by Smith, H. D.
She sighed. He can’t destroy something one of the three created. He shut it off. Turn it back on.
Could it be that easy? “Fix the translator,” I whispered.
How am I supposed to do that, Jayne asked.
I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the watch.
You are the watch.
I know, but since I don’t know another way to access my power, I’m asking the watch.
Who are you talking to? Cinnamon asked.
None of your business, Jayne said.
A pop sounded in my ear, and I could hear Mace and Mab talking. Be quiet, both of you.
Mace was begging her, practically whining. “I’ll bring her back as soon as I have completed the task. You must let me finish it.”
He wants us to kill Junior, Jayne said.
I shushed her.
“And if you fail again?” Mab asked.
“I won’t. We’ll return before sundown.”
Her eyes brightened. “Do you promise?”
He hesitated. Lowering his gaze, he clenched his fists, obviously not wanting to make that oath. The others were still sitting quietly by the wall. Cinnamon’s brow was furrowed, and her lips were pressed together tightly, but he didn’t appear to notice.
Returning his focus to Mab, he nodded. “I promise we’ll return her before sundown. You have my word.”
Mab’s lips curved upward, apparently as happy with these terms as Mace was unhappy. They didn’t discuss the consequences if he failed to return, but considering how overjoyed she appeared at the thought of his failure, I was sure he wouldn’t miss the deadline.
“What about Quaid,” Mace asked. “What are your plans for him?”
Mab straightened, sitting up taller. “Did he play his part at the fight?”
“Yes, he diverted the security team assigned to Junior’s section to another location. We would have succeeded if Claire hadn’t been with Junior.”
“Good,” Mab said, seemingly pleased Quaid had cooperated. “He will be my guest here at the castle. You will return without him.”
Mace rubbed the back of his neck. “But I may need his help to enter the company.”
As if dismissing the concern, Mab waved her hand in the air. “Use the girl.”
Mace’s eyebrows drew together. Quietly, he said, “She may not remember how to do it.”
A wicked grin crossed Mab’s face.
That heartless bitch, Jayne said. She believes the Deeps broke us.
I didn’t agree or disagree. In my opinion, the jury was still out on whether I was broken.
“Her blood will get you in,” Mab offered.
My blood. She’s going to talk about my blood. I moved closer.
It’s forbidden to talk about. Remember?
I shushed her again.
“Her blood?” Mace repeated. “Why is it so special? Why did the blacksmith want it?”
Mab’s eyes became unfocused. She touched the pendant on her necklace, and a slight smile crossed her face.
That’s a pretty pendant isn’t it, Jayne said absently.
The pendant was antique silver with a red ruby in the center and etched black lines radiating all around. As with all the things I’d seen Mab wear, this was an exquisite piece of jewelry, but hardly anything to gush over. Yeah, it’s cute. Stay focused and ignore the shiny objects.
“Aunt?” Mace said. “Is everything all right?”
I focused on him. “Ask her to tell you about her sister.”
What are you doing? Jayne asked.
I want to hear her say it’s a myth.
As if to clear it, Mace shook his head, then said, “Um...tell me about her. About your sister.”
Mab’s eyes narrowed. Sweeping her hand in a large arc toward the others, she said, “Quiet.”
She moved so fast it was as if she’d disappeared, then reappeared in front of him. Lifting him off his feet by the neck, she snarled, “You speak of things you should not know.” Mab searched the room as if someone might be listening.
Crap, she’s hunting for us. Cinnamon, can she sense us?
Cinnamon remained quiet.
Mace placed his hand on the one around his neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he wheezed in a voice barely above a whisper.
She dropped him to the floor. Smiling, she cupped his cheek and lightly stroked it with her thumb. “You didn’t upset me, my boy. It is so rare I get to speak of such things. And I don’t want the others to hear.”
“Of course,” he said, voice trembling.
Mab returned to her throne. He got to his feet, nervously running his hand through his hair as if that might steady his nerves.
“First,” she said. “How much blood did the blacksmith take?”
“A lot,” he admitted. “Claire almost died.”
“Almost?”
“Obviously she didn’t,” he added quickly.
“I will take care of the blacksmith,” she said. His brows drew together. “Don’t worry, it won’t be traced back to you.”
“As you wish,” he said.
She touched her pendant again. “Have you heard of the fourth realm, Nephew?”
Mace smiled. “Yes, of course, in make-believe stories.”
That’s what Harry said, Jayne reminded me.
“What if I told you it was real?”
Mace smiled, shaking his head slightly. “It’s impossible. I wouldn’t believe you.”
Mab’s lips formed a tight line. “Why?”
He moved his right foot back, as if he might turn and run. She glanced at the movement. He stilled, then dropped to one knee. “Forgive me for doubting you, Aunt, but to believe the fourth realm was real, I would have to believe in its fate.”
“You find it impossible to believe this?”
“For a realm to be destroyed? I would hope so,” Mace said, his brows drawing closer together. “Am I wrong?”
“You’re wrong.”
He closed his mouth. I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down from swallowing.
It was destroyed.
No! Jayne said.
What did you think? They just abandoned it?
I don’t know. Nothing. I’m being silly. You’re right. It would have been destroyed.
I ignored Jayne’s craziness and focused on Mace.
“The books speak of a great war,” Mace said. “Of how time was torn apart, and the realms were divided. Is all of this true?”
“Yes,” Mab said.
I zeroed in on him again. “The sister ruled the realm.”
He parroted, “Your sister ruled the realm?”
She rubbed the pendant between her fingers. “She was my twin. How did you know to ask about her?”
“I don’t know.” His face was confused.
She searched the room again, but didn’t appear to sense anything. “The fourth realm was real. It was ruled by my sister and destroyed ten millennia ago by your father, Harry, and myself.”
Jayne gasped.
Mab touched a finger to the corner of her eye.
What is up with you? No answer. Jayne, what is it?
Sorry, Jayne said. Is she wiping away a tear?
Looks that way, I said to her. What is up with you?
It’s nothing, but there’s something about that pendant. It’s stirring up memories.
Memories?
We’ll talk about it later.
“How do we not know?” Mace asked, pulling my attention back to them. “Why is it believed to be a myth?”
Mab held out her hands and motioned for him to come closer. He stood, hesitating only briefly before walking to her.
Clutching his hands, then lightly touching his face to bring his eyes up to hers. “It is forbidden to discuss, but seeing Claire again has reminded me of her.”
Any ideas on that one?
No, Jayne said.
“Claire?” Mace frowned. “How does she remind you of your sister?”
“Her blood i
s the same.”
My blood. That’s why it’s special? That would explain why it was forbidden to discuss. If it was forbidden to discuss the fourth realm, it was forbidden to discuss my blood.
But why is it forbidden? Jayne asked.
I shrugged.
“Claire has fourth realm blood?” Mace asked. “How did the blacksmith know?”
“The blacksmith can sense the blood in others,” Mab offered.
That’s why we both have eyes that shine green. Did that make us mystically related? Were there others who had a green shine? I suppose it didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if all demons were related.
“How?” Mace asked.
“There aren’t many left with the blood. She is a child of all realms, which makes her unpredictable and difficult to control. But that is not your concern.”
“Claire’s mother was human. If there aren’t many left, who is her father?”
I took a step closer.
Don’t, she might sense you. And you know she isn’t going to tell him, Jayne said.
You don’t know. She might.
Mab patted his cheek. “Claire has fourth realm blood, but she is not one of the Fallen.”
“The Fallen?”
“It is what we call the fourth realm,” she said. “Because of this, Claire’s origin is unknown.”
What? Jayne and I said in unison.
Mace’s eyebrows shot up. “How can you not know?”
“It’s complicated,” Mab said, releasing his face.
He took a step back, running his hand through his hair. “Does my father know?”
She glanced at the others. They were still in their silent state. “Claire is very special.”
I don’t think I can handle another Claire is special discussion, Jayne said.
You and me both.
Mace wrinkled his nose. “You all favor her. Why?”
Her lips twisted into a crooked smile. “It is not favor, my boy. It is fate.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Fate?”
“There is an ancient augury.”
“You mean an omen? A prophecy?” he asked, eyes still wide.
Oh, this should be good, Jayne said.
I ignored her. Mab wouldn’t be chatty for long, and she’d certainly never tell me any of this.
He retreated a step when she stood. She took a turn around him, stopping with her back to Cinnamon and the twins. Mab’s head tilted slightly, looking off to the side for a moment then at him again. As if finally making her decision, she fixed her eyes on his.
“A great mystic of the fourth realm foretold of a harbinger—a girl—who would set right what was lost by the Ancients. She would be of human birth, otherworldly lineage, and possess the blood of the Fallen. She would have the power to see the truth and would restore time within all the realms.”
Holy shit. Did The Boss and Harry believe this too?
And which one of them is your father? Jayne asked.
One incredibly fucked-up problem at a time, please.
“Otherworldly lineage?” Mace asked. “Is my father her father?” He grimaced. “Is she one of us?”
“I don’t want to be one of you,” I shouted at him. He glanced in my direction, but thankfully, Mab hadn’t noticed. Whatever Cinnamon was doing to keep her from sensing me must also prevent her from hearing me.
Chill out, Jayne said. The guards might hear you.
“No one knows for sure, but his actions have not always made his feelings clear. He did not publicly declare her as his.”
This is what the seers think. They think I’m the harbinger.
It would seem so, Jayne agreed. James called you the harbinger.
I remembered now. He’d tried to tell me about the augury, but I wouldn’t listen. I thought he was crazy.
Mace crossed his arms. “You all believe Claire is this girl?”
“She is the best fit, although it cannot be confirmed.”
Because they don’t know who my father is? How can they not know?
“So my father could be her father?”
Mab smiled. “You’re forgetting. There are three contenders for otherworldly parent—if she is the girl, of course. But I seriously doubt Melinda was somehow impregnated with one of my ovum. Of course with magic I suppose anything is possible.”
Mace’s mouth hung open.
Don’t even go there, I said
But she might be—Jayne started to say.
No.
“So you truly don’t know?” Mace asked, running his hand through his hair. “But you all believe she’s the girl.”
“Yes.”
“Is that why you want her?”
“It is one of the reasons, but I have several.”
Harry said she couldn’t control fate by controlling us, Jayne reminded me.
One incredibly fucked-up problem at a time.
Mab looked at her nails then up at Mace as he paced back and forth, mumbling to himself. Rolling her eyes, she raised her hand as if she were about to end their discussion.
“How does she see the truth?” he asked. “You said the girl—the harbinger—could see the truth.”
Mab lowered her hand. “I’m not sure which gift she has received. Seeing through veils perhaps?”
“Yes,” Mace said, snapping his finger and pointing at Mab. He lowered his hand when she scowled at him. “She could see the blacksmith’s true form...but then how did she see Death as beautiful?”
Mab’s mouth fell open. She cleared her throat, absentmindedly touching her pendant. “When?”
“I told you, the blacksmith took too much blood. She almost died.”
Her mouth pinched into a hard line. She released the pendant and balled her hands into fists. “Death cannot have her yet. He knows that. He shouldn’t have interfered.”
“He didn’t keep her. She didn’t die.”
“He should not have made himself known to her. She should not have seen him.”
Why does she care?
I don’t know, Jayne said in a quiet voice as if I were asking her.
“He was not hideous to her. I’m sure of it. I could see the truth in her eyes,” Mace said. “But how is that possible?”
“He was not always as he is now. He was once very dashing—beautiful. My sister loved him.” Mab spoke without emotion. “They were soul mates, for lack of a better term.”
Soul mates?
“What happened to him?”
“He betrayed us and was punished. He is hideous because his beauty is now tied to the eye of the beholder. You should hope, Nephew, you never have the honor of meeting him. I’m sure your past deeds would not paint him in a good light.”
Mace remained silent.
“He is also incapable of loving anyone but my sister, and he was forced to kill her. In the end, she only saw his hideousness. She died without knowing his fate.”
Jayne gasped.
What is up with you?
“That doesn’t explain how Claire sees him as beautiful,” Mace countered. “She’s not perfect—no human is. Wouldn’t her past deeds also paint an ugly picture?”
Mab grinned, baring her teeth. “Claire is not completely human, but you’re right. She isn’t perfect. She saw him when she was a baby. When she was innocent.”
Mace’s eyebrows pinched together. “But…”
She raised her hand and approached him. He body became unnaturally stiff and erect, but it wasn’t from shock. She had him wrapped in her will. “That’s enough about the past for now. I wouldn’t worry yourself with these tedious affairs.” She locked gazes with him, caressing his cheek with her hand “You have always been my favorite.”
He smiled.
She continued, “Not because you’re loyal, but because you’re trusting.”
His grin fell. The crease between his brows deepened. Moments later his face contorted in pain. Struggling, he tried to get away from her. She tightened her grip, stilling him.
Her lips curled into
a vicious sneer. “Getting rid of Junior and weakening your father’s powerbase is poetic, don’t you think? The irony is that not even you realize how much power the four of you control.”
Mace’s eyes widened in shock.
“I can’t let you remember this conversation,” she said with mock sadness, “but I enjoyed having it. I don’t often get to reminisce about my sister. If only she’d trusted me. We could have ruled the world together.” Mab tapped his nose. “Forget.”
She released him and returned to her throne.
He shook his head and opened his mouth, then closed it and opened it again. “I’m sorry, Aunt. What were we talking about?”
She didn’t immediately answer. She glanced around, and her expression hardened.
She’s searching for us, Jayne said.
I know. The strain was evident on Cinnamon’s face. She couldn’t hide us much longer.
“Her blood is not your concern. That is all I will say.” Mab dismissed the matter.
I chuckled. Mab stood. She’d heard me.
Time to go, Jayne said.
Twenty Two
I stepped back when the door flew open. The taller man took me by the arm and led me up the stairs. The shorter man disappeared into the room before following behind us.
I was taken back through the corridors to the great hall. The twins and Cinnamon were still there, as they had been a minute ago, sitting off to one side. Mab was back on her throne, talking to Mace privately.
Her eyes fixed on the guards.
“We heard something,” the taller man holding me said. “She was awake.”
“Did she eat the food?”
The second guard spoke, “No, Your Highness, she did not.”
She waved her hand shooing them away. Mab stood, looking down her nose at me as she approached. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “How did you like the Deeps?”
“It was a bit windy for me,” I said.
A small line formed between her eyebrows.
Mace stepped between us. “I promise she’ll eat the food when she returns.”
A chill ran down my spine, and the hairs on my neck stood. He’d be able to make me eat the food. Given he’d offered it, it must not be the same as Mab forcing me. I was sure my face was pale with fear as her eyes landed on me.
“You know,” she accused.