by Linda Jordan
Were they really as fearsome as she thought? After all, the Fae had conquered them.
Or had they?
Chapter 15 ~ Meredith
Meredith wove through the brambles, the sharp thorns tearing her skin. She kept running, even though her breath came in gasps now.
The salt, fish and kelpy scents of the sea drew her forward. Filled her with more strength than she thought possible. Dylan and Lynette were ahead of her. Not too far, but they were younger.
She squinted in the bright sunlight. How long had they been trapped in that cold iron cell? Her eyes weren’t used to light anymore. Brightness had always been a challenge for her, she was born to be in the dimly lit ocean, not moving quickly across the land.
They ran for miles and miles. Through dry brush and drier pastures. Avoiding the small towns they passed along the way. She didn’t want them to be seen. They probably should have taken the time to create human bodies to hide in. But Meredith wasn’t sure they had the time to spare. And they would be able to run swifter in their natural forms.
Even on land the water spirits were much faster than humans. Faster than cheetahs even. But not faster than the dryads, fire spirits or the sylphs.
And certainly not faster than the Fomorians.
The giants were the winds, the rain, the very elements of the earth. The old gods were strong. Meredith had never really believed the old tales that said they were dead.
You couldn’t kill the wind. Or the ocean.
She tested the others.
“Can you hear me?” she spoke silently, to their minds.
“Yes,” said Dylan, to her mind. He fell back beside her, Lynette followed.
“Yes,” said Lynette out loud. Her name meant little lake. She was young, but she would always be a little lake, not a powerful ocean. “I can hear, but I can’t send.”
“Good, at least there are two of us who can send,” said Meredith.
They kept running, the sharp stones slicing the soft webbing of their feet. Meredith kept the pace up. She knew what the giants were capable of. Once at sea, there would be fewer of them. She hoped they hadn’t woken Her.
Perhaps if they went far north, stayed close to land, they could avoid Her.
By midday they crouched on a high bluff overlooking the ocean. Meredith reveled in the fishy smell. The bay was filled with fishing boats.
She unsheathed and flexed her razor sharp claws.
She pointed to the rocky cliffs. There were wide crevices, they could climb down unnoticed and slip into the sea.
“Stay close to me,” she said, silently. “There will be nets in the water.”
The climb down was long and tricky. She felt the wind blow past the rocks.
Searching.
Panic streaked through her body.
One of the Fomorians. She didn’t know which one. It had been so long since she’d seen them. And she’d hoped to never see them again.
The others felt it too, flattening into cracks in the stone wall.
Became sea spray on the rocks of the cliff.
No one breathed.
The wind slipped past, not noticing them.
It took hours to climb down to the sea. Meredith’s hands and feet were cut and bleeding from the sharp rocks. She ignored the pain and searched for the next foothold.
The sea was so close. But they couldn’t jump. Too many sharp rocks. And the water here was too shallow.
An early fog crept in just as they touched the water.
Cethlenn.
Meredith wouldn’t mention her name out loud or even send it to the others. That would draw Cethlenn’s attention.
She slid through the water quickly, followed by the others. The fog couldn’t penetrate the surface of the water.
They streaked through the large bay filled with nets. Meredith sliced those that she could, freeing the fish trapped within. She didn’t know the names of the fish, this wasn’t her home. The plants and fish were strange to her.
The fish followed them, racing away from the nets, hopefully to safety.
Would the fish serve as camouflage?
She wasn’t sure.
The sea gave all of them strength, infusing them with her water and they used it to gain speed and strength. Racing along the sea floor, trying to avoid any ships above. The farther from shore they got, the deeper the water, the dimmer the light. But the current kept the water relatively unpolluted.
They swam without resting. For hours upon hours. It took two days before they reached a series of islands which must be part of Canada.
Meredith wished they’d been able to take the Gulf Stream and cross the ocean there. But in that ridge lay an abyss. Where She dwelled. Domnu. The mother of the Fomorians.
They couldn’t risk waking Her.
Better to take the long way around.
So they swam through areas where there was lots of human traffic. Too many boats that filled the sea with their noise. With their engine oil. With their filth, feces and garbage. Close to land.
There were also more predators.
The seals were massive and fierce.
They could outrun one or two, but in the dimly lit waters, the creatures seemed to come out of nowhere.
Water Fae had good vision in the darkness, but still the seals were so much faster.
One male had been ten feet long and must have weighed around four hundred pounds. He was extraordinarily fast and caught them unawares.
He came out from behind an old sunken boat. He was on them in seconds. The seal caught one of Lynette’s fins in his mouth. Meredith spun around. Attacking him. Slashing his face with her claws.
The bull let go. Dylan dragged Lynette away. Meredith followed.
So did the bull.
Meredith raked him with her claws again. Screeching underwater.
He was stopped. Either from the pain or unnerved by the noise.
Either way, he swam off to find easier prey.
They left the area quickly. After much searching, Meredith found a long strip of the sea weed she was looking for. She tore it loose and bound Lynette’s torn lateral fin to her body. She’d swim crookedly, but at least it would have a chance to heal. The fin was still bleeding. Causing too much attention from the surrounding sea life. They didn’t need to attract sharks.
The three of them moved on, exhausted, they couldn’t stay in one place long. How many days had it been since they left the cells? Three, four, a week. Meredith had lost all sense of time. The sea did that to one. Time meant nothing here.
Not like in the human world.
As they swam farther north, the water grew noticeably colder. Water spirits could handle the cold. But soon there might be ice above them. She didn’t know how far south the ice had come this winter. How fast it might be receding.
It seemed like spring. The water grew cloudy as they moved north. It was cloudy with phytoplankton and plankton. Whales gathered to dine.
It had been days since they’d escaped from the Fomorians. They were at least that many days away from Faerie.
Beneath the surface it was difficult for Meredith to figure out where they were in relation to what she knew of the land. She could feel exactly where Faerie was and could’ve swam a direct line there. But hugging the coastlines was a different thing.
They rose to the surface, trying to get their bearings. Fog surrounded the coast.
Cethlenn’s scent was on the breeze. The taste of Corb was in the seawater, but Meredith felt he hadn’t sensed them.
They dove for deeper water and stayed away from the land, but out of the deeps as well.
They’d reached the southern tip of Greenland.
Had the Formians known she’d choose this route? Or were they simply searching everywhere? That was unlike them. Perhaps they’d learned strategy after all this time.
The three of them found a sunken ship where nothing seemed to be living, besides shellfish. It was fairly modern, maybe ten or fifteen years old and smallish. The
cabin barely large enough for the three of them.
They rested.
Meredith unbound Lynette’s fin. At least the bleeding had stopped, but the fin hung useless and limp. Neither she nor Dylan were healers.
Lynette would just have to keep up.
After this short rest, they’d need to sprint again.
Chapter 16 ~ Egan
Egan stood at the crowded bar. His human body made him feel sluggish. Thumping dance music blared over the sound system so loudly, he could barely hear people around him speak.
He basked in the warmth of the room, wearing a silky black shirt, black jeans and black shoes. She’d bought them at a discount store with money she’d stolen. They didn’t have to last for long.
Just long enough to get to Faerie.
He inhaled the alcohol, perfume and aftershave tinged air. Humans hunting for sex or connection.
Skye made her way round the dance floor, swirling with the music, wearing a filmy black dress with a long blue scarf that whirled with her. She’d created a human body that was beautiful and svelte. Long blonde hair and just enough curves to keep human men watching her breasts and not her hands.
She reached her long slender fingers into pockets, filching wallets without anyone knowing. And sliding them into a flat fabric purse she wore over one shoulder and across her body. Such was the gift of a sylph.
This was the second club they’d gone through tonight. Egan slowly sipped his tequila, waiting. Not making eye contact with anyone.
The short, squat man he’d spoken to earlier said he’d known someone. Another man who could get him what they needed. The short man, Antonio was his name, had gone outside to use his cell. It was too noisy in here.
Egan fingered the burner phone he’d bought with Skye’s stolen money in his pocket. It felt strange to have a phone again. He’d had one in Santa Fe. Couldn’t run a business without one.
Egan watched the dancers. Mostly couples, but there were a few women dancing by themselves. And a couple of men trying to catch the attention of women. Unsuccessfully.
He ignored the blond who was trying to catch his. He had no interest in a casual sexual liaison with a human.
Antonio came back up to the bar. He smelled of cigarette smoke.
“Samuel’s on his way over to talk to you. He’s just down the street at Sashay.”
“Great. Thank you.”
“You’re a real gentleman, ya’ know that? Where you from?”
“Santa Fe.”
“The Southwest. I want to go there. Warm weather all the time. Desert. Sounds nice.”
Egan laughed, “Twenty degrees in the winter, ninety in the summer.”
“Really, so it’s just like here.” Antonio’s face drooped in disappointment
“Not as much moisture though.”
“Damn. It thought it stayed warmer in the winter.”
“You’re thinking of L.A, probably.”
“Yeah. Oh look, there’s Samuel.”
Antonio pointed to a tall pale man, dressed all in scarlet, who entered the bar. With an entourage. Two huge bulky guys, one black and one Latino. Either one of whom could benchpress Egan with one hand.
Antonio walked up to them and said, “Let’s get a table.”
Egan said, “Sure.”
Egan took his tequila along and sat on one edge of the semi-circular booth across from Samuel. Antonio had disappeared. The black bodyguard stood nearby, the Latino sat on the other edge of the booth. Samuel sat at the center, eyes on the door. Clearly he wanted to see everything and keep his back to the wall.
But it wasn’t the safest place for Samuel to be. He certainly couldn’t get out of the booth quickly and run. Egan guessed the man didn’t feel that threatened, he was too cocky. Stupid.
“Antonio tells me you need some documentation,” said Samuel, tapping a cigarette on the table before lighting it.
“Yes, I and my business associates are in need of ID’s and passports.”
“How many?”
“There are five of us.”
“You’ll need photos.”
“Yes, we have them,” said Egan.
“You realize this is an expensive endeavor. We’re talking seven grand each person for ID and passport. Cash in advance.”
Egan said, “I can get the money to you in a couple of days.”
“When do you need them?”
“As soon as possible. We have business in the UK.”
“International huh? What business you in, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“We’re in the surveillance business.”
“Good money in that?”
“Not as much as I’d like,” said Egan.
“Well, if you’re ever back this way, text me. I’m always looking for fresh blood.”
“I’ll do that,” said Egan, keeping his emotions off his face.
No way would he get within ten feet of this pompous ass.
Samuel gave him the number to text when Egan had the cash. Egan filed the number on his phone under contacts.
Then he shook hands with Samuel and got up, leaving the table. He sent a thought to Skye silently.
“Done here. Let’s move on.”
“On my way,” she sent back.
He went outside into the cool, fresh air and stood on the sidewalk.
Skye joined him shortly.
They walked along the sidewalk.
“How’d we do tonight?” he asked.
“Better than last night. People in this area carry more cash than in the other town. And they drink heavier. Easier to fleece. We can count it when we get back.”
“We need $35,000 for passports and ID.”
“Another night should get us there.”
“Then we’ll have to buy plane tickets.”
“We’ll need a prepaid credit card. Don’t want to use cash. Too many questions,” she said.
He nodded and they continued walking along the sidewalk of the small touristy town, dimly lit by streetlights.
Two men were following them. Egan decided they were probably armed.
He let Skye know.
Humans couldn’t do a lot of harm to Fae bodies, but he and Skye were in human bodies. They could still move faster than most humans and hit harder. A bullet would be a major setback though.
They decided to hide instead of fight. Before they got to the next corner, they slipped down a narrow passageway between two buildings. One was an old house refitted into a shop. Once behind it, they began to climb.
The house was made of wood. Egan stood still for a moment. He drew some power up from the earth. Felt the magic flow through him and then made his human fingers form suction cups, allowing him to stick slightly to the wood.
He scrambled up the back of the house before the goons made it to the alley. Skye was faster than he was. They crouched next to a dormer on the roof, hidden in the shadows and by their glamour.
The two men looked up and down the alley, then split up, one walking each direction, guns pulled and expecting to find someone hiding there. Finally, they came back together and stood talking.
“Tell me again why we’re after these two.”
“Boss said they had lots of cash. Wanted us to follow them. Find out where they’re staying. Get the cash.”
“Where could they have gone?”
“Dunno. Into one of the shops?”
The other man said nothing.
“Damn. Samuel’s gonna kill us.”
“Nothin’ to do about it. Let’s get back to the bar.”
The two men walked down the alley a bit and disappeared between two buildings.
Skye moved and Egan put his arm in front of her.
“Not yet,” he sent. “They gave up too easily, don’t you think?”
Fog drifted down from the bluff just above the town.
Egan shivered and dropped the glamour completely, becoming as human as possible.
He watched Skye do the same.
Cethlenn
was here.
Chapter 17 ~ Balor
Balor stood in the leafless forest overlooking the town. It wasn’t much camouflage. Giants weren’t easy to disguise. He wasn’t like Cethlenn who could change into fog or Conand who became the wind. He was blazing hot drought. Out of place in this landscape.
He hated the calls of the woodland birds and the spring buds on trees. He belonged to the heat of summer, when there was no water. He longed to wither plants and watch animals die of thirst.
Of course he could make that landscape here, but he wasn’t staying long enough. Just passing through. No, he’d save that for Faerie.
When the Fae had escaped he’d checked the other traps. None left alive. He’d lost all his hostages, as well as his playthings.
But perhaps this was better.
He stomped on a butterfly fluttering around the white bloodroot flowers at his feet. Annoying things, butterflies. Reminded him of Fae.
But the escaped Fae might lead him to Faerie. He was sure that’s where they were headed. To warn Faerie about his people. He was equally sure they thought he and his kind were all dead.
They’d soon learn the truth.
The old gods would never die.
They couldn’t be killed.
He smiled and waited for Cethlenn or the others to return with news.
Corb had caught the scent of the water Fae and followed them out to sea. They hadn’t bothered to make human bodies, like the others. They’d be easy to follow.
There were a few other old ones he needed to collect. Still slumbering. Once they were awake, once they found Faerie, then the fun would really begin.
They would see destruction the like of which Faerie never experienced before.
Chapter 18 ~ Fiachna
The rain drenched his heavy wool cloak. The air was scented with freshness. The sky so dark it looked like dusk even at midday. The land still holding the cold barrenness of winter.
Fiachna stared at the ruined grave. It looked the same as the last two. Boulders strewn everywhere. The turf torn off of them. Bare earth showing. Scattered bones exposed to the elements.
One side of this barrow threatening to cave in.
