“Clarisse, you look wonderful. Human life has certainly agreed with you far better than I expected. Darling Clarisse, I hope you understand that I missed you for a long time after you left. I understand how all this may be affecting you. I know you must be bitter, but Eve is our only hope. Will you allow her to come?” Corrigan was complimentary and kind. She sympathized with the other woman’s pain but she could not allow her sympathy to stop their mission.
“Corrigan, she’s mine. Leave her alone.” Clarisse spun the communicator like a top. It twirled quickly and seemed to pick up momentum on its own. When it stopped, the wispy smoke inside the egg shaped crystal turned black and the whole thing shattered.
Aibell didn’t get a chance to say a word because someone knocked loudly at the door. Eve jumped and nearly screamed. The tension in the room was thick and it weighed heavily on the occupants. The five of them looked at each other for a moment before Eve stood up and started to cross the room. “For heaven’s sake, I doubt monsters and demons knock.”
Aibell joined Eve as she reached the door. She raised one slim finger up in the air. The same powdery substance she sprinkled on the egg thing clung to its tip. Aibell traced a small two by two box on the door at eye level and a small window appeared. Eve shrank back, fearing the group of men on the other side would see them and Aibell shook her head. “We can see out but they can’t see in. Doesn’t matter anyway, that’s Eldon’s brigade. Corrigan must have had them ready at the portal in case something happened. They are here to bring him back.”
Aibell threw open the door and five large men strode into the room looking dangerously serious. Eve jumped out of the way, as the group filed past her. The suite was large for a family of three, but filled with the ridiculous crowd of fey and humans, it became claustrophobic. The warriors were tall with broad chests and muscular limbs. Each of them carried a sheathed sword at their side and wore chainmail seemingly made from similar metal as the throwing stars and garrote Aibell and Eldon had used on the Astaroth demons.
The leader of the Daoine warriors placed his fist over his heart and bowed deeply to both Eve and Aibell. As the rest of the warriors followed suit, the leader greeted the girls in his deep and lyrical voice. “Priestess Aibell, it is good to see you are unharmed. Faire Eve, it is an honor to make your acquaintance and to serve you. I wish it were under better circumstances. I am Caleb of the Daoine. ”
Aibell inclined her head sweetly but Eve was too amazed not to respond to the soldiers greeting. “It is a pleasure to meet you too, Caleb.”
Caleb was a mammoth of a man but he was gorgeous without a doubt. Eve couldn’t help but admire his deeply tanned skin, light brown hair, and startling blue eyes. He had the face of a cartoon super hero. His profile consisted of high cheekbones and strong jaw line with the tiniest cleft in his chin. Despite being approximately the same size as a professional wrestler, he moved toward Eldon’s bed with swift grace.
“Priestess Aibell, you said the demon who bit him was an Astaroth, am I correct?” Looking up at Aibell, his eyes shined a little brighter, even in such a grievous moment.
Aibell’s smile wasn’t to make light of the situation with Eldon. She knew the man admired her and she admired him too. “Caleb, stop with the priestess non-sense. I am no priestess yet and I am very certain it was an Astaroth demon.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. Why would an Astaroth be in the city and why would it attack Eldon in the middle of a human crowd? Astaroth’s are seekers; they don’t typically attack a person unless greatly provoked. The look something fierce, but they are highly intelligent and mostly peaceful.” Caleb looked doubtful.
“Not one, but three, Astaroths came through a forced gate in the middle of Times Square and attacked us. In my time as a member of the Sidhe, I spent time with the Astaroth and I learned from their books of dark and light. I know these creatures and I am telling you, had I not been able to summon the sun spell, they would have ripped the children you sent to do your dirty work to shreds.” Clarisse stood arms crossed over her chest, hair streaming out of its careful knot, and lips pursed as if daring Caleb to argue that she would not know an Astaroth when she saw one.
“Clarisse, I didn’t notice you and your mate. I am glad you are here and unharmed.” Caleb hid his displeasure at seeing the ex-princess and her human husband well, but his smile wasn’t as warm as when he spoke to Aibell and Eve.
Eve’s father apparently didn’t mind that the man referred to him as Clarisse’s mate. He simply nodded his head in greeting and wrapped a supportive arm around his wife’s shoulders. Eve’s father was a master of all situations, always quiet and in control. Eve secretly wondered if the calm was a coping mechanism he had developed years before when he discovered the love of his life was a run-a-way fairy princess.
Aibell was talking very quickly under her breath. She seemed to have adopted the role of translator for Eve, who was utterly clueless about what everyone else was saying. “The Astaroth are inquisitors. They hunt down wanted persons for whomever pays them well. It doesn’t matter if their victim is demon, fey, or human. They have unusual and sometimes painful ways of finding out information from those they capture. The Sidhe use them in training priestesses, princesses, and great warriors as well as to hunt down those who would break the law. The Astaroth have unlimited knowledge and can train the weakest minds. An open attack on a human or fey in Upper World by these types of demons is almost unheard of. The Astaroth have better ways of handling things.”
Eve didn’t know what to say in response, she merely nodded her understanding. She couldn’t imagine the monstrous beings as anything but random murderers. It must have been very difficult for her mother and others to study under the demons. Eve was fearful she would have to be near one. After all, they kept telling her she was a Sidhe princess and they expected her to return to their world and do the things Sidhe royalty would normally do.
The group of soldiers surrounded the bed. They prepared to take Eldon to the gate and return him to Evalon. Caleb removed the bandages from the wound on Eldon’s shoulder. Eve felt a wave of nausea hit her like a punch to the gut. She jerked her head away and covered her mouth with her hand. Where the Astaroth demon had bitten the fairy boy, black and seeping pus festered. In the center of the wound, shards of Eldon’s shattered clavicle gleamed white. Eve’s father enclosed her in his arms. She hid her face in his shirtfront for several minutes until she heard the scream.
The guttural cry caused Eve to jerk her head up and what she saw brought a new wave of sickness. Caleb poured a sulfuric looking liquid onto the wound. The fluid turned crimson and a blue flame licked its way across Eldon’s poisoned flesh. His face contorted with agony and tears streamed down his jawline to sizzle in the heat. Eve wept for the boy who writhed in pain from the wounds he had received protecting her family. The treatment went on for several minutes, and Eldon fell unconscious part of the way through. His mind couldn’t sustain the torment any longer.
When Caleb finished treating the wounds, he rewrapped them and the other soldiers prepared to carry Eldon to the gate. Sweat covered his brow and the light waves of his black hair turned to damp curls framing his handsome face. Eve pulled away from her father and went to the bedside. She bent low over Eldon, knowing he probably couldn’t hear her and not caring, she whispered thank you. She intended on placing a kiss on his cheek as a small token of her gratitude. As her lips hovered a centimeter from his sweat dampened skin, someone jerked Eve backward.
“You owe him no thanks and no favors.” Her mother’s voice was as cold as steel and her eyes burned with disapproval.
Eve yanked her arm away from her mother. Unable to form the words boiling in her brain, she simply shook her head and turned back towards Eldon. She quickly planted a chaste kiss on his cheek as she had planned. To her surprise, his eyes fluttered open and she could see the crystalline blue between his half-closed lids. He attempted a weak smile that caused his dimple to flash. He spoke her name in a half whis
per.
The men carried Eldon away and Eve wondered if she would ever see him again. It seemed unlikely. She knew he might die from the horrendous wounds, he might never return to Upper World to see her, and she might never see Evalon. As if reading her mind, Aibell came to stand beside her. Red and puffy, her eyes showed how much she had wept for Eldon as well. Aibell’s entire body seemed consumed with the pain of watching her friend suffer. Her hair hung loosely down her face, which was drawn and pale. Her shoulders hunched and suddenly, the girl looked as if she had aged ten years.
Aibell took Eve’s hands into her own. Eve could feel the girl trembling and she wondered if she was going to faint. “Eve, we will return. Please listen to me. You are our only hope. Without you, all of Evalon will die. Your grandparents, Caleb, the soldiers, Eldon, and I are all in danger. We will fall into the cold sleep and without anyone left to care for us, we will die. You are a Sidhe princess. You are the only one we can turn to.”
Aibell turned and glared at Eve’s mother, “Clarisse, I trust after all these years, you may find it in your heart to forgive and forget. No matter what the King and Queen have done, they do not deserve the fate we face. Remember, you are a full-blooded fey and your daughter is a half-blood. No one knows what will happen to you if the sickness is allowed to continue.”
Eve expected her mother to snap at Aibell or strike her again but the woman seemed cowed by Aibell’s words. “Aibell, I am fully aware of what lies at stake. I do not know whether I will allow Eve to return to Evalon but know this, if I think for an instant, she will be safer not doing so, she stays here. I will not lose my child for the sake of those who never wanted me or her.”
Aibell looked shocked. “They wanted you both. Your human was the one they didn’t want. Don’t lie to her Clarisse. Don’t fill her head with pretty untruths so that you will feel better about yourself and the choices you made. You and your parents made mistakes, don’t make us all bear the consequences. I have left a communicator, call Corigan if she will come.”
Aibell turned and walked out the door. She didn’t stomp or slam the door on its hinges. It would have been better if she had. She only paused once to glance at Eve and whisper goodbye. Aibell looked defeated and Eve knew her mother was the cause. Clarisse would never let her go to Evalon. She would watch the entire world perish before she let her daughter accept the throne at Trig Na nOg.
8
With Eldon and Aibell gone, Eve sank into an icy pit of despair. She didn’t understand so many things, there was so much that she didn’t know. She didn’t know if her mother would lie to her in an attempt to protect her. After all, Eve’s life seemed filled with her mother’s lies. The silence crashed around her, drowning her in its depths. No one spoke for a long time.
Eve expected her father to come and comfort her but he had no consolation to offer. She waited for her mother to explain, to deny, or to give her orders, but she too, had nothing to give. Eve felt the isolation of her position keenly. She hoped the loneliness was not a foretelling of events to come. Not being able to bear the tormented hush in the room, Eve sucked in a deep breath and did the most childishly insane thing she had done since she was six. She screamed, a high pitch wail rose out of her and nearly rattled the thick windowpanes.
Her father looked as if he may fall over in shock and her mother’s head snapped to attention. Her parents stared at her in dull fascination and deep concern but neither approached her. They kept their distance from Eve. She was unsure if they understood her confusion and disappointment or if they were afraid. At last, the scream ended but it seemed to linger in the air even after she closed her mouth. Her throat felt hot and dry but the burning pit of anguish in her gut seemed to have withered.
“Honey,” her father sounded wary, “Are you okay? Come here and sit down.” He took her hand gently and led her over to a small chair in the corner of the room. Kneeling down in front of her, he looked into her eyes and studied her face.
Her mother came up behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders while looking down on Eve. The two of them waited patiently for her to speak. When she found her voice, the heat of her anger shocked them both. “You knew my whole life, you knew what I was. You made me what I am. Yet, you tried to hide it from me. Didn’t you ever think it would matter? Did you not consider it would make it worse for me when they did find me? How could you be so selfish?”
Her father still patted her hand gently trying to soothe her but her mother would not tolerate her daughter’s words. “Selfish! You dare call me selfish. I took everything of that world out of myself too. The only time I could glimpse the magic of a home I had once loved more than anything, was when I paid some underhanded dwarf to allow me to dip my hands in his portal. The only reason I kept magic with me all these years was to protect you. I abandoned them for love and I was the first Sidhe to do so. How was I supposed to know they wouldn’t turn you against me? How could I be sure they wouldn’t hurt you? Everything I did was to protect you and you are so ungrateful as to say I am selfish.”
“Were you ever going to tell me? Or would you have let them find me or my children some time when there was no one left to answer my questions or help me through it all.” Eve’s voice quivered. The anger slackened and gave way to a sob.
“Oh baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. You must be so confused.” Her mother fell onto her knees and held Eve close. Repeatedly, she told her it would be okay and her father joined the hug. Eve pitied her father, caught halfway between his world and her mother’s. Eve imagined it was not a comfortable place to be.
After a few minutes, the family broke apart. Their eyes brimmed with tears but there was resolution in the set of their mouths. The worst was yet to come and there were still things left to say and do. Eve looked longingly at the large bathroom and her mother shooed her off to a hot shower while they cleaned the bed where Eldon had lain wounded.
The hot water rushing over her healed the aching muscles and eased her mind a little. Everything always looked brighter through the steam of a relaxing shower. She took her time dressing. She knew they would have to talk and knew she would learn the secret things her mother held sacred. Eve had a feeling the long night would be the first of many.
Her mind wandered to Eldon. She worried about him. Was he alive, was he going to heal? Would those beautiful dark wings ever take their perfect shape again? He was a miraculous thing to her. Even more than the awe of what he was, the feelings he stirred inside her were puzzling. When he turned his big blue eyes on her, she felt a pull deep in her stomach making her want to be near to him.
She hoped he and Aibell would make it back to Evalon safely and she hoped to see them both soon. Better to think of them together. Better to see him only in her mind’s eye. He was a powerful fairy warrior and she was merely the half-mortal vessel for the Sidhe blood they needed to fill the throne. She knew the danger in the feelings she had and she fought them. The strange longing frightened her so she tucked her thoughts of him away.
Coming out of the bathroom, she saw her parents sitting on the corner of one of the beds. They looked tired, worn, and old. She hated to see the lines in her mother’s face and wrinkles in her father’s brow. She hated to see them worry, but deep inside her heart, Eve knew she must help the people of Evalon. She knew her parents would try to stop her, but as her mother had done so long ago, Eve would run away if she must. She would follow her heart and what she knew was right.
The atmosphere was decadent, the scenery around her was unfamiliar and comfortable, it almost seemed, as if the day’s events were a bad dream. Curling up against the pillows and tucking the thick coverlet over her, Eve prepared to talk, to listen, and to argue if she must. Her mother began and her father held both his wife’s and his daughter’s hands. The link between them still strong, he was determined to stay as neutral as Switzerland.
“I am the daughter of the Sidhe queen and king. The story I told you about meeting your father was true, except the reason my parents
despised him. He was human and I was a Sidhe princess, they would not allow me to love and marry a mortal being. The laws of Evalon forbid such things. I have tracked what happens in Evalon in much the same way I have retained my magic, through stolen and borrowed contact with portals and magical looking glasses. Sometimes, I meet a fey who either does not recognize me as the traitor I am or doesn’t care. They give me information and allow me to use their means of contact with Evalon to feed my dwindling gifts.”
“I lost the power to raise my wings years ago. It doesn’t hurt physically to have them trapped inside the mortal shell but it leaves an ache in me just the same. The longer I stay in Upper World, the more like a human I become. In a few short years, I will have no power left. I no longer age slower than a human and I lost the power to transition between the worlds when I was banned for choosing your father over my blood.”
“Do I have wings?” Eve’s voice was timid. She didn’t want to disrespect her mother by asking, but she both hoped and feared that she would someday be able to lift a pair of beautiful wings from her own body.
“I don’t know. You are not the only child to be born to parents from both races but most of those children never develop a link to the fey world. Some have powers. Some of them lack even the sight to see the magical creatures around them. You have always had more power than most. When you were very small, I constantly used herbs, powders, and salts to keep the Brownies from coming into the house. They are tiny little creatures and they loved playing with you.”
“I spent so much time trying to blind your sight. I was always warning you away from everything and anything that could expose you to magic. You resented me for it. I swear, I did it for your own good. After a while, you stopped seeing. I thought we were safe.” Her head hung low and her hair fell to hide the tears she cried for herself and her daughter.
Faire Eve Page 7