by Conn, Claudy
Deimne came in for his landing right beside her and fleetingly she realized he looked ragged as he took her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.
For the moment she was stunned. She was numb and unable to form a clear thought other than the fact that Pestale had Trevor. She found herself saying the words out loud as she tried to establish her next step in her mind.
Deimne drew in his wings and his expression was grim as he said, “I am humiliated to say that Pestale caught us by surprise. Of all the possibilities, we had not expected the Gorka. I have no idea how he retrieved the beast or how he got hold of the Gold Wiele with which he trapped Trevor.”
“The Gold Wiele,” Jazz said parrot like and then snapped herself together and said, “Right. The Gold Net.” She dove into her Fios and then into her Fae encyclopedia and retrieved all that she knew about the Fae artifact.
“Jazmine, I have tried to contact Queen Mab with our mind link, but can’t seem to get through. Something is terribly wrong. I can’t get through to Queen Aaibhe or Prince Breslyn.”
Jazz waved this off impatiently. “Banzar somehow got a hold of the Royal Scepter. He used it to send the Queen off and your Queen, Bres and Danté have all gone off to wherever she is being held to save her. For the moment, we are on our own!”
She made up her mind.
She didn’t have a choice. She knew she was walking right into the devil’s den, but she could think of no other way to handle this. She was going to shift into Morrigu’s Castle and find Trevor.
Radzia, who had remained quiet during this time, put out her hand and caught Jazz by her forearm. “Wait. I have had experience with the Wiele. Jazzy girl they say that it takes two Royals to break the spell that holds the netting around him. If you can mind link with Trev, send him the message that while Pestale has some control over the Wiele, he doesn’t have full control. In addition to that I was taught a trick by Rollo.”
“Who is Rollo?” Jazz asked puzzled.
“Never mind. You’ll meet my little artifact buddy soon enough. Here is the thing; our Seelie artifacts won’t completely respond to Pestale. His is still Unseelie . The trick I learned was if the Gold Net doesn’t completely surround him, Trevor can shift into the ground beneath himself and come up no longer trapped by it. The Wiele holds him to the ground, but that is it. However, if they have wrapped him up in it then you are going to have to break the spell.” She grinned. “I am going now to retrieve Rolo from MacDaun, my home which he guards in my absence. I think we might be able to use his particular skills.”
“You speak as though the artifact is alive and male,” Jazz said.
Z laughed, “He is both.” She turned and said, “Before I go, can you mind link with Trev?”
“No, I have tried and tried,” Jazz whined.
Radzia chewed her bottom lip. “That’s him I’ll bet. He doesn’t want you to come for him. He won’t put you in danger and he is right. You can’t go in there without backup.”
Deimne frowned and looked grim. “My warriors have just sent me a message. Pestale has allowed his shifter castes into Inverness. Nuad is calling on the Milesians and Daoine for help. They are attacking the city in hordes.” He eyed Jazz. “I must go…”
“Of course you must.” Jazz shook her head. “Z get your Rollo and do what you have to do. Me—I have to do what I have to do and that is to get to my mate.”
Z nodded solemnly. “I understand.” And she was gone, as was Deimne.
Jazz turned her attention back to Pestale’s Castle and closed her eyes, attempting to get a Fae sense of how it was laid out. She knew that Pestale would have a trap laid out for her. What he didn’t know was that in addition to being a Fios and a Fae, she was a free thinking woman who is unstoppable.
Jazz did the only thing she could do. She shifted right into the very bowels of Pestale’s castle and stood as she contemplated her surroundings. Somewhere near she could feel Trevor. Then she heard Pestale and hurriedly hid within the walls of the dungeon making herself one with the stone. Only another Seelie would be able to detect her. It was a Seelie trick. How she knew it, she couldn’t guess. It was as though her Fae had taken over, like instinct to protect and shield her from harm. And she listened…
~*~
Trevor studied his surroundings through the bleak darkness. The dungeon walls and flooring were made of stone. It was damp and it was cold.
Gold netting had him in a vise and he was momentarily unable to find a solution as he sat on his butt and leaned back against the cold stone wall.
Something his brother had once told him sent whispered and fleeting images into his mind. Something about Radzia and Rollo, but the images were wisps both frayed and obscure. He couldn’t quite recollect just what it was he was trying to recall.
Pestale’s voice arrived before he saw him and then the Dark One loomed victorious and began a taunt. “Well, well Seelie. You are in a fix and I am guessing that you are wondering why I haven’t put my Death Sword through you yet? Are you wondering?”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass, do what you have to do,” Trevor said in a show of strength.
“Brave Seelie, it won’t do you any good. You are here and alive, because I am waiting for the right moment to kill you and it won’t be till Jazmine Decker arrives. Then I mean to lay her down on this cold floor and ram myself into her over and over as she cries for more.”
“Damn you to Bloody Hell, Pestale! I will kill you! You won’t survive today’s work!”
Pestale laughed. “I do believe she will be here soon. She knows now that I have you and she will rush in to save her lover. She won’t be able to help herself. She won’t know what hit her when I grab her and lay her down and spread those pretty legs…”
“Shut your filthy mouth you whoring pig! You lowlife creature! You abomination!”
Pestale went very still as the words rankled. “This abomination,” he said calmly and coldly, “will have the last word and the last laugh. When I am done with her, I will kill her slowly and then I will release you from your eternal life and you can join her.”
“It won’t happen,” Trevor shouted. Pestale’s threat made him tremble inside. He had never been truly afraid before. He was now horrified and frightened to the very core of his being.
“Ah, but it will happen. I feel her essence near; I can smell her delicious scent. She knows you are my prisoner and believes she can outwit me.” He laughed then and it was an ugly sound that echoed through the dungeon halls.
Trevor could feel the Dark Fae was exultant. So evil that he would never feel remorse. There could be no negotiating with him.
Trevor struggled violently against his constraints and Pestale’s laughter lingered as he shifted away.
All at once Trevor went still.
He could feel his beloved probing at his mind. She wanted in, but if he allowed her to mind link she would know exactly where he was and fall right into Pestale’s hands. However, he knew that she would go blindly through the castle until she found him. Either way she was in trouble.
“I am here, Jazmine Decker, but this is a trap. He is looking to take you prisoner by using me. Don’t be the one to come…don’t throw yourself into his trap,” he whispered into her mind.
He heard and felt her anguish and then he heard something in the tone of her voice that made him go rigid with fear. “Trev, I know what to do and I am coming fully prepared. I know how to free you.”
The next thing he knew she was there leaning over him whispering into his ear. Pestale was right behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
AAIBHE FELT THE sticky membrane walls as she was sent hurtling through the portal tunnel. She was caught up in a whirlwind and unable to stop the force taking her catapulting through space.
All at once it stopped. The atmosphere changed and she felt gentle, tiny hands stroke her arms. She heard the purring and saw the twinkling little Pixies as they fluttered all around her head saying her name over and over. “Queen Aa
ibhe, Queen Aaibhe.”
The Queen closed her eyes with sudden resignation. She was in the Pixie Realm.
Pixie magic was very unlike Fae magic.
She had learned early on, that one should never underestimate a Pixie because of its size. They were shape shifters and could take on any size and any form at will. Some were better at it than others, but few ever left their dimension.
However, she assumed they meant her no harm.
Somehow Banzar had learned of the Scepter’s power to send her to the Pixies. The Scepter had been designed to do this to save her from an immediate threat and only as a last resort.
She now thought that she was in quite a bit of trouble. The Pixies would take their job very seriously and they would not easily allow her to leave.
She felt herself pulled along by Pixie magic and forced to sit on a settee they had prepared for her comfort. Cushions were thrown all around her as they chatted away. She looked up and saw that they had situated her under a Sacred Oak where their magic would always be strongest.
She was surrounded by Pixies.
They were everywhere saying her name in awe as they fluttered about and giggled. All the while they were whispering and flying about with excitement. They were honored to have her there after so many eons had passed. They had been waiting for their opportunity to protect a Seelie Queen. They had been willing participants in the original contract that Queen Mab had enacted all those thousands of years ago.
The Scepter had sent her to the Pixie Kingdom and she knew that the stubborn, yet powerful shape shifters would not release her without considerable convincing.
The Scepter had been designed to do this when a Queen was in mortal danger. The Pixies would protect her with their own special brand of magic. It was common knowledge that only the very few could enter their world.
Queen Mab herself had infused the Scepter with this quality after Bridget’s death.
With a heavy sigh Aaibhe raised her hand and said, “My darlings, you must return me to my Palace at once. We have a traitor amongst us there and I am needed.”
A group of ten females and males fluttered before her face and gravely shook their heads. One sparkling little pretty spoke, “No, my Queen, you must remain here while your warriors secure your land.”
“You don’t understand…Banzar has the Scepter. He sent me here against my will.”
A great deal of buzzing went on between the leading Pixies fluttering before her when only one who was obviously the Queen of the Pixies, stepped forward and shifted into a larger form.
“We are pleased that the Scepter worked after all these years. We are honor bound to protect and care for you until your Isle of Tir is secured against invasion from the Dark Ones. We know that the Human Realm is under attack by these monsters from the Dark Realm and we have had a worried eye towards Tir as well. You must remain safely here while your warriors defeat the devils.”
“Yes, but I am needed…”
“Queen Mab herself instructed us what to do when one or two of you are in danger. Your Royals will secure Tir with the help of Mab.”
Aaibhe had to think. She had to prove to them that Tir could not be secured without her. In truth, it could not.
~*~
Deimne hovered overhead, his brilliant eyes filled with the horror of what he was witnessing below in his beloved human city of Inverness.
They stepped out of the Portal that Pestale had installed--hideous creatures!
Some were giant insects with pinchers, others reptilian. All were monsters. They swarmed the busy streets near the Inverness River.
Then the shifters arrived.
Grotesque abominations. The Dark King had taken the DNA of lovely Danu creatures and without the Wheel of Being, had been forced to experiment. The results of those experiments were voraciously hungry, mindless abominations with but one purpose—to feed!
He witnessed people pointing, but this time the sirens of their police could be heard racing through the streets. This time they were armed with iron bullets in their guns. This time, Deimne saw with great enthusiasm that the humans were able to stand and fight. There were so many Unseelie.
Deimne swooped down and began slashing at the abominations with his Death Sword as his mind felt a wave of shame. These monsters should have been contained.
The Human Realm was under attack because his race had not repaired the problem.
He felt his daughter’s probe suddenly and reassured her that he was well. She sounded doubtful.
Then he heard her gasp of horror.
She had seen through his eyes. She had seen all the destruction. He wanted to spare her so he closed off the mind link.
Their numbers were great, but he, the Daoine, the Seelie Fae and Milesian Warriors had ability and training on their side. Still they were unable to stop the monsters that plowed through in waves as they grabbed for and ate people unable to escape.
Then Deimne snarled as he felt renewed vigor, enhanced with determination. He watched a group of men surround their women and children and take a stand to fight the attacking throng of monsters; they held iron bars up ready to strike.
He saw that they knew they might die, but to a male they were willing to take a stand and do what they could to save their loved ones.
He rushed in to protect and aid them.
Such beings must survive!
Chapter Twenty-Three
THE HUMAN IN her, made the decision before the Fae in her could react. Jazz stepped in front of Trevor. She lowered her shoulder and maneuvered so that Pestale faced her with his back to Trevor.
The Fios in her wanted to Slam him immediately, but the Fae kept her in check.
Timing was everything.
“Have you asked yourself Pestale, just why you are wasting time with us? Why bother? Because I can Slam your monsters? So what,” Jazz said stalling for time.
Pestale grabbed her arms and held them behind her back as he planted her firmly against his body. He sneered and directed his comment to Trevor saying, “Are you watching Seelie? Do you see her looking up and into my eyes--my eyes not yours.” He ran his hand up her leather pants and grabbed her butt. “Oh, but she feels so good.”
She had Pestale’s full attention and smiled a wicked smile that immediately made him look back and around.
Trevor was gone!
Jazz had whispered Z’s advice in his ear a moment earlier and as Trevor reappeared with the Wiele in hand, Jazz’s overworked heart stopped. She had to believe they could do this.
However, Pestale was too quick for them. He surmised the situation at once and reacted, shifting off before Trevor was able to get the Gold Net over him.
“Trevor, we have to get to Inverness. They are outnumbered and overwhelmed,” Jazz said as Trevor pulled her in and held her. She felt his need. She was full of need herself, but she knew they had to help the people in Inverness.
“Right,” he said at once. “To Inverness,” he said softly and they shifted.
~*~
Pestale roared with frustration as then wildly looked around. He went into the tunnel and healed the wounds the Gorka had received at the hands of the Sluagh as he told the beast,. “We are for Inverness.”
The beast didn’t move even though Pestale had unchained it. Pestale raised his pendant high and the huge creature got to its feet as it bellowed with fury. Pestale shifted them, calling for Hordly to join him.
It was now all or nothing. He would have to take one final all encompassing, and overwhelming stand.
He had the monoliths in place; they hovered above the Inverness River as he chanted the spell to bring forth his most lethal Unseelie out of the Dark Realm.
And they came in hordes.
Drooling, grunting, starving, with so many eyes popping with ravenous need. They slithered, jumped, and hopped over one another in their scramble to be free and fed.
Pestale watched the sky for the Gorka.
It flew in and terrorized the humans runnin
g en masse as it made a sweeping flyby and scorched the streets of the city with its deadly blue flames. It had never fed on humans before, but as it swooped down, its tongue slapped and slid around a woman running for cover. It seemed to enjoy its meal and looked for more.
Chaos. He had created this. He alone would bring order and rule. He, Pestale, would rule the Universe.
~*~
The Pixies had never been able to resist Prince Breslyn.
They fawned over him and flitted about his handsome face. As they flirted with him all the while, Danté rolled his eyes which only made them giggle and turn to flirt with him as well.
Breslyn whispered softly, “My beauties, I have great news.”
Pixies loved news and they tittered happily as they awaited his announcement. He looked at them and smiled broadly. “You know that I am mated to Princess Ete?”
A few of them sighed.
He grinned. “My news is that we are expecting…a baby.”
This sent them off into a flurry of movement and laughter. A baby was indeed a great thing. They too had a difficult time conceiving. Immortality affected their ability to bear children just as it did the Fae.
At length, he gained their consent to release the Queen as he made an excellent argument for her release.
One of their seers arrived just as they made ready to shift off and advised them that they had to hurry to Inverness which was under attack by more Unseelie than ever thought possible.
Grimly, Breslyn, and Danté escorted their Queen, taking her high above to the roof of one of the taller buildings in the heart of the city, well above the horrendous fray.
Aaibhe gasped at what she witnessed.
~*~
Jazz watched Deimne take to the air, but even as he swiped at the Gorka it blew its blue flame in his direction. She gasped as she watched, worried about Frankie’s father. A slimy reptilian Unseelie, who dared to poke her was taken by its slippery neck and thrown onto the ground before she drove her sword home. She was sprayed with black goo as it went all over her body and face.