by D. N. Hoxa
“Exactly. And your vampire said to meet you in the morning,” Kyahen said, shrugging innocently. Damn it, I was going to kill Jack one of those days. Everyone knew that you had to be very specific when talking to a fairy.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I mumbled, and with my head down, I locked myself in the bathroom.
Ten minutes and a shower later, I stepped out feeling like a different person. I was still in my pajamas, and I didn't even care. He shouldn’t have come that early.
“Good to see you, Kyahen,” I said after a loud sigh.
He bowed his head a little.
“Likewise, Star. You have called for me again,” he stated. By then, he probably thought that I couldn’t even breathe without him. Since there was no need for him to think otherwise, and since fey had giant egos, I didn't comment.
“I am glad you could make it.” I took a seat on my bed and offered him the chair across from me, but he continued to stand.
“I believe you have news?” So he’d heard about Edison.
“I do.” I quickly told him the main events, leaving out the things that I hadn't told anyone about yet. “I want to ask you to join us on the thirteenth in the meeting of the SKO. If you’d like, of course,” I added, just to make sure that I wasn't asking for any favors. That he had a chance to say no, though that would suck. The first and probably most important thing was to look strong in front of the SKO sups. And Kyahen sure looked like someone with a lot of power.
“Do you truly think that it can be done? Because I do find it difficult to believe that those people will even give you the chance to speak,” Kyahen said.
“I know it’s risky. But I also know that it is a chance we cannot afford to lose.”
“Yes, but what if they will not listen? I’m sure you have at least thought about it. It’s the most probable situation, after all.” He smiled at me coldly, and I returned the favor.
“Of course I have, Kyahen. You know me so well, already.” I batted my lashes just to mock him more. “And if they do not listen, we will be exactly where we are now, and we’ll continue our fight alone.”
He grinned. Sneaky fairy.
“That is true. But what will happen if they attack you?” You, he said, only to tell me that he was still out of it.
“Then we fight back. This is your decision to make, Kyahen. Your presence would indeed help us, since you have a look of power about you.” I gave my words a couple of seconds to stroke his ego. “Such a strong and mighty fairy. Imagine how scared people will be…” and then I sighed just for the heck of it. “But we will understand if you decide not to join us.”
His smiled widely before he started to shake his head. “You do know how to…handle a man,” Kyahen whispered, leaning in. I moved closer to him, too, until I could clearly see every pore of his face and every separate lash on his lids.
“Is that a yes, Kyahen?” I whispered slowly.
The next second, he tried to pull me in with his energy. Exactly what I was going for. Then, I smiled wider, relaxed because I had no doubt that he would say yes. He was so full of himself, he wouldn’t refuse now even if I begged him to say no.
He held his power up in the air and every cell in my body screamed at me to lean closer, kiss him, devour him, undress him and then make love to him all day long. He was perfect. As perfect as perfection.
But my mind was made up. I felt his energy dance on my skin and in the air around me, but I never left his eyes. After a few more minutes, he let it go and stepped back.
“Yes,” he simply said.
“And, would you care to help with evidence?” I asked again. Why not take advantage of the situation?
Kyahen shook his head, giggling. “I will not promise you anything else, little fox,” he said, shaking his index finger in front of me. I wasn't really expecting him to help because I already got what I needed the most, so I just grinned back at him. “But…” he said, starting to slowly pace around me, “I have a detail you might be interested to hear.”
“And what would that be?”
He took his time until he made a full circle around me before he spoke. “An army is being prepared,” he said, leaning his head to one side, and studying my reaction. “Of humans, who…operate on the potion.”
Damn him. He was fey so I really had no room to doubt that he might’ve been lying. “Where?” I asked through gritted teeth. Let him see how pissed off I was. I didn’t care.
“I do not know where. What I do know is that the number is big and the potion is working. So well that the date of release has changed. Seems that Samayan will not be waiting for the end of December. He will be acting soon.” All air left my lungs. I froze in place. “See you in South Dakota.”
But before Kyahen had the chance to disappear in front of my eyes, I shouted, “Wait!”
He did. My brain couldn't function fast enough to digest the bomb Kyahen had just dropped on me. But I also knew that I would have no better chance to do some investigating on my own. And I really hoped I would have the chance to clear my mind.
“Sag-rah,” I said. That was name of the address Kyle had given me for the fairy who’d signed some sort of a contract with Thomas, Aaron’s father.
“Yes?” Kyahen said, since I had clearly spiked his interest. He kept watching me with his perfect brows raised, but I had to take my time and inhale as deeply as I could. I couldn't panic now. The day hadn't even started yet.
“I need to visit a friend there. Can you take me?” I asked him fast, without wasting time. I wasn't sure he would agree to take me to the Otherworld, but he was the best chance I had to find out about the fairy that had had contact with Thomas. And I really needed fresh air, even if said air was from the Fairy Realm.
“A friend in Sag-rah?” Kyahen asked, surprise showing clear on his face. Where the hell was this Sag-rah, anyway? I had no idea, but I nodded.
“Yes.”
“You do know where that is, right?”
“Of course,” I mumbled because I didn’t want to come off as a fool. Not in front of a damn fairy.
And Kyahen grinned. “I will take you, but you will have to find your own way back.”
I nodded again. “Okay. Give me five.” I said and grabbed some clothes from my closet to go change in the bathroom.
I couldn't think straight. I had no fucking idea how the hell I was going to find a portal to get out of the Otherworld, but I couldn't stay in the Base. I was sure I would go crazy because every plan I made was tangled in my head, and I couldn't tell the beginning from the end. I had to get out of there. I needed distraction.
Before I forgot, I took off the sun-shaped necklace I had around my neck. Illyon could only exist in the land of mortals, and I had no idea what would happen to it if I took it to the Fairy Realm with me. I hid it in the small drawer below the sink, under a shampoo bottle and a few tampons, sure that no one would think to look there, even if they knew what the necklace was.
I was dressed when I opened the door of my bathroom and found Kyahen waiting with a smile on his face.
“Let’s go,” I said and immediately took his waiting hand. Good thing I remembered to hold my breath and close my eyes tightly.
It still felt like shit, though. Like I was going to throw up any second, but this time, the dizziness didn't last long and I was able to stand on my feet once we touched ground. I took a few steps forward and back like a drunk shifter from Edison’s bar, but I didn't fall. I inhaled deeply before I opened my eyes.
I wished I hadn’t. The place was covered in thick, white snow. And I was wearing sneakers!
I’d taken my jacket with me, but my whole body was shaking from the freezing cold.
We were in the woods somewhere. The trees were all covered in snow and the damn stuff kept on falling. I couldn't see anything but white all around me.
“Did I mention that Sag-rah is in the Unseelie Court?” Kyahen said, and I could hear the sneaky smile in his voice before I turned to look at him with a th
ousand words at the tip of my tongue.
But hadn’t I told him that I already knew where that place was?
“See you soon,” Kyahen said before I could even begin to complain, and the next second, he was gone, not a trace left behind. I still cursed the ground where he stood, even though he was gone and couldn't hear me. I was so fucking angry, I could explode. I was alone in the middle of freaking Unseelie woods!
And my feet were covered in cold snow up to my ankles. I desperately wanted to scream out loud to take at least some of the anger out, but I also knew that the smallest sound could attract God knows what creatures my way. And I really didn't want that because I had only Bob with me.
Okay, deep breaths, in and out, I told myself, and a couple seconds later, I was able to focus. I looked around, but I had no idea where to go. I had no clue where I was in the first place. I sighed and cursed Kyahen all over again. With my eyes squeezed shut, I had no other option but to turn my senses on. My heart was in my throat because I feared that I would feel what I felt when I was in Necterram while at the Winter Ball, and this time, there would be no Aaron to help me get out of that paralyzed state.
Soon enough, I felt the land around me. And it definitely wasn't dead. Or evil. It was just freezing cold! It made me feel completely numb. I could literally not feel any part of my body. The cold consumed me completely.
I put aside my issues and concentrated on the energy enveloping me. I called on air and land and asked them to help me find someone who didn't have more than a head and who didn't eat flesh for a living.
My whole being was pointing me west. I didn't think twice. I headed west.
I dragged my feet on the snow, taking one step after another and then stopping to listen for something. Anything. I repeated the procedure at least a hundred times in probably more than two hours. Nothing but white snow around, and the steam that was coming from my mouth with every breath I let out. The tips of my ears and nose were completely frozen. I had my arms around me the whole time, but they weren't doing any good.
I couldn't think of anything except for how cold it was. I looked down at my hands only to see them completely red. I tried to move them and they hurt like a mother. I felt like I would never be able to use them again.
At some point, I closed my eyes and only sensed my way forward.
A lifetime must’ve passed, when finally, I felt like dropping to my knees and screaming my thanks to the sky. A strange, undefined vibe was coming from not more than ten feet away from me. Unfortunately, the excitement disappeared when I looked around and saw nothing. Just trees and some more fucking snow.
I walked ahead anyway since there was nowhere else to go. I took a few more steps before a noise made me stop. I immediately dug Bob out of my waistband. I stood completely still and looked around.
No one.
“Would you look at that…” someone said from behind me and I jumped around as fast as I could, which was not so fast since my body was completely frozen.
An Unseelie fairy was standing there in the snow, watching me and smiling mysteriously. She had black hair that reached her chin and eyes as dark as the night sky, like many other Unseelie fairies. Strangely, no wings graced her back.
“Look who’s finally here,” she said, her eyes scrolling up and down my body.
I took a second to calm myself down. She seemed strong, but I couldn't afford to be scared. So I concentrated on breathing and speaking, without giving any indication that I was as lost as a needle in a pile of straws.
“I’m…looking for Nijaria,” I said, clenching my teeth to keep my chin from trembling from the cold.
“Of course you are,” the woman said with a short laugh and turned her back on me. I watched her, even more confused and curious than before. She was heading straight for a tree.
But then the tree changed. It wasn't just a tree anymore. It was a freaking house inside a tree trunk, with windows and everything. It looked kind of like a minivan and the windows were now showing light coming from the inside.
“Well, are you coming?” the fairy called, waving me over.
The inside looked so warm, and there was definitely no snow in there. Inside. Yes, finally. I didn't think twice about it. I dragged my feet behind her as fast as I could. I cautiously stepped over the threshold and was surprised all over again. The inside looked nothing like it did from the outside. The place was very big and round. And it was so warm, I wanted to laugh from joy.
The fairy took off her thick fur from around her shoulders, and I wondered what animal had died to make that. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, but that didn’t surprise me.
“Fire,” the fairy said, pointing at the fireplace to my right. I didn't have to be told twice. I dropped on my knees in front of it with a small cry. The warmth of the flames unfroze my numb body, and gave me a sense of sleep. I looked at the red carpet underneath me with longing, and I seriously considered lying there in front of the fire. Just for a second.
“Drink,” the fairy said what felt like hours later as she towered over me. The brown mug she held in her hands was steaming. My mouth watered, but I shook my head.
“I’m okay,” I said and then coughed to get my shaking voice back to normal.
“Don’t be silly, girl. You are the Elemental. No fey can hold claim over you,” she said.
I didn't know whether to be glad or to panic that she knew who I was, but I took the cup to indulge her. I couldn't imagine being thrown out in the snow again. At least for a while.
Very slowly, I stood up because the carpet looked so good that it wouldn't have taken me long before I would have laid down and slept on it. That would’ve been a very bad idea.
The fairy was sitting in one of the recliners behind me in what I guessed was her living room. She watched me with curiosity and a sneaky smile on her face.
“Come here,” she said when she saw me watching. Since there wasn't anywhere else I could go, I made my way to sit in the recliner next to hers.
I warmed my hands on the coffee mug, but I didn’t drink the contents. I couldn't take my eyes off the lady. She looked so familiar. I had no idea why, but I felt like I had seen her before. There was just something about that jawline…
But I concentrated on the important things.
“Are you Nijaria?” I asked. My voice seemed to be working properly again.
“I am.” She nodded, her eyes never leaving mine.
“I have come to ask something of you. Information.” It looked like I was finally catching a break. I had found the fairy a lot more easily than I thought I would.
“Information about what?” she asked. I’d piqued her curiosity.
“Thomas Hart.” I had no idea if there would be need to explain further. All Kyle said was that Thomas had made a deal of some sorts with the fairy Nijaria of Sag-rah.
But the look of surprise on her beautiful face said that she knew exactly what I meant. I still couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen her before.
“The shifter?” she asked.
“Yes. I want to ask about the contract between you two.”
I couldn't figure what the hell was so funny when she burst out laughing, but I didn't say anything. My sneakers and socks were dripping wet and were terribly uncomfortable on my feet, but there was nothing I could do about that, So I just stared at the fairy and waited until she stopped laughing. Fairies were definitely weird.
“And what will be my reward for telling you?”
Oh shit. I hadn't thought to bring anything of value with me because I didn't think I’d have to pay. Stupid. This is what I got for heading out on a mission unprepared. I should’ve known better.
“What do you want?” I wasn’t ready to give up yet.
“I want many things, girl. What can you give me?” she said, raising her perfect brow.
I reluctantly shook my head. “I don't have anything with me.” I said, still unable to keep my eyes off her face. I was so sure I knew her from somew
here…
“Perhaps…a service?” she said, touching the tips of her fingers to the rim of her mug but watching me closely all the while.
“What kind of a service?” I asked. Nothing good was going to come out of her mouth, but I had to hear it.
“Seriel,” Nijaria hissed, a dark cloud suddenly looming above her as she pulled her fingers into fists. “I want that old hag dead.”
Not exactly surprising. Seriel, Samayan’s right-hand witch, had a lot of enemies.
“Why?”
The official address Kyle had found only meant that Nijaria was a Council supernatural. I couldn’t care less why she wanted a Council member dead, but I was curious.
“She stole from me,” the fairy said through gritted teeth. “The witch stole from me, so many years!”
“In case you haven’t heard, a war is coming, Nijaria,” I said. “If everything goes right, Seriel will be fighting, too. And if everything goes exactly right, she’s going to die.” Just like the rest of the Council members.
“No, no, no,” Nijaria said, shaking her head. “She has to die from your hand.”
Huh…“Why?”
She looked at me for a couple of seconds with so much disgust and hatred, that I wondered if I’d maybe done something to her in the past. Possible, since she already seemed terribly familiar.
“Will you or will you not take the deal?” she asked, her voice dangerously low as she watched me from below her lashes.
Goddamn sneaky fairies. Not that I didn’t want to kill Seriel, because I did—very much—but you could never predict wars. You could hardly predict a one-on-one fight, for God’s sake! And my priority was Samayan.
“What happens if I accept but do not deliver?”
“Then I will come to collect again. Twice the price,” she said, grinning.
I sighed. It wasn’t like I had a choice. I had to accept, no matter how much I hated it. Two deals with two fairies in one month were going to be the death of me.
“Deal,” I said, reluctantly, with a nod, but she seemed satisfied. Her wide evil smile showed it clearly.