by Bonnie Lamer
Turning to Sindri, the food taster says, “I tried to stop eating it. I really did. But I could not. It was as if I was bespelled.” Huh, that answers that question. He probably was bespelled. “It burned. From the very first bite.” Poor guy. A look of terror passes over his face. “The King! What if the food had been delivered to the King?!”
My brows scrunch together. “That wouldn’t have mattered.” A bunch of ‘what kind of traitor Witch are you’ looks are thrown my way. “I mean,” I hurry to say, “that much iron wasn’t going to go unnoticed in your system, even if you were bespelled to keep eating it.” The eyes are a little less ‘let’s burn her at the stake right now’. They’re more like ‘let’s tie her up and hold on to the match for a minute’.
I take a deep breath and try not to have half thoughts fall out of my mouth this time. “This much iron was going to kill you – fast,” I say to the food tester. “By the time the food had been brought to Da – the King, your condition would have been discovered. He never would have eaten it.”
The same thought runs through all of our minds and the cook is the one to say it out loud. “Then why in hell did someone go to the trouble of poisoning it in the first place?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Do you have any enemies?” I ask the food tester. I can tell the eyes in the room are back to hostile again, but I continue to stare only at the guy who is still sitting on the floor.
“N-no,” he says, and from the shocked look on his face after realizing the poison was only supposed to kill him, he’s telling the truth.
A loud scream comes from somewhere outside of the kitchen. I am on my feet and running before I even realize I’m reacting. I tear down the corridor that will take me back to the great hall because that’s where the scream is coming from. Once there, I come to a screeching halt. The creature standing in the middle of the room next to the river is scary enough to make me scream.
If I remember my Greek mythology correctly, that is Cerberus, hound from hell.
Chapter 16
Holy crap. Seriously, I am done with mythological creatures. I am staring at the three-headed, snarling dog who has long strings of saliva dripping from its massive jaws. Most of its teeth, even the molars which I can see clearly at the moment, are about the length from my finger tip to my wrist. Its canines are twice that long. Holy crap.
Kallen’s voice rings out from somewhere behind me. “Xandra, be careful!”
My instinct is to turn to look at Kallen, whose voice is choked with fear. I don’t think he’s scared of the dog. I think he’s scared I’ll do something stupid and get hurt.
Obviously, turning my back on the dog to look at the love of my life is not the brightest thing I could do at the moment. I’m shocked into reality as a massive claw hits my back and knocks me flat on my face. It was halfway across the room from me. I don’t even know how it got that close to me in the fraction of a second it took for this to happen. I roll over to assess the situation, and cry out in pain as my wounds graze the floor. I can feel the large slices on my back and the wetness from the blood. I can’t even think straight, I’m in so much pain. The same paw returns to do more damage before I can gather my thoughts, this time it strikes the side of my face, narrowly missing my eye. Blood gushes instantly from my temple and brow, blinding me momentarily. I am still on my back, and the three-headed beast comes closer, saliva perilously close to dripping into my wounds,, apparently preparing its final strike. I am completely vulnerable. Why am I not protecting myself?
I think I better get in this fight before I I’ve lost so much blood I can’t fight at all. I pull as much magic as I can in my current condition and aim for the middle head, assuming it’s the leader of the three. I hit it with so much force that he staggers back several feet, howling in pain. This gives me a moment to heal my own wounds.
That’s all I have time for because the dog is right back at me and I teleport out of his reach. The problem with this? I have just led it to where several of the palace staff are huddling in fear.
“Um, Dagda, I would really appreciate it if you could get them out of here before this thing swallows them for the fun of it.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I teleport behind the dog and zap its tail with a lightning strike of magic. It rears around and I am just able to avoid being swatted with its massive paw again. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Kallen and Dagda shoving the staff into the throne room.
As soon as that’s done, I feel a crap load of magic being pulled that isn’t mine. Kallen and Dagda have pulled their own magic so they can help me tame, or kill, the beast. Though in the mythology books I read, not even Hercules could kill the beast. But who can rely on myths for accuracy, right?
Magic flies at the creature from three different directions. One direction for each head. It becomes confused by the onslaught, not knowing which direction to turn first. Roaring loudly enough to make the marble floor vibrate, it decides I look the tastiest. Not exactly my favorite compliment in the world. His four legs bring him to me in a flash and the wall of magic I put up is barely enough to hold him off. Angered even more, it lashes out with his tail and Dagda isn’t quite fast enough to avoid it, the tip tumbling him backwards until he hits a wall.
Cerberus’ nostrils flare and he forgets all about me. A fresh scent of blood has his nostrils flaring and he swings around. If I wasn’t able to teleport, I would be in the exact same position as Dagda as Cerberus’ tail thrashes through the spot I was just standing in. Dagda, whose head has a gash from the impact, has slumped down to the floor.
Without thought, I find myself standing in front of the limp body of my biological father, encircling us both in a wall of magic. The beasts’ eyes are flashing in hunger and his nostrils are flaring so large I’m pretty sure I can see the foot of the last person he ate sticking up from the back of his throat.
“Get him out of here!” Kallen calls. He then throws enough magic at Cerberus to knock him off balance and draw his mind away from a Dagda appetizer.
Taking advantage of the reprieve, I teleport Dagda’s body to the throne room. Gasps ring out as Dagda’s condition becomes obvious. Looking at no one in particular, I say, “Take care of him.” Then I’m right back in the great hall, ready to kick some Cerberus ass.
Isla has joined the party now. Her magic has Cerberus backing towards the river. Kallen joins forces with her and despite the gnarling and gashing, he’s not able to break through it. Upon realizing this, he takes matters in a different direction. After all, he hasn’t guarded the gates of hell for eons with only basic instincts. He has tactical skills.
Turning, Cerberus jumps across the river, taking my favorite bench out in the process. Bastard. Then he starts running. I say running, but that is really too mild of a verb. He is zooming. Zooming around the perimeter of the room so fast, he’s a blur. Turns out, it really is more difficult to hit a moving target. The walls have large holes in them now as Isla, Kallen and I try to zap him into submission. Some of the holes are large enough for us to see that the far wall of whatever room it opens into, it also has a hole in it. If this keeps up, we may cause the palace to crumble because there will be no walls left to support it.
“Make a net,” Isla shouts over the noise of Cerberus’ claws on the marble. After this, the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard will never bother me again.
Nodding, both Kallen and I focus our magic at the spot across the room Isla points to. The three of us gather our strength and send it, magic as thick and hard as frozen earth forms a wall in the path of the beast who is almost flying now, despite the fact it has no wings. Feeling the magic, Cerberus tries to stop. The sound of his nails digging into the marble causes the three of us to press our palms against our ears. But it’s too late. All three of his faces become pancakes, no, more like crepes. I’ve never seen a face become so flat, and I hope to never see it again.
Unfortunately, mythological creatures tend to regenerate. All three of his heads fill out again as he turns
to us with hunger in his eyes. Spreading our magic in unison, we circle it around him. The beast has finally been rendered immobile.
This whole time, there has been screaming. Loud, ear splitting, shrill screaming. I assumed it was because of Cerberus, but it’s not. The door to the throne room is open and in its frame is a black robed, bald headed, wound oozing, yellow-toothed crone. And she’s holding Dagda’s unconscious body by his hair. Well, this sucks.
We have to make a choice and the disgusting leer on the woman’s face says she engineered this whole situation. If Kallen, Isla or I pull our magic out of the binding cage around Cerberus, he will once again be set loose to create havoc and start eating Fairies like they’re Scooby snacks. If we don’t pull our magic from the beast, the woman dragging Dagda to the ferry in the river will be free to take the King of the realm and do what she will with him while he’s unconscious.
What do we do? Do we protect the people or the King, my father? Regardless of the circumstances, I wouldn’t be alive without him. Truth be told, despite everything, I suddenly realize I have grown to care about the stupid old Fairy.
“Save the people, Xandra,” Isla’s voice says softly. “Always save the people.”
I look at her, helplessness on my face. She’s right. She’s speaking the truth. She’s making perfect sense. One life is not more important than the lives of many. So why is she looking at me like she knows her words will not be heeded?
Because they won’t. Pulling my magic from Cerberus’ cage, I send it flying towards the crone. Her look of surprise barely has time to manifest before she is flying into the river. Her skeletal frame is thrashing, trying to find the surface, her robes hindering her ability to swim.
Unfortunately, she took Dagda with her into the river. Her grip on his hair held as she went flying and by the time she was forced to let go, his body was over the river with hers. Kallen has pulled his own magic back and is running full tilt for the water, despite the fact that Cerberus is free once again. He dives into its depths and I find myself wondering how deep the river is. Will his head hit the bottom? After a few breathless seconds, he rises to the surface holding Dagda around his chest with one arm, then starts swimming to the side using the other arm. He’s desperately trying to keep his head above water as he fights the current.
Meanwhile, the crone has found her way to a ferry, or maybe it’s just a raft, that I hadn’t had time to notice before. It’s a simple thing, just a flat, wooden surface basically. She drags her saturated body on board. With dull eyes, she meets my livid ones. “You were not supposed to care,” she croaks. Then, with a shrill whistle, she calls Cerberus to her. To all of our surprise, the three-headed dog gives us a last, slobbery growl and then joins her. Then the ferry disappears.
A battle was won here, but I know the war is still raging. And we need to figure out the rules before we have any chance of winning it.
Chapter 17
My body wants to sag to the floor from exhaustion and from almost being ripped apart, but instead, I run to the river’s edge where Kallen is desperately holding onto both Dagda and the great tree in the middle of the stream. I’m guessing he won’t be able to hold on for long; he has found a handhold in the bark but his fingers are already slipping.
Without hesitation, both Isla and I are in the water. Using my magic that is protesting from overuse, I create a dam in the river. A dam that threatens to flood the palace if I don’t let go of it soon. Fortunately, there are many hands now being held out to us. Isla takes Dagda’s body from Kallen and I wrap myself around Kallen’s tired body. Slowly inching to the river’s edge, we are then pulled from its depths by scared, shell-shocked Fairies. Once on the marble floor, I let my magic go and the river flows once more.
Murmurs are spreading through the crowd, then a voice rings loud and clear. “She saved the King.” A simple statement, but its impact spreads through the crowd. Geez. I don’t know why they’re so shocked. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve save him for Pete’s sake.
Regardless, a wave of goodwill travels through the crowd, combating any of the darkness that still wants to pervade our souls and despite the fact we were all a millisecond away from being dog treats just moments ago. “Who was that woman?” someone in the crowd asks.
I have to shrug my shoulders and I look to Isla. Maybe she has the answer. The slight shake of her head and the firm, tight line of her lips tells me she doesn’t. Great. I guess the one positive here is that she wasn’t just a figure of my imagination meant to symbolize the growing evil inside of me. I’m really not crazy. Yay me.
“Tana,” Dagda whispers raggedly.
“What?” I ask, not knowing what he means.
Isla’s eyes flash and her nostrils flare like Cerberus’ had. “His wife.” Oh.
Chapter 18
Dagda’s wife? His wife is an old crone? Wow. I did not see that coming. That must have been an arranged marriage.
Seeing the confusion in my eyes, Isla says dryly, “She was once a beautiful Fairy. Her appearance today looked nothing like her former self.” That’s a relief. Otherwise, she and Dagda would have had some really ugly kids.
“How did she end up being so horrid looking?” I ask.
“My guess would be black magic,” Isla says grimly. “That is the toll for being a practitioner of the dark.”
Oh god. I wish someone would have mentioned that before they put spell books of black magic in front of me and said, ‘hey do this, it’ll be fine’. I don’t want oozing pus sores and a bald head. See, this is what I get for not asking more questions. There’s always a catch when it comes to magic.
A groan from Dagda brings my attention back to him. His head wound is still bleeding and his skull is definitely cracked. I can see it. Kneeling down next to him, I lay my hand on his arm. “You’re going to be fine,” I say quietly, but his eyes are dull and not really focusing.
Drawing magic, I have to find a balance between urgency and delicacy as I mend the damage to his head. I don’t want to inadvertently affect his brain. Nobody wants a stupid King. It’s slow going, but after a few minutes, I believe I have everything repaired. His eyes that lacked luster moments before are now a vivid green and his grimace has eased as his pain slipped away. Looking at me with gratitude in his eyes, he says, “Thank you.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not quite ready to be Queen yet.”
He chuckles. “Good to know.” He sits up slowly, still a little dizzy, but steadies himself with his hands on the floor.
“Are you sure that was Tana?” Kallen asks him.
Pain flashes in Dagda’s eyes, but it’s not the physical kind this time. He nods once. “It was she.”
“Why would she try to take you away on the ferry to the Underworld?” I ask.
Dagda attempts to stand on his own, but wobbles and needs help getting to his feet. Kallen takes his arm and offers his body for support. Instead of answering my question, he says, “This is a discussion to be had in private.”
I look around. Yeah, I can see why he wouldn’t want to talk about his estranged wife trying to kidnap him in front of his entire staff. “Okay. You should probably lie down anyway.”
Guilt and shame seem to have consumed him, rendering him immobile. The murmuring in the crowd has stopped as every Fairy in the room is staring, worried about their King. It’s nice to see that even though Dagda can be a real ass sometimes, his staff still care about his well-being.
“How about if I teleport you to your room,” I say.
He shakes his head. “My office.”
I narrow my eyes slightly, not sure that’s a good idea. He really looks like he should lie down and not get up until tomorrow. Looking up at me with pitiful eyes and a crestfallen face, he says quietly, “Please.” Well, doesn’t that just make my heart break into pieces. I nod slightly and touch his arm.
In a blink, we are in his office with him still sitting on the floor. I offer him a hand and with a shaky one of his own, he take
s it and I help him to his feet. On unsteady legs, Dagda walks by himself to the minibar across the room near the window and pours himself what looks to be a good pint of scotch. Taking a drink, he stares out the window. His shoulders sagging and his mood ringing with melancholy and maybe a little bit of self-hatred. Whoa. I think I need to sit down now.
When the office door opens, Dagda doesn’t bother to turn around. Kallen and Isla walk quietly inside and close the door behind them. Kallen comes behind me and wraps his hands around my waist, pulling me back against him and resting his chin on my head. He’s shaken but he appears to be dealing with it well. None of us say a word. This is a conversation that can only be started by the dejected Fairy drinking scotch in large gulps by the window.
“I have killed her,” he finally says. Funny, she looked pretty alive to me. “I have killed everything that was good inside of her.” Yeah, that might be true.
“Uncle…” Kallen begins, but he stops, not knowing what to say.