Abyss

by Bethany Adams

  “I gave you his phone number,” Vek said with a smirk.

  Her cheeks heated, and anger surged as she felt Anna’s questioning gaze. Now she would think Maddy had been hiding something. “Some thanks should be delivered in person. Anna wants to thank Fen, too.”

  “At…” Vek glanced down at an expensive gold watch. “Eleven o’clock at night?”

  “Stop giving her trouble,” Fen said as he nudged his uncle aside and took his place.

  The shadow of an arm lifted beside the door before light flared from the porch light. Muttering a curse, Maddy covered her eyes until they adjusted and glared at a laughing Fen. “Warning would’ve been nice.”

  He grinned. “Probably.”

  “Blasted Unseelie,” Inona muttered from behind her.

  Fen’s smile faded as he took in the others. “This really isn’t a pleasure visit, is it?”

  Delbin stepped up to Maddy’s left side. “Nope.”

  “Come in, then,” Fen said with a resigned sigh.

  The line between Vek’s brows deepened as he glared at them over his nephew’s shoulder. “You cannot simply invite people into my home without permission.”

  “So you’re going to lower the weird-ass blood shield you put up?” Fen demanded. “Because I have a feeling that this isn’t business that should be discussed on the doorstep.”

  Wait, Vek was keeping Fen captive? The last time she’d seen Vek at the shop, he’d made it sound like his nephew was staying voluntarily. Something was definitely up. “Delbin told us about why he’s here on the ride over,” Maddy said. “You really don’t want to talk about it out here.”

  “Fine,” Vek said. “But do not attempt to leave the main room. I was not prepared for visitors, and I cannot be bothered to adjust the protective shielding on the more private areas. You will find unpleasant surprises if you venture far.”

  Well, that sounded charming.

  “We’ll stay in the living room” Maddy answered. “We’re not here to cause trouble.”

  Fen’s eyes crinkled with his smile. “Too bad.”

  He stepped back, gesturing for them to enter, and the light from inside caught against his fangs. She probably should’ve been afraid to enter a home with two Unseelie blood elves, but if either had wanted to hurt her, they’d had ample opportunity. So they required a sip of blood every so often to replenish their magic. They didn’t have to hurt anyone in the process.

  Of course, once they sampled your blood, it allowed them to drain your energy reserves using the connection, but she chose not to think about that.

  Maddy entered the large main room. The right wall was almost entirely windows, and across from her, a blank flat screen television hung on the wall in front of a massive sectional couch. To the left, a broad arch led into a sleek modern kitchen. Only a few lamps brightened the space, giving it an almost empty feel.

  Delbin whistled. “How did you score a place like this so fast?”

  “Connections,” Vek said smoothly.

  Anna followed Maddy to the center of the room, sticking close. The amazing view beckoned, but Maddy refused to turn her back on Vek and Fen. Delbin stopped at Maddy’s left and Inona at Anna’s right as the Unseelie neared. Vek’s scowl had faded, but his jaw was still clenched. Fen just looked bemused.

  “Why did you bring Anna?” Vek’s eyes narrowed. “Your mostly human girlfriend has no seeming place in this discussion.”

  “How do you know her name?” Maddy demanded as Anna squeaked out, “Mostly human?”

  Vek’s smile held little humor. “You didn’t think I’d investigate you after your experience with my nephew? I assure you he has become my utmost concern. And yes, I said mostly. Something stirs in you, girl. Don’t you feel it?”

  Maddy glanced at Anna’s pale, beautiful face. She’d expected instant denial, but there was a knowledge there that twisted Maddy’s heart. “Anna?”

  “I…” Anna shoved a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. “I didn’t want to mention it. Then you’d have used your healing magic to check me, and I know you hate doing that. It’s just a bit of odd tingling. It happens when I get near the river.”

  How could she have missed something so important about her love? Tears stung the corners of Maddy’s eyes, but she blinked them back. “How long has this been going on?”

  “Only a week or two.” Anna grabbed her hand. “I didn’t want to upset you after the kidnapping. I was going to tell you if it didn’t go away soon.”

  “It’s okay,” Maddy said softly.

  “Your non-human blood is stirring, what little there is.” Vek crossed his arms. “But your Gwraig Annwn ancestor is a discussion for another day.”

  Her what? Maddy’s forehead wrinkled as she tried to remember anything about the Gwraig Annwn. She’d heard of Gwragedd Annwn, Welsh fae. Maybe they were similar. Her father had mentioned the fae maidens who lived in the lakes and streams of Wales, sometimes emerging to marry human men. It made sense if Anna was being drawn to water.

  “This is intriguing,” Inona said, breaking the silence. “This tingling rises in her blood at the same time Earth is experiencing unusual energy surges and…what was it? Brownouts? We also have a dragon showing up at Braelyn claiming something is wrong on Earth.”

  “A dragon?” Vek’s arms tightened across his chest. “Explain.”

  Maddy let Delbin and Inona handle that, since her knowledge was secondhand anyway. Instead, she closed her eyes and reached for her healing magic. It stuttered and shifted, as unpredictable as always, but she finally grasped it well enough to send her senses around Anna. Maddy couldn’t heal anyone without risking harm, but if she strained, she could detect things about their health.

  Sure enough, Anna’s energy had shifted. A silver thread ran through her normally placid blue aura, and it throbbed periodically to Maddy’s inner sight. What the hell? Magical blood didn’t just…awaken, not without some major exposure to energy, which was rare and generally traumatic. But nothing had happened to Anna. Her beloved might not have wanted to bother her, but she would have mentioned something like that.

  “Maddy?”

  At the sound of Fen’s voice, Maddy opened her eyes, and her magic flared. Color swirled around him. Not red, as one might expect from a blood elf, but the deepest greens and browns. Except…there. Right above his heart, a thorn of reddish-black speared, unmoving.

  “You’re sick,” she said without thinking.

  “Fuck,” Vek muttered.

  “Sick?” Fen asked, an eyebrow lifting in surprise. “I feel fine. Well, except for low energy since my uncle hasn’t deigned to feed me.”

  “You’d better keep your energy low, or you will make yourself sicker.” Maddy shivered as she examined the magical thorn. If she was a true healer, she might be able to help, but she had no idea where to begin. “Your low power must be why you don’t sense the sickness in yourself. That poisoned energy in the outer world? There’s…there’s a bit of it in your heart.”

  Selia slumped in her seat, rubbing her hand across her eyes. She’d helped teleport a bed to Aris’s tower room while he spoke with the healers, and then she’d stood by as Tynan had nudged her husband into a deep sleep so he could recover from his panic attack. After that, she’d had to force an excited Iren to go to bed. She hadn’t been this drained in years.

  She ought to go to bed, but her mind was too restless. So many worries swirled through her that she felt tossed by the rapids Tynan had warned her about. He was right, but that didn’t exactly help. By Arneen, she needed to get herself under control if she hoped to help Aris. But could she ever help? Maybe he would never be able to bear another person’s touch. And though she would still choose him regardless, he might feel resentment that she’d told him to go on the journey that had cost him so much. He might…

  And around the rocks she spun.

  Selia shoved her palms against her brows and groaned. So much for control.

  When the mirror on her desk chimed, she
lowered her arms with a frown. Who would be contacting her at this hour? Sighing, Selia reached out and activated the link with a tendril of power. Her sister’s worried face swam into immediate view.

  This couldn’t be good.

  “Good evening,” Selia said. “Is everything well?”

  “I don’t know.” Niasen winced. “I’m sorry for the late hour, but I wondered if… Has Father shown up there?”

  Selia sat back in her seat. “Father? No. I thought you said he was on Earth.”

  “He’s supposed to be. I am growing concerned, however. It is two marks past when he was planning to contact me to catch up on estate business.”

  “That doesn’t seem very long,” Selia said.

  Niasen shook her head. “He’s not usually more than a few moments off our usual time. He calculates the time differences very carefully to make our weekly meetings.”

  “As far as I know, he has not traveled through here.” Selia glanced at the water clock. Several marks had passed since dinner, but it wasn’t unusual for Lyr to be in his study at this hour. “I’ll check with the Myern. If he is unavailable tonight, I will ask him in the morning. Unless you think there is an imminent threat?”

  “I do not yet have reason to believe there is,” her sister answered. “This did happen once before, a few centuries ago, when he decided to return to Moranaia ahead of schedule. But with you so near the portal…”

  Selia shrugged. “We both know he’s avoiding me. Still, I will check.”

  “Thank you.” Some of the tension drained from Niasen’s face. “Then I will bid you goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” Selia answered before the connection winked out.

  She dropped her head against the back of the seat for a few precious breaths, but she couldn’t afford to relax. Her father was very…exact. Proper. He would not abandon his meeting with Niasen without cause. It was possible that he’d miscalculated the time shift between the worlds, but it was worth checking with Lyr to see if he’d heard of any trouble. Just in case. With so many unusual events happening lately, anything outside the norm deserved attention.

  Groaning, Selia scooted the chair back gently from the desk, not wanting to scrape the floor and wake Iren next door. A quick scan revealed that Lyr was in his study, as she’d hoped, so she started in that direction as rapidly as her tired feet would allow. For politeness’s sake, she should send a mental request for a meeting, but she didn’t want to waste more energy. Unlike her father, Lyr wouldn’t hold such a lapse against her.

  But to her surprise, she was halfway down the stairs when his energy brushed hers in a request for contact. “Good evening, Lyr. Is everything well?”

  “Debatably,” he answered. “I need to speak to you if you are available.”

  The coincidence wasn’t promising. Had something bad happened to her father? Lyr certainly wouldn’t deliver that kind of news across a telepathic connection. “I’m already on my way to your study. I will be there in a moment.”

  “Thank you,” he said, cutting off the link.

  Her heart pounded as she hurried, ignoring the ache in her feet and the leaden weight of her muscles. She might have a complicated relationship with her father, but she didn’t want anything to happen to him. Far from it. With trembling hands, she pushed open the door to Lyr’s study and strode into the large, oval room.

  Lyr slumped against the back of his seat, his face lined with exhaustion. His eyes opened as she neared, and he straightened. “You look the way I feel,” he grumbled.

  Selia smiled, far from offended. If he spoke so plainly, he must truly consider her a friend. “Either you feel terrible, or I look better than I expect.”

  He shoved his braid of dark brown hair over his shoulder. “It has been a long day, and the night promises to be longer yet. Dare I ask why you were on the way here?”

  “It’s about my father,” Selia said as she stopped in front of the small dais holding the desk. “He’s on one of his trips to Earth, and he failed to check in with my sister at their arranged time. I told her I would ask you if he’d returned, since he is avoiding me.”

  Lyr frowned. “He passed through the area quietly, then, for I have heard nothing. I will check the scouts’ records for the details of his travel.”

  The lump in her stomach uncurled. “Then you weren’t contacting me about news of him?”

  “No,” Lyr said. “But I wouldn’t recommend relaxing. I spoke to the king.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. Wouldn’t he have summoned Ralan about that? “I’m afraid I don’t understand what that has to do with me.”

  “Nothing and everything.” He leaned forward. “The dragon queen contacted him, and the news is not good. Kezari is on her way, as is Ralan, but Lial forbid me to wake Aris under threat of pain most dire. You know Aris best, so I thought you might give input on his behalf.”

  Just like that, the knot in her stomach squeezed tight once more. “I am not certain that is a good idea. I don’t feel comfortable speaking for him.”

  “I would not ask you to do that,” Lyr said. “Only give your opinion.”

  The door opened, and Ralan strode in. “Stay, Selia,” he said.

  She held back a groan. From the sharp command in his tone, his words obviously hadn’t been a request. “Of course.”

  Before Ralan was halfway across the room, Lyr’s third in command, Kera, entered with Kezari. The dragon appeared paler than before, apparently no more eager to be indoors than she had been before. She gripped her hands into the thin dress she’d donned, and she scanned the walls like they were hiding enemies within. Was it Aris’s absence that had the dragon nervous or something else?

  “Thank you for joining me,” Lyr said as Kera left. “Let us recline in the center chairs as we discuss the matter at hand.”

  Kezari’s arms drew in close to her body before she darted to the nearest chair and perched on the edge. Selia took the seat to the dragon’s right. Ralan sat across from the dragon with Lyr beside him. The steady drip of the water clock filled the silence as they stared at the agitated dragon.

  “I cannot abide this enclosed space,” she said. “Not without my skizik. Why have you called me here?”

  “I am afraid we have a problem.” Lyr sat up straighter. “Your queen contacted our king. She declared you a renegade and refused any possibility of negotiation on the matter of returning to Earth. Something the other dragons apparently do not want after so much time.”

  A wave of power thrummed through the room, shaking the chair and floor before cutting off abruptly. Selia’s heartbeat pounded in her ears as she observed the raw fury on Kezari’s face. “Our queen has grown too soft. She neglects the needs of the young ones, those not old enough to sever their connection to Earth. She blames their agitation on boredom, but I know the truth. This must be stopped for the dragons’ sake.”

  “That may be,” Lyr said in a quiet, even tone. “However, the result of breaking the treaty would be war. The queen has decreed it. At this point, the only option left is to send Aris and Selia through without you.”

  Kezari hissed. “No. I must not be left behind.”

  “I’m not sure Aris will agree to it, either,” Selia said. “Have you heard from Inona and Delbin yet?”

  Lyr shook his head. “I expect them to return soon. Perhaps we will understand more then.”

  Heat trembled on the air, fighting against the cooling spell imbued into the room. Kezari’s fingers dug into her legs as her piercing gaze moved to Ralan. “Who is this one? You have brought a stranger here to witness my shame. I do not like it.”

  Selia stretched out her hand, but the dragon’s angry look had pulling back. “Please be at ease, Kezari. This is Prince Ralan, heir to the throne. I am certain he will help if possible.”

  Despite the dragon’s anger, Ralan’s expression remained relaxed. “Forgive my intrusion. As a prince, I spent more time studying the treaty than the others. I believe we may have one other option, one neglected by
our ancestors and current monarchs alike.”

  Kezari leaned so far forward that Selia feared the dragon would fall from her chair. “Yes?”

  “In declaring you renegade, am I correct in assuming that the queen has cast you out?” Ralan asked.

  Kezari nodded. “That is correct. If I return without causing harm, I could petition to be reinstated. My cousin Tebzn will care for my hoard until my banishment is certain. If I am not reinstated, all but a small percentage of my collection will be hers.”

  “Then you have a choice to make.” A sly smile crossed Ralan’s face. “The treaty gives no guidance on dragons who wish to join Moranaian society.”

  Lyr huffed out a breath. “You’re certain? I do not recall the treaty sufficiently to say.”

  Frowning, Selia tried to remember her own school days, but she hadn’t read the document since her early studies. “Nor do I.”

  “You believe I should become one of you?” Horror rang in the dragon’s voice. “I cannot tolerate this form for so long. No, never.”

  “That would not be a requirement,” Lyr said. “We have a variety of fae who have journeyed here over the centuries, like Kera, whose family is Dökkálfar. None have been required to change forms for any reason. One must only request entry into our society and swear allegiance to our king and laws. If your queen has disavowed you, there would be no reason not to accept.”

  Kezari sucked in a breath. “But my hoard…my cave…”

  “Think on it tonight while we wait for my people to return,” Lyr said.

  Poor Kezari. The dragon gave a sharp nod and jerked to her feet, marching from the room without another word. Selia exchanged a tired glance with the other two before she, too, stood. “If you don’t need anything else from me, I will rest. I have a feeling I’m going to require all of my energy.”

  “Of course,” Lyr said. “Good eve, Selia.”

  With a parting smile, Selia hurried toward the door. If she was lucky, she could get a complete night’s sleep before another disaster struck. She sent up a quick prayer and sped up her steps.