Faerie Queen: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Vampire's Bane Book 3 : Part I)

by Marian Maxwell

  I can do this.

  Thankfully, Suri dragged Amber to the gym a couple times a month for basic cardio. Suri was an active, sporty type compared to Amber, who was content to be a couch potato seven days a week. She marathoned movies on Netflix like a mad woman, and felt no shame in letting the day turn to night without moving a muscle.

  Come on legs! Don’t fail me now!

  She grabbed them with both hands, as if trying to confirm their solidity and the muscle in them. “Can you do this?” was the unspoken question.

  I swear I’m never going to skip leg day again.

  “Take a running jump,” Paulie prodded. Amber could hear the impatience in his voice, even though he was trying to be patient with her. He knew she was a scaredy cat.

  “Ok, ok.”

  Amber glanced behind her. There was no one left; it was just them. The others were already running across the next rooftop, headed for the safe house.

  She moved back as far as she could on the roof, which was about a dozen long steps. Her legs were short. She might have been the shortest of all the humans in the group.

  She sprinted, pumping her arms like the Terminator. The timing was lined up perfectly, so that when she reached the edge, her leading foot naturally pushed off the edge of the building, launching her through the air. She put her feet forward like a long jumper, clearing the alleyway between the two buildings.

  She hit the side of the building with her chest, knocking her cheek and chin painfully against the old stone, but it was rough, and just as it had allowed them to climb up the wall before, so too did it allow Amber to find purchase with her feet and steady herself. Only her elbows were up over the edge. Pushing with her legs brought her higher. One of her lips was split, and a nasty bruise was growing under her right eye.

  The fae voices were closer now, running feet passing down the narrow street where the ambush had taken place. They were hot on the trail of the hell spawn soldiers, voices rising in alarm as they found the bodies and no doubt quickly clued in that none of the dead were human. They kept repeating one word over and over again. Amber did not know what they were saying, but they were close enough that she could hear the word clearly.

  It probably means ‘escape,’ ‘find them,’ ‘kill them.’ Something along those lines. Something nasty. How could they be like this?

  Humans and fae had never been friendly, yet it was hard to believe it when Suri had first told Amber the changing heart of Lodum’s citizens. Seeing it and hearing it, now Amber knew it to be true. Not that any of it made sense. Human’s didn’t want anything bad for Faerie, only to share their cooking and make a nice profit. They were being persecuted for no reason. It was deeply unjust, and an ugly, ugly change in character.

  The mob would rip Amber to shreds at the first opportunity, without even a bit of guilt. Humans were not really people, after all. Not to these fae.

  6

  Amber

  Amber sobbed and scrambled faster with her feet to climb up over the edge of the building. While her legs had been trained, her arms were thin, and could not pull her body very high before giving out. Her feet had purchase on two chunks of rock, but to go any higher required her feet to raise up too, and there was no purchase any higher than what she had. Any moment the fae could peer into the alleyway. It was almost a certainty, as they would be searching for more bodies and evidence of what killed the hell spawn. Not only would Amber be dead—she would give away all the other humans, and ambushers too. That is if they were still near enough around to be seen.

  Paulie flew through the air over the alleyway, clearing the gap between the two buildings with ease. He landed next to Amber on the rooftop.

  Big bro! Amber thought with a sob.

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. He was a baker, not exactly an Olympic athlete, but he was thick-boned and large-bodied, and able to hoist her onto the rooftop with a single pull. He was a guy, after all. They are just made different.

  Paulie held her hand for a bit while they ran across the roof, then let go as he saw that Amber could keep up. They got to the other side where two people remained, waiting to make the jump to the next building. They hadn’t fallen behind after all.

  Amber touched her bruised face and broken lip. She would have to do it all over again, and this gap was even wider than the last one.

  Paulie sensed her anxiety and come to the same conclusion. “We’ll find another way,” he said.

  “Hey,” he called to the two other people on the rooftop. One of them was the golden haired fae. He was pulling up the rear of the part, making sure that they weren’t going to be attacked from behind.

  “Tell us where the safe house is,” Paulie asked. “We can’t make the jump. We’ll find another way and meet you there.”

  Skeptical would be a weak word to describe the fae’s expression. It was like he was looking at a pair of dead people, as if Paulie had just announced his and Amber’s desire to commit suicide.

  “I can’t do that,” he said sternly. “For now the safe house location is on a need-to-know basis. We can’t risk anyone being captured and revealing it under torture or spell.”

  Amber had to admit that it made sense. It was wise, if also merciless.

  “Go,” she said to Paulie. “You go first. I think I can make it,” she lied.

  “Not a chance. I swear to God,” said Paulie, getting heated up. Amber’s brother rarely got mad, but when he did his fury was a terror to behold. “These fae scum are going to pay, pay for everything. They put us through hell ever since they decided to burn down our shops. Well, we’re going to give it back to them. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but they’re not going to get away with it.”

  Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down Amber’s spine. They weren’t exactly the most unreasonable or unexpected words that someone in his position could say. Far from it. Yet she knew Paulie, and that when he said something like that he really meant it. He was going to cause harm if he ever had the means. One of the problems he’d always had as a child, that got him expelled from more than one school, was that he did not know how to let go of a grudge.

  “Tell us where the goddamned safe house is,” Paulie barked at the golden haired fae.

  “Make the jump,” Amber pleaded. She put a hand on Paulie’s arm. “Please, do it for me. Do it for Mom and Dad. They can’t lose both children. I had glamour myself. I’ll get to the streets and find somewhere safe. I’ll leave the city. Trust me, you know how good I am at sneaking.” She smiled, trying to look confident but probably coming off as incredibly nervous. “You know what I’m saying makes sense.”

  “It doesn’t make any goddamned sense at all,” Paulie growled.

  The fae shrugged. “Stop wasting time,” he said.

  Shouts came up from the alleyway behind them, the one that Amber had just crossed. More footsteps went inside after the one who had shouted.

  The golden haired fae scooped up Amber in both arms. She whooped as he threw her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, sucked in a deep breath, ran, pumping his thick thighs, and crossed the gap between rooftops. He landed on the other side, staggered, then set Amber onto her two feet.

  Paulie ran and jumped. It looked like he might not make it. Only one of his feet touched on the edge of the rooftop. But the fae was quick to reach out an arm, clasp Paulie’s hand and help him to the rooftop. “My magic is depleted,” he explained. “We’ve had a tough time of it these past few days, otherwise we would all be floating through the air right now, no problem. You’ll have to bear with this a little bit longer. Trust me, once we get to the safe house everything will be a lot better.”

  Paulie snorted. “Safe house? That’s what you guys said about Black Gauntlet. You said that we would be safe there, for sure, until we could go back to Earth.”

  The golden haired fae frowned. “I did tell you that,” he said. “We were wrong. Maybe we will be found out again, this time killed instead of captured. But if you�
��ve got a better plan, tell me quick.”

  Paulie frowned. “I’ll have my say once we get there,” he said angrily. “For now let’s keep going.”

  The fae nodded. They continued over the rooftops, the golden haired fae carrying Amber across the alleyway gaps that she could not jump herself. The route took them near to Lodum’s outer wall, to an entertainment district that was known to host debaucherous pleasure houses, gambling lounges, mead halls, pawn shops, and the types of places where thugs and recently released criminals hung out looking for work. It was there that a group of fae on a rooftop, standing vigilant and on the lookout, as if exactly for the escaped humans, shouted and pointed in Amber’s direction.

  The full line of ambushers and humans who had been rescued was clearly visible. One of the fae raised a white horn to his lips and blew loud and clear through the summer air.

  “Ashes,” said Paulie.

  “Basha,” the golden haired fae swore in his native tongue.

  “How close are we?” Amber asked.

  “Too close to go there right away,” said Raja. “We can’t show them where the safe house is. We have to go underground.”

  “What do you propose?”

  “No,” said Raja, correcting himself after a moment to reconsider. “Not underground.” He was watching his friends at the front of the group, who had not hesitated to start off in different directions, splitting up into small groups and climbing down to the street, breaking line of sight with the fae who had spotted them.

  “Maybe we still have time. It depends how quick the mob gets here,” Raja explained. “Hurry.”

  They climbed down the side of the building. They were four stories up now. Amber went between the fae and her brother, hoping not to fall on the one beneath her and send them both to the cobbled street.

  They made it down in one piece. The horn was still blowing from the rooftop in the distance. The three of them ran through the streets, Raja leading the way.

  Hail Mary, full of grace, Amber prayed. She wondered if she would ever get the opportunity to go to one of Maggie’s Sunday Masses that Suri sometimes told her about. All of a sudden the idea of Church took on a new meaning.

  Gym and Church. It’s going to be part of my new routine.

  But Amber had a feeling that it would be a while yet until she escaped Lodum. That was the reasonable expectation.

  They sprinted through the streets. Around them were fae, but not the mob—the mob could be heard in the distance, growing in size as they passed through the city and more fae joined their cause. For the time being, the ordinary fae around them just walking about, doing their daily activities, not knowing about what happened at the gallows or of the ambush, did not pay them any mind. Amber and Paulie ran too fast for the fae to easily make out their human features, not that the fae were on the lookout for that kind of thing anyway. This was not the part of Lodum where people cared much about appearances, or who they rubbed shoulders with.

  Suri had told Amber about the entertainment district more than once in passing, as a place of great excitement and intrigue, whenever she wanted to tease Amber particularly hard about the exotic culture that Faerie had to offer.

  Now that she was here, Amber understood why. All kinds of creatures, from imps to pixies, giant ogres with thunderous three-toed steps, and of course the general multitude of fae, walked the streets, selling wares from corner stalls, cooking noodles from street carts, shouting from rooftops, juggling handstands, and here and there by different entrances to brothels and clubs and stairs that led down to hole-in-the-wall bars where loud music sounded up from were groups of tough-looking thugs, sporting scars and tattoos and wearing nothing more than loin clothes. As Amber passed them by, they gave her a quick once-over, taking in the newcomer to their territory.

  They are like yakuza, Amber absentmindedly thought. This was the kind of Faerie that she had wanted to see. It raised her hopes a little to know that not all of the city was devoid of levity. They fae in this district might be thieving, prostituting, and gambling, but not murdering, and not ready to pounce on outsiders. If she ever found the stomach to come back to Lodum, this was the place she would visit. Not to join in—Amber was considered something of a party-goer on earth, but she had a feeling that whatever pleasures the Faerie clubs had to offer would be too much for her human taste, and a mighty bit more expensive as well.

  They ran on, knowing that the mob was growing behind them—that of all the fae they were passing, maybe one in five might join the mob, to have some drunken fun.

  Paulie glared at every single one of the fae who stopped to look at them, as if trying to draw attention. He muttered under his breath. Amber did not hear what he said, but she took the solid guess that it was some kind of solid oath that would result in nothing good.

  No one stopped them. Perhaps it was because of the golden haired fae leading the way.

  They reached a large building five stories in height and wide, looking out over the main promenade that was right next to Lodum’s wall and gave a great view over the golden forest, which was beginning to shimmer as the clouds that had threatened rain were swept away by a high, strong wind.

  The sun was low, setting on this side of the city. It was a spectacular view. Amber had no idea how real estate worked in Faerie, if it could even be purchased, or if it was all part of family dynasties, granted by the nobility…It could be anything, but this building’s location was certainly to be envied. It must have had a stellar view of the forest from the top floor.

  The promenade was full of people walking around, going this way and that, some moving slow and leisurely, others rushing, all moving at their own pace. Many of them were drunk and holding drinks, laughing and partying. Suri had told Amber that that was how this place was every night of the week. There were no weekends in Faerie—people took their pleasure when they wanted it, how they wanted it. There were very few rules telling them what they could and could not do. The fae were capable of forming bloodthirsty mobs, but at the same time they were more relaxed. The cultural difference between Earth and Faerie was not unlike the West Coast and the East Coast in North America, magnified two fold.

  It was at the front of this building that the golden haired fae skidded to a halt. Paulie and Amber stopped behind them. Two ogre bouncers wearing nothing but loin clothes protected the front door, standing with their arms crossed over barrel chests. Their skin was closer to orange than brown, as if they had spent too much time in a tanning salon.

  Amber giggled. They’re going for the Jersey Shore look. It was ridiculous to be thinking of such a thing under the circumstances, but maybe that’s how she was coping with it, a bit of levity to keep her sane.

  She gulped past her dry throat. They had better have drinks inside. And a bath, I want a bath.

  Not that she had any reason to be picky. She was a refugee, just like Paulie and Suri. After hearing all about it, only getting the odd communication from Suri, she was finally experiencing it from herself. It was not pretty. Amber felt just as tired from the emotional rollercoaster as from the physical exertion of running for her life.

  But still, those ogres do look ridiculous. She smiled, holding back laughter.

  Paulie’s stern expression broke for a moment. He grinned at her, reminding Amber of the kind of grin he wore when they planned something mischievous as children. But then his scowl returned a moment later, along with his anger.

  “This is the safe house,” said the golden haired fae in a hushed voice. He looked around for the others. Only one more group was near, two ambushers wearing their black bandanas and running down the promenade from the opposite direction. Five humans followed.

  That was a group large enough to draw attention. Many of the fae they passed stopped and stared, some spitting on the ground as they passed. Others even took a few steps in their direction, closing in behind them. The fae mob was still not in sight, and they could no longer be heard, drowned out by the noise of the district’s revelries.
But they were coming, that was to be counted on.

  They could no longer go straight inside the safe house—the watching fae would tell the mob where they had gone. Then the entire plan would be ruined, and everyone trapped inside.

  “Basha,” the golden haired fae swore.

  “What are we going to do?” Amber asked.

  “We’ll go in the front. The others will have to take another path. Don’t worry, there is more than one way to get inside.”

  Amber shook her head. That wasn’t good enough. “That’s not a good enough answer. We can’t just leave them behind.”

  “We have to go, now,” said Paulie. He grabbed Amber by the hand. She pulled away and glared at him.

  “Don’t think you can tell me what to do,” she snapped. She turned to the golden haired fae and pointed to an alley. “Tell them to meet me in there, quickly.” She ran inside the alley, Paulie right behind.

  7

  Amber

  The golden haired fae looked at Amber, but she hadn’t given him any time to open his mouth and argue. She trusted that he would do as she asked, ignoring the warning about being left behind.

  Amber and Paulie found that the alley was already occupied. Not by burglars or unscrupulous people like they had seen lingering outside some of the grungier establishments, but rather by little creatures that were either too poor to go into the gambling lounges, or had been banned from entering: two imps, one floating pixie, and a goblin who was fat and old with a long brown beard and moustache that hung down from his snaggletooth mouth. He had a large belly and was almost as big as the other three put together.

  They were so engrossed in their game—tossing small bones onto the ground in place of dice, to gamble over whatever items they were betting with. This particular match featured a ball of yellow yarn, a feather, two buttons, a glass jar full of what looked to be black sand, and a shrivelled up ear.