by JK Cooper
The man’s face softened. “You aren’t the only one who lost people when the Advent first arrived. Order has a price, and I paid it in blood. Come.” He turned and strode off into the darkened warehouse. “We got Chinese takeout for dinner. There should be some left.”
Sadie’s stomach growled, and the man chuckled at the sound. Feculence, I couldn’t have planned that better if I tried. Good job, rumbly tumbly!
“I’m Phil, by the way. I’m in charge of this group.”
“You’re the Alpha!?” Sadie didn’t manage to hide her shock as much as she might have wanted. “Sorry, no offense.”
But he laughed. “Not Alpha, just a lieutenant.” Phil paused and tapped his chin. “Was it my appearance that threw you off?”
Sadie shook her head and made her eyes wider than she normally would. “You’re serving sentry duty.”
Phil started walking again. “A good leader does his share of the work.”
Sadie stared at the man, surprised at his response and his appearance. The distraction caused her to stub a toe on a piece of rebar. “Fecu . . .” but she caught herself. “Fetch! That hurt.” Athena might have circulated my literal swearing as a way to identify me. Have to be more careful. She wasn’t sure if stupid made up swear words would be a giveaway, either.
Phil kept walking with only a glance back. “Sorry, it’s a mess in here. We just took it, so we haven’t done any cleaning yet. I should make a chore wheel.”
Sadie studied his every movement, facial expression, tone of voice. She’d decided he would be her perfect new hack. High enough to get some information not given to the masses, but low enough not to raise suspicion for her. She had to get to know the man quickly to do this well. He was probably not a bad person, just trying to survive the Advent’s take over.
He stopped at a row of hooks by a metal door where hard hats or equipment might have once hung, but it now held robes and clothing.
Phil took a silk, paisley robe and gestured at a soft, cotton terry one for Sadie. She took it, marveling at the kindness in the act. He gave me his robe. It smells like him.
It also smelled of fresh laundry and fabric softener, warming against her skin and easing the chill from the rain.
Phil led her through the door into a warmly lit room with beds and couches crammed into it. A massive table sat in the center of the room where a few people joked, ate, drank, and played cards. They looked up and nodded toward Phil with respect.
Phil grabbed a plate and tossed an egg roll and a couple scoops of rice and stir-fry on it. “Sorry, it’s only vaguely warm.”
It smelled amazing. Sadie’s stomach growled again. “It’s perfect.” She took the plate, sat, and began devouring it greedily, stuffing it into her mouth as fast as she could chew.
“Guess you won’t need this.” Phil held up a plastic fork.
Sadie looked down at her fistful of lo mein. “Sorry.”
“No worries. Eat how you want.” He pointed off to a twin bed against a cinder block wall. “Sleep when you’re done. We’ll talk about joining after you wake up.”
A pang of guilt went through Sadie. He’s such a nice guy. How the Hades did the Advent get him on board? But she nodded while she stuffed some beef and broccoli into her mouth with one hand and grabbed another egg roll with her other. She held it up questioningly.
Phil smiled and nodded. Sadie finished it off in two bites.
She crawled into the bed a few minutes later, not faking her fatigue. She’d kept herself awake for three nights along with her fast. The bed smelled like Phil too. Of course he gave me his bed! That man is going to make taking advantage of him really easy and terribly difficult. Underworld, I may even join the Advent for real at this rate.
But Mareus, he would never trust her again. He would likely just kill her at first glance. Such nice thoughts to fall asleep to.
Thick roots draped down along the walls, sparkling with dots of light and releasing fluffballs from yellow flowers. The cottony seeds danced in the wind currents as Theo led Kale and Shelby down a path he had only trod once before.
Kale spat. “One got in my mouth.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “We Fae like our elegant ambiences. Breathe through your nose.”
Shelby elbowed her mate. “Mouth breather.”
“Please don’t call me that in front of the pack.”
“No promises.”
Theo managed a smile. He enjoyed their banter, but then it fell apart as he remembered his mother. “We’re almost there.”
“Do you guard this one too?” Chelsea asked.
Theo shook his head. “We do, but it’s just a formality. Alsvoira is dead. The demons abandoned it long ago. We go back only to use what’s left of the fires on rare occasions.”
“You . . . go back?” Shelby asked. “To Alsvoira?”
“Rarely.”
“What’s left? You lost some of the fire?” The concern in Shelby’s voice touched Theo.
“The demons consumed all they could find, but a pool was hidden deep inside the mountain. The sentient fires reproduce very slowly, so we are careful with our forges. It will take thousands of years to refill the upper pools.”
“That’s so sad.” Shelby looked to where Fizz bobbed along beside Theo.
“Don’t worry. They didn’t feel pain.” Theo held a hand out and let Fizz kiss his fingertips as they walked, the cool flames making tiny sucking noises. “We call them sentient because they absorb personality and will from those forging. We can create living pieces, like Fizz. They also go into armor and weapons that respond to the will of the wielder. But they are not like you and I.”
“So, they aren’t alive before then?” Kale willed a gauntlet onto his hand and poked at the metal with an uncovered finger. “I can almost feel the intelligence in this.”
“They are alive.” Theo thought hard. He’d never had to explain this to anyone. All the Fae just knew how it worked. “The flames are more like bacteria. Each one microscopic, simple, but alive. We forge them into multicellular organisms that can do more, even think on their own.”
Shelby held out her own hand, and Fizz darted over to lick her fingers. She laughed. “How many flames went into making your wisp then?”
“Millions. He’s more complex than even your armor.”
She wiggled her fingers, letting Fizz dance along them in a tiny game of tag. “I believe it. He’s brilliant.”
“And not a ‘he.’ Wisps have no gender. The fires reproduce in a process similar to mitosis.” Theo held up a hand. “And we’re here. Squint, it’s bright.”
He pushed another vine curtain aside. The cavern ahead opened up into a dazzling display of crystal that refracted and reflected the light from above into rainbow streaks. A pool of crystal-clear water sat in the middle of the room beneath a pulsing portal of white light. Two guards stood at attention on the lush carpet of grass along the pool’s edge.
Theo heard Shelby’s intake of breath.
“It’s beautiful,” Chelsea added.
He turned, making his tone grave. “We made this side of the gate reflect the way we feel about Alsvoira. I must warn you, the other side is not what you remember.” Theo spoke mainly to Shelby, but looked deeper, meaning to speak to Eira.
“She knows. She saw where it was heading in the end.”
Theo nodded and led them to the stepping stones. He hopped from one to the other and jumped through the gate without hesitation, barely noting the tickling sensation on his skin that preceded numbness and prickling as his body came to exist once more. He scoured the horizon, looking for signs of demonic activity. A pillar of smoke billowed into the sky, but it had to be hundreds of miles from where he stood. Mother was right. The demons found a new place to gather. He took a step back and waited for his companions to follow, knowing it might be harder for some of them, while he kept an eye on smoke.
Wind tore at his clothing, blowing ash and dirt into his eyes. He started shivering. Theo hugged his chest. I for
got how cold it is here.
Chelsea appeared a moment later. The girl immediately gasped and fell to her knees. Theo swore inwardly at his lack of preparation for the human while he formed a shell of heat and oxygen around her. She began recovering, but the others didn’t show.
“Come on, you two, you can do this. Nothing to fear, except the ashes of a ruined world, and maybe an army of demons.”
Shelby and Kale stood before the portal leading to Alsvoira, bathed in bright shimmering light. Theo and Chelsea had already stepped through.
“Eira isn’t excited.” Shelby could taste her Immortal Wolf’s apprehension. That was still so cool to her, tasting emotions.
“Skotha either.” Kale picked up a pebble and tossed it through. “They blame themselves.”
“Which is stupid.” Shelby growled before Eira could reply. “And don’t argue. You did everything you could.”
Maybe not everything.
“You couldn’t have been expected to kill Viersin and my son.”
Expected, maybe not, but I should have.
“Could you have?”
Probably, at the end, but by then it was too late.
“Exactly, which takes us back to the beginning. You did all you could. I win the argument.”
You must have driven your father crazy with such dazzling logic. Eira’s tone was joking, but there was sadness in it too.
Shelby winced. She hadn’t heard much from her dad since he’d gone with the Hunters. I hope he’s okay.
Sorry, I did not intend to hurt you. He’s the strongest man I’ve met. I’m sure he is better than fine. I’d worry about the Hunters.
Shelby smiled at that. Right?
If it helps, Skotha agrees, Kale said, interrupting through the packlink. You did all you could. All four of you did, and yes, I’m counting our former lives in the mix, which hurts my head. It just wasn’t enough. That happens sometimes.
That wasn’t smart. Eira sighed. All this internal talk about fathers and sons is hard on Skotha.
Yeah, we’re idiots sometimes, Shelby said. You’d think an ancient wolf would grow out of that.
Not yet, Eira said. Give him a thousand more years.
Shelby stepped up to the portal. If we survive the next few weeks, I will. She crossed the prickling and numbing threshold to stagger into icy wind that pelted her with ash and sand.
“About time!” Chelsea glared at her with hands on her hips. “You’re lucky I know a spell to concentrate heat, or I’d be frozen to death by now. As is, it’ll run out of gas in an hour, and my magic doesn’t seem to work well here. It’s like it has a bad fuel pump.”
Kale stopped. “You know cars?”
She put a hand on her hip. “There’s quite a bit about me you never bothered to learn.”
“Excuse you?” Shelby said, stepping in front of Kale, head lowered.
“It’s whatever,” Chelsea said dismissively.
Theo waved a hand over Chelsea. “I’m also helping her with air. You two should don your helms. Magic will weaken as we move away from the gate. There isn’t much left in Alsvoira. And any we use will be siphoned in that direction. Best we keep it minimal, lest we get noticed.” He pointed to a dark line of smoke on the horizon.
Shelby summoned the helm and felt it materialize around her head and face. She smiled. “I never get tired of that.”
They followed him through a blinding dust storm to the base of a mountain, up switchbacks, and into a cavern system.
Theo’s sadness as they entered was almost visible in the air around him to Shelby. She could smell it and taste it, even with her helm filtering out most scents. His people died here by the thousands. I can feel the ghosts all around us.
Not just his people, Eira added. All the five races came together to defend the sentient flames. They weren’t quite a sixth race, but we all thought highly of them. It would be like the demons coming to Earth and eating all the puppies.
Shelby winced at the analogy. That’s monstrous!
Eira nodded. Yes, that’s demons. They consume without thought, without care, without love.
Then that’s how we’ll beat them.
Eira’s silence spoke volumes. When she spoke, it was distant. That didn’t work last time.
A pile of demon bones toppled like a deranged game of Jenga as they passed, upset by the vibrations of their footfalls and the shifting air currents from their movements.
Chelsea blasted it with a small burst of fire in reflex, her fingers moving rapidly despite the cold. The flames rolled around the obsidian, harmless.
“Fire isn’t the best against demons,” Theo noted. Fizz puffed up defensively at his words, but deflated as though accepting the truth of them.
“Thanks for the obvious, elf-boy,” Chelsea snapped back. “It’s just my go-to kill-it-dead-before-it-kills-me spell. What would you suggest?”
“Reinforced titanium or diamond blades would be better. You got a spell for that?”
Chelsea’s glare transformed into pure disappointment. “No, not really. I can make magic knives, but they aren’t much better than steel, just cooler looking.”
Shelby had her doubts. She’d seen the girl’s magic up close and personal. Chelsea was stronger than she thought.
“You also have to throw them fast,” Theo said, “or the demons strip the magic away before they hit. It’s one reason we like our bows.”
Chelsea took up stride next to the Fae. “Why not guns then?”
Theo made a face as if he’d just smelled something repugnant. “Human weapons.”
“Racist!”
Theo started to protest, but then stopped himself. “You may be right. We’ve tried hard to understand your kind, but we never truly embraced you as equals, not like the Immortal Wolves did, even before they sacrificed themselves so you could go home.”
“What?” Chelsea was running her fingers through movements. Golden knives appeared in her hands, but they flickered out. “I’ve always been home.”
“Sorry.” Theo gestured behind him at Shelby and Kale. “Mostly talking about them. Humans wouldn’t have survived what the demons did to Alsvoira long enough to make it through the gate without them.”
“Makes sense,” Chelsea said as she created another set of knives. “Sort of.”
It was more complex than that, of course, but we did what we felt was right for you and your people. The gate wouldn’t have let you cross. Eira sounded far away. Seeing her world in ruin was a torture. So few made it through, even with our sacrifice.
Shelby wanted to hug her wolf. I’m not sure if Thyra said so, but thank you for all you did then and now. I know Kale and I are glad to be here. I also know you gave up everything to make that possible. Shelby used her Omega gifts to send comfort inward. She’d never tried before, but it seemed to work.
Thyra did thank me . . . and curse me for giving up my autonomy for her sake, but it’s still nice to hear. You are a lot like her, but also warmer, kinder in many ways, like the best of the woman I knew.
Shelby felt her cheeks redden inside her helm. I try. But, aren’t I her? Her spirit or whatever?
Yes, but genetics and your environment growing up as Shelby have changed some things.
Theo held up a hand. “We’re here.” He touched a wall where the demon bones piled up thick against it, and many had been imbedded into the stone. “The pool is on the other side.”
The stone hummed in the Fae’s presence, like he’d awakened something within it.
“That is you, right?” Shelby took a step back and grabbed Kale’s hand. She couldn’t feel his warmth through her gauntlet, but the weight of it was a small comfort. Whatever the demon they fought had done to them, it still hurt. There was a fresh wound where the bond had begun to go numb. The pain made it harder than the cold void it had been. I miss the bond.
“Yeah, that’s me,” Theo answered her. “It opens for royal blood, as long as there are no demons around.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Almost c
ertain we’re good, but, if it doesn’t open, be ready to fight.”
Kale squeezed her hand. She felt that at least. Chelsea frowned at their hands, but said nothing.
Shelby felt Eira growl within her.
Has to be hard on her too, Shelby said to her wolf. She had so many hopes and dreams wrapped up in Kale once. I know how that feels.
When did you become the rational one?
They waited in silence as the wall hummed and buzzed. It took forever, and Shelby began to fear a demon hid in the darkness. Maybe it wasn’t our steps that tipped those bones. It’s hoping we open the way.
But a loud crack echoed down the empty halls, and the wall slid open. A swirl of color came from the crack. Shelby had expected blue, like the wisp that followed Theo, not a million shades all at once.
“It’s beautiful.” Chelsea could have spoken for Shelby. The witch took a step forward.
Theo held out a hand. “Go slow. The fires are skittish around new people.”
Chelsea smiled, seemed to realize he wasn’t joking, blinked at the light with her mouth open, and took a step forward, slowly.
“Now you two.” Theo waved them forward. “Go to the edge of the pool, but no closer than two or three feet.”
Kale tugged Shelby along as the light transfixed her. She could hear each flame’s tiny soul in her mind, yearning to create beauty, to be a part of something bigger. Kale brought her to the edge of the small pool, maybe ten feet across, where Chelsea stopped and stared.
The pool pulled away, ever so slightly, notes of trepidation and concern in a million flaming hearts. “They are alive.” Shelby poured out comfort. We mean you no harm, little ones. We need your help. The pool relaxed and lapped against the solid stone near their feet, tendrils of multicolored fire crawled up to reach toward Shelby.
Theo came up next to her. “I’ve never seen them accept someone so fast.”
Kale grinned. “That’s my Shelby. The best Omega you’ll find anywhere.”
“So it seems. Or they just recognize the armor.” Theo pulled out the large coin his mother had given him. Fizz launched itself from his shoulder and flew over the pool, glowing brightly as the flames made ripples in their evermoving surface around the wisp. “Let’s get to forging this key of yours before any demons smell our magic.” He handed the metal disk to Shelby. “You have my consent.”
