by Jaci Miller
The whispering of the Keltie surrounded her, a chorus of noise that drowned out the warnings the tree spirits tried to impart.
She cocked her head and listened, a scowl forming on her face.
“I will not be merciful,” she said. “The elf must pay with her blood for her ancestors’ sins.”
The whispering intensified.
Her eyes tracked back to the elf, watching as she made her way back inside the tower.
She nodded in agreement. “Yes, I will cut out her heart.”
The whispers giggled.
Chapter 15
The fortress was deathly quiet.
Elyse tossed and turned unable to sleep. She got out of bed and walked to the balcony. The warm air ruffled her hair and the smell of apple blossoms scented the breeze. Taking a deep breath, she studied her surroundings.
The landscape stretching out before her glistened in the silvery moonlight. The waterfall roared in the distance and its pounding surf blended seamlessly with the other night sounds to create a soothing chorus.
Leaning over the balcony she stared up into the starry sky and listened to Athir’s night voice. Puffy white clouds drifted in front of the moon, hiding its glow as they passed.
The world darkened and she shivered.
Leaving the balcony, she closed the doors behind her.
A sudden chill crawled over her skin—a warning.
The clouds moved past the moon and the room was once again cast in a silvery light.
“Hello, Elyse.”
She jumped as the familiar voice echoed from the dark.
Marlee sat in the corner of the room, legs thrown casually over the arms of a wing-back chair. Her platinum hair shimmered in the moonlight and her skin glowed a ghostly shade of pale.
“Marlee,” Elyse exclaimed. “I’ve been so worried. Where have you been?”
She flicked her hand upward. “Around.” Dropping her legs to the floor she leaned forward. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable.”
“Strange, isn’t it? Being here.”
Marlee smiled and shrugged. “Do you remember?”
“Remember what?” She said taking a step back. Marlee’s apathetic tone was beginning to make her feel uneasy.
As Marlee leaned back in the chair, her face disappeared behind the shadows. “How you betrayed me.”
An echo of whispers filled the room and Elyse tensed. Her eyes searched for the sound, but nothing hid in the murk but Marlee.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The whispering grew louder, filling the room with a chaotic chorus. Elyse covered her ears.
“It is time for your penance my friend. For elf blood to spill and for your race to finally die. This world belongs to us it always has, and we no longer wish to share.”
Marlee stood, walking out of the dim with a look of indignation contorting her pretty face. The blade of a knife glinted in her hand.
The room seemed to grow smaller as Elyse realized—Marlee was no longer her friend. In a twist of fate, she had become the enemy.
Panicked she bolted toward the door but Marlee blocked her path.
She wagged her finger. “No. No. You must stay and face the consequences, elf.”
Her blue eyes were wild, feral almost, the irises filled with cruelty. “You took what wasn’t yours and now we want it back.”
A surging cacophony of whispers echoed through the room as Marlee casually walked toward her swinging the sharp blade and singing.
Run, Run, while you can.
No one lives on this bloody land
You took what was ours once before
Now we’re back to even the score.
Elyse’s heart thumped in her chest.
She was mocking her.
“Why are you doing this?” she screamed as she searched for a way out. “What do you want?”
Reaching behind her Marlee pulled out a second knife. Moonlight glinted off the blade. “Your life.”
Elyse ran for the far wall, sprinting toward the one weapon in the room.
A howl erupted behind her, and she was lifted off her feet by a gust of wind. She writhed in pain as she was slammed to the floor the air knocked from her lungs.
Marlee laughed. “So weak.”
She lifted one of the knives, running the pad of her index finger along its sharp edge. Watch, she mouthed, extending her finger and showing her the cut, blood dripping from the open gash.
Elyse gasped as the wound miraculously closed. Marlee had healed herself.
An unexpected knock on the door interrupted the moment and drew Marlee’s attention. Scrambling toward the wall Elyse pulled the polearm from its display hooks. Curved blades adorned either end. She moved the weapon in small circles as if she were rowing a boat.
It felt good in her hands. Comfortable.
The knocking grew louder.
“Help!” she screamed.
“Elyse?” Sebastian said from the other side of the door. The pounding intensified as he tried to break it down.
Marlee turned to face her. “Playtime is over.” Malice ignited her blue eyes as she crossed the distance between them with little effort.
A thrum of whispers filled the room spurring her on.
Marlee lunged. The knives came within inches of her face before she managed to block them with the handle of the polearm and push her away. Swinging the weapon in an arc, she lifted the flat side of the blade connecting with the knife and forcing it from Marlee’s grip. It clattered across the stone floor.
A smirk formed at the corner of her mouth. “Impressive for an elf.”
Elyse rotated the polearm this time the right blade swung toward Marlee. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” she laughed, twirling around the room in glee. “I’m going to cut you from pelvis to sternum and gut you like the foul filth you are.”
She shrieked as she ran at Elyse, her remaining knife gripped in her hand and held high over her head.
Elyse flung herself to one side spinning the blade of the polearm skillfully. The tip caught Marlee’s thigh ripping through leather, skin, and flesh.
Blood poured from the gash and the unseen whisperers roared.
The door to the room smashed open and Sebastian burst in sword raised, followed by the others.
Elyse turned in time to see ghostly bleached figures appear over their heads.
“Watch out,” she yelled.
Killenn and Sebastian swung their swords, narrowly missing the ghostly fae as they swarmed. The metal of Kai’s scimitar sang as she pulled it from its sheath, knocking an entity back with the butt of the hilt. She screamed as it raked its claws across her shoulder.
Marlee stood at the center of the room speaking an unknown tongue. An evil glint shone in her eye as she conjured up a small funnel of air. As it twisted and turned around the room it sucked in furniture and other objects flinging them back out moments later.
Debris rained down around them.
With a command from Stevie, Diego ran at Marlee his large paws and considerable weight knocking her to the floor.
The wind ceased.
She jabbed at the Dragonwolf with her knife cutting him in the muzzle. Yelping he backed off. Saliva dripped from his teeth as he bared them. Another surge of wind erupted picking Diego up and blowing him through the glass doors. He landed with a thud on the balcony as wood and glass shattered around his limp form.
Stevie yelled in fury lunging at Marlee, but a ghostly entity grabbed her in its talons and tossed her sidelong against the far wall.
The entities continued to attack but Tauria and Killenn managed to break away. Placing their backs against the walls they assaulted Marlee and the entities with a barrage of arrows.
Elyse pounced. Her po
learm whirled back and forth, blade crashing against blade until Marlee began to fatigue. Her wounds could not heal fast enough before another formed, and she was losing a considerable amount of blood. With a final burst of energy, Elyse twisted to avoid a lethal swing of her knife and got behind her.
Marlee was pinned. One blade of the polearm was against her throat the other dug into the floor. The entities instantly ceased their attack and fled back into the shadows, waiting.
Marlee winced as the sharp blade cut into her skin. Arrows protruded from her body and blood ran in rivulets from the wounds. The barrage from Tauria and Killenn had weakened her. The powers she recently gained from her birthright must not be fully formed yet, and she’d expelled her strength too quickly. She hadn’t planned on such an intense and exhaustive battle against a multitude of immortals—only Elyse.
Marlee’s anger surged, and she struggled against Elyse’s grasp.
“Die, elf.”
“Not today thanks.”
Sebastian lifted an eyebrow at her words, and she shrugged with satisfaction.
Early morning rays shone through the smashed balcony doors lighting the room in a soft orange luminosity.
The entities’ whispering ended replaced by unearthly shrieks as they fled the glistening rays that dissipated the shadows.
“Go,” Marlee croaked.
The ghostly figures disappeared, and the room became quiet.
Elyse removed the blade from Marlee’s throat, and she staggered backward blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.
“You haven’t won,” she hissed.
“Haven’t I?” Elyse spat.
Kai lit the wick of a candle and held it aloft as Stevie began to mutter. The flame flickered reaching out toward where Marlee and Elyse stood. Like a burning snake, it weaved its way between them stretching upward until they were separated by a wall of fire.
Elyse dropped the polearm, exhausted.
Blue eyes reflected the flames as Marlee backed up the heat pushing her toward the balcony. She spat at the fire as she stepped out into the breaking dawn. The wall of flames blocked her from the other immortals, and she shrieked in frustration. Yanking arrows from her body she tried to douse the fire with air, but the flames fed on the gusts, growing higher.
Enraged, she screamed.
Ambient light flickered across Elyse’s face, and she shut her eyes. A warm tingle spread through the mark on her check as it began to glow.
She heard Marlee shriek and she opened her eyes.
Through the flames she could see her flailing as fluffy, white creatures with black wings surrounded her. They dived at her head, razor-sharp teeth digging into her flesh. One after another they attacked unrelentingly until she crumpled to the ground, bloody and unconscious.
Stevie extinguished the wall of flames and hurried to the balcony. She cradled Diego in her arms speaking softly to him. He whimpered and licked her hand.
“Is he alright?” Kai asked.
Rafe bent down and checked Diego over. “He may have some glass in his paws and the breath was knocked from him, but he will be fine. It takes a lot more than this to down a Dragonwolf.” He leaned over and checked Marlee’s pulse. “I suspect she will be out for a time but let us bind her securely before she awakens.”
“The entities that were here. They looked like the Keltie fae of old. How is that possible?” Sebastian asked.
Rafe indicated the unconscious Marlee. “It would seem her birthright is connected to something much older than us.”
“So, you are implying the gateway has been reopened.”
“It has.”
“Remarkable.” Sebastian glanced at the rising sun. “They are gone for now but are sure to return. Keltie will not wander in the daylight, so we must make haste and get to the Galenvale Grove before nightfall.”
“What about her?” Killenn asked.
“We will have to take her with us. She cannot be left behind for she is part of the prophecy. There may be an answer in the Druid sanctuary that will help.”
“What is wrong with her?” Tauria asked, nudging Marlee with the tip of her boot.
Sebastian indicated the creatures who now sat lined up on the balcony railing. “She has been injected with a heavy dose of a serum that induces a deep state of unconsciousness. Their bite is very toxic.”
“What are they?” asked Kai.
Sebastian smiled. “They are Zibits—extraordinary little creatures.”
Chapter 16
It had been almost two weeks since Dane encountered Lucien Beck at the old mill. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him and his cryptic messages since they met. It unnerved her how quickly he got under her skin.
Lucien Beck the entrepreneur, and philanthropist was obviously someone used to getting his own way, but it was Lucien Beck, the Tierney, who interested her. He clearly had secrets and an agenda but the way he spoke of the prophecy is what worried her.
Replaying their conversation in her mind she was convinced Lucien Beck planned to use the ancient dark to his advantage. He obviously possessed magic—dark magic, for he had managed to link this world to the one that trapped the ancient dark.
That made him powerful and dangerous.
Lucien Beck was a variable she hadn’t counted on.
She turned the corner toward the town hall. Tonight, she would get answers. Tomorrow she would join her friends.
Her mother’s death had pushed her into an overwhelming destructive rage but over the past weeks, she’d managed to gain control. Revenge would not bring her mother back nor would it take away the pain. Her friends had sacrificed their mortal lives for others, and she’d abandoned them. It was time to make it right.
The clock tower struck midnight the chimes echoing through the night sky. With every stroke, the full moon grew closer as did the passing of the prophecy.
She must face her destiny and the Second Coming.
Rounding the side of the municipal building she descended the staircase leading to the back door. Grasping the heavy padlock, she visualized an energy ball seeping through the keyhole. Her warrior magic expanded it as it wove its way through the lock mechanisms.
With a muffled pop the lock broke.
Dane looked around. Nothing but the night’s silence greeted her.
She pushed on the door and it swung in on creaky hinges. Pitch black stillness filled the space. The ambient light from the open door scarcely reached a few feet into the building.
Clicking on the small flashlight she swept the beam back and forth. It was a small storage space. Piles of old cardboard file boxes were strewn around the room. Tall bookcases lined the walls their shelves filled with dusty, leather ledgers. Stickers on the spines cataloged the dates and counties to which they referenced. Opening a few of the cardboard boxes she found them full of old city maps and town records. Since there was nothing here dated within the past few decades, she left the room in search of the more recent land records, specifically—city land sales.
Light from the streetlamps trickled through the glass windows casting a muted glow across the tile floor. Dane extinguished her flashlight and looked around. Office doors stood closed on either side of the room each frosted glass insert stenciled with the room’s name. Her gaze flitted over the doors seeking the one that read—Land Records Room.
Soundlessly, she turned the doorknob but found the door locked.
A nameplate reading, Jules Torres, Land Records Clerk, sat on a desk to the left of the door. Opening the top drawer, she searched through papers, sticky note pads, and paper clips until she found an old brass key tucked under a notebook at the back. As she pulled out the key, she noticed it had a piece of masking tape looped around its bow. In black magic marker were the letters LRR. Assuming, it stood for Land Records Room she walked back to the door and slid the key into the lock.
As the key turned, she heard a faint click and the door swung open.
File cabinets lined the walls, and she scanned the labels looking for the drawer marked G. The drawer opened with a screech making her cringe. Flipping through the interior folders she found one labeled Gristmill Flour Company—Mill Sale.
“There you are,” she whispered pulling the file and flipping through its contents.
The sale of the mill finalized about a week ago. The purchaser was Beck Holdings Inc., Lucien Beck CEO.
So, it was true.
She flipped to the final page of the purchase and sale and jotted down the address and phone number of Beck Holdings, New York City. As she rifled through the rest of the documents, she discovered a short-term residential lease agreement. Removing the obscure document from the file she read the two-page agreement. It pertained to a small house on the far side of town. It seemed Lucien Beck was renting a home for two months from the mayor.
Dane added the address of the rental to the notepad and stuffed the file back in the cabinet. On her way out she locked the door and replaced the key back into the clerk’s desk. There was nothing she could do about the broken padlock, so she left it on the ground where it fell.
Returning to her jeep Dane put the rental address into her phone mapping system. Potter Circle was a new subdivision, a ten-minute drive from the town hall. She would wait until daybreak and then confront Lucien Beck. Before she sought out the others, she needed to get some answers.
It took a few moments for the door to open in response to her knock. His handsome face didn’t register any shock at seeing her on his doorstep in the early morning hours.
“Dane, what a nice surprise.”
“Is it?”
Lucien ignored her sarcasm and opened the door wider. “Please come in. I have a pot of coffee on.”
She followed him down the hall and into the sun-drenched kitchen. Dressed in dark jeans, a dark blue crew-neck sweater, and bare feet he oozed casual confidence. His hair was rumpled and his normally perfect five o’clock shadow was unkempt making him look less intimidating than the last time they had met.
