by KJ Baker
Most of my kind don’t appreciate the mortal realm. They see it as a place of drudgery where mortal creatures live out their brief lives in ignorance and brutality.
Maybe that’s true, to a degree. But there is more to it than that. There is also beauty and endless possibilities. Asha had taught me that. Perhaps it was a lesson I should have learned long ago.
The sun finally set and darkness fell. I shifted position, working out the cramp that had settled into my thigh, but I made no sound. Around me, the denizens of the dark came to life. The hoot of an owl broke the night and close by I heard the huff of a hunting cat. I did not fear the predators of the night. After all, I was one of them.
I kept my eyes trained on the circle of burned tree stumps, my other senses thrown wide to detect any hint of Taviel’s approach. As night deepened, the slumbering power of the tree stump circle began to awaken. I sensed the ancient power that rested there stir to life in anticipation of the solstice. Through that matrix of power, I sensed the Summerlands drawing near. They were close, less than a hair’s breadth beyond the Veil.
Minutes ticked slowly by. Then finally, nearing midnight, there was movement on the slope below me. I tensed, my fingers tightening around the hilts of my blades. Narrowing my eyes, I made out a shape moving cautiously from shadow to shadow. My lips pulled back from my teeth in a silent snarl.
It was him.
Taviel moved slowly, taking his time. Our altercation at Gracie’s apartment had obviously taught him caution. Finally, he stepped out of the shadows beneath the trees and flitted across the open ground towards the circle of stumps. His left hand was cupped around something that glinted a dull gold in the darkness.
The Orb of Tir.
Taviel glanced up at the sky, watching the stars. His lips moved as though speaking under his breath. Seemingly satisfied, he strode into the circle of tree stumps and halted in its exact center. He wasn’t looking at me. All his attention was fixed on the stars above him.
I stepped out of my hiding place. He whirled at the sound of my footsteps, eyes going wide.
I gave him my most malicious grin. “Well, here we are again. We really must stop meeting like this.”
ASHA
“After three hundred meters, turn right,” said the sat nav.
I gritted my teeth, trying not to howl in frustration. There was no damned right turn! What the hell was the stupid thing talking about? I slammed my hand against the steering wheel, scanning the terrain for the turning. I saw nothing. Nothing but the endless vista of pine trees with this crappy excuse for a road running through them.
For over an hour now I’d been driving up this winding track, gradually making my way up the mountain. The sat nav had given up long ago, seemingly not recognizing anything in this area and kept throwing out random instructions that bore no resemblance to the landscape. The map spread out on my lap wasn’t helping either.
No! No! No! I told myself, glancing at the darkening sky. It would be midnight soon. If I delayed any longer, I’d miss my chance to stop Dark Hair. I’d miss my chance to tell Raven—
No. Don’t think about him now. Concentrate on what you’re doing.
With an annoyed growl, I focussed on the road, driving much more slowly than I would have liked along the twisting, pot-holed track.
I straightened suddenly, squinting through the windshield. Was that light ahead? It was!
The light resolved itself into a cabin with drawn drapes and lamplight spilling beneath them. Behind the house lay a fenced compound with tree felling machinery and several off-road vehicles. It seemed to be a ranger station of some kind.
I pulled up, grabbed the map, and scrambled out of the car, leaving the engine running. I pounded on the door several times before a beefy man yanked it open and stared out at me blearily.
“What in God’s name—?”
“Do you know how to get to this place?” I demanded, pushing the map at him.
He blinked, obviously startled. “What are you doing out here at this time of night?”
“Please!” I said, desperation in my voice. “I have to get to this place. Look, it’s marked right here on the map. My sat nav has got me lost and now I’m not sure where I am.”
He stared at me as though he thought I was crazy, his whiskered face folding into a frown. Then he sighed and peered at the map. His eyebrows rose.
“That’s the Five Maidens circle,” he said. “Let me guess—you’re one of those new-age types aren’t you? There’s been more and more of them coming up here lately, drinking and doing heck-knows-what up there.”
“Um...sure whatever. Can you tell me where it is?”
“About three miles that way,” he said, pointing up the road. “You’ll come to a lightning blasted tree. Turn off the road there and follow the path. It’ll lead you straight to it.” Then he slammed the door, muttering something about ‘goddamn hippies’ under his breath.
I bolted back to the car, slammed my foot to the pedal, and sped up the track as fast as I dared in the darkness. Sure enough, after a short while, the headlamps illuminated a dead tree standing at the side of the road like a sentinel. I pulled up and scrambled out. Fishing in the trunk, I pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on. A faint path was visible winding off into the trees. I swallowed thickly. It sure as hell was dark and the beam of my flashlight seemed pitifully weak. Who knew what kind of animals would be abroad in the night?
I gritted my teeth. None of that mattered. Soon the portal would open and my chance to stop Dark Hair would be lost. I swallowed my fear and began walking.
RAVEN
“You are one persistent bastard,” Taviel said, smiling faintly.
“That’s persistent bastard, your Majesty,” I corrected him.
“You are not my king,” he growled. “I owe no allegiance to you.” He lifted his chin, glaring at me defiantly. “So you decided not to bring your little mortal bitch? Most wise.”
I tensed to hear Asha referred to in such a way but I didn’t take the bait. “Give me the Orb of Tir.”
He didn’t reply. He just watched me and I knew he was evaluating his options for attack and his chances of success. Above us, the moon was starting to poke its head above the mountain, bathing the glade in its eerie white glow. The power of the tree stump circle increased, whispering around us like ghosts.
“Why do you bother?” Taviel asked at last. “Why do you fight us? We are the same. One people. Why do you care more for mortal kind than your own?”
“I am nothing like you,” I growled. “The Unseelie care nothing for anyone or anything. The mortals are just the start. We both know you would not stop with them. You would conquer the whole world if you could and enslave us all. Do not think me naive enough to believe otherwise.”
He shrugged. “There is a natural order to everything, your Majesty. You hear the owl that hunts in the night? It kills those weaker than itself in order to survive. The Fae are no different. We are the apex predator, the top of the food chain. Why should we deny our right to dominate lesser beings? It is how the universe was created.”
“No,” I replied. “It’s how you believe it was created. It’s the excuse you tell yourself to justify what you’ve done. What you plan to do. But I won’t let you. None of the Seelie will let you. You cannot win, Taviel. Give me the Orb of Tir.”
A quick flash of fury crossed his features, distorting his face into a leering mask. “You are a fool!” he hissed. “You’ve let that mortal bitch blind you! You would still defend them, even after what they did at the Spire? Don’t you see? There can never be peace between our races! They will always fear us and that fear will always make them a threat!”
I didn’t have time for this. It was almost midnight and the portal would open at any moment. I slowly drew my twin blades. The scrape of them leaving the scabbard was loud in the stillness and they glowed brightly in the moonlight.
“Give me the Orb of Tir,” I said again.
“Let me guess:
I do what you say and you’ll let me live?” he sneered, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
“No. After what you did to Gracie, there is no redemption, but if you give me the Orb of Tir, I will make your death swift.”
Before he could answer, I attacked. One blade went low, whipping towards his stomach, the other aiming high at his face. But he’d been expecting this and he spun away, my blades slicing only through empty air. I followed, blades whirling, two silver arcs in the darkness. He evaded me. He moved faster than should have been possible, faster than a striking snake.
What the—?
There was a cocky grin on his face as he stepped back, avoiding my assault as easily as if I was a clumsy child. I suddenly felt uneasy. He should not be this fast.
“Didn’t I say you were a fool?” he said. “Uninformed and ignorant. You cannot best me—not while I hold this.”
He suddenly disappeared and then reappeared behind me at the edge of the circle. I whirled to face him, blades clenched in my fists.
“You believe this is about using the Orb to tear the Veil?” he said. “Yes, the Orb will do that. But not only that. I’ve had plenty of time to study the Orb whilst it’s been in my possession. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it does far, far, more than I thought. Such as this.”
He raised the Orb in one hand. A rippling sheet of power erupted from it. The force picked me up and threw me across the clearing as though I was a storm-tossed branch. I crashed into one of the tree stumps with enough force to send pain exploding through my body. I heard the snap of bones and I fell to the ground, dazed. My magic went to work, healing my injuries, and I managed to raise my head.
Taviel walked slowly towards me, that smug smile on his face. He came to stand in front of me, the orb clutched greedily in one hand, like a child clutching a favorite toy.
“With this, the Unseelie are more powerful than you can possibly imagine. The Seelie cannot stand against us. Even the Spire will bow before us.”
I glanced around. I’d lost my blades when he’d tossed me across the clearing and now they lay several meters away, gleaming in the darkness. I assessed my chances. Maybe I could get to them before Taviel killed me but probably not. I’d never felt such power. In the hands of an Unseelie, it was terrifying.
I coughed blood onto the ground and then rose to my hands and knees. I was pretty sure one of my ribs was broken, puncturing my lung, and my magic was battling to heal it. A weakness I could not afford passed through me. It was all I could do to glare up at him.
“You think the Spire will stand for this?” I rasped. “You think the Seelie will? Fates, even many of the Unseelie won’t countenance it! There is no better way to unite the Fae against you.”
“Oh, you’re sure about that?” Taviel replied, arching an eyebrow. “The Fae follow strength. You are proof of that, King Arion. The Shadow Court is the strongest in our history. Its warriors are unstoppable, its mages invincible. But not anymore. Look at you, mighty King Arion. On your knees before me. Beg for your life and I just might grant your boon.”
I tried to stagger to my feet but only succeeded in coughing up another gout of blood before sinking onto my knees again. I always knew I’d die in battle but I’d hoped it would be with my blades in my hand, not kneeling before my enemy, weak and beaten.
Taviel stretched out his arm, the orb sitting in his palm like a some dark star.
“Goodbye, King Arion,” Taviel said. “This glade will be your grave and your body will be food for the ravens. Fitting don’t you think?”
I sensed the power of the orb building and lifted my chin defiantly, preparing to meet my death without flinching. I strained my muscles, trying to move, but my own healing magic had drained me, it was too busy trying to save my life to give me the strength I needed to defend myself.
So be it. In a way, it would be a relief. No more fighting. No more constant strife. No more doubt and the unbearable weight of responsibility. My brother would become king after me. Maybe he would do a better job than I had.
Then a voice spoke suddenly. “Get away from him, you asshole!”
A blade came slicing down out of the darkness—right through Taviel’s arm.
He screamed and the severed limb dropped to the ground, the Orb of Tir rolling across the ground towards me. To my shock, I saw Asha standing behind Taviel, one of my blades held in a two-handed grip. I registered this in one stunned instant then grabbed the Orb of Tir and summoned every last grain of strength I had left to push myself to my feet.
I opened my mouth to ask Asha what the hell she was doing here, but before I could utter a word, a sudden rush of power made me turn. In the center of the clearing the portal suddenly shimmered open. About man-sized and rectangular, it could have been cut out of the air with a knife. Through it, I saw the Summerlands shining under the sun.
My heart filled with pure joy. Ah, fates, I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed my homeland until I saw it. All I had to do was run, jump through the portal with the Orb of Tir in my grasp and my mission would be complete. The Unseelie would fail and I could stop the war in its tracks.
But a cold voice froze me to the spot.
“Take one step and she dies.”
I turned slowly.
Taviel had Asha by the throat. The fingers of his one remaining hand were clamped tightly around her jugular, not tight enough to kill, but tight enough that she couldn’t move or speak. His other arm ended just below the elbow, pumping blood down his shirt but he barely seemed to notice. His eyes blazed with a wild, reckless fury.
The sight of Asha a captive nearly broke me. For a moment my vision turned red and an all-encompassing need for violence ran through my blood. Every instinct demanded I tear Taviel’s still-beating heart from his body. Every fiber of my being cried for his blood, to rend him limb from limb for daring to threaten her. It was a deep, primal need, almost overwhelming.
It took every ounce of self-control I’d learned in my thousand years of life to stay exactly where I was. I knew it was a trap. If I moved now, if I gave into my animal instincts, Asha would die.
Her eyes found mine and I was surprised to find they were calm, no sign of fear. Her mouth formed a word, even though no sound came from her.
“Go,” she mouthed. “Go.”
I couldn’t do it. The portal shimmered behind me, calling me home, demanding I complete my mission. The soldier in me knew I should turn and walk through that portal, leave Asha behind. She was collateral damage, an acceptable casualty, and the objective of my mission must be my priority.
Except it wasn’t my priority. Not anymore.
This woman, this mortal woman who was so unlike anyone I’d ever met before, this woman who haunted my dreams and stirred my blood into a frenzy, she was my priority. Next to her safety, nothing else mattered. Not even my mission.
I held out the Orb of Tir.
“All right,” I said, my voice tight with tension. “I’ll give you the orb if you let her go.”
Taviel’s eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise. “You are serious aren’t you?” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “You would sacrifice everything for her? Why? She is just some mortal.”
Very deliberately, I shifted my gaze to meet Asha’s. “She isn’t ‘just a mortal’. She is my mate.”
Asha’s eyes widened, sudden understanding flooding them. She tried to speak but Taviel tightened his grip, choking off the words.
“If you believe that, then you are a fool,” Taviel said, shaking his head. “Such a joining would break the Shadow Court. Even the Spire may think twice about supporting you when you bring your weak little bitch home!”
“Shut your mouth,” I growled. I took a step closer, my fingers itching to choke the life out of him.
“Oh no you don’t,” he said. “One step closer and I’ll snap your mate’s neck. I hold the upper hand here, don’t forget that.”
And then I saw it. He had no intention of letting Asha go. He was enjoying th
is power too much. I saw her death written in his eyes. And that, I could not allow.
So I did the only thing I could. I hefted the Orb of Tir, bouncing it in my palm like one of the soccer balls I’d seen mortals kicking in the park.
“You want this? Then you better fetch it.”
I threw the Orb with all my strength at the portal.
My action had the desired effect. Taviel spat a curse, pushed Asha away, and launched himself after the Orb. He grabbed it just before it sailed through the portal, already turning to face me, already beginning to summon the Orb’s power to kill both myself and Asha.
I was ready for him. I’d moved at the same moment he had and as he spun towards me, I flung a flying kick at him. My feet slammed into his chest, sending him hurtling backwards. Too late he realized his mistake and clawed desperately at something, anything, to keep himself in this world long enough to take his revenge on me.
But there was nothing to cling onto. With a howl of rage, he toppled through the portal and was gone. The portal winked out of existence, leaving darkness and silence behind.
I doubled over, hands on my knees, breathing heavily. Around me, the night was silent and there was no trace of the portal, of Taviel, or of the Orb of Tir.
It was over.
“Raven?”
I spun at the sound of her voice. She was lying on her side at the circle’s edge. I pelted over to her, skidding onto my knees by her side.
“Are you all right,” I demanded, grabbing her chin and looking her over, searching for any sign of injury. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice a little shaky. “Is he...is he gone?”
I nodded. “He’s gone. He’ll be on his way back to the Court of the Sun by now.”
Her expression darkened. “With the Orb. So we’ve failed.”
I didn’t answer. By almost every measure, I had failed. My enemy was free and had captured the Orb. But it was not a failure. Not to me. My mate was alive and sitting right in front of me, looking so fierce and beautiful that she took my breath away. It was all I could do to keep my hands off her. I wanted to touch every inch of her.
