by R. A. Rock
When she touched her wrist to the clear water, it was exactly the right temperature. Tessa stepped in and shivered at the heat. But it was perfect. Soon, she was lying in the water up to her neck, resting her head back and closing her eyes with a groan.
Oh, Stars alive but this was bliss.
If this week she was going to be captured and tortured for all eternity—or killed—at least she would be clean.
Finn paced back and forth in the opulent room the Keeper had constructed for himself and tried not to think about how Tessa was naked in the bathroom.
She let out a groan of pleasure and he clenched his fists. Finn wanted to be the one to make that sound come out of her. But they still hadn’t really discussed the status of their relationship.
Sure, they had kissed. And when they were about to die, they had both said that they loved each other. But that had been under great stress. When things were back to normal, where did that leave them?
Not that things could be considered normal. They were stuck in Summerswind Keep with their two greatest enemies, who just happened to be the most powerful Fae in the land. And both those Fae wanted to capture them, if not kill them outright once the Truce spell ended.
How could he be thinking about sleeping with Tessa at this moment? He had much bigger problems to solve. She shifted in the water and his imagination was right back there.
Oh, this was impossible. He couldn’t think here.
He walked over to the door. “Tess?”
“Yeah?” Her voice sounded extremely relaxed and he let out a sigh of frustration.
“I’m going out. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
“Out? Why?” He could hear her sitting up.
“I just need a walk to clear my head.”
“Are you going out of the passageways?”
“Probably? I’ll leave the stairs open.”
There was a silence on the other side. “Be careful.”
“I will,” Finn said, and though it had galled him when Sanndrah had hounded him about where he was going and what he was doing, he didn’t mind at all when Tessa asked. Because he knew she genuinely cared about him. She wasn’t trying to control him the way Sanndrah had. She wanted to protect him. And that felt pretty good.
He checked with his scrying spell that there was no one in the passageway and then fiddled for a minute or two, trying to get the wall to rotate again. Finally, he figured it out and the wall swung around and him with it.
Once he was in the passageway again, he felt a little better. His desire for Tessa was going to cloud his mind if he wasn’t careful. Maybe if they just did it and got it out of their system, that would be it.
But he knew that wasn’t going to happen. Once he had a taste of her, he was going to want her all the time. He knew it. He had never been a one-woman kind of guy. That was clear by the number of women he needed to avoid running into this Hundred Years Ball. But somehow with Tessa, he had a feeling he wouldn’t get tired of her anytime soon.
She was fascinating to him. And he had never been fascinated by anyone. Had he enjoyed his time with the women that had come and gone in his life? Yes. Had he missed any of them? Wanted them back? No.
Tessa was different.
He wanted to be around her.
Who was he kidding?
He needed to be with her.
She had become like water to him—life-giving and necessary. He imagined if she suddenly kicked him out the door. That would be horrible. He had a moment of compassion for all the women he had pushed away.
But that was in the past.
He checked the peephole. There was no one in the alcove they were using to exit the secret passageways. With a pull of the lever, the door slid open and once through, he closed it again. Finn snuck out from behind the tapestry that covered the entrance to the passageways. He made his way down the hall. Luminescence orbs floating along the corridor lit his way and he wondered briefly how much magic the Hundred Years Ball spell used. It must be a massive amount of Starlight.
But he shook off these meanderings of his mind. Right now, he needed to think—to figure out a way to get out of this week alive. They couldn’t do it alone. He needed Izzie. And maybe Nat. Tessa had said she would be here with the Dark Queen’s entourage. He didn’t know her well but Tessa trusted the elf with her life so that was enough.
Finn didn’t want to approach Nat while she was with the Dark Queen but he knew exactly where Izzie would be. He would start with him.
And with any luck, he would make it back alive.
Chapter 5
Isadore’s face was wary when Finn approached his booth in the Hundred Years Market. There was an entire wing of the castle that held all those who were selling something. It was a favorite place of many Fae. The market was busy and brightly lit, though it was evening. There was a happy, bustling energy pervading the place. It made Finn feel more hopeful just being there.
“Finnley?” Izzie said, his voice unsure.
“Isadore.”
The older man had aged since Finn had seen him last. His wrinkles had deepened and there were dark circles under eyes.
“What do you want?” Isadore said, eyeing Finn’s sides as if he might whip out the blades at any moment. “I don’t have any more Otherworld sheaths. And I wouldn’t sell you one, even if I had one.”
Isadore adjusted his pants and then clasped his hands in front of him, a mannerism that Finn remembered well.
“I didn’t come about that,” Finn said, wondering what his old friend was thinking.
“Did you come to kill me then?”
Finn frowned, watching Izzie peer around as if he was searching the market.
“Or maybe you brought that Captain of the Guard to do the job?”
Finn rolled his eyes and took a deep breath to keep himself calm. He could smell meat pies and freshly baked bread from the food section of the market that lay to the left and also spices and sweet scents coming from the dried goods section that was on the other side.
When he was sure he wasn’t going to yell at the old man, he spoke. “I can’t speak for Tessa but I’m not here to kill you, Izzie,” Finn said, sitting down on a barrel.
Isadore still looked suspicious and worried. He ran his hand through his hair as if he were nervous. “You’re not? Why not? I almost killed you the last time I saw you.”
“I know,” Finn said, gazing into the older man’s face. “But you didn’t do it on purpose. Right?”
Isadore’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. “Of course not, Finn. I would never do that. I was so upset after you came that I couldn’t eat for days.”
Iz couldn’t eat for days? Finn glanced down at the man’s large girth. He must have been very upset. Izzie liked his meals. In all the years he had known the old Faerie, Finn was sure he had never skipped a meal.
“Don’t worry about it anymore, Iz,” Finn said. “You can make it up to me. Because I’ve got worse troubles now and I need your help.”
“Anything, Finn,” he said, his expression contrite. “I’m so sorry. What do you need this time?”
“A glamour. One strong enough to fool the King and Dark Queen.”
Isadore blinked, taken aback. He shook his head, making his black curls bob. “There’s no glamour that strong.”
Finn gave him a look.
“Let me rephrase that,” Izzie said, his face serious. “There’s no glamour that you want to use that can fool the King and Dark Queen.”
“Izzie.”
“What have you done, Finn?” he said, concerned.
Finn blew out a breath. “I’m kind of wanted by both of them.”
Izzie stared, eyes wide. “You and the Captain of the Guard. So it really was you on the posters? I had hoped they got you mixed up with someone else.”
“It was us,” Finn said with a grimace. “And she’s not the Captain of the Guard anymore.”
“No doubt,” Izzie said. “What did you do?”
Finn glanced
around but the market wasn’t very busy at this time of night. He leaned in and whispered. “We took the Scroll of Severance.”
“What in the Chasm?” Izzie said, raising his voice. “Are you joking?”
“Shh. No. I’m afraid not, Iz. Tessa’s going to end the Severance.”
“What are you talking about? Nobody can do that.”
“She can. We will. And we need your help to not get captured by the King and Dark Queen before we do.”
“Finn Noble, you are in way over your head. Does your grandfather know?” Izzie pointed at him.
Finn winced, feeling like he was ten years old and had been caught playing with spelled stones again in Izzie’s yard. The man had dragged Finn by the ear to his grandfather many a time.
“Probably. If you saw the posters, I’m sure he did. I haven’t seen him yet, though.”
“Good luck when you do.”
“Izzie, don’t you want it to end?” Finn said, trying to get the conversation back on track.
“Of course, I do. Everyone does. But it can’t. And you two are going to get yourselves killed trying to do something impossible.”
“Fine, forget about the Scroll,” he said, appealing to their friendship instead. “I need your help, Iz, to stay alive for the next week. I need that glamour.”
“I can’t do it, Finn,” Izzie said, shaking his head so that his double chin wobbled. “But I can give you something else.”
“What is it?”
“Meet me in the caves of the ghost wyrm tonight and I’ll have it.”
“The ghost wyrm?” Finn said, feeling a shiver run up his spine. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” Izzie said. “It’s perfectly safe.”
“That thing almost killed me once today. I’m not going to give it a chance to do it again.”
“There are miles of tunnels down there. The chance of running into the wyrm are slim to none.”
“Can’t do it, Iz,” Finn said, crossing his arms.
“Fine then. Come to my chambers.”
“Where are you staying?” Finn said but Isadore waved his hand impatiently.
“Doesn’t matter. Just use an orb. Come before midnight. You know how weird things get after that.”
Finn did know how weird things got after midnight at the Hundred Years Ball. He had been part of the weirdness in past years. But not this time.
“Got it. Your chambers. Before midnight.”
“And bring that Tessa,” Izzie said. “She’ll need to be there, too.”
“Sure,” Finn said, standing up. “I’ll see you then.”
“Don’t get yourself killed on a fool’s errand, Finn,” Izzie said, holding his forearm up. Finn crossed arms with him. “Ahlenerra needs Fae like you.”
“Yes, yes, Iz,” he said, starting to walk away.
“It’s not worth dying over a girl,” he called after Finn.
“She’s not a girl; she’s a woman,” Finn called back. “And I’m not going to die.”
That night, they followed an orb to Izzie’s quarters in the merchant’s section of the castle.
“I would like to reiterate how foolish I think this plan is,” Tessa said, turning sharply on her heel when the orb turned left at a fork in the corridor. “How can you trust him?”
She wore a ponytail that curled her dark brown hair into one large ringlet. And when she looked at him, her cheeks were pink as though she were excited. But her eyes were serious and she looked more like the Captain of the Guard tonight than she had in all the time since they had arrived at Summerswind Keep.
“Tess, you don’t understand. He’s one of my oldest friends. What happened was an accident. He would never deliberately harm me.”
Tessa looked grumpy as they reached his door and Finn knocked sharply three times. Isadore opened it immediately and gestured for them to enter.
“Please, come in,” he said, and they stepped into his quarters. There were two opulent rooms and Finn wondered what Izzie had to do to get quarters like these. Or who he had to pay. And how much.
If Finn knew Izzie at all, he had his enchantments in the back room just like at home. He sniffed discreetly. Yes. He could smell the herbs from here.
“Hello, Captain of the Guard,” Izzie said, his face somber.
“Isadore,” she said, not smiling. Neither of them held up their forearm to greet each other. Great. His two friends weren’t getting along. Finn hated that. “I’m not Captain of the Guard anymore.”
“I heard that,” he said, meeting Finn’s eye.
“Now, about the something that is not the glamour I asked for?” Finn said, needing to get beyond this awkward malevolent staring contest the two of them seemed to be having.
"No, before we get into that," Tess said. "I have a question for you, Isadore."
"What is it?" Izzie said, his face wary.
"We can't take anything out of the Otherworld sheaths. Do you know why?"
"Ah, yes. That's easy. There are wards preventing their use in the castle."
Tessa's eyebrows drew together.
"I knew there were wards against Otherworld sheaths in the dungeons..."
"It's not just there. Otherworld sheaths are just too much trouble to police. They decided to make it part of the castle wards that you couldn't use them. Easier for the King and the Dark Queen when they were building the spell."
"I see. That's a pain. We can't get our blades out."
"It is unfortunate," Izzie said. "Especially since you may need them."
"Exactly."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now." Finn pointed out. "You said you had something for us, Iz?" Finn asked.
“Ah, yes,” Izzie said, going to a dresser and pulling open the top drawer. He withdrew a wooden box, painted green. There were carvings all over it and Finn knew it was spelled. He had seen the box before. It was where Izzie kept all his most valuable spells. He must feel very badly about almost killing Finn.
Isadore made some complicated gestures over the box and it opened, the lid going back of its own accord with a click. They waited in silence while Izzie took out something. He turned his hand palm up and showed them. There was a slightly magical hum coming off of them, indicating a powerful object.
“Magic rings?” Tess said, interested in spite of how angry she clearly still was at Izzie.
“Not just any magic rings, Tessa,” he said, using his salesman’s voice. “These are rings that make it so people can’t see you and they also let you walk through objects such as walls.”
“They’re ghost rings? Are you serious?” Tessa’s eyes went wide. She took a step closer, tilting her head to get a closer look at the plain silver bands. The only ornamentation on them were some barely visible runes carved into the outside of the ring. Ghost rings were well known - in stories, that is. But in real life? They were pretty hard to come by.
“I am very serious. And these are serious magic.” Isadore’s expression was solemn.
“And you’re giving them to us?” Tess said, incredulous.
“I am letting you use them for this week,” Izzie said, disapproval all over his face. “But you mustn’t lose them. Or be killed. Or I’ll be very upset. And so will the person I’ve promised them to.”
“We won’t lose them or get ourselves killed,” Finn said, reaching for the rings.
“You can’t promise that, Finn,” Tess said, giving him a frown of her own.
“Fine, we’ll try not to lose them and we’ll do our best not to die.”
"Where did you get ghost rings?" Tess asked as Izzie held them out and she bent over to inspect them more closely.
"Probably the same place we get finding spells and all the other spells. From the mages, right, Iz? And then people like you sell them?"
Izzie gave Finn a very odd look.
"What are you talking about, Finn? The mages don't make our spells."
"What?" Finn said. "But you said..."
"I said that the mages mak
e our spells?" Isadore shook his head. "I would never say such a thing."
"Izzie, I distinctly remember. I was eleven years old and I asked you where you got the finding spell we were using. You were cursing and we could barely keep up with the thing."
"Oh, I remember that. I was so irritated with that spell."
"And you said, it came from the same place where all annoyance comes from."
"Yeah. I remember," Izzie said, as if remembering a good joke.
"So, of course I asked. And where's that? And you said..."
"The mage lands, of course," Izzie said, his eyes round. "It was a joke, Finnley. Every Fae knows there's nothing as annoying as a mage. So, from that you assumed that spells come from the mages?"
Tess had her hand over her mouth as if she was trying not to laugh.
"It's not funny, Tessa," Finn said. "And it's not like everyone talks about it all the time that I would have heard from a more reputable source."
"I'm sorry, Finn," Izzie said, keeping his face solemn but his eyes danced. "I never meant for you to have such a notion in your head. I just meant mages can be a nuisance sometimes, that's all."
"Well, you could have just said that," Finn said, feeling like a fool.
"I'm sorry for the mix up, Finn. But you know how children are. They mishear or misunderstand things and sometimes it just sticks."
There was silence in the room and then Isadore spoke.
"The Fae are magical beings. We have Starlight that gives us life. And those of us who are talented and trained can infuse objects with Starlight. That's where we get all our spells from, Finn. Though that's not common knowledge. You're probably not the only faerie that thinks we get our spells from the mages. The Dark Mages make Ransetta's monsters. But otherwise, the spells we use are all Fae magic, all the way."
"I can't believe I've been so stupid," Finn said.
"Finn, it was just a silly thing you believed as a kid. Now you know the truth."