From there, he described the Unseelie’s attempt to capture Albigard and toss him through the gate to Hell, followed by their escape with the cat-sidhe’s help, and finally, the events inside the dead pocket realm.
Well... most of the events inside the dead pocket realm, anyway. There were a couple of aspects he hadn’t even begun to wrap his brain around yet, and those were decidedly not for public consumption. He realized after the fact that he’d also glossed over the whole ‘necromancy’ thing pretty thoroughly, which he knew he’d have to rectify at some point—assuming Albigard didn’t blurt it out for him and save him the trouble.
Vonnie looked increasingly appalled as the story unfolded. By contrast, Guthrie had that super-scary calm thing going on, that had historically meant heads were about to roll... figuratively and quite possibly literally.
“So you’re telling me,” the vampire said, directing his words to Albigard, “that after we nearly got ourselves killed trying to keep your people from toppling every government on the planet and enslaving humanity, the Fae let a world-eating monster escape from Dhuinne? And now they plan to use it in a blatant act of war against the fucking demons?”
“Succinctly put,” Albigard said, still not lifting his gaze from the tabletop. Len thought he could hear a slight tremor behind the words.
“Not only that,” Guthrie continued, in a tone that could have cut glass. “But this world-eating monster is specifically after you. You knew that, and yet you still let my granddaughter stand squarely in the line of fire, along with her asshole of an undead boyfriend. And now they’re both dead.”
Albigard flinched visibly. Somehow, Len was on his feet without having consciously decided to move. More alarmingly, he found himself standing practically nose to nose with his terrifying vampire ex-boss, shoving him back a step from the table and the hunched, miserable Fae sitting at it.
“Do not,” Len said viciously, “put that on him.” He shoved again, irrationally incensed—aware on some level that Guthrie was only giving ground out of sheer surprise, because Len could barely even stand up without falling over. His arms had about the same strength as a newborn kitten’s right now.
“Have you ever tried to talk Zorah and Rans out of anything they’d decided to do?” he demanded. “And don’t fucking lie to me, because I know you have, and I know how effective it was. Namely, not at all.”
“Whoa,” Vonnie said, getting between them. She probably didn’t need to bother. For one thing, Guthrie was about as likely to hurt Len as he was to spontaneously break into show tunes. For another, Len was in no condition to do any real damage to a vampire on the best of days—much less today.
Still, she put a hand on Len’s chest to hold him back, and leveled a green-eyed glare in Guthrie’s direction. “Leo, apologize. And Len, sit down before I have to bust out some magic and make you sit down.”
Fortunately, she pulled out the nearest chair for him as soon as she finished speaking. Otherwise, he probably would have ended up on the floor when his knees abruptly stopped cooperating.
“No apology is necessary,” Albigard said stiffly. “The vampire’s statement is accurate.”
Len scrubbed shaking hands over his face. “Yes, it goddamn well is necessary.” He glared up at Guthrie. “You want to blame someone? Blame me. I’m the only one who was in a position to possibly save them. And I didn’t.”
Guthrie let out an angry breath and spun away, taking a couple of steps to put more space between them. “Fuck,” he cursed savagely, and turned back to them. “It’s no one’s fault. Theirs, maybe, for getting too cocky—thinking they were indestructible.”
“They were supposed to be indestructible,” Len muttered.
“Look,” Vonnie said, “if there’s a possibility that Nigellus can still get them back somehow, then that’s what we need to focus on, agreed?”
“That, along with the small matter of the Earth’s potential destruction,” Albigard replied in an acid tone.
“One thing at a time,” Guthrie said, once more back to icy calm. “Nigellus said their bodies were safe, but he didn’t say anything to us about getting their souls back.”
Albigard finally lifted his gaze to meet the vampire’s. “It is not feasible under the current circumstances. No doubt he wished to avoid raising false hopes.”
“So what has to happen to make it feasible?” Guthrie pressed.
The Fae took a deep breath. “The Hunt would first have to be returned to Dhuinne, or some other place where it could be reliably contained. It would also have to be weakened somehow.”
Vonnie frowned in thought. “It sounds like those two things combined would solve all of our problems at once. Next question—how do we make it happen?”
“I have absolutely no idea,” Albigard replied. “However, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that I must return to Dhuinne as a first step toward limiting the damage.”
And they were back to this again. Suddenly, Len felt too exhausted to deal with any of it.
“You think if you go back, it will follow you?” Guthrie asked.
“It seems likely,” Albigard said.
Len clenched his jaw. “And once you’re there, you’ll keep the other Fae from capturing you and dragging you back to Hell... how, exactly?”
“A warning to Nigellus of the Unseelie’s intended strategy should be sufficient,” Albigard replied. “The gate to Hell is difficult to access at the best of times. If the demons defend it aggressively, it’s unlikely Fae could get anywhere near it.”
Vonnie had been watching the exchange with worried eyes. “Albigard—no offense, but you look... really terrible right now. Are you sure you’re not injured?”
Guthrie tilted his head, examining the Fae as well. “That portal,” he said. “The one you arrived through. There was something different about it.”
Albigard’s expression twisted in distaste, and Len braced for another round of the dreaded Necromancy 101 conversation. But all the Fae said was, “The only available source of energy in the pocket realm was... not strictly compatible with Fae magic. I was forced to use it anyway, but doing so has affected me negatively.”
Len tried to force his brain toward something constructive. “If you can’t eat any more, you should rest. It’s been... a really long couple of days.”
The Fae’s haunted gaze flicked to Guthrie’s. “The perimeter?”
“I found a spot about a dozen feet in diameter where all the plants were dead, just like you described,” said the vampire. “One edge was completely straight, like it hit an invisible wall and stopped. The wards, I’m guessing.”
“Yes,” Albigard replied. “It appears it has not yet returned, or the damage would be more extensive.”
The fact that the Hunt hadn’t returned could be a good thing or a bad thing, Len knew. Good, for obvious reasons, but also bad, because the Hunt had a history of returning to the same place repeatedly. It could show up again at any time, especially with Albigard back here, drawing it.
“At least we can be sure it hasn’t figured out the wards yet,” Len said, reaching for something positive to offer. “So... go rest. We’re both pretty useless right now.”
Albigard gave an exhausted nod. He lurched to his feet with none of his normal grace, and headed deeper into the house without another word. Len considered following suit. Unfortunately, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it upstairs under his own steam. He slouched over the table instead, resting his head in his hands. A shiver skittered up his spine. Even after the shower, he was still cold, damn it.
Cold and empty.
FIFTEEN
THE CHAIR OPPOSITE him scraped across the floor, and he looked up as Guthrie sank into it, watching him intently. “You do understand that none of this is your fault, right?” Guthrie asked.
Len groaned. “Please, no attempts at armchair psychotherapy, Gramps,” he said, falling back on the old, irreverent nickname. Zorah’s grandfather. Gramps the Vamp. “No offense, but you’r
e really not cut out for it.”
Vonnie let out a huff that might have been grim amusement. Len blinked in surprise as she hooked an arm around Guthrie from behind and leaned down to press a kiss to his temple. “Sorry, Leo, but he’s got you there,” she said.
Len stared for a second while his brain caught up. “Oh. Um... are you two...?”
She nodded, crossing to him. “Yeah, we are. But right now, you need to go get some rest as much or more than Albigard does. Come on—up you get.”
“She’s right,” Guthrie agreed, rising. “Go rest for a few hours. I’ll keep an eye on that dead patch at the edge of the property and let you know if anything alarming happens. Vampire night vision might as well be useful for something.”
“’Kay,” Len managed, his brain still stuck somewhere in the vicinity of Vonnie having carved her way through the Ice King’s armor to whatever soft center lay beneath. The irony wasn’t completely lost on him, of course—though in Len’s case, getting through Albigard’s armor had been more a matter of borderline sexual assault, perpetrated and grudgingly accepted on the basis that both of them would be dead soon anyway.
He realized he was still staring after the vampire’s departing form, and shook his head sharply to clear it.
“Let’s go, Blue,” Vonnie said, matter-of-fact. “You’re really out of it, and you need sleep.”
He let her tug him out of the chair and duck her shoulder beneath his to help support him. Rather than heading for the staircase leading to the second floor, she led him into the back hallway where the ground floor bedrooms were located. The door to the first one was partway open, as though the occupant hadn’t possessed the energy to close it properly.
“Wait,” Len said in a low tone. Unable to help himself, he peeked inside—just to make sure, he told himself. The light outside the window was fading, but it was still enough to make out Albigard lying facedown on the bed, his chest rising and falling rhythmically—dead to the world. Vonnie urged him onward after a few moments, probably worried that the Fae would wake up to find Len staring at him like a creeper.
There was only one other bedroom on the ground floor, and Len cringed inwardly when Vonnie opened the door and led him inside. She made a move to flip on the light switch, but Len whispered, “Don’t... please.”
She halted the movement before it was completed. “Okay, we can leave it off. Come lie down.”
With a feeling of dread, Len let her lead him across the room and guide him onto Rans and Zorah’s bed. He didn’t know if the two vampires had left any personal touches behind in their borrowed room or not. With the fading light of evening throwing everything into shadows, he could at least pretend they hadn’t.
Len settled against the pillows piled at the headboard and tried desperately not to think about... well... anything, really.
Vonnie hovered for a moment before speaking hesitantly. “I’ll let you get some sleep now. I’ve... missed you, Len. I’m sorry I fucked up our friendship.”
Sudden panic at the idea of being alone in this room with no company except his own thoughts had him darting out a hand toward her. “Wait. Don’t go, Red. I... I’m...” He trailed off, his throat threatening to close up. “I’m barely keeping it together right now,” he managed, his voice a hoarse whisper. “Sorry.”
Vonnie was silent for a beat. “All right,” she said. “It’s okay. I can stay and talk for a bit if you want.” She perched on the edge of the bed, and poked him in the arm until he scooted over far enough that she could sit next to him properly.
Relief swept through him, along with an entirely different kind of dread—because now they’d have to talk about all the things lying unspoken between them. He leaned forward, letting her readjust the pillows so they could both have something to use as lumbar support while sitting against the headboard, shoulder to shoulder. Once they were settled, she let out a slow breath.
“Jace said to tell you hi,” she said after a short pause.
Len clutched at her inoffensive opening gambit like a lifeline. He’d only met Vonnie’s teenage son once, when Guthrie, Rans, and Zorah had dropped him at Len’s house for safekeeping after Vonnie and her ex had been kidnapped from her apartment. He’d been a quiet kid. Precocious. Not to mention, terrified out of his mind for his parents’ safety.
“How is he?” Len asked.
The quest to get Jace and other human children who’d demonstrated magical abilities back from the Fae had culminated in the battle at Stonehenge—the same battle that had nearly killed Albigard. At one point in that quest, Vonnie had broken a solemn promise to Len and rushed into danger without telling him where she was going—leaving him stuck with the unpleasant task of informing Rans and Zorah if she didn’t make it back.
He’d never quite forgiven her for putting him in that situation. It had put a real strain on their friendship... one that he was admittedly having a hard time maintaining now that she was here, sitting next to him in the gathering dark.
“Jace is safe. He’s still hiding out on the Isle of Skye with his dad,” Vonnie said. “Edward and some other people with magical abilities are there, too—teaching all of the kids how to use and control their powers.” She hesitated, before continuing in a tone of wonder. “Half the time it still doesn’t feel real. My kid can make plants bloom, Len. He can make rocks explode with the power of his mind.” She laughed at herself—a short, breathy sound. “Not sure why it surprises me so much, considering.”
She lifted a hand, and flame flickered tamely in her palm, throwing odd shadows around them for a few seconds before she extinguished it with a brisk shake of her fingers.
“Wow,” Len said. “Okay.”
“I know, right?” She blew out a breath. “Fire, ice, wind, steam... let’s just say, there were a few awkward moments when it first began manifesting and I had no idea how to control it. It all started when Rans gave me vampire blood to heal me after I was injured. Apparently, that was enough to kick-start my latent abilities. Who knew?”
“You should come back to the Brown Fox when all this is over,” Len told her, trying not to think about how unlikely it was that this mess would have anything approaching a happy ending. “Just imagine the tips you could earn, tending bar with tricks like that.”
“Sure,” she said with a small laugh. “And I could make extra money on weekends producing instant ice sculptures for weddings and banquets.”
“You bet,” he told her, still clinging desperately to the offered distraction. “Combine it with magic shows at kids’ birthday parties, and you’ll be as rich as Guthrie before long.” He hesitated. “Speaking of which...”
“Um... yeah,” she said. “About that whole thing—if it’s any consolation, I didn’t see it coming either. And I guarantee he didn’t see it coming. Not until it was way too late for both of us, anyway.” Her tone grew pointed. “Which leads neatly to another question. Is there anything you want to tell me about why you’re suddenly playing white knight for Tinkerbell, when everyone knows you hate his guts?”
He pondered that for a few seconds. “... no?” he replied eventually, which was very much a factual statement.
She allowed the silence between them stretch to uncomfortable lengths before finally letting him off the hook. “Okay. Fair enough, Blue. Just... be careful, all right? He’s... a complicated person to deal with.”
A choked noise stuck in Len’s throat. In another life it might have been a laugh. “Really? You don’t say,” he managed.
Vonnie snorted. “Right—I suppose you’ve probably figured that part out already.” She let out a dramatic sigh. “Once he’s had a bit of time to recover, I still need to figure out the logistics of smacking him upside the head and thanking him profusely during the same conversation.”
“I got the CliffsNotes version of the ‘thanking’ part, I think,” Len told her. “Do I want to know about the ‘smacking’ part?”
She made a noise of deep irritation. “Ugh. The worst thing is, it was actu
ally Jace’s idea, not Albigard’s. We’d managed to snatch Jace away from the Unseelie camp on Easter Island, where they were holding all of the kids prisoner and brainwashing them to be good little Fae pawns. But we weren’t making much headway on stopping their planned power grab. Things were getting pretty desperate, to put it mildly. Jace managed to convince Albigard to take him back to the camp in secret, so he could try to talk the other children into turning on the Fae when the time came. It... sort of worked. But not well enough to keep a lot of people from dying, in the end.”
Len winced. “So you’d just gotten Jace away safely, and Albigard snuck him back to the Fae without telling you? Geez... no wonder he assumed you wanted him dead.”
She went very quiet and still for a moment. “Don’t even joke about that. I thought he was dead, after he stepped in front of an attack aimed at Jace during the battle.”
Len blew out a sharp breath. “Wow. I don’t know what to tell, you, Red. He gets kind of... single-minded, I guess you could say, when he thinks something bigger than individual lives is at stake. Case in point—I’ve been trying to talk him down from the ledge when it comes to handing himself over to Dhuinne ever since things went wrong in St. Louis.”
Vonnie shifted against the headboard, her shoulder moving against his in the gathering dark. “I’m sorry to say, I’m still reeling from the last crisis and haven’t managed to fully wrap my head around this new crisis quite yet. So... I figure I’ll just do the smack-and-thank thing like I planned, after which he’ll look at me like I’m a bug in a laboratory experiment—and we’ll move on from there.”
“Sounds about right,” Len agreed.
Forsaken Fae: The Complete Series, Books 1-3 (Last Vampire World) Page 29