Pushing off the ground, Potchis rose to full height and brushed the grass from his palms. “He won’t be alone. Boys need someone to look out for them. I will stay with him.”
“You’ve been trapped here,” Phin pointed out, face folding in a blend of appreciation and woe. “I couldn’t ask that of you.”
One hefty shoulder rose and fell in an easy shrug. “This is home,” Potchis declared. “I could never leave this never-land.”
“There you have it, then,” Phin stated, the matter all but decided by his standards. “We have no need for either of you here. It’s time for you to head back and be the heroes you are meant to be.”
Before I could argue further, Sterling leapt to his feet and bounded around the edge of a neighboring boulder. “Sometimes botany is the answer!” he caterwauled as he vanished.
“I’m not sure if he’s ever coming back,” I admitted in the silence that followed.
A beat later, Sterling returned with the stem of a lone daisy clutched in his fist. Pausing alongside Phin, he nodded to the flute. “May I?”
Curious to see where this was headed, Phin temporarily relinquished his treasure into Sterling’s care.
Tiptoeing around the blood splattered patches of earth, Sterling hummed a merry tune back to my side to present me with the flower. “Hold this, if you please.”
“What do I do with it?”
Rapidly blinking his bewilderment, he tilted his head. “We’re said to be connected, are we not? Two sides of the same coin. If such a thing is true, I would think you would know.”
A chuckle brewed in my throat at the lunacy of such a concept. Yet it was something in Sterling’s stare that snuffed out the laughter before it dared leave my lips. There was a plea held in the depths of his gaze, a desperate need to find truth in the implausible. That a connection had been forged to anchor him to someone, when too many others had floated in and out of his erratic existence.
Did I have any idea what he was asking of me? Not in the least. Even so, he needed the kindness of an attempt, and that I would not deny him.
“I suppose it does.” Dipping my chin in thanks, I accepted the flower.
Manic smile widening, Sterling flopped down in the grass and brought the flute to his lips. I recognized the tune he played at once, it being the same melody he used in the courtyard to call forth the woodland nymph.
Maybe it was the bond that fused us together, maybe it was chance. But, in that moment, I knew without question what Sterling was asking of me. Cradling the wild flower in my palm, I let my thoughts whisk me back to the moment when that twinkle of light swirled into the creature of innocence and love that touched the heart of all those she encountered. With a laugh of sweet tinkling bells, she saw the scars on every soul and uttered the words needed to heal them. Magic I couldn’t fathom responded to my musings. A spray of light swirled in my hand, causing the stem to twitch and roll. Eyes widening, my jaw swung slack as a figure formed within the daisy. The leaves became a gown to the minuscule beauty, the silky white petals waving into flaxen locks. Iridescent wings stretching from her back, she lifted the point of her chin up at me. Sky-blue eyes gleamed up at me, an angelic grin warming her face.
“Is that a fairy?” Voice dropping to an excited whisper, Phin’s shoulders rose to his ears as he edged in closer for a better look.
“That she is, as well as being your very own homing pigeon, of sorts.” At my rather unfavorable description, our new little friend stomped her foot in irritation. Acorn-sized face reddening, she expressed her discord in an aggravated chorus of chimes.
Stifling a laugh, I held up my free hand in retreat. “My apologies. You’re right. That really wasn’t a flattering comparison. How about this? They should consider you their stealthy communications officer, who has been gifted with the capabilities to travel between realms?”
A head nod and lone jingle acted as my confirmation of approval.
“Well, go on then,” I encouraged, lifting my palm to chest level to give her a boost. “Go say hello.”
Wings fluttering at hummingbird speed, she lifted from my hand. While Sterling’s song faded, the fairy swirled around Phin’s head. The lad’s bark of laughter as he whirled to keep up with her soothed my troubled heart.
“I couldn’t possibly leave without knowing you can reach out if need be.” Fingers laced, I let my hands fall in front of me. “Our new friend can be the liaison to accommodate that very thing. If you find yourself in any trouble at all, send her to find me, and I will come straight away.”
“We,” Sterling corrected. Popping to his feet, he handed the flute back to Phin. “Good luck getting here without me.”
Phin offered the fairy his arm to land on. She eased down gentle as a feather, her slight weight not causing his arm to dip in the slightest. With her happily settled, he glanced my way with a serene smile that seemed to hold ages of wisdom. “I suppose there’s nothing left to hold either of you here. That means it’s time for you to go and be champions for the others that need you.”
Adjusting the belt tied around his middle, Sterling’s jade stare swept the landscape. “It’s probably best we do. It seems I’ve seen all there is here. You might not believe this, but when I get bored,” leaning his shoulder into the center of our cluster, he dropped his voice to a whisper, “I go a bit mad.”
“N–no one finds that hard to b–believe,” Potchis stammered, blushing at his own brazen attempt at wit.
Spine snapping straight, Sterling rewarded him with a slow, deliberate clap. “I couldn’t even begin to be insulted by that. Brilliantly executed.”
Eyes rolling once more at his antics, I focused on Phin with a protective urgency that couldn’t be misconstrued. “And you’re sure you’ll be okay?”
It was with great reluctance that Phin tore his gaze from the fairy prancing up and down his arm. His cheeks were the dusky rose of a boy smitten. “Potchis existed here long before we arrived. He can show me how to get food, and water. The camp site of Harwood’s troop will give us everything we need to settle in comfortably.”
Bobbing his head, Potchis snorted his agreement.
“Then, I suppose there’s only one thing left to do.” Closing my hand around the grip of my dagger, I let it hiss free from my belt and took a knee before the boy. As I held it up between us, I concentrated my essence. “Whatever power I hold in this realm, I grant to this dagger and he who wields it.” Turning the blade toward my chest, I offered Phin the hilt. “Take it. You are the Pan now.”
Face aglow with the light of a thousand candles, he accepted my offering with a tentative hand.
Tiptoeing across Phin’s shoulder, the shimmering fairy’s awe matched his own.
“It fits your grip perfectly.” Voice gruff with emotion, I rose to my feet. “Far better than mine ever did. I always found it a bit snug. Now, I know why. It was meant for you from the moment it was forged.”
With more gratitude than I knew a child capable of, the lad tilted his face to mine. “Thank you, to both of you, for all you have done for me. It seems greedy to want for more, yet I must ask one final favor before we part.”
“Anything,” Sterling granted, before I could voice the same declaration.
Phineas Theodore Rutherford blinked up at us with a youthful exuberance time would never squash. “If you encounter any other lost boys like us, send them here for a place they can call home.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Only once before have I ever regretted a jump this badly.” Bent in half, Sterling muttered the sentiment to the dirt beneath his feet as he waited for the world to steady around us.
Trying to stand, I stumbled, swayed, then fell on my butt with a huff. “We have to trust they’ll be okay. And if not, we armed them with their fairy emergency plan.”
“That’s only helpful if I can find my way back to their exact time, and space.” Shaking off the effects of our journey far easier than I could, Sterling stretched out his back and offered me a
hand up. “Maps to such are misconstrued, their keys ever-changing.”
“We have to have faith that, if the need were to arise, their fey charge will be able to lead us right to them,” I said in gentle reminder, and clasped his hand with mine.
The moment our palms touched, the vision of Sterling earning his facial scars punched behind my eyes, choking me on the violence. Squeezing my hand around my ice stone, I rolled away from him and retched the contents of my stomach onto a patch of wild daisies.
“Your sight is back?” Sterling hovered behind me, wanting to offer aid but unsure of quite how.
Heaving yet again, all I could manage was a meek nod.
“On a good note,” he pointed out, his tone helpful optimism, “that proves we are definitely back in Caselotti, and no one’s head is on upside down. These were both viable concerns I am thrilled to have overcome.”
Hands on my knees, I inhaled through my nose and out through my mouth, fighting to calm my spasming gut.
“Stirring performance, boys. Truly, I held no doubt you’d return victorious.” If I hadn’t recognized Hades’ slimy cadence, the three panicked gasps that followed—his body’s reminder he had lungs—surely would have given him away.
Forcing myself upright, to the protest of my churning stomach, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Hades, were you prowling this realm, ready to pounce the very instant we returned?”
Back to the trunk of a Silk Oak tree, Hades pushed off and sauntered closer. A tilt of his head caused blue-black hair to brush his shoulders, his eyes narrowing. “I figure the moment you march within the castle walls toting your prize, you’ll be swarmed with appreciative attentions. I needed a moment of your time before your heroes’ parade can begin.”
Curling one leg under me, I prayed to Mother Ocean the limb would support my weight, and tried to stand. Thankfully, it wavered but held. “You have another quest to send us on first?” Lip curling into a snarl, my words were venomous. “Another innocent child for us to watch die?”
“Is that what happened?” Pacing closer, Hades clasped his hands behind his back. “That must have been simply dreadful for you.”
The malicious gleam swirling in the pools of his black stare led me to believe he knew far more about this particular topic than he let on. He was the Lord of the Underworld. Had young Phin swam in his sea of souls?
“Even so,” he sighed with a slathering of indifference, “I merely requested you fetch the mirror. Any lives harmed as a result, were entirely your doing.”
Hands curling into fists at his sides, Sterling’s chest swelled with a fury I hadn’t thought him capable of. “You bloody bastard.” His response was punctuated by the crackle of splintering wood. A branch directly over Hades’ head came careening down, straight on course for the demi-god. Its impact was thwarted by a cobalt blaze firing from Hades’ palm. A blink and the bough was nothing but ash.
“Look whose trickster abilities are developing. That is a very good thing.” Hades clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I’d watch that though. It seems to wreak hell on your complexion.”
Hades’ hand shot out a second time.
A scream ripping from his throat, Sterling clutched his face and folded to the ground.
“What have you done?” I demanded, kneeling beside my whimpering friend.
“Oh, he’ll be fine.” Hades brushed my concern aside with an elegant roll of his wrist. “The pain will pass in a moment. Then, he can live with the gentle reminder not to threaten a god!”
His declaration boomed around us, shaking the earth and echoing from every tree.
Trembling, Sterling’s face rose to mine, tears streaking down his face.
“It burns,” was all he could muster. Blue stripes had been branded into his skin, framing his face with the demi-god’s wrath.
Throwing his arms up, Hades let them fall to his sides with a slap. “See, now we’re getting all off track. I merely came with instruction on how to handle the mirror.”
“Say what you will, and go!” I growled. Closing my hand around my stone to hinder a vision, I hooked Sterling’s elbow and helped him to his feet.
“Aw,” Hades’ face folded into a mock-pout, “and I had hoped we’d honor the sacred bond of former mermen. But, have it your way. My message is a simple one. King Liam wants the mirror. You mustn’t give it to him. It is to be delivered to Queen Evelyn, and no one else.”
“The king wishes to save his queen,” I argued, fully expecting to be brandished with my own scars soon enough. “He’s expecting—”
Shoulder’s sagging, Hades’ head fell back in exasperation. “Ugh! Olympus save me from the ignorance of mortals! The queen is already dead! There is no saving her!”
“But, we went for the mirror …” Hearing that for the paltry excuse it was, my weak counterpoint died on my lips.
The sizzle of power pulsing over his skin, Hades edged in close enough for his presence to shrink mine. “Come now, do we really need to play this game? You have the sight, boy. You knew the fate of the enchanting queen before setting foot on Marooner’s Rock.”
“I thought there would be a way.” In light of his revelation, the excuse sounded like the pathetic plea of a child. In retrospect, I suppose that’s exactly what it was.
“Would it help if you knew what happened?” Hades’ mouth screwed to the side, proof he was humoring me. “She was lured into an alley by a sweet song the night of your farewell feast. There, she found a towering beast, all vicious talons and ravenous jaws. Poor thing barely had a chance to scream before it devoured her.”
It wasn’t a fabrication. I had seen as much in a vision I chose to ignore, because it suited me.
Blue blaze igniting in the depths of his gaze, with the hitch of one brow Hades challenged me to look away. “The heels of her lace ankle boots thunked together, as the beast dragged her into the forest by her hair. His skin was covered with moss. One lone tusk protruded from his dramatic under bite. Big as he was, his weight was balanced on two narrow hooves like those on a cow or pig. He held no malice for the beloved queen, but acted only on the orders of his master. And, do you know who that would be?” Stepping in close enough for the stench of brimstone to burn my nostrils, Hades whispered against my ear, “She came to you after I gifted you with the sight. Visited you as the High Priestess cared for you, because she knew how important you were to her cause. Did you see it when you woke? The truth staring back at you, as if you’d been returned to the depths? A malevolent force hungry for revenge … particularly against the woman you love.”
“Amphrite?” Having no proof to back the claim, her name passed my lips as a lobbed guess.
Easing back a pace, a victorious smile twined across Hades’ lips. “And look who’s catching up. The former queen has been banished from the seas and the newborn babe she left behind. She holds Vanessa to blame, and is plotting her route to revenge. I seek to redirect her … elsewhere.”
“And what matter is it to you what happens under the seas?” I could feel the tension of the thread I was pulling at, yet had to know how the matter unraveled.
Wagging his finger in my direction, Hades strolled a slow circle around Sterling and myself. “I suppose there’s no point in keeping up pretenses over the matter. No doubt when I left Atlantica after the death of Queen Titonis, Poseidon’s first wife, I left behind plenty of fodder for rumors and whispers. Although, there’s a chance you were too young to hear those crows of gossip.”
“You asked to leave Atlantica after witnessing your own brother beaching his bride.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sterling trying to blink through his pain and confusion, and raised a hand to steady him. “No one could fault you that.”
Shaking his head, Hades muttered under his breath, “If only it were that simple. Poseidon accused Titonis of having a human lover, with which she had conceived a child. Lost to his jealousy, he followed her to the shoreline and watched as she used the limited magics she had to wa
lk on land and meet her love. For this, he condemned her to death. I tried to intervene. Injected the limited voice that I had as his alchemist. Even so, Poseidon’s mind was made up. Titonis would die. Unable to watch such a tragedy unfold, I beseeched Mount Olympus to reassign me to any world, any realm, to spare me this barbaric display. To my great regret, Zeus did just that.” Hades’ steps stilled. Staring at the ground, his words came controlled and measured. “I took my place as Lord of the Underworld just as Titonis died. It became my job to usher the woman I loved, who I had been meeting on shore behind my brother’s back, into the eternal pool that would later become the River Styx. All the while knowing I was impotent to save her.” Pivoting on the ball of his foot, the flickering flames of Hades’ stare burned into Sterling and I. “And who was it that whispered in Poseidon’s ear about the possible betrayal? Who positioned herself to become queen to my brother, and step-mother to my child?”
Tentatively, Sterling dabbed at his stripes with the tips of his fingers. “I want to say Amphrite, but it seems such an obvious answer.”
“She got Titonis killed, and in turn Vanessa banished her from her own child. It seems your heir has secured vengeance for you.” Even as I spoke, I searched Hades’ face for elements that tied him to Vanessa. Sharp cut cheekbones. Pointed chins. And, of course, their unimaginable power. While I could never feel the ties that bound her to Poseidon, they were tangible with Hades. He was ready to claim her, which was more than his brother had ever been willing to offer to the baby girl he had raised from birth.
A slow burn cast shadows of loathing across Hades’ features that made him appear more demon than man. “That may have been the case, if it weren’t for Amphrite’s one … last … betrayal. I’m sure you have some inkling of what that was. You watched the ramifications of it play out on shore.”
Tentacles of fear squeezed my heart, squeezing ink black fear pumping through my veins. “The merman.”
“That’s right.” Wisps of sapphire steam licked across Hades’ hunched shoulders, fueled by his rage. “She vowed to help Vanessa with the spell, then abandoned her once it had been evoked. She was to blame for their deadly transformations. Yet, my daughter was left to pay the price.”
The Unfortunate Souls Collection Page 37