tried to focus as he went on, “This is how I'll prove that I am better than her, better than all of them. If only she had gone a step farther. Your gene sequencing is almost perfect, just what I've been trying to accomplish with tissue grafting. But your eggs will allow me to finally complete my work.”
My what?
I was fully awake then, my eyes wide, and I looked down in horror. I had an incision across my lower abdomen and there was a cryo-container on the floor next to all the blood pooling around my hips.
He said, “Sorry I didn't have the right equipment with me to do this the right way, this was just a fortuitous opportunity. I was heading to intercept you near your quarters, but this worked out so much better. Actually, I don't care if I did it right or not since I will have to kill you so my goody-two-shoes sister can't beat me to the solution. I'll be the savior of the Fae and they'll have to recognize me.”
I looked around, and the other Enforcer was guarding the door for this prick, with an adoring look on his stupid cow face. My armor and gear was in a pile just a couple feet from me, all the pouches dumped out and my MMGs were crushed.
He yanked one of his wrists over and I screamed again when my own wrist snapped like kindling and he released that hand to grab a blade glowing with magic which he started to bring to my neck. “Not even your amazing clotting ability can...”
I swung my legs up to my chest, screaming in pain as I compressed the bleeding incision and thrust out with all my strength to strike him in the chest. He was knocked back on his ass, dropping the blade which skittered across the floor. “Shut the mother-loving fuck up! I hate crazy shits who monologue!”
Turning my body, I felt weak and fuzzy as I dragged myself along the deck to my gear with one arm through all my pain. I was reaching for one of my cold iron batons when one of his hands grabbed my ankle and pulled back hard. As I screamed when he twisted and my ankle bones splintered, my hand closed around something, cold metal.
I thought “So much for immortality,” knowing it was over and...
By the gods! He was so beautiful, and I wasn't worthy to be in his presence. I didn't care about the pain about the blood or the fact he was going to kill me as I gazed upon the perfection of his face. He seeped into every cell of my being, and I knew I wanted him, needed him... he was my world.
He said, “There, that's better you stupid bitch.”
I was a stupid bitch wasn't I? He had said it so it had to be true, how could it not? I was so distraught that I hadn't pleased him.
Then he asked, “Do you wish to please me, pet?”
I nodded frantically as tears streaked my cheeks, knowing I had displeased him. I would do anything for him, be anything for him. How had I not known how wonderful he was before?
He grabbed me with one hand by the shoulder painfully, my collarbone creaking as he effortlessly pulled me up to my feet, and I ignored the searing pain in my foot, arm, and gut. He was touching me and it was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me. He whispered as he offered the retrieved scalpel to me on his palm, “Please slit your throat. I can't even bear to look at you. It would make me immensely happy.”
I was nodding and started to reach for the scalpel. It would make him happy. I was almost in orgasmic bliss knowing I could make a god such as him happy by doing this insignificant little thing for him. But there was something in my hand already. I blinked. It was a harmonica.
The absurdness of that had me blinking, realizing what I was doing. This vacuum sucking, sanctimonious, fucking prick! I was mentally forcing the thrall off of me, tearing it away like a soiled shirt. The immense pain I was in cleared my head the rest of the way and I stared at the scalpel in his palm then the harmonica in mine, and it seemed to glow.
I could see silver spell-work glowing brighter and brighter, and I knew... just knew it was some sort of salvation. I remembered Mac's words, “You never know when a little music might save your life.” Had he somehow known? Was I just delirious because I had lost so much blood?”
As I raised the harmonica, my lips started to tingle and burn icy cold, it was like the world had slowed, waiting with bated breath as I saw Sin's eyes start to widen in alarm as my lips touched the harmonica and I exhaled in pain as a solid, pure note emanated from the instrument.
And I shouldn't stop exhaling as power flowed through me, cold as the dead of winter in the upper rings, the magic of Mab's curse so overwhelming as it left my body, being amplified by the harmonica as the entire bay frosted over in a layer of ice. The two magics mixed and swirled and I was barely aware of Sin's screams as his hand that held me up crystallized into blue-tinted ice. Then it was over, the harmonica tumbled from my fingers as the world sped back up.
I glared at the man and screamed at him, “Get the fuck off me!” Then I punched his frozen arm and his hand shattered into a thousand icy chunks as I fell to the deck.
Sin was screaming and holding his stump. Then he turned to me where I lay and hissed out between clenched teeth, “I will...”
I shook my head and rasped out, “You'll do nothing prick!” I snicked out a baton from the pile of gear I lay on and thrust up with all my remaining strength. I may or may not have stuck it where the sun doesn't shine. It's hard to tell, all I know is it stuck, and there was the sound and smell of sizzling
Fae flesh on cold iron as he shrieked in agony.
I grabbed a mag-band with my good hand and struggled to stand on my good leg as Sin grasped the baton, yanked, and threw it aside, the flesh of his hand burned horribly where he had touched the metal. He turned to me just as I slapped the mag-band around his neck, then I sneered at him and said, “Lockdown,” toward my helmet.
His eyes went wide as he was yanked down to the deck by the neck with ten Gs of force. I heard a snapping sound as his neck broke by the sudden motion. And he just lay there, glaring at me limply as I fell back on my ass and cradled my stomach in only my undergarments on the deck as I just smiled cruelly at him. A broken neck wouldn't kill him, and I'm sure it would take a few minutes to heal, but I knew he didn't have a few minutes. With my excellent hearing, I could make out the approach of many boots clanging on the deck plates in the corridor and people shouting instructions.
I smirked at the man. “My friends are here. You lose.” And with an explosion of magic that had my ears ringing, the door was literally blown out of its tracks and sent tumbling into the room, striking the Minotaur, whom Sin likely ordered to watch the door since he had never moved during the scuffle. I winced, it wasn't his fault, I felt that absolute devotion too and I was really starting to hate Fae for doing that to me, I was nobody's thrall. He'd need Med-Tech for sure after being taken out by the door like that.
A woman charged through the door blazing with power, the air freezing around her, frost and crackling energy making the icy room even colder. Her rage made her look an avenging angel or Valkyrie, and I've never seen Aurora look so... beautiful.
Icy blue magic sparked from her eyes as she took in the scene as three full squads of Enforcers, with riot armor and shields, poured into the bay behind her. When her eyes met mine all of her magic simply stopped and she came running up to me with fear and concern in her eyes. “Knith!”
My head was swimming and I knew I wasn't going to be conscious much longer. I smiled weakly and croaked out, “I'm ok. It's just a flesh wound. The bastard harvested my eggs... the hard way. But it's ok, I nailed his ass. He's bound by law.”
She chuckled, hugging me tightly to her as she desperately dumped healing magic into my gut. She kissed my forehead and said, “Yes. Yes, you did, Knith Shade of the Beta-Stack.”
I blinked as I saw a blur over her shoulder. I asked, “Graz?”
My Sprite friend's tone was worried and horrified when she asked, “What did he do?”
Then she buzzed away and I heard Sin scream, Graz's voice calling out, “You like my blade in your eye you sadistic Big?” He screamed again as the world dimmed. “That one's for Knith!”
Someone was calling out, “Sprite! Stand down!” As I heard Sin scream one more time while I snuggled into the sinfully warm arms cradling me.
I mumbled, “My ass is frozen,” and the world went black.
Chapter 14 – Man In The Mirror
I fidgeted in my dress uniform as we stood by the airlock. Rory slapped my hands away and whispered, “Stop that. You look fine.”
Graz said from her shoulder where she sat in some amazing Sprite armor, “Yeah, stop squirming, Knith. You're makin' me itch just watchin' ya.”
I huffed and stood back at attention. This was quite uncommon, the audience for a spacing. I glanced around, to see Commander Reise standing next to President Yang and of all people Queen Mab with their respective security details. My new partner, Lieutenant Daniel Keller. Then there was the Judge, prosecutor, and even Lord Sindri's defense attorney.
Then, of course, the airlock tech who would normally operate the airlock on a spacing, but this one, I volunteered for. The gangly kid didn't need it on his conscience, especially since Pans are normally lovers, not fighters. He likely lost when the techs drew straws to decide who had the grisly duty of ending a person's life.
All the news channels were present with their hover cameras all vying to get a shot for the nightly news waves. That was sort of perverse in a way, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. Sin had killed four men, compromised an Enforcer the Fae say is permanent, and cut me open to harvest my eggs for his gods be damned experiments... then tried to glamour me like he did the poor Minotaur, to get me to kill myself.
I locked eyes with Sindri through the blast window between us. He glared at me, then smirked. The sick fucker had to die and I was fine with that. Does that make me any better than him? I waved at him first with one hand, then the other and looked between my hands like I was surprised I had two. His eyes darkened after he instinctively glanced down at his stump. I was going to one of the hells, wasn't I?
Rory told me later that though his broken neck was healed in minutes, it would take months to heal the cold iron burns, and even then, they were so severe they would likely scar. But his hand... it would not regenerate. The stump had healed right away, and if they still had his hand, it would be a simple matter to reattach, but I had shattered it to bits.
The man was getting increasingly agitated in the airlock, pacing like an animal knowing there was no escape, especially because he wore a collar of ice thorns that blocked his magic, a gift to the Brigade from the Fae. He knew his fate, and it was something he could not prevent.
I thought back to that day three weeks ago, I had thought I died in Rory's arms, because when I lost consciousness, I did not dream, and I always dream. I woke up later in Ha'real, not at Med-Tech, and there were no less than ten guards standing watch over me, and even four Enforcers that they had actually let into the palace.
Aurora quickly moved to sit at my side on an insanely fluffy and comfortable bed the moment I opened my eyes. She smiled and said, “There she is.” Then she was shoving a cup in my face. “Drink this, I healed all your quite extensive wounds, but I cannot replace all the blood you lost. You need fluids.
I said meekly, “You should see the other guy.” She was not amused.
I took a sip of some foul-smelling green liquid and pulled back.
She forced it to my lips with a chastising glare. “It will speed up blood production. Drink.”
Fine. I drank, making a sour face.
Then my eyes flew wide and I tried to sit up but her hand on my chest may as well have been made of titanium, keeping me down. I was starting to realize just how physically strong the greater Fae were, the way Sin had broken my bones like they were made of spun sugar. I blurted, “Sindri?”
She assured me, “In Brigade custody.” Then she smiled crookedly. “You're incredible. A Human, besting a greater Fae.”
I relaxed back into the bed, my head resting on a pillow that was so sinfully comfortable that I was thinking of marrying it. I admitted, “I had help. Your mother's curse struck out at him through that spelled harmonica. It amplified it somehow. It was enough that I got the drop on the asshole.”
She smiled and said, “Fitting pun. He's severe iron burns.” Then she asked, “What about the harmonica? It acted like a focus? But I saw it beside you, it was not magic touched.”
I shook my head. “It was glowing brightly with Fae spellwork and sigils. It caused the entire room to freeze in a moment and froze the hand he was holding me with. I shattered his ice hand.” I reached up and tentatively touched my lips. Gods be damned, they were glassy ice still, was I still cursed?
She said, “The Brigade brought in a full crew to gather evidence. At the very least they have my brother for your attempted murder. They are still trying to find the physical evidence to go with all your other evidence to make the case for murder. The Summer Court is not allowing anyone access to his lab.”
I said, “Check his personal effects, you'll find Woodling horn, and if they test it, I'm sure they'll find it will be a DNA match to Reiner Katan's that were taken from him when he was killed. Plus he admitted to his testing to me just before he tried to enthrall and kill me.” My rage burned inside over that again.
She just looked back to the Enforcers, and one started relaying that on coms. I
spoke to the air, “Mother?”
A tinny, “Yes Enforcer Shade?” sounded out.
“Quantum decrypt my files on the case and send a copy to Control.”
“Of course, Enforcer Shade.”
I hated her fake robotic voice.
With Rory, I shared loud enough for the others to hear. “There's a lot more evidence I put together in the files than are in my generic daily reports.”
Again an Enforcer relayed that.
She shushed me and said, “Now shush and rest. There will be time for all this unpleasantness later.”
I caught movement in my peripheral and I glanced over at the impression of movement. “Who's there?”
Queen Mab stepped out of the impression of a presence. “Fascinating, you could see through my don't look here? You truly are a wonder, pet.”
“I'm not your pet.”
Then I informed her, “You might want to spread the word that the next greater Fae who tries to glamour me will meet a fate worse than Lord Sin had. I'm not anybody's plaything and my will is my own, and I will protect it with extreme prejudice.”
She inclined her head and asked with a calculating smile, “And what do you offer in trade for my decree?” Always scheming, always looking for how things could benefit her.
I cooled and informed her, “What I offer is that I will spare you the hassle of your Fae population declining by one if I get overzealous in carrying out my retaliation on the Fae who attempts to steal my will from me.”
She brightened in delight. “A threat? That's simply adorable. Are you sure you are not Fae?” Her grin knew no bounds as she inclined her head and said, “I accept the terms of your deal.” She hesitated and added as she squinted at me dangerously, “But only because I believe that you truly would do as you say. A human has never physically bested a Fae Lord before... until now.”
I hesitated at that. And softened a little. “You... helped me. You knew this would happen and so you did something with your curse.” I touched my lips.
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