Ascent

by Bethany Adams

“I’m not sure.” Anthony leaned back in his chair, and his eyebrows pinched together. “My friend and I ran across these strange white guys in town the other day. One of them was super pale and a little creepy, but the other one looked more like you, except blond. They weren’t too interested in me. Ryan, though. The crazy-pale one chatted with Ryan for a while. Apparently, the man claimed he’d identified Ryan’s Unseelie ancestry and offered to find someone to teach him to use his magic. I believe it. They matched what my dad told me about those particular fae, and Ryan has the right vibe.”

  Maddy didn’t have to ask for names to guess who the men probably were. Vek and Fen. Vek was a blood elf, a prince of the Unseelie, and his white hair and skin stood out amongst the human population. But his nephew Fen had a human father—and thus more human coloring. Why would Anthony be here talking to her if Vek offered to help Ryan, though?

  “Didn’t Ryan know about his ancestry?” she asked. “Or was it a surprise?”

  “He’s aware. Unfortunately, he’s also an idiot,” Anthony muttered. “He panicked and said no. I guess I can see why, but he didn’t even get contact info before he ran off. The younger guy told me to come here and ask for you if we had trouble. Said you helped fae integrate and gave me the password.”

  Maddy wrinkled her nose. “I’m guessing you did have trouble?”

  “Well.” He scrubbed his hand across his head. “We were about to do a prayer circle, but with so much energy available now, Olivia accidentally cast a solid circle. Literally. Damn thing was like glass. Then Ryan decided to go ahead and call in the elements, but the energy he tried to cast ate through the circle. We’re all shook. I’ve done a little real magic here and there, but it has mostly been religion for us. Prayer and communion. Now we all have these growing abilities with no idea what to do with them.”

  His words didn’t come as a surprise, but they did cause alarm. Maddy had heard rumors of real magic being performed in places like Salem, but there were so many crazy stories spreading that no one knew what to believe. How many other groups besides Anthony’s were struggling with this? And what did he expect her to do? Hell. Too bad Cora wasn’t here. She had far more experience dealing with complicated cases.

  “I’m not really qualified to teach magic,” Maddy said carefully.

  Anthony nodded. “I’d already gotten that impression. But what about those guys I met? They obviously knew you, so I was hoping you had a way to get in touch with them. Getting Ryan assistance would be a start. Really, any connections you could help us make to area fae would be good. Only other full-blood I’ve met here was weird as fuck. Walked up to me and Sparrow eating lunch by the river and kept touching her arm even though he was talking to us like we weren’t shit. No way I was trusting him.”

  “And you trust me and my friends?” Maddy asked, watching his expression for any hint of deceit.

  “About as well as I can,” Anthony answered. Despite the slight doubt in his tone, his expression remained easy and open. “About as well as you can trust me, too, I guess. But I don’t want to cause trouble. You know how much work you have to do in grad school? I don’t have time to start crap.”

  Maddy considered her own upcoming training and winced. “I hear you on that.”

  Anthony smiled. “The blond guy who sent me here was more like the people in my coven than that creepy asshole we met at the river. This shop has been here a long time, too. I figured it was worth a shot to reach out before we blow ourselves up.”

  “I’m pretty sure I know exactly who you’re talking about. Well, the two you met with your friend Ryan, anyway. No clue about the other person.” Maddy pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened her note-taking app. Ask Fen about Anthony, she wrote. “Do you feel comfortable giving me your contact info? I could text you once I talk to them. Or maybe email if you’d rather do that?”

  “Text would be fine,” Anthony answered.

  As soon as she’d typed in his number, they stood. Maddy held out her hand, and he gave it a firm shake. “I’ll let you know. I’m actually hoping to see the two I think you met later tonight, so maybe I’ll have some news soon.”

  “Thanks. I know it’s weird, me showing up randomly like this, so I appreciate your help.”

  Maddy stifled a grin. He had no idea how not weird this encounter was considering all that had happened the last couple of months. Being kidnapped by a depraved madman was only the beginning. Besides, her instincts hadn’t led her wrong yet, and everything within her said that Anthony was being honest.

  “No problem,” she said.

  At least she hoped it wouldn’t be.

  Fen studied the small chamber that held the bathing pool. His gaze kept flicking to the far wall where a crevice had once collapsed, trapping Dria. It had been a harrowing experience to clear the stones without doing further damage to Dria or Vek, who had managed to reach her before running out of energy. After the emergency was over, they’d created a proper corridor out of the jagged passage with a sealed stone door on each side.

  “Still worried about the tunnel?” Vek asked.

  “You really should have closed up the whole wall,” Fen answered. “Barrier spells can be broken, and the guy responsible for the last attack on the outpost hasn’t been caught. Did you forget that he managed to sneak through a stream of water to stab you in the middle of your shielded bedroom? Meren isn’t the kind of person you want to leave a door cracked for.”

  “I have not forgotten his attack on me.” Vek’s jaw clenched. “If I get a chance to gut Meren, I’ll take it. Unfortunately, he has proved far too adept at hiding his blood, but I’ll find him eventually.”

  Fen grimaced in sympathy, though his amusement at Vek’s struggle probably showed through. His uncle had always given him shit about his lack of skill with tracking people through blood. Fen had managed the trick a time or two, but his range was abysmal and accuracy questionable. But hey, he was learning. He might be Felshreh, a race of fae that gained their magic through blood, but that didn’t mean tracking was an automatic talent, did it? No one expected a human to find chocolate on the other side of the world just because they’d tasted it once.

  Though come to think of it, that would be a badass ability.

  “Are you seriously smiling about our enemy running free?”

  Fen coughed into his hand. “Ah. No. Sorry. My mind wandered.”

  With an annoyed look, Vek headed closer to the pool of water. Fen followed along the smooth path that he’d widened for ease of passage. Before, the stalagmites had crowded close, but he had used his earth magic to ease them back without “killing” them. Otherwise, people no doubt would have brushed the formations in passing, ending any chance of the stalagmites continuing to grow. Caves were beautiful ecosystems, and he’d be damned if he’d see another one harmed. Kien had always insisted it didn’t matter, but—

  Ruthlessly, Fen slammed the door on those memories. Fuck Kien. Hopefully, the bastard was rotting in whatever version of hell the Moranaians believed in. If Fen was really lucky, it wouldn’t be the same one he’d inevitably be sent to when he died. Surely there was a limit on atonement. Most Earth religions spoke of redemption, but all too few of their followers granted it. Whichever deity or deities in charge of the shitshow called life would probably offer no better.

  Vek poked him in the arm, drawing his attention. “What is wrong with you today?”

  Fen shrugged. “Beats me. Lately, I’ve been…unsettled. I don’t know how else to describe it. I can’t get a handle on my emotions.”

  “If you need to talk—”

  “Not yet. Maybe never,” Fen said. Regret curled through him at the hint of hurt on his uncle’s face, but he couldn’t take back the vehement words. If he released everything that weighed him down, he’d crush the listener beneath the force. No one wanted or needed that kind of burden. “Nothing against you. I just don’t know when or if I’ll be ready.”

  Though displeasure lined his face, Vek nodded in understandin
g. “Let me know. In the meantime, perhaps we should determine if your spell is capable of working in this chamber.”

  Fen grasped the topic change like unexpected loot in Death’s Curse 3. “I’m not sure. There’s a lot more stone between this room and the main portion of the outpost, and water can mess with the signal. Also, I don’t want to risk interference with the shields keeping that door over there sealed up. I wish Olive was here.”

  “You need fruit for this spell?” Vek asked, his brow wrinkling.

  That surprised a laugh out of Fen. “No. Olive is a friend of mine. It’s a name. Well, her name is actually Olivia, but we started calling her the shorter version to pester her. She used to wear this green hat, and—”

  “Get to the point, Fen.”

  “She’s…I’d guess you’d say an artificer?” Fen frowned. That wasn’t quite right, but it was all he had. “Olive is some percentage of fae, but I’ve never tried to break through her shielding enough to figure out how much or what. She’s not someone you fuck with. Probably more so now that there’s more magic available on Earth.”

  Vek scowled. “Is that what you call getting to the point?”

  “What, you don’t like context?” Fen ran a tendril of earth energy along the area around the pool as his uncle glared at him. Served him right for being an impatient jerk. The water shoved against his magic, eroding his power, but Fen managed to complete his scan. “Yep. I’ll probably need her help with this room. She’s the one who invented the spell, at least the version I know.”

  “So this Olive is an artificer of spells?”

  “Yes and no.” Fen smiled. “There’s a whole underground of magical creatures, human-like or not, who’ve learned how to survive on Earth without anyone knowing. Olive integrates technology with magic. I’m sure there are others doing it, too.”

  Vek crossed his arms across his chest. “I doubt Dria will allow a stranger to work on something so important inside the outpost. She will bring someone in who she trusts.”

  “I can vouch for Olive, but I get it.” And he did. Who would trust someone he recommended? “Anyway, maybe it’s better not to have a cell signal in the bathing pool. Telepathy isn’t hindered, so if there’s a problem, someone can use that to get your attention.”

  “Fen…”

  “Come on,” Fen said, spinning away from his uncle and marching back along the path. “We need to keep channeling the spell down to the bottom. Maddy said they’d come straight here after she picks Anna up from work, and I’d like to be done.”

  Anything was better than listening to Vek make excuses for Dria’s lack of trust.

  Chapter 4

  Anna glanced at her phone. 9:37. Where was Maddy? The shop closed at the same time as the restaurant, and Maddy usually finished her closing tasks well before Anna completed her checklist of duties. Now, the only person left inside was Deanna, who often did the bookkeeping for an hour or two after closing. The rare times that Maddy hadn’t already been waiting, Anna had sat at one of the tables overlooking the parking lot or on the stairs up to the elevated building to wait. But tonight…tonight, she was restless.

  The sidewalk was empty of people, her only company the twisted shadows of tree branches cast down by the quarter moon above. Her nose twitched from the tang of fish and water blown around her by the breeze. It would be a lovely evening for a swim, a break from the oppressive heat. She leaned against the fence bordering the sidewalk and peered at the riverbank.

  Only a quick jump over the useless rail and a few steps down. Four or maybe five. That was all it would take to reach the water flowing in front of her. Her heart pounded, and her legs threatened to give beneath the weight of her desire. What would be so wrong about swimming—or at least wading on the edge? The water wouldn’t hurt her. She wasn’t some weak lady in an ancient tale who would be lost to the river forever with a single touch.

  At least she hoped she wasn’t.

  Anna.

  She jerked in surprise at the soft whisper that drifted across the wind. A female voice. Or had it been her imagination? She took a step back and glanced over her shoulder at the restaurant separated from the sidewalk by a small expanse of lawn. The door at the top of the stairs was still closed, and although she could see light from one of the interior windows beyond the screened-in porch, there was no sign of Deanna. Anna eased to the side and peeked around the building. The parking lot was likewise empty.

  Anna.

  She spun back to the water so quickly she almost tripped. What the hell? Squinting against the floodlights gleaming across the river, she studied the gently lapping surface. Nothing. No mysterious fog or strange figure rising from the depths. Only the swish of water and the rumble of cars from the highway. Was she losing her mind?

  Her feet moved, practically of their own volition. Nothing. Was. Out. There. Sure, Anna wanted to touch water with an urgency she’d never felt before, but Vek could have been wrong when he’d named her a descendant of some kind of Welsh water fae. Her parents had taken her to the lake every summer when she was a kid, for God’s sake. Wouldn’t she have noticed a problem then?

  Her stomach made contact with the metal fence, and she gripped the sturdy bars, longing to vault over and continue on her way.

  “Anna!”

  She stiffened at that all-too-real shout from Maddy. Anna blinked a few times, shaking free of the odd fog clouding her mind. Her gaze shifted downward, and she gasped to find one of her feet on the bottom rail of the fence. Fuck. She really had been about to climb over and stumble down the bank to the river. So much for being able to control herself. What was she going to tell Maddy?

  Anna forced a smile to her face and hurried toward the parking lot. Maddy was already at the back corner of the restaurant, and the pinched fear on her face tore at Anna’s heart. Her love had enough to worry about without this, too. So Anna shoved the call of the water to the back of her mind. It might insist on being answered eventually, but it wouldn’t be now.

  “Are you okay?” Maddy asked.

  “Yeah, sorry.” Anna gave Maddy a quick kiss on the lips and marched toward the car still idling in the parking lot. Her girlfriend caught up after only a few steps, her frown unbroken. “It’s a beautiful night, so I thought I’d admire the river while I waited. Are you okay? You aren’t usually this late.”

  Maddy grimaced. “It was a long day, capped off by a nice older lady who wanted a custom wardrobe of the extra-special kind. She was great to work with, but it took a while.”

  “Older lady?” Anna asked, her interest caught. The only custom clothes they made were for fae customers who needed to learn to wear Earth styles, and the races of fae that Anna had learned about were ancient indeed before they visibly aged.

  Maddy waited until they were both in the car to answer. “A wood nymph. Her tree was cut down about a year ago, and she almost died. Can you believe someone would destroy a tree that was over three thousand years old? The return of magic awakened her, and now she wants to join the human world so she can track down the person responsible.”

  “And you helped her?” Anna’s skin chilled. No telling what a tree nymph would consider proper retribution for killing her priceless tree. “Wouldn’t that make you an accessory if she does something illegal?”

  “Hell yeah, I helped her.” Maddy rubbed Anna’s thigh, but it only returned a little of her warmth. It was beyond Anna how her beloved braved so many dangerous interactions. “I don’t think selling her clothes makes me responsible for what she does next. Maybe she’s going to give the person a stern talking to. How would I know?”

  Anna’s lips twisted. “I’d be more worried about a suspicious tree-related death than a heated discussion. I wouldn’t blame her, but I don’t want you to get in trouble, either.”

  “She was kind enough not to make any threats,” Maddy said before letting out a chuckle. “And I’m definitely not going to the police to report an angry tree nymph.”

  Put that way, it did sound ridicu
lous. If the authorities knew anything about supernatural creatures, they weren’t saying, but she’d never heard the police give credence to such things before. Anna had a feeling they had no clue what was causing the power outages and energy surges any more than the average human did. Unless any fae had joined their ranks, the government probably didn’t know, either.

  Uneasiness squeezed her throat. It was inevitable that they found out. Someone was going to make a power play. If it wasn’t Lord Meren of the Seelie Sidhe, who had recently attempted to destroy the Moranaian outpost, then it would be some other type of fae. How could they resist? When Earth had lost most of its magic millennia ago, many of the magic-based creatures had fled to other dimensions. They would surely want to reclaim their homes if they could. At the least, they would want their own spaces.

  “I didn’t mean to worry you,” Maddy said.

  Anna sighed. “You didn’t. Well, not directly. I just can’t shake the thought that things are about to change. Humans have ruled without much opposition for a long time, and all of this… I don’t see a way for it to go well for anyone. If the fae try to ascend to power, humans are going to fight it. What will we choose, Maddy? We have both inside of us.”

  “We choose the side that’s doing what’s right,” Maddy answered, her voice firm. Anna watched the streetlights flicker against her love’s stubborn, resolute chin and longed for the same optimistic confidence. “Right now, I’d trust the Moranaians over my own people. Not that my father has any drive for power. But how many of the Seelie agree with Lord Meren about humans being inferior creatures the fae should rule? I’ve heard so many rumors about the Seelie court that it’s hard to tell. They say the real queen disappeared, either dead or ill, and the acting queen hasn’t made her intentions about Earth clear. The Moranaians, though… They’ve done nothing but try to help.”

  “Cora and Vek aren’t from Moranaia,” Anna pointed out. She nibbled on her lower lip. “Neither is Fen.”