by R. A. Rock
“And you’re sure that the bracelets will protect us from the wards?” he asked.
“Fairly sure. And it doesn’t matter if she’s on my side or not, as long as we get what we want.”
“You mean so long as you get what you want. The Scroll for yourself.”
“Not for myself, Finn,” she said, an irritated look on her face in response to his admittedly goading words and tone. “For all of us. To end the Severance.”
“You’re so full of Shadows and wind, Tess,” Finn said. “You only want to end the Severance so you can get what you want. You’re no saint. You’re the Dark Queen’s right hand for goodness sake.”
Tessa stared at him, clearly hurt, and he felt bad about what he had said. Until she spoke, trying to hurt him back.
“You’re just as full of it yourself, Finn, with your whole Shadows may care attitude about everything. As if nothing matters to you.”
“I did care about things… before,” Finn said. “And it only got me hurt. I’ve decided that it’s just easier not to. I need to keep my distance.”
“See?” Tessa asked, lifting her shoulder and dropping it again. “Shadows and wind.”
“What do you mean?”
“You got me the Otherworld sheath,” she said, coming over to him and poking him in the chest. “You almost died. Then just because I say that I usually work alone, which is true, you get all pissy and upset with me. Won’t talk to me anymore.”
“So what do you care?” he asked, annoyed. She was the one who didn’t want him. “We’re just partners. Just trying to stay alive. Nothing more.”
She shook her head, her anger dying down.
“We’re more than that, and you know it, Finn,” she said, her voice sounding tired. “And what about what you said after I went to see Ransetta? What did you mean?”
Finn didn’t know what to say. He was totally embarrassed that she would bring that up. “I… just never mind, Tessa. We have a mission. Let’s keep things professional.”
“Professional?” she asked, her irritation flaring again. “Professional? You’re the one who kissed me, Finn.” She held up two fingers and he stared at them. “Twice.”
And damn it if he didn’t want to kiss her again.
But that would be the height of foolishness.
“Just for the record,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her. “You kissed me the second time.”
She blushed and turned away from him to gaze at the Chasm again. Finn took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart that was pounding in his chest. He needed to keep his distance. He had already let his guard down more than he ever had since Emmy, and Tessa hadn’t responded. She had said she usually worked alone. She didn’t want him. So why was she pushing him like this?
“Whatever, let’s just get across,” he said, his voice gruff.
“Fine,” she said. “But we’re not done with this.”
He glanced at her and away again.
“Yes, let’s cross,” Tessa said, her voice trembling a little as she, too, turned to face the Chasm again. “Preferably without dying.”
It gutted Finn to think that she was nervous about crossing and he couldn’t help her. Not that it was his job to take care of her. She didn’t want him. And they were, after all, going to save some guy she clearly had feelings for.
Still, he couldn’t help wanting to protect her.
Stupid.
“I don’t suppose that these bracelets will keep us from falling,” Finn said, fiddling with his and making sure it was attached properly. He leaned a little toward the edge and peered down into the chasm.
“No such luck,” Tessa said, regret in her voice. “They’re only to get us past the Light Court wards and across the magical barrier that divides the Seelie and Unseelie lands.”
“Fine,” Finn said, standing up straighter. “No use putting it off. Here I go.”
He stepped out onto the board and felt it bow and sway a little under his weight, but it held. The wind was creating an odd keening noise as it blew across the top of the chasm.
“This is ridiculous,” he muttered, focusing on the land on the opposite side. He lifted his arms to help with balance. Then he looked at the board a couple feet in front of him, keeping his eyes there and moving forward.
Once he was out over the chasm and far from the edge, he wanted to look down, but he wasn’t dumb enough to do it. He kept his concentration locked down and put one foot in front of the other. His arms were out at his sides, helping keep his balance, and he thought he was doing quite well until he got to the far side.
Finn was getting tired, and he struggled to keep the necessary focus. Especially when he realized that he was almost across. But he would have been okay if a big gust of wind hadn’t come up and pushed him just a little bit off balance. Just a wee bit.
Just enough to make him fall.
Finn yelled as he tipped off the stupid board and into the Chasm.
That’s it, he thought. My life is over.
Chapter 29
“No!” Tessa screamed.
Finn had fallen in the chasm.
No. No. No. No.
She stepped out onto the board, barely taking any care at all. Not even thinking about what she was doing, she walked quickly across the board to the other side—her entire being centered on the fact that Finn had fallen in. He couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t.
She walked fast, hardly paying any attention to her footing. She stopped a few feet from land when she saw, to her intense relief, that Finn was hanging on to a rocky outcropping about four feet below the so-called bridge.
“Finn, are you all right?” she asked, close to tears but holding them back.
“I’m fine, but I could use a little help.”
“What should I do?” Tessa asked, unable to think because she was so glad that he wasn’t dead.
“Get across first,” Finn instructed. “Then get the rope. I’ll be fine for another minute.”
“Right,” Tessa said and looked toward the edge.
And suddenly, she felt dizzy and off balance. She froze, not sure if she could move any farther. The cold wind blew, pushing at her as if it was trying to knock her off.
“What’s wrong?” Finn asked, sensing her hesitation.
“It’s just… my balance issue.”
“Hold your arms out to your sides,” he said. “Focus a couple feet ahead of you on the board. Don’t look down, and don’t look where you’re going. Just one step at a time, Tess.”
Tessa drew in a shaky breath, not sure at all. Usually, she was so strong and sure of herself. And yet this ridiculous balance issue had gotten to her a few times, and all of those times had not ended well.
But she remembered that Finn needed her help. She had to get across. Tessa fixed her eyes on the board a few feet in front of her and willed her foot to move. She took one step, felt her balance going, and adjusted her arms, trying to get back under control.
This was ridiculous.
She was the Captain of the Guard.
But there was nothing she could do about this condition. Nothing but fall to her death, she supposed.
She felt herself pitching forward, and she fell, landing on the board and straddling it. She grasped frantically, wrapping her arms around the plank and holding on tightly. Her face pressed against the rough wood that was bouncing up and down slightly.
“Tess, are you all right?” Finn asked, his voice strained.
“Yes,” she managed to get out. “I’m fine.”
“Good, then you should be able to inch your way across on your stomach.”
Yes. She could get across if she didn’t need to balance. Tessa wished she had thought of that in the first place. She lifted her head, scooting forward a couple inches. Then she did it again and again until she reached solid ground.
Once she was on land again, she took a big breath. But then she thought of Finn hanging there. She couldn’t waste any more time. She fumbled in her pack for the rope and tied it to a n
earby tree, moving to the edge and dropping it down to where Finn was still clinging to the rock.
Tessa watched, her heart in her throat as he let go and grabbed for the rope with both hands. He grasped it and swung out, bumping against the rock. She scrambled back and began pulling on the rope, lifting him a hand at a time as he climbed up.
Soon, he was over, and she helped pull him away from the edge, dragging him back until they both fell to the ground, exhausted. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his shoulder to hide her tears of relief. After a slight hesitation, he pulled her close.
“This is a fool’s errand,” Finn said into her neck. “And we’re both going to die trying to get the Scroll.”
Tessa took a shaky breath and clung to Finn more tightly. She was seriously freaking out retroactively that he had fallen in the Chasm.
What if he had died?
“Hey,” he said, seeming to notice that she was close to losing it. He smoothed her hair, trying to calm her shaking, and she breathed him in—soap, woodsmoke, and some other man-scent that was distinctly Finn. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I’m really sorry, Finn,” Tessa said the first thing that popped into her mind, her hands clenching his shirt. “If I had a choice, I would never have gotten you involved in all this.”
“I make my own choices, Tess. You’re not responsible.”
She spoke into his shoulder so he wouldn’t see her face. “But what if you had died?” She drew in a deep sobbing breath. “I don’t think I could stand to lose you either.”
She felt him go still. After a while, she couldn’t take it anymore. She lifted her head to look at him—to try and figure out what was going on in his head.
“I didn’t die,” he said gently. He searched her eyes as if wishing he could read her mind. “Nobody’s losing anybody.”
Tessa nodded, so upset she was unable to speak.
“Hey, look. We’re in the Seelie lands. Home of the Light Court. For the first time ever. Let’s check this place out.”
Tess felt guilty for continuing to lie to him but what could she do now? She was in too deep.
“Sure,” she said, her voice weak.
“Good. Now let’s get to the Festival,” Finn said, getting to his feet and pulling her up. “From the briefing it sounds like a pretty good party.”
“Well, we are Fae,” Tess said, knowing that her race had made a name for themselves as people who knew how to throw a party.
“Light Fae,” Finn reminded her because they, of course, would be pretending to be Light Fae while they were on this mission.
Tess felt overwhelmed by the layers of deception she had created. Now she was a Light Fae, pretending to be a Dark Fae, who was pretending to be a Light Fae. It was truly ridiculous.
Tessa sighed as Finn helped her up. She had had such high hopes for this quest. She honestly wanted to get the Scroll so she could end her people’s suffering. And yet the very first challenge had nearly taken them both out. She desperately hoped that Finn wasn’t right—that this wasn’t a fool’s errand that would get them both killed.
Finn leaned against an ancient tree, watching the crowds at the Festival in Asmoore. They were waiting until close to midnight in order to search under the cover of darkness. Also, by the time it got that late, the party would be well underway, and few people would notice or care what they were up to.
The Starlight overhead and the many bonfires lit up the night, and all the Fae in attendance were chattering happily. There was lively music playing constantly. And some people had already begun to dance. The Festivals were held in the summer on the first day of the new moon across Ahlenerra every year, in order to collect Elixir from the Starlight and to drink it. They were happy occasions. Starlight could only be collected on nights when there was no moon and no clouds in order for the Elixir to be maximum strength.
The festivals were times when the Fae remembered what it must have been like before the Severance. Before the dark times came upon the land.
Before Ransetta ruled the Unseelie Court and death was an everyday occurrence.
For Finn, it reminded him of home and his childhood. And he had to admit that he was feeling awfully nostalgic for those days. At least, it meant that he wasn’t thinking about the beautiful Faerie that seemed to have bewitched him completely, despite his best attempts at remaining aloof from her. He blew out his breath and folded his arms across his chest, feeling uncomfortable in the fancy clothes he was wearing in order to fit in with the festivalgoers. He hadn't worn such garments since his grandfather had taken him to court.
Where was Tessa anyway?
She had gone to go get them some Elixir.
“Way to blend in,” Tessa said next to his ear, materializing out of the shadows. He started in spite of himself and then frowned.
“I’m only here to help you,” he grumbled. “As ordered by the queen.”
Tessa handed him a goblet and gave him an unsure smile. “And I appreciate your help,” she said in a quiet voice.
Finn met her eyes and then glanced away, not saying anything. He had said too much back at Direwood Castle. He ought to have kept quiet. Kept his distance. And now, he was completely confused about where they stood.
What had Tessa meant when she’d said that she couldn’t stand to lose him either? Had she meant what he had meant when he had said it? Or was she just worried about him as a partner and a friend?
Finn took a deep breath and a sip from the pewter goblet he had been handed. It was all too bewildering. He couldn’t figure out how he felt about her. Distance had been a good idea. He ought to have kept away from her.
Well, he would keep his distance from now on. No matter how pretty she looked tonight. He couldn’t be getting tangled up with the Captain of the Guard for the Dark Court. He clenched his jaw as his words inadvertently brought up an image in his mind of exactly how he’d like to be tangled with the Captain —in his bed.
Shadows and Chasm, I’m supposed to be keeping my distance. Not fantasizing about her.
Tessa was wearing a beautiful forest-green gown that emphasized her figure and which was completely distracting. Finn hadn’t seen her in a dress before, and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her. She had two small braids wrapped around her head like a crown, and her brown curls were falling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes in the half darkness looked black.
She lifted her goblet to her lips and drank deeply, tipping it until the entire thing was drained. She took a deep breath afterward. Finn gave her a black look.
“I’m going to get another,” Tessa said, starting to walk away.
“Wait,” Finn said, catching her hand to stop her.
Tessa’s jaw dropped, her eyes falling to their hands and then moving back up. She met his eyes with surprise and something else in her gaze he couldn’t quite decipher.
“Shouldn’t you go easy on the Feeyun?” he suggested. “You’re going to need your mind clear for the mission.”
“We have hours before we have to send out the finding spell,” Tessa said, shaking her head in an exaggerated fashion. “And if I have to kill Nyall and his team tonight, I’m going to get good and drunk beforehand.”
“So there is something between the two of you,” Finn said, unable to stop himself as jealousy flared up inside him. He was a fool to be jealous. But there it was. He pulled on her hand and she stepped closer. Too close for people who were just partners or friends.
Tessa raised her eyebrows. “Not that it’s any of your business,” she said, a question in her eyes. “But no. There is nothing between us, and there never was."
Finn tilted his head to the side and gave her a look that said he didn’t believe a word she was saying.
“Fine,” she admitted. “I had a crush on him for a while. That’s all. He never saw me like that.”
“He’s a damn fool, then,” Finn said under his breath.
“What?” Tessa asked, the expression on her face
indicating that she had actually caught what he had said but wasn’t sure whether to believe her ears or not.
“Nothing,” Finn said. “You shouldn’t drink any more.”
“He’s my friend, Finn. Of course, I don’t want to kill my friend.”
“Maybe you won’t have to kill him.”
“Maybe not, but I’m still getting drunk,” she said, taking his goblet, tipping it up, and draining it in one shot. She handed it back to him.
“You must have a sober spell, then?” he asked, eyeing her and trying to figure out what was going on in her head. “There’s no way you could accomplish your mission otherwise.”
“I do have a sober spell. So I can get as drunk as I want, and as soon as I take the pill, I’ll be sober as an elf.”
Tessa sighed, and Finn could smell the sweet scent of the Feeyun she’d already drank.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea. We’re not here for the party.” He shook his head. “We’re on a quest. You want to steal the most powerful magical artifact in Ahlenerra and then do the impossible, remember?”
Her face suddenly grew serious.
“I remember,” she said in a wistful voice. “It must be the dress. I haven’t been to a Festival in years, other than to work, and I haven’t worn a dress in a long time, either.”
“Well,” Finn said, turning away and letting go of her hand. If he looked at her with that vulnerable expression on her face for a moment longer, he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from kissing her. “I’m sure if Nyall never thought about you like that before, he will tonight.”
“Hmph, right,” Tessa said, complete disbelief in her voice. And Finn turned back to meet her eyes, not sure if she was joking. Surely, she knew how beautiful she was?
“There’s not a man here that isn’t affected by you in that dress, Tessa. I’ve seen the looks they’ve been giving you. I’m sure that Nyall will be impressed.”
“Not a man here who isn’t…” Tessa repeated softly, glancing around at the crowd and then bringing her gaze back to him. She studied Finn too closely for comfort, and he tore his eyes away, knowing that he had given away too much—again. Wasn’t he supposed to be keeping his distance?