Instead, she screamed, her nails digging into me, and I carried her down the stairs, shifting her body carefully to avoid catching her clothing in the flames. She began coughing uncontrollably, then buried her face into my chest. She coughed into my sweater. She was in complete hysterics, though I supposed oxygen deprivation did that to a human body. Frail little things.
As I reached the bottom, I heard the wood groan as the stairs tumbled to the floor behind me. Crossing outside, I breathed in the clear air. I tried to put the woman down, but she clung to my neck, her grip like iron. She was still coughing into my chest, about to be sick. I held on to her, no longer as interested in the creature as when she’d been near death. Now she just seemed an irritation.
After a few minutes, her coughing slowed, and I was able to shift her down to stand on the pavement. Still, she gripped onto my mohair sweater.
Soot smudged one of her cheeks, and her green eyes streamed from the smoke. She stared up at me, her mouth slightly open.
“You saved my life.” She breathed in deeply, her chest rising and falling. She’d nearly died, and already desire shone in her eyes. But those two things went together, didn’t they? Death and lust. “I don't know how to thank you.”
Once, her beauty would have sparked something in me, but those days were long gone. Her terror had been a burning ember in my chest, but her desire did nothing for me. I hadn’t felt anything in eons. Hadn’t dreamt at night. Hadn’t desired a woman. Nothing but dead ashes inside.
I pulled my hands from her grasp. “Then it's fortunate I’d rather you didn’t thank me.”
I turned to walk away from her, following the winding street back to my house.
That had been an interesting diversion, but already, my mind was turning back to the blue-haired morgen.
The beautiful, dethroned princess.
I’d be returning her magic to her. Was it stupid to give her so much power? Perhaps, but she wouldn’t keep it long. As soon as she finished what I wanted of her, I’d kill her.
Cold ash lay where my heart used to be. But when I killed Aenor, I’d feel again. Then the spirit of sweet revenge and victory would burn in me like a star.
As I walked, my silhouette cast a long shadow over the walls, and my heart raced. The days were getting shorter, which meant my time was running out. I had only until the Samhain to get what I wanted.
My destiny had a deadline, and if I missed it, I’d be trapped here forever. I had one week left, and I wouldn’t miss my one opportunity.
I’d burn the whole world down to get what I wanted.
Aenor
I shoved my hands into my skirt pockets as I walked, and the rain started to drench me.
Adrenaline buzzed through my veins as I tried to work out where that fae had come from. The effect he’d had on the world around him wasn’t like anything I’d seen before.
Salem will set us free.
If there were more of those things roaming the earth, the world would become an inferno. Salem’s inferno.
Whatever happened, I had to stop him.
I hurried along the seawall, sucking in the scent of briny marine air. The ocean air whispered over my skin as I walked along the waterfront. The glistening waves crashing below me. When I glanced out at the ocean waves, I felt a surge of protectiveness. The seas were life, and I’d do whatever I could to keep them safe. If the fire fae roamed the earth, the seas would boil.
I needed answers. Fast. Because when Salem came for me, I’d be under his control.
I was heading back to the place where I’d spent the last week: the library.
* * *
I sat in an arched alcove, sipping my steaming coffee. Lanterns hanging from the vaulted ceilings cast glowing light over two stories of bookshelves. With all these books, connected by ladders, this place was packed with ancient wisdom. It was just that it was often hard to find what you needed.
On my lap, I flipped through a book about spells. I’d found it just lying there in the alcove, open to a page about a binding collar—a collar that would steal a person’s magic forever. It also left them insane, gibbering wrecks, tormented by loss.
Would that work on Salem, I wondered? It seemed tempting.
In any case, the spell book gave me an idea. A different tactic now. I hadn’t found Salem’s name listed in the chronicles of the ancient fae, or the gods, or the cursed. But when he’d chained me up, Salem had used a strange spell. He’d forced me to taste some kind of fruit. It was delicious, really, sweet and tangy, with a juice that ran down my chin and made my pulse race…
But that wasn’t the point. The point was that the fruit had done something, and I wanted to find out what it was. And then I wanted to learn how to kill him.
Having flipped through every page, I closed the book on my lap. Then I found my way to the stack of books about curses. After searching the spines, I selected one labeled Temptations and paged through the index. It was hard to discern some kind of pattern in most of these books. Texts in the ancient world didn’t adhere to logical systems like alphabetization or grouping by concept. Instead, they could be arranged by “elegance and beauty of the first letters,” or other things that made no sense.
I took another sip of coffee, getting a much-needed caffeine jolt.
When I turned the page again, I finally found what I was looking for: a picture of a ripe red piece of fruit hanging from a tree. Bingo. My pulse raced. I stared at the fruit a little too long, remembering how delicious it had tasted, my mouth watering.
Mentally, I translated the ancient fae text.
The forbidden fruit of enchantment—a power unique to—
The name was crossed out. It had to be Salem, though. Who else used fruit?
Allows him to track the enchanted.
Another sip of coffee. Tracking. That was what I’d expected. Obviously he knew where I was here in Acre. He could find me wherever I went. That wasn’t the worst thing in the world, was it?
I read on.
Gives him the power to compel the enchanted to do whatever he desires. He controls their minds and bodies completely.
Cannot be broken.
My stomach sank.
This was… worse than I’d thought.
Salem had complete power over my mind and body, and I hadn’t found any updates on how to kill him.
I leaned back against the window, closing my eyes to try to think clearly.
What had that fire fae said about him?
Salem will set us free. Something about the evening star, and—
Mag Mell. It was an ancient kingdom, I was nearly positive. One of the many fae kingdoms, now lost to time.
I leapt up, spilling a little coffee on myself, and rushed to where I remembered seeing a book about ancient kingdoms.
Fallen king of Mag Mell…
I scanned the shelves, weaving through one stack after another, until I found the words Mag Mell inscribed on the spine of an ancient book.
Bingo.
I pulled it from the shelf and started flipping the pages. They were old and water-damaged, the ink smudged, but the book started off clear.
It began with the whole fae history. The heavenly beings in the skies were divided into two broad types: gods and angels. Sometimes, the celestial gods beamed like stars in the heavens.
The evening star. That was what the fire fae called him.
After the heavenly wars, the losing gods and angels fell to earth. They started to change. Most became demons. Some became fae—those who’d fallen to the part of the earth that later became the British Isles. The fae reveled in earthly joys: dancing, sunlight, wine.
And in these ancient days of the early fae, some formed a paradise called Mag Mell.
The following page was very interesting. It was about an ancient race of fae called the Fomorians. A picture illustrated a gnarled, flame-headed creature with burning fingertips—exactly like I’d just killed. So that’s what it was.
Apparently, the first king
of Mag Mell had displaced the Fomorians from the land. They were supposed to be extinct. And if they ever returned, they’d bring drought and fires with them wherever they went.
The foul creatures once withered plants and dried the rivers with evil heat. The prophecies say King—— might raise them once more if he is not stopped.
I turned the pages, scanning the history of the Kingdom. My pulse raced as I saw this book, too, had been defaced.
King——, fallen god of twilight, was the second king of Mag Mell. He ruled for centuries. But he was too wicked to reign, and was cast out of the paradise. He roamed the earth, torturing and burning others for his evil pleasure. His true name was struck from the histories, and he remains cursed to this day. Fire follows him wherever he goes.
Some call him the devil, or the dark lord.
The Merrow holds the key to his demise.
A chill spread through my blood like melting ice. The devil?
I pulled out another stick of wintergreen, popping it in my mouth. It didn’t taste great with the coffee.
At least I had a clue now. The Merrow holds the key…
I read on.
Only one person can vanquish him for good.
The Merrow. The next page was streaked by water damage, and I could only make out a few words. Sinful… lustful… sexual depravity… he torments…
I cleared my throat, straightening.
The Merrow was my answer, and it just so happened that I knew him. He’d been in Ys many times. I could still remember the sound of his powerful magic. Once, I’d helped him with a powerful spell, back when Mama was still alive. He’d captured a monster in driftwood cages, and I’d helped him sink it to the bottom of the sea.
The plan was crystalizing now, though there wasn’t much to it.
I had to lead Salem to the Merrow.
Footfalls had me jumping, and I turned to see Lyr crossing toward me. Between the stacks, shadows breathed around him. His expression was grim.
I let out a long sigh of relief, closing the book. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in days. Apparently, Salem is the devil himself. Lucifer. And he can control my mind.”
Lyr’s body glowed gold, and for the first time, I realized he was dripping wet, his dark eyelashes frozen together in little peaks. “I’ve been with Beira.”
The Winter Witch. He put all his faith in that Winter Witch. “What did she say?”
“You are the only one who can kill him, according to Beira. You have to stop him from trying to fulfill his destiny. If you fail, the whole world will turn to ash.”
Aenor
Lyr held out his hand, opening his fist. A white pearl gleamed in his palm. “This contains the prophecy from Beira. Put it in your mouth, and you will see what will happen if you don’t kill Salem.”
“I don’t need the extra motivation.”
Still, I plucked the pearl from his palm. With a nervous look up at him, I popped it in my mouth.
Immediately, the book stacks and arched ceilings around me gave way to a forest of blazing trees. Tree trunks burned like torches, and heat scorched my skin. A woman ran across the flaming landscape, her body on fire. Her cries tore through the air, and her body flailed around.
A creature—just like the one I’d killed earlier—loped through the forest, fingers flaming. Steam curled off his gnarled body.
It felt like I stood on the surface of the sun, the air so dry and hot…
I tried to remind myself that this was only a vision, a possibility… but right now, it all seemed so real.
I couldn’t breathe for all the smoke, and the heat scorched my skin. I blinked as flames curled around me, and I ran. I was trying to find a way out of this inferno. A path cut through the woods, leading to a road. Coughing, I tried to run as fast as possible, desperate for clear air. When I reached the highway, I found a sea of wrecked cars, people running, bodies in flames, cars exploding…
Salem will do this…
The vision ripped from my mind, and I stared instead at Lyr standing before me.
My knees had gone weak, nearly buckling, and I reached out for him.
It was only a vision, and yet sweat dripped down my forehead. My skin felt like it had been scorched. It took a moment for the heat to fade.
I caught my breath. Lyr had seemed to flinch when I’d reached for him, and I stepped away again.
Since Lyr had brought me back from the dead, he seemed… different. Like another part of him had stayed in the death realm.
The fact that he didn’t want me to touch him made my heart twist.
“That vision was bleak,” I rasped. “And believe me, I want to kill him anyway. I’ve been meaning to kill him for a long time.”
“There’s a particular shard of enchanted sea glass we need to use, but she wasn’t clear on where to get it.”
The Merrow. He was supposed to be the key. “Okay, I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is that the fruit I ate means Salem can control my mind. Killing him won’t be super easy.”
Lyr growled, low and deep, the sound rumbling through my belly. “I’ll help you find the sea glass. We’ll kill him together.”
“But here’s the good news. The books said that the Merrow holds the key to his demise. So maybe that’s the sea glass. I can lure Salem to the Merrow. The Merrow traps him, and I stab him.”
Lyr’s eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you tell me Salem wanted to return your power to you?”
At the thought of it, my mood brightened. “That’s the other good news. With my sea power back, I should be able to find the Merrow.”
Lyr shook his head. “No, we can’t allow this to happen. If Salem controls your mind, he controls your power. He could do untold damage. I’ll help you trap him as soon as he arrives to get you. Then we’ll get the Merrow.”
Instantly, I balked at this idea, but it took me a moment to figure out why. “If we trap him as soon as he arrives, I will never get my power back.”
“And the world will be safer.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “First of all, the loss of my power is like missing my limbs. If you’d lost an integral part of yourself, and you had the chance to get it back, you would take it. Second of all, I think only the Merrow can trap him. Beira said I’m the only one who can kill him. But the Merrow is the one who can trap him. The Merrow holds the key.”
He ran his thumb over his lip, seeming to consider this for a moment. “How do you know about this trapping?”
“I’ve helped him do it before. He can trap a person’s soul in an old driftwood cage, tethering their body and spirit to the spot. Long ago, we buried someone under the ocean waters. If I can bring Salem to him, we can trap him long enough for me to find this sea glass. I think the Merrow and I have to work together.”
Lyr’s brow furrowed. “You’ve done this before?”
“Long ago, when I had my power. It was an evil fae of astounding powers. He was going to destroy Ys and turn it into dust and ash. It was… it was exactly like the vision you just showed me. The same exact thing. If we hadn’t trapped him, everything would have burned. I saw it using my own magic. I used to call them what if spells. What if I don’t trap this person? And it was just fire and drought everywhere. Smoldering rock, bodies lying in rubble across our island. So I helped the Merrow. We stopped the world from burning.”
“The Winter Witch said nothing about this Merrow.”
“Well, she tends to leave out important details.”
He fell silent for a long moment, and I felt like an icy gulf had opened between us. “She cautioned me against you.”
“Against me?” That frigid chasm opened even further. I crossed my arms. “The Winter Witch cautioned you against me? Why, exactly?”
“She warned that your magic is a threat to the world. She believes you’re mentally unstable.”
“Don’t you think in a world that’s on fire, someone who can control ice and water might be an asset? Look, I’m certain that
Salem is trying to find a way to bring the Fomorians back.”
He sighed. “They don’t exist anymore.”
“It was in the freaking vision you just showed me. Didn’t you see it in the vision?”
He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t in the vision.”
Frustration simmered. Why hadn’t he seen it? “I killed one today.”
“That’s impossible. They were defeated tens of thousands of years ago.”
I grabbed his arms. “The thing was right out by the seawall. He scorched the trees and all the rain was evaporating. If I have my powers back, I can fight them.”
He arched an eyebrow, pulling his arms from my grasp. “If you killed one, show me the body.”
I wasn’t insane. He was trying to make me think I was insane, but I wasn’t. “He disappeared after I killed him.”
A heavy silence. “It was probably something else. Look, unless you’re a god or completely pure of heart, the amount of power you once wielded could corrupt someone completely.”
Coldness spread across my heart. A distance had crept between us like long shadows. “You still don’t trust me. You trust the Winter Witch more than me.”
“It would be dangerous for anyone to have that much power. It troubled you before. You told me that’s why you drank so much.”
My hands tightened into fists. “Things were too bright, and too loud. I felt things too intensely with my magic. That’s why I had a lot of wine. But I never did anything terrible.”
He lifted his other fist, and when he unfurled his fingers, he revealed another pearl. This one gleamed black. “And yet this is what happens if you are allowed to keep your powers.”
I stared down at it. I was so close to getting back my magic now, within a hummingbird’s breath of it. Restoration to my former greatness, within my grasp.
And the Winter Witch was about to poison it all.
And what if she was lying, or mad? Or just wrong?
I glared at it. “I get the idea. My sea magic is scary. But I don’t need to see this vision, which is just a possibility—”
Sea Fae Trilogy Page 26
