Into the Mists

by Laura Greenwood

  The aos sìth turned to Izban and swung his tiny fist while continuing to chirp.

  "He wants me to tell you that he's also the main source of my magic," Izban translated. "And that I'm honoured to have him. And that I can be a right bast... No, stop it."

  Amber laughed brightly and Macey smiled at seeing the beithir so cheery. This was the first true laugh she'd heard from her. Hopefully, everything was going to be okay with her and Izban.

  "You don't have your own magic?" Macey blurted out, instantly regretting it. That had been rude of her.

  "I do," Izban replied calmly, in a way that suggested it wasn't the first time he'd had to answer that question. "But it's limited to certain things. For others, I rely on my aos sìth. It's the same for other mages too."

  "And is he the reason your hair is..." she trailed off, not believing how rude she was being. This wasn't the diplomacy she'd been brought up to exhibit.

  Izban just laughed. "No, he's nothing to do with my hair. That was one of my cousins when we were younger. She got a little carried away, and it's been blue ever since. I tried to dye it once, but trust me, it's not something you want me to ever repeat again."

  Macey smiled at the mage, noting he was already more relaxed than he had been. And far less aggressive. Even less so than when the Voice had given her and Amber the horrible vision.

  The aos sìth's head had been turning back and forth as they spoke, but now, he looked towards the palace in front of them.

  "Go," Izban commanded.

  The little blue creature gave him a look that Macey could only describe as sassy, before leaping into the air, and floating off towards the drawbridge.

  "Why do we need to send him?" Macey asked.

  "The sìth tend to be a little more receptive if it's one of their own kind knocking on the door. With Cat-Man still missing, the aos sìth is pretty much what we have," Cam explained.

  "What happened to Cat-Man?" Macey asked. She hadn't really expected the cat-sìth to still be with her men, but she was still sad not to see him. They'd become friends of a fashion, at least, she wanted to think so. His sister did make a prophecy about her after all.

  "We're not sure. When we left the warehouse, he was gone. I think he'll be back if you ever need him," Cam replied.

  "You do?" She frowned, not sure where the thoughts were coming from.

  "Yes. You made an impression on him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. I don't think he'll show up for just anything, but if you need him, he'll be there."

  "I hope you're right," Macey answered, a sense of dread filling her. She wasn't sure how this was all going to end. But she hadn't ruled out some kind of battle. Against what, she wasn't sure. But the Voice could control people, it wasn't inconceivable that he would take over the minds of an army.

  Which would leave them completely screwed. Seven Wardens standing against an army of warriors with no minds of their own. It didn't sound like a very even match to her. Or to anyone.

  She was pulled from her thoughts by the loud clanking of the drawbridge lowering. Everyone's attention was drawn that way. The aos sìth chirped again as it landed back on Izban's hand, before disappearing as quickly as it came.

  "We're going to have to find some really good bread and milk before he'll do anything for us again," Izban muttered.

  "What counts as really good?" Amber asked, leaning on his shoulder.

  "Some kind of fancy sweetened bread, I'd guess? I'm not really sure, he's never told me what he likes and what he doesn't."

  "Typical man then," the beithir teased.

  Macey laughed as the men began to mumble.

  "Oh shh, let's just get going," she ordered them.

  "Do we have a plan?" Amber asked softly.

  "I think it's basically, they say nothing, us three do all the talking." Macey shrugged. That was in line with everything they'd said so far.

  "Oh no, not me. I'm waiting here for you all." Luch shook her head wildly and took a step back. "No chance. No."

  "Are you okay?" Amber asked, her brow creasing.

  "I'm not going anywhere near any sìth."

  "You were just near one," Amber pointed out, nodding in Izban's direction.

  "That's different. I'm not going into a sìth palace. Trust me, it'll hurt your cause."

  Macey frowned at the mouse, trying to make sense of what she was saying.

  "But you'll be here when we come back out?" she asked, hating the idea of having another ally just vanishing after they went in somewhere.

  "Yes. You're not done with me yet," Luch replied. "There's far more to our story together."

  Macey didn't comment. She didn't really know how. The wording was odd to say the least, and made it sound a little ominous. There was very little doubt that Luch was more than just the mouse she claimed to be.

  "Alright then, we go in there, and Amber and I take the lead. Luch stays behind," she changed the plan.

  "I'll stay with her," Jared put in. "That way you'll know for sure she'll still be here."

  Luch made an odd huffing sound. "I'm hardly going to run off, incubus. And if you think you could keep me here if I didn't want to be, then you have another thing coming."

  "I'm sure you could give anyone the slip," Jared responded. "But realistically, it's safer for us all if we're not split up too much."

  "That is true. Though I don't think Mahoun can touch me." The mouse seemed confident about that, and Macey supposed she should be. There was no telling how long she'd lived in the Voice's fortress, but it was long enough to have known Amber the whole time she was imprisoned, and to have a good knowledge of the whole place.

  "Will you be okay?" Macey asked Jared, turning to face him. She didn't like the idea of leaving him behind, but the logic was sound. She didn't want Luch escaping until she had some answers from the woman.

  Mostly about what she really was, because a mouse shifter certainly wasn't the answer. Not with how at odds she'd been with Aunt Nessie. Or how knowledgeable she'd seemed with Fedelm. If Macey had been a younger, and less worldly, kelpie, she'd have thought Luch was one of the gods she knew didn't really exist. In some ways, it was the only explanation.

  "Yes," he said, stepping towards her. He cupped Macey's cheek in his hand and lifted her face so she was looking up at him. "I'll always be okay so long as I know you're safe."

  Jared leaned down and captured her lips with his, giving her the sweetest kiss she'd ever received from her incubus. He wasn't normally this restrained. Her captivity really must have been hard on him.

  "Alright, you two, time to get going," Flint said, breaking Jared and Macey apart.

  "Just because you want some time with her," Jared teased.

  "You're damn right, I do. But maybe not when we're waiting outside the sìth's home. I'd rather not be at their mercy any longer than necessary."

  "Flint's right," Izban added. "For the same reasons you don't want to go in there." He smirked at Jared.

  "Wait, what's going on? Why don't you want to go in there?" Macey demanded of her incubus.

  "The sìth view men as playthings if you will. And we're no exception," Cam answered instead, exchanging a quick glance with Flint.

  "They also like to share," Luch piped up, drawing dirty look from the two men. The mouse shrugged. "It's true. They'll see Macey and Amber as having surplus men, and therefore, those men are fair game. And an incubus… well, there's not a woman on earth who wouldn't want one of those in her bed."

  Macey growled, a sound she was pretty sure she'd never made before. But no one was even going to suggest touching any of her men.

  "I didn't say I'd do anything about it," Luch added hastily, holding up her hands in surrender. "But doesn't mean I'm not thinking it."

  "Find your own," Macey snapped.

  "Oh, I just might. You've given me some rather interesting ideas, kelpie." The mouse sounded almost too happy, but Macey didn't wait for clarification.

  "Erm..."

  "Just where did you
find them? I should go there to look for myself," Luch mused.

  "They found me," Macey said, bewildered by the turn of the conversation.

  "Oh, what a pity. Guess I'll just have to find myself some men elsewhere."

  "I don't know how you'd cope," Amber muttered, looking at Izban under her lashes.

  Macey smothered a laugh. The beithir had made it pretty clear that she didn't want more than just Izban. Macey found it sweet, but couldn't help but compare it to how she'd felt before meeting her men. There'd been no thoughts of having more than one of them from here either. Not even in her wildest imagination.

  "Problems for another day, you'd better get going, the sìth will be expecting you."

  Seelie

  8

  Beyond the drawbridge and the gate, a beautiful sight awaited the Wardens. Macey had a hard time not walking around with an open mouth, gaping at the scene presenting itself. She'd expected buildings made from the same glittering material as the outside walls. Instead, she was walking on clouds. It wasn't the mist of the Staran, no, it was thick, white clouds that were covering the ground - or maybe they were the ground? It was the same with all the buildings that reached far into the distance: they were made of clouds, their walls white and uneven and looking incredibly soft. Macey was tempted to touch one of the walls to see if she could walk through it. But after what she'd heard of the sìth, she didn't want to make a bad impression on them. This was the time to show some diplomacy.

  They carefully walked further into the wide space that stretched from the gate they'd come through to a large, tall building. It didn't quite look like Macey had imagined a fairy palace, but as the biggest house of them all, it had to be the place they were going to.

  No fairies were anywhere to be seen. Macey thought she could see some movements behind one of the cloudy windows of a building to her right, but maybe that was just a trick of the light. It was bright here, even though the sky was full of clouds. They weren't grey and foreboding clouds though, but friendly, white, fluffy ones. The kind of clouds children would draw.

  They reached the large building, but the doors were shut. There was still nobody that seemed to be expecting them.

  "Who did your little blue helper talk to?" Amber asked her almost-boyfriend and he grimaced.

  "He didn't say, but I assume it was one of their guards. I'm sure they're here right now, watching us. Shall we try if the doors are open?"

  Macey nodded and walked up the steps leading to the two silver doors. They were beautiful and intricately carved, showing sun rays shining down on a crowd of people who were reaching up for the sky. Were those sìth? The carvings were too small to distinguish sìth from humans. Not that Macey had ever seen a sìth, but she'd heard they had pointy ears and were a lot prettier than humans. Which didn't take much; most supernaturals were a lot more beautiful than any human would ever be.

  There were no door handles, so she tried pushing the doors inwards. Nothing happened.

  Looking back at her fellow Wardens for support - which they gave with a nod - she knocked on the doors as loud as she could.

  The silvery metal the doors were made of was surprisingly warm against her knuckles. It definitely wasn't a material she'd find on Earth, but that really shouldn't surprise her. They were in the queendom of the sìth after all. Everything here was going to be strange and unique.

  "Go away!" a high female voice called from the other side.

  "I'm afraid we can't do that," Macey replied loudly. "We're here on important business that cannot wait." She was using words she'd heard her father use at court, hoping that the sìth were using a similar flowery language here.

  "We're not interested in doing business with you!"

  Macey sighed. "We're not trying to sell you anything. We're here to offer you our help in return for you giving us some information."

  She was bluffing, of course, she didn't even know if the sìth needed any help with something. Maybe everything was fine here in the queendom. Maybe her men had misinterpreted the situation.

  "What help could a kelpie, a beithir, a mage and two wraiths give us?"

  Oh, so the sìth knew who they were. Or at least what they were. Did they know about Luch and Jared waiting on the other side of the gate as well?

  "How about you let us in and we discuss it face to face? I'd really love to make your acquaintance."

  No, she really wasn't, but a bit of flattery usually worked.

  "I don't. Please leave." The woman's voice was getting ever more high-pitched and angry.

  Macey sighed. "We've travelled a long way to get here. If you'd prefer to just talk to us women, the men can stay outside."

  The three male Wardens huffed behind her, but she ignored them. Amber and her had proven that they could look after themselves. After all, they'd escaped the Voice without their men's help.

  "I don't care if you're a woman or not. You're not welcome here, so go before I make you go."

  Suddenly, the silver doors began to sizzle with electricity and Macey jumped back. She turned to Amber who had her hands outstretched, pointing towards the entrance.

  "Amber, what's wrong?"

  "It's my magic. They're using my magic. It's like they're copying it and then using it for their own purpose. It's not draining me, but it's really uncomfortable."

  When Izban heard that, he put an arm around Amber, pressing her close. She gave him a small smile, but she kept her hands outstretched as if she was trying to defend herself.

  "Stop hurting my friend!" Macey shouted at the doors, anger bubbling up in her. All she'd wanted was to talk to the sìth. Weren't they supposed to be the nice ones? Or had they accidentally landed in the Unseelie Court, where the not-so-nice sìth lived?

  "Shhh, over here!" someone whispered from their left. It took Macey a moment to see the woman who was pressed against the cloudy wall of the building. She almost seemed to be part of the cloud herself: her white hair blended in perfectly with her surroundings and her pale skin made an ideal camouflage. She was thin as a wisp and looked as if the slightest gust of air could blow her away. Was that a fairy?

  "They won't talk to you but I know who will," the woman whispered. "Come with me."

  Macey looked at the other Wardens. Was it safe to trust this sìth? Or was this a trick intended to get rid of them?

  Amber shrugged. "I really want to get away from these doors, so let's see what she has to say."

  Even though Amber had said that the magic wasn't draining her, her cheeks had lost a bit of colour. Yes, getting away from here sounded like a good idea.

  "Let's follow her," Macey decided and ignored the doubtful looks her men were giving her. She was beginning to like the idea that the women in the queendom were in charge. Maybe it was contagious, maybe that's why she was suddenly feeling like it was best for her to make all the decisions. Of course, she'd felt like that before, but now she was actually acting on it.

  With one last wistful look at the closed silver doors, she walked towards the woman who was impatiently waiting for them. Now that they were closer, it was obvious that the woman was a little older than them. Well, in looks at least. Macey was well aware that her men were older than they looked, but this woman seemed in her mid-thirties perhaps, not twenties like herself and the rest of the Wardens. Amber was the youngest at eighteen, and she didn't know how old Izban was. Maybe the same age as Macey?

  But then, who cared. Age was just a number.

  "Who are you?" Macey asked, but the woman just shook her head.

  "Later, follow me and be quick about it."

  Without further warning, she ran off, keeping close to the buildings on their right, the woman blending into the cloudy walls. Macey and the other Wardens had to stand out like dark spots on white linen. Everything here was so bright, so ethereal. It was beautiful and pure, but after her first encounter with the closed doors and the weird magic copying thing, she didn't trust the innocent looks of everything around them. Just like Cam had said, loo
ks may be deceiving in this place.

  The woman floated, which was unsurprising really, given her appearance, and was moving surprisingly quickly. Even so, the Wardens managed to keep pace, though it was growing more and more difficult. The last time Macey had slept, she'd been in captivity. The same went for Amber. The men didn't look as fresh as they could be either. It was a good job they all had the superior strength of being more than human to keep themselves going, or they'd probably be dead.

  Maybe they all should be anyway. They'd been through a lot, and had several narrow escapes, none of which had left them completely whole. Mental torture took its toll too. And while Macey knew her and Amber had their own issues from the captivity to deal with, she was sure the men were suffering similarly for being away from them.

  "You know, I'm kind of getting tired of blindly following people I don't know," Flint chuntered.

  Macey didn't say anything. She could either agree with him, and risk turning their current host against them, or she could lie and tell him she wasn't fed up of that exact thing. Ever since she'd met her men, she'd been thrust into the position of being around people she didn't know. She was just lucky a lot of them had become her friends. More so than had become her enemies. Thankfully.

  As far as she was aware, there was just the Voice who was actually against them. Though knowing her luck, there'd be someone else along the way. Not to mention, someone could betray them at any moment. Cat-man hadn't been all that friendly towards her, she reckoned he could be turned against her still.

  "It's just for a little longer," Cam consoled him.

  "We have a time limit?" Macey blurted, without mulling it over in her head.

  She looked over her shoulder, and the guilty look on Cam's face said it all.

  "I-"

  "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

  "We didn't know until we went to see Malan again. Before that, we just thought we were going up against how sick the Staran were getting. But he..."

  "How long have we got?" Amber asked, her voice soft and instantly calming the tensions rising between them all.