Into the Mists

by Laura Greenwood

  "About three weeks," Cam added nervously.

  "Great. So, we're a Warden short, and still don’t have any idea what in the waves we should be doing, and we have three measly weeks to do it? Well, didn't this month just get better." Macey turned back towards their host, watching the cloud flooring skip by.

  "You might be closer than you think," the sìth in front to her said. "Sometimes answers are closer than you think," she added.

  "Unless you know where the Air Warden is, and he or she has all the answers, then I very much doubt we're closer than we think," Macey replied bitterly.

  "Have faith, kelpie. Have faith."

  The woman pushed open one of the shiny doors, and Macey cringed inwards, hoping to avoid touching it. The last thing she wanted was it stealing her powers like it had to Amber’s.

  Actually, that process reminded her a little of Luch, and what the mouse had done to destroy the barrier at the ceasg's pool.

  "Come in, then." The woman gestured wildly, and the Wardens hurried into the room.

  The walls were made of the same swirling cloud and Macey found herself completely distracted by a pattern on the back wall. There was something about it that called to her.

  "You're here," a male voice exclaimed from behind them. He sounded genuinely excited to see them. Which was both a relief, and slightly concerning.

  "Hi," Macey said in return, turning around to face the man. He was pretty much exactly what she'd expected. He was like a male version of the woman who'd brought them here. Thin and wisp like.

  And beautiful. Far more beautiful than anyone semi-translucent had any right to be.

  "I thought sìth were supposed to have pointy ears," she muttered to herself, quietly enough so that no one else should be able to hear.

  "We do, when we're in human form," the wispy man replied.

  Obviously, she hadn't been speaking quiet enough. She should think before she spoke. That was what her father had always taught her, and she was honestly a little ashamed that she hadn't remembered that in the first place.

  "Hello," Amber said nervously, looking at the man oddly.

  "Hi," he said, offering his hand for the beithir to take. She did, and he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

  Amber giggled as his partly there lips brushed against her skin and Macey couldn't work out how she felt about the situation. Up until now, almost every man she'd come across had their attention on her first. Having another woman around was going to take some getting used to.

  Izban, on the other hand, had his emotions written all over his face. He was jealous. Macey smothered a smile. She was sure any of her men would have had the same expression if it was her getting the sìth's attention.

  At least this was more like the Izban she'd originally met, and not the man he'd apparently become in the months she'd been locked away. Of all the changes that had occurred, that was the most difficult one to fathom.

  "You wanted to see us?" she asked, interrupting the moment.

  Amber blushed, clashing horrendously with her hair. It must be one of the perils of being a redhead, as well as one of the reasons Macey was glad she wasn't. Clashing with her darker hair was certainly more difficult.

  "Yes, I believe I have what you're looking for."

  "You have a person?" Macey blurted before she could help herself.

  "Sort of. What do you know about the Seelie?" he asked, drifting from side to side as he spoke.

  "That they're the good guys?" Macey shrugged, not too sure what he was expecting her to say.

  "I suppose in a sense. But you're not supposed to be able to see us. You only can now because we're wrapped ourselves in the clouds."

  That at least made some kind of sense. They did appear as if one wave of the hand would cut through them.

  "Makes sense. But what does that have to do with the Air Warden?" she asked. Though maybe she shouldn't have admitted that was their goal so soon.

  "The Air Warden isn't a person. It's something that must bond with one of you," the man said.

  "You mean, share one of our bodies with another soul?" Amber interrupted, pulling a face as she did.

  "No. It's not a soul, more of a power."

  "That's not unheard of," Cam reasoned. "And it makes sense if it's linked to the Seelie."

  "Indeed. Sometimes a voice can be heard on the wind, or a rustle in the trees, that could well be Air. But it is not a person. Just controlled by a person."

  "Oh." Macey didn't know what to make of that. How were they supposed to decide who would carry the extra power? And how would it interact with the powers each of them already had?

  "The question is, which one of you will it be?" the man asked, and the Wardens exchanged worried glances.

  This wasn't going to be an easy choice.

  9

  "Are there any side effects?" Flint asked worriedly. Just like him, Macey was a little worried about this latest development. Having a seventh Warden would have been so much easier. There may have been some trouble fitting them into their current relationships - no one ever wanted to be the only one single in a group of couples... quads - but at least it would have been a living, breathing person. Macey could work with that. But having a new power... that was different.

  "I'm not sure a Seelie power has ever been bound to a non-fae before," the man said softly. His voice was calming and gentle, and Macey began to wish that he'd talk to her more, about anything, everything. His voice was to die for.

  "I cannot guarantee that it'll all go smoothly. But if you want your seventh Warden, there is only that one way."

  "Wait, how do you know about the Wardens?" Macey asked, suddenly suspicious despite his beautiful voice. "How do you know we're some of them?"

  "The very power that is going to bind with one of you told me," the woman said, a big smile on her face. "It also told me that it's met you before, Macey. It tried to warn you once, but you didn't listen."

  "What? I don't think I've ever..." A memory popped up in her head. Back at her brothers' house, when they lay unconscious outside, she'd heard a voice that told her to run. She didn't and ended up being kidnapped. Kind of. Although that was a good thing, otherwise she'd never have met her men. But wasn't there something else? She remembered how when she first woke, she'd been convinced that someone had hit her on the head. Cam had insisted that she'd fainted and she'd almost begun to believe that herself... But what if Air had warned her about whoever had attacked her, not about the kidnapping?

  "So, you can talk to it?" she asked, aching for more information.

  "Air talks to all of us," the man said with a grin. "We're made of the same element; you could probably call us family. Air whispers to us when humans are in need of us, and sometimes, we listen. Not as much now as we used to, but that's another story." His smile turned sour. "There are bad things going on all over the world, and many of them are connected. Even the Seelie court has not stayed untouched by evil. But let's not speak of that. You need to make a decision. Who of you will carry Air?"

  "Can we have a moment alone?" Cam asked the two sìth and with a nod, they disappeared from the room, leaving the five Wardens alone.

  "We shouldn't decide this without Jared," Flint said empathically. "It's a big decision and all six of us should be involved."

  "Do we have time for that?" Macey asked. "We still need to go and talk to the selkies from what Aunt Nessie said, and we only have three weeks in which to do it..."

  "It'll only take half an hour or so to go talk to him," Flint pointed out.

  "Will they let us back in if we leave?" Amber asked.

  Macey looked at the other woman, appreciating her acuteness. That was a very good question. The sìth, or at least some of them, were co-operating at the moment, but would that continue? If they said they needed to delay, then would they still be friendly?

  Sure, the Seelie Court was supposed to be the light one, but Macey doubted that was always the case. Every race had their decent folk, and their evi
l and twisted ones.

  "I'll do it," she said suddenly, before holding up her hand. "Before you say anything, it makes the most sense. I'm the one with most of the marks already, and that's got to mean something. So, it makes sense for me to take on Air."

  Macey didn't want to admit how worried that thought made her. But if it needed doing for the good of the Wardens, and the good of the world in general, then she'd do it. She needed to.

  "That might be true, but..." Flint started, only to stop speaking when Cam placed a hand on his shoulder.

  "It might be easiest for me to take the power. I'm Wind already, so Air would match my existing skill set."

  Macey walked up to him and cupped her hand around his cheek. "Can you promise me that's the case? That it wouldn't mess with your existing magic? Or that it would be painless? Because if you can't, then you're not doing it."

  "Macey..."

  "Don't Macey me. There's a reason this all set in motion when I showed up. And why the marks are appearing on my back and not on anyone else's."

  "That's not how this works," Flint protested.

  "Isn't it?" She met his eyes and was floored by the compassion and concern that lingered there. Her men certainly weren't thinking with their heads right now. They were thinking with their hearts.

  "I could take it, I think," Amber piped up. "It's probably similar enough to my storm magic. But I think Macey's right, I think it needs to be her."

  Macey nodded her thanks. It was good having a friend fully on her side through all this. Amber wasn't going to make decisions based on her romantic attachment to Macey, because there wasn't one. She'd logic these things out, before agreeing with whichever party made the most sense.

  "I agree with Amber," Izban added.

  "Of course you do. It's not your girlfriend being put in danger," Flint burst in.

  "Girlfriend?" Macey raised an eyebrow at him. Now definitely wasn't the right time to be having this conversation, but she really couldn't help it. She liked the way the word sounded when he said it.

  "Girlfriend doesn't even begin to sum up what you are to me," he announced.

  "And do you have a word that would sum me up?" she teased.

  "I don't think anything could," he answered softly, taking her hand from Cam's face, and placing it on his own. "I know a lot of things about it though. I know I love you, Macey, and I know that I couldn't live with myself if anything bad happened to you."

  "I feel the same way," Macey said honestly, before looking over at Cam. "About all of you. But that doesn't mean I'm not doing this. We all know I'm the logical choice to take on Air. So that's what we're going to do."

  Flint started to protest, but Macey held up her hand to stop him.

  "Please, Macey," Cam tried begging.

  "No. I'm doing this. I have to do this. Think about what the alternative is," she implored them, hoping that would make the difference.

  "Fine."

  "I'm glad to hear you've decided," the sìth man said, popping up out of nowhere and making Macey jump.

  "You couldn't have knocked?" Izban demanded.

  The man looked at his hands. "With what?" He seemed genuinely perplexed, and Macey had to admit he had a point. Though given his appearance out of thin air, she had some questions about why they even had doors if they weren't going to use them.

  "I'm ready," Macey said. "Tell me what you want me to do."

  10

  The room was cold without the others in it. Though in reality, it was probably exactly the same temperature as before, the only difference was that she didn't have the protection of the other Wardens around her.

  They were on the other side of the strange metal door though, so she didn't feel their absence quite as much. If Macey really wanted, she could back out of the entire thing at any point. Flint or Cam would take her place in an instant.

  Which was the main reason she wasn't saying a word to them about how scared she was. If she didn't take on Air, then she might never get the mark on her back, and while she didn't know what the importance of those was, there must be one. And she didn't want to take the risk of not having the full set. Working out how she got her own mark would be the last step, she was sure. Maybe it would happen when her own magic was completely unblocked. While the lock her father had put on her powers was almost gone, she could still feel the remnants of it holding her back.

  And she hated it. She still didn't understand why he'd done that. Unless it was to teach her some humility. He'd vastly underestimated the things she'd get up to on earth if that was the case. Months imprisoned had taught her all the humility she could possibly need.

  Taking a deep breath, Macey recited the words the sìth had taught her already in her head. Now wasn't the time to risk anything like getting them wrong. Not when there was so much at stake.

  "Gairm èadhar airson a dhol a-steach dhomh," she said softly, hoping she'd gotten her pronunciation right.

  The clouds making up the walls around her began to swirl like crazy, almost like the wind had caught them. It must be Air. After all, it couldn't be Cam. He wouldn't risk anything that could harm her.

  Macey's hair whipped around her face as she was lifted off the ground by an unseen force. Breathing in and out as slowly as she could, Macey tried not to panic. She had no idea what would happen if she did.

  "Do not panic, Warden." It was the same male voice that had spoken to her before, while her brothers had been unconscious. But there was something odd about it towards the end. "I'm not going to hurt you."

  This time, it was clearer. The voice wasn't male any longer. In fact, it sounded suspiciously like Macey's own voice.

  "That's the idea," the voice, Air, responded. "I'm not a being in my own right. I am just part of one of the other Wardens."

  Macey swallowed loudly, wondering whose voice it was Air had been mimicking before.

  "The last Fire Warden," the voice said sadly. "He was the last one I joined with, so it was his voice I spoke with."

  Macey nodded. That at least made some kind of sense.

  "I'm going to meld with you now. But you won't hear from me again after that," Air said.

  "I won't?" Macey asked, suddenly finding her voice.

  "No. I'll be one with you. My powers will be yours."

  "And you'll be able to use mine too?" Macey asked nervously, trying not to think about how weird it was to be having a conversation with someone that sounded just like her.

  "No. I have no control at all. I'm just there."

  Macey mulled it over for a moment. "So, you're about to vanish as a personality?"

  "I suppose. But I didn't have a personality to begin with," Air answered.

  "But you must have if you were born at some point?" Macey prodded.

  "Millennia ago, maybe. But I've taken on this form for as long as I can remember. Though this is going to be the first time I've been hosted by the Water Warden. I end up with Wind or Earth more often than not."

  It was slightly chilling hearing Air talk that way. Especially when Macey couldn't see the person she was conversing with. But there was very little to be done about that. She had to go ahead with this melding, or else the world was going to be more at risk than ever. Plus, it might be good to know more than Cam did for a change. So long as Air would help with her knowledge. She hoped so.

  "One last thing," Macey said.

  "Hmm?" Air replied.

  "Do you have a name?"

  Air chuckled. "You know, no one has ever asked me that."

  "Indulge me," Macey replied.

  "No, I don't have a name. But we, combined, do."

  "Will you tell me it?" Macey asked, carefully recalling Sharara's prophetic words. If things were going as they should, then this should be her second name. The one that she couldn't reveal to anyone for risk of being cursed. That didn't sound fun.

  "Yes, but you can't repeat it. Not even to your men."

  "I know, if I do, I'll be cursed."

  "Ah, yes, the cu-sìth
's words," Air said, sounding like she'd be nodding along if she had a body.

  "How do you know about that?"

  "I know about most of your adventures, I've been with you almost everywhere except Mahoun's keep. I cannot go there without the body of a host."

  "Makes sense," Macey muttered, trying to keep her unease at bay. Especially as Air seemed to be able to tell what she was thinking even if she didn't say it aloud.

  "Sadly. But seriously, you can't say the name to anyone else."

  "What will happen if I do?"

  "You're looking at the consequences. Well, not looking I suppose. But you'll be cursed to an eternity of being the Seventh Warden, the one who has no body, no life of their own, and no name. As much as I long for freedom from this burden, I couldn't wish it on anyone."

  "Which is why you haven't insisted when no one asked for your name," Macey mused.

  "Indeed. The Wardens have a good leader with you."

  "I'm not a leader," Macey protested.

  "Deny it all you want, but you are. And often, the best leaders are those that don't want to be one," Air answered. "Our name is Talia. Never let it cross your lips."

  "Thank you for sharing it with me," Macey said, running it around her head. It seemed to fit, in an odd way. Though it didn't make that much sense to have a name no one would know, it was hardly the strangest thing that had happened to her since she'd left the Loch.

  "Thank you for talking with me, Macey. It's been a long time since anyone did that."

  She wasn't sure how she knew, but those were the last words Air was going to say to her.

  Macey's body returned to the floor along with a searing pain to her back. This time, she didn't panic, knowing what was there before anyone even saw it.

  Five marks down, just two to go. All she had to do was persuade Izban to perform magic with her.

  And then work out what she needed to do to get her own.

  Somehow, Macey was almost disappointed that her visit to the Seelie court had been so short. She'd heard a lot about the sìth and was curious about their lives. All she'd seen was their cloudy houses as well as the man and woman who'd told them about Air. She made a mental note to come back here, once everything was over. Of all the places she'd been recently, this was the one she found most intriguing. Visiting the storm kelpies under the sea had been fascinating, but she'd felt trapped in those big glass domes, unable to feel the water all around them. Cat-man's home had been quite boring and misty, and with his sister dead, she didn't see any reason for visiting there again. She didn't even know where the ceasg had been living, and she wasn't keen on going there again either. Although of course, her favourite place was her men's house in the mists. That strange inbetween place that changed at the whims of its inhabitants. She ached to be back there with her three lovers, spending some time with them. But they'd told her that they only had three weeks to save the world - waves, that sounded so dramatic! - so there was no time to rest and recuperate. Although they all needed to get some sleep.