Dark Fae: Legacy of Magic Book Two

by Dyan Chick

  Tristan scowled. "Anti-fae charm."

  "Does that mean we can't go inside?" I asked.

  "Not until we break it," Brenon said.

  "Unless..." Evangeline looked at me with a smile. Even without the curse, she maintained the mischievous look of a cat.

  "Unless?" I raised my eyebrows, already knowing where she was going with this. She had to be wondering if I could enter. "Half-Sayge, yeah."

  Without waiting for anyone to say anything more, I walked up to the house, where the purple glow extended over the stairs. Slowly, I reached my fingertips out toward the nearly invisible barrier. To my surprise, nothing happened when I extended my arm.

  I looked back at the others. They weren't saying anything, so I took it a bit further and put my foot through, then climbed the steps. My heart hammered in my chest as I stood in front of the door. Apparently, being half-Sayge was enough to get through.

  "That's enough," Tristan said. "We know you can get through."

  "Don't do it, Ara," Brenon said. He moved closer to the stairs. "Come on, we need a plan first."

  I shook my head. It didn't make any sense, but for some reason, I knew I had to do this alone. "I'm going in."

  "You're not protecting anyone by doing this," Evangeline said.

  She sounded like she was worried about me. "I can do this."

  Before I could hear any other objections, I pushed the door open, then closed it behind me.

  Inside, the temperature dropped as I entered the darkened living room. It was like walking into a giant refrigerator. I rubbed my hands on my arms, trying to warm myself. Clouds escaped my mouth as I took shallow breaths. Why was it so cold in here? And where was everyone?

  The floor creaked, and I paused, frozen mid-step, then looked around. If someone was nearby, they should have heard that. There was no other sound in this house. Counting silently, I waited until I got to ten before I took another step. That's when I heard it. A high-pitched scream sounded from the basement. Aunt Kay.

  Of course. The place where my aunt stored the one thing that could kill me instantly. Squeezing my hands into fists, I picked up the pace, jogging across the living room to the basement door. Another scream. This time it sounded like a male voice. Joe.

  All worry about my safety was gone, I bolted down the stairs to the basement, emerging into a scene out of a horror movie.

  In front of me, Joe and my Aunt Kay were suspended from the ceiling, bound by their arms and legs. They were both blindfolded and didn't seem to notice my arrival. Under each of them was a series of candles that floated inches above the ground as if by magic. I shook my head. It was magic. Despite knowing that it existed, it still wasn't something I was used to. One of the candles under Joe rose, the flame touching his bare stomach. He let out a scream of pain again.

  "I'm here," I called out as I ran to him.

  "Ara?" Joe moved his head around as if trying to see me.

  I pulled off his blindfold, then moved to my aunt and removed hers.

  Joe screamed again as one of the candles burned him again. Running back to him, I kicked it, trying to knock it over. Nothing happened.

  "Magic," Joe said. He sounded exhausted. "Use Magic."

  It made sense. If they were being controlled by magic, I had to make them go away with magic. Taking a deep breath, I thought about how I would get rid of a whole bunch of enchanted candles.

  "Wind," Aunt Kay said.

  "Thanks." I sucked in a breath and held it, focusing on filling my whole body with oxygen, imagining it building up inside me, expanding. Then, with a sweeping motion of my arms, I blew the breath out, releasing it from deep within. The candles flickered, then fell over, flames extinguished.

  The basement was plunged into darkness, and I heard Aunt Kay whispering something. Then, her hands were glowing. "Untie us."

  Being closer to Joe, I worked the knots loose around his ankles. "What is going on here? Why did they take you? Are you okay?"

  Joe's feet hit the ground, and I went to work on the knots around his wrist.

  "They want you to bring back the curse," Joe said, rubbing his now free wrists.

  "That's insane, why would I do that?" I asked as I started untying knots on my aunt's ankles.

  "They figured you'd do it to save us," Aunt Kay said.

  "Where are they now?" I had to admit, I was getting a bit nervous about how easy this had been so far.

  "Not sure," Joe said. "They set up the candles and haven't been back since."

  "I think they went for help," Aunt Kay said. "I don't think you'll be strong enough to do the curse by yourself, but if they have a group of Sayges, it might work."

  "Well, that is not happening." I got the last knot undone on my aunt's wrist. "We're leaving."

  "Wait." Aunt Kay grabbed hold of my arm and pulled mine toward her. "Over here, I want to show you something."

  "We really should go," I said. A prickle rose on the back of my neck. My intuition was kicking in again, and I wanted to leave this place.

  "It's important," she said, practically dragging me.

  "You have to see it," Joe said, walking in front of us.

  Ignoring the feeling of my skin crawling, I followed them to the other side of the basement. Joe disappeared behind a stack of boxes and Aunt Kay nodded at me to follow.

  I hesitated for a moment, then went around the boxes. As soon as I stepped behind them, my blood ran cold. Chained to the wall, unconscious, were two people who looked suspiciously like my aunt and Joe.

  Spinning around, I tried to run, but I found myself staring face to face with one of the twins, probably Mercy.

  "That was a test," she said.

  The other twin, Pearl, the person I had thought was Joe, was now standing right next to me. "Congratulations, you passed."

  "I don't understand," I said, turning back to look at the figures on the ground. "Why are you doing this?"

  "We told you, we need you to re-curse the circus. With Terra out of the way, the only threat to our power is the Ringmaster and his band of misfits. We can't have them going back to Faerie and bringing their friends."

  "You know I'm not going to do that," I said.

  "We figured you'd feel that way," Mercy said.

  "That's why we have them." Pearl inclined her head toward my aunt and best friend.

  "What did you do to them?" I asked.

  "They're visiting the in-between," Pearl said.

  "What does that mean?" I asked.

  "It's a place between life and death." Mercy looked at her watch. "They have about an hour before they'll cross over."

  "What? Are you crazy?" I pushed past Pearl to get to them but before I could reach them, she grabbed me with a strength I never would have imagined from a woman her age. For a moment, I saw her face change, revealing pale blue skin and red eyes, then it went back to normal.

  The pieces were coming into view. If they were decades old Sayges with the power they were stealing from other magical creatures, they should be able to do the curse themselves. Something didn't add up. "What are you?"

  Pearl smiled, showing jagged teeth. "You're perceptive. Much more so than that mother of yours."

  The two women stood in front of me with matching sinister smiles and their faces melted away, revealing pale blue flesh that extended into a beak, pointed ears, and ruby irises that stared down at me. Bat wings stretched out behind them, then tucked in behind their backs. Their fingers were replaced by curled claws that looked like they would tear right through your flesh.

  My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. My whole body tensed, paralyzed with fear. I'd seen a lot since joining the Rose Circus, but never had I seen creatures like this.

  Mercy wrapped long blue fingers with curled claws around my neck and moved in closer to me. Nose to nose, I stared into those red eyes. My pulse raced. These were the creatures I'd seen in the book. These were the Evils.

  "You're going to re-curse that Circus, then,
you're going to open the gate. We've been banished here for far too long." She turned to look at Pearl. "It's time to go home."

  "And if I refuse?" I said.

  "Then we let these two die while we hunt for your brother and kill every member of the Rose Circus one by one while you watch."

  I could tell she was telling the truth. Whatever an Evil was, I had a feeling it was capable of killing the people I cared about. There was no way I was going to help them, but right now, I had no idea how to stop them. I needed to buy myself more time. "I don't know how to curse the Circus."

  "You better figure it out soon," Pearl said, pointing behind her at Joe and Kay.

  Chapter 33

  "I need Tristan," I said, knowing they'd never agree to let me see Brenon or Evangeline.

  The Evils looked at each other, then back to me. "Why?"

  "I'm still new to this, and I don't know how to channel the Dark Fae magic I have. He'll help me."

  "Tristan was helping the Circus," Pearl said.

  "Only because he wanted some land in exchange. He's only loyal to himself. You know that."

  They were silent for a moment. Then, finally, Mercy gave me a little shove. "Fine, but only Tristan. If you try to involve that Ringmaster, we start killing people."

  Not waiting for them to change their mind, I took the steps two at a time to get out of the dark and creepy basement, beelining it for the front door.

  To my surprise, Brenon, Evangeline, and Tristan were still standing in front of the house. They hadn't even tried to hide.

  At the sight of me at the doorway, all three of them ran to the base of the stairs.

  "Stop." I held my hand out in front of me. "Just Tristan."

  I looked over at Brenon nodded at him. "It's going to be okay."

  He took a few steps back and inclined his head.

  Tristan looked over at the others before walking up the steps. "What's this all about?"

  I closed the door behind us, not wanting Brenon or Evangeline to hear what I was going to say. The last thing I needed was for them to do something that might get them killed. "The twins aren't Sayges."

  "What do you mean?" he asked.

  "Hello, Tristan, been a long time," Mercy said.

  Tristan's whole body tensed when he saw the Evils in their true form. "How did you get out? You were trapped."

  "That doesn't matter right now. You help us, and we'll all be back home. We'll have eternity to discuss how we've wronged each other."

  "Why would I help you?" Tristan's words came out like a growl.

  "Your child is the one who volunteered you. She seems to think you can be bought." The Evils both laughed. "How's that for irony?"

  "They should never have let you into the Dark Realm," Tristan said.

  "Tick-tock, Ara," Pearl said.

  Tristan opened his mouth to say something, but I put my hand on his arm, and he turned to look at me.

  "Please, I need your help." Turning from Tristan, I looked at the Evils. "Can we have a few minutes alone?"

  "Take all the time you need," Pearl said. "It's not my friend's lives on the line."

  As soon as the two of them left the room, I dragged Tristan to the love seat and pulled him down. "I need your help."

  "Why did you involve me with this? What are you thinking? Letting them in without Terra or Brenon to keep them in check is worse than death," he said.

  I lowered my voice, hoping the creatures couldn't hear me, "Tell me what would happen if I opened the gate."

  "If everyone is cursed again, those things will head right for the Dark Realm, where they'll find my family - our family, and wreak havoc on a level you can't even imagine." He shook his head.

  "No, you misunderstand. What would happen if I opened the gate without casting the curse?"

  Tristan's lips curled into a sly smile. "Then you'd see true power."

  "Would it be enough to defeat them?" I asked.

  "You get any of the High Fae or me through that gate, the Evils won't know what hit them." He leaned in closer to me. "You sure you're willing to do this? You have to use blood magic."

  "Is there any other way?" I asked.

  Tristan was quiet for a moment, then he reached down and lifted his pant leg. Strapped to his calf was a small dagger with a black sheath covering the blade. He handed it to me. "We'll need to make it look good. They'll be expecting a show."

  He pulled the sheath off of the blade. "Fae Iron. It'll hurt like hell, and you'll probably be passed out for a few hours, but they'll buy it."

  Carefully, he slid the sheath back over the blade, then held it out for me.

  Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I took the blade. "Let's do this."

  Tristan followed me to the kitchen, where we found the Evils sitting at the table sipping coffee. It was a disturbing sight that might be enough to kick my coffee addiction.

  "Ready?" Mercy asked.

  "We need to do it at the gate," I said.

  She narrowed her eyes and looked from me to Tristan.

  "She has to channel both realms. It'll be stronger there," Tristan said.

  I held up the dagger. "And I have to use blood magic."

  "Fae Iron?" Pearl asked, straightening in her chair.

  I nodded. "But I have a condition before I do this."

  "You're not in the position to barter," Mercy said.

  "If I have to poison myself with iron, I think I deserve something in return," I said, staring at Mercy.

  She lifted an eyebrow. "Which is?"

  "You save my aunt and Joe after I re-curse everyone. I don't know how long it will take me to recover from the iron. I don't want them to die because you're waiting for me to heal. You don't have to let them go, just don't let them die."

  Mercy took another sip of her coffee, then set the cup down. "Fine."

  I'd never been in the backyard at my aunt's house. The neat, green lawn stretched out behind the house before it was met by tall, untamed yellow grass.

  "Keep that blade to yourself, now," Pearl said.

  I turned to look at her, surprised by her worry. For a moment, I wondered if I should abandon my plan and just try to stab her with the blade. Then, I remembered there were two of them, and Mercy would be on me before I could remove the blade to try again.

  "Where's the entrance?" I looked out into the swaying grass, expecting to see a glowing light or some indication of where I should be standing.

  "Look down," Tristan said.

  Following his suggestion, I looked at the green grass under my feet. A pink line of glowing light was right under me. I stepped back, realizing that there was a circle of light in the middle of the grass. Inside the circle was another circle and a series of symbols filled the gap between the two.

  "The entrance is below?" Goosebumps rose on my skin as I imagined an underground world devoid of sunlight. I couldn't even stand cloudy days. How did the fae live like that?

  "It doesn't go down. It's a whole different realm." Tristan walked over to me and placed his hands on my hips. "You'll want to stand in the middle." He guided me to the center of the circle, then backed away.

  Unsure of exactly how I was going to do this, I unsheathed the blade and tossed the cover on the ground. Tristan, Mercy, and Pearl stood near the back door, eyes locked on me.

  I turned away from them, but could still feel their stares on my back. If this didn't go as planned, if I couldn't get the gate to open, Mercy and Pearl would know that I'd lied to them. They would kill Aunt Kay and Joe. Then, who knows what other pain I'd have to endure while I was forced to watch my loved ones die. Even Tristan was weary of the Evils. There was zero room for error.

  Gripping the hilt with both hands, I took a deep breath. I knew I'd have to channel the magic of both realms again. Last time, I'd used lightning and the rose. As soon as I started thinking about using my magic, I felt the tingle of electricity surge through my veins. It was coming faster every time I used it. The rose was harder to find, my earth m
agic wasn't as strong.

  Dropping one hand from the blade, I reached out as if touching the petals of a flower and the scent of roses filled my nose. Inside, I was holding on with everything I had to keep both magics in place. They seemed to fight each other, not wanting to co-exist. Moving my hand toward the blade, I almost lost the feeling of the rose, and I had to stop and wait.

  This time, I moved both hands, the hand with the blade and my free hand, slowly, while focusing on holding the magic of both realms. My insides were heating up as I maintained the competing magics. Sweat dripped down my face. The blade was right above my free hand. Breathing rapid, I let out a cry as I sliced the blade across my hand.

  Searing pain shot through me as the blood pooled on the surface and it took every fiber of my being to keep the magic in place. Blood flowed from the wound, landing on my boots and the grass.

  The pink lines burned white, and my whole body felt like it was on fire. Dropping the blade, I held my breath as I tried to hold on to the last remaining pieces of magic. Then, everything went black.

  The world was a blur as I fought to open my eyes. I could feel cool grass under me and hear the sounds of grunts and screams. It sounded like a fight scene in a movie. It took a moment for me to realize that I was laying on the ground in my aunt's backyard.

  As the world came into focus, I saw the dagger in front of me. Groggy and unbalanced, I crawled to it, wrapping my fingers around the hilt. I sat up and almost dropped the dagger as I stared at a silvery curtain cutting through the yellow grass about twenty feet away from me.

  In front of the curtain, Tristan was facing off against one of the Evils. Brenon and Evangeline were attacking the other one. Light flew from the Fae as they struck the creatures, causing shrieks and inhuman growls.

  Forcing myself to my feet, I staggered into the grass, dagger extended in front of me. Pausing for a moment, I looked at each fight, trying to determine where I could help best.

  Just then, a bolt of light shot up into the sky, temporarily blinding me. When the darkness of the night returned, I blinked away the spots and noticed that Brenon and Evangeline were now free of their Evil. The two of them ran toward Tristan, and before I could even move any closer, another bolt of light filled the air.