by Shea Balik
“Nothing,” Eirik said before Arne could say a word. “It’s just, for the most part, your training with us is complete.”
“Then why did Arne ask Ryley if he was ready for today, like it was a bad thing?” Meghan was staring at Eirik as if trying to piece together a puzzle.
Pointing her fork at Arne, she pinned him with a look. “And why would you think Eirik would need to warn him about it?”
Arne’s eyes danced as he glanced from Meghan then to Eirik before landing on Ryley. “Because he starts training with Fen.”
Eirik dropped his head and swore. “Was that really necessary, Arne? Couldn’t we have just enjoyed breakfast before breaking the news?”
In typical Arne style, he grinned at his friend and said, “See now, for me, at least, the fun is just beginning.”
Ryley flipped him the bird, turned on his heel and left the kitchen without eating. The idea of having to work with Fen took any appetite he might have had away.
“I know I should have told you,” Eirik said as he followed Ryley.
“Then why didn’t you?” Ryley bit out, pissed that this had been sprung on him.
He heard a long drawn out breath before Eirik finally said, “Because I knew this was how you’d react. We’ve finally gotten to a good place and I didn’t want to upset you.”
Eirik stepped around Ryley and faced him. “Look, if I could, I would say you don’t have to do this, but you have to be ready for the Winter Solstice. I will do everything within my power to protect you, but you’re the only one who can effectively perform the ritual.”
As much as Ryley would love to deny it, Eirik was right. Meghan would have to be there too, but she was only sixteen. Having her there would only slightly help to boost his own powers, but she didn’t have enough magic within her at that age to do it on her own.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But if Fen acts like an asshole, I’m going to kick his ass.”
Eirik rolled his lips inward as if trying not to laugh. Fen was Fae, the guy had more magic in his pinkie than Ryley did in his whole body.
***
An hour later, Ryley followed Eirik down to the basement like he did most mornings. This time, instead of heading to one of the various training rooms, they went to the door that pulsed whenever Ryley was near. They entered and a low hum of energy flowed around the room, seeping up in through his shoes.
He would refute that he yelped, but there was no denying he’d jumped back, causing Ryley to stumble right onto his ass. The sensation only got stronger, as now not only his feet were touching the surface, but his hands and ass, too.
Scrambling, Ryley quickly stood so he wouldn’t have to continue to feel whatever was coming through the floor. Except, it wasn’t just the ground. His gaze narrowed when they landed on the walls. Stepping closer, Ryley felt every hair on his body stand on end. He just wasn’t sure if it was from the current in the room or what he was seeing.
The wall moved. Not back or forward, but more like an undulation. The closer he got, the easier it was for him to discern a pattern of lines that were writhing along the surface.
His fascination overrode any fear he had as he reached out his hand toward the phenomenon. His fingers had just brushed along the wall when tentacles, or at least that’s what they looked like to Ryley, stretched from the surface and snaked along his hand and up his arm. There was a huge part of Ryley that was freaking the hell out, but it was overridden by something deep inside of him connecting to the…energy?
Ryley had no idea what to call it. He’d never seen anything like it in his life to give it a name.
“Magic.”
Ryley whirled around, the tentacles broke away and returned to the wall as he now faced Fen. Confused by Fen randomly blurting out that word, Ryley gave his own one-word reply. “Huh?”
The pompous Fae shook his head as if Ryley were hopeless. In this case he might be right, but then again, Ryley was still reeling from what just happened with the wall.
“Ma-gic,” Fen sounded out slowly as if Ryley were a toddler. Then he gestured to the walls around them. “That’s what was interacting with you when I came in. When it senses someone with similar magic, it responds favorably.”
Ryley looked over his shoulder to the wall closest to him. “What does that mean, ‘similar magic'?’”
As if Ryley weren’t even in the room, Fen spoke to Eirik. “I thought you said Ryley was smart. That he would be a fast learner? We don’t have time for me to go through all of druid history for him to catch up.”
“Maybe if you start telling me what’s going on instead of talking in riddles, it might not take so damn long,” Ryley shot back at the Fae. “And stop treating me like I’m an idiot just because I don’t know things you’ve known your whole lifetime.”
It felt good to get some of that off his chest, but Ryley wasn’t finished, not by a long shot. “According to you and Eirik we don’t have time for your childish games of ‘who knows more?’ I get it. I’m in last place, but considering all of you are older than dirt, I would think you’d understand the need to explain what I don’t understand.”
Ryley folded his arms over his chest and glared at Fen. “Unless, of course, your goal is to have the veil fall and the human race wiped off the planet. I mean, you are Fae, after all. Isn’t that the goal of your kind?”
Eirik stepped right in between Ryley and Fen when the energy in the room started to crackle. “Stop,” Eirik told Fen. “Ryley’s right. Like it or not, you need him to do the ritual.”
Fen’s gaze narrowed as he glanced from Eirik to Ryley then back to Eirik again. “I see you two completed your bond.”
“That’s none of your business, Fae,” Ryley snapped. He didn’t need anyone, especially not that pompous ass, to get involved in his love life.
Eirik whirled around and slapped his hand over Ryley’s mouth before he could say anything more. “Enough.” Those green eyes met his in a silent warning. “You two better figure out a way to work together or on the Winter Solstice we’re going to be overrun with the Unseelie’s minions.”
Eirik grumbled under his breath before adding, “At this rate, there will be a big enough hole for one of the Unseelie to come through instead of their pets. I suggest you start working together because I’m not sure we’ll be able to defeat one of them.”
Since Eirik’s hand was still over his mouth, Ryley merely nodded his agreement. Fen also gave a nod. “You’re right. We have a lot of work to do.”
When Eirik took his hand off Ryley’s mouth and stepped back toward the door, Fen finally answered Ryley’s question. “Before the Fae, humans didn’t have magic. They tried, with sacrifices to their supposed gods and mixing of herbs, but it wasn’t real magic. That was something the Fae gave to them.”
Fen nodded toward the wall that still pulsed and writhed with energy. "I was the one to encase this room in magic. Seelie magic. The same that was given to your ancestors, which is why the magic in this room responds favorably to you.”
“It looks alive,” Ryley said as he reached toward the wall once more. Just as before, strands arced from the surface to glide along Ryley’s fingers, encircling his hand and arm. Like it was a part of him.
“In a way it is. Magic is a part of nature. It lives, breathes, its very essence able to be manipulated by its surroundings, very much like humans.” As usual, when Fen spoke it was like trying to piece together a puzzle
Ryley thought he understood, but he felt it too important to take a chance and asked, “What does that mean?”
Fen’s expression was solemn, almost sad. “Every living thing fulfills its purpose.” He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “For example, a plant is just that, a plant. It can never be anything more or less. A deer is a gentle animal who wasn’t born to kill. While a lion was born to be just that, a killer.”
Fen walked up to the wall and laid his hand against it. Same as with Ryley, tentacles reached out, encasing Fen’s fingers then his hands, until much o
f his arm was entwined with the wall’s energy. It moved and undulated along his flesh, as if caressing Fen.
For the first time, Fen actually smiled, as if pleased with what was happening. But then he sighed, and the smile disappeared as he said, “Humans are born with both the ability to kill but also the compassion to never harm another. Based on how they are raised shapes them into who they become.”
As Fen pulled away from the wall the tentacles sank back into place. “Magic also is created to be both good and evil depending on who is wielding it.”
Ryley wasn’t sure he completely believed what Fen was saying. At least about the human part. “I admit how one is raised is a factor in who that person becomes, but it isn’t the only factor. Sometimes no matter how nice the parents are, a serial killer is created.”
Nodding, Fen agreed. “True. But given the weakness of humans to be manipulated, environment is a bigger factor.” Before Ryley could respond to his arrogant bigotry against humans, Fen added, “Magic not only feeds on its environment, but it encourages those feelings.”
Fen must have sensed Ryley’s confusion, for he pointed to the wall and said, “The magic in the wall was created and exists in an environment of trying to do good, as such, it gives off warmth and a feeling of contentment.”
Ryley stared at the writhing wall for several moments as he thought about Fen’s words. He may not have always accepted that his family was truly able to wield magic, but Ryley firmly believed the energy a person puts out into the world, whether it be positive or negative, would impact others and possibly return to the person who originally pushed it out there. Kind of like karma.
If that were also true of magic, that would mean this room could be affected. “What would happen if the Unseelie were here, would the magic change?”
Fen grinned, his look almost proud. “Technically, it would, although it would take time. Fortunately, I’ve put in safeguards for just such an event.”
Ryley felt his eyebrows rise high on his forehead. “Safeguards?”
That grin Fen wore morphed into one of mischief and mayhem. “The moment this room feels any other magic than that from which it was made, it will attack and kill the intruder.”
Stunned, Ryley’s jaw dropped for a moment before his lips curved up into a smile. “Nice.”
CHAPTER 17
“Do you think this is some sort of joke?” Fen, as usual, wasn’t impressed as Ryley tried, and failed once more, to work a spell that Fen said was so easy a child could do it.
The anger that had been simmering beneath the surface since the night of Samhain, boiled over in an explosion Ryley was helpless to control. Fire shot from his fingertips as he pointed them right at Fen. He was too incensed to even realize what he’d done, or that the flames flowed around Fen instead of slamming into him.
“Yes, I do think it’s a joke. What else could it be when I had to watch my family murdered in front of me because some creatures I hadn’t even known existed walked out of some fucking hidden veil. Then, as if that weren’t bad enough, my sister was taken by one of those monsters.”
Ryley could still see it as if it were happening in front of him. His body reacted just as it had that day, and more fire poured from his fingers. “Before I even knew what the hell was going on, her arm was ripped to shreds. Instead of making it better, what did I do?” Ryley yelled. “I burned her. Me. I didn’t even know I could release fire, nor have I been able to since that day.”
It was all too much. “All I’ve been able to do since that day was to keep moving, praying something would eventually make sense.” The fight left him in a rush that had his legs too weak to hold him up any longer. As he sank to the floor, he whispered, “But no matter what I do, nothing has made any sense.”
He tilted his head, looking up at Fen, who stood there with a shocked looked on his face. “So, if you really want to know, yes, this has been nothing but a joke. What else could it be, when logically none of this can be possible?”
What Ryley had expected from Fen, he couldn’t say. The Fae was nothing if not abnormal. Ryley wasn’t sure he had the typical spectrum of human emotion, because he sure as hell didn’t know anything about sympathy.
What Ryley got was Fen shoving his finger in his face. “Look, human, I don’t have time to coddle you. We only have two more weeks until the solstice. This is serious and I expect you to take it seriously.”
Pushing to his feet, Ryley snarled as he got in the Fae’s face. “What part of this haven’t I taken seriously?” Done taking his shit, Ryley decided it was time to give some of his own. “In case you’ve missed it, Tinker Bell, no matter what I do, no matter what you teach me, I’m still probably going to die.”
Eirik rushed into the room at that moment. “Both of you stop.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Ryley yelled at the one person who had had his back this whole time.
“You have no right to speak to me that way,” Fen told Eirik imperiously.
Anyone else would have thought twice before trying to get in between them, but not Eirik. Steel infused not only his green eyes, but his voice as he said, in too calm of a voice, “I will not say this again, stop it.”
Then Eirik turned to Fen. “Leave.”
There should have been smoke coming from the man’s ears as his face turned beet red in rage. “You do not tell...”
Crossing his arms over his chest in that voice that could stop a charging lion in its tracks, Eirik said, “Now.”
Fury blazed from Fen’s eyes but without another word he disappeared.
“Don’t,” Ryley said before Eirik could tell him he needed to learn to control himself. Ryley already knew that. Fen just had a way of getting under his skin like no one else ever had.
Instead, Eirik slowly spun to take in the room. “You learned to use your fire.”
“Huh? No, I di…” Ryley’s eyes widened at seeing the scorch marks along the floor, walls, and ceiling. Even as he was taking it in, the magic all around him was slowly repairing the damage. “Oh. My. God.”
Ryley spun to stare at Eirik. “I did it.” He’d been too furious with Fen to understand what he’d been doing but Ryley had used his fire. “I was mad. Just like when that thing was hurting Meghan.”
He let the anger rise up once more and sure enough, flames erupted when he pointed a finger away from Eirik. Laughter bubbled up. “I really did it.”
Racing to Eirik, Ryley threw his arms around his lover. “I can’t believe it.”
“I knew you could do it,” Eirik said confidently, holding Ryley tightly. “As much as I know Fen can get on your nerves, you need to let him help you.”
Ryley pulled away from Eirik and glared up at him. “No fair using my success to remind me of that.”
Eirik chuckled. His thumb went under Ryley’s chin, tilting his head so he was forced to look into those pretty green eyes. “Maybe not, but it doesn’t make it less true. Fen might be a pain in the ass but he’s also the only one who’s able to get you ready for the winter solstice. “
Ryley opened his mouth to argue, which was pointless since Eirik was right, but before he could utter a word, Eirik sealed their lips together in a searing kiss that had Ryley’s toes curling in appreciation.
“Fine,” he murmured when Eirik released him. “I’ll try to be nicer.”
“Good,” Eirik said as he wrapped his arms around Ryley. “Now, since we seem to have the rest of the afternoon free, how about we go take a nice long nap?”
That’s all it took for all the blood in Ryley’s body to head south. “First one in the room and undressed gets a blow job,” Ryley called out over his shoulder as he raced out of the room, leaving Eirik there grinning after him.
***
“You look like hell,” Meghan told Ryley as he entered the kitchen a week after his blow up with Fen.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, barely managing to keep his head from landing on the table when he sat down. They had a week left until the solstice and Ry
ley was far from ready. “Since I feel even worse, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Meghan stared at him. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip. She tended to do that whenever she was nervous about something.
“Want to tell me what’s bothering you?” Ryley asked her as Eirik made him a sandwich from the selection Oluf left out for lunch.
Her gaze went to Eirik, who was pretending to be busy fixing lunch, even though Ryley knew damn well he could hear every word they were saying. There was nothing the man missed.
“I don’t think I can face those creatures again,” Meghan finally blurted out. Her face was pale, and her hands shook.
Along her arm, a scar remained from where the monster had cut her open with his claw, as well as some scarring where her body hadn’t been able to completely heal the burns he’d inflicted on her.
She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “I don’t blame you for what happened,” she said as if reading his mind. Then again, considering he’d been staring at the injury he’d caused, it hadn’t been hard for her to figure out what he was thinking. “We both know that thing would have killed me if you hadn’t of stopped him. So, do me a favor. Stop blaming yourself.”
Ryley wasn’t sure that was possible, but he nodded as he placed his free hand over hers. “Fine. But know this, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I know those creatures are scary, but you are not alone.”
It wasn’t lost on him that Eirik had been telling him the same thing whenever the nightmares of Samhain kept him awake. He just wished he could promise Meghan nothing would happen to her. But he just couldn’t lie to her and he knew, after watching the rest of their family die, there were no guarantees.
“Do you think mom and dad are watching over us?” Meghan whispered.
“That is the one thing I am sure of,” he told her. He had no idea if heaven or hell existed, but there were times, when he was at his lowest, that he felt their presence. “Can I tell you a secret?” he whispered.
