by Amy Sumida
“I'm sorry to be so blunt, Azrael,” Cian said crisply, “but you caused this. Now, you must help us fix it.”
“The Ring of Remembrance showed you this future,” I reminded Az. “Perhaps this is what it was trying to show you. That your destiny is to become an ambassador of a sort. Perhaps you could even reintroduce the Gods to humans.”
The gods around us instantly protested and Az chuckled.
“I don't think the Gods are ready for that just yet,” Az said to me. “Maybe if things stabilize with the Fey, they'll be more keen on the idea.”
“Will you do it?” Lugh asked Azrael. “Will you become the Faerie God again?”
“No,” Azrael said immediately, causing everyone to gawk. “I will forever have nightmares about hunting my wife through the streets of Paris. I can't be that maniac again.”
“I understand but—” Cian started to speak, but Azrael held up a hand to silence him.
“But I will take on his form and take responsibility for my actions,” Azrael went on. “I will call back the magic if I can and, hopefully, help guide the humans into a future that will allow faeries to live peacefully among them. A future in which my sons may walk among the humans without hiding who they are.” He looked at our boys again and smiled softly. “Angels walking the Earth in full view. I would like very much to see that.”
“I would too,” I whispered. “Maybe this situation is salvageable after all.”
“Bring back my Texas, and I'll worship you myself, Faerie God,” Austin drawled and we all started laughing.
Chapter Fifty-Four
On All Hallow's Eve, when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is said to be its thinnest (at least by humans), the Faerie God touched the Elemental Well and commanded it to draw the fey magic out of most of the world and into itself. The Royals of Faerie, my husbands, and the God Squad bore witness to the event, gathering around Azrael and the Elemental Well in the center of a magical orchard, in the center of a living maze, in the depths of the Golden Citadel.
The swirling energy inside the well quickened and brightened as the magic obeyed the Faerie God's command and returned, retreating from land and sea to condense there, beside the remaining rath to Faerie. Everything seemed to be going well but then, fifteen minutes in, Azrael's arms began to tremble and his jaw clenched. Sweat broke out on his forehead and dripped down his cheek. I stepped forward without realizing it, but Trevor took my hand and pulled me back.
“He's pulling magic in from the entire world, Minn Elska,” Trevor reminded me. “It will take some time.”
Azrael let out a low growl as his wings burst open and magic glittered among the dark feathers. He had shifted into the Faerie God to touch the Elemental Well but had kept the angelic script on his cheek to reassure me that he was still in control. I focused on its blue light; as long as it was there, I wouldn't panic. But then Az bared his teeth and his eyes flared open to shine with eerie emerald light as the white glow of fey magic crept up his arms and I rethought the panicking thing.
“Azrael, I'm here with you,” I said with as much calm as I could muster. “I'll always be here.”
That green stare flicked my way. “Carus,” he whispered. It sounded like an entreaty.
“Az!” I jerked free of Trevor and went to Azrael.
No, I went to the well. My other husbands shouted but I ignored them. My wrists were tingling with power and a memory flared in my mind—of Azrael and me in the well, bound with light. The magic may have been burned out of me but I was still a faerie and I had helped to make the Elemental Well. It had bound itself to me and that bond had come alive to remind me of it.
I shoved my hands into the well and grabbed Azrael's. “I've got you, Azrael. I won't let go.”
Azrael's hands clenched around mine as our stares locked. “We'll do this together.”
I felt the world then. The entire world at the tips of my fingers. From the top of the tallest mountain to the molten core. I felt elements moving. Felt rich loam crumbling in my hands, a gentle breeze playing in my hair, saltwater upon my lips, bubbling magma warming my skin, and the emotions of every living thing pulsing through the veins of the well and into me. It was too much. Far more than I'd ever felt from the Kingdom of Fire.
Sweat dripped down my cheeks as I pulled on the power with Azrael. Our bodies trembled together. The magic wasn't fighting us but the sheer amount of it was staggering. Azrael nodded at me encouragingly, we couldn't speak anymore; all of our energy was reserved for drawing the fey magic into the well. In the corner of my eyes, I could see my husbands. They stood just inches away, circling us, ready to offer whatever help they could. But they couldn't help us. This was a job for the Faerie Gods. Except only one of us still fit that description and he only did so partially.
The returning magic started to seep up my hands. It didn't hurt but it did scare the hell out of me. The Trinity Star began to shine in response and silver met white in my forearms. The pure fey light withdrew into my hands, past the barrier of my wrists, where it was protected by our bond. I took a deep breath and started the complicated task of pulling the fey magic into the well while pushing it out of my body.
It seemed like days went by with Azrael and I locked in that determined grip, pulling on the magic as we tried to resist its call. Weeks of feeling the entire world in our bodies. Months of connecting to the raw elements. An eternity of playing god.
The magic didn't just return from the earth and sea but also the creatures. Animals shifted swiftly back to what they once were as the magic left them peacefully. I felt their hearts and minds fill with relief as their bodies became their own again. Then I felt the Wild Fey. That was not as peaceful a transition. Most of the humans who had been transformed didn't want to go back to what they were. At least, the magic in their minds didn't. They fought us at first—a magical tug-of-war that took precious energy. For a moment, I thought we'd fail.
“Together,” Azrael whispered.
I squeezed his hand and pulled with all of my metaphysical might. Suddenly, the boiling light brimming up our arms dropped back into the Elemental Well and the churning elements settled. A haze formed above the surface of the glowing pool, then even that floated gently down to merge with the white light. I felt the fey magic in the earth above and around us, but it was only a circle of land a few miles in diameter. We had done it.
Azrael breathed out a sigh and folded his wings as the sparkle of faerie dust faded from the feathers. His antlers retracted along with his fey features and his stare faded into sky blue. The angelic script on his cheek flashed once as if announcing that everything had been under control the entire time, contrary to what it may have looked like, and then it settled into dormancy as well.
Azrael and I lifted our clasped hands from the Elemental Well and grinned at each other. I let go of him but only to turn toward him and pull him into a tight embrace.
“That was a rough one,” I whispered to him.
“But we did it,” he whispered back. “Thanks for the help.”
“Anytime.”
“Bronagh!” the cry came from my left.
We all spun and then stared in amazement as the Royals of Earth—the element, that is—hugged each other and cried in relief and joy. Queen Bronagh took her husband's pale face in her golden-brown hands and kissed him tenderly as the other royals, myself included, rushed over to them to welcome them back to the living.
King Ruari helped his wife to her feet and turned to accept our enthusiastic welcome. “Does this mean that everything went as planned?”
Then they both frowned at our overjoyed laughter.
“Shall we, my Queen?” Azrael held an arm out to me. “I'm sure our guests are waiting anxiously for us.”
“Do you think they're still there?” I asked as I took his arm. I looked to the others to ask, “How long were working?”
“A few hours,” Odin said. “But it felt like forever.”
I snorted. “You're tell
ing me.”
“Guests?” Ruari asked.
“We'll catch you up as we walk,” Lugh said. “We're about to reveal ourselves to the humans. Properly.”
“We're doing what?” Bronagh asked in shock.
Azrael and I led the Faerie Royals to a sitting room that had been prepared for our interview. The gods were shown to another room, to have some refreshments while they waited for us. Then Az shifted back into the Faerie God. We went to the front gate and lowered the drawbridge. There, in the meadow before the citadel, was the reporter who we'd first seen on the Internet—the woman who had followed the burol. It was what she'd said then—about hoping the burol remained free—that had made me remember her. So, when Azrael said he thought we should have a private interview with one reporter instead of shouting at a bunch of them from the battlements, I'd suggested her—Andrea Pittman. She'd been thrilled to be requested for an interview by the Faerie God himself and was eagerly awaiting us with her crew. But gathered around the news crew were several more people, too many to be crew members. In fact, the cameramen were filming them as if they were important. It took me a moment to realize who they were.
“The Wild Fey,” I whispered. “Did we get them all?”
“Yes,” Azrael winked at me. “Every last one of them. Even that man who I changed into a burol is back to normal.”
No wonder the cameramen were filming the people around them; they'd probably caught their transformation back to human. Andrea Pittman was practically peeing her reporter pants with glee. She smiled broadly as the portcullis lifted and stepped up to meet us at the end of the drawbridge, quickly introducing herself and her crew. Then she curtsied; it was adorable.
“Welcome, all of you,” Azrael said. “As you can see”—he waved his hand at the ex-faeries—“My wife and I have been busy this morning. There is much to discuss. But first, I need to speak with these people here, if you don't mind?”
“Of course,” Andrea Pittman said, then waved at her cameramen to keep rolling.
The ex-faeries dropped to their knees as Azrael and I approached them.
“Please, stand up, all of you,” Azrael said.
They got to their feet, exchanging wary looks with each other.
“I want to thank you for your service and the sacrifices you made to be with us,” Azrael said. “The Golden Citadel will soon become an embassy and my wife and I will need humans to help us run it. If you wish to stay, you will have a position here. However, if you wish to leave, you may continue to live on our land until you find a new home and you will be compensated for the time you spent with us. Either way, I want you to know that all of you are special to me. You are humans who were chosen by our magic. There is something inside all of you that welcomed faerie and that speaks well of you. Even without the magic inside you, you are still our chosen ones.”
The ex-fey cheered and cried and thanked Azrael. Then they bombarded him with questions and he patiently answered every one of them. Several chose to return to their old homes and families but many more decided to stay with us. Once they were seen to, they headed back to their cottages in the forest that still stood around the Golden Citadel while Azrael and I escorted the news crew inside.
“Do you mind if we film the inside of the Citadel?” Andrea asked.
“Not at all,” Azrael said graciously.
The cameramen—there were three—immediately started filming the courtyard and kept filming as they followed us inside. Andrea walked just behind Azrael and me but the rest of her crew—each of them pulling wheeled carts of equipment behind them—came in behind the cameras, making sure to stay out of the shots. We led them to the reception room where, to Andrea Pittman's gasping delight, we introduced them to the Royals of the Faerie Realm.
As the crew set everything up, Andrea went over how we'd like the interview to go. We decided that Azrael would make a statement to begin, introduce the Royals next, then she could question him. The Royals weren't there to be interviewed, just introduced to the world. Andrea, of course, agreed and once everything was set up, she eagerly launched into the interview.
“I'm Andrea Pittman and I'm here at the Golden Citadel in Lexington, Texas,” Andrea started, looking straight into the camera. “Just a short time ago, I witnessed a transformation among the people we call Wild Faeries. They appear to have become human once more and, from the reports I've been getting since then, it seems that transformations like this one have been happening all over the world and, in addition to that, the fey magic seems to have disappeared. The Faerie God and Goddess have granted me an exclusive interview, during which, I will hopefully address everyone's questions about what has happened today. But first, the Faerie God would like to make a statement.”
All three cameras focused on Azrael and me, seated in throne-like chairs to Andrea's left. The Faerie Royals were waiting in similar chairs to our left and wouldn't be shown until we introduced them.
“You have proven to us that you are ready to reclaim responsibility for the Earth,” Azrael spoke to the central camera as Andrea had done. “We've shown you how important it is to preserve your planet and care for the creatures upon it. Now, it is up to you to continue to do so. We have withdrawn our magic from most of the world and, as I'm sure you've seen for yourselves, we've also removed it from those humans and animals who have been altered. The Golden Citadel and the surrounding land will remain here to promote peace between our people and offer guidance to you if you should need it. We hope that faeries and humans will be able to coexist peacefully. You have your world back, humans.” Azrael leaned forward. “Don't screw it up.”
Andrea laughed but it was more of a stunned bark of sound than a giddy giggle.
Next, the Royals of Faerie were introduced and their kingdoms briefly explained, then Andrea was given an opportunity to ask questions. She had a lot of them. The interview lasted over two hours but Azrael and I patiently answered every question she posed and did so as thoroughly as we could because we knew how important this first speech to the restored world was. Finally, Andrea and her people packed up, thanked us profusely, and left.
There would be many more press conferences and meetings with world leaders in the future but, for now, the Faerie God could rest and Azrael could spend Halloween with his family.
Chapter Fifty-Five
We used to celebrate Halloween at Moonshine, the club Trevor and I owned in Hawaii, but ever since the kids came along, we've moved the party to Pride Palace. This year, we had many guests, including the small army of faeries that King Cian had chosen to serve Azrael. There were faeries from all of the Elemental Kingdoms and they had come to Pride Palace to get acquainted with Az and me before heading down to the citadel to take up their positions as ambassadors and soldiers. They'd been chosen specifically for their charm as well as their fighting skills. These men and women would be the first wave of faeries—true faeries—who would go out among the humans to ease relations between the races. They had to represent all of the good qualities of their race while also having the strength to defend it if needs be.
So far, they were holding their own among Demons, Intare, Froekn, and other assorted gods, most of whom were dressed up as fictional characters—some scary and some silly—and roaming about the palace grounds, spouting lines that had the faeries scratching their pretty heads in confusion. Oh, and all of them were Sidhe. King Cian thought it best to wait on introducing the other races of the Fey to humans; they'd been shocked enough as it was.
Who was watching the Golden Citadel while we were gone? There was still a ward around it but Azrael had also used the fey magic to erect a wall around the magical land. With the ex-Wild Fey watching over the property as well, we figured that it would be fine until the troops arrived.
“Lesya, be careful!” I shouted at my daughter as she battled the Demogorgon (AKA Cid).
Lesya and her brothers—those who weren't newborns—were dressed up as the kids from Stranger Things. Costumes were a breeze when you coul
d use glamour and alter things with territory magic so I had made all of the children's costumes as well as many of my lions'. Lesya's costume was, of course, Eleven. Her long hair was hidden under the glamour of a short bob, the front section held up with a scrunchie, and she was wearing an outfit from the eighties. Vero's curly hair had been fluffed to look even curlier, making him perfect to pose as Dustin while Brevyn and Rian were left with Mike and Will. But we'd gone a step further and put the boys in Ghostbuster costumes, just like the characters had worn for Halloween in the show. Costumes of costumes—I loved it. Like a play within a play—very Shakespearean.
Zariel had her hair in pigtails and wore a bright pair of overalls over a yellow T-shirt, imitating Erica, Lucas' sassy younger sister. Unfortunately, we didn't have a Lucas. The boys had tried to get Zariel to go as him, but she staunchly refused to change her sex to suit them. Which was yet another reason why Erica was a great choice for her.
Several of the Demons had shifted into their demon forms or, as was the case with Cid, had me glamour them to look like the monsters from the series, to give the kids something to chase around the grasslands while the adults drank and found dark places to make out in like teenagers. I had offered to change the nurials into Demodogs but the kids didn't want to chase the nurials; they wanted Dexter and Deidre on their side. Fair enough.