by Amy Sumida
“That's not possible,” I said firmly. “The dead are gone, their bodies are dust. No one can bring them back.”
“Oh, it's possible,” Raza held up a hand when Chad started to bluster at me. “Bodies can be rebuilt with magic and souls lured into them. It's been done before but only with the greatest care and reverence... and the greatest need. We might have brought back Dagda if the club hadn't been lost with him.”
“And that would have been justified,” Chad said solemnly. “The club could have been filled in battle and used honorably.”
“Filled in battle?” I huffed. “Could we just speak plainly please?”
“In order to bring back the dead, life energy had to be collected first,” Raza took his seat again, his wings rustling into a folded position. “One blow kills nine, remember? The holy number of three multiplied by itself. The club needed to take nine lives before it could restore one. One blow for one life. On the battlefield, that isn't a problem but if you were to use it in times of peace...”
“You'd have to murder nine people,” I whispered.
“Yes and that's the problem,” Chad's face was twisting into something menacing, something very un-Chad.
“Murder is always a problem,” I said gently.
“No, the problem is beyond the villainy of murder,” Raza said in a low voice. “If the club is used in a dishonorable way, say to selfishly bring back a loved one by stealing the lives of innocents, then the soul which is brought back will return tainted by the evil of the deed.”
“That sounds bad,” I whispered. “But then no one would want to use it dishonorably, especially not to bring back a loved one.”
“Love makes us all behave irrationally,” Raza swallowed hard and looked away from me. “Especially when it's lost to you.”
“But King Uisdean?” Chad mused. “He's many things but irrational is not one of them.”
“Um, excuse me?” I huffed. “I've seen him behave very irrationally.”
“No, you've seen him behave with cold calculation,” Raza corrected me. “It may have appeared irrational to you but Uisdean always has a reason for what he does.”
“Yeah, even when he serves the Goddess, it's with an ulterior motive,” I muttered.
“What's that?” Raza frowned.
“Well, you do know that the whole reason I went to the Court of the Nine Sons was because Uisdean came to our aid that day we were fleeing the dullahan city,” I grumbled. “He said that Danu sent him but then added that he'd be asking me a favor in return for his help.”
“No, I didn't know,” Raza's eyes narrowed. “The King of the Unseelie conned you into joining him in the Court of the Nine Sons?”
“That about sums it up,” I nodded and sipped at my tea.
“Peculiar indeed,” Chad noted.
“You're saying that isn't typical Uisdean behavior?” I scoffed.
“Only if he's after something extremely valuable,” Raza shot back his hot cup of tea like it was a shot of whiskey. “He wanted you with him.” He shook his head and growled, “Why was that so important?”
“He said he wanted me there to keep the dragons from fighting with him,” I offered. “Something about my ambassadorial status throwing them off and hopefully making them more reasonable.”
“But he must have known that you would mention Danu,” Chad looked from me to Raza. “Why would he want to bring Seren when her presence was almost guaranteed to upset the dragon kings?”
“I don't know,” Raza growled. “It makes no sense. He would have done better keeping Seren out of it. Her involvement increased the odds of his unsavory activities coming to light.”
“Unless that was the whole point,” I whispered.
“Your Highness?” Conri gave me a tired smile as he came in the front door. “Can you direct me to a bed please?”
“Of course, Sir Conri, right this way,” I got up and started herding the returning fey to Chad's guest rooms for showers and sleep. When I got back to the breakfast bar, it was to find Chad and Raza staring at me in horror. “What is it now?”
“Uisdean and his men should have been back before your Guard,” Chad's stare was horrified.
“Danu damn them,” I growled. “Chad, do you know where the mining site is?”
“Oh yes,” Chad started to smile.
“How fast can you get us there?” Raza asked.
“Fast,” Chad's smile grew as he raced to the door. “Very fast.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Just as we pulled into the muddy meadow in front of the mining site, Uisdean sped past us in a black SUV packed full of his men. He gave me a malicious smile as he zoomed by. I don't know what I was more annoyed by, the fact that he was using the Extinguisher's preferred mode of transport or the fact that he'd tricked me into believing he couldn't drive.
Chad sprayed mud in an arc behind us as he jerked his Lexus around and raced after Uisdean. They didn't have much of a lead so we gained on them quickly but chasing a fairy is harder than you might think. Fallen trees, off on the side of the road, were suddenly lifted and placed directly in our path.
“Raza!” Chad shouted.
“Got it,” Raza leaned out the window and directed some air magic at the trees. They rolled aside just in time.
Then a wall of fire shot upwards from the dirt road. Raza cursed.
“I've got it,” Chad flung his hand out the window.
A wave appeared out of thin air and crashed over the fire just as we burst through. The fire was fueled by magic, so it sputtered back to life but the water had dampened it long enough for us to pass. Steam clung to our car as we raced on.
Ain't magical warfare grand?
“I can help too, you know,” I hung my head out the passenger side window. “Get ready to brake.”
I used my telekinesis to jerk debris into the path of Uisdean's car. Magic may be more flashy but psychic abilities worked faster. I was able to flick things across the road with the speed of my mind. Uisdean swerved to avoid the organic missiles as his men tried to clear the way with magic. But as I mentioned, magic is just a touch slower and Uisdean ended up smacking into the side of a tree. A satisfying crunch made me smile but the SUV kept going. Those vehicles were made to take a beating ,which was one of the reasons extinguishers preferred them.
Chad's Lexus wouldn't fare so well if we got hit but at least it could maneuver more deftly than an SUV. This was proven beyond a doubt when a barrage of massive debris was thrown at us. Chad swung through them like a pro stuntman.
“Well now I know who to call when I need a getaway driver,” I noted and Chad flashed me a grin in the rearview mirror.
I was about to send some firethorns out to surround Uisdean's tires when we burst out into Juneau proper and a whole new set of problems were presented. Mainly; humans. Uisdean screeched and squealed around turns as people screamed and jumped out of his way. A cop car made an attempt to intercede but its engine suddenly caught fire and it had to pull off to the side of the road.
I narrowed my eyes on the SUV and was about to throw caution to the wind, along with some magic, when Uisdean sped through a red light and Chad tried to follow. A car nearly hit us and we spun out, to finally come to a stop near a family of tourists. I waved a hand and gave them all a nudge. They tumbled like cards, the parents struggling up to help their children. I know; low blow, literally. But it stopped them from reaching for their cell phones. The last thing we needed Internet coverage of our escapade. Especially since Raza didn't have his glamor on.
Chad threw the car into reverse and turned us about but we'd lost precious minutes and never caught up to Uisdean. We pulled into Chad's driveway and sat in the car, staring at Chad's van. It was the only other vehicle there.
“Where are they?” I jumped out of the car and ran around the house to the backyard.
I started for the rath but Raza caught up to me and grabbed my arm.
“They're not here, Seren,” he said reasonably.
&
nbsp; “But they have to be,” I stared from him to Chad. “Where else would they go?”
“The airport?” Chad shrugged. “Or maybe they drove to another rath. They probably didn't want us following them through.”
“It makes sense,” Raza grimaced. “They could be heading anywhere.”
I screamed a very bad word.
“No, not anywhere,” Chad said shrewdly. “We know where their destination is; Unseelie Castle.”
“But there's numerous ways to get there,” I huffed.
“Yes but you're a twilight fairy, Princess Seren,” Chad laid a hand on my arm.
“So?”
“So you can beat King Uisdean back to Castle Unseelie,” Raza said excitedly. “You can travel the In-Between.”
“So I go to the castle and then what?” I asked him. “Battle Uisdean and a castle full of unseelie on my own?”
“You're not the only twilight fairy here,” Raza smiled. “You've got your entire Guard.”
“So, it's my Guard against the Unseelie Court,” I sighed. “And half of my men are taking a well deserved nap.”
“Let them,” Raza nodded. “Even if they sleep another eight hours, you'll still reach the castle before Uisdean. You can ambush him at the bottom of the castle road. The guards on duty won't know your intentions, so they won't think to stop you until it's too late.”
“Oh,” I blinked. “Yeah, I could do that.”
“And you forgot about your babysitters,” Chad smiled. “Aren't you grateful King Keir sent them now?”
“Yes, I am, King Chiwen,” I nodded as my grin turned into a smirk.
When we faced Uisdean, we'd not only have the element of surprise but the advantage of greater numbers.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chad drove the van to pick up the twilight fey on the second watch. We'd decided it was more important for them to be with me than to guard the coast. Raza and I headed inside the house to wait. We ended up lighting a fire in Chad's fireplace and taking a seat on the rug before it. Fire was comforting for both of us and I needed a moment of peace.
I hadn't taken the time to to go shopping, so I was back to wearing Chad's clothing. A red flannel shirt and a pair of faded blue sweatpants. Raza fingered the fraying cuff of the button-down shirt with a smile.
“I've never seen a woman look so beautiful in something so hideous,” he whispered.
“Just because you lit that fire with your own breath, doesn't mean you can use it to romance me,” I teased him.
He heaved a deep sigh and dropped his hand. His golden stare settled on the flames but even with the fire flashing within it, he softened and suddenly seemed less like a dragon and more like a man. A tired man.
“Hey, I'm sorry,” I elbowed his knee. “I didn't mean to be a bitch about it.”
“No, it's fine,” he kept his eyes on the fire. “When we're alone together, it's easy to forget that you don't want me.”
“Ouch,” I winced. “Come on, we've been over this. You know that's not the case.”
“My mistake,” he threw me a small side smile. “You don't want me as much as you want Tiernan.”
“I'm already with-” I cut myself off as I realized what I'd been about to say.
“You're what?” His eyes jerked to my face. “What were you about to say, Seren?”
“Nothing,” I waved it away. “I only meant that it's not about how much I want someone, it's about how much I love someone.”
“And you don't love me.”
“You don't get to sound sad about that,” I huffed. “We barely know each other. Of course this isn't love.”
“And how long did it take you to know that you loved Tiernan?”
I looked away. And then something occurred to me.
“Love,” I whispered. “That's why Uisdean is doing all of this, isn't it?” I looked back to Raza.
He nodded.
“Love for whom?” I asked. “Who does Uisdean want to resurrect?”
“Her name was Rue,” Raza whispered. “She was his wife, his queen.”
“Uisdean was married?” I don't know why that surprised me. I suppose it would be more surprising if Uisdean, who I assumed was thousands of years old, had never been married.
“Yes,” Raza sighed. “She was killed during the Fey-Human Wars, shortly after she was crowned. It was tragic but I had more tragedies to deal with at the time.”
“Wait...” I frowned. “King Dhoire and Queen Rhona died during those wars too.”
“Yes,” he nodded. “That's how Uisdean became king. He succeeded his parents.”
“So Uisdean lost both of his parents and his wife? All around the same time?”
“Yes.”
“Sweet Danu, it's no wonder he hates humans.”
“Humans don't live as long as we do,” Raza mused. “So those who fought in the wars are all dead now. There are histories recorded of course but no human alive can remember the atrocities like those of us who lived them. So it can be harder for us to overcome our anger and let go of the past.”
“Tiernan told me how the Thorns came into power,” I laid a hand on Raza's thick bicep. “I'm so sorry. I know you lost much more than Uisdean did.”
“That had nothing to do with humans,” he looked away. “I told you once that humans hunted my kind and that was true but they weren't entirely responsible for our near extinction.”
“No, it was far worse,” I slipped my hand down into his. “Your own people killed your family.”
“I was seventeen,” his hand clutched mine. “I lost nearly my entire family and went from being a respected royal to an outcast in a single day.”
“Raza,” I whispered. “I can't even imagine.”
“The worst part was that I understood why they did it,” he swallowed hard as his eyes glistened. “My grandfather could be vicious and unpredictable. There was rarely a day when I walked through the halls of Craos-Teine and didn't smell blood. But my parents... they were innocent of his crimes.”
“When I first met you, I remember you saying that your grandfather was one of the last remaining dragon-djinn,” I recalled. “I had assumed that meant he still lived.”
“The last remaining of his day,” Raza shook his head. “Our kind had already been whittled down by humans and interracial breeding, long before the massacre.”
“How many of you survived?”
“Just me and two of my cousins,” his teeth ground together. “We were away from court at the time, in the Human Realm. It's the only reason we lived.”
“Is that when you were with Raye's mother?”
“Yes,” he smiled grimly. “Loving her saved my life.”
“Then, in a way, she saved my life too,” I gave him a little smile.
“I suppose love has ways of echoing out from us, like the ripples on a pond. Be it for good or bad,” he mused.
“What was her name?”
“Raye's mother?” He looked surprised that I asked. “Her name is Ayita.”
“She's still alive?”
“Why does that surprise you?”
“I don't know,” I frowned. “I guess I assumed since you weren't with her, she must have died.”
“We had a child together and I loved her,” Raza smiled. “But we never married and after several years, our love faded into affection. We ended amicably.”
“Oh, that's nice,” I floundered. It felt like I was invading his privacy, so I switched back to our earlier topic. “What happened to your cousins?”
“They were with lovers as well,” he shrugged. “After King Dhoire took the throne, we were informed that we could only return to Fairy only if we vowed not to contest his legitimacy.”
“That's horrible,” I shook my head. “How can you stand to live among the unseelie, much less be civil to them?”
“I didn't live among them for many years,” he swung his gaze to mine just as a tear slipped down his cheek. “At first, I was furious. I refused to take the vow. I was young
and dreamed that one day I would reclaim the throne.”
“Why didn't you?”
“I grew up,” he shrugged. “Ayita helped with that. She was very good at calmly pointing out the facts. And then we had Rayetayah and I knew I couldn't risk returning to Fairy. I needed to raise my son. Children change everything.”
“If you're a good parent, they do,” I squeezed his hand. “When did you return to Fairy?”
“After Rayetayah was grown and Ayita and I separated,” Raza sighed. “I didn't have anything holding me to the Human Realm. Still, I didn't go to court. I went home, to Craos-Teine, and found it abandoned.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't be,” he shook his head. “It was exactly what I needed; to be home, among the memories of my family, so I could accept their deaths and what it meant for me as a dragon-djinn and a fairy. I stayed there for centuries, roaming an empty castle as I tried to heal an empty heart. It was Uisdean who eventually asked me to come to court. By that time, I'd worked through my hatred and found some peace. So I rejoined the court.”
“Uisdean asked you to return?” My hand was halfway to Raza's cheek.
I suppose I'd intended on wiping away that stray tear but I hadn't even realized I'd moved until I saw my lifted hand. Raza took my fingers and kissed the sensitive pads gently. I froze, the breath stuck in my throat as his face lowered again, this time to my wrist. He pressed his lips to my racing pulse as his gaze slid up to mine.
I jerked back but he followed and we ended up sprawled across the rug, his wings curving over us like a tent. His eyes glittered in the firelight and his scent thickened in my nose, that smokey sweetness. I breathed it in, gulped it more like, and closed my eyes to the way it made me feel. This couldn't be natural, this nearly irresistible allure. Raza's pull was as undeniable as gravity, it felt like I was fighting the Earth itself.
“Raza, please stop,” I whispered.
I would have said more but the sound of the front door opening startled me. I flinched as Raza looked back over his shoulder, toward the stomp of approaching boots. Then his bulk was lifted from me and he was tossed into a wall. I had a moment to glimpse Tiernan's furious face before he stalked after Raza.
