Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness Series #3)

by Brown, Stacey Marie

  He pressed his temple. “It’s Cooper. He’s trying to use our link, but he’s not making any sense.”

  I could now hear the roar of a motorcycle engine resonating through the house, vibrating it. A squeak of brakes rung, like the bike had been parked in the living room. A warning was delivered deep into my stomach. They usually parked their bikes in the shed, away from the house. I rushed to the family room with Eli on my tail. Through the screen door, I saw Cooper bound off Eli’s black Harley and rush up the steps to the house.

  My body started to pulsate with the tension. Something was clearly wrong. I could feel it in the air, coming in waves off Cooper. Like a bull he tore open the screen, his nose flaring. “Turn on the TV.”

  “What?” I stared at him.

  “What’s going on? I couldn’t understand you. The girl you were with last night already go stalker on you?” Eli teased Cooper, but his voice held a note of alarm.

  “You need to see this.” Cooper, not being able to wait for me to comprehend his request, dove past me to the remote and clicked on the TV

  The screen burst to life with images: empty lots; collapsed rubble resembling structures; houses floated down the road back out to sea. People screamed and wailed as the cameras scanned the scene around them.

  “What the...” My hand went to my mouth.

  “Aneira,” Cooper turned to me. “She attacked over an hour ago. I heard it on my way home.”

  My brain was processing the pictures. The logical part understood the basics it was seeing, the mayhem and destruction, but every other part of me was numb and slow to comprehend. My eyes latched onto the words on the screen, the location of the place.

  Tsunami hits Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California.

  “Oh, God... no.” My throat grew tight, and I was barely able to get out the words.

  It was the place where Mark had grown up. My home. Aneira wanted to make her attack personal—to hurt me by harming others I knew and cared about. Even though Mom and I moved around a lot, as soon as she met Mark, we moved to Monterey to be with him. My happiest memories took place there. The nice old woman who babysat me had lived there. I learned to ride a bike on our street. Mom, Mark, and I would get clam chowder and go sit on the dock to watch the otters swim in the ocean. My school friends and I played hide-n-go-seek on my lawn.

  My legs began to sag. Eli grabbed me as I hit the floor.

  “Get Cole and everyone. They should be outside at the training site,” Eli commanded. Cooper responded quickly to his Second’s order and ran from the house.

  “She did this because of me.” Crushing guilt squeezed my lungs, and the weight of it curled me into a ball.

  Eli shook his head. “It is not your fault. Yes, she made this personal, but with or without you, she would have done this anyway. Maybe even to a bigger city.” He was trying to get me to feel better, but it didn’t work. I wondered how many lives had been lost and how many victims I had known. More lives had been taken because of Aneira. Because of me. He sat me up, pulling me to his chest. No tears came. I couldn’t cry; I could no longer feel.

  Feet thumped up the steps to the house. Cole was the first to enter with Cooper and Mom right behind. Everyone else trickled in.

  “Holy shit!” Gabby exclaimed.

  I sat on the floor, lost. A strangled cry broke from my mother’s lips. Her eyes were also glued on the information written across the screen.

  “No... no... no. Our home.” She had one hand on her stomach and one at her mouth. Her disbelief at what she was seeing was written all over her face.

  Cole didn’t say a word as he walked closer to the TV. Watching. Absorbing. “Guess there is no avoiding a war now.”

  A spike of anger shot me to my feet. “How many times will she destroy a city, killing thousands of humans, for any of you to care? It’s been three years since she attacked Seattle. What have you guys done? Nothing. And what about the infamous, all-powerful Unseelie King? Why does he continue to let her do this? What is he waiting for?”

  Cole turned and looked at me directly. “You.”

  “What?”

  “Ember, you have to understand Fae,” he said. “We may be constantly provoking, bickering, and fighting small wars between us. But with a huge, all-out war like this, we tend not to incite it unless we know we can win.”

  “And you don’t think you can beat her?”

  “No. And I think the Unseelie King knows this. It is why he has held off until he locates the one thing that can destroy her. For good.” Cole’s eyes leveled at mine, hinting at more than what he was saying.

  “The Sword of Nuada... the Sword of Light,” I whispered.

  Cole smiled bitterly. “I see your time with Lars was educational. I figured he told you about the prophecy.”

  I sucked in air. “You know about the prophecy? About the Sword? How?”

  “I was not fully honest with you. Kennedy is not our only way back to the Otherworld.” Cole looked between me and Kennedy. “A Druid is one way to break the curse on our family. It will take years before Kennedy can obtain that level of magic. The other way is if you kill the source of the curse. The magic breaks, and it will die with its possessor.” Cole’s boots clumped hard on the wood floor as he moved to the back of the sofa. “Exterminating her is our fastest way in. It is also killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. But since no one could find the sword we had to keep with the plan to either trade you to the Unseelie King or now use Kennedy’s abilities. The trade with you would have included a stipulation that we be involved with locating the sword. As you know that trade never happened.” He touched the back of the worn leather couch. “Like the Unseelie King, we make it our job to know our enemies’ weaknesses. We know the Sword of Nuada is hers. We searched for years, fruitlessly. Until you.

  “If you are the prophesied one, we think the location would be connected to you. Or in something which would stay with you.” Cole’s eyes darted from me to Mom.

  I followed his eyes, his meaning sinking in. They had known about the sword and the prophecy this whole time. Another thing they kept from me. “It was why you were so happy to let me go home and get my clothes the last time I was here. This became your chance to look for whatever you thought I had.” The night I had eavesdropped on Cole and Eli, and they had talked about hunting for something they thought was hidden in my house. It all made sense now.

  “We could go look at your house anytime, but we hoped it would show itself in your presence somehow. We found nothing.”

  “Why do you think the location of the sword is connected with me? Why would I have it?” There was something about that night and what I had overheard which kept me glancing back at my mom. “Do you know anything about this?”

  Her arms were folded defensively, and her eyes narrowed on Cole. “No. I have no idea where the sword is located.”

  Cole tilted his head. “Are you sure, Lily?”

  Her face flushed with fury. “I don’t know anything, and neither does Ember. Leave her out of this. If you want to go look for this sword, then go. Don’t drag my daughter into it.”

  He grimaced. “I think you and I both know Ember is so far in this there is only one way out. You know she’s the one, Lily.”

  Mom’s jaw tightened and her hand touched her lips. She did this when she had to decide about something. She glanced at the TV showing the footage of people screaming and crying for help as houses and buildings floated down the streets. Her shoulders dropped, her head went into her hands, and she nodded. “Yes, I know.” Her words were barely audible before she turned and ran from the room.

  The sounds from the TV only set my teeth on edge. “Thousands of homes and buildings were lost today. As of now the death toll is over thirteen hundred. Many are still missing. We know the total will only rise. Tourists and locals had no warning. Scientists are stumped as to the cause since there was no major earthquake recorded anywhere in the world today. Some think this might have commenced from plates
shifting in the middle of the sea to trigger this kind of devastation. Some doubt this claim as no other towns or areas close by were affected in any way.”

  “Wow.” Josh’s face was void of any emotion, but I knew he kept things hidden. “The Queen is really capable of doing this?”

  “Yes,” Owen replied. “Though this kind of destruction is more than I thought her powers were able to do.”

  I clenched my fists. “She had help.” I continued to stare at the images. “Her little amplifier, Asim.” He was the boy who “helped” me destroy Seattle. I once had compassion for him. He could not touch anyone without devastating effects. What a lonely life—never to be touched or hugged. My feelings quickly changed after what had happened. He had been brainwashed at an early age and thought working for the Queen was a privilege and an honor. He had no empathy for the human lives he took.

  “She’d also have to use a water fairy for help. Aneira has no power over water or fire. She can assist, but for this kind of devastation? The water fairies don’t like her, but somehow she would make sure they aided her.” Cole moved closer to the TV, drinking in every picture flashing on the screen. “Her power is air. She can create hurricanes and tornados, but real devastation is usually with fire.”

  “It’s why she wants me. The water fairies can only damage places along water. And her air powers aren’t strong enough to destroy like fire can. We need to act.” I aimed my statement at Cole. “We need to do something. Now!”

  “What exactly do you want to do?” Cole threw up his arms. “Go back to the Otherworld and ask the Queen to stop?”

  “I’m sure she will comply if you ask nicely,” Eli tossed in.

  “Shut up,” I yelled at Eli. “For once can you not open your mouth?”

  “You want to take this out on me? Would that make you feel better?” Eli took a large stride towards me, his anger rising.

  “Okay, whoa... think everyone needs to calm down.” Jared held up his hands, and Kennedy nodded in agreement.

  “Calm down? How can I when thousands of lives were lost simply because they came from the town where I lived... where Mark grew up? This was because of what Mark told her.”

  “What does Mark have to do with this?” Kennedy asked.

  I looked at her. “Everything. I should have seen this coming, known what she was up to, but I didn’t. I just let this happen.”

  “What are you talking about, Ember? You’re not making sense.” Kennedy regarded me.

  “I dreamwalked on Mark and Ryan, and Aneira came in. She glamoured Mark and asked him where he considered home.”

  “And he said Monterey,” Cole guessed.

  “I knew she was up to something. I didn’t understand what. How could I not see it?”

  “It’s not your fault.” Kennedy walked closer to me, but my rigid body kept her at arm’s length.

  “It is, and I have to do something about it.”

  “The only thing that will happen is you’ll die if you go to her now. If you truly want to avenge those people, let us find the sword. Then we can stop her for good,” Cole said.

  Another hushed lull came over us.

  “So...” Josh broke in. “This sword. None of you has an idea where it is?”

  We all stayed silent, glowering at him and each other.

  “How are you going to find it then?” Josh looked around at each one of us, waiting for an answer.

  It was not something that had an answer. Not at this time anyway. The aggravation in the room mounted. All of us were frustrated and discouraged.

  Where do we even start?

  ELEVEN

  “You okay?” Kennedy asked me a few days later. I had been barking and screaming at the others while they tried to train her.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t seem to be yourself the last few days. I am worried about you.” She stood confidently, staring at me. Suddenly, I felt like the child. Something in me recognized the roles of our relationship were changing. She was changing, which made me feel uncomfortable and agitated.

  I snorted derisively. “I wouldn’t worry about me; worry about yourself. You need to advance faster than this.”

  Her mouth tightened, and her jaw clenched before she spoke. “I am trying.”

  Trying wasn’t helping us. Trying would only get more people killed. “Try harder.” I started to spin away and walk off when I heard my mother.

  “Ember.” Her tone sounded shocked and embarrassed.

  I rounded on her. “Oh, sorry. It’s not the way you raised me. Oh, right, you didn’t raise me. The only thing I’ve learned from you is pain and to guard myself from really letting anyone in.”

  I gave her no time to respond to my words before I swung around and stomped off. Even then the guilt of what I said and how I treated them both only made me angrier with myself and them. Uncomfortable, I itched in my own skin. I wanted to act, to do something to stop Aneira, and to help those poor people in Monterey.

  Who would be next on Aneira’s list?

  The news only got worse. The number of deaths rose to over fifteen hundred, and the damage was far more extensive than originally thought.

  I couldn’t eat and bypassed meals to go straight for the gym. Josh met me often to talk and spar. He continued to shock me at how easy he was picking it up. I guess those years playing World of War Craft did help.

  “You’re really good.” Josh panted, leaning on his sword.

  “Alki would say my form is dreadful, and my concentration is appalling.” I returned the sword to the weapons wall.

  “Sounds like a bastard.”

  “Definitely, but he’s a good teacher.”

  “He helped with your powers, too?”

  “Yeah, but mostly he trained me physically. Maya and Koke helped train me in my other powers.”

  “Right, because one isn’t nearly good enough.” He bobbed his head. “So you got telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and you can acquire powers from the earth. You sure you don’t have a cape and an acceptance letter to Hogwarts?”

  “That would be cool.” I grabbed a towel off the table, wiping my face.

  “Wait. I forgot the most important. You are also part Dark Dweller.”

  “I’m a mutated mutt.” I plopped on the table and took a drink of water.

  “I’m curious about your Dark Dweller powers.” Josh took his water off the table and sat next to me.

  My mouth flattened into a thin line.

  “You don’t have to tell me.” Disappointment made his shoulders sag.

  I exhaled. “No. It’s okay. None of my attributes are as strong as theirs, and I can’t shift, but all my senses have heightened.”

  “That’s it?” His gaze darted to me.

  “My pupils go cat-like as theirs do when I get really pissed off or protective.” Josh was my friend, and I trusted him, but I felt uncomfortable telling anyone this stuff. My instinct was warning me to shut up. Funny, I complained about the Fae not being open, and here I was doing the same, just as Kennedy had pointed out.

  “I thought I overheard you say your DNA has changed and iron doesn’t affect you like normal Fay?”

  I didn’t recall telling Josh anything about my immunity to iron, but there had been so many things going on, who knew what I’d said. I could have told him I slept in Strawberry Shortcake Underoos till I was six. “Uh, yeah. It still hurts like hell, though.” Again, my throat closed up on saying more. I had always been guarded, but this was different. When had I truly accepted my “Fae-ness”? I couldn’t recall, but I wanted to protect and defend our secrets with everything I had.

  “How long does it take to wear off?”

  As I was about to dodge another question, a piercing wail assaulted my eardrums. With a cry I slid off the table to the floor and covered my ears.

  “What’s wrong?” Josh jumped down, squatting next to me. “What happened?”

  The headache-inducing whine raged in my head, rattling my teeth. I groaned and pressed my h
ands further into the sides of my head. “The sound... you can’t hear it?”

  “No. What sound?” His gaze looked me over critically.

  “It-It’s a high shrill sound.” I cringed again as the wail reached another heightened level.

  “What? Are you hearing dog whistles now or something?” Josh’s voice sounded a little too harsh for it to be completely a joke.

  “No...” I paused and looked out the window. “No. Not a dog whistle but a security breach.” I jumped down and moved to the door. The Dark Dwellers had added my blood to the spell surrounding the property so I could tell when someone tried to break through.

  “Where are you going? Wait.” Josh followed me.

  I didn’t stop. My legs carried me toward the warning alarm. Halfway there the noise stopped. The relief was instant, leaving the air around me peaceful. I continued to walk to the property line and spotted Cole and Eli before I saw who was on the other side.

  Lorcan.

  His frame dominated the area surrounding him. He wore dark jeans, a black leather jacket, and a cocky smirk as he stared at us.

  Why am I even surprised?

  I slowed to a swift, walking pace as two flying objects headed for each of my shoulders.

  “My lady... whoaaaa!” My hands snatched Simmons before he tumbled off, and I placed him squarely on my shoulder.

  Cal fluttered down with grace. “We couldn’t miss the party. Hope you brought the booze and the floozies.” Human slang sounded funny coming from him. They had been hanging around us way too long.

  I glared at Lorcan. He stood alone, but I spotted two figures lurking behind him, slightly hidden in the shadows. Dominic and Dax. He didn’t bring Samantha along this time.

  Awww... too bad. I’m really in the mood to kill her.

  The voices rumbled in low murmurs and became clearer the closer I got.

  “You don’t think I don’t have my own tricks for finding you guys each time. You’re not the only ones with friends.” Lorcan repeatedly threw a pebble up in the air and caught it.

  “How’s being a domesticated lap dog going for you? Does she give you treats and brush your coat until it’s all shiny?” Eli sneered.