by J. S. Malcom
“We’re not sure,” Revlen says. “All we know is that it’s happening. And, right now, we need to hold steady. The time to strike might be imminent. Merely a matter of weeks, perhaps days. We can only gauge that by the intervals during which magical power eludes the Seelie grasp. However, one thing seems clear. Those intervals keep growing more frequent, and they keep getting longer.”
Suddenly, it dawns on me that we haven’t talked about my plan to rescue Julia. It seems almost assumed that I’ve come to join this rebel cause. That’s not why I’m here.
“Listen, I’m sorry.” I look around the table. “But I’m wondering if we might not be on the same page. I get what’s going on here, and I care. I really do. But I need to help my friend.”
A moment passes, and then Revlen nods. She keeps her penetrating gaze fixed on me. “Cade told us why you came back. We hope to help you in any way we can.”
I start to relax a little. “Thank you.”
“But your friend is within the palace,” Revlen says.
When she doesn’t say more, I nod. “Yes, she is.”
“And to get near her, you’d have to single-handedly slip past all of their defenses. And, after doing so, you’d need to confront, and defeat, the same people currently hunting you down.”
My confidence definitely starts to slip. When Revlen puts it that way, it becomes obvious that it would be a suicide mission. Which is not my intention. Getting killed or captured wouldn’t help Julia. In fact, it would only guarantee that she never gets rescued.
I hesitate, but then ask, “So, what were you thinking?”
“I understand your feelings,” Revlen says. “Believe me, I do. This isn’t your fight. It’s not why you came here. I respect that.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
She nods. “At the same time, we all have stakes in this game. Why we want things to change depends on every story involved, each of them different. I’m sure you understand that. Not all are looking toward the greater good. Some want change for more personal reasons. And I understand that too. It’s perfectly natural.”
I’m not sure where she’s going, but there’s no doubt that the more I’m around Revlen, the more I respect her. Like her, in fact. She’s clearly a strong and intelligent woman. A leader, willing to fight for what she believes in, while accepting that others might have different beliefs.
“I’m sure that’s true,” I say.
“You’re also a valuable asset. Whether that’s how you view yourself doesn’t change anything. Clearly, the High Mage thinks so, or he wouldn’t be doing what he’s been doing.”
Revlen keeps her tone dispassionate, putting no guilt on me. Still, her words carry the weight of the truth. People suffered last night because of me. They died because of me. It’s a horrifying realization, but it’s true. That’s why Vintain brought his men into that neighborhood to begin with. They were looking for me. That’s why they burned buildings and terrorized those people.
My gut twists as this reality keeps sinking in. “I understand,” I say, softly. The fact is, Revlen’s understated words just hugely shifted my perspective.
“So, what I’d like to do, if you’ll allow me, is to keep you safe.”
I look back at Revlen, not sure what she means. “What would that involve?”
“For the time being, I think it would be best if we took you someplace distant. Someplace where Queen Abarrane and Vintain won’t be searching for you. By that, I mean, out of Scintillia.”
I shake my head with confusion. “I don’t understand. Where would I go? For how long?”
“I suspect not long,” Revlen says. “But we have to be careful. It’s too dangerous for everyone right now if you remain here. Vintain will only increase his patrols and inspections. Last night was just the beginning. Of that, I feel sure. What I’m proposing is that we take you to the Mollern. Specifically, to Longmeadow.”
Cade perches forward, nearly spilling his coffee. “Wait? Are you sure about this?”
“As much as I’m sure about anything,” Revlen says.
Cade runs his hand through his hair, as he looks around the table and then back to Revlen. “But they’re not involved. That’s why they went there to begin with, to get away.”
Revlen nods, acknowledging Cade’s point, but then she says, “We’re all involved, whether we like it or not. I spoke to Dabria last week.”
Cade’s eyes grow wide, his forehead starting to glisten. “Wait. She came here?”
“She did. She came at the request of her father, who wanted us to know that their people have pledged their support. I’m sorry, Cade. But they’re willing to take the risk, and I feel we have no choice.”
Cade’s eyes shift to me. And, for the first time, I get the feeling that he wishes we’d never met.
CHAPTER 11
We wait until night to ride out. There are four of us, Esras, Cade, Revlen and me. That Revlen chooses to join us, rather than sending one of her charges, surprises me a little. But I guess, like she said, I'm a valuable asset. So, maybe she feels she should take responsibility for my protection. Then again, maybe by traveling with me, she hopes to learn more about what makes me tick. I can tell she's curious.
As for Cade, I'm relieved to see that he's no longer upset. Clearly, he didn't like the idea of us going to Dabria’s village. He stayed quiet after our meeting, and then went back to Silvermist for part of the afternoon. To take care of a few things, he said at the time, although I really think he just needed to get past his anger. Now, he seems fine, so I guess he’s at least resigned himself to the plan.
We leave the city by way of alleys and smuggler’s routes, before long approaching the Barrens, that expanse of white gleaming like a bone in the moonlight. My stomach plunges at the sight of that place where I've scrambled for my life several times. I can’t help but ask. “Aren’t we using one of the tunnels?”
“We should be okay,” Esras says. “There aren't any wards to trip on this side of the city.”
Which I guess makes sense. The Seelie don't care if the Unseelie wander into the Barrens. Why would they? It only matters if one of their changeling or half-blood captives tries to escape.
Still, I look at the sky. “What about the dragon?”
“The dragon is only set loose when one of the noble houses sounds an alarm,” Revlen says.
Which brings to mind that thing Cade said before, about dragons normally being unaggressive, and that seeing one is considered a good omen. “Where is it kept the rest of the time?”
Esras and Revlen exchange glances. “You wouldn't like it,” Revlen says. “Not from what we hear.”
She leaves it at that, and I don't press. I guess it's just another thing I'll learn about at some point. Right now, as we ride our horses forward into the open, it might be better to remain quiet.
Despite what Esras said about there being no wards, we remain watchful as we ride. Even the horses seem wary, with their heads raised and their ears lifted. Still, it's the first time I've been through the Barrens when I wasn't terrified, and I gaze out across the vast and empty stretch where ivory ash lays like a blanket of snow. A fireball streaks across the sky, casting a fiery glow upon flakes twirling down. It’s a strange feeling, and not one I expected, but I can't help thinking it's beautiful in a surreal way. Sad, I know. A dead and forgotten land, but striking all the same in its eerie otherworldliness.
What lends even more strangeness to the moment is that I'm taking everything in while astride a tall and powerful horse. His name is Andor, and he rocks gently beneath me, his strong neck and noble head raised high. I think about that moment, not long ago, when I wished for a normal life. Right now, I'm not so sure. I've endured a lot, and I'm soon to go up against even more. Still, in this moment, I'm guiding a stallion across an alien landscape, one no human sees of their own free will. The land before me gleams white and colorful fireballs streak across a night full of stars. I'm surrounded by silence, except for t
he soft sound of hoofbeats against the ground. Yes, it’s strange, and in many ways desolate. Still, there's only one word I can think of to describe it. Magical.
*
We ride slowly, both to avoid being noticed and to keep from tiring the horses. All the same, we soon reach the other side and enter the forest from where I've come and gone in the past. The horses snort and lower their heads, their ears relaxing now that we're out of the open. Those of us atop them appear less wary as well, and we relax more in our saddles. I turn to Revlen as she rides up beside me. “What's this place called?” It's never occurred to me as having a name before, but of course it must.
“Lanisan,” she says. “They say it was once lush and beautiful. Abundant with life of every kind. Not all of it timid, of course.”
“People used to hunt here,” Esras says. “Hundreds of years ago. Now they can only hunt in the fields and forests we stock.”
I look around at the trees with their trunks of exotic hues. Even by moonlight, I see purple, peach, pink and yellow. I remember spotting that frozen blue bud weeks ago, looking as if it had just started to sprout. Could it really have remained that way for hundreds of years?
“Could it still come back?”
Esras nods. “Possibly. We like to think it's more in a state of suspension than truly dead.”
“The magic resource depletion has the greatest effect on areas immediately surrounding the city,” Revlen explains. “That's because the energy is being diverted. Farther out, it's not as bad. Nothing like what it once was, but at least it's… Well, you'll see.”
It's hard to gauge time, but it feels like about an hour before we leave the forest and emerge again beneath a sea of stars. With no light pollution this time, or fireballs streaking down, what I see is utterly stunning. I suspect I'm seeing the night sky like our ancestors did long ago. Before us, the land appears to go on forever, with tall grass waving gently in the moonlight.
“This is the Mollern,” Revlen explains. “The village we're going to is out there.”
“Is it far?”
“Far enough.”
As more hours pass, my entire body starts to ache. I don't know if anyone else is feeling it, but I really need to stop. I can see where Revlen and Esras might be used to this, since they must have grown up on horses. To them, this probably feels like a leisurely ride through the country. Cade, on the other hand, has to be hurting too. Although, if he is, he doesn’t say as much. Then again, I haven’t made my discomfort known either.
Finally, Esras points to where something glimmers up ahead. “Let's make camp there,” he says.
His eyes proved sharp, since what he saw turns out to be a pond. Suddenly, it occurs to me why we might have kept pushing on. We brought food and water for ourselves. The silly horses, on the other hand, didn't think to pack a thing.
At long last, I hop off Andor, who snorts and gives me a sorrowful look. It's almost like I can hear him thinking, You would have let me die of thirst, wouldn't you?
I avert my eyes since the answer, my poor Andor, is that until now I didn’t think of you.
*
We make camp beneath the stars. No tents. Just the blankets we brought laid out on the ground. But it's dry, and a warm breeze blows through the air of what would be a winter night back in my realm. We eat by the fire, a dinner of fruit, cheese and smoked meat. When we've finished, Esras leaves to check on the horses and Revlen goes to lie down. Sleep sounds good to me too, but it's the first time I've been alone with Cade since last night, and I want to make sure things are okay.
Until now, I've never asked, but something tells me it's time to know. After all, like Revlen said, we all have different stakes in this game. For Cade, I’m sure that’s Dabria.
“What’s she like?” I say.
Cade looks up from where he’s gazing into the fire. “Is it that obvious?”
“That you're thinking about her? I get the feeling you usually are.”
He takes a sip of water from his canteen. “Sometimes I try not to, but it doesn't seem to work.”
In a way, I envy his worry. I can't say I've ever really felt that way about someone. Even with Phoenix, I always remained a little distant, always felt afraid to fully commit.
“She must be really special,” I say.
“She is. I'm sure you'll like her.”
That I'm going to meet her is another thing I didn't expect, but it also means I'm placing her in danger.
“Where did you two meet?”
“In Faerie,” Cade says, making me laugh.
“Good one. Care to be a little more specific?”
“It wasn’t long after I started coming over, at the Festival of Titania. They have it every spring in Gorgedden. It's sort of a big deal there. There's music, beer and games. That kind of stuff.”
“Sounds fun,” I say. “Not something I imagined saying about Faerie.”
Cade laughs. “Yeah, exactly. The place is a little short on good times. Anyway, half the reason I went was to try unloading some stuff I'd stolen from the Seelie. I didn't sell much, but it definitely made a good impression. The Unseelie don't worry about the whole half-blood thing. They don't really care one way or the other. But a half-blood who sneaks into Seelie houses and lives to tell about it? That's a different thing entirely.”
“Cade the rock star.”
He grins. “That's me. So, I fell in with a crowd. We were drinking, talking, dancing, all that. Suddenly I looked up and there was this girl. Beautiful brown hair, big brown eyes, the whole package. You know?”
“Something tells me you were just as interested in the package as the big brown eyes.”
Cade laughs again. “Aw, you don't think I'm that kind of guy, do you?”
I give him a nudge. “Actually, I don't.”
“Didn't think so, but good. So, yeah, that was Dabria. We started talking and she'd never met a half-blood before. She had all these questions about Silvermist and the human realm.”
“Cade, inter-dimensional man of mystery.”
Cade nudges me this time. “You got it. For her, it was love at first sight.”
“Oh, I’m sure. And you were as cool as can be, I bet. Regaling her with your adventures, so you could have your way with the innocent young lass.”
“Man, you know me. We spent half the night talking, and half the night dancing. Before I knew it, the festival was closing down.”
“Did you kiss her? I hope you kissed her.”
Cade laughs. “You're the worst audience. You know that, right?”
“I pride myself on it.”
“So, yeah. Like you probably guessed, we began seeing each other. I started coming over more and more. Which is risky, obviously. Back then, Dabria’s family lived in the city. Her father moved them out to the Mollern later when things kept getting worse.”
“Smart man.”
“Yeah, he is. You'll like him too, and Dabria's mom.”
A few moments pass in silence as we stare into the fire. Finally, I say, “So, I don't understand. What happened? It sounds like you two were falling in love.”
Cade sighs. “That's just it, we were. As in, crazy, want to spend your life together, in love. As in, want to get married and have kids, in love. And what were we going to do with that? I can't stay here, and she can't leave…”
Cade sighs again. He picks up a stick and pokes at the fire, sending sparks swirling into the night.
“Did you stop seeing her?”
“That’s the problem. I can't. The whole thing is just a recipe for heartbreak. It's tearing me up.”
God, we know so little about each other, and here we are putting our lives in each other's hands. Without thinking about it, I shift closer and I rest my head on his shoulder. We sigh together this time.
“So, what do you actually do in the human realm? Do you, like, have a job?”
“Uber driver,” Cade says.
I don't know why, but it makes me laugh.
“What?�
��
“I don't know. I guess I sort of pictured you as a game developer. Or a computer programmer.”
“Why, because I'm such a nerd?”
A smile spreads across my face. “Kind of, yeah.”
“Well, I can't exactly keep regular hours.”
“No, it makes sense. Ignore me.”
“Not an option. You keep getting into trouble.”
I laugh again. “True. I have a knack for that. What would you do if, I don't know, things changed?”
A few seconds pass as Cade considers. “Move here, I guess. Stop stealing. Get married. From there, I'm not sure. I've always liked being around people, and I know a good beer when I taste one. Dabria likes music and she’s smart about money. Maybe we could run a pub together.”
“That sounds nice,” I say. And it does. I picture Cade standing proudly behind his bar, while his pretty wife goes from table to table checking on the customers and making them laugh. I imagine little curly-haired versions of Cade, with adorable pointy ears, running around and causing mischief.
Cade sighs again. “I guess it will all work out somehow,” he says. “It has to.”
Exactly, I think. Somehow, it all has to be worked out.
CHAPTER 12
I wake up as something tightens around my wrists. By the time I even open my eyes, I’m lifted into the air. Two men look down at me, one at my feet and the other at my bound hands. Both of them have long hair and beards. Both of them are shirtless, with heavily muscled chests and arms. In the time it takes me to scream out a, “Hey! What the fuck!” I'm flipped upright and dropped into Andor’s saddle, to which my wrists are immediately lashed with blindingly efficient speed. In about ten seconds, I just went from being sound asleep to sitting roped to my horse.
The men back away, their expressions grim. But it's not their faces that has my eyes bugging out. It's their bodies. Particularly, the lower half of their bodies, which are also entirely naked. Not to mention entirely horse. Centaurs? Come on! Nobody thought to mention centaurs? Are you freaking kidding me? And what the hell is it with Faerie? Does anyone come through here without being captured for something? I mean, seriously, what’s the deal?
