by Shéa MacLeod
I rolled up to my knees. Somebody was definitely playing a flute. The tune was jaunty and haunting at the same time. A dragonfly buzzed near my face, flashing like a ruby in the sunlight. I brushed it away only to realize it wasn't an insect at all, but a small, winged human-like creature. It grinned at me, flashing fangs that would have done a vampire proud. Then with a giggle, it zoomed off to disappear into the jungle of trees and vines.
I staggered to my feet, determined to avoid any more such creatures. The world spun for a second, and then righted itself. Good. I wasn't going to fall over. Or hurl.
I closed my eyes, willing strength back into my body. That's when I felt them: my powers. They were hovering just beneath the surface, ready to bust out and do their thing whenever I willed it.
"Impossible," I muttered under my breath as I opened my eyes. During both of my previous visits to the Other World, my powers hadn't worked. Not even a tiny bit. My hunter strength had been there, but the Atlantean powers had vanished. Now, if anything, they were stronger than ever.
"What the hell?" Jack sat up next to me, one hand on his forehead. He winced against the light.
"Exactly what I'd like to know." The strange voice came out of nowhere.
I spun around, rather unsteadily, and stared at the newcomer. He was tall, blond, and very nicely built, but his face was shifting through incarnations so fast, I was afraid that I might throw up after all. I had to stare at his right shoulder to avoid the dizzying morph of his features. Behind him ranged a dozen high-ranking and heavily armed Sidhe.
"Shit," I mumbled, glancing at his shiny armor and wicked looking sword.
"I prefer Kalen. Captain of the Queen's Guard. Please." He flashed a smile that left me feeling decidedly icky. "Come with me. The Queen desires an audience."
"And if I say no?"
A dozen swords cleared a dozen sheaths. "That," Kalen said in an icy voice, "would be unwise."
Chapter 34
Jack and I marched along the narrow path behind Kalen and his gang of merry men. Two more guards walked behind us, swords at the ready should we decide to get feisty. That was unlikely, seeing as how Kalen had bound our hands in front of us with some kind of fuzzy green vine. If I so much as thought about escaping, the vine tightened until my fingers turned purple. It was like it was psychic or something. Too bad we didn't have this stuff in our world. I sure could have used it.
If that wasn't enough, our weapons hadn't come through with us. It wasn't entirely a surprise. The other times I'd been to the land of the Sidhe, my weapons had stayed behind in my world, something about human metal being anathema to the fae. Apparently, human metal simply couldn't pass through the barrier between our worlds. No doubt our blades were still back in the sewer tunnel in Paris.
Escape was definitely out of the question. At least for now.
Giant trees loomed on either side of the footpath, trunks as thick as my car was long. Their long branches swept over us, creating a tunnel of greenery. It was as though we moved through green twilight. Here and there, hidden within the dense green leaves, I caught sight of dainty cream-colored blossoms. Yellow eyes stared at us from deeper within the forest, and brightly colored bird-like creatures flitted about, filling the air with their songs. I recognized the flute sounds I'd heard earlier.
The air was warm and a little muggy, almost jungle-like. Kalen and his men appeared unmoved by the heat despite their heavy armor, while my clothes stuck uncomfortably to my sweaty skin. I repressed a yawn. The heavy air was making me unusually sleepy. Or maybe it was the flowers. Who knew what kind of properties could be found in the flora of the Other World? I wondered if I could sneak some back for Eddie. He'd be delighted to study them.
More of the little dragonfly fairy creatures with fangs fluttered around our heads, dipping and dive-bombing us in flashes of bright reds, oranges, and pinks. Their shrieks of hilarity threatened to burst my eardrums. Oh, for a fly swatter. Or a really big bug zapper.
One of them landed on my shoulder and tried to sink his fangs into my skin. Without even turning, Kalen snapped out something in Sidhe. With a tiny squeal, the fairy creature took off like the hounds of hell were on his ass. Guess I owed Kalen one. No telling what that mini monster would have done to me. For all I knew, its fangs were filled with poison.
"This is insane," Jack muttered. "We're just going along with this?"
"We don't exactly have a choice. Kalen left the portal guarded, we have no weapons, and there's no getting out of these damn vines. Not to mention we have no idea what kind of creatures are lurking in that forest ready to eat us. So for now, we play along and look for an opening." I didn't mention I really wanted to see the Queen.
He snorted. "You know the minute we're in front of the Queen, we're dead."
"You are, maybe. But she has other plans for me."
"Gee, thanks," Jack said dryly. "That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy."
I flashed him a grin. "Don't worry, Jack. I'll protect you."
My feet and back were aching by the time we finally broke free of the forest and stepped out onto a wide, grassy plain. The path cut its way through the grass, sloping away until it ended at a ravine. On the other side, jagged black rocks rose from the ground to form a natural barrier, and rising from within the thickest part of the rock forest was a castle.
"Behold." Kalen gestured grandly. "The Palace of the Queen of the Sidhe."
It was straight out of a fairytale: soaring turrets, princess towers, flying buttresses. The palace was a study in the delicate and whimsical. Except every inch of it was black as coal and inside dwelled the creature who'd taken Inigo from me.
* * *
"Ah, Kalen, what have you brought me?"
I'd know Morgana's voice anywhere.
"Interlopers, my queen," Kalen said with a flourish and a bow.
The Sidhe guards shoved Jack and me to the floor. My knees hit the familiar black marble with a shock of pain that brought tears to my eyes. Bastards. I glared up at my guard, promising myself he'd be the first to pay. He sneered at me, his face morphing quickly into a new incarnation.
The Queen was lounging on a massive black throne that seemed to rise straight out of the marble floor, as if it were all one single, solid piece. Her left leg was draped over one arm of the throne. A dainty bare foot with toenails painted hot pink swung casually back and forth. Morgana's strawberry-blond hair fell in wildly disheveled curls all around her as though she'd just hauled her ass out of bed and hadn't bothered to comb it. She had on one of her trademark Grecian style dresses, though one of the straps was dipping so low, she was very much in danger of going truly Grecian and flashing boob. Knowing the queen, she probably couldn't care less. Or rather, she knew exactly how such exposure would affect everyone around her, and would wait for just the right moment to have a wardrobe malfunction.
Behind the throne a dozen different fae creatures stood, holding various items the queen clearly thought important. The creatures were definitely not Sidhe, but from lower castes of fairy. The one currently kneeling next to the throne was a striking female who looked more-or-less human, but had gold skin and hair to match. And by gold, I mean the stuff that comes out of the ground. Actual gold color, not the dark yellow people refer to as gold. She glittered and shone like she was made of the precious metal. Even the box she held was gold. The only thing not gold was her simple ankle-length robe, which was as black as the marble all around us.
My attention was snagged by a familiar figure trying to blend in with the exotic beings around him: Brent Darroch. With his smarmy good looks and perfectly tailored clothing, I'd recognize the bastard anywhere. He caught me looking and shot me a sardonic smile. Jackass. I didn't see Alister Jones.
I turned back to the queen. "Hello, Morgana." It was daring, calling her by one of her true names, but it was the one power I had over her. I needed every trick at my disposal if Jack and I were going to come out of this alive.
"Morgan. How lovely of you to visit a
gain." She smiled, her plump pink lips parting to reveal the tiny gap between her front teeth. "It has been an age since you were last within my realm."
"I called. I guess you were busy."
The smile widened. "Oh, yes. A bit." Morgana reached into the gold box held up by the gold girl. When the Queen brought out her hand, she was holding a piece of dark chocolate. She popped it in her mouth, savoring it for a moment. "I do have a kingdom to run."
I snorted. "More like a war to start. What the hell were you thinking, getting into it with the djinn?"
Her face turned into a mask of ice as she went rigid with fury. "Choose your words carefully, human. My patience wears thin."
The ice took hold of my veins as she held my gaze. My stomach churned and my legs turned to jelly. I was drowning, wallowing in fear.
I shook my head. No. This was Morgana's doing. I could see it now, clear as day. She was making me feel afraid. Yes, she was more powerful than I. Yes, she could squash me like a bug. But I was not without power of my own, and if Morgana had wanted me dead, she'd have killed me long ago.
"Guess what?" I snapped. "So does mine. You used me, Morgana, and that is not something I forget. Or forgive."
"It is not up to you to choose forgiveness." Her voice was a hiss, reminding me of the viper she was. "I am queen here." Her tone indicated she considered herself queen pretty much anywhere.
"Are you? Really? If you're so damn powerful, then why hitch your star to the likes of Alister Jones and Brent Darroch? I know you and Alister tampered with Jade Vincent's memories. Father Nicolas's, too." I had no proof of the later, but there was no doubt in my mind she was in it up to her gap-toothed smile. "Are you so weak you need humans and vampires to do your dirty work, now, Your Majesty?" Holy shit. Had I crossed the line? I half expected her to smite me on the spot.
The queen was shaking with fury, her cheeks flushed, eyes ice cold. She clenched her dainty hands into fists. "How dare you. You have no right... ."
"I have every right," I interrupted. If you're going to poke the beehive, might as well do it with gusto. "You killed the man I love." Morgana didn't need to know Inigo was still technically alive. "If that weren't enough, you used me to start a war. When you pick a fight with the djinn, you pick a fight with humanity. That makes this my business."
Morgana narrowed her eyes. A flush rode high on her cheeks. She trembled with barely repressed rage. Oh, yeah, she was pissed.
"Morgan." The warning tone in Jack's voice was clear. So was my intention to ignore him.
"Do you see him?" I kept my voice low, pitched only for Jack's ears. I could only hope the others didn't hear me.
"Darroch? Yes."
"Good, when I give the signal, grab him." I had no doubt that even bound, Jack could easily overcome Brent Darroch. "Then the two of you get the hell out of Dodge."
The entire time we were talking, I'd kept my eyes on the Queen as she struggled to overcome her anger. Slowly, she sat up straight, feet planted firmly on the floor. She leaned forward, hands on the arms of her throne. "Listen carefully, human," she spat. The expression on her face was so cold, so inhuman, it made me shiver. "You are only alive because I will it so. Cross me, and that will change. I have no compunction about killing you and everyone you have ever met. You are nothing but insects to me. Do we understand each other?"
"Perfectly." Outwardly I smiled, but inwardly I was calling my powers. Slowly. Softly. "But know this, Morgana, you will pay for what you did to Inigo. And if you harm one more person, human or djinn, friend or stranger, I will come after you. I will bring down your throne, your house, your fucking kingdom."
She laughed, but there was little humor in it. "You and whose army, human?"
"I don't need an army."
With that I let the Fire rip. It burned through my bonds so fast, they were nothing but ash in less than a second. Darkness surged, and I whirled, grabbing the sword of the Sidhe guard closest to me straight out of its sheath before he had a chance to react. A single thrust through the heart with the short blade, and he was dead on the floor, the spreading pool of crimson a splash of color against the endless black marble of the castle.
No one moved. The entire court, including the queen, sat with their mouths hanging open. So I did the first thing that came to mind. I threw a fireball straight at the throne.
The queen managed to deflect the fireball, but just barely. It hit the silk draperies hanging behind her, turning them into a raging bonfire.
Chaos erupted. Fae creatures ran, jumped, slithered, and flew here and there, tripping each other and the guards. The gold girl cowered beside the throne, her gold box fallen, spilling chocolates across the floor. The queen was shouting orders, but no one could hear amid the pandemonium.
The next fireball was smaller, but better aimed. It hit the queen full in the chest. Her clothes and hair went up in flames, and her skin crinkled black. She screamed, a sound filled with rage and pain.
I felt a tiny thrill of triumph before a second guard lunged at me. A single stroke with my newly acquired fairy blade, and his head separated from his body, spattering me with warm blood. Gods, I loved wielding a Sidhe sword. It was so light and insanely sharp. On the off chance I survived this, I was definitely bringing it back with me. It could replace the blades that were still lying in the Paris catacombs.
I glanced up in time to see Kalen ushering a completely healed Morgana from the throne room. Her moon-pale skin was unmarred, and her strawberry blonde locks were already growing back. She was also buck naked. She didn't appear to be happy about leaving, but she went. The pair slipped through a doorway partially hidden behind the burning draperies. The door sealed behind them, leaving a seamless wall. Figures the bitch would sacrifice her people to save her own skin.
Not that I could kill her. She was immortal. But I could sure as hell make her hurt.
The pounding of feet alerted me to the arrival of more of the queen's guard. At least a dozen heavily armed Sidhe flooded the throne room from the main entrance. A dozen more spilled through side doors. Shit. This was not good.
"Morgan! This way."
Jack waved at me from a corner of the room. He had used his badass Templar skills to get free of his bonds and grab Darroch around the neck. I didn't see any exits over there, but "stand together or die alone," and all that. I ran for the corner, hacking wildly at anything that crossed my path.
"There's no way out." My breath was coming fast and hard. My arms were tiring from the effort of wielding the fairy sword, despite its light weight.
"Here," Jack interrupted, pointing to the floor.
I frowned. "Where?"
"Hold him." Jack thrust Darroch my way.
I grabbed the man, pressing the edge of my blade rather closer to his nether regions than strictly necessary. "Hey, Brent, nice to see you again."
Darroch blanched, but otherwise remained as unruffled as ever. "Morgan. Likewise."
"Uh-huh."
Jack seemed to find what he was looking for. Suddenly, a section of the floor popped up, revealing a flight of stairs leading below. "Escape hatch."
"Excellent. Assholes first," I said, shoving Darroch down through the hatch, keeping the point of the blade pressed to his back. Jack followed close behind, closing the hatch and plunging us into darkness.
Chapter 35
We'd maybe gone eight or ten feet down the tunnel when Darroch suddenly let out a very unmanly squeak. Next thing I knew, the ground beneath me disappeared, and I was plummeting through empty space. I let out a shriek so loud, I nearly deafened myself.
Except I wasn't quite plummeting. It was more like zipping along incredibly fast, like on those water slides at amusement parks. There was definitely a slick surface under my butt. There must have been a slide or chute under the castle. It twisted and turned and occasionally dropped a couple feet, making for one hell of a ride through the blackness.
With Darroch screeching in front and Jack hollering behind, I gritted my teeth and k
ept the sharp blade of the fairy sword well away from me, determined to survive the ride. I would not completely freak out. Flying along in the pitch black to gods knew where was not my idea of a good time. Not to mention, once we came out the other side, we would be nearly weaponless, totally lost, and at the mercy of the Other World.
Abruptly, we exploded from complete darkness into bright daylight. Then we really were flying... falling. I let out an embarrassingly girly shriek seconds before I plunged into ice cold water.
I kept my fingers firmly wrapped around the sword hilt as the water closed over my head. Down I went through the murky water until my feet hit the muddy bottom. I pushed off, sending myself back toward the surface. Numbed limbs flailing, I struggled toward the edge of the water. I hauled myself out of the pool and onto the soft grass in time to see Darroch disappear into the woods. "Shit. Dammit. Jack, I'm going after him."
I didn't bother waiting for Jack's reply as I staggered off after Darroch. No way was I letting that bastard get away.
My wet clothes hugged my skin and chilled my bones, making it difficult to move quickly, but if I was having problems, so was my quarry. I plunged into the cool green dimness of the forest. All around me, butterflies fluttered and flitted. I didn't look too closely at them. The dragonfly creatures had been bad enough.
The trees and other flora grew thick and lush, making it hard to find any sort of path. A vine reached out as if to wrap itself around me. I dodged, slashing at it with my sword. The half I severed from the plant withered instantly. The rest of it crept back into the undergrowth as though afraid. I continued on my journey, heading in the direction I'd seen Darroch go. The sneaky bastard was fast.
Ahead of me, I could just make out a flash of his pale hair. I charged through a narrow gap between shrubberies, long branches swiping bloody trails across my bare neck and face. Thank goodness for leather jackets or my arms would have been sliced to ribbons. I hissed out a few choice swear words. I was moving too fast to use the sword as a machete. What I wouldn't give to be able to part the forest like Moses parting the proverbial Red Sea.