“So she could arrive here at any moment. The second she figures out she can’t get to me, she’ll travel to Faerie. Does she know you’re here as well?”
“I doubt it. I’m in John’s guest bedroom. It was late when we got there. I don’t think anybody else saw us.”
That was good. While Honi was asleep, he was as vulnerable as Adi was in the real world. The fewer people who knew where he was for the night, the better. Adi took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if Honi had thought about the implications of the upcoming fight. She took both his hands.
“Honi…,” she began.
This was going to be hard. At one time, he’d loved Nina. She had to make sure he understood his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t walk away unscathed. As if she knew Adi needed some help to get this out, the white wolf pushed against the back of her legs. Adi took a deep breath and continued.
“You know that if it comes to it, I’m going to have to do what it takes?”
Honi’s head dropped. The sadness in his eyes was unmistakable, but so was his determination when he finally nodded.
“I know,” he whispered. “I know you might have to kill her. It’s her life against an entire universe. There’s really no choice when it comes down to it.”
“And Adi….” He pulled her against his chest. “I wouldn’t hesitate if she threatened you again. You know that, right? I love you. So much more than anybody else in this world.”
Adi clung on to him with all her strength. Her eyes were burning with emotion. She’d waited so long for him to say these words to her again. Before she got completely overwhelmed, she pushed him away.
“Only in this world? What about the others?”
Honi threw his head back and laughed. Adi joined in. There was more than a tinge of desperation in their voices, but for now, they were together, and whatever happened, they would stay together till the end.
39
Adi and Honi were discussing strategy when Diarmuid strode towards them. There was no sign of his usual mocking expression, his obnoxious sense of humor. Adi felt her knees go weak when she saw his face.
“Oh no. What happened? Is she—”
“No, not yet. But it won’t be long now. She’s fading away in front of my very eyes.”
The tough Faerie warrior sobbed harshly, once, before pulling himself together.
“I came to tell you, you must finish this now. Whatever happens, I want to thank Honi and you. We have treated you badly. Both of you. My lady can be very cruel at times. If we survive the coming ordeal, our eternal gratefulness, with all it entails, will be yours. If we perish together, understand that I am proud to have fought at your side. You are more than worthy champions for the human race.”
Adi swallowed hard. She hadn’t expected that. Honi and Adi had suffered terribly at the hands of the capricious queen, with Diarmuid as her willing helper. Yet here he was, telling them he regarded them as equals within Faerie. She felt both elated and pissed. Pissed won out.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Diarmuid. Cut out the theatrics.”
Diarmuid’s head flew up, his expression alarmed. Adi stood in front of him, her arms folded in front of her chest, her eyes narrowed.
“We’re going to fight Nina, and we’ll beat her. And before you run off again—make yourself useful and give us a hand.”
Diarmuid nodded, clearly in shock. He obviously wasn’t used to being spoken to like this by anybody, never mind a human female. He cleared his throat.
“How can I help?”
Honi sat down and gestured Diarmuid to join him. Soon, the two men were busy planning how to engage Nina when she finally showed up. Adi listened, her mind busy thinking up scenarios. Something bothered her, something she’d forgotten about in the excitement. And suddenly it hit her.
“Guys, listen. Something just occurred to me.”
Both men fell silent and stared at her. Adi began pacing up and down in front of them. This was important, if she could only put it into words.
“We assume that the queen is fading because Nina is siphoning off her powers, right? So why did Nina go through all this trouble with mind-controlling Honi’s people and shielding the village? Why attack me? All she had to do was wait in plain sight until the queen was gone?”
Adi threw a contrite side glance at Diarmuid who nodded, accepting the unspoken apology for her bluntness. Honi stared at her, his jaw dropping open.
“Shit, that never occurred to me. You’re right. Why did she work so hard to get rid of you? Unless you’re a bigger threat to her than the queen?”
Diarmuid jumped up. “That’s it. Adi, you’ve figured out the reason why the Queen is fading quicker every day! It’s not because Nina is draining her faster, but because my lady is transferring her powers to you!”
Now it was Adi’s turn to stare. “I don’t feel more powerful, though,” she said slowly.
“Not in the human world, you wouldn’t. Where has the queen always been at her strongest?”
Adi groaned. “Oh come on. Of course! She said so herself. She told me that she had no powers in the human world. So what you’re saying is that here in Faerie I’ve got some of her strength?”
Diarmuid nodded, his face hopeful for the first time since the queen had fallen into a coma. Adi considered his words, then nodded.
“Well, if that’s true, then let’s see if we can’t lure Nina to us double-quick. There’s no time to lose after all.”
Adi sat down and closed her eyes. She worked hard to calm her spinning thoughts: the ease with which she’d been able to travel between the worlds; the fact she’d been unaffected by Nina’s mind spell. It all made sense now. It hadn’t helped her fight off Nina’s physical attack, but here in Faerie, it would give her the edge she needed.
Finally, she was able to control her breathing. Sending out the tendrils of her consciousness was easy, so much easier than before. Now that she paid attention, she realized what had been difficult just a few weeks ago, was like child’s play now.
Not far from the castle, a pulsing ball attracted her attention. There were plenty of spirit animals nearby, some moving slowly towards the castle. All of them showed the contamination in their color signature Adi had encountered in Heota. Among them, the fuzzy ball stood out. It was made up entirely of a vomit-inducing, sickly green hue. Its pulsing, like a rotting heart, made her downright nauseous.
She moved closer and prodded it. The reaction was explosive. It expanded violently and engulfed Adi. From one moment to the next, she went from peacefully floating through the Faerie realm countryside, to tumbling through a maelstrom of angry, jealous, hateful emotions.
She didn’t know which way was up. Desperately, she tried to withdraw into her body, but the substance clung to her, weighing her down. She was dimly aware her body was convulsing, her lungs deprived of air.
Behind her, a peaceful space materialized. She didn’t know what it was, but gravitated towards the oasis on instinct. The moment her mind touched the light-blue bubble, she felt the presence of the white wolf.
‘Adi, I’ve got you.’
A calm voice, gravelly with the wildness Adi would always associate with Ho’neo, but lighter. Huh. Spirit animals communicated with their spirit walkers, didn’t they? Adi’s heart expanded while she filed the information away for later. Right now, she needed to get away from the wrongness that had trapped her. When she tried to withdraw again, it was easy. She floated back towards the castle to where her body was lying on the grass, surrounded by her two worried companions.
‘Not so fast. Let her follow,’ the white wolf said.
Dutifully, Adi slowed down to allow the green blob to catch up. She experienced the usual second of disorientation when she opened her eyes. The white wolf barked sharply, and Adi sat up, nearly headbutting Honi in the process.
“Whoa, are you okay?” he asked, his voice alarmed.
“She’s followed me here,” Adi gasped.
Honi straightened up and spun around.
> “Diarmuid!” he shouted. “Behind you.”
In an instant, the two men stood shoulder to shoulder, warily watching Nina stalk towards them. Adi barely recognized the Mekui’te woman. Like an ancient goddess, she towered above the humans and faeries alike. Her hair blew behind her like a black veil large enough to cover the sky. The closer she stepped, the more the light dimmed. Her eyes shone with so much radiance it hurt to look directly at them. Lightning ran up and down her skin, the static discharging in crackling sparks.
Without sparing a glance at Adi and Diarmuid, she stopped in front of Honi.
“Last chance, lover-boy,” she taunted. Honi’s eyes were wide with shock. Slowly he shook his head. Nina’s eyes flared, and Honi was thrown backwards so hard, Adi heard bones break. Terrified, she rushed to his side while keeping a wary eye on the enemy.
“I’m fine,” Honi wheezed. He held his ribs. Shit.
“Seriously, don’t worry about me. I’ve been injured worse playing football.”
Yeah, right. All footballer players break their ribs during play. Sure. Macho asshole. He was right, though. Right now she needed to focus. The wolf whined. Diarmuid was on the ground, his head turned away from Adi, unmoving. Nina stood above him, her arm raised as if she were about to smite him. The way she looked, all charged up and evil, Adi had no doubt she could. Time to stop this.
“Hey, bitch. Over here.”
Nina lowered her arm and turned towards her.
“Sure. You’re the one I want anyway. You’ve got what’s mine.”
“Honi was never yours,” Adi blustered.
Nina laughed. “Oh sure, he was a nice distraction when I was younger. No, I don’t mean him. I want the power you stole from me.”
As Nina advanced, Adi stepped back. “You mean the queen’s power? Bitch, that was never yours.”
Nina’s eyes flashed dangerously at Adi’s insult. Good. Keep her off-guard. Adi could do with any advantage.
“Enough. I’ll just drain you the way I did the queen. It won’t be pleasant, but hey, these are the perks of the job.”
Nina lunged and grabbed Adi’s arm. Adi yanked, but Nina had a tight grip. She wasn’t moving. For a second, nothing happened. Then a low-buzzing hum tickled Adi’s skin. It increased in strength, from the sensation of tiny ant-legs sinking deep into her skin, to razor blades cutting her epidermis from underneath.
Adi gasped, then mewled, then howled in utter agony. The pain was so bright that it drove everything else from her mind. Her world condensed to the swish-swish of sharp metal, each cutting another layer of agony. It wandered up her arm, past the point where the lizard had bitten her, to her shoulder. Adi screamed and screamed, incapable of forming words. This was how she would die—in wordless agony, until her voice gave in, and her throat only produced whimpers.
Her mind splintered. She could still hear her agonized screams, but at the same time, her attention wandered to her leg where a cool sensation provided a focal point. Honi. He had dragged himself towards her and was holding on as tightly as he could.
A second hand grasped her other leg. Diarmuid. The agonizing pain receded as Adi separated her anguish from why Nina was doing this. The pain was a distraction. It wouldn’t kill her. But it was enough to stop her from noticing that Nina was draining her power. Something nudged at her consciousness.
‘Let me in. I can help.’
Adi recognized the white wolf’s voice. She forced herself to relax, to open her mind, to let the spirit animal enter her. The sensation was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It pushed whatever Nina was forcing her to feel to the side until it was only a background irritant. Instead, there was a promise of eternal companionship, unwavering loyalty, and unconditional love.
‘Trust me.’
‘What are you?’
‘You’ll find out once we get rid of the evil one.’
‘How do we do that?’
‘Trust me,’ the gravelly voice repeated. And a third time.
‘Trust me.’
‘Yes.’
Adi’s consciousness expanded. She felt Honi’s presence and absorbed his kindness, his power, all his goodness. His essence reminded her of a polished chestnut, with copper swirling into the rich brown. Diarmuid was next, his faerie nature adding a harsh silver to the purest magenta. The further she stretched, the more she absorbed. Every faerie in the castle had the same silver streaks, but the base colors differed. It didn’t matter—they opened themselves willingly to Adi.
By the time she reached the queen’s chamber, she carried the power of every single living being within the castle grounds, including some of the spirit animals. She bypassed the ones that were contaminated, knowing instinctively they would do more harm than good.
As she hovered above the queen, she felt her own essence drain away quicker and quicker. She couldn’t feel the pain that Nina was inflicting on her anymore. Adi was stretched so thin that she only had moments left before life would leave her spiritual body. And once that happened, she would die in the human world.
With a weary sigh, she let go of the ball of energy. Shimmering in uncountable hues like mother of pearl, it sank lower and lower until it touched the queen’s head and body. Adi watched with fascination as the creature’s skin absorbed the energy. When the last gossamer was gone, the queen opened her eyes.
“You’ve done well, child.”
That’s all Adi heard before she was snapped back into her spirit world body like a rubber-band. The pain was gone, although her throat was so sore, she would have killed for some hot tea and honey. It would have to wait. Adi sat up, preparing herself for another attack.
Nina was several feet away, shaking her head in abject denial. She was shrinking. The process of stealing the spirit world energy was being reversed. Honi grabbed Adi’s hand, his face white with pain.
“Did you do this?” he asked.
Adi shook her head. “I think I gave the queen back the spirit energy Nina had stolen. I have no idea how I did that.”
Diarmuid chuckled. “My lady is a master strategist. If you live as long as we do, it’s inevitable.”
“Remind me never to play chess with you.”
Sitting closely together, the white wolf’s head in Adi’s lap, they watched as Nina turned back into an ordinary human being. She’d fallen to her hands and knees, howling with fury. She looked more animal than human, her eyes wild with anger and disbelief, her face distorted with rage. Eventually, her screams turned to bitter sobs.
Adi nearly felt sorry for her. What was going to happen to her? The queen was the protector of the balance between the worlds. She was vindictive and merciless if the worlds were threatened.
“What should we do? Take her to the queen?” Honi asked.
Diarmuid chuckled, a bleak sound that reminded Adi that this guy was a warrior, sworn to do his lady’s bidding.
“No. No need for that. She’s harmed the spirit animals greatly. They’ll take care of it. They wouldn’t thank us if we deprived them of their rightful wrath.”
Oh shit. Adi had a good idea what he meant. As Honi and Adi watched with growing horror, shadows moved closer and closer to the clueless woman. Honi’s color drained from his face as he realized what was about to happen.
“Nina! Run!” he shouted.
Nina glared at him, so much hate in her eyes that Adi’s sympathies vanished like a drop in the ocean. Nina was about to shout something at them when the muscular body of a tiger catapulted itself at her back. Nina shrieked and fell onto her front.
Adi squeezed her eyes shut, but couldn’t shut out the agonized screams that seemed to last a long time before ending in a long drawn-out wet gurgle. Honi grabbed her head and pressed it against his chest, but it only managed to muffle the noises of breaking bones and tearing flesh.
“So shall end all who try to wrest power from the queen,” Diarmuid murmured.
When Adi peeked at him from underneath Honi’s arm, even the faerie captain seemed a little pa
le.
‘Hold on to me,’ the white wolf whispered.
Adi grabbed her thick pelt and waited for the jolt that would send both her and Honi back.
“Farewell, Adi. Thank you for saving her,” was the last thing she heard before the world tilted upside-down.
40
Honi rolled to his side, his stomach heaving. John held his hair back as he vomited into a bucket the shaman had helpfully placed by the bed. When the nausea finally stopped, Honi flopped onto his back, gasping for air.
“What the hell was that?” he finally asked, wiping tears from his eyes.
John shrugged. “Yeah, sorry about that. It’s a new herb mixture. You’re the first to try it. Maybe I need to adjust the dose.”
“You think?”
There was a reason why Honi avoided John’s homemade mixes. He still vividly remembered the hallucinations after the shaman needed a guinea pig for one of his special peyote mixes. Actually, not so much the hallucinations. They were to be expected. More like it had taken six months for his hair to grow back. His mom had not been amused.
A glass of water appeared in his field of vision. Honi looked past John at Con. The young man looked like he hadn’t slept in a long time.
“How long was I out for?”
“Eight hours, give or take,” John answered.
“Any news from Adi?”
John nodded. “She’s fine. She’ll be released today. They couldn’t do anything about the scarring but the bite didn’t injure any nerves or tendons permanently.”
A sigh of pure relief escaped Honi.
“Will you come with me to pick her up?”
John nodded. “We’ll all go. I have some apologizing to do.”
Groaning like an old man, Honi got out of bed. His side was heavily bruised and hurt like hell. Worse was the nausea. Con kept him supplied with glasses of cold water and some painkillers, and finally, after an hour, Honi felt slightly more stable. Soon after, John beckoned Honi to his car, and with Con in the backseat, they set off to pick up Adi from Lawton Medical Center.
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