The baby fell asleep, and Alvin lay him on his shoulder, tossing the T-shirt he’d used to carry berries over the child to keep the cool wind off his neck and ears. He sat on the ledge outside the cave and watched the sun fall behind the trees.
It was time to get to the palace. As soon as FayeLynn was up to it, tomorrow or the next day, they’d have to take the risk or traveling again. So far, the weather had been unseasonably warm but that wouldn’t last for long. Weather in The Realm could change very rapidly and he didn’t want the three of them caught in a storm without any gear.
He’d given both FayeLynn and her father his word that he’d protect her with his life and he intended to keep his promise. He had no doubt that Drake was someplace nearby. If he wasn’t, then some of his minions most certainly were.
Now he knew what his father had meant when he’d called him immature. His life in The Realm had been so self-centered, so self-absorbed. The child in his arms and the girl sleeping in the cave were so much more important than he’d ever be, and he intended to make sure they both had the life they deserved.
FayeLynn tossed in her sleep and he went back inside the cave and lay down beside her, placing the baby between them. He fussed a little and FayeLynn opened her eyes and reached for him.
She smiled at Alvin. “Foster. His name is Foster.”
It was the perfect name.
***
When Foster was three days old, FayeLynn was ready to leave the cave. She was still sore, but she was tired of the gray light and the leaves underneath her. The sooner she could get to the palace, the sooner she could get home.
Being a mother was more difficult than she’d ever imagined. Even though Foster was turning out to be a happy baby, she was exhausted from what seemed like his constant nursing, but he was healthy, his skin pink and rosy, all his fingers and toes exquisitely formed. She could spend days just looking at him, but they didn’t have time for that. They’d already stayed in the cave too long.
Every day she spent in The Realm increased her intuition, and she felt Drake drawing closer and closer.
Alvin climbed down with Foster tied to his back. While she trusted him implicitly, it was the longest ten minutes of her life. When he finally reached the bottom, she began her climb down. It was agonizingly slow and her body screamed with nearly every movement. At the bottom, she took Foster in her arms, kissed him and took the makeshift sling from Alvin and tied it around her.
Foster snuggled into the warmth of her body and dozed off immediately. Instead of being a hindrance, his weight was comforting to her and reminded her of the importance of their mission.
They walked for miles and miles. Occasionally there would be a break in the Deep Forest, an open clearing where the sun streamed down. Autumn was quickly transitioning into winter and FayeLynn was always glad for the warmth of the rays on her skin. She wondered if it was this cold in Asheville, if they’d had the first flurries of the season already or if it was shaping up to be an Indian Summer.
By the time dusk fell on the first night, FayeLynn was exhausted. “Let’s make camp here. I’m afraid I can’t go any further.” They’d stopped only to drink water, eat the few berries and roots Alvin was able to forage and feed Foster.
“We’re too exposed here,” Alvin said. “We need to go a little farther while we still have a little light.”
After Drake’s attack, she had no choice but to trust him and plod onward.
Half an hour later, Alvin said, “This looks safe enough.”
FayeLynn looked around and noted several boulders on the edge of the small clearing. “We could lean against those stones and sleep. It would save us the time of making beds.”
“I’ll get some water.”
“No.” She heard the fear in her own voice. She didn’t want to be left alone in the woods again. “I can do without it tonight. We can get some in the morning.”
“But you’re nursing. You need to stay hydrated.”
“I’m fine. Trust me.”
Alvin didn’t look so sure. “You’ll be okay for a few minutes. I can hear the stream just to the west.” He took one of the remaining matches from his pocket and lit some dry moss. He stacked a few pieces of wood on top and waited for the fire to catch. “I’ll be right back.”
“Please don’t leave us.”
He stepped closer to her and wrapped her in a hug, being careful to give Foster plenty of room. “Your wish is my command.”
They fell asleep, side by side, Foster in between them.
***
Something wasn’t night. Alvin startled awake and looked around. With the boulder to his back, he could only see three sides but he knew something was out there, just beyond the clearing in the veiled dark of the trees.
FayeLynn and Foster were still sleeping. The child, as if knowing crying might alert Drake to their whereabouts, had slept most of the night, only mewing when he needed to nurse. Alvin had no doubt that the child was powerful. He felt it every time he held him.
Alvin shifted to the right, careful not to wake the others. The air smelled burnt, like someone had left sugar on the stove too long and it had scorched. He knew that smell. He scanned the ground for a weapon. Nothing. Not a single stick or rock he could use.
The only option he had was the small knife in his pocket. It was little more than a pocketknife, a last minute purchase at the sporting goods store, but it was sturdy and sharp and it would have to do. He ran his hand along his thigh until he felt the small bump. Reassured, he slowly rose to his feet and scanned the woods around him.
Nothing. Not a single movement. No sound either.
Even the birds and squirrels knew.
The smell of burnt sugar got stronger and stronger. Like a wave, it moved toward him flooding the clearing and making him increasingly nervous.
Alvin tapped FayeLynn on the shoulder. She was so tired, she only murmured in her sleep. He had to wake her up so he pinched her arm. She squealed, her eyes wide open and looking into his.
“Run,” he whispered. “As quietly as you can at first, but then, once you’re out of earshot, run as fast and as far as you can. Follow the sun, travel East. Keep going until you reach the palace. No matter what.”
“But you’re—”
He shook his head. “I’ll be fine. I’ll find you.”
“But what if you don’t? What if you can’t?” Her eyes were wide with worry.
“There’s no time for that now. Go. Please. Before it’s too late.”
She tied Foster into the sling and rose. “Thank you, Alvin, for everything.”
He didn’t trust himself to speak so he only nodded.
“FayeLynn,” he called as she walked away. She turned to face him, her hair a cascade of yellow-gold fire over her shoulders. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Her eyes met his and the bond they’d formed, the strong threads of trust, respect and affection, tied them together. “Please find us.”
He watched as she made her way through the leaves, taking tiny steps that sounded like the movements of a songbird. When she was out of sight, he looked around the clearing once more, determined to find the source of the impending attack. He’d be damned if he’d let Drake sneak up on him.
When he and FayeLynn had been looking for places to hide, it seemed like an impossible task but now that the shoe was on the other foot, there seemed to be thousands of places for Drake to hide.
He tried to tap into his psychic energy but it was impossible. Drake knew him well enough to block his access.
How am I going to protect them? How can we get to the palace safely?
Drake used his emotional reverie to pounce.
In scanning the forest, Alvin had forgotten to look up.
Drake and two of his men fell like spiders into the clearing. Dressed in black from head to toe, each of them carried a curved sword. What little light there was in the Deep Forest glinted off the blades and cold fear welled up in his throat.
He ha
d no chance.
But he had to make sure FayeLynn and Foster did.
Because he and Drake had once been best friends, most of his powers didn’t work because Drake knew him well enough to counter them. It went both ways and Drake was limited in his magic, too.
The magic of The Folk wasn’t going to decide this fight.
Alvin pulled the small knife from his pocket and extended the longest blade. It was small consolation but he wasn’t going down without a fight.
“The boy is mine,” Drake strode toward Alvin. “He’s going with me one way or the other, so we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Your choice.” His goons flanked him, one on each side. Both of them were large and muscular. Black masks covered their faces revealing only the color of their eyes and the color of their beards.
“He’s not yours.”
Drake stopped just a couple of feet in front of him, and Alvin couldn’t believe how much his old friend had changed. Gone was the impish gleam in his dark eyes. It had been replaced by cold removal. There was nothing soulful there, just a deep, black void.
“The boy belongs with his mother,” Alvin said.
Drake’s smile was predatory. “She was only a vessel, a means by which I got an heir. A brief entertainment. That’s all she was to me.”
If Alvin wasn’t sure that he was in love with FayeLynn before, he was now. To hear Drake speak of her that way angered him in a way that made him want to stab him in the throat and damned be the consequences. “She’s more than that,” he said through clenched teeth.
Drake raised one eyebrow. “Be that as it may, the child is coming with me. Give him to me, and you and I will be square. No hard feelings.”
“I will not.”
“Then I’m afraid there will be consequences.” He nodded to the man on his right. “I’m sure you understand that in order to achieve my goals, I’ll need a son to prove my virility. As if anyone ever doubted it.” That drew a chuckle from both of his minions. “Brucie and Oren are here to make sure we leave with my presumptive heir.”
“What if no one believes he’s yours?” In The Realm, marriage wasn’t a requirement. Lots of children were born outside wedlock. It wasn’t a big deal like it seemed to be in the human world. But even if Alvin wasn’t married, a child seemingly out of the blue might be suspicious.
Drake shook his head and made a chucking sound. “Alvin, Alvin, Alvin. I’m not stupid. I have a woman, a respected member of The Folk, who will swear she and I conceived the child together. Her reputation is unimpeachable.”
“Who is she?”
Drake’s lips curved into an evil smile. “Nixie.”
The son of a bitch knew exactly how hard that would hurt Alvin. Nixie was his first cousin and they’d been close since birth. She was one of the kindest people he’d ever known but she was naïve and gullible. “Why would she lie for you?”
“If she keeps her end of the bargain, I’ll marry her and allow her to rule beside me.”
“She could care less about ruling.”
“That may be true but her parents are very interested in it.”
Alvin’s aunt, his mother’s sister, had always been jealous that she hadn’t been the one to land the prince. Nixie was a pleaser. Always striving to make others happy and her mother had always used it to manipulate her. “Does your quest for power know any limits?”
Drake answered with a laugh so dark it made the hair on Alvin’s neck stand up.
“I won’t give him up.” Alvin hoped FayeLynn and Foster were well-hidden. He hoped she’d used the time he’d been stalling Drake and run as far as she could. It was too much to hope that she’d found a second cave, but maybe she’d found safety. He had no idea how she’d find the palace without him but he knew her well enough to know she’d give it her best shot.
“Then we shall take him.”
Alvin hoped FayeLynn was far enough away that she didn’t hear what was happening.
And then Drake and his men grabbed him.
***
She heard the clang of swords, the sound of a man hitting the ground with a soft thud and voices she didn’t recognize.
Alvin was in serious trouble and she had to help him.
But first she had to make sure Foster was safe. The baby was likely to sleep for at least an hour or two if his belly was full and even though she might be wasting time, she couldn’t take the chance that he’d be discovered. She nursed him until he fell asleep and then she wrapped him tightly in his makeshift blanket and covered him in leaves. She took a stick from the ground and pounded it in the ground, marking the spot.
Now it was time to help Alvin.
She eased back the way she came, being careful to be as quiet as possible. It wasn’t easy to backtrack because the forest was acre after acre of sameness but she followed the sound of the voices until she was close enough to see what was happening.
Drake, along with two men she’d never seen, had Alvin tied to a tree. They were taking turns punching him, kicking him. It was brutal and incredibly difficult to watch. He was bleeding from cuts that crisscrossed his body. While she was sure Alvin was in pain, they were toying with him. They hadn’t gotten to the real torture yet.
How can I help him?
She had no chance against three large men. She’d barely escaped Drake the first time and he’d been alone then.
I need a miracle. Foster needs a miracle.
Tears stung her eyes. They’d come so far, gotten so close and now everything they’d worked so hard to accomplish was slipping away.
I don’t know what I’ll do without Alvin.
Over the course of the journey, he’d become her best friend, a person she could count on no matter the circumstances. She’d fallen in love with him, and while she had no idea how that was going to work in the long run, she intended to find out.
The only thing she has was the magic Alvin had taught her. The magic of the mind. She closed her eyes and visualized herself flying through the sky, a screaming banshee of a woman, fierce and loud, a warrior among women. She replayed the scene over and over. She’d drop from the sky, a rock in her hand, swoop over the men, braining them as hard as she could, delighting in the sickening crunch of stone upon bone.
FayeLynn didn’t know how long she’d been visualizing, but the itch on her back brought her back to the Deep Forest. She opened her eyes to find Alvin tied to the same tree, more blood coating his chest and stomach.
I have to do something now.
She reached around to scratch what she thought was a mosquito bite and found something totally different.
Wings.
Her Wing Ridge had opened and sprouting from it was a pair of thin wings made of a bluish-purple film.
Both relief and wonder washed over her. Her wings had come at the perfect time, just as Alvin had said they would. She wished she had time to revel in the wonder of them but she didn’t.
It was time to kick some fairy ass.
Flying wasn’t as easy as it looked in the movies, and she wished she’d had some practice but after a few botched take-offs, she discovered that she had vertical lift, like a helicopter. All she had to do was flutter her wings really fast and her body would lift off the ground, gaining altitude quickly. When she reached the right height, she could maneuver her body into a horizontal position.
Talk about a crash course. Literally and figuratively.
She picked up the biggest rock she could find and took off. Flying was scary, and she was still getting used to her new, post-baby body. Her flight wasn’t graceful, she’d never make it into a Disney movie, but she was doing it. She’d do anything to save Alvin.
Anything.
FayeLynn aimed for Drake. Not only did she harbor quite a bit of hatred for him, the men with him were following his orders. With him incapacitated, she’d create confusion and confusion had won plenty of battles. She’d watched enough anime to know that.
As she approached the clearing, her heart stopped.
> Drake had drawn his curved sword, and he was pointing it at Alvin’s neck. Alvin was sagging, his weight pulling against the ropes that held him to the tree. His eyes were closed, and he looked as if he’d slipped from consciousness.
She had once chance and she was going to make it count. Leveling out so that she was horizontal, she gripped the rock tightly and flew straight for his head. She was dead-on the money. The stone crashed into the back of his head with a satisfying wet thud, and he fell to the ground. The other two men, their faces hidden behind black masks, looked up at her and saw the confusion on their faces.
“You’ll never take my baby,” she yelled, her voice wild and crazy. In it, she heard something break free, the part of her that had always worried about her own strength, the part of her that thought she might not be good enough, cracked into a million tiny pieces and she was everything fierce and untamed.
The men grabbed at her feet but she was getting better at flying by the second, and she always pulled up just in time. She cackled at their powerlessness, their inability to tame her. It was time to tame them.
She flew above the trees gaining altitude rapidly. When the men below her were the size of ants, she dove. Like a possessed hawk, she aimed for the largest one first. The sheer force of her weight, combined with screaming speed knocked the man to the ground, his breath leaving his lungs in a whoosh.
She did the same with the second, flattening him beside his compadre.
With both men down, she landed and grabbed the rock she’d used to brain Drake and hit each of them in turn.
All three of them were going to sleep for a while.
After she untied Alvin, she used the last of her strength to drag the unconscious man from the clearing, toward where she’d left Foster. Her arms were burning with exertion and her wings kept getting in the way. By the time she’d gotten him to where Foster was still sleeping, she was spent. They needed to put more distance between themselves and Drake, but it seemed like an impossibility.
Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1) Page 66