by Amy Sumida
Chapter Five
We contacted the Human Council and they immediately booked a flight for us on one of their private planes. I guess we'd made the right decision in keeping Aideen alive. They knew nothing of her death warrant and would not have approved it without more proof of her crimes. They also agreed with me that the whole matter was suspicious.
Aideen sat on my twin sized bed in my spartan room and watched me as I packed a bag with some clothes and essentials for the trip. She was very still, her hands clasped in her lap, but those large eyes followed my every move, like Dian Fossey studying her gorillas. It made me want to pound my chest and roar at her.
“What is it?” I finally asked.
“Have you any fey blood in you?” She appeared nonchalant, letting her gaze wander over the bare, white walls; the arsenal of bladed weapons displayed on my dresser; the chipped bedside lamp placed precariously on a cardboard box; the stack of worn paperbacks leaning against the foot of the bed; and then finally, myself.
“No, of course not,” I huffed a laugh as I waved my hand at the weapons, using apportation to roll them up in their fabric holder. “You should know better than to ask that. I'm an Extinguisher.”
“Yes, I know what that means but still...” she frowned and looked me over again. “The way Lord Tiernan reacted to you was odd.”
“I've stopped wondering why fairies do the things they do,” I shrugged but my heart was racing. It had been odd but what was even odder was that vision of mine. It had felt... no, that wasn't possible, I could never be intimate with a fairy. Not because of my issues with my mother but simply because I was an Extinguisher.
“There's always a reason behind a fairy's behavior,” she pulled a pair of my jeans out of my bag and rubbed her hand over idly the material. “Especially when that fairy is a member of the peerage.”
“He's a royal?” I stopped and blinked at her.
The title of lord meant so many things in fey culture. You called everyone from a Baron up to a Marquess, My Lord before it jumped up to Your Grace for a Duke, Your Highness for a Prince and then of course, Your Majesty for a King. Lord of the Wild Hunt simply meant that Tiernan was the equivalent of a General, not that he was in charge of the entire organization. On top of that, fey royals rarely joined the Wild Hunt, they were too busy gliding about with self-importance, doing whatever nonsense it is that royal fairies do. So Tiernan being a peer was very surprising.
“Yes, he was a royal of the Seelie Court,” she sounded hesitant and a little sad.
“Was?”
“Did you noticed his scar? It's that thin silver line on his cheek,” she was back to staring at me again.
“Yeah, I saw it,” I turned and grabbed some underwear out of a drawer while I apportated the weapon roll into my bag. “So what?”
“So, you know how superficial the seelie can be,” she reached out and stroked a hand over my long black braid. “He's a bit of an embarrassment to his family. Most believe that's why he joined the Wild Hunt but whatever his reason was, he's proven to be quite good at his job and has advanced rapidly through the ranks.”
“So his peerage didn't warrant him an immediate advancement?” I frowned and went on before she could answer. “Wait, you're saying his family is embarrassed of him because he has that little scar?”
“Yes,” she ran a fingertip over the delicate, diamond, star pendant at my throat. “This is beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, touching it automatically as I pulled away from her. “It was a gift from my mother.”
“Your mother?” Her eyes widened. “Do you wear it all the time?”
“Yeah, she asked me to,” I shrugged. “Plus, it reminds me of her. It's the only piece of jewelry I wear.”
“What about earrings,” Aideen waved a hand towards my pierced ears.
“I used to wear studs occasionally but then I just took them out one day and never put them back in. I figured it was better to not wear anything that could be ripped out in a fight,” I narrowed my eyes on her. “Why are you so interested in my jewelry?”
“Just curious,” she smiled, her eyes going even wider. “Do you ever wear anything besides these thick human trousers?” She put the jeans back in my bag, folded into a perfect square.
“Sure,” I shrugged. “Sometimes I wear shorts or yoga pants.”
“Yoga pants?” She looked horrified. “You're going before the Human Council garbed as a yogi?”
“No,” I laughed. “I have a little black dress for that.” I pulled my only dress out of the closet to show her.
“Oh, thank Danu,” she heaved a sigh. “That should do nicely... and for your feet?”
“Shoes,” I rolled my eyes and handed her a pair of sturdy black heels.”
“What are these?” She was aghast. “No, no, no, sweet, lovely, Seren. You should not wear these. Not ever. I understand that you must wear solid boots when you work but a beautiful woman should never wear shoes like these unless she's forced to,” Aideen tossed the shoes up into the air and when they came down, they were a pair of sexy, strappy, stiletto pumps.
“What the hell?” I apportated my shoes away from her. They flew straight to me and I caught them, then looked them over with irritation . “I'll break my ankles if I wear these.”
“You'll be fine,” Aideen huffed. “Didn't your mother ever teach you how to dress?”
“We're not going to talk about my mother,” I growled as I tossed the dangerous shoes into my bag.
“Oh,” her face fell. “I apologize if I said something impolite.”
“My mother was killed by pukas,” I went into the little bathroom which was connected to my bedroom, so I could grab my face wash and toothbrush... and have a moment alone to compose myself.
“Oh, I'm very sorry,” she whispered when I came back out. “Is that why your father is so... angry?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “We 're both angry.”
“Pukas,” she frowned. “Did they find the beasts' master?”
“What?” I froze, my toiletries halfway into my bag.
“Pukas never attack unless ordered to do so,” her frown shifted into a confused expression. “How do you not know this?”
“No one's ever told me,” I whispered. “I'm sure my father is unaware too or...”
“He'd be hunting the fairy responsible?” She offered.
“You're saying that my mother was murdered?” I asked in a quiet voice.
“It's a strong possibility,” she went still, as if finally sensing the magnitude of what she'd so offhandedly revealed.
“But,” I sat heavily on the bed. “Who? Why? My mother was well loved by all who knew her. There was a huge outcry over her death. Those pukas were all hunted down and killed.”
“Poor beasts,” she whispered sadly and shook her head.
“Poor beasts?” I asked, aghast.
“They were merely the weapon, Seren,” she said softly. “They knew not what they did. Would you destroy a sword if it had been used to kill her? Or would you go after the hand who held it?”
“Perhaps they were only a weapon,” I felt my face harden. “But they sure did seem to enjoy their job.”
“All beasts enjoy blood,” she shrugged. “It's their nature and one cannot fault them for it.”
“But I can fault whomever was behind it,” I set my stare on her. “And I can enjoy their blood.”
“Yes,” she swallowed hard. “That, you may very well do.”
Chapter Six
Night had fallen when we finally headed out the door, my dad and I both carrying luggage as well as our larger weapons. We were almost to the car when I was lifted off my feet, straight up into the air. I dropped my bag and grabbed behind me at my assailant with one hand as I pulled my iron knife free from its boot sheath with the other. I'd been taken by surprise but Extinguishers are trained to never lose their cool in a fight and I calmly assessed the threat as I defended myself.
There were two of them. The
one on the ground facing my father was the unseelie male fairy from earlier and if the screech coming from behind me was any indication, the female unseelie was the one holding me up. This surprised me a little more. I'd been sure the next fey attack against me would have come from that winged seelie son of a bitch.
Wind rushed around us as I stabbed my knife back behind me and realized she must have some sort of air magic. She didn't have wings so it fell to reason that she was using the air currents to keep us aloft. She was also very quick, dodging my blows with agile twists and even dropping me at one point, only to swoop down and grab me by my feet.
I hung upside-down as she gleefully swung me from hand to hand and started flying us away. I caught sight of the roof of my house below us and kicked upward, connecting with her knee. I heard a small crunch and she screamed, dropping me. I had just enough time to duck into a roll as I fell, hitting the angled roof with a thud before I began to slide down it. I stopped my progression right at the edge and looked over it to see my quiver of iron-tipped arrows scattered across the driveway.
I reached out a hand to focus my thoughts and mentally grab hold of several arrows, then twisted around and flung them up into the air behind me. I had timed it perfectly but still, the unseelie woman dodged all but one arrow and that one only glanced her shoulder. It was enough though and she gasped in pain as she fell to the roof.
I stood, jerking aside as she slid past me but her hand snaked out and caught my ankle, pulling me with her. The edge of the roof dug into my back as I was yanked across it, then the back of my head hit it as I was lifted into the air once more. I tried again to reach her with my dagger but she was moving too fast. So I gave up and lit her clothes on fire.
Whoosh. A second and she went from sleek, midnight assassin to flaming marshmallow. The rush of her air magic quickened the fire's pace, sending it up and out, away from me and into her beautiful hair. She gave a fox-like shriek and let go of her magic while admirably holding onto me.
I immediately put out the flames and lunged upwards, rolling her so that when we hit, she was beneath me and took the brunt of it. We hadn't fallen very far but I heard the hollow crack of something within her chest. The fairy looked up at me, eyes tight with pain and hatred, as I placed my dagger to her throat.
“Why would you disobey a Lord of the Wild Hunt to attack us?” I nearly shouted at her. “Tell me!”
“I do not truly answer to him,” she spat as blood started to trickle from her lips. The iron in her shoulder wound was already traveling. It must have struck deeper than I'd thought.
“Who then?” I pushed the blade harder against her throat and her flesh began to sizzle. She screamed but then pressed her lips firmly together. “Who?” I dug my knee into her stomach.
“Seren,” my dad was behind us, which meant the other fairy must be dead.
“Give me a minute, Dad,” I growled and pulled the blade away so the woman could speak.
“You have no idea who your enemies are,” the fairy began to laugh insanely. “You should fear the darkness, Extinguisher!”
Her laughter was so unsettling that I actually drew back so that I was straddling her hips. Her braid now ended just below her ears, a frayed, burnt, bloodstained rope. Her clothing was nearly gone, just the leather armor remained, blackened in waves mapping my fiery attack. Patches of her skin were just as black, some cracking open to reveal the red flesh beneath. All of that, combined with the blood at her lips and shoulder, made her appear half dead. Like a witch who'd been saved from the fire only to be taken by insanity.
The laughter ended abruptly as blood splashed up from her neck and slapped my cheek. I flinched a little and looked up at my father as he yanked his sword out of the ground. He'd struck so hard that it had embedded itself in the earth beneath the fairy's neck.
“She could have given us important information,” I nearly shouted at him.
“She wasn't going to give us anything,” he said grimly as he shook the blood off his sword with a quick movement.
“Perhaps we should leave now?” Aideen asked in a small voice.
“We'll have to take the bodies with us,” I grumbled as I got to my feet.
I was angry with my father but a little surprised that my anger wasn't over the fact that he'd stolen the kill from me. Not too long ago it would have been but now I was angry because the death had been wasted. Perhaps I really was moving on from my mother's death or perhaps it was all due to the fact that Aideen had given me a key bit of information. Mom's death hadn't been random, it had been murder.
Murder made sense of my revenge. It gave it purpose and direction. All I needed to do was find something to point me towards the killer and I'd know where to place my next step. I just wasn't sure if sharing that move with my father would be a good thing or not. It could give him some clarity as it had me... or it could remove the last bit of his control and drive him completely over the edge.
The crack of a tarp thrown open seemed like thunder in the suburban silence and I turned sharply to see my father spread the bright blue plastic in the back of our SUV. He strode over to the body of the male fairy with jaunty steps. His job was much easier than mine since his corpse was cut up into manageable pieces. I grabbed the fey woman's foot and started to drag her over the pale cement, leaving a wide swath of blood behind me. I sighed, wondering if it would stain and if we even had the time for more than a quick spray of the hose over the evidence of our victory.
Aideen stood on the side, watching it all with wide eyes and shaking arms crossed tight over her chest. I didn't have the time to comfort her, wasn't even sure that I knew how, so I passed by her with a down-turned gaze and didn't look up until I'd reached the back of the car. Dad gave me a Cheshire Cat grin as he threw an arm onto the tarp. It landed with a crinkly thud and I grimaced.
No, I don't think it would be wise to include him just yet.
Chapter Seven
“Why did she grab me?” I asked from the comfort of my large, black, leather, airplane seat.
“What's that?” My father was making his way back from the black lacquer bar at the far end of the cabin. He handed me a glass of soda as he sat across the aisle from me in his own luxurious chair.
“Well, if their mission was to kill Aideen, why didn't that fairy scoop Aideen up into the air?” I frowned as I recalled the attack. Now that we were relatively safe inside an airborne plane, I could think more clearly.
“You were blocking me I guess,” Aideen shrugged.
“No I wasn't,” I chewed at my lip. “You were between me and Dad but she could have easily picked you up instead of me. Why take the risk of attacking an Extinguisher when she could have simply killed you and been done with it?”
“That is strange,” my Dad started to frown, his eyes shifting around like he was searching for an explanation.
“Maybe they don't want me dead anymore,” Aideen gave us wide, panicked eyes.
“Don't worry, they're not going to get you,” I reassured her. “Dad called the San Francisco division of the Human Council and they'll be meeting us at the airport with a large group of Extinguishers to escort us to the Council House. Once you're there, you'll be completely safe. Nothing can get past the Council's wards.”
“Thank you,” she sighed and sank back into her chair.
There were lines of strain around her eyes and lips. Her shoulders drooped, hunching inward, and there was a tremor in her right hand. It made me wonder how long she'd been separated from her tree. Dryads lived in trees, great big ones that were hollow on the inside. They had a sort of symbiotic relationship with their home; their magic fed the tree while the tree helped to sustain them. It was a constant exchange of energy and the further away a dryad was from her tree, the less energy could be exchanged. Both could die if they were separated long enough.
“How long have you been away from home?” I asked her.
“Not that long,” she looked up at me in surprise. “I was just there a few days ago. T
here's a mound close to work.”
“Why didn't you just flee into Fairy?” My Dad asked suddenly.
“Because I needed to tell your council about the poison,” she gave him a confused look. “That was the whole point.”
I glanced at my Dad and saw that he was baffled. Even though he'd bought into this idea that Aideen had some important information, I don't think he really comprehended that she was trying to save the human race. Us. A fairy was trying to save us at the risk of her own life. It was inconceivable for him and I completely understood why. Since Mom had died, we'd both villainized the fey and the idea that one of them could actually do us a kindness was hard to process.
“You're very brave,” I spoke into the silence.
“I'm just doing what I believe to be right,” she shrugged. “Life is precious.”
“Some more than others,” my father grumbled before he took a long swig of whiskey.
Chapter Eight
The Human Council House in San Francisco was actually a composite of two Victorian homes which had been built so close together, they were practically touching. The Council bought them and had the inner walls on the first floor torn down so they could be joined together. I'd always thought the joining part was unnecessary since the actual council chambers weren't in either house at all but below them.
We'd been met on the runway by a contingent of Extinguishers, all clad in black, modern, body armor accessorized with crossbows, iron swords, and reflective sunglasses which made them look like a bunch of post-apocalyptic mercenaries. As soon as the steps lowered, they rushed forward in that military hustle I've done myself on several occasions and formed a passage for us. They faced outward, bodies tense like foxhounds searching for a scent, as we raced down the stairs, Aideen between me and my dad.