“Why?”
“Because you can get away with a lot more when people don’t suspect you or know how powerful you are. No one assumes it’s you,” she replied. Power controlled every word. “Being the sweet, young ingénue comes in handy.”
“So you hid behind an old lady, using her as your front?” I exclaimed. “Did you have to hurt her? Fry her brain?”
“People never saw me as a threat. They always thought it was Olwyn. She looked the part. I didn’t. So yeah, I used that. But I’d never hurt her. Olwyn took me in; she is the only family I have.”
“You spelled her!”
“I enchanted her to keep her safe. She is old and dying. I have kept her alive. What you saw was Olwyn’s normal state.”
A flame erupted out of the darkness, landing on a stack of wood on the ground. Fire exploded high, displaying the woman behind it clearly. Fionna’s arms were outstretched; her lips moved in recitation.
Her actual physique was tiny, but the way she held herself was solid and commanding. Her homogeneous brown pants and tunic top had been replaced with brown leather pants and boots. A brown cloak draped her shoulders. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, showing off her beautiful face.
I had totally underestimated her. “Something’s different about you.” I cocked my head to the side. “Is it your hair? Get it cut?”
A smile curved her lips.
The fire crackled and spurted. The same feeling went up my spine.
“You’re amusing, Mr. Moseley.” Her glance darted back and forth between Rez and me, an eyebrow lifting. “I might have liked you. Very much.”
I never told her my family name, but I wasn’t about to ask now how she knew it. Another ting of warning bells brushed at my skin, stirring my feet.
We fae never underestimated what women were capable of as humans did. Fae women could kick ass. And even though Fionna was barely five foot three and petite, the power emanating off her held the power of a tsunami. You didn’t mess with that.
“What’s happening here, Fionna?”
“Something that should have centuries ago.” Her jaw flexed. “For so long, Druids were persecuted, killed...slaughtered by the thousands. My friends…my family. My mother and father hid me right before they were killed along with my baby sister. I’ve had to conceal my true nature so I would not be found. But no more...”
“Things are changing. We even have a Druid Queen now.”
“That toddler?” Fionna snorted derisively. “I see how well the fae are listening to her. The world is in chaos. She is not one of them. They will never fear or respect someone who barely knows how to conjure a basic spell,” she growled. “It may not be out in the open anymore, but we are still being hunted and killed. The same fear and ignorance rules you fae.”
“Not all of us feel that way. The new Queen is my friend. She is trying hard to change things.”
“Please. You can’t believe that.” Fionna’s lids tapered. “I know what you are, Dark Dweller…who you work for.” She came around the fire; her glare pinned on me. “How stupid do you think I am? The Dark doesn’t work with the Light. And neither work with Druids. Especially the Unseelie King. And if you believe he will, then you are more of a fool than I thought.” Her shoulders lifted with anger. “Do you think he would ever allow someone to rule with magic he can’t control? Someone who could possibly destroy him?” Energy pumped through the air, colliding into my bones. My beast growled, sensing a threat. “Why do you think he wants it, Dark Dweller? Think about it. To merely display on his shelf?”
The same thought had come to me on many occasions, but I pushed it away, not wanting to think about the why as long as I got what I wanted in the end.
“I’ve been aware of what he was after for a while.” She shrugged. “The moment his private jet landed here…I’ve been watching you.”
The dots connected as understanding washed over me. Shit. “It’s been you,” I whispered. “It’s been you the whole time.”
Rez’s head snapped to me, then back to Fionna, sucking in air.
“Those men weren’t searching for the spear,” I said. “They were trying to keep us from it.”
“They didn’t do an especially good job,” she replied, then moved her hands around. The air thickened, swirling the wind with magic, winding around me like a funnel. I sucked through my nose, trying to move oxygen in. “Maybe this time…” Energy dissipated, clearing the way for what was hiding behind it. The cloak of magic dropped.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Five men circled around us, seeming to come out of nowhere.
Rez jumped, her back knocking into me as she looked around. “Oh gods,” she muttered, her hand clapping her mouth. There was no doubt she recognized them as I did. Her abductors—Yogi, Boo-Boo, and Hiss, along with the two other fae from the warehouse—circled us. The human men were absent. Probably still pancaked under a hopper tank. They had been chasing us since the beginning. Every attack led by Fionna.
They had acted like zombies because they were under the influence of her magic. They could only do what she forced them to do.
I went to the cottage for a locator spell and walked into the wolf’s den, buying Fionna’s entire act, never believing she had anything to do with it.
“You kidnapped me?” Rez whipped to Fionna.
“It was nothing personal, but I will do everything in my power to keep the item out of the King’s hands. You are merely the messengers.”
“But why kidnap just me?” Anger rose in Rez’s voice.
“It was supposed to be both of you.” Fionna’s hands curled into fists.
“Then why help me…?” Halfway through my question, I understood. She hadn’t been helping me. She’d been escorting me right where she wanted. All they had to do was capture me again. But they failed. That’s why I felt they had been ready for me. Every moment I had spent with Fionna had been carefully orchestrated to keep us from finding the spear.
“You are the one who brought Balor back.” My body was alert, taking in every nuance around me.
“Very good,” she replied. “No one would ever have suspected me of being capable of that level of magic. It comes from years of hiding with nothing else to do but build up my magic.” She spread her arms wide. “It was my duty to guard it from you fae, and no better way than to raise a vengeful demon king from the sea.”
Most Druids could revive beings who were close to death, but not the actual dead, unless they were extremely powerful. Certain Druid lines were more formidable in particular powers. This was a top-tier Druid. But even then, it took “special” magic to bring something back from the dead.
“Walkin’ on the dark side, are we, sweetheart?” I arched one brow.
“Fae don’t play fair. Why should I?” Fionna replied, then uttered something under her breath. The men shuffled closer to Rez and me. Each one moved like a robot under Fionna’s control.
“Forcing fae to do your dirty work, to take away their will? It only proves your adversaries’ point.” I turned to Fionna. “You are doing the exact thing they fear. This is why they hate Druids and want you dead.”
“Your kind gave me no choice. I will protect the treasure.” She moved several feet closer to me. “None of them should have ever been made. They hold too much power, power which seduces and bends the carrier to their will. You fae aren’t strong enough to fight it. How many times must a world undergo devastation and annihilation because a fae lost control? How many times before you understand?”
What was twisted…I agreed with her. I saw what the previous Queen did to the Druid line, the centuries the few survivors had to go into hiding, everyday living the question of whether they’d be caught or not. I saw pain etched in Fionna’s face because of the family she lost concealed behind her anger. It was the same pain in mine, hidden by wrath and resentment, building thick walls.
But she still wanted to get rid of Rez and me, which I was not cool with.
“You think killing us
will stop the King?” I took a step to her. “Our deaths will only evoke a wrath so intense, you can’t possibly imagine. He will not stop, sweetheart.”
She grinned smugly. “I say bring it on. Sweetheart.” Her hands waved in the air, and with a rush of magic the men charged.
Straight for Rez and me.
Hiss was the first to strike, his forked tongue darting out to taste my fear. His lean body flew in the air and collided with mine. The beast within snarled, saliva filling my mouth with the urge to tear into flesh. I could feel his desire to come forward, to protect Rez. I pressed my lips together, pushing back the pain. If you continue to push to get out and cripple me, she gets hurt, I shouted at my beast. It surprised me and instantly backed off. She came first, no matter how bad it wanted to surface.
My fists slammed into Hiss’s ribs, laying him out flat. Yogi and Boo-Boo charged for me as the other fae went for Rez. She pulled out her knife. Twisting, she swung out her arm, slicing the chest of the black-haired fae like some warrior goddess. Damn, that’s hot. I didn’t have time to worry, knowing she could hold her own.
Claws swiped at my belly and chest. I jumped, twisted back, and came at Boo-Boo from the side, hitting his kidney.
A force smacked into me from the opposite direction, and I sailed to the ground with a slam. It stole my breath, and I grunted, trying to get up. A booted foot slammed into my gut, crumpling me back over, and a fist creamed my temple. Blood trickled into my eye as I took another kick to my stomach.
The beast was getting pissed, paralyzing me in place, pawing at the surface. Claws and boots struck my body over and over. Blood pooled from my mouth. With each hit, my beast tried to rise to the surface to fight back but merely pinned me in place. Dots impeded my vision, throwing my heart into a panic. I couldn’t black out. I couldn’t leave Rez.
Fuck. Was this it? How we ended? So close to getting the treasure?
“Stop,” Fionna ordered and immediately the bears backed off, standing like robot soldiers. If they were ever freed, they’d probably spend their lives hunting her down. No fae wanted to be a Druid’s bitch, which was why so many believed they should be eliminated.
“I’m truly sorry about this, West.” She leaned over me, my vision slowly taking in details. “But unfortunately you two are the messengers Lars used while he stays safe in his tower. I can’t let you have the Spear of Lugh. And I’m not stupid enough to think you will back off. He would never let you.”
She stood and looked beyond me. I lifted my head and saw Rez standing there with blood and cuts on her face. The black-haired fae was lying on the ground. The other now stood like a zombie.
“But I only need one of you to relay to Lars he is not in charge here, nor does he have the most powerful magic. If he wants a fight, he will have one.” Fionna raised her hands, muttering.
A scream tore from Rez as magic crashed into her. Her body lifted and power dragged her forward, her shoes digging trails in the dirt.
It took a moment for me to realize what Fionna meant. Rez was the sacrifice. She meant to kill the King’s mistress and send back his lackey broken and defeated to deliver her message. With every inch Rez neared the edge of the cliff. The ocean far below was hostile with rocks sharp as knives.
My brain shut off. The beast only saw its mate about to be impaled below. I roared. Twisting, I rolled up and dived for Fionna, my body crashing into hers like a linebacker. I hit her with a sickening crunch, her tiny body flew under the force of my anger toward the ledge.
Rez cried and dropped to the ground on her knees, broken free of Fionna’s magic.
Fionna smashed onto the ground, her form tumbling toward the edge. She let out a cry, her hands scraping for a surface to grip on to. She drilled her fingers into the rocks and tried to pull herself up. A rock gave way under her hold, and she started to slip down the cliff, her nails digging into the dirt to stop her descent.
“Fionna!” I leaped for her, my fingers skimming over hers, losing touch as she dropped farther down. I could be soulless, but deep inside I knew Fionna wasn’t bad. She was actually the smartest of us here. Letting the current demon king have the spear, a weapon so powerful, was stupid. She was only protecting it, no matter the costs. Just like Lars would find it, no matter the costs. I couldn’t let her die.
Her mouth opened, a start of a chant slipping from her lips, but it was clogged by her scream, her fingers slipping through the earth.
It was only a second.
Horror covered her features in utter sadness. Then she slipped from the edge and plunged into the void.
“Nooooo!” I wailed.
Her scream crashed into the night as she disappeared over the cliff. The howling wind and waves below drowned her cries as the sea claimed its next victim.
A flurry of magic shot over the mountain and erupted. Any fae under her control still standing dropped to the ground, unmoving.
A Druid’s weakness was they had to verbalize to formulate their magic. It couldn’t be conjured through thoughts like fae can do.
I stared into the darkness, lost in a rush of guilt. I should have saved her. She was only a hurt girl, not some evil monster.
“Hey?” A hand touched my back as Rez knelt next to me.
“Ahhhh!” I bellowed, rubbing my face. Another girl’s death was on my conscience.
“It wasn’t your fault.” Rez ran her fingers along my chin, turning my face to hers. Her brown irises penetrated mine. “And neither was Cammie,” she whispered.
I grunted and shoved myself back onto my feet. Rez rose with me.
The men were still out cold. They probably would be for the rest of the night. This kind of magic, the bending of your will, depleted you. They’d be fine. Angry as hell, but with no one to take their revenge out on, they would leave this place.
“Let’s go,” I mumbled. “Fionna is dead, which means the spell on Balor is broken. He will start to grow weak.”
I was more than disgusted with myself for continuing, for so callously using her death as our gain, but I had sold my soul to the devil, and there was no getting it back till he got what he wanted.
“I’ll distract Balor while you go all the way down and find it.” I heaved the air tank on my back, already dressed in my wetsuit we left in the crevice the night before, otherwise hypothermia would set in for me in minutes. I was kind of envious of Rez’s power to feel at home in the waves.
Rez’s gaze lowered down my body.
“You’re checking out my package, aren’t you?” I waved down, trying to lighten the bleak mood set over us. My only way of dealing with things. “Go ahead. It’s impressive, I grant you, and just think, it’s freezing out.”
“Shut up.” She smiled, rolling her eyes. “Wait till you step in…little chicken nuggets.”
“Oh come on, darlin’. Don’t scare them.”
Rez stripped to her underwear. The wetsuit ground against my erection. Maybe I should step in the cold water now… I went to the edge, sliding my bare feet in. “Holy shit!” I hadn’t bothered getting water gloves or booties and now regretted it. When led by a siren’s call, freezing to death didn’t seem to matter. Tonight the water was like blades scraping at my skin and lungs.
“Okay.” Rez came next to me. “I will lead him to you. You distract Balor while I go back and get the spear. Easy.”
I snorted. Fionna’s hold on him was gone, but it would still take a while for him to lose power. We needed to deplete his energy as much as we could.
We both stood another moment. This was it. No need to go over our pathetic plan again. It was time to act.
“You ready?” I glanced over at her.
“Yeah.” She sounded more sure than I felt.
We already decided once Rez got the spear, we had to kill him. I was sure the spear acted as his power center for his third eye.
“Okay, darlin’. Let’s go piss off a demon king.”
“We’re extremely good at that.”
“Well, at least tw
o of them.”
Rez smiled and then dived in. I followed behind, stuffing the tank’s air piece in my mouth.
The water was murky from the angry waves twisting and rocking, and it only grew darker the deeper we went. I followed Rez, the slight glow she gave off leading the way.
We had to be careful about communicating. With only a few words from Rez, I’d be consumed by her, trailing her to the trenches. Her speed quickly left me in the dust. And utter oblivion. I stayed in place, trying not to panic. The darkness engulfed me, and I struggled to keep my breath steady and know which way was up. This was not my happy place. At all.
The hum of sea life buzzed around me, keeping me focused. Soon a dim light seeped into my sight. It grew closer and closer till I could make out Rez’s shape.
And what was behind her. Nipping at her heels.
Shiiitttt. I had tried to forget how massive and frightening he was.
Balor moved with speed and agility, only a few steps was like a city block to us. Thank the gods, Rez could move faster. I didn’t have the same hope for me.
Rez had almost reached me when she darted away, disappearing in the darkness. The large creature stared around the water, whipping his head back and forth, searching for her. Rez swam far enough away her glow no longer could break through the depths of the darkness.
I waved my arms and legs and yelled over my mouthpiece, causing bubbles. Balor didn’t seem to take notice, already heading back to guard.
I couldn’t let that happen. I swam to him, propelling myself as fast as I could. I reached his eyeline, and his head snapped to me. Naturally, I flipped him off. Old school—with two fingers in a V.
Fury filled Balor’s face. I guess he recognized the insult. He came for me, and it quickly hit me this wasn’t a well-thought-out plan. How the hell was I going to outswim him? I had no time to contemplate it. My legs and arms kicked as fast as they could, taking me to the surface.
I felt Balor’s arm cut through the water, trying to grab me. Swim faster!
My ears filled with a rumble, Balor’s yell bubbling the water around me. He moved quickly. I tried to zigzag clear of his hands, but it only tired me out.
West (A Darkness Series Novel) Page 25
