A Familiar Problem

by Sam Cheever

  Star was still as stone. Only her hate-filled eyes moved.

  “What did you do to her?” I asked the Nephilim.

  Mabel turned to me with a frown. “You shouldn’t have come back.”

  I stopped a few feet away, surveying the wreckage of Deg’s beautiful protective cloth and the broken and spilled contents of my spell jars.

  So much for planning ahead.

  “I had to. Something’s not right.”

  Mabel shook her head with child-like irritation. I could almost picture her stamping a foot. But, despite her size and appearance, the Nephilim had been alive several times longer than I had. “Of course it’s not right, LA. The worlds are converging. They’re on a path of self-destruction. The only hope for you now is for each dimension to buckle down and find a way to protect themselves when the end comes.”

  I blinked, turning to Deg as he joined me. Mandy came up on my other side, a silent ally.

  “Well, that’s a different tune from the one you were singing earlier,” I told her.

  Mabel shrugged. “I tried to stop this. But I haven’t been successful. Now we need to prepare for the worst.”

  “Don’t give up so easily,” Deg told her. “We have a plan.”

  Mabel’s golden brows rose. “Do you? Does it include this?” She lifted her free hand to indicate Star.

  “Yes,” I agreed. “But it involves you too. Don’t give up on us, Mabel.”

  The Nephilim expelled air in a long, heartfelt sigh. The perfect skin between her brows furrowed prettily. “Reginald has gone underground. No one can find him. The breaches have already begun in nine of the dimensions.”

  “Which ones are still intact?” Deg asked.

  “Demonic, Heavenly and human.”

  Understanding lit. “That’s why Brock isn’t with you.”

  She nodded. “He left me after I promised I’d come to you. He can do no good there. The breaches are going off in a clockwise order. The demonic realm is next.”

  “Then us,” Mandy mumbled, her gaze sliding to the passage we’d used to enter Axismundi.

  “Yes. I can help you get back through the gate,” Mabel said. “Go home and try to hold out against the attack. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”

  “No!” I walked over and stood close, feeling the hate beaming from Star’s gaze as it fixed on me. “Mabel, we can fight this.”

  “You cannot.”

  “Why? How are the breaches happening? Surely there are protections…”

  “Of course!” She frowned, unhappy with me. “But there is a key. Whoever has the key is using it to get past the barriers.”

  “What key?” I asked.

  But Deg had already figured it out. “Heaven.”

  The Nephilim nodded. “A precise set of notes from the heavenly choir. Thought to be safe because of its inaccessibility to all but a rare few. Its unattainable nature was all the protection it needed.”

  “But Reginald somehow got the key,” I breathed. The worst had happened.

  A distant boom shook the ground beneath our feet. I grabbed for Deg to keep from going down.

  Mabel and Star were untouched by the explosion.

  The distant horizon turned orange and blue, creating a perfect arc in the sky that matched the others.

  The demonic realm had fallen.

  “We’re out of time. I need to question her.”

  Mabel eyed me for a long moment and then nodded. She stepped away from Star, a golden thread trailing from each of her small fingers.

  Mabel had a magic leash on the demon.

  As she stepped back, Star seemed to shiver. Her chest rose and fell once, and her hateful gaze slid to me. “You haven’t learned your lesson, I see.”

  “Tell us who’s behind all this.”

  She laughed, the sound surprisingly rough in her delicate throat. “Nice try, rodent.”

  “Show some respect, you evil shrew,” Mandy said. She reached out and touched Star on the arm and jagged blue-black bolts of electricity burned over the demon’s skin, leaving scorch marks behind where they touched.

  Star’s teeth clacked together and her eyes rolled back in her head, but when the energy stopped, she drew herself up and licked her lips. “Thank you for that, Witch.”

  Mandy smiled too. “You’re welcome. There’s more where that came from.”

  “I know you’ve been working with him, Star. Tell us where Reginald is. Whatever he’s promised you, he’s not going to pay up. Once his plan is initiated he’ll forget you exist.”

  Star stared at me for a moment and then cocked her head. A shiny ribbon of golden hair dropped to one slender shoulder. She looked too much like an Angel for my comfort.

  I preferred my evil nemesis to come with warts and stringy, grease-laden hair so she was easily identified.

  “Reginald?” She frowned prettily. “Fascinating.”

  Mandy snapped her fingers and rings of spitting electricity encircled the creature, the volts searing her pale skin and sending the reek of burning hair into the air.

  I grimaced as it went on for a minute longer than before.

  Star looked decidedly less chipper about it the second time. Which made me happy. “Just tell us where he is, Star.”

  She skimmed a hostile glance to Mandy, thoughtfully pursing her lips. As another minute crept by, Mandy lifted her hand, fingers pressed together to snap.

  Star shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, Witch. It’s no skin off my nose if you take Reginald. In fact, that would help immensely. Have at him. But I don’t envy you the job.” She gave Deg and me an evil smile. “I wish I could come with. I’m sure you’ll enjoy returning to the catacombs. I know you have a fondness for the place.”

  My pulse picked up another notch with every step we took closer to the hated prison. Blood thundered through my veins like a herd of charging bulls. Sweat trickled down between my shoulder blades, soaking my shirt, and my breath whistled out from my lungs, the wheezing sound so loud in the passageway I was certain one of the prison guards could follow the sound to find us.

  Mabel stepped up beside me, throwing me a worried glance. She’d replaced her shimmery robes with a really cool getup of leather and denim. “Are you certain you’ll be okay?” she asked.

  I squinted at her in the low light. Maybe it was just the grown-up outfit, but she looked to me like she’d added a few human years since beginning our journey together. “I’m fine. Why does everybody keep asking me that?”

  “Because I’ve seen ghosts with more color in their faces,” Mandy whispered.

  “And drier people stepping from a swimming pool,” Deg added.

  The Nephilim nodded. “I could close my eyes and follow the sound of your breathing alone. I believe I’ve encountered such breathing before…observing a water buffalo in Asia.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it. Yeah, I’m about to pee my pants. But you haven’t been here before. You don’t understand how bad this place is.”

  Deg lifted his brows.

  “Except for Deg. He understands.”

  “I do understand. But we have help now, LA. It will be fine.” Despite his brave words, I noticed a sheen on his upper lip and the way his head kept swiveling in search of guards.

  “Whatever.” I looked at Mabel. “How are we going to find Reginald?”

  “I’ll find him. He leaves a very strong magic signature behind. It stains his aura from the dark magic he’s used. He’ll be like a lamp in the darkness of those caves.”

  “I can’t believe a guy like ol’ Reggie would lower himself to hide down here.” I shook my head.

  “Don’t let the tidy royal act fool you, LA. He got his stripes in the streets of Axismundi. He’s a tough scrapper and he’s just about as savvy as they come.”

  I nodded, not doubting a word of it. “I wonder if mother and the council have arrived at Trudy’s yet. It should be about time.”

  Mabel frowned. “I hope their travels were successful. Things are not as they usually
are in Mundala.”

  Worry spiked through me. “Oh great! Thanks for that. As if I didn’t already have enough to worry about.”

  The Nephilim simply shrugged.

  We rounded a bend in the passage and Mabel put out an arm, stopping us. She listened carefully, looking around before nodding her head for us to move forward. She ushered Mandy and Deg past and then fell in with me.

  I peered into the darkness, seeing the subtle glow of the long row of holes in the floor. My skin went clammy and nausea bloomed in my gut at the memory of that horrible cell. My feet got caught up in each other and it was all I could do to keep from falling to the floor.

  Mabel grasped my arm. “Stay strong, LA. All will be well. I promise. I’m very sorry you must do this.”

  “Let me out, you death-world pigs!” an enraged voice shouted

  My companions skidded to a halt. I nearly bumped into them before I could stop too.

  Mandy started forward, her expression filled with rage. Deg just barely managed to grab her arm. “Slow down, Witch!”

  “He’s here, Deg! What kind of treachery is this?”

  “Was that…?”

  I didn’t get a chance to finish. The shadows around us shifted and several prison guards bled into the light, their massive forms every bit as terrifying as I remembered.

  Two of them swung muscle-bound arms, their fists smashing into Deg and Mandy and sending them to the ground. I lifted my arms, intending to hit them with whatever magic I could muster.

  A soft hand grabbed my wrist and I heard a click.

  My horrified gaze fell to my wrist and then rose to the pretty face of the Nephilim. A silvery track of tears slipped down her flawless face. “I’m so sorry, LA.”

  My head started to shake before the full meaning of her apology sank in. “No…”

  Mabel turned away and started walking. Two of the guards scooped up my friends and followed her. The rest of the guards parted, their heads dropping to their chests as another soldier, taller and much more good-looking than the rest, strode through the ranks and stopped in front of me.

  He smiled. “Hello again, Ms. Mapes.”

  Trudy’s handsome soldier!

  Big hands grabbed for my arms and I jerked away. “What is this about? Let me go! And release my friends, immediately!”

  He stared at me a moment, his smile softening. “From the moment I laid eyes on you I knew. You bear the same familial marks. The same proud carriage. The same slightly arrogant tilt of the chin. You remind me so much of her. But stronger…” He reached out and touched my jaw with a strangely gentle finger.

  I tried to bite his hand.

  He jerked away and nodded appreciatively. “Spunkier too. Trudy would have been fine if she’d had even half your spunk.” He jerked his head toward his men and turned away, striding back in the direction he’d come.

  I was grabbed up and dragged in his trail, screaming and trying to kick and bite the guards who were holding me. I’d kill them all before I let them take me back to that cell.

  It didn’t take me long to figure out I needn’t worry.

  Not about going back to the cell at least.

  But there was still plenty of stuff to worry about.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I was dragged to the room where I’d first laid eyes on Trudy and flung down onto the grass in front of her empty throne. The enormous room was empty, the castle too quiet.

  I wondered again if the council had managed to extricate Trudy.

  The door leading to Trudy’s rooms opened and closed, and footsteps sounded on the hard stone path.

  I shoved hair out of my face and pushed to my feet, scrubbing a hand over my cheeks to dry the angry tears there. My stomach twisted painfully at Mabel’s betrayal and worry for my friends made my chest tight.

  I had to convince Trudy to help me get out of there. My friends needed me to spring them from those horrible cells.

  But it wasn’t my aunt who strode quickly toward me. I glared at Reginald, his cold, handsome face a mask of unconcern. “Ms. Mapes. It’s good to see you again.”

  “Go to Hell.”

  His smile was cool and he nodded, stopping far enough away from me that I couldn’t launch myself at him and claw out his eyes.

  Smart move.

  “I know you’re angry…”

  “Angry?” I barked out a laugh. “I passed that several exits ago. I’m spitting mad. And if you’ll step a little closer I’d be glad to demonstrate.” My cat energy bubbled below my skin, but a quick shock of pain along my nerve endings reminded me I was cuffed so I forced it back.

  Reggie leaned against the arm of the big throne. “I don’t think I’d like that, LA. I can call you LA, can’t I? Or would you prefer LeeAnn?”

  “I’d prefer that you come over here so I can rip a few pieces off your smug hide.”

  “We can use that anger.” He slid into the throne, sitting forward and resting his arms on his elegantly clad knees. “I need your help.”

  I was stunned to momentary silence. The gall of the man… I sputtered my outrage for a beat and then forced myself to calm so I could speak. “You need my help? Good luck with that.”

  “Actually, I think you’re going to find that it’s in your best interests to work with me.”

  “Oh, do you think that? Delusion isn’t a good look on you, Reggie.” I spat his name with emphasis, intending to annoy him.

  If he was annoyed he hid it well. He simply nodded. “It’s absolutely true. If you want to save your aunt…”

  “Don’t you dare threaten her again! I hope she’s safe with my mother. You’ve hurt her enough.”

  He stared at me a long moment. Then he looked down at his hands. Something within him shifted, softened. I realized he was about to go into cajole and convince mode. I wasn’t going to let it happen.

  “Don’t bother trying to sweet talk me. I’m not stupid enough to fall for your lies.”

  I hoped I wasn’t that stupid anyway. But I was feeling pretty desperate.

  Anger finally filtered through his gaze. “You have no idea what’s going on here, Familiar. You’ve been coddled and spoiled all your life. You’ve been protected from the less savory aspects of your family.” He stood up and moved close, one hand outstretched and the fingers misted with angry looking charcoal gray energy.

  I felt the sting of his energy just before my muscles seized up. I couldn’t move…could barely breath past the power he was using to immobilize me.

  Reggie leaned close, his hot breath bathing my face. “Trudy is the monster here. Not I.”

  I blinked under the explosion of his words against my skin. I wanted to shake my head, to argue, but I saw in his gaze that he meant every word. He was telling me the truth as he knew it.

  Our eyes held, mine filled with hatred and his dark with rage. Neither one of us was going to give.

  After a moment he sighed and dropped his hand. Movement immediately returned to my limbs. “Look, LA, I know you want to believe the best of your aunt. But you have to be wondering why she was banished here in the first place.”

  “I know why. She tried to undermine the council.”

  His upper lip curled. “That’s a very mild way of putting it. Trudy tried to have several members of the council killed.” When I gasped, his expression softened. “The only reason she wasn’t put to death was her relationship to your mother and grandmother. Her banishment was meant to end the danger. I only wish it had worked.”

  “If that’s true…and I’m not saying it is…how did she manage to rise to queen?”

  “She isn’t queen, LA. She’s only a figurehead. One that I’ve presented to the creatures who live here because it suited both of us. Trudy got her power and status, I had a means to an end...”

  “What end?”

  He frowned. “Equality among all the magic houses. I’ve lived what it’s like to be considered lesser, LA. Trust me, you don’t want to experience what I grew up with. Dark Fairies are h
ated, distrusted, merely because of the source of our magic.”

  “Death magic versus life magic,” I sneered. “Yeah, I can see why you’d have trouble deciding which is better.” I shook my head as he bristled.

  “Dark energy is just a different type of magic. Why should some random entity be able to decide that white energy is better? Why should the Witches and the Familiars be at the top of the food chain? Why should the Angels be considered above the rest of us? True happiness throughout the dimensions won’t be achieved until we’re all equal. That is my dream. And through your aunt I nearly gained it.”

  “Nearly?” I asked, hoping he would tell me what I wanted to hear. That Trudy had escaped with my mother to the human dimension.

  “Yes, unfortunately, my figurehead was…is…much too ambitious to allow me to hold her back for long. With unwitting help, she’s thrown off my magic and escaped. I believe at this very moment she’s on her way to the Heavenly realm. She means to breech the gates.” He stepped closer, lowering his head and fixing me with a dark gaze filled with deadly intensity. “She means to pull all twelve dimensions under her control.”

  I shook my head. “She can’t get into Heaven. The gates are immune to Familiar magic.”

  “Ah, but there’s one type of magic they aren’t immune to.”

  Mabel’s words came back to me. The Dark Faeries have never tried to breach the Heavenly barrier. “Dark Fairy magic? But she doesn’t have that, does she?”

  “No. She has something better. She has Nephilim energy. They’re like a walking, talking key to the Heavenly realm.”

  I frowned. “Mabel? She’d never…”

  “Not your pretty young friend, LA. Have you not wondered why you haven’t clapped eyes on her brothers since coming here?”

  My breath caught in my throat. My stomach twisted. Suddenly Mabel’s recent treachery made perfect sense. “Trudy has them?”

  “Yes. And as long as she does, all twelve dimensions are in grave and imminent danger.”

  “If that’s true, then you need Mabel. She should be able to help her brothers.”

  “She would if she could. But Trudy has turned Mack and Ralph against her. They won’t listen to their sister’s wise council.” He smiled grimly. “No, LA. Like it or not, I’m afraid you and I are stuck with each other. You see, as things stand now, you’re the only one who can stop your aunt.”