by E Hall
Lea sits up and in one swift motion, blasts the two figures with ice. Only, they weren’t human. One was a wolf and the other a raven. They dodged out of the way so fast, I wonder if I imagined the whole thing.
Chapter 23
Leajka
Being shadow fae comes with its benefits.
One, I’m ruthless.
Two, my powers are enhanced.
Three, I’ll do anything to survive, including blast these two bumbling idiots.
But they disappeared. Rather, the wolf and the raven ran and flew away, respectively.
I slowly get out of the armored vehicle, surveying my surroundings. We’re on a service road. Not far away, the dull hum of firefighters battling to control the blaze reminds me that we’re still in danger.
A hand locks around my ankle and the king who called himself Soren launches out from under the armored vehicle and flips me onto the ground. I land with a hard thud and without hesitating blast my magic in every direction. Whereas before it was pure crimson, now it has gray edges like my shadow.
Soren blinks a few times as though he’s been glamoured like Tyrren. Oh, that’s another benefit to being a shadow fae. I have no qualms about using my magic on my best friend...or anyone else for that matter.
Callen steps closer and holds up his hands. “Wait. We don’t want to hurt you. We came here on a rescue mission.”
I keep my hand lifted, ready to hurl magic if I have to. “I’m in no mood to hear stories or lies. I had enough of that with Emeric and Glandias. Explain yourselves quickly.”
“I’m King Soren of the Northlands.” He presses his hand to his chest.
“And I’m King Callen of the Westlands.”
“That means nothing to me.” I shoot magic into the trees behind them as a warning.
Callen ducks. “We’re here with Kiki and Val to help free the shadow fae and put an end to Glandias’s power trip.”
“Ooh. Points for another Terra term,” Soren says.
“Why were you looking for us?” I stab the air with magic to make my point. They said they were specifically seeking Lea and Tyrren. Could they be associated with RIP Jr?
“The shadow fae? Because what Glandias and the other false kings are doing is wrong. They’re building an army, using you as weapons.”
“Yeah, Glandias mentioned. But why me?”
“Why you?” Callen mutters. “I’m wondering the same thing. Who are you?”
“What do you mean why you? Shadow fae are virtually invincible. Come on, we can get you to safety.” Soren moves toward the Humvee.
“More like I can get you to safety.” I jerk my head in the direction of the armored vehicle. “I know how to drive that thing.”
The kings are quiet for a long moment. As before, it’s almost like they’re communicating without words. Could it be a shifter thing?
“Yeah, I agree,” Callen says abruptly.
Soren glances at Tyrren who’s still zoned out thanks to my glamour. Right now, he’s having a massage. Go figure. It was the best I could come up with on the fly.
I wag my head between them. “Don’t make any sudden moves.” My crimson-gray magic crackles from the tips of my fingers.
“We came here looking for a fae named Lea and her friend, Tyrren. We got intel they’d been captured and moved here.” Callen speaks with the practiced skill of someone used to getting their way.
My temple pulses. “What do you want with them?”
“They’re the key to everything that’s going on in the Terra realm. We need their help and we hope to be able to help them.” Soren seems to choose his words carefully.
Again, the two go quiet. It’s unsettling. A royal tactic to make others feel insecure? Good thing I have the upper hand here. In one swift motion, I blast them unconscious. It’s difficult, but I manage to get them both loaded into the back of the Humvee along with Tyrren who’s still enjoying his massage.
I maneuver the Humvee back onto the road and pass through an abandoned neighborhood. Doors hang from their hinges, windows are smashed, and weeds grow up through the debris.
I pass Lavender Lane and then Daffodil—all streets named after flowers.
From the back, a phone chirps. I pull over and retrieve it from Soren’s pocket. The message simply says Rose Court. It seems I’m in flower-land. Could it be a code? I want answers.
I drive past other streets named after flowers until I reach Rose Court. It’s a cul-de-sac with only three houses. They’re all replicas of Victorian homes like the kind in old stories. The middle one has a turret that reaches toward the moonless sky. The paint chips and the wooden flourishes hang in disrepair. Even at this hour, I can tell that they’re definitely abandoned.
Then a garage door opens. I pull the Humvee in smoothly.
A girl about my age stands inside and another in the doorway to the interior of the house.
“Wow, you handle that thing like a champ, Callen,” one of the girls says, striding toward the vehicle.
Then there’s a flash of blinding, ice-white magic. The car shutters and I freeze. My vision goes blank.
I have the vague awareness that I’m being moved into the house. I yearn to break the bonds of whatever spell she has me under, but even as a shadow fae, it’s too strong. I sink against a wall and feel like I’m falling endlessly through shadow.
At last, voices return to my awareness.
Someone says, “We’ve stolen magic stones, crowns, and freedom. But never people.”
Another replies, “There’s a first for everything.”
There’s shuffling and whispers. Stillness and shouting. It’s chaos and I like it. My eyes flash open.
“Houston, we have a problem,” the guy named Callen says as the escape-abduction comes back to me.
“You’re crushing it with these Terra cultural references,” Soren says.
I’m magically bound to a chair but not wearing a golden cuff. By the peeling floral wallpaper, I’m definitely not at RIP or RIP Jr, but I cannot access my magic. “What did you do to me?” I grind out.
“What did you do to yourself?” one of the girls from the garage says.
I blink a few times because, in the dim light of a lantern, she looks strikingly familiar. “Have we met?” I ask.
“Yes and no,” she replies. “I’m sorry I had to restrain you. It’s for your own good.”
The other girl says, “You’re Lea, right?”
I struggle against the bonds.
The first girl says, “My name is Kiki and I’m really sorry.” Her hair is almost white. All the same, I feel like we’ve met.
Despite my situation and better judgment, I believe her. One flick of my hand would decimate this room and everyone in it. The ruthless unseelie magic is amplified in my shadow.
“I’m Val,” the other girl says as if she realizes this. Despite her dirty blond hair and overall girl-next-door look, she has an edge to her that tells me she’s unseelie fae too...and nothing about it scares her.
“Why do you both look so familiar?” I ask.
“I’ve seen you at the bookstore where you used to work. I knew Aina.” Kiki’s tone is strained.
Realization dawns. My old job. Aina, the sweetest woman I’d ever met. “Yeah. She quit. I did too. Have you seen her?”
Kiki dips her head.
Val lets out a long breath.
In the pause, I say, “What happened to her? Is she involved in this?” If she was supernatural, I had no idea. She must have hidden it too.
“She was my mother.” Kiki swallows. “Yours too.”
“And mine,” Val adds.
I shake my head slowly. “My mother—” My throat feels strangely scratchy. “My mother left me with my uncle when I was a baby. I saw her only one other time. A band of fae tried to kidnap me, they—”
Val nods. “It was our great-grandmother, Nathina. She tried to gather the four of us together. Aina put a stop to that.”
Kiki says, “We read about it
in our mother’s journal.” She holds up a leather-bound book.
I turn away. I can’t believe this. I refuse to. There’s no way the woman I worked with at the bookstore for two years was my mother. Why wouldn’t she tell me? Sadness and hurt hurtle toward me. The unseelie shadow fae within swats it away. My ire returns.
“I don’t believe you.”
Kiki lifts a snowflake pendant from her neck. Val does the same. Their gazes land on the one around my neck. My stomach groans as if trying to get away from the painful truth.
“Are you hungry?” Kiki asks.
“Where’s Tyrren? He must be starved. Glandias gave him a serum to enhance his vampire thirst. I tried to subdue it. You can’t let him hurt anyone. He’d never forgive himself.”
“He’s safe right now,” Val says. “And the serum will wear off. That’s what we learned anyway. The more blood he gets, the more the serum dilutes, meaning he’ll need yet more serum to stay ahead of him being satisfied. I’m sure Glandias was trying to work that kink out.”
Kiki explains, “More serum equals crazy-hungry vampire. More blood equals the need for more serum to keep the thirst elevated. No more serum means he returns to his regular vampire-self.”
“So Glandias would have to keep administering it?” I ask
“Yup,” Kiki says.
“I also had a dose of the serum.”
“Thirsty?” Kiki asks.
“Not funny. I want to see him,” I demand.
“Later. Listen, we’re not here to hurt you or him. We want to help you and for you to help us.”
“How’d you find me?”
“That wasn’t easy. We put all of our resources to work. You’d been well hidden...in jail.” Val lifts and lowers her eyebrows.
“I went so far as to apply for a custodial position at RIP Jr since my peace officer status wouldn’t even get me in the door. But we learned there had been a problem there.” Kiki starts to pace.
“That’s an understatement,” I huff.
“Do you want to tell us what happened?” Val’s stare is demanding.
“No.” I want to get out of here.
“How about we go first. Then you can tell us your side of the story,” Kiki says.
Val nods. “When Kiki told me she was my sister, I didn’t believe her either. But I’ll start at the beginning, telling you what we know.”
The shadow in me wants to ignore them. To destroy them. To see them sit frozen and helpless.
But Val’s voice trickles into my awareness. “Our mother was fae and as it turns out, our father was a vampire.” She pauses.
Kiki looks queasy.
“If you think it’s Ivan, you’re wrong. I’m certain he’s not my father.” And he hates me.
“No, he’s our uncle,” Kiki says as though that makes her uncomfortable.
“Aina believed we were in danger and the only way to protect us was to split the four of us up. She sent me to live with Nathina, our great-grandmother and the woman who also raised her. We later moved away from the Northlands and our original court to the Westlands. Believe me, it was miserable and I blame her for why I’m so unseelie.” Val smirks.
Kiki slings her arm across her sister’s back. “In that case, I credit her with why you’re so clever.”
A little pang of jealousy shoots through me at their closeness. “I’m unseelie too,” I mutter.
“We know.” Kiki’s voice is flat.
The jealousy turns to anger. Why didn’t she pay me a compliment? My shadow points out all my flaws and shortcomings.
“Aina and Kiki went to New York City. She sent you to live with Ivan, our father’s brother, and a vampire in Brooklyn. I guess she didn’t want to be too far from you either.” Sadness laces Val’s voice as though she missed out on knowing our mother.
“As for our fourth sister, we assume she’s in the Eastlands.” Kiki tugs on the necklace.
“There are four?” I ask.
“Fae are usually born in pairs but since we’re also part vampire, I suppose the rules change.”
“Yes, they do.” I try to access my magic again, but it’s still out of reach.
“I had no idea I was fae. Aina raised me as a nat. You better believe I was shocked when I discovered I had wings and what feels like lightning in my veins and high voltage in my bones. She suppressed my magic until my eighteenth birthday.” Kiki wiggles her fingers and white static jumps from them.
“You knew, yet you suppressed it, Lea,” Val says. “We’re from the Northlands, Frost Fae. But you’re more vampire in nature. More fiery than icy.” She eyes me carefully.
“I was always afraid of fae. Nathina tried to kidnap me and take the necklaces.” The memory floods back. “I was asleep. Icy hands gripped me. She showed me a roomful of toys, candy, and all the things a little girl could desire. She tried to trick me into going with her. Then it all turned to rot. She was little more than a hideous beast with empty eyes, gnarled teeth, claws as long as daggers.”
“Sounds like Nathina’s work,” Val says. “She’s cunning when it comes to grim magic.”
Cunning and horrifying.
“Interesting that you broke through her glamour. Your will must be especially strong.” Val bites her lip. “Mine too.”
It’s then that I realize that deep down I know they’re not lying. There’s no way. We all look too much alike. We have the snowflake necklace. Aina once told me that I’d meet my family again after I told her my mother left me when I was little. She even wrote me a poem. I memorized it.
Tears pierce my shadow.
Your strength comes not from what you do but who you are.
Your beauty comes not from how you look but how you act.
Your intelligence comes not from what you know but how you use it.
The best of you is all we see, truly, deeply, lovely you.
I never thought there was anything beautiful or lovely about me. The truth that I believed was that I was rough, unworthy, an outcast, but now I see things differently. I’m overwhelmed with the desire not to let our mother or them down.
Kiki releases a long exhale. “And I was deathly afraid of vampires, but our father was one.” She shivers.
Val cocks an eyebrow. “Know what you are, who you are. Own it.”
“That’s the problem. What are we?” Kiki asks.
Soren, as big and intimidating as a Viking, enters the room. “You’re the raven queen.”
She curls against him in a hug.
“Where’s Tyrren?” I ask.
“As content as a king,” Soren replies.
“What do you want with us?” I repeat.
“We’re on a mission to break a curse.” Val gives Kiki a nod and passes me a crumpled note.
I read it at a whisper. “Demons shadow thieve, while the fae court grieve. Four sisters to find. One compass to bind. Four crowns to take. One curse to break. Before twelve moons turn, else the realm will burn.” I lift my gaze and meet Val’s then Kiki’s.
She says, “The day of our eighteenth birthday, a demon gave me that note. I didn’t think anything of it. That night, I went home to find Aina frozen. The same demon returned. I slayed it. Then when I took her hand, I was transported to a place called the Sea of Dreams.” Kiki goes on to tell me about a silver rope called a skyn and how Aina spoke to her there, confirming the mission to find her sisters and break the curse.
I read the note again. “What is the curse?”
“That’s what we’ve been trying to piece together these last few weeks with Aina’s diary, what we’ve learned from mages like Vespertine and Timolian along with the false kings,” Kiki answers.
“Don’t forget Glandias,” Val says.
“I still say we go to the Library of Memories.” Kiki starts to pace again.
Val shakes her head like it’s a hopeless option.
“And how do I fit into this exactly?” I ask.
“Four sisters to find. You’re number three. But we also have to find th
e false king’s stone and put it here.” Kiki produces a golden disk and opens it to reveal a compass. Two stones sit in the North and West directions. “Once we find sister number four along with the two remaining stones, this compass should lead us to Count Vlad, the vampire who made the curse.”
I tilt my head from side to side.
“And we have to destroy him,” Val says.
“That’s easy. Vampires can die with cold steel to the heart or fire,” I say.
Kiki shakes her head. “This guy is the big bad. It won’t be that easy.”
“The big bad Vlad,” Callen says, appearing from the other room.
Soren laughs.
Val’s lips quirk.
Kiki rolls her eyes. “This is what we know. Count Vlad is creating a shadow army of fae. Presumably, to finish what Count Bortimal started—he was the ruler of the Southlands long ago.”
“I’ve heard of him.” I probably should’ve paid more attention at RIP Jr.
“He wants to annihilate the fae by rending their shadows and with them create an undefeatable army.”
“Sounds like Glandias’s plan too,” I say. “But I think she wants to overthrow the count who started this whole thing.”
Kiki plants a hand on her hip. Val’s is already there.
“Which begs the question. How’d you become a shadow fae?” Kiki asks.
My hand lifts to my hip in response. “It was my choice.”
Chapter 24
Tyrren
I wake from what feels like a dream. A very cold dream. But I’m a vampire. I don’t sleep. Therefore, I don’t dream. However, everything about the last hours have felt like a dream, starting with the bloody rain and massage. My throat burns.
I’m magically bound, but I’m strong and hungry and smell blood nearby.
It was my choice. The words echo in my mind.
“My main objective was to survive. Glandias was going to rend my shadow so I let her. Yes, I had a choice.” Lea’s smoky voice floats to my ears. “I chose to become a shadow fae.”
There’s thunder inside of me. Longing. Desire. I can hardly discern if it’s hunger or something else.
Someone clicks her tongue. “Yeah, I get that. I was sent to an arena for Bloodsport to fight demons, a manticore, and my future husband to the death. There was no way I’d make it. The odds were against me. So I made the choice to go down a champion. If I was going to die, at least I’d die admirably and on my terms.”
