by H. D. Gordon
Now it was Surah’s turn to smirk, and any doubt the girl may have had about Surah’s ability to carry out the tasks ahead of her was washed away when she saw the look that came into the Sorceress Queen’s eyes.
“Sweet child,” Surah told her. “I’ll take her wings, and once I’ve done that, I’ll take her head… as well as that of anyone who should stand in my way.”
CHAPTER 22
SURAH
Surah and Charlie thanked Aria before taking their leave. Night was beginning to fall, the light of the day fading from the sky as the shadows crept in to take its place.
“You’re welcome to stay here to work out your plans,” Aria said. “There’s only the one bed, but the coach isn’t so bad.”
Surah smiled at the girl, then surprised them both by pulling her into a hug. After a brief hesitation, Aria returned the embrace. “As long as we’re here, you’re in danger,” Surah said. “I’d rather not take the chance.”
Aria nodded, though she seemed disappointed by this. It was the slight drop of her shoulders that spoke of how lonely the poor girl must truly be. But hanging out with Charlie and Surah was about the most reckless thing one could do right now. The Fae Queen might not know where they were, but a Dark Lord was a different story. It might take a little while, but sooner or later, he would find them. Which was why Surah intended to save him the trouble and visit him first.
“You should take a walk along the boardwalk before you go,” Aria suggested, folding herself up on the couch and opening her laptop with a drudgery all school kids of every race exhibit time to time. “Even the human world can be really beautiful, and the ocean somehow always helps me think.”
Surah smiled at this, a real smile, despite the fact that the longer she had direct possession of the Black Stone, the darker her mood became, like the shadow of the moon slipping in front of the Earth, blackening the entire world below.
“Maybe we will,” she said, casting a Spell that made her cloak appear to be just a gray t-shirt and jeans, which would undoubtedly fit better in the human world.
She and Charlie left after that, walking out of the small apartment complex near the slightly smelly back bay of this small coastal town, rather than teleporting to another destination. Surah had never bothered to visit any of the oceans in the human world, and it seemed as good a place as any to have the words with Charlie that they both knew needed to be had.
Per Aria’s directions, they followed the sidewalk in the direction of the oceans, the waves of which Surah could hear in the close distance, the squawk of the strange seabirds flying overhead a gentle soundtrack to the scene.
The little seaside town the Halfling girl lived in was much like many of those along the eastern seaboard of what was called the United States of America. The homes here were both large and small, the yards clearly maintained by professionals, the medians decorated with fountains and trees that were just beginning to bloom with the new season. Cars drove slowly and lazily down the streets, their exhausts pumping out pollutants, the effects of which were beginning to show even on Surah’s separate side of the world. Overhead, the sky was painted a soft pink that truly was magical, despite the apparent lack of Magic in this realm. The setting sun was a fiery orange ball and sank into the endless, dark ocean as if being swallowed bit by bit
“Such a strange world this is,” Charlie said, almost as if to himself. They had reached the ramp that led up to the boardwalk, which flanked the ocean with its white, ever-rolling waves. The saltiness of the air was somehow pleasant, somehow soothing to the mind.
As Surah took in the sights from the top of the boards, she saw that Aria had been right; staring out into that vast ocean, walking alongside it as it danced its endless dance, was as close to Magic as anything could truly come. She realized with a small jolt of surprise that this world was not so different from her own, and neither were the humans that called it home, as much as she would deny this if asked. There was Magic all around them, the only difference was, here, they called it nature, they called it science.
Glancing over at Charlie, she got the feeling he was thinking the exact same thing. And the both of them were avoiding the real issues at hand. They walked on a little longer in silence, passing by an older couple on a double bike that offered smiles as simple and as lovely as the colors of the setting sun that were painting the sky.
“It’s funny,” Surah said, “All the races fought so hard over the Territories… We’re still apparently fighting over them, but we left one of the greatest realms, the greatest Territories all to the humans… and what do they do with it? They drive machines that stink up the air, fill their fearsome oceans with plastic and trashes, dig up their ground to fill it with more.”
There was a sense of something foreboding to what Surah was saying, an air of prophecy that was too terrifying to consider in its implications.
Charlie took her hand, pulling her to a stop, forcing her to look at him. His brilliant eyes stared at her, his strong form silhouetting the rolling waters behind him that seemed to carry on ceaselessly to the ends of the earth. “Surah,” he began, “I—”
She shook her head, cutting him off. “Just tell me you’re sorry, Charlie,” she said, in a voice that was so unguarded, so vulnerable that it sounded foreign to her own ears. “Just tell me you never meant to hurt me, that if you could go back to that day, and be at the castle gates to open them for my mother and sister, you would.” She paused, because there was moisture gaining behind her eyes, and there was no time for tears. “Just tell me I’m not a fool for loving you, despite it being the absolute craziest thing a woman in my position could do.”
Charlie pulled her to him now, his arms going around her waist and settling there as if that was the very purpose for which they’d been created. She leaned into his embrace, wishing she had the power to stop time, to freeze this moment, this moment just before the Scales of Balance tipped in whatever direction they were destined to tip.
But that was thing about time; all the Magic in all the worlds could not stop it.
Charlie held her close, looking as deeply into her eyes as she would swear anyone would ever look. When he spoke, his deep, slightly accented voice was as sincere as a man’s could be.
“I’m sorry, Surah. I’m sorry for not bein’ there that day for your mother and sister, and I’m sorry that you hurt because of me… I’d die a thousands times, spend a thousand years back in that prison if it meant your happiness.”
Reaching up, he ran a thumb over her cheek, as if swiping away an invisible tear, or convincing himself that she was real. “I can’t tell you that lovin’ me doesn’t make you a fool,” he said, “but I can tell you that hearin’ you say that has made me the happiest man in all the realms, no matter what happens next. And I ain’t got no regrets as far as that goes. None at all.”
She was not aware of it, but her arms had tightened around him, her hands clutching tightly at the fabric of his shirt as if at any moment he could be ripped away. And, in truth, she supposed that was so.
“But it’s like Aria said, Charlie… To be together, we’d have to rearrange the stars.” Her voice lowered now, her words nearly lost in the gentle sea wind. “Aren’t you afraid?” she asked. “Because I am. I think I’m more afraid than I’ve ever been in my entire life.”
Charlie held her tight, his breathing steady and deep, the strong pace of his heart beating under her fingers. “Of course I am,” he said. “I ain’t never had somethin’ so worth livin’ for… Hell, part of me was just terrified you hated me, and that was worse than anything Black Heart could’ve done to me.”
Surah did not miss that for the first time she could recall, Charlie had referred to his brother as Black Heart, rather than Michael, but somehow it seemed poor taste to mention it. It would’ve spoiled the moment, and Surah had lived long enough to know that these types of moments did not come along often.
She found she had to swallow twice before she could speak, and that the words wer
e harder to spit out than perhaps any she had ever spoken. “So then tell me you love me, Charlie,” she whispered. “Tell me you love me and you’ll do whatever it takes to help me untangle the stars that have crossed themselves against us.” She held his green gaze with her violet eyes. “Whatever it takes.”
They both knew what she was really asking; the exact question need not be spoken. She hated to ask it of him, but before she let this thing get on any further, she had to know.
She had to know that if it came down to it, Charlie would choose her over his brother, because Black Heart was beyond saving now, and they both knew it.
Surah found she could not breathe in the small space between her question and his answer, and despite it being exactly what she’d hoped it’d be, it still made her slowly freezing heart ache in her chest.
“I love you, Surah Stormsong,” Charlie told her. “More than the moon loves the night and the sun loves the day, and I’ll take on the stars with you. I’ll realign them in our favor, or I’ll die trying. Of that, you can rest assured.”
CHAPTER 23
SURAH
Rather than risk returning to their world, Surah and Charlie agreed that finding a hotel here in the human world to prepare themselves for their next steps was the safest option. They passed by several quaint and charming bed and breakfast places dotting the seaside, and Surah chose one where the units looked like tiny log cabins built beside the sea.
Charlie commented that they reminded him of home, and Surah smiled at this. It reminded her of his home as well, which was why she’d chosen it. Using some Magic, she’d conjured some of what passed for money in this world and went into the office—which was an even smaller cottage unit in the center of the others. After securing them a room, she left the office, the small bell on the door chiming above her head, and her stomach tightened as she caught sight of Charlie, still standing on the boardwalk that flanked the charming, if out of place, cabins.
This would be the first time she’d been alone in a bedroom with him since, well, the last time she’d been alone in a bedroom with him. Suddenly, her heartbeat picked up in pace as she felt as nervous as a schoolgirl on her first date. She wondered offhandedly if this man would ever stop making her feel this way, and simultaneously hoped the answer was no while fearing the possibility that it was yes.
She climbed the wooden ramp that led back up to the boards, and said nothing as she stepped up beside Charlie. For a moment, the two of them only stared out at the vast ocean in this strange world. Gulls cried overhead and the dark, churning waters danced their endless dance. It was easy to feel small standing here, no matter how big the problems resting on one’s shoulders. Surah could see why the Halfling girl loved it so.
After some time had passed, Surah took her lover’s hand in hers and led him toward the cabin she’d secured for them. He followed her with a certainty she’d only ever seen in the eyes of her tiger, and the pace of her pulse kicked up to a near hum.
Neither of them said a word as she stuck the key she’d been given in their cabin door, turning it in the lock and pushing it open, sunlight spilling into the dark interior of the cabin in a bright rectangle. Surah wondered if Charlie’s heart was beating as loudly in his chest as her heart was beating in hers. She was not aware of it, but the answer was yes.
The interior of the cabin was cozy and clean, the smell of the salty sea air lingering between the dark log walls. It was one room with a bed, a small kitchen separated by a half wall with an open top, and a sliding glass door that led out to a little porch with views of the ocean where two rocking chairs rocked gently in the wind. There was an outdoor shower, and a door that led to a tiny bathroom with a sink and a toilet. In other words, it was about as intimate a setting Surah had ever seen. Or maybe she was just that nervous. Which really was quite absurd for a woman of her years.
Then again, when had things not been absurd since she started this whole thing with Charlie?
Charlie was watching her, his handsome face expressionless as he shut the door to the cabin behind him and wandered a bit through the room. His green eyes seemed to pin her where she stood, and she had the feeling he was well aware of this.
“You look like you’re afraid I’m gonna attack you,” he said.
Actually, she thought, you should be more afraid that I’m gonna attack you. She swallowed away the thought and said, “Don’t be ridiculous,” in as queenly a manner as she could manage.
Charlie studied her for a moment before going to the sliding door in the east side of the cabin and pushing it open. He gave his head a little nod. “Come out and sit with me,” he said. “Let’s talk.”
Surah felt both relieved and disappointed. Following his instruction, she stepped out into the cool and pleasant evening air, seating herself in the rocking chair beside his. They listened to the soundtrack of the world for a moment.
Then Charlie said, “What’s next, Surah?”
Surah released a deep breath, staring out at the sea. “Next, I visit the Underworlds. There’s a certain Dark Lord that needs to be paid a visit.”
Charlie nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to do that. You should be safe here. I doubt anyone suspects us to be in the human world.”
“That’s neither here nor there. If you’re going to the Underworlds, I’m coming with you.”
Surah nodded at this, silently grateful that he didn’t want to leave her to do this alone. “Alright,” she said. “But I’ll have to use the Black Stone to protect us. It’s the only thing that’s powerful enough. It’ll take me a few hours to prepare the Spell.” She cleared her throat. “Which is why we needed the cabin.”
A small smile was tugging at the corner of Charlie’s lips. Surah wondered if he realized how attractive he was when he did this. “That the only reason we needed the cabin, my queen?” he asked.
Surah kept her gaze on the waters before her, but a tiny grin was pulling at her lips as well. “Among other reasons, Mr. Redmine,” she said.
This made him chuckle, and already the mood between them was lighter, despite the heaviness that always seemed to be hanging over their heads. “What are we tryin’ to accomplish, goin’ down to the Underworlds?” he asked. “What’s the best case scenario here? I don’t got much experience with Dark Lords.”
This was a question that was hard to answer, because Surah wasn’t sure there was anything to be accomplished. In fact, if she was being honest, odds were that visiting this particular Dark Lord would only make matters worse. Dagon was not known for being a reasonable Dark Lord, and his history with her family was surely the reason he’d thrown his hand in with the Fae Queen and Black Heart. But Surah’s late father had always insisted that a good leader tried every manner of diplomacy before subjecting his or her people to a war, where surely the losses would be even greater than those already had.
And if that failed, there was always the backup plan: Kill anyone who posed a threat, be it Fae, Sorcerer, Demon or Dark Lord. Kill them all.
“Honestly,” she said, turning to face Charlie, “I don’t know what I hope to accomplish. Dagon is not one who usually sees reason… but if there’s any chance, any chance at all, that all-out war can be avoided, I have to give it a shot.”
“Spoken like a true queen,” Charlie said.
Rather abruptly, Surah stood, the chair rocking gently with her motion. She slid open the glass doors and paused in the doorway, looking over her shoulder at the man she loved, the man she’d risked everything for.
“Come inside, Charlie,” she said. “We’ve got other business to attend to.”
Charlie stood and followed without a word, closing the sliding door behind him and drawing the curtain that accompanied it.
CHAPTER 24
SURAH
Despite the boldness with which she’d just spoken, Surah found that her hands were shaking slightly, her breathing growing a touch uneven. She knew what was coming next, and somehow the prospect of being a
lone with Charlie Redmine was even more intimidating than going to the Underworlds to visit a Dark Lord.
She let the Magic Spell that was disguising her real clothing drop, her long cloak and otherworldly attire becoming visible once more. Charlie stood as still as a statue, his brilliant green eyes watching her the way a lion observes a gazelle. Surah wouldn’t have thought it possible, but her heart kicked up in pace further still.
Violet eyes locked on him, she unclasped the front of her cloak, and with a flick of her fingers it lifted from her shoulders and folded itself into a neat square, settling down on the dresser pushed into the corner of the small room.
Slowly, she unzipped her black boots and set them aside. Charlie continued to watch her, his chest rising and falling as his gaze traveled up and down her and back again. Her full lips lifted in a smile, her palms a bit moist at the prospect of sliding over his skin. She was well aware that the world of their kind hung in the balance, that some terrible people were after them, that death was waiting around the bend, and only time would tell exactly who it was waiting for. Somehow, this only drove home the fact that she needed this. They needed this. Charlie and her needed to steal this time that was ever working against them and just be together. Because he knew as well as she that this could be the last, the light of their love as brilliant and as short-lived as that of a shooting star, gracing the skies with its beauty for only a few stolen breaths.
Charlie came forward now, slowly. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his large shoulders tight with tension, only stopping when he was within inches of her, when she could smell his clean, masculine scent mingling with the salty air.
Silence hung between them, the only sound that of Surah’s heart beating in her ears, of the ticking clock in her mind. His hand came up and rested on her cheek, and she leaned into his touch, her violet eyes squeezing tight, trying to commit to memory the sensation of his skin against hers.