by Alexia Purdy
“Do try to keep up, girl.”
“My name is Shade.”
“I know.” Without looking back, she walked on, her skirts brushing over the cobblestones.
“Where are we going?” I couldn’t believe I was following the Unseelie queen to who knew where? I was still trying to figure out how I’d put her here when I was but a half-blood. Surely, she was wrong about me.
“Here we are.” She flicked her fingers at the door at the end of the hall. It was formed of old, petrified wood with an even older metal knob. I suspected it was iron from the way Aveta avoided touching it. She instead turned the knob with her magic and swung the door open.
How did she have her powers but I didn’t? Nothing made sense and only brought more questions to my baffled mind. It was disconcerting.
She entered and turned to tilt her head, indicating that I should follow.
I sighed. No reason not to. She might know of a way out, which put her way ahead of me. I had nothing to go off of and no idea where to start.
The room beyond the door had a hole in the middle of the floor. I stayed a good several feet away from the edge of it. If Aveta was going to toss me in, I wanted to make sure I could grab the door and shoot out of there. I absentmindedly went to hold the knob but shrieked when the metal touched my skin. Sizzling, I held my hand to my chest, cursing under my breath.
“What the…?”
“You’re an Ancient of Faerie now. Iron burns.”
“Yeah, I know that. I wasn’t thinking.” I glared at her as I cradled my hand. I chanced a peek at it and watched it as it healed, the angry red burn fading into normal, healed tissue. Once it was done, the pain ebbed away. Even if this was all a creation of my mind, it still seemed to follow some of the same rules as the outside world. I would have to make sure I didn’t touch anything metal in my mind prison. The memory of pain tasted bad on my tongue.
“You’ve much to learn. Arthas probably tried to show you, and knowing what I know about you, you were much too stubborn a student.”
“And you’d make a better teacher?”
She laughed. I don’t think I’d ever heard the Unseelie queen laugh before, not genuinely. We’d met under duress every time. Regardless, it wasn’t pleasant.
“What’s so funny?” I asked. This situation was grating on my nerves, and I wanted to get out of there before the air ran out. The walls felt like they were closing in around us, but it was probably just my anxiety.
I gasped. I could feel things now. Anger, hurt, anxiety, pain. Did it mean I was cured of my apathy? Did it mean this place had broken through the curse of my new life?
“You feel it, don’t you? Feeling more alive with each moment. That’s what this place does. It frees you.” Aveta smiled as she turned toward the hole in the floor. The darkness was moving now, swirling with smoky black clouds. I’d not seen them before, and my sudden joy turned to fear once more.
“It does feel different,” I mumbled, peering at the smoke. “What is this?”
“It’s the exit you’re looking for.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. Was she kidding me? “You mean I have to jump in there?”
She nodded, smiling so broadly that I could see almost all of her teeth. Some of them were sharp, which I had never noticed before. I shivered.
“It’ll return you to your body. It’s the only way out.”
“So why haven’t you left yet?”
Her smile dropped. “Because I can’t leave. I tried jumping in before. It just returns me to this room, over and over. It’s a nightmare to see the way out and not be able to cross the veil. It rejects me every time. I figured the only one who could free me was the creator of this place, the one person who couldn’t come here until she became an Ancient of Faerie. Now that you are here, you can let me out.”
“How do I do that?”
She closed the distance between us and held out a perfectly manicured hand. Sharp red nails gleamed in the dim light emanating from nowhere that I could pinpoint.
“We’ll have to hold on to each other and jump. Don’t let go.”
I stared at her, but before I could pull away, she snatched my hand into hers, squeezing it tightly.
“Ow!”
“Don’t do anything foolish. It’s but a little jump, and we’ll be out of here.”
“But—”
Before I could finish my sentence, she tugged on my arm and jumped, dragging me down into the abyss of smoke and mist as dark as her eyes. Falling and falling, I felt the rush of air as I screamed, gasping for a breath as the darkness swallowed us up whole.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dylan
The city of Aturine in the Guildrin Court was underground, a maze of halls beneath the massive root systems of the trees in the forest. Deep beneath the ground, Nautilus and I walked along the packed dirt paths toward Ilarial’s chambers. Knowing her, she was already aware we were coming.
It’d been so long since I’d been here. I believed Soap and Shade had come here when he’d first met her. A twinge of jealously zapped me as I walked. He’d met her first. I’d nearly forgotten that fact. No wonder he was so possessive of her. I guess if I had met her first, I might have felt the same way. Sharing her wasn’t easy, but for the sake of our children and her happiness, it had somehow worked out.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Nautilus commented from behind me. I paused, letting him fall in step next to me.
I shrugged. “I guess I don’t have much to say. I was just thinking how I wasn’t the first to meet Shade. Soap was. It’s odd how things have worked out.”
Nautilus threw me a curious glance. “Have you heard from Shade lately?”
And there it was, the one question everyone asked when they were with me. It was usually the first question. At least Nautilus had waited some time before asking about her.
“No. I haven’t heard a peep.”
“That’s concerning.”
“Yeah.”
Nautilus frowned, turning forward as we reached a single door down a quiet hall. The only one down this way was Ilarial. Even though she was a gentle soul and a talented oracle, most faeries avoided her. Maybe it was the promise of knowledge… that she knew what everyone was thinking, knew their futures. Maybe it was just plain old fear. I wasn’t afraid of her. She’d saved Shade a couple times and always helped when needed. People’s fears were almost always irrational.
I reached out and knocked on the old wooden door. A feeling of calm washed over me as we waited, and glancing at Nautilus, I could tell he’d felt it too.
Ilarial was a force to be reckoned with. She could calm a battalion of battle-ready soldiers or evoke emotion from the hardest criminals. I wouldn’t ever want to be caught on her bad side.
The door creaked opened, and Ilarial’s kind face peered out at us. “Hello, Dylan… Nautilus. I’ve been expecting you.”
We bowed as she opened the door wider.
“Good morning, Ilarial. It’s good to see you too.”
She observed us as we passed by and closed the door behind us. She never was one for many words, but I could feel the cool tap of her gaze against my skin. Power ebbed from her like a calm mountain stream, etching away at hard rocks over time with a gentle but powerful persistence.
“Please, have a seat. Are you hungry?”
We both shook our heads.
“No, we’re fine, thanks,” I responded. I slipped down onto a silk pillow as she took her position on the other side of a carved wooden table low to the ground. Its surface was rough, nicked with use. She held out her hands, one to each of us, and nodded, encouraging us to take them.
I slipped my hand into hers as Nautilus did the same. Immediately, I felt even more at ease, relaxing into my cushion as the flow of good energy smoothed away weeks of worry.
“The Land of Faerie is in chaos,” she began. “You have journeyed here to find an answer. The humans leave for the borders in a panic, some aging to the point of enfeeblement. But
still they carry their weakening bodies away from Faerie. To stay would mean certain death.”
I nodded. “Anna and James… they were affected by some mysterious ailment we believe is caused by the Land of Faerie. It tried to kill them.”
She let go and peered at us, taking in my face before doing the same to Nautilus. Her long platinum hair was so light, it appeared like long strands of crystal. Her eyes were pools plunging to depths no man had ever seen. I shivered again. Her gaze was powerful.
“Shade is the key.”
I groaned internally. What else was new?
“How?”
“She’s an Ancient of Faerie, but she is the only one who carries human blood in her veins. She may have transformed into a powerful being, but at her core, she is still human.”
“What does that have to do with Faerie rejecting humans?” I demanded. I was tired of hearing how it was Shade’s destiny to save everyone. She couldn’t save us. She couldn’t save Soap let alone anyone else. She had tried, yes, but she wasn’t all powerful.
“You underestimate your wife.”
“We’re not married anymore,” I snapped, holding up my left hand to show Ilarial the tendrils of metal embedded in my skin, running from my finger and up my arm. Soap had a matching gauntlet on his arm. Our rings had melted the moment Shade had taken Kilara’s place. It signified our severed bonds.
Ilarial held out her hand for mine, and after a moment of hesitation and resentment, I pushed aside my anger and placed my left hand into hers. She examined the metal laced across my skin. It shimmered like mercury, a constant reminder of the darkest day of my life, the day I had lost Shade.
“You are cursed.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“This is the curse of the Heart of Fire and Ice. You are prisoner to a love that cannot hold you. Soap faces the same fate. Shade is the key to this, but she has no knowledge about how to break it.”
I furrowed my brows, pressing my lips tightly together in a frown. “What does that mean?” I was tired of riddles. If only she would just say what she meant, then maybe I wouldn’t feel so helpless.
“It means the metal of your marriage rings should have completely dissipated, but it was an unwanted severance for you and Soap. Shade didn’t want to let you go, but the magic she acquired would have no connections to her past. She fought it, and it looks like you remain with the promise of metal along your skin. This will reverse if Shade finds her way back to you both.”
“And how does she do that?”
Ilarial, for the first time since we’d arrived, tightened her lips.
“She can’t, can she? It’s impossible.” I knew it. There was no fixing any of this.
“Nothing is impossible, Dylan.” Ilarial tilted her head at me. “Faerie is not linear like the human world, but it is symbiotic with it. You cannot have one without the other, and as the magic of Faerie continues to waver, we find ourselves at the mercy of the human world. Our answers are not here in Faerie, but out there, in the human world.”
I scratched my chin. Was she trying to tell us that we couldn’t fix the magic in Faerie without finding out something in the human world? These riddles were driving me mad.
“So the reason Faerie’s magic is haywire is because the human world is causing it?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“How? That makes no sense!” I threw my hands up, jumping to my feet, ready to bolt.
“Hold on, Dylan. I think we need to listen to everything Ilarial has to say.” Nautilus reached out toward me, grasping my arm. I shook it off.
“Why? This is a waste of time.” I turned to walk out, my impatience getting the best of me.
“You know why,” Ilarial stated. “Shade couldn’t remain with you while pregnant. You watched how emaciated it left Ciaran. You must know that this distance between you is necessary. She must hone her powers, learn to control them, become one with them. Only then will you and your daughters be safe, and she’ll be able to return to you.”
I stopped in my tracks, listening to Ilarial’s plea for me to listen. I paused, shutting my eyes at her words. Ilarial was truly gifted. How had she known about my conversation with Ciaran at the archives, since it wasn’t something I’d told anyone but James? I turned slowly to look at the wise oracle, feeling like a fool for rushing out.
“Please, Ilarial, just tell me what I need to do to break this curse and bring Shade home. I just want my family back.”
Ilarial held her hand out to the pillow I’d left on the floor. I returned to my seat, feeling defeated yet hopeful.
“I’m sorry if I don’t have the exact answers you’re looking for, Dylan, but I can tell you that Shade is fighting a battle as we speak, and she’ll need your help in due time. Right now, I suggest you go to the human realm and find a man called Astenos. He’s lived ironside most of his life and maintains his Faerie magic intact. He has balanced the mortal world with the immortal. He would be the one to ask how to rebalance the scales of power between here and there.”
I threw a worried glance at Nautilus, who gave me reassuring nod. “And if we find this Astenos and he can’t help us, what then?” I asked.
Ilarial looked concerned for the first time. “Then the Land of Faerie will fall, and chaos will reign here and in the human world. Dark times will come. Darker than we’ve ever seen.”
I exhaled slowly, feeling gutted.
“Dylan, you cannot fail. The faerie courts are chaotic, restless. Trust no one, and tell no one what I’ve told you. Even those we trusted in the past may no longer be loyal. And promise me something.”
“Yes?”
“Should you learn anything troubling, remember that everything must be done for a reason. It is unwise to judge anyone until you know all the facts surrounding their actions.”
I didn’t know her reason for saying it, but I knew I wouldn’t get any clarification. I frowned but nodded. “I promise.”
She smiled. “Then I bid you good journey. Be safe.”
We both rose, thanking her as we exited her chambers. She’d left us with more questions than answers, but for the first time since Shade had turned into an Ancient, I felt like I could make a difference.
If I failed, however, the whole world was doomed. Absolutely no pressure at all, right?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Shade
I blinked. The darkness remained, but I was no longer falling into the abyss of nothingness. Where was I? Had I died? Had I been returned to the mind prison? Had Aveta been real or just a figment of my dark imagination?
All those questions gave me a sharp pain in my head, and I squeezed my eyes closed, pressing my temples until the ache turned down a notch or two.
“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Aveta grunted from somewhere nearby. “Time to get out of this tomb and again, unfortunately, only you can open it.”
I blinked, letting the little light in this new prison sharpen my vision. Aveta was on her feet and now looking straight down, scrutinizing me.
“Where are we?” I mumbled, still groggier than I’d expected. Aveta didn’t look like she’d been knocked out, so why did I feel so heavy?
“We’re in a sarcophagus chamber. You must know where we are from that; it’s from your memories, not mine.” Aveta waved her arm toward a broken sarcophagus, its stone lid shattered on the floor.
“This is Arthas’s prison. I put him here after he killed you.”
Aveta actually appeared impressed as she scanned the chamber, a small grin hooking the edges of her lips. “I never thought he could be contained, but you did it. Why is he not here then?” She turned toward me, and I avoided her glaring, daggered eyes. “You let him out, didn’t you?”
“I had to. Kilara was dying and made me search for the Heart of Fire and Ice. I had no leads without Arthas’s help.”
Aveta shook her head but waved her disapproval away. “No matter. At least we know we can defeat him. Now, it’s time to get out of here.”
&n
bsp; I groaned, struggling to my feet. My body ached, a symptom I had not felt since I was human. I touched my arms, feeling a chill.
“Are you cold? Ancients do not feel things as petty as temperature.” Aveta gaped at me, her eyes wide, black saucers.
“I do feel cold. I feel aches and pains, and emotions now too. I have no idea why.”
Aveta narrowed her eyes at me, and I could see her thoughts running wild inside her mind, evaluating what I was and what I was becoming.
“You’re the blessed of Faerie. A half-blood who managed to become an Ancient. I don’t think anyone has ever achieved what you have. You’re a different kind of creature for sure.”
I wanted to scream. Why was nothing ever just straightforward for me in Faerie? I couldn’t just be a normal Ancient. I had to have strange deviations and obstacles. It would never be easy, would it? I sighed and studied my surroundings. She was right. Nothing mattered except getting out of here and resuming our lives.
I held out my hands and closed my eyes, willing the sarcophagus chamber to open. A door swung open a moment later, and dust and the acrid smell of iron spilled in from the abandoned underground tunnels beneath New York City. I couldn’t be sure, but this felt real and not just another part of my mind prison. Going into that pit had somehow made me jaunt away from Arthas. My consciousness was back in my real body.
“Such a ghastly place you chose. Reeks of iron.” Aveta coughed, quickly weaving a glamour around her body several times over to keep the iron sickness at bay. As I watched, the iron made my skin feel heated, a bit like standing in front of a fire, but it didn’t burn. I inhaled the noxious air, but it didn’t affect me.
I was surprised, but I decided to think on it later and instead headed out the door and into the dark tunnels. We had a bit of a walk to the surface. I didn’t want to try jaunting away just yet. I still felt weak, and I wanted to see the sky and regain my bearings.
I reached to the ground and picked out a smooth rock, lighting it in my hands as I created the witchlight from its core. I smiled, feeling my magic settle into me as though turning into an Ancient had been nothing but a hiccup in my life. For once, I finally felt more normal.
