His heart pounded, labouring under the exertion. Through fast, breathy gasps, he took a conclusive swing at Xander’s face, relishing the triumphant thud. But Xander didn’t drop. Instead, he gave him a hard shove and pushed him back. Abruptly, Xander started hitting him, each shot moving in the same direction. His side.
With a final surge of strength, Jason thrust at Xander, repelling him back onto the couch. Then he unintentionally dropped to the floor, with a hard knock to his knees. A searing pain shot through his side. Jason reached down to find a sticky, hot, wet patch.
“What the hell?”
For a moment he couldn’t decide if to get up and finish Xander off or collapse. His vision started going in and out. With slow blinks, he looked at his hand and only then saw the blood. Sluggish, still he couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
“What did you do to me?”
“It wasn’t me. I reckon someone must have got to you first.”
The room began to bob as if he was on the ocean. But it only served to enrage him. Despite the excruciating pain gripping at his chest, taking away his breath, he didn’t even think about it. Panting, he got up on one knee and worked himself upright. With a grunt he took another shot, but his arm flailed wild and aimless. He collapsed, his body committed to the floor.
The wound at his side burned hot, following the path of vessels around his body until every part of him burned, clinching him in its grasp. He wanted nothing else but for the pain to stop. Suddenly he remembered the sharp sting he’d felt as he’d fallen outside by the car. In a cold sweat, he realised he’d been stabbed, and so skilfully with a silent blade that he hadn’t even noticed the assailant. Tripping hadn’t been an accident at all. Someone had set it up deliberately. So much for taking his frustrations out on Xander, now the man would get to watch him die.
Dread engulfed him as Jason realised with horror the closeness of his death. He could no longer feel the heat of the pain and his world had become a narrow field of vision in front of him. He barely had time to wonder which of the women in his life could have done such a thing to him because after only a few more minutes, Jason fell off the face of the planet, leaving behind a motionless corpse for someone else to clean up.
Chapter Seventeen
Something You Should Know
At first Xander refused to let them in, but Fred’s easy manner had a way of putting people at ease. Lilly could see from the fresh bruises on Xander’s face that something had gone very wrong. Which made her feel all the more grateful to have Fred with her, and relieved they’d done the right thing in coming. Her worry now was that they might have come too late.
With a sigh Xander led them through to the living room, where neither was ready for what they found there. Lilly had never seen a dead body before, and this stranger hadn’t been prepared as a funeral director would have done, to ease the family of the true horridness of death. This was fresh.
A pool of blood had inched its way across the floor, spilling out from the man, but Lilly couldn’t look. His eyes were fixed and open; so many things were trapped in his final expression, Lilly was forced to look away.
“Let’s put the kettle on,” she said promptly, not wanting to spend another second in the same room as the dead man.
With hot drinks they sat around the kitchen table in silence. She had no idea what Fred or Xander were thinking, she was too engrossed in trying to decide what to ask first. Which question was the most important? Xander seemingly read her thoughts.
“There’s probably a lot you want to ask me, but I need you to know I didn’t do this. Though I’m glad to say it was him and not me.”
Lilly tried not to let her relief show too much.
“Who is he?” Fred asked.
“One of the Realworlders. I think his name was Jason,” Xander replied.
Lilly got up from the table. “First aid kit?”
“Second shelf, on the left,” Xander said, pointing at a large overhead cupboard.
“And you’re okay, Mr Westwood?” Fred asked.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you, but call me Xander, please.”
Lilly got out the antiseptic wipes for Xander’s face. It was evident he wasn’t fine. How could anybody be after such an encounter?
“May I?” she enquired. Xander nodded. As she began to tend to him, she asked, “What was he doing here?”
“Honestly, I’ve got no idea, but he sure didn’t seem to like me much.”
“So what are we going to do now?” Fred asked.
Having finished her work, Lilly settled back into her chair and sipped her tea. They’d come to Aero’s father because her talent had known he was lost. “We have to go after her… Aero. She needs our help.”
“We can’t just go off and leave him here, though. We should ring the police and an ambulance,” Xander replied.
None of them moved a muscle as they each considered the consequence of doing so.
“I think we should ring for an ambulance, sure. Maybe even move the body, but we can’t phone the police. You know what’ll happen. Things will get… messy,” Fred offered.
“And for all we know there’s more of them on their way here. Probably dangerous to hang around,” Lilly agreed.
Fred got up from the table and walked to the living room window. Shouting back to them he said, “It looks quiet out there and we passed his car as we came in. I think we should aim for the ambulance to find him in it. We can be gone by the time they get here.”
Lilly shuddered at the thought of being in the same room with the dead man, never mind having to touch him, but she agreed it sounded like the best plan.
Since coming here, it was no longer Xander who claimed Lilly’s special skill’s attention. If it could have done so it would have pulled Lilly up and marched her out of the door itself. Aero was lost and in danger, Lilly felt it.
Xander seemed unable to think about going after his daughter, even though every fibre of his body wanted it. It was almost as if something were keeping him here. As soon as he realised that, he knew she had used magic to prevent him from following her. For a moment he felt the air knocked out of him. He could never have imagined Aero would do that to her own father.
Xander thought it best not to mention it and knew there was no magic in this world which would stop him. He had the feeling just being aware of it would somehow release him. For now, he pushed down the bitterness and focused on the task ahead of them. Finding Aero, Perri and Louise was the only thing which mattered. “So how are we going to track her?” he asked nervously.
Fred and Lilly passed knowing glances between them before Lilly said, “I think there’s something you should know.”
Moving a body which was literally a dead weight had proven a harder task than any of them imagined, but working together the three of them had got the job done. They took a few minutes to do a cursory clean up in the house but in fact Xander had spent more time packing supplies, including food and water, than he had cleaning up the blood. They had no idea how far they would have to travel, so they didn’t want to linger longer than necessary.
As soon it was done they jumped in Xander’s car, keen to be away, but Lilly stopped them before Xander had a chance to switch on the ignition.
“Change of plan. We need to go by foot. Aero went that way across the woods.”
“The protection barrier,” Xander said to neither of them in particular.
The three took off, alarmed at the sounds of sirens behind them. Now they knew where they were heading their pace had added purpose besides being caught next to the body of a murdered man. It didn’t take them long to reach the place where the barrier should have been, and find it gone.
Lilly searched the horizon frantically for signs of Aero but there was nothing. As dark was drawing in Lilly saw Xander pull out his torch. As he hopefully shone the beams into the distance, only eerie shadows greeted them.
“Anything?” Lilly asked, and frowned as Xander shook his head.
“What about you, Lilly?” Fred asked.
“Nothing. It’s like, I don’t know, the trail just went cold.” Lilly gasped as she saw Xander shudder. “That doesn’t mean… anything,” she added quickly.
“What do we now, then?” Fred asked.
“I don’t know but I think we should stay here. For tonight, at least.”
Lilly and Fred both helped as Xander quickly got to work rigging up the two-person tent he’d had the good foresight to bring. Lilly smiled as Fred volunteered to take the first shift keeping watch.
Under different circumstances camping together would have been fun. Snuggled inside the tent, she tried desperately not to let the niggling doubts about Aero creep in. Why couldn’t she sense her anymore? What were they going to do, just sit around and wait?
Lilly didn’t know why she felt so strongly that they should stay here but she knew it was right. She just didn’t realise how long they’d have to wait to find out.
Chapter Eighteen
Prisoner
“D
id you have any idea your queen was planning to take me as a prisoner?” Aero asked, her voice still sluggish and slow from the sleeping potion.
She saw Faa’s eyes drop to the floor. “I’ll take that as a yes, then. And do you plan to go along with it, keeping me here?” With slow careful movements, Faa moved backwards away from her, her eyes still pinned to the floor.
“I am sorry, mistress, for the deceit.”
Aero looked closer at her. With her elfin-like ears and round chubby face, her features were the kind which made it impossible to determine age. But if Aero had to guess she would say she was just a child. “How long have you and the other fairies lived here?”
Charm was not a natural part of Aero’s personality and trying it out for the first time felt odd, like wearing a coat that was too big. Still, she had to try.
Faa was confused and uncertain about keeping her a prisoner, but it was clear her loyalty belonged to her queen.
“Oh, a long time.”
Curiosity alone drove Aero’s next question. “And how old are you?”
“Much older than you, mistress. Fairies live for thousands of your Earth years.”
Aero found her answer questionable, having thought of her as a child only a moment ago. “You know I’m trying to free my mum and my aunt from the Shadow Creatures, don’t you, Faa?”
“Yes, mistress.”
“And I can’t do that from inside here.”
“I know, mistress. I am sorry.”
“Please stop calling me mistress, Faa. I’m not in charge of you. If anything, it’s the other way around. Look, I miss them and if you keep me locked up in here, they’re going to die. What’s worse is, they won’t be the only ones to breathe their last breath.”
Aero saw a flash of panic whizz across her face.
“Not me, Faa, them. I can’t protect you like this in here, but if I can get to the castle, I have a chance to stop all of this. I can put an end to it.”
It was evident from Faa’s reaction that Aero was about as subtle with charm as a hammer. All her questions only seemed to intensify the fear in this fairy. She decided a different tact might work better.
“So, how long has Faya been queen for? Have you been working for her all this time?”
The fairy’s eyes, which were most distinct, one blue and one purple, at last raised up to meet her gaze. Assessing her with their penetrating stare, Aero felt the tide turn.
“I am sorry, Aero, but you will not be able to persuade me to let you escape. Faya, my queen and my mother, has gone to consult with the prophet. If I were to let you go before she returns, my life would not be worth living.”
Whilst Faa didn’t raise her voice, it had found a sudden conviction. Aero couldn’t help but think, if great minds thought alike, did stupid ones do it too? She didn’t want to think such corruptible thoughts about these incredible creatures, but her patience was wearing thin.
After Faa left her, Aero was alone again. She found herself craving for Shadow’s company and felt like a bad pet owner for only now missing his absence. Aside from him, she’d been on her own since leaving her father and friends back at home. It was a worrying thought when only a cat stood between her and the great chasm of loneliness and despair.
Faa had told her the queen had gone to visit their prophet. It seemed even magical creatures had to believe in something. For a moment her mind cleared of impending doom and set off on a track to consider what kind of religion fairies might have, and what sort of oracle they would worship, but she quickly realised she couldn’t hang around to find out what he told them. Religion did all kinds of heinous things in the name of destiny, goodness and omnipotent beings. Which brought her back to her own destiny, her own goodness, her own morality. This wasn’t a decision which could be put off until later, there was a choice to make. An uncomfortable one.
Megan knew she was coming, and the Shadow Creatures were on their way here. Aero didn’t have to ask if her visions were real anymore, what she had seen during the sleep potion was her prophet. As she thought about the irony of worship, the double standards she held were not lost on her. She sighed, her breath slowing as the conflict floating around her own head left.
The choice wasn’t really a choice at all. The discomfort was understandable; she had no other option but to leave the fairies to fend for themselves. The only way to stop the Shadow Creatures was to go after them and stop them. Knowing by leaving here she might be risking their deaths sank into a place deep beneath her skin and bones. Into a place where dark deeds dwell and fester and are done in the name of something better. But saving an entire magical realm, if such a thing was possible, had to take priority. Even though it made her unrecognisable to herself.
Clearing her mind, Aero had a sudden urge to connect with the world around her. To be one with the Shadow Realm. All else fell away as belief drove her to seek out its reassurance and singularity. A tear dropped from her eyes as they closed. For the first time she understood what it would take to transform herself from one entity to another.
Although both her mother and aunt had tried to explain the process before, only now did she connect with it. She understood that it was about surrendering, as her choice had forced her to do. Without further hesitation she changed at once. Oddly it felt as natural as breathing, mostly muscle memory, despite never having done it before. And then the only thing on her mind was escape.
Some time during the next few minutes, her awareness of the crumbling of soil around her grew. The fairies and the nice girl she had once been lay far behind her in the dust.
Chapter Nineteen
You Can’t Trick a Spy
Arianna would not have made it into her current position without ruthless and skilful operation. Before being recruited to defend the Earth from the supernatural, there were hundreds of undercover operations under her belt. Duplicity did not come without a cost and hers had been the loss of a family of her own.
The evidence against Jason was not much thicker than an envelope, but it was condemning. Her intuition had warned her to be doubtful of his loyalty. To her superiors she had first described her concerns at the time when Jason was under Maxwell Chamber’s command.
When things repeatedly go belly up in operations it pays to look for the common factor. At the time she’d provided some partial transcripts of recorded phone calls as proof of Jason’s deceit and stupidity. He did deserve credit, he’d played a good game. His little story about having an operative of his own was quite an elaborate fiction.
Since then she’d been given the go ahead to have a tracker placed on him, which yielded them the prize of Megan, leader of the Realworlders.
She wouldn’t risk getting caught in the crossfire of whatever his end goal might have been. Her organisation, she herself, demanded the brutality of discipline and loyalty. Theirs was a heavy burden to carry and uphold.
Observation in her experience was often done best from a discreet dis
tance and Jason had known nothing of her own espionage. Through Megan they had confirmed the activity in the Realm and even tracked her coordinates, all the way to a large building which was referred to as a castle, where they had detected a huge surge in magical activity.
Once Arianna explained they now had confirmation Jason was an infiltrator and spy, she’d been given her reward: the authority to remove him as an issue and a free rein to investigate and instigate whatever was deemed necessary to ensure the Earth’s protection.
Following the orders to manage the situation, it hadn’t taken her men long to get to Jason’s location. He had been terminated and so the issue with him had been expunged. Tying up loose ends was only one of the many things her organisation did well.
She wanted to chastise herself for letting it happen in the first place and surmised the death of Joanna Westwood must have thrown her off her usual high standards. There was no time now for that kind of introspection, it would have to wait.
Since determining Jason’s deception her focus had sharpened once again. She had quickly taken steps to ensure his property and holdings would be searched thoroughly, and any evidence would be passed along to her. She smiled a thin, tight smile to herself. At least her plan to send him after Xander had proved to be a well-thought-out one.
There was no time to spare him any thought whatsoever. Her purpose must be borne with absolute clarity. Whilst there were doubts about the authenticity of Jason’s claims, she knew all the best liars spun a web from truths. Her oath to protect Earth, and more specifically humans, came first. If that meant destroying the Realm and everyone in it in order to do so, she was prepared. That was her authority. Her job. Her duty.
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