by Opal Carew
Adorned in a medieval style ivory dress with intricate gold embellishments, she emitted a distinctly royal air, which was accentuated by the gold and pearl crown she wore. A mass of springy, black, curls spilled down her back and bright, blue eyes stared at him from a stunningly, lovely face. Zemi may have been one pissed off Fae Queen but there was no denying her beauty. It was no wonder Lucifer was so hung up on her.
“Are you enjoying your stay with us, demon?” Zemi asked. Hands clasped in front of her, she walked around slowly but didn’t take her eyes off him. “I was hoping these accommodations would make you feel right at home.”
“The name is Asmodeus,” he seethed. “And I think your accommodations suck ass. Is this how you treat all of your guests, Zemi? Because so far, I’m not impressed.”
“Well, first of all, Asmodeus,” she murmured. Her blue eyes narrowed as she moved closer. “You aren’t my guest. You are an interloper who arrived in my dimension, to say nothing of my quarters, unannounced and uninvited. Now, why are you here? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the Ring of Solomon, would it?”
“I don’t give a crap about that ring. You know damn well why I’m here. You took Kai. Where is she?” He tugged on the chains and shouted, “What have you done with her, Zemi?”
“Kai?” Zemi asked with feigned ignorance. “Whomever are you talking about?”
“You know exactly whom I’m talking about, you crazy bitch,” he seethed.
Quicker than a snake, one of the soldiers ran over and whacked Asmodeus across the mouth with the shaft of his spear, making his teeth clatter. Pain ricocheted through his head and had him seeing stars but Asmodeus refused to flinch.
“Not bad for a fairy,” Asmodeus ground out before spitting blood on the ground. “But I’ve been hit harder by an elf.”
The soldier went to hit Asmodeus again but Zemi raised her hand, immediately bringing him to a halt.
“Enough.” Zemi waved the soldier back. “We wouldn’t want to wear him out before the big event this evening. He is, after all, not exactly himself.”
“Yeah,” Asmodeus licked the cut on his lip and adjusted his stance as the shackles dug into his ankles. “Lucifer failed to mention that demons turn mortal in the Fae dimension. I’ll have to remember to give him a kick in the nuts next the time I see him.”
“Yes. Soulless demons are quite powerless in the Fae realm.” Zemi’s lips lifted at the corner. “I’m sure omitting that little fact was an oversight because I can’t imagine your trusted leader would intentionally send you here so horribly unprepared.”
“So, what’s going on tonight? Have a big feast prepared in my honor?” He wrapped his fingers around the chain, wishing he could rip them out of the wall, but knowing he couldn’t. “What time should I be ready? I hope it’s not a dressy event because I left my tux on Earth.”
“So nice to see you’ve kept your sense of humor.” Zemi laughed loudly and clapped her hands. “I’ll be meeting with your girlfriend in a just a little while so I can explain it all to her. She might not be on board right away but once I tell her how you’ve been lying to her all this time…well…I’m sure she’ll see my side of things.”
“What are you talking about?” A sense of foreboding crawled up his back. “I haven’t been lying to Kai.”
“Yes, you have.” A smile cracked her face as she inched closer. Zemi trailed one silver fingernail down his cheek but he jerked his head away. “She’s really quite lovely, Asmodeus. Too bad it won’t work out for the two of you but then again it never could, could it?” Her smile faded and a cruel look glimmered in her eyes. Zemi’s voice dropped to a whisper. “The Brotherhood never chooses a woman over duty. Do they? You boys lie through your teeth to get what you want and then once you have it, you toss us aside as though we mean nothing.”
“You’d know that better than anyone, wouldn’t you, Zemi?” He leaned closer, meeting her challenge. “Lucifer really fucked you up, didn’t he? What happened between the two of you?”
Zemi’s mouth set in a tight line as her hands curled at her sides. Asmodeus saw that cool exterior falter and in that moment, she actually reminded him quite a bit of Lucifer. They were both arrogant leaders, obsessed with duty and obligation and neither wanted to admit being wounded by the other.
The only weakness Lucifer and Zemi seemed to have was each other.
“Leave us,” Zemi shouted to the guards. She glanced over her shoulder. “Now.”
When they didn’t move, she swept both arms wide and in a flash, a hurricane strength gust of wind rushed across the room and tossed the two men out like rag dolls. The door slammed shut behind them as Zemi smoothed her windblown hair and folded her hands delicately in front of her once again.
“You will not speak of him to me.” Zemi attempted to keep her voice calm but it continued to rise as she spoke. “All of the members of the Brotherhood are cut from the same cloth. You’re all liars. You seduced Kai’s heart and body just so you could get the ring from her and once you have it, you’ll toss her aside as though she means nothing to you at all.”
“Listen, I don’t know what went down between you and Lucifer and to be honest, I don’t give a shit. But I can tell you that I care about Kai. All I want is for her to be safe and to get that ring off her hand so everyone will leave her alone. So you can go ahead and do whatever you want to me. Kill me. Draw and quarter me. I don’t give a shit.” Muscles straining, he yanked on the chains but barely felt the metal as it cut into his flesh. “Just get that ring off Kai’s finger and send her back to the mortal dimension safely. That’s all I want.”
“Is that so?” Zemi smirked and walked away from him toward the light of the window. With her back to him she continued speaking. “Am I supposed to believe that you, a member of the Brotherhood, would put a woman’s needs above your own?”
“Believe what you want, lady.” Blood dripped down his arms from the gashes along his wrists. “I love Kai and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to protect her.”
“Love? You love her?” Zemi spun around to face him. Eyes wild, she flew toward him, grabbed him by the chin and smashed his head against the stone. “Don’t you dare speak to me about love,” she seethed. Her face just inches from his, he saw silver tears glimmering in her eyes and her voice shook with emotion. “Demons know nothing of love or tenderness. You have no right to use a word when you have no comprehension of its meaning.”
Zemi’s hand fell away from his face as sterling tears fell over her cheeks. She backed away from him and into the beam of golden light that streamed into the room through the window.
“You shall be dark no more, demon.” A jingling, musical sound filled the space and as the sunlight consumed her, Zemi murmured, “The Prophecy has begun.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kai tried not to fidget with the green, silk and chiffon dress she chose but it was a far cry from her cut off jeans and sneakers. The silver trimmed concoction was beautiful but Kai felt like an escapee from a Renaissance fair or something. At least the silver slippers were comfortable and easy to walk in—or run in-- if the situation called for it.
Walking along the empty hallway with Kristine, Kai couldn’t stop thinking about what she had said. Zemi brought Kai here so she could kill Asmodeus? Not a chance. Aside from the fact that she wasn’t in favor of running around killing people, she also happened to be in love with the big brute.
I’m in love with a demon.
A smile played at her lips. Asmodeus may be a demon but he was the kindest, most thoughtful man she’d ever been involved with. Demon or not, she loved him. Kai clutched the spell book to her chest as she followed Kristine. There had to be something, some kind of spell or whammy, in this damn book that would help her and Asmodeus get out of this mess. She just needed the time to find one so she could figure out how to get back to her own dimension.
About a hundred more questions rattled through Kai’s head but when Kristine opened the door at the end of the hall, a
nd Kai caught a glimpse of the world outside, her mind went blank. She stood at the top of a set of marble steps and gaped at the stunningly gorgeous world before her. It was like something out of a storybook from her childhood and everything someone would expect from a fairy dimension.
The sky reminded her of a watercolor painting she’d seen once. It was rippling waves of lavender and purple as far as the eye could see. Aside from the two yellow suns, the swath of violet sky was marred only by the occasional dots of pink, tufted clouds. The trees and grass were green but everything was brighter and seemed more alive than at home. The sleek, paved streets were bustling with people who blinked in and out of the sunlight, going to and from God knows where.
All of that aside, it was the towering castle in the distance that truly took Kai’s breath away. Zemi’s castle looked like it was made of diamonds and a glittering prism of colors wavered around it, almost like a rainbow colored aura.
“I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore,” Kai murmured.
She watched a family stroll by on the sidewalk and when the pigtailed girl waved, Kai instinctively waved back. Yet, as beautiful as the world was, something seemed amiss and it took a moment for Kai to realize what it was. The people here didn’t have auras. Kai trotted down the steps, holding her skirt so she wouldn’t trip, she met Kristine who was standing at the bottom of the steps.
“No one here has an aura,” she said breathlessly.
“Well, we do but you can’t see them when we’re in our own dimension. Our auras are only visible in the mortal plane,” her grandmother said impatiently. “You can sight see later on but we have to keep moving.”
Kai nodded her understanding and went with Kristine, even though all she wanted to do was find Asmodeus, get out of this place and go home. She decided that her best tactic right now was to smile and just go along with it until she could figure out what to do next.
They walked toward the castle in silence and Kai glanced at Kristine from time to time but she continued to stare straight ahead. But as they got closer to the diamond like structure, the ring on Kai’s hand burned against her skin with a now familiar warning. She curled her hand into a fist and held the book closer to her chest as dread crawled up her back.
They approached a clear beam of sunlight that was streaking through the clouds. Without a word, Kristine grabbed Kai’s arm with her left hand and dipped her right hand in the beam of light. Kai held her breath, knowing what was next. The light flashed over them in a prickling flash and an instant later they were standing outside the towering gates of the castle.
“Whoa.” Kai wavered a little but managed to stay on her feet while the lightheadedness subsided. “That’s wild but how did you get it to work? I mean do you just stick your hand in a beam of sunlight? Then boom, you’re there.”
“Yes.” Kristine kept her sights on the gate as it swung open slowly.
“No magic words?”
“No,” Kristine laughed. “The power is in your mind, Kai. All you have to do is think of where you want to go and the light will take you there.”
“That’s not all that different from the witches’ magic. Isadora told me the same thing, she said my mind holds the power,” Kai said murmured. “But the witches use spells and potions.” She brushed her fingers over the cover of the spell book as some of the pieces started to come together. “The Fae don’t use spells. Fae magic, the Power of the Light, is just kind of there, inside of us. Wait a minute…. this spell book isn’t a Fae book. Is it?”
“Not exactly,” Kristine said quietly. She sliced a nervous glance in Kai’s direction. “Come on.”
“Wait.” Kai followed her through the gates. “But, if it’s not a Fae spell book…?”
“It belongs to the Custodians of the Light,” Kristine said firmly. “And the Custodians are Fae. That’s all you need to know.”
“Hang on.” Kai stopped walking and looked at the book in her hands. “Are the Fae somehow related to the Witches? Is that why the first Chosen One, had to be both Fae and Witch bloodlines?”
Kristine stopped dead in her tracks but kept her back to Kai and she didn’t miss the tension in her grandmother’s body language.
“Holy crap.” Kai closed the distance between them as she spoke, keeping her voice low. “The Fae and the witches….you guys are related aren’t you?”
“Shhh.” Kristine grabbed Kai by the arm and pulled her close. Keeping her voice down, she kept talking so no one else would hear. “Thousands of years ago, yes, Fae and Witch lived together as one people but then we divided over differing ideologies. Most Fae wanted to remain here, free from the constraints of the mortal world, but there were others who desired nothing more than to live among humans.”
“Holy shit,” Kai shouted louder than she expected. She clapped her hand over her mouth and looked around but luckily no one was in sight. “So you’re part of the same race?’
“We were until about a thousand years ago.” Kristine released Kai’s arm and a pained expression flickered across her face. “But living in the mortal realm, for any length of time, robs us of our light.”
“For how long?”
“After a few days, we begin to see the effects and within a month, our light disappears.”
“So about a thousand years ago, there were Fae who stayed on earth and lost their powers and then they became witches?”
“To put it simply, yes. They lost their light but they weren’t entirely powerless.” Kristine looked past Kai toward the gate where two guards were now standing by and watching. “Over time, they learned how to parlay their abilities into spells and potions.”
“Okay, fine.” Kai rolled her eyes. “So what’s the big deal? Why are you acting so secretive about it?”
“Because we don’t speak of it.” Kristine clasped her hands in front of her and squared her shoulders. “We live separately. That’s simply the way it is.”
“Why?”
“Because the rift between them has never been repaired.” Kristine lowered her voice. “The betrayal was too great.”
“Rift between who?” Kai asked. “The Fae and the Witches?”
“No.” Kristine’s mouth set in a grim line. “Between Zemi and her sister.”
“Kristine,” Kai asked in a barely audible voice. “Who’s her sister?” Silence hung between them and Kai thought she’d scream with frustration if Kristine didn’t just spit it out. “Who is it?”
“Willow,” Kristine said through a shuddering breath. “Willow is Zemi’s sister and they haven’t spoken in over a thousand years. In fact, none of us are permitted to have anything to do with the witches unless Zemi first approves it.
“Oh shit,” Kai breathed. “Except when you need to find some poor, unsuspecting, part-witch-human guy to have a baby with.” Kai shook her head and looked Kristine up and down. “You people are fucked up.”
Without another word, Kristine spun on her heels and waved to the guards. As the gates opened, Kai stayed close to Kristine but kept note of her surroundings. Her situation was getting more precarious by the second and Kai didn’t trust anyone-- except Asmodeus.
Every single aspect of the castle was made of diamond or crystal but the color changed as light hit it. The prism of colors made the building seem as though it was breathing or had a heartbeat or something. Enormous doors, that had to be two stories high and looked to be made of sapphires, swung open and two more armored guards jumped to attention as Kristine and Kai strolled past.
Holding the book against her chest, she flinched when the sound of the closing doors ricocheted through the cavernous entry hall. Kai let out a whistle as she surveyed the lush surroundings. The ceilings, the walls, everything, it was all made of the same crystal as the outside of the building. It was like being inside fishbowl made of diamonds and they were the fish.
Her slipper clad feet brushed along a bright, pink carpet. It stretched out in front of them and along various adjacent hallways but she and Kristine were heading towar
d another set of doors.
“I’m feeling more like Dorothy with every passing second.” Kai fiddled with the ring and stayed close to Kristine as a few different people walked past them. Each person smiled and nodded but nobody spoke. “What’s the deal, grandma? Where’s the great and powerful Oz?
Kristine cast her a doubtful look but before she could answer, they were interrupted by one of the most unusual looking men Kai had ever seen. Standing in front of the arched doorway, he was dressed in a gold doorman’s uniform. He looked to be almost seven feet tall, was rail thin and had the darkest skin of any person she’d every laid eyes on.
“Welcome, ladies,” he said in a deep baritone. Giving them a wide smile, he bowed deeply and kissed both of their hands in the true fashion of a gentleman. Even given how tall he was, his most striking feature were his bright, blue eyes that sparkled with humor and intelligence. “Lovely to see you again, Kristine.”
“Murdoch, it’s always a pleasure to see you.” Kristine curtsied and gestured to Kai. “This is my granddaughter.”
“Kai Kelly,” Murdoch said with a wink. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you, young lady. The queen is thrilled about your arrival and we have spent the past several hours setting up for tonight’s event. And of course, we have your guest quarters within the palace prepared for you as well.”
“Guest quarters?” Kai flicked a wary glance to Kristine. “But I thought I was staying with my grand—with Kristine—at her house.”
“That wasn’t my house. It was our equivalent of a hospital, Kai.” Kristine gave her a tight smile. “We had to assure that your transition into our realm would be safe for everyone. Not all Halflings survive in our dimension and given the power of the ring…well…we had to be sure that…”
“The queen was safe,” Kai said quietly. She studied Kristine closely. “So, you brought me to your world even though there was a chance I might die? Is there anything else you’d like to spring on me, lady?”