by August Li
Ros looked sleepy, but she managed to wave. She clutched the stuffed horse Dante had hauled around so religiously.
“Raf,” Dante said. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m not sure I know,” he answered.
They both nodded, an obviously unspoken agreement to worry about it later, figure things out when they weren’t so bloody exhausted they didn’t even know their own names.
“Well,” Raf said. “I have a shipment to protect and friends in the hospital. I should head back to the city. Would you like me to take you and Rosalind along? You can both spend the night at my house. You’ll be safe there.”
Jet sat up. “No, they won’t.”
“What do you mean?” Dante asked.
Jet shook their head. “Look, don’t ask me to explain everything right now, because I need about a gallon of Red Bull first, but I did some checking in the last few hours while your boss dropped off the truck and got your guys to the hospital. Sekhet-Aaru knows about your sister, and they know what she can do. They know everything about you, and they’re not going to stop until they get her back.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Raf said. “I’m going to fight these people, oppose their agenda. I can no longer reconcile the kind of man I’ve always imagined myself and sitting by while Nazis prey on children and those… those others manipulate and control us from behind a curtain. I plan to stand against them. I have enough weapons to outfit a small army.”
“That’s a start,” Jet said. “But you’re going to need more than guns or even bodies to hold them. You need hearts and minds behind those weapons. You need to know what you’re up against.”
“Maybe you can help me with that,” Raf said.
“This gorgeous creature’s been helping us all along,” the short-haired woman—Moirin?—said. “Who do you think does all my tech work? And is a mighty fine one for an evening’s company.” She winked.
I dragged my hand across my eyes. “Bleeding shite, how much more convoluted can this all get?”
“Never mind that,” Dante said. “Jet, what are you saying? We need to get out of the city? The state?”
“I don’t know if that will be enough,” Emrys said gently.
“What? Then what?” Dante’s voice rose, cracked. He looked down at the gun in his hand, and I could see on his face the moment he knew it couldn’t keep them safe. Poor, poor man.
“This is the most powerful organization on the planet,” Jet said. “Maybe in history. I dealt them a blow tonight, but we’d be stupid to think they’re gone. These people… they’re everywhere.”
Dante’s eyes were wide. “Are you saying there’s nowhere we can go? Nowhere safe? Doesn’t anyone know?”
“I do,” Blossom said, and fuck me, he almost sounded compassionate. “I know a place Rosalind will be safe. It is also a place where she can learn to use her gifts.”
“Where?” Dante asked.
“Come.” Blossom stood and walked into the motel’s parking lot, which was empty except for a white SUV. The snow was unbroken, pure and glistening. Looking at it, I could scarcely believe everything that happened a few miles from here. Above the bare branches and the peaks of the evergreens around us, a virginal pink crept into the sky. Blossom walked to the end of the gravel patch and stood between a pair of snow-covered wooden picnic tables. He moved his hands in graceful loops, and a warm golden light spilled from the center of a copse of trees.
As we all stood staring, a woman emerged. She took a few steps out of the clearing and looked about with the cool disregard almost exclusive to royalty, though she wore a simple green linen dress overtop of an equally unassuming white chemise. She had delicate features, more freckles than I’d ever seen, and hair so red it made the rest of the world look like a faded photograph. It was arranged elaborately in ropes and braids.
Blossom walked up to the woman, and I expected one or the other to bow, though I couldn’t begin to guess which one. Finally she spoke. “I did not expect to see you again so soon.”
“Apparently a great deal of time has passed in the mortal world,” Blossom said.
“My people have not been as oblivious to the goings on here as yours,” she said.
“So you know why I’ve invited you here?”
She smiled, and when she looked at Ros, her seafoam eyes glowed as bright as her hair. Desire like I’d never felt rolled off her like a scent. Such want. “Yes.”
“And you’ll take her?”
“Wait.” Dante stepped forward. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Dante, this is my friend Niamh. In the past, both of us have done favors for the other, made bargains. In order to fulfill the bargain I made to you, I must ask her to take Rosalind.”
“Take her where?”
Niamh knelt down to Ros’s eye level. “I live on a beautiful island hidden from the rest of the world. It’s full of lovely forests, fields of wildflowers, and lakes and streams as pure and clear as crystal. There are white harts, wild horses, animals of all kinds living free. And all the people there are good and kind, and they have magic, just like you. We can keep you hidden from the bad people, and we can teach you. It’ll be just like going away to school.”
Ros looked over her shoulder at Dante, who had tears running down his face even though he was smiling.
“We call our island Avalon after the island of legend, and it’s a world all on its own, where there is no pollution, no hunger, no greed, and no one tries to hurt each other. I’m part of a group called the Order of Marian, and you can be a part of our group too. Our family.”
“I don’t want to leave my brother.”
Dante broke then and dropped to his knees to embrace his sister and cry softly. All I wanted in that moment was to ease his pain, but I knew I couldn’t just as surely as I knew what he was going to say: “It’s okay, baby. It sounds nice, like the forest of Arden, and you’ll be safe there. I… I want what’s best for you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I know. I love you, Dante.” They were both crying as they pressed their foreheads together.
He pressed the stuffed horse to her chest. “Don’t forget about Touchstone.”
As Dante stood up, swiping his nose with the back of his arm, Blossom said, “If I might be permitted, I have a gift for you, Rosalind.” He took the toy and set it on the ground.
The stuffed horse stretched and shifted until in its place stood a perfectly proportioned pony the color of cotton candy, with a mane like spun gold and hooves like pearls. She had sunshine-yellow eyes and long, spindly legs. Prettiest little thing I ever saw, and she gave off a scent like vanilla and lavender. When Ros reached out a hand, the pony knelt down so the girl could climb onto her back.
Niamh gasped. “That is no trifle.”
“I swore an oath to keep the girl from harm,” Blossom said. “Besides, I like her.”
“So I see,” Niamh said. “Well, lass, are you ready to see your new home, meet the rest of the Order?”
Ros nodded and smiled. I had to hand it to the faerie twat; the pretty new pet did a lot to take Ros’s mind off the severity of her situation. As anyone would, she touched her pony’s neat little ears and spun-floss mane, clearly enamored. Niamh put a hand on Blossom’s elbow. “Old friend, I suspect we’ll see each other again sooner rather than later.”
“Do you know something I don’t?” he asked.
She met his eyes and smiled. “Do you not hear what the winds and the waves are whispering? The way their voices grow more insistent by the day? The fate of the world will soon be decided. Me and my people have been waiting for this time. You should make yourself ready as well.”
Then the two of them walked back into the trees. The golden light faded, leaving the world feeling sadder and colder than before, and they were gone.
“Gone,” Dante whispered. “All that, and I lost her anyway. At least she’ll be happy, I hope.”
“What about you?” Jet asked. “Sekhet-Aaru wil
l try to go through you to get to Ros. You know, you could come with us. Me and Emrys, and—” They turned to me.
“If you’ll have me,” I said.
“Heh. Stay hydrated, big guy. You could come with me, Emrys, and Inky. Help us fight those assholes.”
“I thought I wouldn’t be safe,” Dante said.
“You won’t,” Emrys said. “But I imagine you’re used to that. As a rogue mage, I’m not safe from the guilds either, but I can tell you it’s better not to be alone. We watch each other’s backs, and you can trust us.”
Jet pointed to their eye. “I have a little bit of an insurance policy. It’s probably not enough to keep them from coming after your sister, but… I wear a contact lens that allows me access to certain ESM networks. It also allows me to record… and upload. I got some footage of the fight, evidence of people using magic, and it’s currently being safely bounced around a grid of protected servers all over the world. It might be enough to keep them off your back, at least once they learn Ros is gone. I’ll do what I can.”
As I watched him, I hoped he’d say yes. I could feel his desire for a place to belong, a sense of purpose now that Ros had gone. Maybe with friendship, his anger and despair would fade in time. He might not want sex, but I felt sure I could be what he wanted, give him a reason to look forward to life for once. “Yeah, mate,” I said. “I’d like that.”
Before he could answer, Blossom bent, scooped Charlene—who’d apparently escaped when we’d left the door to the room open—onto his shoulder, and said, “And I offer an alternative.”
“What?” Dante asked.
“Come with me. We’ll fight the mages together—not with plots and secrets and machines, but with my magic and your proficiency with those weapons. We will make them pay, and no one will be able to stop us.”
“Dante…,” Raf said.
But I saw the glint in Dante’s eye, and I remembered how he’d felt in the basement of Hex, that righteous anger. It was the only way he knew how to define himself, especially now that he’d lost his sister, and it burned in him like a sun. I knew I’d lost him even before he nodded to Blossom and whispered, “Yeah.”
Blossom clapped and pirouetted on the ball of one foot. Charlene yowled.
“What you’re planning is no life for a cat,” I said, surprised how petulant I sounded. Fuck me, but I didn’t want to lose Dante… not to the faerie twat, and not to the rage that was going to leave him a cinder. But I’d done all I could. Maybe he just needed to work it out of his system.
Blossom heaved a dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes. “Oh all right.” He handed Charlene to me, and I situated her inside the tuxedo jacket I still wore. “But if anything happens to my good friend, you’ll have me to deal with.”
“No empty threat, that,” I grumbled. “Now piss off if you’re going. Dante… take care of yourself. And, uh, look us up sometimes.”
He actually met my eyes and smiled, making my innards feel warm. “You might want to stay away from that shithole mage bar for a while, though.”
They turned to go, and Jet called out, “Hey, when do I get one of those horses?”
Blossom waved without looking back, and Moirin said, “JZ, my love, if you’re looking for something to ride….”
When I turned toward Moirin, she was giving me the up and down without even trying to hide it. Funny thing was, I could feel the spark coming off her, that sweet golden energy so thick I could taste it, but her desires weren’t coaxing me into any specific shape or molding my personality to her whims. Oh sure, I’d do the things she liked, Jet too, but I’d do them because I wanted to. Because dammit, I was me. More me than I’d ever been before. I’d become something completely different, maybe unique in the world.
It didn’t scare me.
More and more, I liked the idea of looking like me, getting turned on by what turned me on, being annoyed by my own issues. Best of all, I had a feeling I could bring some fantasies to life without altering myself, and for the first time, I’d stick around after the honeymoon came to an end. It would take more work than I was used to, more compromise, but to have people who valued me just the way I was? People who cared about me, would fight for me, after the shine dulled?
Bloody hell, that’s the stuff dreams are made of, isn’t it?
More from August Li
Blessed Epoch: Book One
For the past few years Yarroway L’Estrella has lived in exile, gathering arcane power. But that power came at a price, and he carries the scars to prove it. Now he must do his duty: his uncle, the king, needs him to escort Prince Garith to his wedding, a union that will create an alliance between the two strongest countries in the known world. But Yarrow isn’t the prince’s only guard.
A whole company of knights is assigned to the mission, and Yarrow’s not sure he trusts their leader.
Knight Duncan Purefroy isn’t sure he trusts Yarrow either, but after a bizarre occurrence during their travels, they have no choice but to work together—especially since the incident also reveals a disturbing secret, one that might threaten the entire kingdom.
The precarious alliance is strained further when a third member joins the cause for reasons of his own—reasons that may not be in the best interests of the prince or the kingdom. With enemies at every turn, no one left to trust, and the dark power within Yarrow pulling dangerously away from his control, the fragile bond the three of them have built may be all that stands between them and destruction.
Blessed Epoch: Book Two
Despite their disparate natures, Yarrow, Duncan, and Sasha united against overwhelming odds to save Prince Garith’s life. Now Garith is king and the three friends may be facing their undoing.
Distraught over Yarrow’s departure to find the cure to his magical affliction, Duncan struggles with his new role as Bairn of Windwake, a realm left bankrupt and in turmoil by his predecessor. Many of Duncan’s vassals conspire against him, and Sasha’s unorthodox solutions to Duncan’s problem have earned them the contempt of Garith’s nobles.
When word reaches Duncan and Sasha that Yarrow is in danger, they want nothing more than to rush to his aid. But Duncan’s absence could tip Windwake into the hands of his enemies. In addition, a near-mythic order of assassins wants Sasha dead. Without Yarrow, Duncan and Sasha can’t take the fight to the assassins. They are stuck, entangled in a political world they don’t understand. But finding Yarrow may cause more problems, and with his court divided, King Garith must strike a balance between supporting his friends and assuaging the nobles who want Duncan punished—and Sasha executed.
Blessed Epoch: Book Three
Sasha was born to, and has always defined himself by, the secret assassins’ Order of the Crimson Scythe. He chose the love of Yarrow L’Estrella and Duncan Purefroy over his duty to his clan, forfeiting his last mission and allowing Prince Garith to live. Now, the order—previously Sasha’s family—has branded him a traitor. He’s marked, and that means the brethren of the Crimson Scythe won’t stop until Sasha is dead.
Garith’s twin kingdoms balance on the brink of war, and all three men have reasons to help the king, whether loyalty, duty, the interests of their own lands, or gold in their pockets. Still, Yarrow and Duncan are willing to abandon their reasons to seek out and destroy the assassins’ order to keep Sasha safe. But Sasha isn’t sure that’s what he wants. Loyalties are strained by both foreign invaders and conspirators in their midst. It’s hard to know which side to choose with threats piling up from every direction and war looming, inevitable, on the horizon. Their world teeters on the precipice of change, and Sasha, Duncan, and Yarrow can only hope the links they’ve forged will hold if Garith’s kingdom is torn apart.
Blessed Epoch: Book Four
An assassin’s unexpected mercy granted Octavian Rose his life and freed him from his father’s control, but it left him with little more than the clothes on his back and the determination not to waste his chance at a life of his choosing.
As Octavian se
ts out to make a name for himself, he refuses to compromise his ideals for money or status—a decision tested as he works his way up the ranks as a mercenary fighter and novice mage. Along the way he forges friendships, takes lovers, and makes bitter enemies, all while striving for the power he feels he deserves and can wield fairly.
With the advent of the Blessed Epoch and the discovery of new cultures, the world is changing. Octavian’s decisions will affect not only those closest to him but will have profound worldwide consequences that he cannot begin to imagine. For twenty years, Octavian does what he must, and his choices bring him brilliant victories alongside crushing losses. Time and again, he must choose between what is right for all and what is beneficial to him, while hoping for the wisdom to tell the difference.
FREE Short—A Lesson and a Favor
Eight years before meeting Yarrow and Duncan in Ash and Echoes, the man now known as Sasha lived and breathed for a single purpose: to kill for gold and the glory of his cult and dark god without emotion or hesitation. In this lost tale of Sasha’s early career, he’s dispatched on a difficult mission—one with a surprise in store for him.
FREE Short—Archer’s Regret
Sylvain Damasca has seen and done it all since walking away from his wealthy family and the promise of a future title. He’s had more men, money, and adventure than he can count—including a part in the founding of Rosecairn—but he’s restless, and no amount of gold, wine, or casual companionship can scratch his itch. It might be time to deal with the one thing he left unfinished, if he can find the courage to face the only man who ever got underneath his skin.
Blessed Epoch: Book Five
Whose hand will orchestrate the change in the world?
The decade-long war with Johmatra is over, but peace hangs by a thread in Garith’s kingdom. Yarrow, isolated in his island realm, refuses to abide by the treaty or to follow the dictates of the priestesses. Others—Octavian Rose among them—are uneasy with the growing military power of the temples, and the mage island of Espero remains a tenuous ally. Garith knows his people cannot weather another conflict and that infighting will leave their lands vulnerable to further invasion. The arrival of a Johmatran ambassador with his own agenda calls everyone’s loyalties into question.
