by Kate Kelley
Poppi's soft brown eyes misted as anger overtook her features. “My family is deplorable. They disowned me when they found out I had no magic. My mother died five years after I was born, beheaded, by my father. He went mad soon after that. Navi is all I have left, and she’s been using me for her dirty work most of my life.”
“Navi is a dark sort,” Lubena said, her eyebrows furrowed, “Her father too. He was always mad, but now he’s mad with dark magic. Navi deposits it into him so she herself doesn’t go mad or die from it herself. Ganymede rules them, uses them.”
“How do you know so much about Ganymede?” Lyra asked, studying Lubena’s face. She returned her gaze with harsh eyes. Lyra felt her own magic bow to her, yielding. She was powerful and she was sure Lubena could best her.
“Ganymede has been the enemy of magical folk for half a millenia, possibly longer. He’s banished us all here over the centuries, using many of us as familiars. Some which he couldn’t use, he killed. Some of us came willingly to avoid death, or to align themselves with power. His powers are great. Ten years ago, the portal closed when Iris came here and Ganymede couldn’t open it again. He wasn’t expecting that. Iris’ royal blood sealed the portal. I suppose Gaia grew angry that she was banished here and sealed the doors to earth-folk. The gods are fickle. Not even Ganymede could find a way in. Techni, of course, was banished here as well by the late, great Rhea,” she nodded at Terrin, who nodded back. “Myself and the rest of the other fae have hidden away and try to get by. We’ve glamoured the portal here to keep the trolls and giants out. I’m surprised you found it so quickly.”
Trolls and giants?
Lyra swallowed the information and continued.“The lyrebird transmits Techni’s thoughts sometimes. He said where the portal was. I found it.”
Lubena’s eyes twinkled. “I know. I journeyed the whole way with you, shielding you from other magical folk. There are many who are not kind here.”
Lyra’s jaw dropped. “You were there the whole time and we didn’t see you?” She looked at Oriel. “That’s why we didn’t see any auras. She was shielding all of it from us,” he said, stroking his jaw.
“Where do you think the Lyrebird came from?” Lubena said with a twinkle in her eye. Poppi gasped.
“You’re powerful,” Lubena said to Lyra, “Half-fae or not, you’d do well alongside some of our better fae.”
“Half-fae?” Lyra squeaked.
“You’re mother was full fae. I’m surprised you never saw her ears, though I suppose she may have glamoured herself to look more human.” Lyra stared at her, afraid to move.
“Your father was human, not even magical. But he was good, and kind, and he tried to protect your mother at the end. But no one stands a chance against Ganymede.” Her eyes grew tormented.
Lyra finally found her voice. “Why was I never told?”
“Your mother was hiding from Ganymede. He killed your great grandmother--my daughter, Numa--your grandmother Numa Lily, and finally your mother. You’re all extraordinarily powerful, and he wanted their magic. He absorbed it when he killed them. But it twists his soul. He’s little more than blackness inside now. But there was another reason for the killings.” She hesitated before continuing.
“When she was young, your Great Grandmother Numa was poised to inherit to the fae throne from me, but she fell in love with Theron, Human King of Ursa and a great fighter mage at the time. They married and had your grandmother. But the people quickly found out what she was and banished her from the castle. They didn’t like fae involved with royalty lest the fae chose to rise up against the kingdom and reclaim their ancestral land. Theron prevented Numa’s death at least, bu told her and the babe to leave. Shesought refuge with the fae but didn’t reclaim her throne, forcing me to continue my reign. Her daughter (your grandmother) grew up and married a non-royal fae--they of course had your mother who went to live outside of the fae realm when she came of age. When King Theron married again, he married a human mage like himself, and they had a baby girl who grew up to marry a noble Lord. Those two of course became Queen and King, and had a child-- Freya. Freya grew up to marry Titus, the current Ursa King. Titus and Freya had a daughter--Navi, and Titus had an illegitimate daughter, Poppilotta.” Lyra waited for the point of the story, her face expectant. Everyone leaned forward in their chairs. Lubena cocked her head at Lyra, sizing her up.
“You’re twenty-six, no?” she asked.
Lyra huffed out a breath. “Will I ever escaped this question?”
Lubena laughed, a hollow, tinkling sound that reminded Lyra of wind chimes.
“Navi is twenty-five. And unless I’m mistaken, women are heirs of the throne in Ursa, same as in the Fae Kingdom.”
“And...?” Lyra glanced at Terrin, whose face was grim. He knew something she didn’t.
“What?” she asked.
“Your heir to two thrones, my dear. When I die, you take my place as Fae Queen. I’m sick. I have no other heirs. When Titus dies, you are the rightful heir to the Ursa throne. You’re older than Navi and Alec, who are both one year younger than you. There is no throne choosing in Ursa as in Terra. The queen is chosen by succession, even as the killing kin rule exists.” Breath left Lyra’s lungs. Her mind spun in all directions. She was heir to two thrones? She was a Princess. That’s not what she wanted, not by a long shot.
“Navi will take the throne when her father dies,” Lyra said.
“She’s forming an alliance with Gem to solidify her place there,” Terrin said darkly, “She is giving up the Ursa throne. She can’t rule both Gem and Ursa and she has no other heir to rule Ursa. Poppi could of course take the Ursa throne.” Poppi paled.
Lubena smiled serenely at Lyra, tears shining in her eyes.
“Your mother would be so proud of you. You’re so strong. Stronger than you think.” Lyra looked into her eyes and felt time slip away. For a second, her mother’s face slid over Lubena’s and she was sitting with her mother. Then Lubena was back, her eyes glowing with a fierce light.
“You’ll save us all,” she said, her voice low and resolute. Lyra watched her, drinking her in. Joy infused her. She had a family again.
Then Lubena’s face twisted into one of pain as a sickening thunk resounded in the intimate clearing. She clutched at her chest.
Lyra jumped out of her skin, looking dazedly at the place Lubena was clutching. Blood poured around her hands as she clutched a thick arrow embedded in her chest. The dark blood oozed, staining the fine material of her gown. Lubena’s mouth was open in shock. A dull green glowed in her eyes, then faded. Terrin was already there, picking the woman up. She was limp in his arms.
The world slowed down, sounds drowned out by a scream--her own perhaps, maybe Poppi’s, she didn’t know. Lyra stood and spun, her mind a muddle of disjointed, vengeful thoughts.
Who? Where? Kill!
A black burst of magic glimmered behind a tree beyond the clearing, and Lyra’s eyes snapped to focus on it. The magic moved back behind it’s hiding spot.
“I’ll kill them all!” the Lyrebird murmured at her feet. Its black beak opened wider and it mimicked the thunk of the arrow as it hit Lubena’s chest. A twist of dread dropped into Lyra’s gut, heavy as stone and her mind snapped back to the present.
“Get down, Poppi!” Lyra shouted as another arrow flew past them and stuck in the tree just behind her. Poppi flattened herself to the ground. Oriel spun and struck with his magic, red flashes bursting from his palms, singing trees as he catapulted them toward the elusive target. The dark thing darted between the trees again.
“Techni!” Terrin roared, handing Lubena over to Oriel and then bursting into a sprint toward the blur, his curved sword at the ready. Techni darted to the side, shooting arrows as he ran. One stuck into Terrin’s thigh with a revolting thud. He grunted and fell to a knee briefly before standing again and swaying.
Techni was before her in the clearing, running straight for her. She searched his aura, finding only the dark blob. It rubbed aga
inst her aura, causing her to recoil. It felt like wet sandpaper and burned her insides.
Lyra glanced at Terrin. He had steadied himself on a tree and yanked the arrow out with a roar, throwing it to the side and continuing the pursuit of his brother, only limping slightly.
Techni had stopped a pace or two in front of her, throwing his arrows to the side and out of reach.
Her gaze took him in. He was skin and bones. Skin the color of porcelain, red freckles covering his face like paint, his hair a bright orange, shorn in some spots, or pulled out, she couldn’t be sure. His eyes were terribly bloodshot and his irises were a pale blue, like a washed out sky. Upon closer inspection, she noticed his pupils were vertical slits and a coarse dusting of black fur coated the sides of his face, his ears, neck and chest. He was indeed an Adlet, but something about his form looked off. He looked in a very bad way. He fell to his knees, smiling cruelly. She eyed his mouth, expecting sharp canines only to see the bottoms of blunt teeth brown with decay. His breath came raggedly as his bony chest heaved.
“You’re dying,” Lyra said, watching him.
“Oh, yes," he said, almost eagerly, "Yes, I am. But not before we kill you. He needed you to open the portal. He heard Gaia tell him you would do it. He will come get me and kill you. He’ll rape your magic and eat your flesh, maybe the other way around too!” He cackled, sending shivers up Lyra’s spine.
Terrin stood behind him a few paces away, approaching slowly, rippling menace on his brow. His blade was slowly rising. Lyra shook her head at him silently.
“Trust me,” she mouthed at him. His jaw clenched but he stopped, rooted in place.
“Maybe I’ll taste it. Taste the blood he drains from your veins.” Techni’s head twitched to the left twice as if pulled by an invisible rope. His eyes gleamed with something sickly inhuman, something beyond the elongated pupils. Cold prickles broke out over Lyra’s skin. If he changed into a wolf, he could rip her to pieces.
“You’re mad. That darkness in you makes you mad, doesn’t it? Ganymede took your magic and replaced it with darkness. How many more has he done that to? Navi?”
“No--no. No. Father takes care of me. That’s what fathers do.” He began rocking back and forth, his stick-thin arms wrapped around his knees. It was an odd sight; a monster acting like a child.
Lyra looked at Terrin. He watched Techni with blatant disgust.
“My mother, so holy, so good" Techni continued, "She didn’t tell Terrin that she fucked the Dark One!” His laugh squeezed from his throat like the scuttling of spider legs on marble. “He took care of Terrin’s father soon thereafter.”
Terrin’s eyed widened. “Your father is Ganymede,” Terrin said, voice straining. ”He killed my father.” His arms shook. He glanced at Lyra, a desperate question in his eyes. Lyra shook her head even as her hatred reared up and begged her to hurt Techni. They could get more information from him first before dealing with him. Techni stopped rocking and stood, swaying on his legs. He faced Terrin. His thin black robes hung off of him loosely. Time had worn holes in various parts of the material, coarse black hair poking through. The wilderness had not been kind to him over the decade.
“You banished me here, brother. These creatures hate me out here. I live in exile, constantly roaming, killing, and running. I have no magic. My wolf won’t come out. But my father will come. Hmm I should wait but I’m angry--” he turned back to Lyra, “I think I'll kill you now.” He pointed a bony finger at Lyra, and bared his rotten teeth.
Ice coursed through Lyra's veins, clashing with unbridled rage. He was a sad excuse for a man. And he’d killed Lubena. He probably aided in killing her parents and Terrin’s father, and who knew how many more. He deserved to die.
“Are Alec and Iris nearby?” she asked him, her voice deeper and unlike her. He nodded, his eyes darting through the woods.
“Oh, yes. But they have it covered in fae magic. Ugly creatures. I can’t find them. I can smell them,” he said giggling, “But I can’t find them.”
“Good,” Lyra said softly, walking up to him until she was inches away, “because I’m fae, and I can see through glamour. I’ll find them, take them home, and put Iris on the throne in her rightful place. I’ll right what you have wronged. You and your father won’t win.” Techni smiled at her, his face almost drunk.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Father is planning something. Something glorious. By the time he’s through, you, and the rest of you lot will be begging for death.” He licked his cracked lips.
“What does he want?” Terrin growled, approaching behind him slowly. He lifted his blade. Feral eyes bore a hole through Techni's back.
No. He would kill Techni and be executed for it and barred from Vanaheimr.
Alarm coursed through her when she realized what she needed to do. She would have to do it. She would have to kill Techni herself so Terrin couldn’t.
“Power, what else?” Techni said simply. For a moment, an intelligence shone through his eyes. She imagined this is what he used to look like, before he went mad. She ignited her aura and called the pendant’s power to her. She didn’t know if she could kill someone with her magic, but she would try. Maybe she could just knock him out and they could take him prisoner. She didn’t want to take a life. But she’d do whatever was necessary to keep Terrin safe.
A glint of silver was her only warning before pain erupted in her chest, setting her nerves on fire. Her legs gave out. Terrin roared. In a flash of blinding white light, Techni shot across the clearing, a flurry of limbs.
Her mind grew fuzzy. Warmth slid through her hands. A metallic scent punched the air. Vaguely, she realized the scent was her own blood. A knife protruded from her chest, just over her heart. Someone was screaming.
Had I been stabbed in the heart?
“Don’t you let go,” Terrin commanded her. He lifted her to him so that she was cradled in his arms. His voice, soft and rough at the same time, made her sad. Her vision tunneled. His hands were on her. She felt a faint warmth. His aura. It had come back, somehow. He was trying to heal her. She looked up into his gray eyes, and remembered the first time she’d seen him, sitting on his throne like an angel of power and death. But he hadn’t ever been that. He had never wanted the power of a King. Lyra reached up and touched his cheek. She wanted to thank him. For teaching her that she was strong. For believing in her.
Her lips refused to move.
“Don’t look at me like that, Lyra. You have to hold on. Oriel!” His face was twisted in pain, a loose tear fell from his eye. He was moving frantically. Moving her, running. Oriel and Poppi moved around her, their faces and voices blurry. She’d miss them too.
Something heavy stirred in her center. She heard chanting. An incantation, perhaps.
They shouldn't waste their time on me. They should go get Alec and Iris.
Her aura and her spirit together were whispering out of her. They flowed up above her, entwining swirling clouds of blue and green. She smiled--it looked like the earth.
She felt her pulse slow. She could see Terrin’s soul clearly now. A firm crystal clear orb, glowing white from within. It was perfect and pure. And he cried for her.
What do you know. The big brute does have a soul.
She wished her voice would work so she could take back all the strife between them. She wished she could go back and do it all again. But it would be okay. She would see him again one day.
Her vision blackened and sounds became distant.
“Lyra,” he choked out, his voice trembling.
I love you. She wished he could hear her.
Lyra’s body settled like dust into the earth as her breath left her and the last of her soul rose.
Epilogue
She stood in a white room. It wasn’t really a room. It was a world--contained but infinite. The click of heels--the kind she never could wear without tripping--echoed in the Between room. A woman, cobalt skin and violet eyes as deep as time itself stood before her. Her dress moved aroun
d her like fog. It was fog, Lyra realized. Her hair was stark white and long. It flowed out from her head as if she moved in water. Lyra tore her gaze from her eyes when she felt herself falling into a trance.
“You’re Gaia,” Lyra whispered. Lyra was naked, but it didn’t bother her. A knife stuck out from her chest, its silver handle glinting prettily. Blood slid down her body, all the way down to her toes. It didn’t hurt.
“Yes. And you’re dead,” Gaia said gently. Her voice wasn’t solitary. It was a cacophony of voices--voices she’d heard before but couldn’t put faces to. Gaia’s voice was all voices, old and young, male and female. Perhaps Gaia was All.
“Can I ask you something before I move on?” Lyra asked. Gaia nodded patiently.
“Terrin killed Techni, didn’t he?”
Gaia hesitated. “He did.”
“He won’t be able to enter Vanaheimr now, will he?”
Gaia stared at her, her violet eyes steady.
“There will be a meeting with the other gods. We’ll discuss it then.”
“Is there always a meeting? Is it like a trial?” Lyra asked. Gaia blinked. Her pale irises swam with drops of dark green, like blood dripping into water.
“No. His was an unusual case.”
“In what way?”
Gaia pulled herself to full height, which was about six feet. Her body was soft, curvy, but strong. She could crush Lyra in a fight, goddess powers aside. She looked down her nose at Lyra.
“You’re a strange one. Half fae. Powerful mage. Descended from a powerful line. Yet, humble. And you did heed my prophecy and open the portal.” She paused, thoughtful. “I suppose I’ll answer your question.”
Lyra waited.
“Terrin blasted him with his magic in order to move him away from you when he saw him lunge with the knife. He wasn’t quick enough, obviously. I don’t believe his intention was to kill Techni, but Techni hit his head on a rock, and he died instantly. It smashed his brain in, you see. It will be hard to convince the other gods that Terrin’s intentions were pure.” Gaia studied Lyra’s face. “Your mother and father and other family are beyond. Don’t you want to see them?”