Heavier tears came unbidden to the Heliwr, the weight in his chest pressing his sorrow out. His fairy. His guide. His friend.
Dead.
The tears increased, and the world swam within them.
—Snedeker—
The name of his longtime fairy friend.
Richard blinked the tears away as he felt magic. Ancient magic not in existence for centuries. He understood that much. The Heliwr saw the ashes of the fairy that had seemingly been lost rise into the air, could feel they did so at the bidding of the phoenix. Its power gently gathered all that was left of his friend, the remains spinning in the air, like a person deciding where pieces fit in a jigsaw puzzle. The gray grit swirled in a mini tornado, taking form once more, and slowly began to move toward Richard.
Unsure why he did so, he reached out, closing his eyes with hope of what could be happening.
When he opened his eyes, Snedeker lay upon his hands, little wings flexing.
His friend. Alive again.
—Keep safe in this most dangerous of worlds, Heliwr of the Yn Saith. It is the greatest gift I can give you. The gift of each other—
“Thank you,” Richard whispered. It was all he could say.
The phoenix rose then, the fire of its form cooling. In a few minutes, the phoenix had become a regular bird in appearance if not in size, to vanish into the wild. Richard watched the space where it had gone, disbelieving the magic that had just happened. Still cradling the sleeping fairy, he then went to Aderyn. The Heliwr sat next to her and called upon the remaining magic he possessed of his office, its warmth spreading from him into her. He closed his eyes, concentrating. After a few minutes, her eyes fluttered open.
Confusion became worry.
“What happened?” she croaked, voice ragged.
“The phoenix happened,” Richard said, still trying to believe it all. “How do you feel? It can’t be good.”
“My mother,” the Druid said, shaking her head. She looked so frail. “I had to kill her. She would not stop and would have ended me if given the choice between me or more magic. More magic of the phoenix.”
“With the ash she was taking in her tea,” Richard said, thinking back on the previous day and meeting Laura Goodnight. Aderyn nodded. “Phoenix ash that kept her young somehow. The same ash that made her other daughter ill probably. Your mother wanted more of it. That’s why she wanted to kill the creature in the egg.”
“I told you,” Aderyn said, sitting up with his help. “The phoenix is a powerful creature. Even its ashes are potent. For centuries, my mother used the remaining ash of the last phoenix to keep herself vital. That is clear to me now, the phoenix rising once placed upon her ashes—ashes mingled with those she had absorbed to stay so young. For decades I thought I had forsaken her. Now I understand I did the right thing without even knowing it. I took a different path, one I hoped would make a difference.”
“It did make a difference. I suppose we’ll never know how the phoenix was able to bring Snedeker back.”
Aderyn looked down on the little fairy. “We know exactly what did that. Love.”
“Love?”
“Snedeker cared for the phoenix. They were friends. He gave his life for his friend. Is that not what friends do, Heliwr?” the Druid asked.
Richard couldn’t argue. He realized he would have given his life for Snedeker if need be. “What of you now? The Anfarwol Order will want to know what happened here? How their leader died? What became of the phoenix?”
“I will remain here,” Aderyn said. “To recover as well as plan. My sister needs someone to care for her, someone who can help. Perhaps in time, if she recovers, I can teach her the power I’ve gained as a Druid. Maybe . . . maybe . . . she can take our mother’s place as leader of the Anfarwol Order.”
“They won’t turn on you?” he asked. “Blame you for her death?”
She smiled wanly. “I am old but still quite formidable.”
Richard nodded. “You are definitely that. You still think there is need for the Order though?”
“There is always a need for knowledge, especially for the wise who seek it.”
Richard looked down on Snedeker, who had awoken, sat up, yawned, and stretched his wings as if testing them for the first time. “Are you okay?” Richard asked. “You were out for quite some time.”
“Cramplepuss, I’m fine,” the fairy snapped, clearly agitated. He then looked to Richard, frowning deeper. “Are those tears on your cheeks?”
Richard smiled. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“What happened?” Snedeker asked, alarm on his face as he viewed the broken crystal remnants of the phoenix egg.
“You don’t remember dying?”
The fairy’s face screwed up in the fashion of a small child being lied to by an adult. “You really think I am foolish, don’t you? Here I am, alive, you dolt!”
Richard couldn’t hide his grin. Aderyn stood on shaky legs. The Heliwr helped her. As they slowly made their way back toward the village, he wondered at the night’s events. He had witnessed one of the most powerful creatures in Annwn history—seen its rebirth, experienced its power. But he had seen more than that, hadn’t he? Friendship. Love. Sacrifice. Caring for others ahead of oneself. As Heliwr, Richard had given of his time, his energy, his mind, and his body. But Snedeker had made the ultimate sacrifice.
It was testament that Richard still had a lot to learn about the nature of life.
And that of his friend.
Because perhaps the greatest magic this night had been of the giving kind.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Unfettered III would not exist without some extraordinary people helping in various and different ways. I am indebted to one and all of them.
Richard and Kathy Speakman
Who encouraged in all the right ways
Kristin Speakman
Who dreams with me every day
Soren Speakman
Who is learning the magic he truly possesses
Darren and Sherry Lamb
Who give of their time and hearts
Jeff, Becky, Payton, and Kendall Lawson
Who journey with me into unknown territory
Rachelle Longé McGhee
Who wields editing lasers with pinpoint accuracy
Todd Lockwood
Who lends friendship and paint
Kaitlund Zupanic
Who joined late but finished early
My story contributors
Who answer my call ready with story
And finally, the readers
Who support these anthologies with love
Table of Contents
Foreword
Introduction
The Heart Box by Callie Bates
Everybody Said It Would Hurt by Lev Grossman
A Thousand Years by Mark Lawrence
Among a Throng of Bilious Octogenarians by Delilah S. Dawson
Blood of the Sardaukar by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
Allanon's Quest by Terry Brooks
Kneeling Before Jupiter by David Anthony Durham
Stripes in the Sunset by Seanan McGuire
All That Glitters by Marc Turner
The Heir Apparent by John Gwynne
Dancing on the Edge by Deborah A. Wolf
Prologue: Second Book of The Evertide by Todd Lockwood
Thasha's Cure for Cabin Fever by Robert V. S. Redick
How Not to Invade a Country by Anna Stephens
The Paper Man by Peter Orullian
Merchants Have Maxims by Cat Rambo
Of Anchor Chains and Slow Refrains and Light Long Lost in Darkness by Ken Scholes
Second Chances by Megan Lindholm
The Hidden by Tad Williams
Throwdown by Scott Sigler
Sidekick by Carrie Vaughn
Hawkeye by Patrick Swenson
The Spectral Sword by Ramón Terrell
Gold Light by Anna Smith Spark
The Stone Golem of
Qual'Jom by Jason Denzel
A Fire within the Ways by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
Seven by Naomi Novik
The Fire-Risen Ash by Shawn Speakman
Acknowledgments
Unfettered III Page 75