by Bree Verity
Fenella’s anger increased. She had all this dark power, all this soul magic, and she couldn’t even help a single, defenceless woman. She levitated, very slightly off the floor, and the black smoke built into a coat enveloping her. Her pink dress turned bruise-purple, and her fingernails lengthened even as her hands wrinkled. The air around her became cold and gusty, picking up not only the transparent viewing device but also any other items in Eldryth’s office that were sufficiently light.
“Fenella,” warned Eldryth, but Fenella was beyond warning.
“Why should I not just kill him?” She turned away from Eldryth and spoke to herself, feeling the burn of her power growing within her. Her eyes burned red in her eye sockets; her hair electrified. “He has proven himself incapable of humanity. Therefore, he is not human. I should just kill him.”
“Fenella.” This time Eldryth’s voice was sharp. Fenella spun to face her, a sneer upon her deathlike face.
“I don’t care for your rules and regulations and I will not be bound by them.” In her dark state, Fenella felt reckless and supreme. No mere light fae, no matter how aged, could best her.
“I do, and you will,” replied Eldryth firmly, standing fast. Even though Fenella’s anger whipped the air around her, Eldryth seemed untouched by the tirade. She stood serene, as Fenella’s wrath created havoc in the room.
“No,” proclaimed Fenella, the fire flashing from inside her dead eyes and lighting up the inside of her mouth. “He does not deserve life.”
“Who are you to decide who deserves to live or die?”
“I am Fae,” screamed Fenella. “I am of the dark. I am the avenger of souls.” She knew it to be so. The soul magic mixed with her dark magic made her think of ways to maim and torture that almost made her drool.
One of Eldryth’s eyebrows raised. “What do you know of souls?”
Fenella’s eyes narrowed. “Sufficient,” she hissed. “Sufficient to know that this soul is tainted.”
“Do you know that as fact? Or do you surmise?” Eldryth crossed her arms over her chest and barked the question at Fenella.
Fenella drew her hands together and then apart slowly. Lightning flashed between them, bright white and blue. “It is fact,” she said. “The taint is palpable. I can almost taste it.” She smiled, her razor teeth white and predatory. “I will kill. He will die.” She felt the power of her dark magic, bolstered by her blackdark, and knew she could do it. She could kill him. With very little effort. The thought pleased her.
“But can you?” pressed Eldryth. “Taste it?”
Inside her blinding anger, a tiny part of Fenella’s psyche paused. Eldryth wasn’t defending the human anymore. She was questioning Fenella’s power.
For a brief moment, Fenella burned hard, fire and lightning pouring from all over her. Then, with a great deal of effort, she brought all her dark facets under control, and slowly returned to her place standing before Eldryth.
She could taste it. That was the problem. She should not be able to taste the taint on a soul, surely. And before she confessed any such thing to Eldryth, she needed to talk to Nazryth, to find out what it meant.
She glowered at Eldryth. “No, I can’t taste it,” she lied.
“Are you sure?” Eldryth’s question was focussed and sharp. Fenella shrunk back a little. Why would such a thing interest Eldryth so deeply?
“I’m sure. I couldn’t taste it. It was just an expression.”
Eldryth’s face didn’t change, but Fenella felt her disappointment just as surely as if she had slumped her shoulders. The older fae returned to her place behind her desk and silently indicated that Fenella should sit before her, which Fenella did, not taking her eyes off the elderly she-fae.
“Did you ever perform like that in front of your previous mentor?” The ice in Eldryth’s tone was clear.
Fenella gave a humorless smile. “Often.” Although a little shudder passed over her. This time, her blackdark had fed into her dark magic, bringing the dark side of her thoughts very much into focus.
“I should force your exit from your apprenticeship this very minute,” said Eldryth. “You threatened a human being’s life.”
She had threatened a human. And she had meant it. A tiny crease crossed her forehead. She had never felt such darkness before, even in full dark fae. But for the sake of Eldryth, Fenella scoffed. “That is not a human being,” she said.
“We know not the depth of the human psychology,” warned Eldryth. “It is possible there is a subset of humans like him.”
“Yes, there are,” agreed Fenella. “I spoke to Lachlan about them. They are called psychopaths. And they are not human. They are sub-human.” Thinking about the things Mr. Penny would be capable of, her dark magic threatened to break out again, and she had to physically stop, close her eyes, and sternly push it back down. On opening them again, she blushed to find Eldryth staring at her curiously. She swallowed, and repeated, a little louder, “They are sub-human.”
“But does that give us – you – the right to terminate their lives?”
“On Earth? Certainly. They will continue to live in the soul realm. But they will not be able to hurt people anymore.”
“How do you know that? How do you know they would not be even more dangerous on the soul realm?”
Fenella paused, uncomfortably aware that Eldryth was right. Nobody knew exactly how the soul realm operated. Fae could not come back from there once they went, so the research about it was sketchy at best.
“I think you should take a day away from your duties, Fenella, to bring your thoughts back into order.”
“But Mary needs me…”
“She needs you to be clear headed and to be working in her favor,” replied Eldryth, her tone brooking no argument. “You will come back and see me the day after tomorrow, and we will develop the trickery idea further. It seems to be the only way we shall free Lady Mary from her fiancé.”
Fenella stood up stiffly and left the office without a word. She could feel her lips were compressed and her jaw tight. She needed to see Lachlan, he would be able to settle her down, make everything make sense.
No. She needed to see Nazryth.
To find out what Eldryth had been trying to wheedle out of her.
And to see if this strange surge of blackdark power was normal.
Chapter Fourteen.
Her day off provided the best opportunity for Fenella to visit the gnarled tree on the outskirts of the beautiful fae city of P'ffayn where with a complicated knock, she was admitted to the headquarters of Ravyn, the secret blackdark organization operating right under the noses of the fae government.
Fenella was always surprised by the number of people at Ravyn headquarters, always having thought that soul magic was extremely rare. The number of fae busy at their endeavors at Ravyn suggested the number wasn’t as tiny as Fenella always thought.
She was met with a smile and a quick hug from Maryse, the second in charge at Ravyn, and their chief medical officer. Maryse looked everything like a light fae, with the blonde locks, stunning blue eyes and pink, full lips that identified their kind.
Fenella had also been surprised to find Maryse, and indeed quite a few light fae, were able to wield soul magic.
Maryse had pulled out of their hug and given Fenella an uncomfortably appraising look but had to move along quickly to instruct a group of new recruits, so after insisting she would see Fenella later, she was on her way. Fenella flew with exaggerated laziness to Nazryth’s office, trying not to think about Phineas’ words and her racing pulse.
Nazryth was one of a kind. A dark-skinned light fae, there was nothing about him that made sense. His tightly curled hair was blonde, and his stark blue eyes stared out from a face the color of beautiful polished ebony. Apart from his physical differences, of course he also worked soul magic, which made him completely unique.
Nazryth was the perfect leader for Ravyn. Strong both physically and magically, he exuded a powerful calm and charisma that drew
people to him. He had the gift of making everyone comfortable, making them feel as if they were the only other person in the room, as if they had one hundred percent of his attention.
Fenella had felt his strength and concern, when she and Phineas had healed the youngster Kerryn of soul sickness – a wasting disease that ate away at the soul. But now, since Phineas had teased her about Nazryth’s apparent preference for her, she was more attuned to the rest of the feelings that might be swirling around, and they made her just a little uncomfortable in Nazryth’s presence.
“Fenella,” Nazryth said by way of greeting, coming around his desk to take her outstretched hand. Even the formal greeting made Fenella a little breathless, Nazryth’s touch generating a kind of electricity between them that Fenella had, until now, reasoned away as his magnetic personality.
On touching her hand, Nazryth seemed taken aback for a moment, but as soon as the look crossed his face it was gone again, and Fenella couldn’t tell whether she had actually seen it or not. He had seemed put out by something, perhaps something he had felt through their connection?
She pushed the unsettling thoughts out of her head and smiled up at the tall, solid he-fae. Fenella was tall, but Nazryth easily stood a head taller.
“Can I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Of course,” he replied instantly, and Fenella took the seat that Nazryth offered her. The timber of the chair was warm and inviting, soft even. It had obviously been created by a master craftsman with a special affinity with the timber. Nazryth moved back around the desk and to his own chair.
Fenella decided to jump right in. “Have you ever been able to taste evil?”
Nazryth blinked quickly a few times, his dazzling sharp white teeth displayed in a wide smile. “I have to admit, that was not a question I was anticipating.”
“No, I can’t imagine it would be. But Eldryth was trying to find out if I could taste the evil in someone’s aura. I wondered if it was a blackdark thing.”
Nazryth clasped his large hands together and placed them on the desk. Of course, he already knew that Fenella was being mentored by Eldryth. “It’s nothing I have ever heard of,” he admitted, “but Maryse may have. She keeps the lexicon of all the different presentations of blackdark. We can go and ask her. What was the other thing?”
Nazryth’s piercing blue eyes directly upon her unnerved Fenella, despite the comfortable chair. Her tongue darted out and moistened her dry lips, she scratched the side of her face. “I… I might need some help with controlling my dark side from utilizing the energy from the blackdark too much.”
“Did something happen?”
His voice was almost sharp, and Fenella’s eyes fell to where her hands were resting in her lap. “I grew extremely angry with a human and gave into my dark side for just a minute. But while I was there, I could feel the thrumming of my soul magic, almost pushing my dark magic onward. I was able to pull it back under control, but if it hits me like that again, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it again.” She looked up at Nazryth, a reminder of the buzz from her dark side making her eyes gleam. “There was so much power. I felt invincible.”
“And Eldryth witnessed this transformation to your dark?”
Fenella nodded, her eyes falling once again. “She kept prodding me for more information about how I felt, and then she asked if I could taste the evil.”
“Strange,” commented Nazryth, tenting his fingers. “We’ll have to ask Maryse.” He stood up and beckoned her to follow him. “Come along. We need to look at this dark magic of yours in a different light.”
Fenella’s brows rose, but she meekly followed Nazryth to a room that glowed with a strange white light, sometimes blue, sometimes yellow.
“This is our light magic cage,” he explained. “It has been ensorcelled with enough light magic to contain any amount of dark rage.” He stepped up to Fenella and, to her surprise, pushed her backward with a forceable shove.
“I want you to get angry,” he said, shoving her again. “Show me your dark magic. Feel what you did earlier, bring it to the present.” He slapped her, and she felt her eyes ignite.
“Stop it,” she said. “I don’t want to go dark on you.”
He sneered. “As if you can stop it. You’re just a useless dark fae, good for nothing but sorting garbage.” He hit her again, hard enough to sting. She knew what he was trying to do, and despite her best intentions, it was working. Her dark magic reacted to the sensations, even when her conscious told her he was goading her deliberately. The smoke started to pool at her ankles, then wind its way up her body, her nails lengthened into fire-red talons and she started to levitate.
“Stop,” she said, her voice deepening as her skin stretched tight over her bones. Her eyesight sharpened, and she was able to dodge a blow from Nazryth, but only one. He came back at her with a flurry of degrading slaps. “You know your dark can’t outplay my light. Dark is weak.”
She thought about Mr. Penny and his black aura, his casual cruel violence toward Mary, his obvious delight at inflicting pain. She brought all her vitriol and hatred back and added it to the humiliations and pain Nazryth was piling on her.
Then she felt it. The soul magic, trickling into her darkness, strengthening it. It was like an elixir, feeding into her spinal fluid, taking her darkness, and deepening it until Fenella was nothing but hate.
The room was full of shrieking wind, Fenella looked skeletal and terrifying in a gown of blood, with a cloak of black smoke. Lightning played in her electrified hair and between her crone-like hands. Her eyes, nothing more than pinpoints of fire, found Nazryth, and she wanted nothing more than to hurt him.
She gathered the lightning in her hands and expelled it toward Nazryth. He seemed surprised by the attack, jumping backward, and muttering some light nonsense. Fenella’s smile was chilling. She could hurt him. She could kill him if she desired.
Once again, she brought her hands together, then expanded them, a ball of lightning fire building between them. Perspiration poured off Nazryth, then, in amongst Fenella’s hate she felt surprise, as he, too, levitated, and turned the strength of his light against her dark.
Where Lachlan was beautiful when he lit up in alarm or passion, Nazryth was simply breathtaking. Like an avenging angel, the light poured out of every pore.
He easily conjured a ball of light and cast it at Fenella at the same time as she cast her lightning. The two spells met in the middle and sputtered to an end, negating each other. The unsatisfactory result dampened Fenella’s fury somewhat. The soul magic continued to grow inside her, but the dark seemed to realise it could not win against such a powerful combatant.
In a moment, she was back to her normal self, albeit a little buzzed by the soul magic.
Nazryth, too, returned to his normal self, and grinned at Fenella, buoyed by the battle.
“Oh, what a team we would be.”
She inclined her head a little and frowned.
Nazryth explained in a voice of excitement, “If we could harness that darkness inside you, and fuse it with my light, and then bring in the blackdark, we would be invincible.”
“But why would we want that?” Fenella felt a little concerned at Nazryth’s words. His entire being beamed at her, which proved unsettling.
“Because that’s how we bring blackdark back into the real world.”
Fenella threw him a nervous smile. “But that’s not why I’m here,” she said, not entirely sure of his motivation.
“No, but I can dream.”
He stepped up close to her, and threaded a hand in her hair, cradling her neck. “Together, Fen, we could be more than either of us could ever be.”
Fenella, with soul magic still pumping in her veins, and with her heart hammering in her chest, watched in silent fascination as Nazryth’s lips descended toward hers. Then, as he commenced his onslaught, she closed her eyes, and allowed herself to be enveloped in him.
He tasted of sun and hardwood, clear rivers, and fresh spring.
She gulped his scent through her nostrils, unable to breathe any other way as he wrapped his other arm around her waist and drew her close, his lips and tongue battling hers. She could not get close enough to him, pushing the entire length of her body against him. He intoxicated her, excited her.
Then, as suddenly as he had started, Nazryth pushed her away, his eyes wide with alarm and his cheeks wearing a rosy blush, despite his dark coloring.
“Forgive me,” he stuttered. “It was the blackdark. I couldn’t help it.”
“No, that’s okay,” she said faintly, more confused than ever. He sounded so contrite, as if he was guilty of the gravest of sins. Nazryth’s kiss wound every inch of her up tight, drawing fire from parts of her that she didn’t even know existed. It was as if every muscle squeezed tight, every nerve fired.
Then, she gasped.
“I can taste your goodness.”
It was his turn to look at her in confusion. “What?”
“I can taste it. Your goodness. The goodness in your soul.”
One eyebrow leaped up. “What does it taste like?”
She licked her bottom lip. “Sunshine.”
“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and to Fenella’s disappointment, they left the light magic cage and went to find Maryse, who was instructing a group of eager-looking young fae. They all nodded vigorously, then dispersed, leaving Maryse alone.
“Tell her what you told me,” Nazryth urged, and in a shaking stutter, Fenella told her about being able to taste Nazryth’s soul, and possibly Mr. Penny’s as well.
Maryse tapped a fingernail on her teeth a few times before replying, “It’s not well documented, but I have heard of it before. Sense magic. It’s like a sub-branch of soul magic.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure what good it does, but it’s interesting to know you have it.”
After the giddy heights of the light magic cage, Fenella felt a little let down by Maryse’s brush off of her newfound capability. She turned to Nazryth, but he was nodding, back to his usual calm, confident self.