by HDA Roberts
"They certainly were for Killian, they sent a whole squadron of the larger ones right at his pyramid. They evaporated on contact, of course, but three of his apprentices were out practicing, it was a close-run thing."
"Well, we know who's to blame for that," I said. “That should help any case I have to make, surely?”
"Ha! Just try and prove Myrddin had anything to do with it! Nobody's ever been able to track the Hyde down to a point of origin. There are Primes which control them and make more, but finding who makes the Primes themselves has proven impossible, and goodness knows there's no detectable Magical signature on the ones we do catch.”
“They managed to pin his signature down in Unseelie," I commented.
“I imagine because he made that High Prime himself,” Kron said. “The ones knocking around Earth at the moment, are two, three, or goodness knows how many, generations, removed from his original work. No trace of his signature, in other words. The only piece of evidence we might have used, you destroyed.”
“Damn.”
"You see, Beloved," said a familiar voice from the door, “that’s what happens when you vaporise first and ask questions later.”
I turned to see a pair of smirking princesses that had somehow bypassed my increased security without anyone so much as noticing.
Chapter 45
I stood to greet them, a smile on my face, and they came to wrap me in a hug.
"I wasn't expecting you two for weeks," I said, looking them both over. "You look different. You do something with your ears?"
They weren't as pointed as normal, and their general appearances were a little... softer, less sharply defined, less Sidhe. They were still stunning, that hadn’t changed, but they were just that bit less exotic, a little more able to blend in. They even wore human clothes; Evelina in black jeans and white tank top (which looked painted on) and Gwendolyn in a pretty, blue sundress. I have to say that it was all very enticing; more than my poor hormones and exercise-averse ticker were prepared for, certainly.
I could practically feel Tethys drooling.
"We're incognito!" Gwendolyn explained. "Now we can go out and about without having to cover ourselves with Glamours."
"Wait a minute, how the hell are they even here?" Tethys asked.
Right, Tethys had been in prison when all that had happened...
"Ah... we hadn't got around to telling you that yet. Events overtook us," I said before explaining briefly. Kron grumbled again at her lost chance at an epic fight before shooting me another dirty look.
"Well, that explains a couple of things," Tethys said, looking the princesses over with an avaricious eye.
They had a lot of baggage stacked up in the hall behind them, as well as a quartet of very dangerous-looking women, two Seelie, two Unseelie, going by their outfits and colouring. They were certainly an impressive looking group, tall and lithe in the way of Sidhe; heartbreakers, every one of them. They’d been altered and dressed to fit in as well.
Gwendolyn and Evelina introduced them as servants, but they looked more like bodyguards to me. I noted that their clothes were a little baggy at the abdomen and legs, where you might expect someone to keep a blade (or twelve, knowing Unseelie). I made a mental note to have Cassandra introduce them to firearms. If they were going to be protecting my friends, it was best that they had the right tools for the job.
As a rule, the Fairy Realms rejected human technology. It was a cultural thing more than a practical one, though it rarely mattered as they were just that good with their bows, and their arrows were Enchanted to go through body armour. Still, it was a lot easier to conceal a pistol than a bow.
"Cassie, would you arrange for Mister Webb to move them into their rooms in the East Wing? They should be ready by now."
"Can do," Cassandra said before heading off. A nod from Evelina and Gwendolyn sent the quartet after her.
“Do you mind if we join?” Evelina asked politely (for once). “If you’re talking about the Eaters, then I think we have something you should know.”
“Certainly,” I said, pulling up another couple of chairs for them.
Finally, once the two Sidhe were sat down, Kron finally stopped grinding her teeth at the interruption and delay. Evelina was sat between Gwendolyn and Tethys. In the two seconds since she’d planted her bottom in that chair, the Succubus had already moved as close to the Sidhe as she could conceivably get without actually sitting in her lap.
Oh, there was no way that ended well for me...
“You had something to add, Highness?” Kron continued as politely as she could, though she was clearly having trouble. You’d think that two thousand years of living would have taught that woman patience.
“Yes,” Evelina began. “As I’m sure you’re aware, the real danger of those things isn’t in their numbers or their ability to replenish themselves, it’s their ability to manoeuvre.”
Kron nodded sagely.
I can’t pull off the ‘sage nod’, mine just looks like I’m falling asleep...
“Well, we’ve actually managed to gain a little insight into that since last we spoke.”
“Really?” Kron said, concealing her doubt in a way that she probably found impressively polite. “Would you mind elaborating for us, please?”
"How come she gets a 'please'?" I asked.
"Because I can't bash her into cooperation. And don't interrupt."
Evelina smirked at me before answering, "After some hard work Scrying, we found that the High Prime’s Transportation Magic worked without crossing dimensions at all.”
I sat back in my chair. That was news. Portal Magic, or any Teleportation I knew about, involved burrowing through another dimension and reappearing at your destination, shortening your trip by evading the intervening distance. If High Primes didn’t do that...
“From what we can gather, and this is not our area of expertise, the Primes compress the dimension they occupy, folding the fabric of reality, and sort of ‘hop’ to their destination."
Kron sucked in a breath.
"What?" I asked.
"That is... not good. That's how you get dimensional tears," Kron replied. "Sliding a Portal through a concurrent, non-physical, dimension is like burrowing a hole through sand—easily smoothed out and covered just by closing the Portal. Warping reality is like pulling and twisting a piece of paper. You do it too often in the same place and you get a tear. Depending on the place and the frequency and depth of the tear, you can get a rupture into some very nasty places."
"How nasty?" I asked.
"The Realm of Darkness is one of the nicer ones."
I probably paled.
"That's not good,” I agreed.
"You don't say," Evelina said with a chuckle before her face turned serious again. “Combined with their ability to jam all other forms of Transit Magic, their ability to Warp Space makes them far more manoeuvrable than any of their opponents. That is their great advantage, and they use it ruthlessly. Don’t rely on being able to reinforce weak points quickly, or assume that a central reserve force will be of any use.”
I shuddered. High Primes could have been made to fight Magicians and Sidhe... oh. They probably had been.
“Really, we were very lucky. If there had been a second Prime, we’d probably have been overrun long before Mathew got to us.”
We were all silent for a moment; each of us lost in our own thoughts of the implications. Except Tethys. She was busy undressing the Unseelie with her eyes while wrapping a ‘comforting’ arm around her shoulders.
"I do have a question, if I may?" Kron asked, breaking the silence.
“Ask away,” Evelina said.
"How were you able to use so much offensive Magic? Graves told me what he saw in his dreams. You managed quite a few directed energy attacks, and that's not something your people are normally good at; Queens aside."
At this Evelina looked a bit shifty. Kron grinned.
"It's the pieces of Soul that you pinched, isn't it
?" she said, nodding at their pendants. "You weren't using your powers, you were shovelling your energy through that piece of his. Am I right?"
"It was necessary," Evelina said, trying to affect nonchalance, but there was a distinctly nervous set to her shoulders. "As you say, we aren't good at that sort of flashy display."
News to me; and a very lucky bit of theft, as it turned out.
Kron leaned back in her chair.
"And you?" she said, looking at Gwendolyn. "Have you found any utility in the use of my brother's stolen essence?"
Oh there had to be a better way to phrase that...
"Yes, Lady," Gwendolyn said, looking down. "I've always been good with Water. Matty's gift... makes it easier, lets me do more."
Kron nodded, but then her eyes went hard. "Highnesses, look at me,” she said, a command that neither of them ignored. Both Sidhe swallowed, tensing immediately, it was that sort of tone. “Neither of you are responsible for what happened to my brother; I realise that. You are subjects of your Queens and must do as they say. Having said that, the extraction Spells that kept you two sane this last year nearly killed him,” she said, waving at me. “Should have killed him, frankly. It’s likely only his truly cosmic stubbornness that kept him alive. You understand that?”
Two very rapid, very humble nods.
“Good. You two are the future of your kingdoms. One shall sit on a throne, and one shall have the ear of the next ruler. I want you to keep in mind that if anything like this should ever happen again, for any reason, then I shall make what the Hyde did to Unseelie look like a bad flu season. Do we understand each other?"
"Yes, Ma'am," they said in unison, not even Evelina could manage her usual cockiness.
"Good. What are you smirking at, Graves?"
"I always knew you loved me- ow, ow! Sorry, I take it back, stop kicking me! Use your words!"
"Shut up. How's that for using my words?" she asked, glaring, but also smiling a little.
"A little trite actually."
"Don't make me come over there," she growled.
"Not to interrupt, but what are we supposed to do? We have impending issues with the Conclave, Myrddin waiting to pounce from the wings and now these High Primes to watch out for. We need a plan,” Tethys said.
"There's little we can do right now,” Kron replied. “Until we know exactly what everyone’s up to, we are on the defensive. So, until we have more information, we fend off the Hyde, keep looking for Myrddin and build a case against Bradley. Killian was all for just making her disappear, but she's surrounded by people these days, thanks to someone," Kron glared at me, "turning up in her house uninvited and scaring the pants off her."
I tried to look innocent.
"I hate being on the defensive," Tethys said.
"Who doesn't? Just live your lives and make sure that you take guards everywhere. Outside of Blackhold, none of you go anywhere alone. You are somewhat lucky in that you live in a city, where people can see things happening. Just be careful, keep your eyes open, and try not to go out after dark."
"My peak hours?" Tethys complained.
I shook my head at her; she smirked back.
"This is a very complicated mess we're walking into, Mathew," Kron said. "You have Sovereign Immunity from anything you may have done. Technically they can't even prosecute you for the murders they framed you for, but that doesn't mean they can't do other things to make your life unpleasant. Watch your back, be careful, and don't go back into the Conclave without letting us know."
"Please, I'm not going back in there ever again!" I replied. "Every time I do, something bad happens to me."
Kron snorted and shook her head.
“I really wish we had some idea of what they were up to,” she said with a frown. “Myrddin was always a sneaky bastard, and Bradley is no fool. If we assume that they are working together, and I think we must; there’s too much evidence to conclude otherwise, then things could get very bad. We know Myrddin is after power, but what sort could he get by rolling himself around in politics?”
"Well, no doubt it will become clear in time," I said hopefully.
"Yes... but before or after the Sword of Damocles comes crashing down on your stupid head?"
Kron didn’t stay much longer after that and headed off to spread what she’d learnt to the others. Tethys and Kandi went off towards her offices to check in with her operatives, though it wasn’t long before the duo were seen sidling their way towards the dungeon.
I suggested she take a little time to rest and recuperate, but she replied that she felt fine and didn’t remember anything bad anyway, which was a fair point. Besides, there was no force on Earth that could keep her away from a willing, pliable participant in dungeon intimacies, especially one already in situ, shackled and desperate to please.
The Princesses went towards their rooms, promising to check in with me from time to time. When I asked what that meant, I was told that there was no way they were spending their time of freedom in one country, much less one house, and that was the last I saw of them for a while.
Demise and Cassandra came back to my library with me and made themselves comfortable while I tried to plot some way through the impending crisis. There was no doubt in my mind that we were building up to a big one.
With the Vampires, it had been a relatively simple problem. I knew who my enemies were, I knew what they wanted and I knew why. I knew none of those things when it came to the Conclave.
I didn’t even have an idea of what Bradley could get out of this. Revenge, I suppose, I had brought down her mentor, but was that a good enough reason for siding with a murderer against an Archon?
In the end, I couldn’t really think of anything. There was nothing concrete to work from, nothing to plot around. I did my best to push it to the back of my mind, at least temporarily. I still had a life to lead outside of politics, after all. My second year of University was going to start in five days, and that meant that I had to make calls and divert my friends to alternative accommodations until we could be sure that Blackhold wasn’t a target for retaliation. It wasn't that the property itself was unsafe, but people coming and going were definitely at risk.
That had not been a pleasant call. It took me a good half hour to calm Mary down and convince her to actually take the alternative accommodations that I was able to find for her and our friends. She also hadn’t liked the idea of being run off, and was worried for me. Eventually, I was able to convince her that this was for the best, and she offered to inform everyone else, which was nice of her. I’d miss having her around, but her company wasn’t worth risking her life.
"How did things get this bad, Cassie?" I asked after I’d put the phone down.
"Do you want an honest answer to that?" she replied.
"Will I like it?"
"No."
"Well, I'll hear it anyway."
She smiled, "It's like what Heritage said to you. You're young, a kid; hell, a foetus compared to the Magicians in power, and yet you're willing to dictate to them; to interfere with them when you have to.
"They don't believe you deserve your power, and they don't like the fact that you live here and yet won't be controlled by them. Why do you think the other Archons live apart from the Magical communities in their countries?"
I hadn't really thought of that. Now that I thought about it, Blackhold was the only Archon's residence in a city, or even within a hundred miles of any really built-up area.
"And... you're a Shadowborn, but not what anyone would consider a... real one," she said, smiling warmly at me. "For most Magicians, a Shadowborn will always be a source of revulsion and worry, something to be kept away from, something to fear. The First Shadows earn their respect and obedience from an extension of that fear. Simply put, nobody thinks you'd kill a fly, so nobody's scared of you, and without that fear..."
"There’s no respect. And all that’s left is the revulsion," I finished.
Cassandra nodded.
"And t
hat only makes this attempt to pin those murders on me more ridiculous. If Myrddin manages to convince people that I'm a murderer, won't that incline more people to get in line behind me?"
"That assumes than there's anyone left in that building who's not in on whatever they're planning," Demise pointed out.
Now that was a terrifying thought.
Chapter 46
Tethys woke me up at three o'clock that morning by dropping heavily into bed next to me.
I didn’t even notice. I was dead tired, exhausted from a long day of Spellcasting, Telepathy... and writhing around on the floor in indescribable agony. And I’d only gotten to bed an hour earlier.
"I can't sleep," she said, elbowing me.
I muttered something, but if it was words, I can’t remember them.
"Matty!"
I jolted upright, “What? What’s wrong? Who’s dead this time?!” I jabbered before realising that it was just Tethys and the house wasn’t on fire, or something (really not good without my night’s sleep...).
I flicked a light on, rubbing my bleary eyes so I could look at her.
"Wow!" I gasped, seeing the rather interesting (and very flattering) set of night things she was wearing.
Her black hair was tousled in that way that spoke of careful preparation, a touch of lipstick made her lips a glistening red and she smelt faintly of flowers.
"Thank you," she said, shaking her hair just a little; even that was more than enough to raise my heart-rate.
"And what can I do for you?" I asked after taking a moment to make sure that my voice wouldn’t wobble.
She sighed and gestured me back to a lying position. She settled down on top of me, her head under my chin. I stroked her back, which made her sigh contentedly.
"It isn't fun anymore," she said softly.
"Ross?"
She nodded, "I had to fake it the last three times. In the end, I had to throw Kandi at her just to get out of there."
"Things will be different. You two have been through something very difficult to get past. You're certainly a far more forgiving person than I've been in your place. But just say the word and I'll drop her in a volcano for you."
