by Hunter Blain
Lifting his dirt-covered eyepatch, Locke turned the material over in his hands to see crusted blood caked on the inside.
“Guess I’ll leave this one on,” Locke said to himself, lifting a hand to touch the hospital patch.
“Sign here, here, aaaaaand here,” Isaac instructed, holding up a clipboard with several sheets of paper and a pen.
Doing as instructed, Locke handed the pen back to Isaac, who nodded in appreciation before making his way toward the door.
“Oh,” the nurse called over his shoulder. “Your cholesterol is a tad on the high end. Might wanna consider changing up the ol’ diet.”
Locke was stunned by the diagnosis. Once he regained his faculties, Isaac was already in the hallway and out of sight.
“But I eat healthy!” Locke called out, stomping to the door and looking out to see Isaac shrug without turning around.
Locke’s mouth bobbed open and closed like a fish out of water while vacant eye listlessly drifted from point to point. Unsure feet automatically sauntered down the hallway in an unplanned direction.
“Ready?” Meli asked right in front of where Locke was walking, startling him.
“Uh! Wha-what?” Locke said, shaking his head to clear the surprising news about something that just absolutely couldn’t be the truth.
Gesturing to herself and Ben, who stood beside her still in his hospital gown, she repeated with a small smile of excitement, “We’re ready and waiting on you.”
“Oh, um…give…give me a moment. I need to talk to Elders Sc—”
“Apprentice Locke,” a feminine voice rang out from behind.
“Merlin’s beard!” Locke cried out, grabbing his all-of-a-sudden vulnerable heart and twirling to see Elders Scymanky and Tafoya hiding their grins. They were dressed in their off-duty cloaks which casually signified their position rather than the fancy gold ones reserved for official business.
“We wanted to give you this.” Elder Tafoya beamed as she handed Locke a black leather rectangle. Sitting atop the material were carefully sketched silver runes. The symbol of the Council sat the largest at the very center.
“What’s this?” Locke asked, holding the rectangle up and turning it over in his hands as if searching for instructions.
“An eyepatch,” Elder Tafoya answered while Elder Scymanky nodded.
“But…” Locke began, inspecting the leather piece closely, “there aren’t any straps.”
“Bind it. Hmph. That’s the trick!” Elder Scymanky rapidly threw out. It reminded Locke of how movies portrayed talking mice.
“I, ah, don’t know how to bind?” Locke stated in a question.
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to learn, won’t you?” Elder Tafoya said with a sly smile that Locke took note of.
“There might be a book in the library which can help you.” As Elder Tafoya, the Brown Cloak, spoke, she tilted her head down ever so slightly.
Locke nodded in such a way as to be barely perceptible, signifying the message had been received.
“Was…was that all you wanted to see me for, Elders?”
Tafoya straightened in an instant. “Correct. That is all. Please have a pleasant day. Come along, Amy.” She turned and began quickly making her way down the hall in the direction they had come.
“Oh! Um, good luck! With…with the binding, I mean! Yes! The binding!” Elder Amy Scymanky said with rapid hand movements before turning and scampering away after her companion.
“What an odd pair,” Meli mused. Locke could hear in her voice that she might be aware that something beyond her understanding had taken place but was willing to let it go. “So, you ready now?”
“Yes. Yes, I believe I am,” Locke confirmed, turning back to the were siblings. “I’ll take you to your new home, and then I apparently have some reading to do.”
8
Magni
Eyes fluttered, his vision shifting between a brilliant white light and the glowing red of his own eyelids. A moan escaped Magni’s lips as he rolled his head away from the light, feeling lush grass beneath his face.
Stringed instruments sang a somber song from somewhere close by, blending into the background like a gentle breeze rustling the trees. Pushing himself to a seated position, Magni rubbed his aching eyes until they accepted the ample light bathing his entire body.
Squinting, he looked up to see he was back in Faerie, just outside of the castle gates.
The thought of Ghleann surged in his mind like a powerful geyser, spewing a volatile mix of emotions that blotted out all rational thought.
This is where her body was left, the Ether whispered inside of Magni’s reeling mind.
Fists clenched with white knuckles that resembled snowcapped mountains. Lips were pulled back to expose clenched teeth that were on the precipice of cracking as muscles along the jaw pushed through skin with each flex.
We can help you avenge her death, child.
Obsidian clouds lined in piercing white roiled overhead, rumbling with violent thunder and sounding like God himself was pissed off.
The music diminished with out-of-place notes elongating before bows were pulled away from strings.
“Halt!” a voice called from somewhere high on the wall.
Tilting his head in the way a snake might, Magni peered up to see a fully armored elf with an arrow aimed directly at the fledgling sorcerer.
We can show you power beyond all comprehension.
“Magni?” the guard called out, slightly lowering his bow.
Let us show you how to avenge the one you love.
Something tugged on Magni’s hand, only it wasn’t physical. Instead, it resembled a subconscious desire, like when a person is watching a movie and doesn’t even realize they’ve moved their entire arm behind their head in an awkward position.
With fingers outstretched, Magni let a surge of energy the color of midnight and lined in electric white shoot from his palm.
The elf guard gasped with barely enough time to bring the arrow back to position and let loose before he exploded in a shower of sizzling black ashes.
The enchanted projectile struck true, piercing Magni’s neck until the first of the colored feathers touched his skin. Magni knew that the feathers were at the end of the arrow and aided in flight, but he also knew that meant the rest of the hardened wood and magical tip were embedded into his torso.
Looking down, Magni could see the tip of the arrow sticking from the bottom of his ribcage, suggesting his heart and lungs had been pierced.
Focusing on the lack of alarming pain, Magni spoke as if to himself, “I thought death would hurt more.”
You aren’t dying, child. Not with us.
There was a tingle in both of his arms, and Magni let the appendages follow the subtle suggestion. Each hand grabbed either end of the arrow before a wave of blackened energy pulsed throughout the enchanted projectile.
The magic was stripped away as the wood withered before evaporating, leaving behind a bloodless tunnel throughout Magni’s torso that began closing.
“Magni!” King Taylor cried out as he opened the door where Ghle had been found.
The sorcerer raised his eyes to the tall elf, and another tingle ran down his arms.
Sensing the attack, Taylor conjured a golden shield from thin air right as he was thrown back as if shot by a cannon. A thunderclap cracked the sky, making the entire Seelie Court jump in surprise.
After a series of flips to dissipate the momentum, Taylor landed effortlessly on his feet, glaring eyes that glowed with golden power toward Magni.
“Leave this place, boy, and I’ll let you live,” Taylor bellowed.
The doorway exploded into black ash and billowed into the sky as Magni entered the courtyard, eyes pluming with black energy. Only white pupils could be seen through the darkness that were the windows to Magni’s soul.
A large crowd of Fae all dressed in green began efficiently shifting into various styles of armor. Dwarves donned thick golden plates etc
hed in runes Magni knew were for protection against magic. Elves choice of defense was more about movement and speed, relying on their enchanted bows to fire magical arrows from a distance. The trolls removed their clothing, choosing to fight with the barest of leather to cover their genitals.
Something pushed at Magni’s thoughts, prompting him to dive inward inside his own mind.
I don’t want to do this, he lamented to the Ether, which manifested itself as a black silhouette. Smoke drifted off the being while globs of goo plopped to the ground. It had no face, only the shape of a head that turned toward Magni.
They are standing in the way of your revenge, child. Its voice was cold, uncaring of what was happening and what line Magni was about to cross.
No! Taylor lost her too!
The elf let her die. And now he brings arms against you.
No! Magni cried out, unable to articulate how the situation was unfolding. He knew something was wrong, but couldn’t put his feelings into words, which served to agitate him even more.
If you do not allow this, the Ether spoke, moving closer to Magni, who could only sob in response, then your beloved’s killer will never see justice. While still inside the young man’s mind, dripping hands that wafted smoke rose to rest on Magni’s shoulders. We will help you find peace, child.
But…Taylor is a friend! All these people are my friends!
Do you not want to avenge Ghleann?
Magni’s bottom lip stopped quivering as he stood in complete shock.
Goooood, the Ether hissed as it stepped closer to Magni, moving its arms to embrace the young man.
“Magni! Please don’t do this!” Taylor shouted from somewhere miles away.
Close your eyes, child. Close…your eyes…
An arrow whistled through the air, only to dissolve into mist before striking Magni.
Black eyes opened as lips pulled up into a smile that made Taylor’s blood feel as if it had been replaced with near-frozen water.
“My turn,” Magni whispered as a wall of arrows the color of shadow erupted from his flesh.
Several Fae went down with a final yelp of surprise as others screamed in agony, their armor not enough to stop every projectile.
“ATTAAAAAACK!” King TalGoid of the Seelie Court bellowed his war cry, sprinting forward with a golden bow manifesting from nowhere. Shot after shot flew through the air, each arrow utilizing various forms of elemental magic.
A stampede of warriors rushed forward, a plethora of melee weapons poised to strike.
Trolls flipped through the air lobbing spears while elves climbed to any height advantage, nocking arrows and letting them loose with vigor.
Please don’t hurt my friends, Magni pleaded to the entity wrapping more and more around him with each moment that passed.
It’s too late for that, child.
A hand flung out, and three of the rushing attackers crumbled to sizzling black ash. The other hand followed suit, and four more were sent to the Veil.
Three dwarves continued up the center, mere feet away from their target and screaming their vein-bulging rage.
Tentacles made of roiling black smoke burst from Magni, piercing the flesh of the dwarves as if their enchanted armors were nothing more than paper plates. Screams of rage quickly turned to those of unimaginable pain before the three creatures crumbled into ash. One of the heads slid on the ground and came to a stop at Magni’s feet, its features frozen like an artist’s charcoal drawing.
No! Please, stop! Magni screamed as the Ether began violently pulling him into itself. Warm, sludge-coated hands pushed against the darkness swallowing them like viscous tar pits.
A spear was jammed into Magni’s heart while several arrows lodged into multiple vital points. King Taylor scored a direct hit, bursting one of Magni’s eyes as the arrow broke through skull and pierced his brain.
Everything stopped as the Fae froze in anticipation mixed with growing disbelief.
Magni smiled as a sphere of power rocketed from all around him, melting the very stone upon which he stood. The arrows and spear vanished like a strand of cotton thrown into a roaring fire.
The bubble of power did not stop, and several Fae warriors began turning to flee before being incinerated by a force moving faster than the speed of sound.
At the last possible moment, King Taylor brought up a defensive spell in front of him as the blast struck home. Unfortunately for the elf, the spell hadn’t been completed in time, and only served to mitigate some of the damage that was otherwise destroying everything—and everyone—around him.
Skin not protected by the Fae king’s armor was blasted off, exposing raw muscle and straining tendons beneath. Hair was singed off as if Taylor used jet fuel for a conditioner. A shriek of rage and agony filled the air as the sphere of power finished its barrage, leaving nothing but melting stone and crumbling ash in its wake.
The air wavered with intense heat as magma bubbled sporadically where the stone had instantly melted.
King Taylor, wheezing with shallow, ragged breaths, dropped to his knees as his hands fell lifelessly to his sides. The liquid, molten rock he had collapsed onto began cooking the flesh of his legs from inside the protection of his armor. All he could do was gasp random syllables as the air filled with the aroma of searing meat.
“Ah…I…gah…tss…”
“Silence was your undoing, creature,” Magni said, slowly striding to where Taylor quivered on his knees, smoke wafting from his smoldering frame. “You allowed us to take him when he was most vulnerable. Now you will pay for your betrayal.”
A hand lifted, wavering with unseen power, and pointed directly at the king of all Faerie. Taylor couldn’t even scream as Magni released his attack.
9
John - Germany
“Ba-ba-ba-ba-black hole? Did you say ba-ba-ba-ba-black hole?” I gracefully inquired. “You want to take us”—my index finger rapidly flicked between Jose and myself like a metronome on crack—“to a freaking black hole?”
Glancing at Jose, I was surprised to see a stoic face regarding Gabriel.
“The black hole at the center of this galaxy is how you will travel backward in time,” the angel explained nonchalantly. “It was built for angels to travel anywhere we were needed without the constraints of pesky details.”
“Like freaking time?” I blurted with eyes bulging.
“If I tried to explain everything to you, the fat inside your skull would simply melt from the strain of attempting to comprehend the impossible.”
“Hey!” I called out, my index finger lifting to point to my noggin. “My brain is buff, baby! No fat in this here skull.”
“I’m quite sure that you are right,” Gabriel responded with a completely straight face.
“Damn right,” I mumbled, looking down at my feet as I kicked a pebble away.
Jose spoke up.
“If the gateway is for angels, and Jonathan here—”
“It’s just John.”
“John, then,” Jose corrected himself before turning back toward Gabriel. “How do you expect me to go through a door made for angels with a crystal made by a faerie?”
“Not just any faerie,” I added with a finger lifted for accentuation, “but the king of the Faeries. That dude is, like, super good at what he does.”
“Jonathan is right,” Gabriel threw out with a smile I could hear in his voice.
Jerking my face in his direction, I could see him stifling the smirk I had heard while I shifted the finger that was already held up to point at the funny man.
Gabriel continued.
“The purpose of the crystal is to protect the wearer from alternating forces of time caused by plane shifting.”
“Ooh, ooh! You mean like gravity boots in space?” Both Jose and Gabriel arched an eyebrow at me. “You know, like in sci-fi movies and stuff? No matter if they are in low to no gravity, their boots help keep them on the ground…or deck or-or-or whatever.”
“That’s…”
Gabriel began, considering my example, “that’s actually not bad.”
“Ha! Jumping self–high five!” I called out, doing a little leap in the air to basically clap my hands above my head.
“So what happens if I lose this rock?” Jose asked, rotating the crystal between thumb and forefinger.
“It’s a mineral, damnit!” I said in my best Dean Norris impression. When no one acknowledged my quote, I added, “You know. Hank Schrader from-from-from Breaking Bad? No?”
“That’s where things get interesting,” Gabriel began with a long inhale of contemplation, completely ignoring my television trivia. “You will be the first noncelestial being to travel through time, and with no armor to help protect you. My guess would be, if you lose the crystal, you will be trapped in time.”
I spoke up. “You’re saying…that if he loses the crystal in, say, 1975…that’ll, like, become his new now?”
“I’m not entirely sure. It could be that he might appear right back here at the moment you handed him the crystal in the first place. What I do know is he does not want to take the necklace off while traveling through time.”
“Good advice!” I helpfully confirmed with an accompanying gulp. “Anything else I—I mean, we should know?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” Gabriel spoke in a serious tone, locking eyes with me to make sure I absorbed his words. “The past has already happened, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.”
“Whaddya mean? Isn’t Depweg lost somewhere in time? I mean, wouldn’t that suggest things have changed, at least for him?”
“Let me rephrase; there’s nothing you can do to change it, John. The armor you wear, along with the angelic composition of both your body and soul, will mean in all probability that the laws of time will affect you in precisely the same way as it does to me or any of my brothers.”
“I, ah…I don’t understand.”
“We believe it to be a fail-safe Father installed, allowing angels to traverse throughout time at will but only as observers.”
