Nerina sighed but stayed silent.
Ara thought she saw a slight upturn of Bash’s lips, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
Bash didn’t shift positions, but he tilted his head to look at Ara, his golden eyes gleaming. “A queen seeks a favor from me... That’s so rare, it’s never happened before. What could I possibly offer that you don’t already have?”
“Your trust. Your assistance. Maybe even your loyalty, though that can come later should you choose to give it,” Ara replied.
His eyebrows raised.
“Well...I won’t deny, I’m intrigued.” Bash dropped his feet and swiftly kicked the only other chair out for Ara, who caught the back of it as it slid toward her. “Have a seat and talk to me, Queenie.”
Ara pulled the chair to the table and sat across from him.
Nerina rounded the table to Bash’s side and leaned down to angrily whisper something in his ear.
He nodded at whatever it was and said, “Got it.”
He looked back to Ara as Nerina walked away.
“What did she say?” Ara asked.
“I’m generously paraphrasing, but the gist is she likes you, and I’m to be on my best behavior.”
He leaned forward against the table, absent-mindedly stroking a finger along the rim of his empty glass as he peered at her.
Ara would admit that steady golden gaze might be unnerving to some, but she wasn’t intimidated; Nerina trusted this cambion so Ara would, too.
He said, “My little sister seems to have volunteered me for something. What would that be?”
“Your little sister?”
“Yep. We’re a dysfunctional little family.”
There was definitely more to that story, but now wasn’t the time.
Bash quirked his eyebrow. “What do you want from me, Queenie?”
“I need your stealth.”
His eyes quickly narrowed. “What did Nerina say?”
It seemed little sister had revealed big brother’s secret, and big brother was none too pleased about it.
Ara lowered her voice and leaned forward so that no one would overhear. “She told me that you can go places others can’t without being seen. I’m in need of such an ability, and I think the reason will strike a chord with you.” She paused to let that sink in.
He just stared at her. After a short silence, he said, “Continue.”
“Pure-blood fairies descended from the original Mother and Father Fairy have deemed anyone not of their original blood ‘impure’ and sentenced them to execution. Their intent is to wage war on all non-fairies, then eventually every non pure-blood fairy until every ‘impurity’ is eliminated and only their ‘perfect’ family remains. The idea is that this will somehow unlock an ultimate magical power within their descendants and allow them to rule the realm. Essentially, these ‘pure-bloods’ are discriminating against anyone different than them just because of who their birth parents are--something no one can help.”
Anger flashed in those golden eyes, and she knew he was in.
He remained seated but clenched his jaw, visibly struggling to keep his temper in check; anger won, and his fist crashed down onto the table in front of him hard enough to crack the tabletop. A few heads turned their way, but quickly looked away when they saw the source of the outburst.
Ara immediately touched the table and spread her magic across its surface, the blue glow mending the cracks back to perfection. Bash’s temper seemed to even out as he watched her do this. He drew a deep, calming breath before signaling to the waitress for another drink.
Ara continued, “They tried to start their conquest with my kingdom, Quarrin, because we’d make an excellent stronghold. They didn’t count on us discovering their infiltration--but we did. We know where they’re based, and we have the upper hand because they do not know they’re discovered. But we need someone to get inside the base unseen to let us know exactly how many we are dealing with and exactly what race they are--it’s been so many millennia since Mother and Father Fairy, these pure-bloods could look like any kind of fairy. We need someone to get that information for us so we can plan accordingly. If you’re willing, we could use your help.”
Bash opened his mouth to reply, but the music from the stage grew louder, and the crowd started cheering.
Ara looked over her shoulder to see the stage curtain rising, and dancers of all races in colorful outfits twirling onto the stage.
Burlesque shows tended to be loud and flashy--and lots of fun.
The dancers flocked off the stage and into the crowd to warm their audience up for the night.
As they made their rounds, a five-inch pixie fluttered to the table with a new glass of glowing liquid floating ahead of her for Bash. The cup was almost as big as she was, but she hovered it in front of her through strong steady magic. Bash accepted the cup from the air with a mumbled thanks, downed it all in one big gulp, and dropped the empty cup on the table beside the first one.
“Anything for you, miss?” the pixie waitress asked Ara.
“No. Thank you, dear.”
The pixie smiled at her and fluttered off.
Bash raised his voice to be heard above the music. “Tell me one thing, Queenie.”
He focused intently on Ara.
She nodded for him to continue.
“After you get your covert information, do I get to go back in there and make those fuckers pay?”
Apparently, the dirty mouth ran in the family.
“I’m sure we can work something out,” she said.
A devious smile broke across his face; it quickly turned into a full-fledged grin. “Count me in.”
Relief flooded Ara. It seemed the Fortuitous Blade, and maybe even Nerina’s “good fuckin’ luck” kiss, had worked, after all.
Chapter 13
Ara’s office resembled a forest, with lush plant life from floor to ceiling and plenty of natural lighting through skylights and windows during the day, and enchanted to provide similar lighting at night.
A pond featuring a small waterfall ran one side of the room (complete with frogs, newts, and colorful fish); it provided a soothing running water background noise that helped Ara think. A rock ledge lined the border; the water was cool and clear, deep enough for the occasional dip when the urge struck her or Phoenix.
Birds flitting throughout the trees also provided soothing background chatter--plus the occasional comic relief when they decided to divebomb Maddox. For whatever reason, they only liked to tease him; she knew he didn’t believe her, but, genuinely, no one else ever had an issue.
Her “desk” in the center of the office was a large table made from slabs of volcanic rock, the top painstakingly smoothed and shined to perfection. Drawers hidden in the table legs stored her paperwork and supplies without breaking the natural look of the room. The chairs around the table were made of matching stone but were lined with a soft moss that made them ultra-comfortable.
Ara loved her office and was thankful that Sienna hadn’t tried to redecorate it.
Phoenix, Ara, Maddox, and Bash gathered around the table in Ara’s office as Bash filled them in on what he’d found.
To keep Bash’s secret from falling into the wrong hands, they’d kept the knowledge of his ability to only those at the table (except Nerina, of course).
Their scout dropped him off near the enemy base in the middle of the night and left so he could investigate alone. They’d started to worry when he’d been gone for hours, but he’d just returned as dawn broke, appearing no worse for the wear other than looking exhausted.
“Did everything go as planned?” Phoenix asked.
Bash nodded. “The base is massive. Looks like they’ve been digging those walls for centuries. Hallways and tunnels run for miles under that mountain. I snooped down there for hours without being noticed.”
“Good. What are we up against?” Phoenix asked.
“Malaki. Around 150 by my count. But I didn’t get to all the tunnels and not e
veryone was home. There are definitely more.”
Malaki fairies. Ara’s last encounter with a Malaki fairy was over 100 years ago. They were often shunned due to their behavior. As fire fairies who utilized extremely dark magic for amusement, they weren’t well-liked and usually laid low.
The two most infamous Malaki fairies were Kenzo and Rayna, a husband and wife duo whose destructive antics far surpassed Bash’s. They were rumored to be ruthless and had no qualms about torturing and killing to get their way. They’d never caused trouble in Quarrin, so Ara heard the stories, but had, thankfully, never encountered the couple.
Legend said that the Malaki once ruled over a desert empire several hours south of Quarrin; rebels overthrew their oppressive reign around 2,000 years ago. If they truly were the original fairy lineage with their reign overthrown, their attempt to usurp power made sense.
“Could you tell who their leader is?” Ara asked.
Bash shook his head. “Sorry, Queenie. Bossman wasn’t there. I heard some talk about a council meeting tomorrow around noon when he returns.”
“What about Sienna’s husband?” Ara asked. “Did you see anyone who appeared to be under a sleeping spell?”
“No. Only Malaki there.”
Malaki looked distinctive. Although the same size and build as mountain fairies, Malaki possessed unique skin; fire flowed underneath their flesh. Additionally, fiery colors dominated their hair, which also flickered, ranging amongst blue, yellow, orange, and red hues. Bash would definitely know the difference between a Malaki and a shifter by sight.
“Do you think he’s in a room you didn’t reach?”
“Doubtful. The further down the tunnels go and the closer they get to the realm’s core, the hotter they are. The top levels--fine for anyone. But someone non-fire-tolerant, like an owl shifter, wouldn’t survive the lower tunnels’ temperatures. I’m not sure any of you would even survive there. Those lower tunnels are the only places I didn’t explore in depth. As half demon, I can take the heat, but, as half human, scorching heat’s not my thing. Unless he’s some kind of extreme desert owl, or is otherwise heat-resistant, the owl shifter’s not in that base.”
This was probably the most Bash had talked in a long time. With use, his voice smoothed and no longer sounded rough. Between his perfect every-hair-in-place appearance and his now soothing voice, Ara could see Bash’s natural cambion charm beginning to shine through, even with his exhaustion.
Phoenix sighed. “If we proceed without knowing his location, we’ll probably never find him.”
Everyone remained silent for a moment, weighing the consequences of pressing forward without locating Sienna’s husband first.
Maddox shook his head and said, “Sorry to be the bad guy here, but we can’t wait long. I understand that they’re life mates and Sienna dies if he does. I get that. I hate to condemn them to that fate, but, for the good of the kingdom and realm, this must be stopped before it escalates and countless lives are lost. We’ve only got three days, including today, before the Malaki are onto us.”
Phoenix nodded solemnly and ran a hand through his hair, resigning himself to the same conclusion. “Agreed, Maddox. We’ll do what we can for them but our focus has to be for the greater good.”
“All right, so what’s the plan?” Maddox asked.
Phoenix remained silent for a moment, taking a minute to process, before saying, “Well, Malaki are notorious for both their dark magic and their ability to emit fire from their bodies. We can’t just capture and bring them in for sentencing via normal means. We’ll have to knock them out and restrict their magic before they start throwing dark spells and fire at us.
“We can get the witches to prepare a large batch of sleeping dust laced with Malaki restrictive magic...exclusive to them so none of us are accidentally affected. Then all we have to do is toss it on the Malaki so they’re knocked out and restricted in one swoop. Once they’re restrained, we can transport them back here to holding cells using the travel spheres.
“Ara, we’ll have to get magic-restricted cells ready in the villa; later, we can transport them to the high-security prison at Corasintha, but we’ll have to keep them here for now to make sure they’re properly restricted.”
He continued, “Luckily, we still have the element of surprise. I’d like to get several knights geared up to go with us, then strike tomorrow during the council meeting so we get all their leaders at once. I think it’s best if we separate into small groups and have Bash use the spheres to transport each group to different strategic locations throughout the base; that way we can hit more places, more Malaki, at once. If you’re agreeable, Bash?”
Bash nodded and said, “Sounds like a plan. I can drop a few of you near the council room while the meeting’s in session, and the rest of us can divide and conquer the outliers.”
“Excellent,” Phoenix said. “Thank you for your help, Bash.”
“Not a problem. I look forward to breaking a few bones tomorrow when the opportunity inevitably presents itself.” Bash smirked, his golden eyes gleaming mischievously.
A smile touched the corner of Phoenix’s mouth and he nodded at Bash. “If that’s what it takes.”
Phoenix turned his attention to Ara and Maddox. “Ara, we’ll get the witches working on the sleeping dust, and then we can start conjuring holding cells. Hopefully we’ll be done in time to rest a few hours tonight.
“Maddox, please round up sixteen knights to go with us; don’t give out any specific details, just have them meet us in the dining hall at 11:45 and say they’ll be needed all day. Keep the details top secret.
“Twenty of us with a ton of sleeping dust and the element of surprise... I like our odds.” Phoenix grinned. “Once we get the leaders back here, we can interrogate them about the location of Sienna’s husband if we don’t find him while we’re there.”
Everyone dispersed to handle their respective assignments, while Bash headed off to a guest room to rest up.
Phoenix and Ara worked all day and into the night preparing twenty magic-restricted rooms to hold the captive Malaki, lining the walls with ten bunk beds per room. They planned to temporarily house 200 Malaki if needed. If more rooms were necessary, they could conjure more when they returned.
Ara felt that their plan was solid; even with the possibility of 200 Malaki, each member of their team only had to take down ten, which was completely do-able.
But despite the good odds, she felt an unexplainable dread in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t seem to shake.
When she and Phoenix finally lay bed that night, she shared as much.
“Helios, I’m worried. Something doesn’t feel right. I can’t pinpoint what, but I feel like something awful will happen tomorrow.”
Phoenix pulled her close and pressed her head against his chest. He kissed her forehead, and rested his lips there as stroked her hair soothingly. His slow, steady breathing eased her tension somewhat.
He murmured, “I could tell something was bothering you. Don’t worry. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. You and me. We can overcome anything as long as we’re together.” He moved slightly to kiss the tip of her nose, then smiled at her. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too, Phoenix.”
He tilted her chin upward with his fingertips and kissed her softly, deepening the kiss until they lost themselves and temporarily left their worries behind.
Chapter 14
“Okay, everybody, listen up!” Phoenix shouted, trying to organize the pre-attack chaos. The knights all chattered amongst themselves as they stood in the dining hall, excited about seeing action today.
Everyone was outfitted with a large pouch of sleeping dust and a handful of travel spheres.
Ara, like the rest of the group, dressed comfortably in black pants and a black shirt. Her belt held pouches of sleeping dust, travel spheres, and the sheathed Fortuitous Blade. Additionally, she’d fastened her brooch into a makeshift bracelet to wear on her wrist. T
he items brought her good luck thus far, so she didn’t want to leave either behind now, especially when she still had an uneasy feeling about the day.
The chatter didn’t cease, so Phoenix hopped up on a table, put his fingers in his mouth, and issued a shrill whistle. The chatter ceased immediately.
“Much better,” Phoenix said.
“Good morning, kingsmen!” he announced, using his favorite term of affection for the knights. “Thank you for volunteering your services today.
“We’ll be transporting in pairs using travel spheres. This guy here--” Phoenix leaned forward, clasped Bash’s hand, pulled him up onto the table, too. When Bash’s feet were firmly in place on the table, Phoenix clapped him on the shoulder, “--will be our travel coordinator for the day. Kingsmen, meet Bash.”
A low murmur went through the group, causing Bash to quirk an eyebrow--they’d obviously heard of him.
“Today, Bash is an honorary knight doing a favor for our kingdom. I expect everyone to respect him. Anyone who doesn’t, answers to me.
“We face approximately 200 Malaki. As you’re well aware, Malaki are notorious for dark magic so be cautious.”
Another low murmur originated from the knights.
Phoenix continued, “Bash will transport pairs of you to strategic locations inside the Malakis’ base. The exception is that Maddox, myself, and two others will hit the council room together.
“Transports will happen fast; Bash will drop you in your location, point you in the right direction, and transport back immediately for the next pair. Stay alert and be diligent about your safety. All of you have travel spheres. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, transport yourself to a safer location immediately. You all know how they work.
“You are also provided a pouch filled with sleeping dust. The dust works two-fold: upon touching a Malaki’s skin, it will knock them out immediately, and it will restrict their magic if they wake early. The dust will be effective for several hours. Go crazy with it. It will only affect the Malaki. No need to worry about adverse effects to yourselves.
Malaki Mayhem Page 8
