"Yeah, I love you too," Colleen said as I clamped down on her arm.
I pulled her over to a clear spot on the mats. "Top or bottom?"
"Top? I guess?"
We were both fish out of water if we couldn't draw on a little magical juice, which we'd been forbidden to do for this exercise.
"What's going on with you two?" she asked as she got on top of me.
"We're in a bit of a funk."
"It didn't look like a funky place. When you guys were on the floor wrestling, it was pretty freaking hot. You guys must have mad sex."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You aren't having sex?" her jaw was gaping and she was so shocked I used the opportunity to easily flip her over.
A shadow fell over both of us as Cormac came to stand over.
"I need you a minute." He leaned down close to me so as not to be overheard. "The owls are on the roof."
I saw Buzz standing in the doorway, probably the one that had alerted him. I also knew the owls probably wouldn’t speak to Buzz. Not only did they not know him, he wasn't changed.
"I'll be up as soon as I'm done," he said as I hopped quickly to my feet.
I walked out of the hall, not wanting to alarm anyone, and then ran as soon as no one was looking.
I was panting as I pushed the door to the rooftop open. The owls were perched on the branches of a recently planted tree.
"Where is the other one?" they asked. "The one with the good branches?"
"He couldn't come."
They looked at each other, obviously disgruntled at getting me, and I realized where the saying ruffled feathers came from.
"I like the other one better," one owl said to the other.
"I don't like this thing." The other owl twisted its head all sorts of ways before trying to grab the collar with its beak.
"Fine. Get these things off us."
They both lifted their necks where the collars with the cameras were.
"What did you see?" I asked as my hands fumbled with the buckles.
"Creatures."
I didn't bother to keep asking. The moment I released the collar off the second owl, they took off without another word, obviously not caring if they spoke to me again or not.
It didn't matter. All I cared about right now was what I'd find on the cameras.
Cormac was coming up the stairs as I was heading down.
"You left everyone?"
"Buzz took the lead and as soon as everyone got comfortable, I slipped out." He looked at the collars grasped in my hand. "You ready?"
"I'm hoping for a surprise." I turned and headed back toward the penthouse. So much had changed since I had first walked this hallway, now covered in stone. And if these cameras held what I feared, possibly so much more would be changing still.
Without a word, I started to pull out the memory cards as he went and powered up the laptop. Gone were the days when we would just leave them running. Power was the second most valuable commodity, just beneath food. As it was, there was only one computer we kept charged at all, for rare instances of need like this. It wasn't like you could look anything up on the web anymore. There was no web.
We stood shoulder to shoulder as we waited for the computer to boot up. I handed him the memory cards solemnly, as if I were handing a judge the jury verdict that I feared would read guilty on all counts.
Then the images appeared.
"What is that?" I said, running my hand over a group of buildings that all looked eerily similar.
"That’s an encampment."
"It's big."
"Really big."
Flipping through the pictures you could see how close to the tornado wall it was located, also conveniently centered around a major highway that I knew lead right to us.
"We knew he had an army. This doesn't necessarily mean he's going to move on us."
"Look at that," he said, pointing to another picture with a line of trucks. "They're all inbound. There must be at least fifty of them driving in. Jo, there isn't a single one heading out."
"Maybe he just wants to be prepared for us moving on him?"
"When did you become an optimist?"
"I was trying something different out. Apparently I can't pull it off."
I don't know if he took my hand or I took his, but we stood there, hands grasped, as we stared at the pictures flashing on the screen.
"Cormac, you've been alive for centuries."
"Yes."
"Things like this happen from time to time. Right? Wars happen. The human race goes on."
"I wish I could tell you that this will be the same." His roughened palm tightened around my hand.
I'm not sure how long we stood there, watching the pictures of an army that dwarfed the amount of people we had.
"If they want to fight, they're going to have to come to us," I said.
"Agreed."
"We stock pile as much food and supplies as we can. And then we pick them off one by one as we stay safely tucked in here."
"With a little help from Jo, I could do some sick enchantments around this place," Burrom said. I'd been so transfixed on the images I hadn't even realized he was there. We both had been. I turned to where he was standing in the doorway.
Dark burst in carrying Harvey before I could get more details from Burrom.
"You need to take him," he said as he shoved a swaddled Harvey at me.
"Why are you covered in ash?" I asked having a horrible feeling it was linked.
"Dodd no longer has a couch because Harvey had the hiccups."
I looked down at his little face and he made a small sound, like he knew Dark was mad at him.
"Ah, Dark, he didn't mean it. He looks so sad." I pulled him closer to me, rubbing his back.
"Let me know how you feel after you lose your couch."
"We've got bigger problems, Dark." Cormac pointed at the screen where the images were flashing.
Dark moved to the computer where Burrom joined him and they went back over the footage.
By time the night was done, we'd estimated the senator's forces at 10,000 against the measly 1,500 we had left.
Burrom left with the promise of meeting me in the morning to start doing some serious mojo to the castle. Colleen came and picked up Harvey for her turn, which left me and Cormac.
"This has been a bad day," I said, running a hand through my hair.
"I know you’re upset about me not telling you about the marriage, but can we call a truce for now?" he asked, shifting closer. "I don't want to fight with you anymore."
I didn't fight when he pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me. He held me in a hug, his hand rubbing my back.
"I should've told you. I know that."
I didn't relax but remained tense.
"Jo, for once in your life, just lean on me."
"How can I? The last time I did, you left." My words contradicted my actions as my hands started to move around him.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I wish I could believe you." My arms dropped and then so did his.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Collateral Damage
It was fifteen minutes past nine. I raised my face to the sun and let it take the chill from my skin as I waited for Burrom.
The main throng of people looking to escape war had left, but people were still exiting in dribs and drabs. The fewer people we had, the more we had to scramble for any other possible advantages.
The wind kicked up a notch and I hoped there wasn't a storm heading in. I needed every truck we owned out gathering supplies, in case we'd have to hunker down as we picked the senator’s forces off slowly from behind our walls.
"You're late. Do you think I have nothing better to do?" I asked when Burrom finally pushed through the front door.
He just smiled as he strolled over. "I get that you're new to this immortal stuff, but you need to stop sweating the minutes."
"If the senator wasn't gathering an army
to march on us, maybe every minute wouldn't count." I looked around, "Where do we start? We need to get going. What's the plan?"
"I'm thinking that if we can seal the castle the same way we would for a resting ground, it would repel any who mean to do harm. That should cover anyone with the senator."
"Is there anything else?"
"That's the best I've got. The sealing is the strongest. Problem is, I've never sealed anything this big and even if I manage, I'm not sure how long it will last on this scale."
"Let's start. We've got nothing to lose."
"Actually, we're better off waiting until late tonight." He nodded toward the people walking here and there. "Unless you want to risk some crispy critters. We can't have anyone walking around when we do it."
"Then why are we meeting now?"
"Take a walk with me."
I followed his steps as he headed out of the courtyard. He didn't elaborate until we were halfway down the block but I didn't care, the silence was nice. Lately, all I did was talk to people. I'd gone from speaking so little to nonstop chattering. I didn't have enough of those kinds of words to go around.
"I wanted you to meet someone and I needed your morning to be clear."
"Who?"
"Someone that could help us, if they became so inclined. They've expressed a curiosity about you."
He tucked his hands in his pockets and I pulled my jacket closer as the winds whipped up.
"If we're going, let's step on it. I think a storm’s coming and it's my turn to watch Harvey tonight."
"It'll be warmer where we're going," Burrom said, perhaps noticing how tightly I was curling my arms around my body.
"Nothing personal, but is it island warm or more along the lines of the fires of hell? You are walking a thin line these days. Who knows what new friends you've made of the underworld variety?"
The stories of drug induced orgies and other goings on danced in my head, literally danced, stripper pole and all.
"You know, maybe you should swing down, one day. It would do you a bit of good. You're getting very uptight, these days. You really need to get a little."
I pulled the hood up over my head to give me partial cover as I walked next to him. "Can people please stop concerning themselves with my sex life?"
He laughed before he spoke. "I'm not surprised I'm not the only one that's noticed."
"Where are we going?" I guessed we were about a mile from the casino by now and I felt like I was turning into a human popsicle. In another couple of minutes, I'd be welcoming the flames of hell.
He stopped and circled around. "Yeah, this should do it."
"Huh?"
"Come here." He stood, arms out.
"Why?"
"Because we have to go underneath and too far down to do a big tunnel."
"What's down there?"
"The person that wants to meet you. He's a Ground Fae."
"Why can't he come up?"
"He's old school and doesn’t feel comfortable topside. I swear, I don't know how Cormac deals with you. Can you ever just do something?"
"I want to be home by dinner." I stepped close to him and he wrapped an arm around me. I watched as the snow below us cleared completely until there was dirt, then the dirt under our feet sank lower and lower compared to the dirt at our sides.
"How long is this going to take?" I asked as we started to descend. I don't like heights, I don't like confined areas, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like deep dark depths, either.
"The longer he talks, the better. If we are out of there quickly, I wouldn't expect too much help."
I leaned my head against Burrom's chest and closed my eyes, trying to pretend he were Cormac. To Burrom's credit, he didn't mock my obvious distress once. I was certain I wouldn't have had the same willpower.
"Two more minutes."
Then he gave me a little pat on my shoulder as he heard me count to a hundred and twenty.
"We're here."
I took a step back until there was a few feet between us and I could pretend I'd had more dignity. As I looked down, I expected to see a packed dirt floor beneath my feet, not polished granite.
"Where are we?" My eyes started to adjust and I got a good look around. It was a cavernous hall as big as a theater. The walls also appeared to be a type of granite and the light from the many hanging candelabras bounced off the marbled surface, revealing the minerals and depth of the stone.
A single chair, which sat in the center of the far wall and was made of scrolling copper, appeared to be a throne of sorts.
Burrom urged me further in.
"What is this place?"
"It's the hall of the Earth King."
"And you thought it was a good idea to bring me here? I'm probably enemy number one. Have you seen some of my handy work? Did you somehow miss the tornados, the blizzards in Vegas? I could go on, you know."
He squeezed my hand and shook his head. "I explained it wasn't your fault. He knows all the details. He's my king." He shrugged like I should've figured that out.
Tiny fairies, no bigger than my hand, exactly the way I imagined they would look as a child before I'd met any, flew in carrying chairs.
Then a wizened old man appeared. He slowly walked across the distance, taking his time and not bothering to look at me until he sat upon his throne. Then his gaze locked onto mine. His golden eyes looked like they belonged to a much younger body.
He didn't speak but nodded his head at the chair near his. I didn't see an obvious exit as I hesitantly approached the seated man. He nodded again to the chair and I relented and sat.
His head angled to the side as his eyes took in every aspect of me.
"I apologize for our ill met earlier meetings. I really don't venture upward much and haven't projected in a long time. I don't always get the scale or placement right."
"You were the giant?"
He nodded.
"And on the strip?"
"Yes. My image tends to distort so I don't look exactly as I am. I used to have more practice, but haven't had the need in a long time. I've gotten rusty after all these years."
"What did you want to speak to me about?"
"You've caused a good deal of trouble."
His voice didn't sound like the old man he appeared and I tried to focus on his shape. Was it a facade?
"I never meant for any of this."
He nodded. "If you had, you wouldn't be sitting here, right now." His gnarled hands ran along the fabric of his grey silken robe.
I didn't know if that was a threat or he simply meant I wouldn't have been invited for tea. Since he wasn't attacking me, I figured it would be best to not pursue it.
The only thing I was certain of right now was that I was out of my element. I had a strong feeling that no matter how old he appeared, he would be able to squash me like a gnat.
He leaned forward peering straight into my eyes. "What are your plans for the senator?"
"I'm not certain." Scary old weird man or not, he was crazy if he thought I was going to lay out my every thought for him. I shot a look over to where Burrom was standing in the back of the room.
"No, he has not divulged this information to me. I prefer to hear it from you, anyway."
"You'll understand my hesitance in sharing information with someone unknown to me."
"I'm aware of what is coming."
"Are you planning on taking part?"
"I haven't taken part in anything for a very long time, but I can't allow any more damage to occur."
"I'm not looking for trouble. This war is of the senator's making." I leaned back against the velvet of the chair.
"I don't know if my Earth can handle anything more from the two of you."
"I'm not looking for trouble, but I won't sit idly by either as I'm attacked."
"And what of the additional damage you might cause?" He leaned forward in his throne.
"What would you have me do?"
"Surrender to him." He sl
ammed his fit down onto the arm of his chair.
"And what of the people I protect?"
"I care not," he sneered. "Whatever lives they will have will be better than nothing."
"Are you asking the same of the senator? Why don't you ask him to give peace when he is the one so determined to have war?"
"I have. He will not bend."
"But you think I will?"
"No. I think I can make you."
"Then you are mistaken."
I turned to look to Burrom. I found him right behind me. My eyes shot daggers, silently accusing him of a set up, but he wasn't looking at me but at his king. He was angry as I was.
Burrom took another step, now side by side with me. "You said you only wanted to talk to her."
"I will do what's necessary." His voice rose louder with each word until it felt like the entire cavern was vibrating.
I turned to Burrom. "Are you with me or am I on my own?"
"I am with you."
"You would side with her? After everything she has done?"
"You are wrong."
"I'm leaving."
"I'm not done." The Earth King said.
"I am." As I rose to my feet and went to take a step, I felt the pull of his magic. He was trying to glue me to the spot and the pull was strong. My impression of his great strength might have been an underestimation of him.
Instinct made me want to push against it but instead of fighting, I pulled the magical energy toward me. Absorbing everything he sent into myself, freeing my legs. I took a step toward Burrom, holding back the shaking but just barely.
"I'm ready to leave."
"So am I."
At the king’s roared "No," I turned back to look at the king. The facade of the old man wavered over an image much closer to what I would have expected from the powerful being. A Fae, who didn't look a day over twenty-five, stood tall and proud in all his glory.
Waves after wave of his magic reached for me and I was absorbing it into myself. With each moment, his true form displayed a bit clearer, the glamour shredding from my eyes. I knew I owed the true vision to the amount of magic flowing into me.
"Now, Burrom."
"You got it, babe."
He held me as he started to tunnel us back to the surface. I could still feel his king's magic, reaching for me, as we made our way up.
Redemption: Alchemy Series Book #4 Page 17