Before long the individuals shook off their confusion and the wailing picked up louder than it had been and the mob began to bee-line to where I stood.
I took in a deep breath, concentrated all my power into my words and screamed, “LEAVE!”
Hissing and whining, the mob of malevolent spirits dashed in all directions, swarming in and through each other in their hurry to flee from my command. They dispersed beyond the trees leaving only their rank odor behind them.
I wasn’t sure exactly what I had done, but it had saved me and that was all that mattered. I gave a solid fist pump in the air as my adrenaline surge morphed into an ecstatic high.
“Well done, Rebecca,” congratulated Fen from behind me.
I whipped around with a giant grin to see both men smirking at me. My smile dropped and I lunged forward shoving each of them with one of my hands. “How dare you leave me to face them alone!” I leaned into their faces with my fists raised, ranting furiously. “What if I couldn’t do it? What if they killed me?”
Lochlan managed to grab my flailing hands and held my arms firmly across my chest with his steady hands, turning me and pulling my back to his front. His chest resonated with a chuckle and I gave one last growl at him in response.
“Calm down tiger, I would have traced in to help you if needed. I hadn’t known exactly what Fen had planned, but we had discussed the test weeks ago.” He placed his cheek against mine and offered in a gravelly whisper. “I would have kept you safe.”
He spoke softly, his words assuaging my anger until my heart rate calmed and I relaxed back into his arms. “The Sluagh saw through my invisibility—how could they still see me?”
“They are the undead, they see souls, not physical forms. They are the remains of concentrated energy from evil beings, they zero in on energy of others so it is widely known that one cannot hide from the Sluagh. Aside from their stench, that is their most well-known characteristic,” Fen offered in explanation.
“How was I able to make them leave?”
“Because they are pure energy, they are susceptible to magic commands when issued with sufficient strength. Their most effective weapon is simple intimidation—when their victim becomes immobilized with fear, the Sluagh surround the individual and entrap them in a world of mind-bending horror. They are particularly drawn to those with pure souls so that they can tarnish and destroy that purity.”
“I could see how someone could be easily overwhelmed by them, they were terrifying.”
“You did well, Rebecca, but now we must get back to the cabin. The Sluagh could return or something else may chance upon us—the undead are not the only thing to fear in these parts.” Fen spoke with an eye turned to the trees.
Reminded of my priorities and the dangers in the area, I quickly fell in step behind Fen with Lochlan taking the rear as we hurried back to camp.
I took the remainder of the day off, which was the first chance I’d had to spend time at length thinking about my situation. One would think that without television or work or any of the multitude of distractions available on Earth, I would have had loads of time to let my mind wander. However, in a place like the Shadow Lands, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs came into play and my mind was focused on survival rather than more superficial concerns. Staying alive, finding food for the day, not letting Lochlan ring my bell as we sparred, and mastering my magic were all-consuming.
However, my window for learning was quickly closing and I would face the ultimate test, one infinitely more critical than the test with the Sluagh. If I lost, it wouldn’t be just my life at stake. The Sluagh, the Lambton Worm, and all the other blood-thirsty creatures in Faery would be free to terrorize Earth. No pressure.
I was satisfied with my progress—I had advanced far beyond the naive girl who had arrived in Belfast months earlier. However, there was no way to know if it was enough until I faced Morgan on Beltane. There was no safety net or stunt doubles, no retakes or backup plans—it was a trial by fire and I had to win at all costs.
By evening I had withdrawn into myself, feeling the weight of knowing so many lives were in my hands. Lochlan drew me from my thoughts as he sat down beside me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful as you are when you wield your magic.”
I offered him a thin smile. “Thanks.”
“Want to tell me what’s wrong? You haven’t been yourself all day.”
“I’m worried I won’t know what to do to stop Morgan,” I confessed, dropping my eyes to the sandy ground.
“You’ve spent countless hours training, learning, and using every opportunity you can to improve yourself. You’ve evolved from a timid mouse to a mighty lion—have confidence in those abilities.”
In the months we had spent together training, never had Lochlan weaved together so many uplifting, complimentary words. I sat stunned and my chin quivered ever so slightly with a buildup of emotion.
“If you cry, I will take back every word of what I said,” Lochlan warned with a quirk to his lips.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I gave him a playful shove. His eyebrows rose in challenge and I bolted from where I sat with him hot on my trail. When he caught up with me he pulled me back against his chest, lifting me off the ground, and spinning me around in circles as I squealed and laughed.
When he set me back on my feet, I turned to face him and his full lips lowered down to close over mine. His kiss was a thing of legends—it made my problems feel manageable and the future seem brighter. It was the touch of warm sun on a chilly morning and the bliss of cold water on a parched throat—refreshing and comforting and right in every way.
We pulled back from one another slowly, and in a land where there was no breeze and no nocturnal bugs chittering, the only sound in the night air was our labored breathing. He took my hand and led me to the cabin to rest for the night, tightly wrapped in each other’s arms.
It’s disorienting to wake in the morning to nothingness—no birds chirping, no police sirens or passing traffic, no air conditioning hum or upstairs neighbor thumping around above you. The first week we were there I would stir in the morning and my heart would start to race, sure that we were about to be attacked or some tragedy would befall us.
After almost a full month in the Shadow Lands, I could wake and appreciate the stillness. Inevitably Lochlan was already awake and once I stirred we would both get up for the day. On that morning, I made to sit up but was softly pulled back into his warm arms. “It’s time to go back.” His voice was throaty from sleep and his proximity to my ear made me shiver.
“Go back home?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah, we need to get back, and I think you’ve learned what you needed from Fenodree.”
A glance across the room told me Fen had already left the cabin and started his morning routine, which he kept to religiously. I turned back to Lochlan and gave him an excited smile and his lips lifted in response as he gave me a squeeze before we both got up to prepare for the trip home.
I had never experienced a sibling bond, but despite our vast age difference, my intensive month with Fen had connected us in a way that I would imagine was similar to a brother and sister. At times I wanted to strangle him, but the thought of saying goodbye and leaving him to struggle alone in the wastelands felt heartbreakingly wrong.
The stoic Fae man wore a straight face, but in his crisp blue eyes was a world of longing. His years in exile were hard enough, but now he’d had a reminder of the comforts of companionship and it was clear to me that we would be dearly missed.
I would do everything in my power to help get my new friend out of the Shadow Lands, regardless of Guin’s mandated exile. But without a specific plan of action to offer, I kept my convictions to myself. I encouraged him to stay strong and promised that I would come back to see him. To myself, I swore to find a way to save him.
20
Our trip back home was blessedly uneventful, although it took almost twice as long as our trip there. When we made it
to the Seelie lands, there were no horses to carry us back to the palace so that part of our journey took two days instead of one. I had been so ready for a shower and a soft bed that I was prepared to sprint the distance if necessary.
We arrived at the palace late and were thus relieved of the obligation to attend dinner. To my surprise, we were dismissed to return to Earth immediately, no doubt owed to our rank odor and filthy appearance.
There was never a more beautiful sight than the picture-box windows of the Huntsman building. Our cell phones had not made the journey with us so seeing my phone was going to be a close second.
We had left Faery at night but that was no indication what time it would be on Earth. It was equally dark outside the church as it had been in Faery—but we quickly determined on the drive to the club that is was evening rather than early morning. People dressed in clubbing attire walked the sidewalks, chatting animatedly and traffic clogged the streets.
When I bounded into the lobby and found Liam and another huntsman standing at the elevators in front of a long line of people, I threw myself at Liam for a hug.
He threw his head back and laughed in surprise. “Darlin’, it’s great to see you too, but you positively reek,” he said as he gingerly untangled himself from my arms.
I turned a big smile to the other man who returned my smile but shook his head warningly. “Don’t even think about it.”
I stuck my tongue out at the both of them and followed Lochlan into the elevator. As we stepped inside Liam informed us that we had been gone two weeks Earth time—just half the number of days we had spent in Faery. That meant it was mid-April and we had just two weeks until Morgan planned to make her move.
I abandoned Lochlan at the elevator and tore down the hall to my apartment. I pounded on the door, too excited to dig out my keys, but Ashley didn’t answer. With a huff of frustration, I dug through my backpack for the key and managed to steady my hands sufficiently to unlock the door.
I was Julie Andrews up in the Alps spinning in circles singing The Hills Are Alive—never had I been so happy to be somewhere in my life. Dropping my bag, I stripped out of my clothes, setting them in a pile until I decided whether I would attempt to wash them or simply burn them. Who was I kidding? They were kindling.
I had never been an overly emotional person and I couldn’t remember a time when I cried from pure, unadulterated joy. But as the warm shower water pelted my skin, tears pricked my eyes and I began to sob with relief. For a solid half an hour I scrubbed, shaved, washed, conditioned and buffed my neglected body. I let the stress and uncertainty flow down the drain along with a month of greasy dirt. By the time I stepped out of the shower, I was ready to take on the world.
Not long after I had dressed and brushed the extensive tangles out of my hair, Ashley came into the apartment and launched herself into my arms. Despite all the changes and drama that life had flung at us, she was still my best friend.
“I was so worried about you,” she whispered, still clinging to me tightly.
“I know, honey, and I was worried about you.”
We pulled back and took a long look at one another. Despite her relief at seeing me home, I could see sadness haunting her eyes and I wondered what all I had missed while I was gone. As if she sensed the direction of my thoughts, she pulled away and walked toward the fridge.
“Without you here to cook, I’m afraid there’s no food in the place.”
“You have some wine and cheese?”
“Of course, what do you think I’ve been living on?” she asked wryly.
She made a cheese platter while I poured the wine and then we curled up on the couch to eat and catch up. The first taste of wine burst on my tongue with a tang so intense my jaw ached. For a solid month I had consumed a bland assortment of meats and root vegetables and my pallet had grown accustomed to the flavorless cuisine.
“So tell me what’s been going on while I’ve been gone.”
“I assume you know it’s been two weeks, but let me tell you, it’s been a long-ass two weeks. At some point Morgan must have opened a portal because there’s been a load of Unseelie causing trouble. Violent crimes in the city have skyrocketed and the news channels have been looking into the source. Alberich has been trying to do damage control, but there had to have been dozens of monsters that got in because they are wreaking havoc. They’ve even talked about shutting down the club while all this is going on.”
I hated to hear that things had gotten worse while I was away and it strengthened my resolve to put an end to Morgan’s campaign of terror. “I’ve learned a lifetime of skills while I was away, which was a whole month for me by the way.”
“A month?” She gawked.
“Yes, and it’s totally disorienting, and not just because of the time difference. The Shadow Lands are in perpetual darkness so even the overhead lights here seem blindingly bright. The vegetation there is brittle and withered, and you have to be constantly on guard for predators.”
“Oh my God that’s awful! Tell me everything,” she insisted as she inched closer on the couch.
Over the next hour I detailed my month in Faery and answered her onslaught of questions, including questions about our dream walking session.
“You are telling me that was real? That’s like telepathy of something, can you read my thoughts?” She sat forward and grasped my hand in excitement.
I had to laugh at her, it was a relief to see the animated Ashley returned and I hoped she was feeling back to herself. “It was definitely real but it’s not exactly telepathy. I can’t read your mind or communicate by thoughts. I can pull you into a dream—it’s like FaceTiming in our minds.”
“That’s crazy cool.”
“When we talked, you mentioned Liam—is there something going on between you two?”
“I hate to even tell you because it sounds like a total soap opera.”
“Spill.”
She leaned back and pulled her legs up to her chest. “As you know, I started working with Michael on how to use my magic. It was pretty slow going for a while, and we only practiced a couple times a week so it wasn’t until a month or so in that I started to feel really tired and a little nauseous. That’s when Michael asked me if I’d ‘recharged’ recently—let me tell you how awkward that conversation was. No one had told me about needing sex and replenishing magic.”
“I’m so sorry Ash, I didn’t know about it either or I would have warned you.”
“Is that not how you recharge your magic?”
“No, I feed from tension and anxiety but we didn’t even figure that out until recently because I haven’t needed to feed. Lochlan and Fenodree thought it was my necklace fueling my powers that has kept my magic charged.”
“That is so unfair, throwing sex in the mix makes things so much more complicated.”
“So what happened? Have you been…feeding from Michael?”
“I did a couple times but then he left for Faery and was gone for weeks, that’s when Liam entered the picture. Turns out for being Mr. Casual Sex, Michael got all bent out of shape that I was with Liam.”
“But Michael was gone for what, six weeks?”
“Exactly! That’s what I said, and even though he treated it like it was nothing when we had sex, he’s been all moody and agitated since he got back. Maybe I’m projecting and his moods have nothing to do with me. All I know is it’s very confusing and I’m thinking about sticking to human men.”
“That comes with its own set of issues.”
“I know, but right now one-night stands sound better than being a part of Days of our Fae Lives.”
“I hate to add to your drama, but on the matter of things you haven’t been told, I may have something to bring up.” I gave Ashley a grimace and she simply closed her eyes.
“Hit me with it.”
“Queen Guin mandated many years ago that the Fae all live in Faery. I talked to her when we first started out on our trip and she refuses to allow us an exception. I didn
’t actually mention you so you’re status as Fae is still secret, but if word gets out, you would have to move to Faery.”
Ashley’s eyes flew open and she bolted upright. “Are you joking? I’m not moving to some other world where I don’t know anyone! Where would I go? How would I make money? My boss has been amazing letting me work from home, but I’m pretty sure working from freaking Faery isn’t an option.”
“I know, honey, I’m facing the same issue. I don’t have a solution yet, but as soon as I do you will be the first to know. For the moment, Guin doesn’t even know you exist so try not to stress.”
“Try not to stress? Holy shit-balls, how am I supposed to not stress with everything I am dealing with?”
I could tell Ashley was overloaded so I laid my hand on hers and reached out with my magic, gently pulling her tension into me. She swayed just a little and her eyelids fluttered before she met my eyes with a stunned expression.
“What the hell was that?” she asked reverently.
“That was me feeding from your stress—feel better?”
“I’m so freaking jealous that you can do that. Coolest. Trick. Ever.”
I laughed at my dazed friend and her lips lifted in a smile. It was nice to know that after causing so much trouble for my friend, I at least had a temporary means to soothe the trauma.
Not long after Ashley called it a night claiming that I had relaxed her into a coma. I curled up in bed, enjoying the warmth of my cotton duvet and the supportive cushion of my pillow-top queen mattress. Despite the late hour in Belfast, I couldn’t convince my mind to shut off and sleep. I lay in bed tossing and turning when the familiar sensation of being watched lifted the hairs on the back of my neck. Sitting up, I turned to face the shadow man who had haunted my dreams for too long. Despite the sense of realness, I was aware that I was dreaming since I was now very familiar with the sensation.
Twilight Siege: A Dark Fantasy Novel (The Fae Games Book 2) Page 20
