Loose Changeling: A Changeling Wars Novel

by A. G. Stewart

  Gomez nodded. “Then we set up a barricade of patrol cars in front of the entrance and we'll use them for cover.”

  “What should we do?” Kailen asked.

  She glared at him and then me. “Stay out of the way.”

  So we sat back and watched as ten other police cars rolled in, their occupants dispersing, talking on hand radios, checking their guns. Once in a while one would glance our way and ask, “Who’re they?”

  “Consultants,” Gomez would reply, and then they would give us a knowing, disparaging look before returning to their work.

  Four o’clock came and went and the sun began to descend. I tried not to pace or to grasp for the gun tucked into the inside pocket of my coat. I wasn’t technically supposed to have it. I grabbed the butter knife in my right pocket instead, gripping it so tightly that it hurt. “When are they getting here?” I asked Kailen. “What does night mean to the Sidhe?”

  He shrugged. “It varies. Could be anytime between now and midnight.” He leaned against the wall, looking for all the world like he leaned against concrete prison walls every day. He wore a black wool peacoat that looked suspiciously like the one I’d seen in the photo of me as a baby. I wished suddenly that he didn’t look so relaxed.

  “Aren’t you nervous?” I asked.

  “Panic and worry won’t help right now. We’ll know before they get here. Remember, you’re a Changeling. As soon as Grian starts opening doorways, you’ll feel it.”

  I wasn’t sure how far I could sense them from, but I kept my mouth shut. Maybe Kailen was right. “Should I try the watch again? Try to get in touch with Merlin? Maybe he knows how to break it.”

  “Wait until after they get here,” he said. “I’ll cover you when you try. There’s still a chance you won’t have to do it. They may listen to reason, and we have to attempt that first.”

  Waiting was hard when you had nothing to do. None of the cops seemed bothered or ruffled; I supposed they did a lot of waiting. But I was used to being on the go, constantly moving, thinking, analyzing. I tried to pass the time by pacing and mentally rehearsing the fighting techniques I’d learned from Mark.

  Finally, around six, I felt something.

  The sun had set; the streetlamps lining the parking lot had flickered on. From across the street, a cold feeling brushed against my mind. The Void.

  “They’re here,” I called out. “They’re coming from just beyond the street.”

  Officers readied their weapons from behind the barricade of cars. I stood stock still, trying to get a sense for the doorways Grian was opening. Another opened, and then another, and another. Twenty-two police officers crouched behind the cars. I made my way to Gomez. “You need to get all the guards they can spare out here, now.”

  She glanced back at me, one eyebrow raised.

  And then the first wave of Fae arrived in the mortal world. A line of about thirty hobgoblins appeared, their shadowy bodies outlined by the streetlamps. A collective gasp went up the police line. To the humans, they’d appeared out of nowhere.

  I knew better. And I knew Grian wasn’t finished. Without another word, Gomez ran for the doors of the prison.

  I pulled out the gun, clicked the safety off, and strode over to Kailen. He waited just behind the police line. “Are you ready?”

  He nodded and snapped out his sword. “Are you?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be. Which is not very.”

  He gave me a quick smile, and before I could react, leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. It sent a little shock down my spine and all the way to my toes. When he drew back, I frowned. "What was that for?"

  He didn't reply. He looked at the other end of the parking lot, his face grim. "There's more of them, and they're moving fast."

  Effective change of subject. I whipped my head about to see three Minotaurs, a bevy of tiny fairies at their feet, and about ten Fae that looked as though they were made of trees. Behind them came the Sidhe. Some were clad in silver armor, others in leather or cloth—thirty or so of them in total. At the center of them was Grian. She wore a dress as golden as her hair. It shimmered as she moved, casting an iridescent green hue at the folds. Her hand rested on the head of a grushound. A grushound with eyes.

  The Fae walked in formation to the middle of the parking lot and then stopped.

  "What the hell is this?" one of the cops muttered in the silence. To their credit, none of the police officers lowered their weapons.

  "Mortals," Grian said, "we come to reclaim one of our own. The Sidhe man, Faolan. If you hand him over, no one will get hurt."

  Kailen lifted his sword. "Why are you here, Mother? You know they won't return him."

  The Queen smiled at him and then patted her skirts. "You're on the wrong side. Come here and we can talk about the Arbiter's punishment. I do miss you, Kailen."

  He didn't move.

  "Leave him alone and answer the question," I called out.

  "As I said, I am here for Faolan. He didn't commit the crimes he was accused of."

  "No," I said. "You did."

  The other Sidhe shifted and murmured. One of them spoke up. "Do you have proof, Changeling?"

  "I don't. But I can get it, if you give me the chance." It wasn't good enough. Hands went to swords and bows.

  "If you will not give us Faolan," Grian said, her voice low. "We will take him."

  The Fae rushed forward and the world devolved into chaos.

  I found myself next to Kailen, crouched behind one of the police cars, my gun held at the ready. It took longer than I would have liked for the cops to start firing, but when they did, I couldn't hear myself think. I rose a little and peeked through the car window. The bullets tore through the hobgoblins, releasing black liquid onto the asphalt.

  Kailen jerked me down. "Do you know how to use that?" he yelled, nodding at my gun.

  "Yeah, but I'm a terrible shot. Good thing there's a lot of them." I stood and started to fire. I couldn't tell what I was hitting, if anything.

  I barely saw the flames before they struck. The woman next to me fell to the ground, screaming, her shirt on fire. Kailen grabbed my shoulders, pulling me out of the way as he went to her. He shrugged off his coat and used it to smother the flames.

  Just as he'd finished, something hit the car next to us with a bang louder than any gun. The car flipped and slid across the sidewalk in a screech of metal and sparks. It came to a stop at the prison wall.

  "They've breached the line!" Brown called out.

  A Minotaur stood in the gap, its head lifted, breath misting the air as it snorted. Each of its cloven hooves was as large as a salad bowl. No one fired. They just stared.

  I gritted my teeth and lifted the gun. Point at the target. Finger in the trigger area. Squeeze. For once in my life, my aim was true. I hit the Minotaur in the side, just below its chest. A spray of blood colored the concrete. The beast howled and then fixed its gaze on me, horns lowered. It struck the pavement with one steely hoof.

  I switched the gun to my left hand and drew the knife.

  The doors to the prison pounded open. Guards streamed out of the building, guns at the ready, led by Gomez.

  The Minotaur's attention snapped to them. With one last snort, it charged. All of the correctional officers, about thirty of them, opened fire at once.

  Gomez barely got out of the way when the Minotaur fell. The vibration of its impact traveled through the soles of my shoes and up my calves. There wasn't time to dwell on this small victory. Though the bullets tore through the hobgoblins, they didn't do as much damage as a blade. And bolts of ice had joined the fire. I crouched back down and put a hand on Kailen's shoulder. "The watch. Now."

  He didn't argue this time. He fished a folded-up handkerchief from his pocket and proffered it to me. "Good luck."

  I snatched it, unfolded it, took a deep breath, and touched the watch.

  The sounds of battle, gone. Light and sensation, gone. The Void surrounded me. It was like being buried in a drift
of snow at night.

  I tried to open my mouth to speak and couldn’t. Where was the blue light? Where was Merlin? I had to find him, but I couldn't move, could barely think.

  You again.

  The blue light appeared in front of me and I found my tongue.

  "I'm a Changeling, like you."

  I can see that. And this means nothing. Morgan, too, was a Changeling.

  "I want to free you."

  For a moment, the blue light winked out. Fear clenched my chest. If I was trapped here, would I make the watch twice as potent? And then the light returned.

  And how do you propose to do that?

  "I don't have much time. Grian is the one who imprisoned you. Do you know what she fears? Do you know what might unmake this prison?"

  No. There is no clue to its making inside. He paused for a moment. You must go, now. If you do not, you'll be trapped here too.

  The blue light filled the whole of my vision and then I was hurtling through the Void, against the net and through it.

  I came back to myself on the sidewalk, gasping for breath. The winter air stung my throat.

  "Did you get it?" Kailen loomed over me. "Do you know how to unmake it?"

  I shook my head. "No. But he knows I'm on his side."

  An explosion sounded to our left; a bright green flash lit the sky. Kailen arched over me, sheltering me as bits of debris rained down. He glanced up. "Another car down. They're through the barricade.”

  I looked to the left and saw two officers covered in brownies, the little creatures biting and clawing at skin and cloth. "We're losing." I seized the front of Kailen's shirt and used my other hand to prop myself up. "What does Grian fear? You're her son. Don't you have any idea?"

  Kailen ran a hand through his hair, grabbing at the ends. "I don't know. Nothing! Don't you think I would have said something earlier if I'd known? You've been in her head; what did you see?"

  I let his shirt slip from my nerveless fingers as I realized my mistake. What I’d seen in Grian’s mind—the monster lurking beyond the door—it wasn’t a representation of Grian as she was. Why would the Fae Queen think of herself as a monster? This was my interpretation, seen through my mind’s lens.

  The sweet and innocent young girl that kept the beast at bay—this was how Grian saw herself. And the monster behind the door?

  Humans.

  Like the gears of Kailen’s watch, everything clicked into place. I hadn’t wandered upon a random thought of the Fae Queen’s. I’d seen what was on her mind so often, her deepest fear, always on the cusp of fruition. She didn’t wish to conquer the mortal world for the sake of conquest; she wished to conquer it because she feared it.

  I couldn’t break the watch. Kailen couldn’t break the watch. We were both Fae. The humans around us were scattered and distracted. I whipped my head about in the chaos, searching for Officers Brown and Gomez. I found them holed up behind a patrol car about fifty feet to my right, Gomez firing while Brown reloaded.

  The Fae advanced. Two Minotaurs were down, but one raked the cars with his horns. Behind the Minotaur came the Sidhe—swords raised and armor glinting in the lights set up around the prison’s parking lot.

  A moment more and they’d get to the doors.

  Fifty feet filled with bullets, teeth, claws, and Fae magic. Adrenaline shot through my limbs as I considered the distance, reinvigorating fatigued muscles.

  “I know how to end this,” I yelled over the noise. I shoved my gun into Kailen's hand. “Cover me.”

  I didn’t wait for him to reply. He would stop me if I gave him the chance. I slipped out from cover and ran.

  I heard Kailen firing from behind me as I ran, and two tree-like Fae in my path went down. Adrenaline carried me twenty feet. A bolt of ice hit me in the thigh first, and then an arrow hit my arm. The pain seeped away my remaining energy. My feet felt like leaden weights as they pounded into the asphalt, each step now limping agony.

  The watch in my pocket bounced as I ran. I could release Merlin. I could end this war before it started. Only thirty more feet.

  My left knee gave way. I struggled to right myself, but my other knee refused to accept my weight. Warmth trickled down my arm as I fell. The breath rushed out of me when I hit the pavement. Spots of red and black obscured my vision for a moment before they cleared.

  Three pairs of black, smoky feet approached. I grabbed for the knife in my pocket, struggling to pull it free in time to meet the hobgoblins. My arm twisted, catching on the fabric of my shirt. Maybe foresight was one of my Talents. Maybe the dream I’d had after I’d manifested had been real. Maybe this was how I would end—torn to pieces by hobgoblins.

  I forced back the panic and reached for my magic. Some tiny reserve sparked to life, spurring my arms to move faster, to lift the knife, now a sword, above my head. I managed to slice the hand from one hobgoblin arm, but I couldn’t fend off all eighteen arms at once. Cold fingers closed around my wrists and my ankles as I prepared for another swing. All my training fled, and instinct overrode my senses as I kicked and screamed. Not like this.

  A black shape blurred across my vision, a whoosh of air breezed over my face, and the clammy hands of the hobgoblins slipped away. I was left gaping, my breath misting the air.

  When you’re sure, absolutely positive, that you’re going to die, it takes a moment to realize that you haven’t. The night sky was my tunnel, the moon my light at the end. I was oddly grateful that I hadn’t felt any pain.

  The sounds of the surrounding battle gradually penetrated my hazy thoughts, as well as the ache from the arrow in my arm.

  “Nicole.”

  I turned my head, disappointed that death would not be quite so easy for me. The grushound stood over three black pools of liquid, its jaw dripping. Brown eyes stared into mine. “Nicole,” it said again in a gravelly voice.

  Well, fuck me. Either I was dead, or grushounds could talk.

  It lay down, belly flat against the ground, and lowered its head. “Please accept my bond. I am currently beholden to Grian.”

  Something exploded above my head and rained purple sparks as I stared at the hound.

  “Accept my bond, Changeling,” it growled, “or we’re both dead.”

  “I accept,” I croaked out.

  The grushound rose and shuddered, as though struck by a frigid breeze. “Good. Now get up.”

  Everything hurt. My sleeve clung to my arm, blood soaking the cloth to my elbow. The ice bolt had seared through my pant leg and sloughed off the skin beneath. I gritted my teeth and suppressed a whimper as I forced myself into a crouch.

  “Have I bonded myself to one of the Sidhe, or a sniveling weakling?” the hound sneered.

  Nothing like a little anger to make a person warm and toasty inside. I lurched to my feet. “Not a weakling.” Thirty more feet, and I had a grushound at my side. A hound that happened to be resistant to magic.

  “Keep close to me,” I said. “Block all incoming magic.”

  The hound padded to my side and then turned, so that we stood in parallel.

  I ran. The grushound moved in tandem with me, grunting each time it was struck. I would have felt bad, if I’d had the time. Gomez and Brown were just ahead of me—I focused on them and did my best to drown out everything else. Ten more feet. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the folded handkerchief. My right arm, the one with the arrow still in it, hung limply at my side.

  “Brown! Gomez!” I cried out.

  They both turned.

  I’m not sure how it must have looked—me barreling toward them with a dog the size of a pony at my side, hobgoblin blood still oozing from its jowls. Neither of them ran, though Brown’s face lightened several shades.

  I tossed the watch. “The watch—step on it!”

  Gomez caught it easily in her left hand, the gun still clutched in her right.

  “Are you sure we should—” Brown began.

  But Gomez didn’t hesitate. She shook out the handkerchief. The watc
h landed with a metallic clink on the ground, and she placed her heel on it.

  Crunch.

  Blue smoke billowed out and the smell of sandalwood filled the air. In some places, the fighting slowed, until I could hear the individual strikes of metal against metal, the short burst of gunfire. The smoke drifted across the parking lot and coalesced just beyond the police line.

  An old man in dark blue robes appeared, leaning heavily upon a walking stick. White hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall; his beard did the same over his chest. He stood nearly as tall as Kailen, and despite the white hair, his face was only lightly lined.

  “Grian.” He spoke quietly, yet the Fae Queen’s name rushed over the combatants like a tsunami, leaving silence in its wake. Everyone stopped moving.

  From the smoke and the mist, Grian stepped forward. She glided toward him, moving around the bodies already on the ground. When she was an arm’s length away, she knelt. “Merlin,” she said.

  Merlin didn’t move. “You and your family have broken the Arbiter’s laws. You have imprisoned me for a millennium, using my magic for your own gains. And now you lead an attack on the mortal world.”

  The Queen rose, her chin lifted in the air. “The mortals have falsely accused one of our own. As for the imprisonment, you are mistaken. I have done no such thing. The item that held you belongs to my son. It is not of my making.”

  I automatically looked for Kailen and caught his gaze. He stood over the body of the last Minotaur, his sword still outstretched. With two flicks of his wrist, he folded it. I wanted to say something, anything, but he turned to Merlin and Grian before I could even form the words in my thoughts.

  He’d taken the blame for Grian over and over, for the motherly love he’d never received. He had to tell the truth this time, for the sake of both the mortal world and the Fae, and for himself.

  “The watch was a gift from Grian,” he said.

  All the breath left me at once. I felt dizzy, weightless.

  “That’s a lie,” Grian said without breaking Merlin’s gaze. “I had no role in the making of it. Kailen has already been punished by the Arbiter once, for his misdeeds.” Some mother Grian was.