by Alexia Purdy
“Because it can do nothing for me. My mother cursed the rocks as they fell on her body to make it impossible for me to remove them. I spent years running through witches, sorcerers, and faeries alike, trying to find someone powerful enough to remove the rubble, but no one could break through. That’s when I figured out I had to ask someone far more powerful than anyone else in Faerie to do it. I was going to finesse Arthas into it, but that proved intangible.”
“You’re not kidding. That was a dangerous proposition.”
“It cost me my life, yes, but inn my time in that prison of yours, I figured it out. You were destined to become an Ancient of Faerie, that much I knew. When you did, I would be able to escape the prison and then I would ask you to help me.”
“You mean threaten my family if I didn’t comply?”
Her face darkened, but instead of a frown, her lips upturned into a sheepish grin. “I’m not used to asking kindly.”
“You should try it sometime.”
“I’m an Unseelie queen. I do not ask.”
I sighed, tired of ever trying to change her mind. “Very well. Let’s get this started; I’m sick of being here. It may be your home, but this place is nothing but misery to me.”
Aveta scoffed as I stepped forward and placed my hands on the glassy obsidian boulders. It felt sleek, like I was touching a mirror instead of rock-hard stone. It was smooth enough for me to see a dark reflection of myself in it. Oddly enough, the rock felt alive beneath my fingers and pulsated with life as I closed my eyes, channeling my earth magic, which I rarely used, straight into it.
I felt the ground rumble as Aveta grabbed my arm, screaming. She pulled me back as the boulder split, the crack expanding upward toward the ceiling, raining more dust and debris down upon us.
“Stop! The rest is collapsing!”
I barely heard Aveta’s words as the rocks pelted us. She conjured a shield to keep them from injuring us. The bubble of the shield held, but it wouldn’t if we became completely buried under the rock.
She turned, her eyes wide and wild as her face purpled with the strain of holding the rocks off of us.
“You need to break through now, or we’ll be buried alive!”
I reached out again, pressing my palms into the rock as it shattered, cutting my hands with thousands of shards. I screamed, trying my best to not pull away as blood streamed down my arms. My power finally fused with the obsidian, sweeping the jagged shards up into a funnel that swept around us in a roaring wind.
My arms, my face, and my dress were ripped nearly to shreds as tiny slivers of obsidian sliced at us. Aveta screamed from the pain as her shield dissipated. She covered her head with her arms as she dropped to the ground. I held my arms up, attempting to focus my energy into my untamed earth powers to move the stones away from us and create a stable arch leading into the cavern now widening before us.
The rocks shattered as they crashed into each other. I willed the pieces to fuse together and take the shape I held in my mind. The rumble and roar of noise was deafening until, after several minutes that had felt like hours, the dungeon grew eerily quiet, and I collapsed to the ground next to Aveta, cut, bleeding, and completely drained. I closed my eyes and plunged into stygian darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Dylan
“Ah!” I hunched over, sharp pangs slicing though me, stemming from my left hand. The molten metal embedded in my skin tingled as though it were alive, breathing… connected to someone again. I exhaled through tight lips as I balanced myself against the wall of the row house whose rickety porch we now stood on. The houses were not far apart from each other, but enough so that one could walk around both sides and not touch the other building. The forest lay thick behind them, and their yards were framed with old, rotting wood fences, as though they’d not been cared about for years. In fact, most of the houses looked abandoned.
“You all right, man?” Nautilus leaned forward, scrunching his brows together.
I shook my head. “My arm. It’s burning.”
He glanced at the metal tendrils encircling my left hand and arm. It was curious that the metal had just melted and not simply crumbled off my finger. The same had happened to Soap, who wore a matching scar of metal on his left hand and arm.
I wondered if he had felt the same pain I had just felt. What did it mean?
Nautilus examined my arm. The metal remained cool. The pain was fading, but the tingling sensation continued.
“I don’t see any changes. You say it’s burning?”
“It’s not anymore, just tingling a little.”
Nautilus’s eyes widened as he glanced up at me. “Could it be that your bond with Shade is still intact?”
I shook my head, tugging my arm away from his inspection. Nautilus didn’t protest but eyed me with caution.
“No. Our connection was severed completely.”
“It could be her, you know. Something must be happening.” Nautilus narrowed his eyes at the metal, but I brushed away the idea that it could be her.
“I doubt it. Probably my nerves reacting to the metal.”
“Has it hurt since that day?” he asked.
Again, I shook my head. “No.”
He pressed his lips together but refrained from commenting as I reached out to ring the doorbell of Astenos’s home. I hoped he was here. This was where the power surges pointed, though I was surprised the humans had failed to realize it. He must have put a kind of aversion spell on this block for the electrical company to not come around. I could see why he would do that. Smart guy.
“Go away! I don’t want any cookies, vacuums, or candy, nor do I want to sponsor any kids for fundraisers, and I definitely don’t want any Christmas wrapping paper or popcorn!” The gruff voice had come from inside the home, just on the other side of the old wooden door. The color was chipped and faded, an old blue that had turned slightly green at its edges. Every panel of the house’s exterior was cracked wood, left to decay for years without any care. Even the trees and bushes along the street were unkempt, growing wild and leaving the house in darkness for most of the day.
My guess was that it was all glamour to keep people away. But why would he be shooing away kids who did door-to-door sales for their schools? Could it be that his magic was glitching and the charms weren’t working well enough to keep all humans away? It had me wondering if Astenos would be able to help us at all.
“Astenos?” I called out, looking at the window as the curtains moved ever so slightly. Dusty, faded blue lace curtains. This house needed an overhaul.
“I said go away! I’m not interested in anything you’ve got to offer!” he hollered from inside. The lock jiggled, and a smatter of curse words spilled from inside as the door swung open. An ancient-looking faery stared at us with beady yellow eyes, hissing his protests. “Did you not hear me? I said go away!”
“We heard what you said. Are you Astenos?”
The old man glared at us through his fingerprint-smudged spectacles as he stroked his full white beard. “Who’s asking?”
“I am Dylan, King of the Scorching Scren Palace and former Captain of the Teleen Guard. This is Nautilus, my comrade. We’re here to ask for your help.”
He eyed us from head to toe and back again, scrutinizing us both with disgust. “I can’t help you. Go away.” He began to push on the door, but I slapped my hand against it, pushing back.
“You haven’t heard what we have to say.”
“I don’t need to. If I must call the police, I will,” he snapped and continued to push the door against my arm. It didn’t budge.
“Call if you must, but your aversion charms are pretty lame. I’m certain I just saw some Girl Scouts down the way, peddling cookies.”
Astenos frowned, whipping his eyes down the street. “My aversion charms are down? That’s not possible. I fixed them twice this week.”
“They are. The glamour is working, but not the aversion. Having problems with your magic lately?” I stared
at him as he mulled over my words, chewing on his tongue as he contemplated what to do.
“You said you’re the king of the Scren?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Where is your queen?” This time, a mischievous twinkle sparkled in his eyes, now brown in color. He’d pressed more magic into his charms and glamour, and before our eyes, the house transformed. The rot faded to new siding; the blue of the door brightened to a sky blue that gleamed; the yard looked tamed and pleasant. Even the old man’s dirty appearance cleared up, and his beard stood out stark white, as though he’d morphed into a retiree who just wanted to be left alone. It was a storybook house for a storybook creature.
“I am no longer married.”
His eyes wandered to the metal tendrils on my left arm, and he chuckled. “That’s not what I see.”
Nautilus and I shared a surprised look, wondering what he meant.
The old man groaned, throwing his arms in the air as he pulled the door open once more. “All right. Come in, Your Majesty, or whatever you want to be called. I see that you’re not going away any time soon, so you might as well come on in and get this interrogation over with. I have things to do.”
“Like sit in your house day in and day out, draining the municipal electrical supply?” Nautilus asked.
The old man whirled around and glared at Nautilus, who looked away, regretting his comments.
“I’ll take it from here,” I muttered at him. He nodded and took a seat at the table the old man had waved us to.
“Your friend isn’t quite as regal as you are, Your Majesty. I think he needs reconditioning for guard work. Not quite refined yet.” He turned to me and smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was perturbed by our interruption to his day but willing to cooperate. At least we’d be getting somewhere now.
“I agree.” I glanced at Nautilus, who plucked out a cell phone and began to scroll through it. I sighed. Using the internet café had been inconvenient, so I’d insisted we get phones to use for communication and further research if it was needed, but he’d taken to the games like an addict. I turned my attention back to the old man.
“We need your help, Astenos. The magic in Faerie is fluctuating at an alarming rate, as you’ve probably noticed. I take it that draining electricity has become your last resort?”
“My connection to Faerie is through the woods there, but lately, the power has weakened. I have had to resort to less tasteful methods to continue the use of my magic and reinforce my charms and glamours. Even though, unfortunately, you have pointed out that it isn’t working anymore.”
“It’s not just here, it’s all over Faerie. You’re lucky that you can convert power into magic. Others who live ironside like you are not so fortunate.”
“I hate to hurry you along, but what is it that you want from me?” Astenos frowned as he continued to stare at us, disapproving of our presence. I’d never felt so uninvited in my life. This man was a pure recluse, and we had disturbed his hermitage. Even the threat of the loss of his magic and Faerie crumbling did nothing to move him to help us.
“Ilarial sent us.”
This perked him up more than anything else we’d told him. Nautilus even lifted his gaze from his phone at the old man’s reaction. Astenos straightened at her name, his face falling and paling.
“She did? What does she want?”
Again, I threw a glance at Nautilus. This was all starting to sound odd. What did Ilarial have over Astenos?
“She said you could help us fix the wavering powers in Faerie, that you would know how to fuse the mortal world and the Faerie world together in harmony. To keep the wards up and fix the magical fluctuations.”
Astenos stared at us for what felt like minutes before he burst out laughing. His cackle echoed through the house, maniacal as he continued, hysterical at the thought of him being our only recourse. My hopes sank to the bottom of my stomach like a rock. Maybe Ilarial had been wrong about Astenos. Maybe we were just pulling teeth here.
Every second we wasted brought the destruction of Faerie even closer.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Shade
“You fool, get up!”
Aveta’s gruff voice sounded muffled, as though I were underwater. Her curses cleared as my vision did the same. Blinking up into the atmosphere, I saw obsidian dust sparkling in the mysterious light poking through the cavern walls high above.
We were somewhere new, a cave I’d never seen before.
I groaned, sitting up and shaking off the layer of dust growing on my body. Coughing, I pushed off the ground and dusted off my clothes. I was still wearing that heinous red dress I’d worn around Arthas. Shaking my head, I cursed and willed the air to whip about us, removing the dust and glass crystals stabbing into my pores. I even added a dab of magic to change my clothes into practical jeans and a sweatshirt. I shivered, feeling the cold more now that my senses had awoken. I hugged my arms tightly to my chest.
“You look pathetic in that mortal garb.” Aveta frowned as she patted down her long jet-black hair. No thank you for clearing off the dust from her skin and dress. No hint of gratitude. Not that I expected it from her.
“It’s what I’m comfortable in, just like you prefer those ghastly taffeta gowns that announce your approach from miles away,” I grumbled, but Aveta ignored my rant. “What is this place anyway?” I looked around, the ceiling high above us as creatures called out from the darkness, echoes bouncing off the walls. I shuddered.
This place was crawling with evil.
“It’s the labyrinth. It’s the only path to the other side, where the hidden part of Faerie lies. That’s where we’re going.”
“Excuse me, we?” I scoffed. “I don’t think so. I did what you asked me to. You go where you want, but I need to—”
“You need to what?” Aveta snapped, shutting me down with one icy glare. “You have no one, Shade. You are utterly alone. There is no one out there for you, you made sure of that. I know how you Ancients work. You are the most selfish creatures to roam this realm. You abandon all you love and manipulate innocents to your benefit. Do you really think anyone is looking for you now? You might as well see something worth admiring. Something even you could appreciate. I’m sure there is something at the end of this labyrinth even you could love.”
My mouth agape, I felt stinging tears spring up behind my eyes. How dare she? Who did she think she was? I stumbled as my tongue twisted, unable to retort. I couldn’t stand this woman, yet every word she spoke dripped of truth. A truth I hadn’t been willing to face after the Heart of Fire and Ice. I couldn’t. There was no part of me able to face any of it until now, and it all came rushing at me like an avalanche.
I gasped, closing my eyes as I reached out, steadying my hand on the smooth obsidian of the arch I’d created out of the rock. A fit entrance for a place filled with darkness and death. Many had died here; I could hear their souls wailing and whispering into my head, beckoning to me from the inky blackness to enter and become one of them.
I shook my head. I had to keep it together. Ancients are powerful, but even they are not infallible. Even I could not resist the call of the darkness all the time.
I glared up at Aveta, who nonchalantly strode forward, straight into the labyrinth, not waiting for my response. As I contemplated turning around or going on to see a place few in Faerie had ever seen, I straightened, choking on my pride as I took a step forward and decided my fate.
“What lives here?” I asked, my fear bubbling in the back of my thoughts. Swallowing down the dry ball in my throat, I suddenly didn’t want to know what lurked in these shadows.
“Dark spirits; creatures called wraiths. But they are no ordinary fae. They are soul eaters, feeding off your fear until you collapse of fright. You must control your fears and not let them see what vexes you if you wish to walk freely through these halls. If you let your emotions get the best of you, they will eat you alive.”
I cleared my throat, pushing all my thou
ghts to the side. If that was true, I couldn’t allow my feelings to seep through me. What a perfect time for my human emotions to rise back to the surface. The way this place felt, it would be lethally dangerous to contribute to its dark magic.
“You’ve been here a few times?”
“More times than anyone has ever traversed through here,” Aveta responded. Her voice was emotionless, her eyes constantly darting from side to side, sweeping the area with precision.
“Have you ever been attacked by those dark spirits?” I asked.
“Yes. This is a gateway to paradise, but the price to enter can be everything.”
“What’s at the end?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It must if you wanted to get here so badly.”
Aveta frowned, silent. I guessed she was done talking for now. Sighing, I turned away from her and studied the dark obsidian walls. The glass reflected my face now and then from the light beams high above. This place had to be hundreds of feet under the Withering Palace, deep in the mountain. How did an entire hidden realm of Faerie exist down here? What would it be like? Was it full of darkness? Was it light and happy? There was no way of telling, but from Aveta’s desperation to return there, it must be something special.
“Shade?”
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned my head to find my mother Jade standing clear as day a few feet away from me.
“Mom?” I whispered, confused. “What… how? How are you here?”
“Daughter, I’ve been waiting for you. How could you leave me behind?”
“I—I didn’t.” Confused, I stepped forward as fingernails dug hard into my flesh. Catching my arm, Aveta hissed beside me.
“It’s not real. Don’t give it your attentions.” Aveta tugged hard against me as I glared at her. How dare she interrupt my mother and me?
