The First Secret

by Maya Daniels

  Artemis’s jaw clenched. “Raphael!” she called to her mate so loudly that Iris jumped a little.

  “What’s wrong?” Before the echo of Artemis’s voice faded, Raphael was next to them with fangs gleaming and eyes glowing. Iris stared with her eyebrows up to her hairline, as confused at Artemis’s reaction as Raphael seemed.

  “Search the palace.” Not taking her gaze off Iris, Artemis pursed her lips and released a soft whistle that had dozens of warriors materialized around them with hands on their weapons. “Search with all your senses, not only your sight. We have an uninvited guest that I want to personally welcome to our realm. I want to see whoever it is alive and on their knees in front of me by tonight.”

  Raphael barked additional orders. Ivy rushed to Iris’s side, saying things like “You should’ve told me straight away if you felt someone was here, silly child,” but Iris couldn’t stop staring at Artemis with her jaw dropped to her chest.

  Artemis believed her. Not only did she believe her, but she took being cautious to a whole new level by dispatching dozens of deadly men and women to spread like a wave through the enormous building. Within seconds, they were all gone, including Raphael, leaving the three women alone in the courtyard.

  “Iris?” Tentatively, as if talking to a wounded animal and not wanting to spook it, Artemis reached for her. “Talk to me. Do you feel something that makes you look like that?”

  “What? Oh, no!” Shaking her head to clear it, Iris grabbed both of Artemis’s hands in hers. “Thank you!” Artemis’s face softened. “Thank you for believing me.”

  “Your safety is not something I’m willing to leave to chance. If there is anyone or anything in the palace that wishes you ill, we will know in no time. Let us sit for a while,” Artemis said and walked towards one of the handfuls of small patches around the palace that still had green grass sprinkled with white flowers. “Raphael will fetch us when it’s safe, and I’m not letting you out of my sight until I’m certain.”

  “I wish we knew if Fern is safe, too.” Guilt stabbed Iris’s chest. It’d been three days, and still no sign of him. She plopped ungracefully next to Artemis with a heavy sigh, followed by Ivy.

  “He’ll be here sooner than you think,” Ivy told them with a smile. Iris and Artemis both glared at her.

  “You knew he was safe, and you didn’t think to mention it?” Without thought, Iris touched her thumb to the rest of her fingers in rapid motion. The air around the three of them thickened with magic.

  “Calm down, Iris.” Lifting both hands in surrender, Ivy’s smile dropped. “I never said he was safe, just that he will be here before you know it. That’s all I’m sure of.”

  The movement of her fingers stopped as Iris realized the sensation in her chest meant Ivy told the truth. Not wanting to sound crazier than she already did, Iris nodded jerkily. Deep down, she prayed that the Fae woman’s intuition was right and Fern would be back soon. They trusted her with his safety, and she’d almost got them both killed. The thought sat heavy in her heart, but there was nothing she could do but wait and hope he returned alive.

  “Keep your eyes closed and clear your mind.” Ivy’s voice ground on Iris’s nerves. “You can’t connect to anything if your mind is full of nonsense.”

  “I’m trying!” Iris snapped through clenched teeth, her nostrils flaring. “It’s not like I want to think of something else.” Her own defensiveness pissed her off.

  “That’s the problem. You are trying.” Still calm, Ivy kept talking, and Iris wanted to zap her so bad. She yelped when a spark burst from her fingertips. Artemis reclined on her elbows, watching them. She covered her chuckle with a cough.

  “What am I looking for exactly?” Opening one eye, Iris scowled at Ivy. “If I know what it is, I might find it sooner.”

  “When you sense it, you’ll know,” came the simple, irritating answer.

  “Okay, Dalai Lama!” Muttering under her breath, Iris closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing evenly again. “You’ll know when you sense it,” she mimicked Ivy’s voice, and Artemis laughed. Ivy huffed under her breath; frustration radiated from the other woman, and a smile stretched Iris’s lips.

  “Both of you act like younglings.” Ivy huffed, and the other two snickered until she joined them. “I just know that you will feel your ancestors call when you need it most. Since you feel like you are in danger, I figured it was worth a try while we wait.”

  “And when I sense whatever it is, then what?”

  “I don’t know!” Throwing both arms up in frustration, Ivy pressed her lips together in displeasure. “I’m sure you’ll have guidance. It’s a knowing.”

  Iris wanted to give Ivy an exasperated look, but a moving shadow from the corner of her eye had alarms flaring inside her. On instinct, she threw her hands in the air, palms up. Symbols lit up the center of them in a split second. Scorching heat burst out of her hands, creating a purple dome-like barrier around all three of them. Her arms burned, but she couldn’t pull them down. Artemis jumped, shifting in her dragonfly form. Ivy’s glow intensified, almost blinding Iris until she blinked and looked away from her. Panic clawed her chest and throat as her gaze landed on the shadow that had triggered her.

  Grotesque, with eyes as white as snow on the smoky gray face, the shadow resembled some sort of animal. The narrow head had a snout-like muzzle, and long pointy ears stretched up six inches on top of its head. The eyes had no pupils or irises, just a white glow, but Iris could still tell it stared right at her. The body kept flicking through shapes, one second resembling a human with a torso, arms, and legs, and the next an animal with a twitching tail. It studied her as she examined it. Cold sweat trickled down Iris’s spine.

  Artemis moved like lightning, reaching through the purple barrier and trying to grab hold of the shadow. When her hand passed through its smoke-like body, they both hissed and jerked back.

  The shadow bared needle-like rows of teeth, and its hiss echoed like distant buzzing bees. Artemis gasped and then growled, cradling her arm to her chest. Her skin looked red and raw, and steam rose from it in the warm air as if it had been frozen. The shadow writhed, throwing itself at Iris’s dome, then bouncing off before doing it all over again.

  “What the hell is that thing?” Finally finding her voice, Iris still didn’t look away from the shadow.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Artemis said through clenched teeth, her violet eyes glowing menacingly at the shadow and her wings fluttering behind her in angry agitation.

  Iris glanced at her friend before concentrating on the shadow again. “Just so we are clear, I would’ve totally freaked out if you were looking at me like you’re looking at it right now.” Nodding as if to back up her words, she kept blabbing. “I don’t think this thing has a brain. If I were it, I would’ve tucked my tail between my legs and ran. That’s how scary you are.”

  “I think she loses the connection between her brain and mouth when scared,” Ivy told Artemis nonchalantly with a small frown between her eyebrows.

  “I can hear you.” Iris glared at Ivy. “I just didn’t want Artemis to think she’s losing her touch at badassery or that she doesn’t look as scary as any psycho bitch.” Glancing at Artemis, Iris gave her a sharp nod. “You still have it! Don’t let glow stick over there poop on your parade. Even the shadow thing is scared. Look at it.”

  “I think you are right.” Artemis nodded slowly at Ivy.

  “Oh, my God! I’m trying to help!” Rolling her eyes, Iris tried to drop her arms again with no luck. The burning sensation was getting worse, and she kept talking nonsense to stop herself from screaming.

  She hated that ever since she’d met Raphael and Artemis, it seemed like she needed saving from everything. “It’s the worst feeling ever to try and do something, only to feel like a failure if you don’t get the results you want. I didn’t want you to feel like you failed. Sorry for trying to make you feel better.” Lifting her chin, she turned away from both women. Right timing
too since tears stung her eyes then streamed down her cheeks. She couldn’t even wipe them off.

  “Something is wrong.” Clothing rustled as Artemis moved, and Iris’s heart lodged in her throat. “Iris look at me.” Grabbing both shoulders, she turned her towards them. “Ivy, she’s seconds from passing out!” Urgency rang clear in Artemis’s voice, and Ivy’s glow intensified when she came closer.

  “The protection is draining her. We must cut the connection. You think you can get her inside before that thing gets her?” Ivy sounded as if she was underwater.

  Iris felt someone, probably Artemis, yanking on her arms, but they didn’t move away from the shimmery purple mist. Voices raised, and her body was pulled left and right like a doll, but all she could do was breathe and grind her teeth. The shadow hit the dome every few seconds, and each impact spiked like a nail to her brain. The pain was too much, and Iris wasn’t sure that she wanted to stay alive stuck in the prison of her own body.

  “It’s too much. Too much!” Iris babbled to herself.

  Through the tears flowing down her cheeks, Iris watched blurrily as Ivy’s glow brighten, and a determined expression settled on her pretty face. With lips pressed in a thin line, and eyes glowing more luminous than the sun, she reached both hands through the purple dome when the shadow threw itself at it again. When her hands went through its body, her glow blinked out a second after the shadow burst into dust particles. The instant the shadow vanished, the purple mist disappeared, releasing its hold on Iris. Both Ivy and Iris crumpled to the ground. Artemis screamed Raphael’s name, and a roar echoed from the palace that froze Ivy’s slowing heart before darkness took her.

  Fern stumbled through the portal, dropping to his hands and knees as soon as his entire body passed the shimmering barrier. Head hanging, he panted, trying to catch his breath after the chase he’d given the vampires around the forest. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he was grateful for all the times Artemis forced him to train with her. Without that, he wouldn’t have stayed one step ahead of the bloodsuckers. He would’ve been dead long ago if their king had gotten his hands on him.

  “Fern?” a guard called out as he rushed inside the portal room. He only stopped when Fern could see the tips of his leather boots under his nose. “Is that you?”

  Lifting his head with a groan, Fern turned and dropped on his ass, wincing when his body protested at the movement. Looking up, he tried to smile but failed miserably judging by the look on the other man’s face.

  “Darion, nice to see you too.” With another groan, he lay fully on the cold floor and stared at the high ceiling. “Excuse me for a blink until I catch my breath, my friend. Just make sure no one sees me like this.”

  Darion’s citrine eyes flashed, betraying his alarm, but he nodded sharply before returning to the doors and standing in the threshold with his arms crossed over his chest. Fern knew he looked horrible and was grateful for the lack of questioning. His gratitude didn’t last long.

  Darion spoke over his shoulder, “You look like shit.” The midnight hair falling down his broad back swayed as he turned to watch the hallway again. “What happened to you?”

  “The ladies couldn’t get enough of me.” Fern tried for humor. “I barely escaped their grabby hands with my life.” The attempt at chuckling failed as well, so he gave up and concentrated on trying to slow his breathing.

  Darion hmphed under his breath. “I should fetch Artemis—”

  “No!” Jerking his body up, Fern glared at the other man.

  “You look one blink away from dying. You want Artemis to have my head if I don’t tell her you are here? Did they take your brain in the human realm?”

  “I’ll tell her myself. And thank you, it’s good to see you, too.” Grinding his teeth, Fern lifted himself off the floor and swayed. Darion rushed to his side and grabbed his arm.

  “Maybe it’d be better if she came here. I’m not sure you can make it to the courtyard.” Pulling Fern’s arm over his shoulder, Darion led him slowly out of the portal room. “She’s there with Ivy and that pretty human.” A smile stretched his lips, mischief radiating from him. Fern wanted to punch him.

  “The witch is okay?” His heart thumped at hearing that Iris was here and safe, but he looked evenly at Darion as if he couldn’t care less about her.

  “She is more than okay.” Darion wiggled his eyebrows. Fern clenched his fists. “She’s been walking around the palace in those dresses making us follow behind her like lost pups. I have a bet going that I will get to her first. If only Artemis and Raphael leave her alone for a moment.”

  “Bet with whom?” Fern put as much curiosity as he could in his words while trying hard not to strangle his friend.

  “Aaron. He thinks he has better odds because he is on guard at the front doors and sees her more often. He doesn’t know she checks the portals every hour or so.” Darion kept talking excitedly, and Fern’s mind screeched to a halt.

  Iris checked the portal room nonstop? Was she worried about him? Was it because she liked him, or did she feel responsible for him? And he really wanted to punch himself for even caring what she thought or wanted. She was a human, one with magic who meddled in things she couldn’t control. They were to blame for this whole mess, and the reason the Fae realm was dying. He should hate her, but he couldn’t. It must be because she kept him alive, he decided.

  “Maybe she is trying to escape back to her realm,” he told Darion, and the other man frowned.

  “Escape?” Snorting, he shook his head before another smile lit up his face. Fern ground his teeth loud enough to be heard. “Why would she try to escape? She is not a prisoner here. Artemis treats her like a close friend.” Darion blinked. “I never thought she had friends…or even wanted one.”

  “And what am I?” Fern asked dryly.

  “Her punching bag?” Darion snickered, earning another glare.

  Fern kept his mouth shut because they’d entered the more populated areas. The other Fae stole glances at his ripped clothing, matted hair, and grime-covered skin, but he kept moving. When they reached the stairway that led to the front doors, Fern stopped dead in his tracks and jerked Darion back when the other man kept going. All his senses went on full alert as warriors appeared and disappeared through hallways and doors. They paid no attention to anyone around them, intent on their task.

  “What’s going on?” he said, not looking at Darion as he tracked the movements of the other Fae.

  “Oh, that. We might have an unwanted visitor in the palace. The human sensed it. They’ll find whoever it is in no time.” Shrugging without a care in the world, Darion tried to keep walking but stumbled back when Fern grabbed his arm.

  “What kind of unwanted visitor?” Ice piled up in the pit of his stomach.

  “How would I know?” Looking at Fern like he’d lost his mind, Darion lifted both arms in frustration. “I’m stuck on guard duty in the portal room.”

  Fern’s heart beat at an alarming rate again, and he snarled at his friend. “You’re not guarding anything at the moment you idiot!” Grabbing Darion’s shoulder, he propelled him back toward where they’d come from. “Run!”

  Darion paled and bolted back towards the portals. Fern grabbed the railing, hoping to get himself down the stairs without falling and breaking his neck. He only managed two steps down when the air around him thickened with magic, making it almost impossible to move.

  “Iris…” He recognized the witch’s magic. She’d fed it to his body for days to keep him alive. Fern felt almost connected to Iris through her magic, and he wasn’t sure he liked that idea. She was a human, and not to be trusted at all.

  Forcing his body to move, inch by a slow inch, he put as much force as he could into his movements, but he made little progress. The other Fae seemed just as affected, looking around in confusion, searching for the source of the magic. Surprisingly, no one appeared alarmed or uneasy. Instead, they seemed curious, almost bored. The unusual reaction for a warrior race had
his heart racing. Something was very wrong, and he couldn’t do anything about it thanks to the damn witch.

  Just as he thought he would go insane from being trapped and helpless, a pop echoed through the building. He almost went ass over head down the stairs when the thick magic vanished. Mouth pressed to a thin line, eyes blazing, nostrils flaring, and fists clenched, Fern straightened and tried storming outside to deal with the witch himself.

  All the anger drained away when Artemis screamed Raphael’s name, and the magic vanished like it never existed. Almost as if the witch was either out of this realm, or dead. A feral roar ripped from his chest as he forgot all about his pain and exhaustion and almost flew down the stairs.

  “I’m starting to regret killing Lazarus.” Looking out the window, Artemis clenched her fists.

  The world outside looked like a monochrome painting, with everything outlined in shades of gray and black. The few patches still not affected by whatever attacked the realm stood out stark against it, pulling her focus as if taunting her. She felt Raphael behind her before he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest.

  “You are worried, and I agree with you on that. But, don’t ever regret killing the bastard. Whatever is going on, I’m sure Lazarus had something to do with it. He was insane.”

  Turning around, Artemis pressed her face to Raphael’s neck soaking up his strength and love. She knew he was right, but the guilt still gnawed inside her. She should’ve kept the asshole alive long enough to find out about the hidden portal, or at the very least the realms that he mentioned before he died. Every night her dreams replayed the last moments of their fight. Not wanting to worry Raphael any more, she kept it to herself. She hadn’t even told Ivy or Iris. After today's events, she wondered if she’d been mistaken.

  “Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?” Raphael kissed the top of her head before leaning his cheek on it. “And don’t tell me it’s Lazarus; that’s just your way of distracting me.”