Dominus looked At Savanna. Alexi could see in his eyes a glimmer of hope, of compassion. She felt his love, not only for his beloved but for all humans. The man in the painting had loved the Earth and her people, had cared for them.
“Dominus, the paintings imply we are you’re children, are we? Or do you see us as so?”
“No, you’re not,” he said with a sigh, “but oh how I loved you, all of you. I wanted the Earth to be your garden. I could see the potential of what you could accomplish and it took my breath away! Tamlin didn’t agree.”
“It isn’t a garden now, vampires run rampant, demons murder us, and now there is this,” she grabbed Savanna’s hand and lifted it for him to see.
“She’s dying from this. The curse is killing her and their may be others like it. Please!”
Alexi collapsed at his feet. Tears rolling down her cheeks as she pleaded for his help. All of her work, all of the hardship they faced to get here, all she had sacrificed, she refused to give up. There had to be a way. He had to help.
“You love her?” he asked. A glimmer of a smile appeared on his lips. “Oh how I wish we loved this way. Instead we play games with words and punish those not as clever as ourselves.” He let out a sigh. Color returned to his cheeks and she thought she could see the man he was.
Alexi looked up with her eyes brimmed with tears, “Please,” she whispered on last time.
He smiled at her, “I will help you Alexi Creed.”
***
The King of the Fae led them down a flight of narrow stairs. Savanna’s legs ached from the lengthy downward spiral. She used her good hand to guide her along the wall while Alexi descended in front of her. She knew if she fell her friend would be there to catch her.
Savanna focused on Alexi’s back as she took each step in a desperate attempt to keep her mind off the pain in her hand. Savanna had hoped the pain of Victor’s death had passe, but now she feared it would all be fresh and new. The anguish in her voice when Dominus made her remember Victors death was all to real. She didn’t quite believe he could wave his hand and make it disappear.
“Why is it so far down?” Alexi asked.
There foot steps echoed in the dark. Savanna closed her eyes for a moment to reach out with her mind. Magic revealed itself to her. Like a river of light it flowed around her and down. The magic wrapped itself around Alexi and then... Dominus though… it wasn’t a river. The light began and ended with Dominus. It was a lake and he was the center of it. Savanna couldn’t believe that was possible. Could the Fae be the source of all magic in the world?
“I had to hide it from them,” he said suddenly, braking the silence. “They forced me to sleep once, never again. Now I force them to stay awake. I created my guardian to insure they would never find me.”
A blue light flickered across her vision. Almost imperceptible, no bigger than a mosquito.
“Do mean that gnarly dragon? We handed him his ass a ways back.”
The light in the darkness blinked and it hovered around Savanna. Of course Alexi couldn’t see it, nor could Dominus, not unless he was looking. The small winged creature fluttered in front of her eyes. It’s lizard like body ended in a long tail. Tiny butterfly wings beat the air as it zipped around in front of her. Savanna held out her forefinger. The delicate little creature landed, it’s miniature pink tongue flicked out to touch her skin.
“Savanna?”
Alexi’s voice stirred her out of her mage sight. She’d stopped walking and now was half a flight behind her friend. She blinked several times examining her hand for any sign of the tiny critter.
Nothing.
Magic worked differently here how could be sure what she’d seen.
“Coming.”
She skipped down to catch up.
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Dominus said.
The stairs ended in a massive wooden door carved with ornate symbols.
“This looks like the door to the keep? But you know, new,” Savanna said in awe of the workmanship.
“I built the keep too,” he waved his hand. The door opened silently.
Savanna’s hand covered her mouth. The room itself wasn’t special. But the Well… it wavered between being in the room and in her mind. Magic pulsed inside of it like a heartbeat, each wave sending reverberations through her. Savanna turned to look behind her and she could see the pulses piercing the walls. In her mind she could imagine them going on forever to touch every inch of the universe.
The Well existed on several planes, Savanna could sense it with her eyes, feel it with her hands, and with her soul. It rubbed up against the magic in her and sparked some secret part of her had waited an eternity for this very moment.
Incredible, isn’t it?” Dominus said.
“I can’t… I… I have nothing,” Savanna said.
“Put your hand in, Savanna, and your wounds will be cleansed,” he said. Dominus waited at the door as Savanna took her first steps into the room.
“Savanna…” Alexi said.
“It will be okay.” The room itself was bathed in power. The Well was directly in the middle of the floor. The stone walls and ceiling were of marvelous workmanship and themselves radiated power. Savanna could only imagine the arcane energy she could summon with a pebble from this room.
With her second sight she could see magic, even read it, but this… she didn’t need her witches sight to see it. It washed over her and permeated every cell. The closer she moved the more she could feel its power.
“So much power,” she said she moved ever closer to the Well.
Her nerves were on fire and her hair raised on its own accord. Little bolts of static leaped out at her and ran across her skin. She looked down to her hand, the sickness in it was obvious now. The magic that powered the plague swirling around inside her.
“Do you see now?” asked Dominus.
The Well couldn’t cure her. With so much raw power in the room itself she had no need to draw energy from her own blood. Savanna mustered the energy together in a bundle. It vibrated within her every cell. She could do anything with such power.
Savanna turned to look at Alexi. The power she held was the source of the magic that created vampires. If it created them… Alexi burned with a white light at her core. It was surrounded by darkness, but like a small sun it was undimmed. Savanna didn’t want to risk changing that. Decision made, she looked to her own hand again. The power she gathered sprang forth. She plunged her hand into the Well. The curse fought back.
She screamed. Her hand burned with magical fire that consumed the curse from her arm.
“Savanna,” Alexi screamed from behind her.
“Don’t,” Dominus said suddenly, “If you go in there you could be killed.”
Her strength faded and her legs went numb. She hit the cobblestone with her knees hard and scrapped them as she fell to the ground. With her hand out of the Well the curse took hold again. Her hand blackened in front of her and her nails peeled back and fell off.
“Fight, Savanna, fight it,” Alexi yelled from the hall.
Savanna reached up to the edge of the Well. Her fingers scrapped against the edge. She grunted as she pulled herself up.
She didn’t have the strength. Her arms were weak and couldn’t lift her up. She watched in horror as the curse spread unchecked.
“No,” Dominus screamed.
Alexi was there with her hands under her. Fire flickered across Alexi’s features leaving burned and blackened skin in its wake. Alexi grunted as she hefted Savanna up. The curse was almost to her brain, she hadn’t much time. She could see in the Well again. Alexi propped her up, even as her own body burned from the power of the Well.
Savanna plunged her hand in again. Energy exploded outward. It flung Alexi back through the door to collide with Dominus. Savanna drew the power into her now. It flowed like a river, filling up her soul and overflowing out around her, as it did with Dominus.
“Savanna!” She heard Alexi’s voice
in the distance. The Well beckoned for her to dive in, to swim in its power for all eternity.
Carry me, it whispered to her.
Use me.
The curse in her hand was gone. Nothing but smooth skin remained submerged in the water of the Well. She looked to Alexi again.
“I could cure you, I’m sure of it!”
Alexi shook her head.
“The power of the Well comes with a price, don’t be a fool. Come out of there!” Dominus shouted at her.
She looked down at the Well again. The power inside of her continued to build, filling her essence, the very fiber of her being. She could wield it. It wanted her to.
She closed her eyes. She knew there was no going back, once she embraced the Well she would be one with eternity.
“Savanna,” Alexi’s voice cut through the hum of power, “Please honey, come back to me.”
Savanna made her choice. With a heavy heart she pulled her hand out of the well. The light faded and the magic vanished. It left her profoundly empty.
SEVENTEEN
Alexi took one last look at the castle entrance before it vanished behind the horizon. The memory of the place hung over her mood like a dark storm. The Fae inflicted humanity with vampires over a power struggle? She shook her head. Thousands of years of suffering on Earth for what basically amounted to a lovers spat.
The landscape around them was different in subtle ways. Greener, more alive. Flowers sprung up from the weed, and the trees sprouted green leaves.
“Alexi?” Savanna asked.
“I see it. What’s happening?”
Wind whipped their hair into a frenzy. The world shook. A great sorrow that Alexi hadn’t noticed, lifted off of her shoulders. Since they arrived she’d wanted to go home. To flee the hellish landscape that tried to kill them at every turn. Grass sprang to life, flowers blossomed, and the sun shined bright above them. More than the world changed. Alexi’s heart ached at the beauty around her. Sun soaked hills with tall grass spread out for as far as she could see. The forest that once tried to kill them shifted from dark and black, to green with hints of blue and red. Birds and fluttering insects filled the air.
“Oh my god,” Savanna whispered as she pushed her hair out of her face. Alexi marveled at the wonderland they stood in. The ground flattened and she could see the keep in the distance.
She looked back the way they came with a smile on her red lips, “Good for you,” she said to the king of the Fae. She couldn’t be sure, but she felt that he heard them.
The walk back was far more pleasant broken only by the occasional bird that fluttered its wings at them. The land resembled the painting of the garden that they found in Dominus’ fortress. A true garden paradise.
Alexi wasn’t sure if it took hours or minutes to get back to the castle, nor did she care. The land welcomed them with open arms.
The intricately carved door stood open to them. Alexi hardly recognized the structure. Where before it was rundown falling apart in disrepair, now it stood as a glorious beacon welcoming them. The courtyard bustled with activity as the entered the gates. A great cheer went up when the crowd saw them.
“Who are all these people?” Alexi asked. Savanna shrugged her shoulders. Alexi counted thirty laborers stacking stone while another group built wooden scaffolding against the walls.
“They’re here to help us rebuild, in the short time Tamlin is still awake that is. She wants to make sure the place is perfect for when the Seelie court returns,” Warren slipped out of the shadows. Alexi jumped, she could see into shadows and she knew it had been empty a moment before.
“You’ve got to tell me how you do that some day,” she said to him.
“If you show me your trick you do with people’s minds…” he countered.
“I don’t know how I do that… it just happens when I focus.”
He shrugged.
The grand doors to the keep swept open. Tamlin sauntered into the courtyard with her entourage in tow. Including Shaughn. Alexi pursed her lips when she spotted him. He studiously ignored her. The party danced and skipped. Their jovial mood infected the workers around them. Alexi wondered how much of that was genuine and how much was forced. Her perception of the Fae was forever changed by their callous cruelty.
“Ah my pet, you’ve returned! How I long to see you dance again,” she purred as she ran one finger up Alexi’s side to her chin. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She’d hoped to find some way out of it before they got back, but there was no changing her bargain.
Savanna squeezed her hand, “I’ve got this,” she whispered.
“Excuse me? If I recall, your bargain was if you cured me,” Savanna said poking her now cured finger at the queens face.
Tamlin’ features clouded with anger and her lips went thin. The jovial mood vanished between heartbeats. Alexi didn’t want to let go of Savanna’s hand. The sudden ripple of fear that ran down her spine sent goosebumps over her skin.
“You trespassed on my generosity once without consequence. Don’t think you will escape it again. One more word and I will have you thrown in the Pit until your old and gray,” she seethed. Alexi pushed the fear down, if she were to fight, then she would have to be fast. Mentally she pegged them, Shaughn and his brother would have to go first. There magic would need to be suppressed.
“I’m not, your majesty,” Savanna said quickly, “I’m just pointing out that you did not hold up your end of the bargain.”
Tamlin cocked her head to one side and laughed. She snapped her fingers three times high in the air. One of the Fae Alexi didn’t recognize came forward, he wore thick glasses on his overly large head.
“This is Cornelius, he keeps the records of all the bargains. What say you scribe?”
The little man made a show of pulling out a scroll and unfurling it. He coughed politely as he rolled the paper through his thick fingers until he found the right spot. Alexi caught a glimpse of the scrawl on the paper, the words were tiny, so small it looked like a sheet of ants. If the scroll contained every bargain the Fae ever made… there must be billions.
The paper’s length was epic. Cornelius unrolled it until he stood knee deep in parchment.
“Yes, here we are, the bargain between Queen Tamlin of Enfendel, and Alexi Creed of the land known as Seattle.”
“Yes, yes, we know that part fool, skip to the bargain,” Tamlin said impatiently.
“Let’s see. I Alexi Creed agree to remain on the Emerald Isle as Queen Tamlins consort and plaything,” Alexi clenched her empty hand into a fist to hear her fate as a slave laid out in front of her, “if Queen Tamlin cures the witch Savanna Grace and allows them all to return home, including Warren Wayfinder of Glemdrall.”
“And there you are, humans, always thinking they can outsmart us. I’ve lived longer than the Moon in your sky! The day I’m outsmarted by a monkey has not come.”
Tamlin waved her hand at Alexi. She tried to resist, she pushed her muscles to do anything other than what they were. Whatever magic the Fae used sapped her will. She found herself nestling up to the Fae queen, running her hands up her back and encircling her waist with one arm. She shuddered as her body acted out the Queens wishes.
“Now, you may go, along with Warren. Alexi will stay with me until I decide she can visit. And since were about to sleep, that could be a while,” she said licking her lips.
“You didn’t cure me, your majesty,” Savanna said quietly.
“What? I helped, that was the bargain.”
“The bargain was ‘help us find the Well, and cure me. You helped us find the well, but I cured myself, with no help from you, or anyone else.” There was something fierce about the way Savanna spoke. Her normally short stature elevated by confidence that Alexi had never heard from her friend.
“Don’t make an enemy out of me mortal,” Tamlin whispered. Alexi flexed her fingers. She found herself in control of herself again and pushed away from the queen and retreated to Savanna’s side.
“
It seems your bargain keeper agrees with me,” Savanna said with a smile. Tamlin shot Cornelius a vile look that made Alexi feel sorrow for him.
“It is the words of the bargain, my queen,” he said in his defense.
“Fine. You have until the light fades from the sky to be gone from my kingdom. Tarry here one second longer and I will keep you both forever.”
“As you wish,” Savanna said with a mock bow. Alexi couldn’t believe it. She was more than willing to trade her freedom for Savanna’s life, but to have both…
Alexi wrapped her friend in a tight hug and hefted her off the ground. She buried her face in Savanna’s neck and spun them around. The witch shouted with excitement as they twirled.
“I’m afraid that doesn’t leave us much time, we must go,” Warren said. The sorrow he felt at interrupting their jubilation was obvious.
Alexi smiled as she looked around. She caught a glimpse of Shaughn glaring at her from the doorway. She wanted to beat his face in.
“Alexi, we don’t have time,” Warren said. He was right, the shadows of the towers stretched across the courtyard as the sun slipped down from the sky.
“Let’s go,” she said with a shrug. She would never come back here and that would have to victory enough.
***
The blue light faded with the sun. Shaughn’s heart grew cold with the after image of Alexi’s departure. His emotions boiled under his skin. He was so close to having her forever, regardless of her wishes. The rest of them didn’t know, couldn’t know how different she was. With her he could live on Earth forever. Break his bonds that chained him to the Emerald Isle. If he could get her back here, use her against the Veil, he was sure it would shatter… He turned to his twin brother.
“Imagine a world where we were no longer trapped. A world we ruled.”
His brother returned his glib smile.
“Is she the one who can do it?”
“A child of light and dark, allowed in neither heaven or hell… My brother, she is the only one who can shatter the anchor. Yes, she fits the bill perfectly,” Shaughn said.
Blood Sacrifice (Faith of the Fallen Book 2) Page 17
