by Kimbra Swain
He turned to walk out, but I rushed to him and hung on his neck. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and I felt his breath in my hair. I fought the need in my body and touched his cheek. “Thank you, Levi.”
“For what, Grace?”
“Believing there is a tomorrow. Having hope for the future,” I said. “You are incorruptible.”
“I’d like to see you try,” he smirked. I giggled.
“It would be fun,” I said. We stood embracing in the darkness.
A loud commotion outside drew our attention. I heard Bethany screaming. Levi released me, and we ran through the front door onto the deck. Cletus and Tater were screaming for Winnie while walking around the trailer.
“What the hell is going on?” I yelled.
Bethany ran across the street. “She’s gone. She was here just a few minutes ago. Is she with you, Grace? Please say she’s with you.”
“Winnie,” I murmured.
“She’s not here, Bethany,” Levi said. He took off in a dead sprint toward her trailer and without asking went through the front door. I could hear him yelling her name.
“Who is Winnie?” Remy asked. We had ignored them as we rushed through the house. He and Jeremiah stood behind us.
“Someone took her,” Jeremiah said.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Bad feeling,” he replied.
“Levi!” I screamed.
He appeared at the door in a panic. “What?”
“Get her blanket and bring it to me!” He nodded, turning back into the trailer, as Bethany whimpered and chewed on her nails.
“I can help,” Remy said.
“No, go get my cell phone on the counter. I’m going to call for back-up,” I said. “Don’t worry, Bethany. I will find her.” Anger welled up inside of me. I knew this had to do with Demetrius Lysander and Amanda Capps. I intended to get to the bottom of it.
Levi crossed the road with Winnie’s blanket. “I’m going to get my guitar and gun,” he said rushing into the house.
Remy handed me the phone, and I dialed hoping to finally get in touch with Troy Maynard again. The phone rang twice, and he answered, “Hello?”
“Troy! It’s Grace Bryant. I need your help,” I said.
“Sure. What do you need?” he asked. I explained to him what I needed, and he agreed to help. I thanked him while I waited on Levi.
“Let’s go,” he said bounding out of the trailer.
“Cletus! You boys cut out that racket! I need to concentrate,” I said. “Levi, I don’t have a cloak.”
“It doesn’t matter, Grace. Do it!” he grimaced as the frustration of it overtook his sweet demeanor. He loved that little girl.
I felt the power like never before without pulling from a tree. Concentrating on Winnie’s little face, I touched her blanket and the swirls of her bright yellow aura encircled my arms. I felt her heart beating through the tattoo on my arm. Thankfully, using the power, I didn’t change. I had more control over it.
“Jeremiah, I need my damn truck!” I screamed at him. He motioned toward the general direction of the med center, then my truck, as well as Remy’s silver Cadillac, appeared in the driveway. Bethany stood in amazement. Hopefully, I could explain it to her later as an acid trip.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Cletus said.
“You folks is magic?” Tater asked.
I stared at them. It was too late to explain. They were dimwits, and no one would ever believe them that didn’t already know what we all were.
“Drive, Levi,” I said. We ran to the truck, and Jeremiah joined us. Remy stood on the deck, watching us leave. I rolled the window down, yelling to him, “Remy, go stay with Nestor. Please?”
He nodded, turning into the trailer to collect his coat.
“We will be back with her,” Levi told Bethany. Cletus and Tater coaxed her back across the street, and we sped off into the night.
I instructed Levi where to turn and go, but I knew where we were going. We followed the same roads as before when we found the missing children. The same person took Winnie. Whoever it was would die tonight.
As we reached the edge of the forest, Jeremiah spoke, “I’m going for help. I can’t promise anything.”
I nodded and watched him fade from sight. Levi grabbed his guitar, strapping it on his back. He stuck his gun in his waistband.
“You need a holster for that thing. You are going to blow your balls off, and that would be a shame,” I scolded, because I was worried and nervous.
“Grace, not now,” he growled.
Side by side, we ran into the woods. I touched as many trees as I could on the way pulling power from each. The tall pines of Alabama don’t provide much in the way of power. So, I tried to hit the oaks and the rare ashes. Each one spoke to me of the Otherworld. Hearing their words of strength and longevity, I solidified my power.
Ahead I saw the yellow flickering of Winnie’s aura. The power in my hands called out to her and pulled me in that direction. I crouched to shake my hands, releasing some of the spell guiding me to her. Levi watched me. “We are close?” he said.
“Yes, about 100 yards straight ahead. You circle around, and I will keep them busy. I’m not sure the guitar will work here. Does the book have anything about concealment?” I asked.
“It did. I can do it,” he said.
“How do you know?” I asked, and he blushed. “Levi Rearden! I’m going to bust your butt!”
“That night you jerked up in the bed because you thought someone was there,” he said hanging his head.
I tried not to laugh at him. “Okay, fine. Get her and run to the truck. Do not look back and do not worry about me. She is all that matters,” I said.
“I can’t leave you behind,” he said.
“Silly man. I’m the fucking ice queen. I’ve got this,” I smiled.
“Please, Grace, you are all I have in this world,” he said.
“I’ll be fine. Now go!” I said as he quietly circled around to the right. I concentrated on his cobalt aura and waited for the right time to move from my spot. Above me in the trees, I could hear a bird moving around. It was big, but I couldn’t see it. As it moved, leaves and limbs fell down around me. The damn thing was going to give me away. I had to make my move before I lost the element of surprise.
Standing up, I continued to shake my hands removing the last of the location spell I used to get us here. I approached slowly, listening and watching all around me.
There were two adults who had Winnie sitting in front of a tree. She clutched a doll and whimpered. The adults argued.
“This is a horrible idea. She is going to burn us down now,” the female said.
“She can try, but I have a few tricks she doesn’t know about,” the man said.
“I cannot believe I let you talk me into this! Give me my child,” she said.
“You can have your mutt back when I am done with you. Do you understand?” he replied.
“Yes, sir,” she muttered as if she wanted to say something else. I thought, “Fuck you,” would be more appropriate.
I did not hide my presence to them, in fact, Lysander saw me coming from several feet away. The night suddenly turned cold, and a light snow started to fall around us. Chill breezes moving around us lightly tossed my hair about. The cold felt wonderful after the humid days recently. I had forgotten how invigorating a chill could be.
“Ah, Good Evening, Grace. Glad you could join us,” he said.
“You have her child?” I asked, pointing to Amanda Capps who wore my missing cloak.
“She loaned me her child, and I shall give it back to her when I am done with her,” he said smoothly. “We should talk about your future.”
Concentrating on both of them, I let the cold power of my heritage flow through me to reveal their fairy selves. Amanda, I knew was a wolf and her aura was a glowing amber. Her blue eyes flashed at me as they reflected light. Turning to Lysander, his body was engulfed in a black inky s
ubstance. I’d never seen an aura like it before, but this wasn’t an aura. It was an identifier for what species of fairy that he was. I recalled the smoky blackness of the demon, and this was very different. This dripped from his body like blood, only it was black as obsidian.
As I watched, three blood red beings stepped into view. Red caps. They were around 5-foot-tall each with hats, t-shirts, leather jackets and jeans. They could have been greasers had we lived in the 1950s. One of them smiled at me bearing long pointed teeth.
“Keep smiling at me, gnome, and I’ll knock your teeth out,” I said to him.
“I wonder if she tastes like popsicles,” he said to those around him. They snickered.
“Why don’t you come over here and find out?” I said unleashing the cold queen inside of me. Realizing I controlled the power, including my wardrobe, I opted for a shorter silvery dress like my killer little black dress with long metallic boots. The crystalline crown rested on my head, and my platinum locks hung down around my elbows.
Unleashing the power completely, the tattoo on my right arm shifted from red and black to silver and deep sapphire. The filigree stretched up my arm like a sleeve and across my chest. Through the dress’ low cut neck, the silver lining glimmered across my body. I pinched my tongue between my teeth and purred at Lysander. His weight shifted taking in the sight.
“Servant of my father, I command you to release her,” I said knowing that I had no power to command him as such, but I thought I’d give a little seduction a whirl.
“Well, Gloriana, it has been a very long time since I’ve seen you in your full glory. Hundreds of years have passed and yet you look as ravishing as ever. I will release her, the child, and her mutt if you agree to bed me,” he said.
“What child?” I questioned. It was only moments before that the luminous blue bard slipped in and took Winnie away. When he touched her, she almost screamed, but realizing it was him, she jumped in his arms as he hurried away. The moment she touched him she faded to a yellow glowing ball that I could only see through my power.
Lysander spun behind him, and little Winnie was gone. “What!” he screamed.
“I think you misplaced your hostage. That’s a shame,” I tittered. “As you know, I want Amanda Capps dead, so I’m pretty sure you are out of bargaining chips.”
He growled, and the three red caps rushed me. One by one, I pointed an icy finger at them. Each one froze solid in a little red glowing block of ice. I gripped my tattooed fist, shaking it like I had a pair of dice in it. The sapphire heart on my arm ignited in light. Opening my hand palm up, I blew across my hand and a torrent of wind hit the red cap ice cubes. Their frozen bodies shattered into red bloody bits. The power coursed through me, and I remembered the heartless bitch I once was. The woman I had become fought inside my head to retain control. I could not go overboard with this display, losing myself.
“Please, my Queen, have mercy,” Lysander begged falling to his knees. “I will tell you everything. There is a man who wants to take your father’s realm, and he knows it starts with you. He’s coming for you. Please, my queen, I will be your faithful servant.”
“You already promised servitude to another. Father, join us please,” I said. When I called to Oberon, the bit of hope to which Lysander clung evaporated. My father, as a large white stag, stepped into the small clearing shifting into the King of the Otherworld and of the Unseelie Fairies.
“Well done, my child. You have retrieved my wayward servant who joined forces to destroy everything that I hold dear,” he said.
“I came here for the child. Not you,” I replied. “But you may do whatever you want with him.”
My father drew a long broadsword from his side. The hilt surrounded his hand with silvery antlers matching the large antler crown on his head. It glittered in the moonlight, and the forest went silent. The incandescent metal of the sword glowed blue, reflecting on the fallen snow around us.
“My King, please forgive me. I was wrong. I promise my life in servitude,” Lysander begged.
“Very well,” my father said. I lifted an eyebrow to him, and the look of evil crossed his face which caused me, the ice queen, to shiver. “I release you from your duties, my good and faithful servant.”
He thrust the sword through Lysander’s chest, and his limp body fell at my feet. His dead eyes looked up at me in his last moment.
“Bless your heart, Demetrius Lysander,” I smirked, tapping his face with the tip of my silver boot.
My father nodded to me, walked away and faded into the darkness of the forest.
I turned my icy gaze to Amanda Capps. “You owe me for his life,” I said.
“He wasn’t supposed to die!” she shouted at me in fear.
Stepping toward her, she started scooting away from me on the forest floor, which now was covered in a light dusting of snow. She backed herself into a tree.
I stretched a finger out toward her as I did the red caps. She begged me to spare her life. “I have a child, please,” she whimpered.
“Those children. Did you not think of them when you joined Lysander?” I asked.
“What was I supposed to do? Sacrifice my child for those kids?” she spouted.
“No, you should have asked for help,” I said. My finger trembled because part of me did not want to kill a mother.
“Dylan Riggs was too good for you,” she growled.
“Aren’t you precious? Trying to use a good man against me. Honey, you are sweatin’ more than a whore in church,” I laughed at her. “Let me cool you off.”
I settled my resolve to kill her for the sake of the children who were torn apart by whatever Lysander was. The last warm part of my heart froze over as the trees above me started to rustle and leaves cascaded down around me.
Stepping back to put a distance between the cowering woman and myself, I looked up as a raging winged fireball exploded through the canopy, landing between us. Putting both of my hands before me, a glittering blue shield flashed before the fire demon.
Looking for the closest tree, I panicked realizing that the closest one to me was several paces away. This being had to be the one Lysander spoke of trying to take my father’s realm from him.
The winged demon’s fire licked across his human torso, and his eyes burned with azure flame. The eyes bore into my soul, then the demon spoke as I backed away from him.
“Grace Ann Bryant, you do not want to kill this woman,” he spoke, and his deep voice shook the trees.
“You don’t know me! Do not speak my name,” I spouted trying not to trip over anything on the forest floor as I continued my retreat.
The wings folded behind him. He stood before me as a man consumed in flame. It danced across his skin, but did not burn him. The fire enveloped his body as the snow around his feet melted. Looking to his right, I saw movement in the trees. Two wolves approached. A dark black wolf with green eyes led a smaller pup with one green and one blue eye. They shifted to human, and Troy Maynard stood next to a handsome little boy.
“Momma!” the boy screamed, and Troy held him back staring at the demon between me and Amanda.
I had instructed Troy to find where Lysander was staying. He’d given me several addresses, but I knew that Troy could track him. I hoped he’d find information to discover Lysander’s plan. Instead, he found a child.
The demon stepped toward me. I raised my hand, pointing it at Amanda. “Don’t you move a muscle, fire boy. I’ll kill her.” He must be the child’s father or something to protect her.
“Grace, don’t do this,” he said as his voice turned from the deep tones of the demon to one I recognized.
My hands before me started to shake as I watched the demon before me transform into Dylan Riggs. A very naked, Dylan Riggs.
“What the fuck are you!” I screamed at him in fear.
“Not what you think,” he said calmly. “Please Grace, come back to me. This cold, heartless woman is not you.”
“I told you, Dylan Riggs, I don�
�t have a heart!” I spouted as the tears started to fall.
“Yes, you do,” he spoke softly. “It’s freezing, and I’m standing here naked. I’d really like you to back down now, so I could put on some clothes. Although, I know you like me better this way,” he smirked, flashing that gorgeous smile.
“You are dead. They gave me your ashes,” I said. My thoughts raced trying to decide if the man before me was an illusion or a figment of my imagination. How did he tie into Lysander’s plot? Was he involved. Please, no.
“The urn was empty,” he said.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Because I rose from the ashes,” he said.
In my hundreds of years, I had never met a phoenix. Mainly because there could only be one on earth at a time. A rare being which when he died would turn to ash would rise again after sunset. The Greeks and Egyptians worshipped the bird as a sign of hope and renewal. A symbol that death was not the end.
I recalled the raptor flying above my trailer in the park as Levi and I went about our business after Dylan’s death. Circling above, watching. He hid from me. Lied to me. All the while I convinced myself that I loved him.
“You never told me. You were there, and never showed me. You let us suffer,” I choked.
“I had to know who was behind it. I was trying to protect you,” he claimed.
“As you can see, I don’t need your protection!” I growled in pain as my heart broke all over again. “You lied to me, Dylan Riggs!”
“Grace, they sent me here to keep you in check. They put you with me, so if it ever came to this moment, I could stop you from killing someone,” he said.
“She is not someone! She lured those children in the woods and stood by as they were murdered by whatever Lysander was,” I cried.
“Aswang,” Dylan replied. “Your father kept him in check for many years. I do not know what drove him to this madness.”
Aswang was a dark fairy that ate human flesh. They preferred young flesh and would rip the unborn child from a pregnant woman’s belly. In all the years, I did not realize the evil that lurked so close to me. My lawyer.