Fae Bound

by Hailey Woodward

  “Get to the right-hand tunnel,” Tisean ordered, also keeping his voice low. “As soon as we are all within, you both must cast the most powerful wards you are capable of. I do not know how long Samantha’s scent will keep it at bay.”

  “Wards won’t hold against that thing,” Thomas said. “If it attacks…”

  “Go, mortal. Slowly,” said Saorla, a tight edge to her voice. “Do nothing to startle it.” We edged sideways. The puca took off from its perch on Thomas’ shoulder, swooping into the side tunnel, where it circled, waiting. Saorla and Thomas had allowed the glowing trace lines to fade, either too distracted by the new threat or deciding it didn’t matter anymore, since the storrworm already knew we were here. I walked backward, keeping my eyes on the monster, staying between it and the rest of the group, though every instinct was telling me to turn and run. The storrworm growled quietly, dragging itself forward several paces. Its long tail coiled behind it, the ridges down its back raising, then flattening again. Saorla and Thomas both stayed close by me. Blood was pounding in my ears, and each step seemed to take an eternity.

  We reached the right tunnel. I took one last step back, getting behind Thomas and Saorla, who stood at the mouth of the tunnel. My legs trembled from the strain of resisting the urge to bolt. Thomas and Saorla placed hands against opposite sides of the tunnel walls.

  The beast swiveled its head to stare at the both of them, then shrieked, lunging forward. It slammed against the wards, jerking back in pain as it struck them. It roared, enraged.

  “Go!” Thomas shouted. The storrworm launched itself against the wards again, and this time, it broke through. With a roar, it belched out a cloud of sickly yellow gas which filled the tunnel. I gasped, then choked as the gas burned at my lungs and eyes. Through the cloud, I could barely make out the mass of the monster as it burst into the tunnel, its tail whipping behind it.

  A sudden wind blasted through the tunnel, clearing the air. I stumbled as clean air washed over me, though I was still hacking, trying to expel the putrid gas from my lungs. Saorla stood by me, coughing, her hand completing a gesture as the wind died. The storrworm swung around to face her, jaws hanging open. Its tongue whipped out, catching her around her ankle. With incredible speed, she fired an arrow just as it yanked her from the ground.

  The arrow plunged into the roof of its mouth, and it shrieked, releasing Saorla. She slammed to the earth. Suddenly Tisean was there, having summoned his sword of fire again. He plunged it into the monster’s leg, and it roared, gas beginning to emanate from its mouth again. Abruptly its jaw clamped shut, bands of light twining around it. My eyes still streaming, I spun to see Thomas forcing himself to his feet, making a quick motion even as he coughed. The storrworm shook its head in fury, its throat bulging. It raised a taloned foot over the two Sidhe—then jerked back with a muffled shriek as the wulver bounded upward, raking claws against its eye.

  Tisean pulled Saorla to her feet as the monster thrashed, crashing against the tunnel wall. The ground shook. “Go, mortals!” he shouted. “We will handle this.”

  “Sam, come on!” I whirled to face Thomas, then took off after him. We ran flat out, and suddenly the tunnel opened to a wide circular chamber. It was filled with a soft, lambent light. The general feeling would have been a peaceful one except for the shouts and sudden roar from where Tisean’s company still battled the storrworm.

  “Dead center!” There was nothing marking the center of the room except a slight increase in luminescence, but I ran for it anyway, reaching it a second before Thomas. I skidded to a halt, nearly falling as I did so. Thomas dropped to one knee beside me.

  Flames erupted around us.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I choked on smoke and the scent of burning fur as the world dissolved around us. Almost before I had time to panic, however, the flames vanished, and cold stone materialized beneath my feet.

  “I claim the boon of survival!” Thomas shouted. I blinked, my eyes still stinging from the smoke. Thomas coughed violently, and I finally managed to get my bearings, though I immediately wished I hadn’t. Even knowing this was where we would end up, nothing had prepared me for the sensation of appearing directly in front of Queen Aerenia, who was staring at us, pale with anger.

  “What is the meaning of this?” she asked, her voice a deadly whisper. I looked around. There were dozens of fae of all descriptions present, staring at us in surprise. Whispers and exclamations filled the hall. Aerenia stood before her throne. I swallowed. It looked like we had just interrupted an announcement.

  Thomas tried to answer, then coughed again. “Majesty,” he managed after a second, “as a survivor of your labyrinth, I claim the right to the gift promised to those who emerge alive.” He stifled another cough. I coughed as well, which was a mistake—Aerenia’s gaze fell on me, and barely restrained fury crossed her face. I flinched back, more than half expecting her to strike me dead that instant, but Thomas spoke quickly. “I ask that those who entered this Court with me—namely Samantha, Dietrich of the Alder Wood, Isana of the Rhine, and myself—be allowed to return to the mortal world in peace, suffering no further pain or injury in this Court.” He stood rigid, waiting. If I hadn’t been keeping my gaze fixed on Aerenia, I would have shot him a disbelieving look. He was bargaining for Dietrich and Isana’s release as well? Why?

  Aerenia stepped down of the dais, approaching us. As she did, the temperature seemed to drop several degrees, and the air took on a charged quality. “You dare,” she said, tone lethal, “to ask for the release of those who would plot against me?”

  “My request is within the traditional limits,” Thomas said, swallowing. I noticed a bulge in his jacket pocket, which was quivering. A small tail hung out, though it slipped out of my sight even as I watched. The puca, I could only assume. “Your Majesty.”

  He hadn’t left her a choice. I ran through his request quickly in my head, trying to spot any loopholes. Aerenia stopped just inches away. Thomas looked as if he were fighting very hard not to step back. The room began to darken, and I huddled next to Thomas’ ankle, resisting the impulse to bolt away from her. “Beware, Thomas McKiernan,” she said, so softly I had to strain my ears to hear. “I know how you have survived these past years, despite the many dangers you have faced. I know who it is that protects you, and she is mine.” Thomas did take a step back then, paling. Louder, Aerenia said, “You wish to be allowed to return to the mortal world? So be it.” There was no visible sign of her taking any action, but abruptly, the Unseelie Court dissipated around us like mist.

  Choking darkness surrounded me, pressing against my mouth and eyes. I clamped my jaw shut, fighting the urge to inhale, struggling against the pressure that surrounded me on all sides. I thrashed, scrambling upward against the cold and the dark, and suddenly, my head broke free into clean, fresh air. I gasped, looking around as I paddled, fighting to stay afloat in the frigid water. The sun was just beginning to rise, shining over blue mountains capped with snow.

  “Sam!” Thomas had just surfaced, a bedraggled rat clinging to his shoulder. “Come on—can you swim?” I nodded, propelling myself forward as we swam for the shore. “Now, that was just petty of her,” Thomas muttered between shivers. “Dropping us in a lake. Could have drowned us.” Which was what she had been trying to do, I was sure. I paddled onward, shivering violently myself.

  I reached the shore a few seconds before Thomas, dragging my sodden self across the pebbly ground. Trembling, I turned as he stumbled to shore as well. He sat down next to me heavily, barely beyond the reach of the lapping water. We sat in stunned silence for a long moment, and then, suddenly, he began to laugh.

  “I can’t believe that worked,” he managed, then laid down, still laughing weakly. I hung my head, feeling dizzy. “We’re alive. I can’t believe we’re alive.” I exchanged a weary glance with the puca, which was climbing off his shoulder. It shook out its fur. I blinked a few times. My vision was oddly blurry. The shock of the confusion and terror of the last few
hours was beginning to fade. When was the last time I’d slept, again? Maybe I just needed to rest…

  “Sam?” I tried to lie down, but instead I stumbled, falling to my side. Darkness swam over my vision. “Sam!” It was the last thing I remembered before the world went mercifully dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I blearily opened my eyes, but shut them again before I could focus them enough to identify my surroundings. Consciousness was too difficult, too painful… every time I considered fighting my way back to awareness, my psyche shied back. It was safer here, quieter. There were no sorcerers, no magic, no vengeful fae queens…

  Unless there were. I struggled to lift my eyelids. I didn’t know where I was, and assuming safety just because I wasn’t in any pain right that second seemed pretty stupid, given how the past few days had gone. Finally, I forced my eyes open.

  I was lying on a lumpy mattress, beneath a colorful quilt. It was a small room, with white walls, tinged yellow in the late afternoon sunlight that streamed in through the dusty window. Both the paint and the plaster beneath were cracked with age.

  Déjà vu poured over me, and I struggled to sit up. Something caught the arm I used to brace myself, and I collapsed against the mattress with a muffled groan. I raised my hands—hands—to eye level. They were shackled together with cuffs that reached midway up my forearm, though the metal seemed oddly corroded. A flake fell from it even as I watched. I put my hands down, struggling to pull my thoughts together. I’d been here, before… before everything. I’d been… dreaming? I felt a sudden, intense surge of anger. All of that madness had been a dream? What was this, some sort of bizarre twist on Stockholm Syndrome? My subconscious trying to come up with some reason I should like my captors?

  “You’re awake!” The voice sounded just inches from my ear, and I jolted upright to see a large black rat sitting on the pillow next to me. It sat up on its haunches, whiskers twitching as I stared at it. “Be quiet,” it said, almost in a whisper. It nodded to the far side of the room. “He hasn’t slept properly since we left the Court.” I followed its gaze, and to my surprise, I saw Thomas, asleep in the rocking chair by the door. “He’s been worried about you,” the puca said. “It was rather sweet, really.”

  “How…” I trailed off, not sure what to even ask. My brain was protesting the sudden shift back into the world of fae and magic. The puca nudged me.

  “Mortal, our bargain?” it said, gently prompting. I stared at it, trying to think, but my brain was moving painfully slow. “The riddle? What grows with its head downward and its roots upward?”

  “Oh!” I blinked. “Yes. Sorry. It’s an icicle.”

  “An icicle!” The puca considered this for a moment. “I should have guessed that. Hmm. That’s rather good. Difficult for Seelie fae… I’m sure that’s why you chose it, though. Do you know any more?”

  I slumped back against the pillows. “Can riddle games wait until I’m feeling a bit better?” I asked, rather pitifully.

  “You might be back as a fox by then!” the puca protested. I stared at it. “Oh, very well,” it muttered. “I suppose you do need your rest. I’ll be back.” It vanished with a sharp crack.

  Thomas jolted awake, staring around in disorientation. “Oh—Sam! You’re awake! I wasn’t sure how long it would take for the sleep spell to wear off, I’ve been worried—”

  “Sleep spell?”

  “Yes. You—well, you passed out after we climbed out of that lake, and I wasn’t sure what was wrong, if you were hurt somehow, so I… well, I panicked a little and put you under a suspension charm until we got back here, which took a couple of days. I think you just needed rest and food, though. It was a little difficult to get food in you without you choking, but I managed.” He gestured toward the bedside cabinet. There was a glass there with the dregs of something green and unpleasant looking, along with a bottle labeled Chewable Iron Supplements. “Blended spinach,” he said, making a face. “Sorry. But you needed the iron content. Spells like the one Aerenia did are dangerous, they can really wreak havoc on mortal physiologies. It’s why there are so many stories about cursed creatures having a thirst for blood… if you don’t have enough iron in or on you, the effects of the curse are far worse.”

  Cursed creatures with a thirst for blood… “Did you just… tell me that I’m basically a werewolf?” I asked.

  “Yes—no! I just meant—that’s only one example. I’m just saying that small amounts of iron, even what’s in your body, will be broken down by a spell of that magnitude. It will weaken you if you don’t constantly replace it.”

  Oh. So she’d turned me into a fox and given me anemia. Lovely. I held up my hands. “Is that what these are for?” I asked, tapping the cuffs.

  “Yes—most sorcerers keep something like those around in case they have to deal with something really unfriendly.” He hesitated. “I don’t think they’re going to last much longer, though. They’ve been inhibiting the spell, but it’s starting to eat at them. You can already see it, and when it’s corroded too far, you’ll shift back. We need to get you to a cursebreaker. I’ve been trying to get in contact with some people in London, but…” He trailed off. “I think something’s wrong,” he said finally. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of anyone. Whatever Aerenia’s doing now… it’s not good.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Sam… there’s something else.”

  I frowned. “What is it?”

  “Dietrich and Isana,” he said. “One of them is… I don’t know how to explain this.” He rubbed his wrist distractedly. “When I requested their release, they became indebted. Deeply indebted. And fae have no choice but to pay their debts.”

  I frowned, trying to understand what was bothering him while I worked out the implications of this in my mind. “Is that why you bargained for them as well?” I asked. “So that the Septagonal would have fae help with… whatever’s coming? Whatever Aerenia is planning?”

  “That was part of it, yes. But mainly I didn’t want Aerenia to kill Dietrich. If she had, it would have sparked a fae war. Mortals always get hurt when that happens. And it wouldn’t have been right to leave Isana. But… what I was trying to tell you is that I’m not carrying both debts like I expected. Only one settled on me.”

  Oh no. I took a sharp breath. “She killed one of them before you requested their release?”

  He shook his head. “That was my first thought, too. But I was wrong. It just took me a while to spot it, since your curse is so strong.” My stomach sank with foreboding. I had a bad feeling about where this was heading. “I’m only carrying one of their blood debts because the other settled on you instead.”

  I shook my head quickly. “Wait, one of—which one? Why? What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know which one. We won’t be able to tell until Dietrich and Isana get close to us. Which they will,” he added, rubbing his forehead. “They won’t be able to help themselves. We’ll be seeing them soon enough.” Great. “What it means is that we’ll have an enormous amount of control over them until the debt is paid. It’s a double-edged sword, but they’ll be bound to us until that time. As to why it happened… debts are funny things where magic is involved, and it can be difficult to tell exactly why things happen as they do, but I think in this case it’s pretty clear. I might have bargained for their lives, but I wouldn’t have been able to if not for you.” He looked at me intently. “I didn’t get to thank you before. For convincing the puca to bring you down there. If you hadn’t… I never would have survived that labyrinth, not alone. Thank you.”

  I looked down. The depth of sincerity and gratitude in his tone left me uncomfortable, and unsure how to reply. “You would have done the same for me. For anyone,” I amended.

  “But I didn’t. You did.” He shifted. “Listen… even with the debt, there’s still a way for you to get free of all of this.”

  I pressed both hands to my forehead for a moment, and the chain connecting the cuffs clinked. “I’m listening,” I said, thou
gh I was still reeling from the news that I was carrying the blood debt of one of the most dangerous fae creatures in Europe, even if I didn’t yet know which one.

  “You remember when I talked about getting your memory altered?” he asked. I dropped my hands, looking at him sharply. “I think… I think that’s the best thing for you,” he said quietly. He sounded as if saying the words was physically painful. “You can sell the debt to a member of the Septagonal. It can even be me, though I’d rather not have to manage both of them. We can go to London together, find a cursebreaker, and get that debt off of you. I’ll make my report to my superiors, tell them everything that happened. After that… you can forget all of this. We’ll make sure you get home safely. I can even arrange to have you put under protective watch. In the meantime… is there anyone you want to contact, to let them know you’re safe? Your family?”

  “I…” I didn’t know what to say. A sudden wash of feelings came over me. The loneliness and quiet desperation of the past several months, the strain, the constant fear that no matter what I did, it wouldn’t be enough. Somehow, the recollection hurt more than thinking about the past few days. “No.”

  “No one?” he asked, surprised. I shook my head, not looking at him. “Oh,” he said.

  ‘Oh.’ I twisted the corner of the blanket in one hand. I was sure that if I looked up, I’d see the beginnings of pity on his face. Which meant it was time for a subject change. “Why do you want me to get my memory altered so badly?” I asked.

  “I didn’t say I wanted—it’s just, it’s going to get dangerous here, and you’ll be safer not knowing about it. And… I think you’ll be happier if you can’t remember what happened to you.” He shook his head. “You shouldn’t… you shouldn’t have to live with it, with knowing that things like that can happen.”