Breaking Out

by Gayle Parness

Finally, she put her fork and knife down. “Dinner was most satisfactory. I may not kill you for at least another cycle of the moon.” Aine sighed and stretched her arms over her head. “I feel that I can rest now.” She rose and left the room, her face peaceful, her walk even more graceful. The herbs seemed to have had the planned effect.

  “She never sleeps,” Celine was shaking her head, yawning. “You’ll see. She’ll be back in a minute.”

  The weather had taken a downturn, temp-wise, so I looked out the window at the night sky. Jewel tones moved around in patterns like a kaleidoscope. It made me nauseous to look at it for long, so instead I added wood to the fire and sat cross-legged in front of it, wondering how long I’d been here. Time was never quite the same between realms, and this was a realm I hadn’t known existed.

  I’d wait until they were in a deep sleep and then I’d cut out. Look for the landing spot with the evil flowers and the fuzzy limms.

  While I waited, I thought about my parents and Jay and Ivy, but mostly I thought about Brina. Weird how someone can see you inside and out, and still accept you, still like you. Sure she got mad at me, and I felt awful about burning her, but she brought me back from that place.

  She’d been my first and only lover, making it tough to be around her and not want to pick up where we’d left off. She was strong and beautiful and smart and I was…just another guy.

  The fae weren’t shy or possessive about sex, the way some of the other races were, mostly because it was hard for them to conceive. A werewolf or a vampire would kill you if you even looked at his mate or his girlfriend the wrong way. Shifters mated for life. What I’d brought to the sheets that night was probably nothing special for someone as experienced as Brina. Maybe her wanting me at all had been some kind of experiment since my heritage was such a strange mix. She was always up for an adventure.

  Celine had fallen asleep on the comfy couch, so I stood and headed toward the door, only to run head-on into an invisible barrier. I checked every exit but it was all the same. We were in lock-down, like any jail. I tried everything I could think of, but no go. Frustrated, I curled up on the soft rug in front of the fire and drifted off. Maybe I could think of some other plan tomorrow.

  “Charles.” I was dreaming that Brina was touching my face. Oh, this was nice. Do it again. “Charles!” I opened my eyes and sat up. Wow. The flesh and blood Brina had been touching my face. Even better. I reached out to her face, but she batted my hand away. “Now is not the time. Are you injured?”

  “What?” I was all fuzzy headed.

  “Wake up. Are you injured?”

  “No.”

  “She has not threatened you?”

  “I wouldn’t say that. Both of them have threatened to do all sorts of nasty things to my body.” Maybe she’d stroke my face again in sympathy.

  “Both?”

  I heard the familiar sound of a rifle being primed. “Who are you, Blondie?”

  Brina rose to her full height, relaxing into her warrior’s stance. “I am Brina.”

  Celine looked at me. “Wow. Zena’s in the building.”

  “She’s ten times more awesome.”

  I actually saw the corners of Brina’s mouth curl up. “Thank you, Charles.”

  Celine “She’s pretty, but is she faster than a bullet?”

  “Perhaps not, but I am.” The gun was snatched from her hand, bent in half and tossed aside. “Who are you?” Fin asked, furious.

  Instead of kneeling like any other fae would have, Celine put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Who the heck are you? Some badass fae lord who thinks he owns the world?”

  Fin was shocked into silence. I’d guess that no fae had ever spoken to him like that. Brina jumped up and drew her sword. “Kneel. Or I will relieve you of the large rock perched on your neck.”

  “Why? Who is this guy?”

  “The King of Faerie.” Brina answered, emphasizing each word.

  “This is the creep who left his wife here alone, without food or anyone to keep her company? I should chop off his head.”

  “What the king does is none of your concern. I will give you one more chance to kneel before I skewer you.”

  “Hold.” Finvarra walked closer to Celine. He had that look that made the hair stand up on your arms.

  “Stay away from me.” She backed up.

  “You are pureblood, yet you do not know me?”

  “I’ve never lived in Faerie.”

  “Who is your mother?”

  “It doesn’t matter. She died.”

  “Her name.”

  “I’m not telling you anything about my family.”

  “You are.” He reached for her, his eyes going gold. I knew right away what he was doing.

  “Stop.” I’d jumped up. “You can’t go into her head without her permission.”

  “She is one of mine.”

  “No. She’s a free being. You have to ask.”

  “I did. Do you know of another way?”

  “Yes.”

  I took her hand and led her to the couch, not releasing it when we sat. Contact was important. “This is King Finvarra. He’s upset because I was kidnapped by those wolves you hired. Giving him a hard time isn’t helping his mood and you don’t want to see him when he’s really pissed off. He doesn’t understand how you could have grown up outside of Faerie without any of his people knowing. He cares about all his subjects. He’s really not usually this uptight.”

  “Yeah? How do you know?”

  “He’s my grandfather. He’s cool.” When he wasn’t acting like a bully, but I left that part out.

  She scanned me, then him. “My mom died when I was five. Her name was Willow and she was pureblood. A lord at Fionna’s court raped her. That’s how she got pregnant with me. She told me never to go to Faerie because the same thing would happen to me.

  “The people she worked for took me in and raised me. They owned a ranch father east and I grew up taking care of horses. When I graduated college I got a job as a park ranger. I only work part time now, because of…” She looked at the doorway that led to the bedrooms. “She likes having me around.”

  “Would you really have killed me?” I asked.

  “Probably not, but I didn’t want her to send me away either.” Truth.

  “Aine is sleeping?” Finvarra asked.

  “Yeah, only she never sleeps. It’s weird. As soon as Charles showed up, things started to change.”

  His full attention was on me now. Sometimes that wasn’t such a great thing. I’d seen him force a room full of three thousand year old fae lords to their knees.

  “Why did you leave her here like this? She’s so sad and lonely.” Celine asked.

  “You cannot understand what she has done.”

  I felt I had to add my two cents. “But two thousand years? Don’t you think that’s a long enough punishment?”

  “I was here until recently.” His voice had grown lower, colder.

  “No. She told me you lived in another part of this realm and that you hardly came to visit.” Celine was getting braver.

  He shrugged. “When you are here, every day is new. Time is meaningless and the past is forgotten.”

  I stepped closer. “That isn’t true. She remembers and misses you. She told me she loves you.”

  “Aine does not understand love. She has no feeling for others.”

  His eyes were slits, a sign I should’ve kept my mouth shut. “But two thousand years. That’s a little harsh, even for you.”

  The room grew cold, so cold steam was coming out of my mouth. “Do you imagine that because we are kin I will not punish you for your disrespect?”

  I warmed myself and straightened up, paying no attention to the fact that I was able to use magic again. Okay, so he wants to go there now. Fine. “You have no right to punish me. I don’t belong to you or Naberia or the Shifter Council. I’m not your subject or even your official ally. I offered you friendship but it wasn’t enough for you.

 
“However, don’t tell me I don’t respect you, because it isn’t true. I respect you because of the good you’ve done for your people and I appreciate the times you’ve helped me out, especially showing up today.” I put my hand on my heart and bowed. “I want to understand. That’s all.”

  He watched my face, waiting for evidence of insincerity. I saw the change when respect became mutual. “Aine killed four females who bore me children, females I loved with every beat of my heart. And still do.” The stark pain in that simple statement struck me down. “Having grown in a world where males and females choose but one love, you may feel it unlikely, but it’s true. I loved them all. Dinestri’s mother was dark and fiery. Argon’s fair and sweet. Jorrenn’s was playful, teasing me and urging me to relax my rules and have some fun. Kennet’s and Korwyn’s was serious and brilliant, an angel in scholar’s robes. Aine murdered each one, then looked to kill my children.”

  “And did you love Aine?”

  “More than the air I breathed. She was upset that she could not give me more children, so she sent me off to find other fertile females. My people were averaging one child born for every two hundred human years. It wasn’t enough. I did what she asked, but I always returned to my Aine. She was the light in my life, until her light turned dark.”

  “I could not bear it, Fin. To see you look at them and their children with such love.” She’d come in behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

  “I could not choose females to bear my children whom I could not also love.”

  “I had not expected to share your love with so many others.”

  “Love is without limit. I looked at you and our children with the same amount of affection.” Fin finally turned to survey his mate for the first time in years. He frowned. “You do not look well, my sweet Aine.”

  “I fade. I have been alone.” There was no anger or accusation in her tone.

  He held out his arms and she stepped into them. “I have been gone for less than two decades in human years.”

  “Celine brought me this young male. I would have killed him to rid the world of one of yours, to hurt you, to bring you here to end this. But he has...he has fed me and helped me sleep and spoken to me with kindness although he is my prisoner. He shows respect and knowledge of our ways. How is this possible?”

  “He was guarded by our kind from infancy, calls many of them friend, I believe, including my own grandchildren. He knows our ways, but also the ways of the demon realm. Do you trust him?”

  “I do. He will not hurt me and he brings magic back into my life. If you will not stay, please allow him to stay. I wish to have company, Fin. Do not leave me alone.”

  I spoke up. “I have to go back. They need me…” Pathetic pleading wouldn’t work with these two ancients. I had to come up with something better. “Grandfather, can we try again?”

  Fin was still royally pissed at me, but he kept his voice calm. “I appreciate your kindness toward Aine and your show of respect, but a war is imminent and I must have some kind of assurance that you will not side with Naberia.” In other words, he had me in a tricky situation and he was going to use it to his full advantage. He could leave me here with the crazy sad queen. Forever.

  I needed to talk him out of that idea in the worst way. A table appeared, along with two simple chairs and the rest of the world disappeared. He smiled and we sat. Negotiations were now in progress.

  He spoke in Fae. “You are young to store such amounts of magic.”

  I frowned down at the table beneath my palms. “I didn’t…I mean…”

  “You conjured the table and chairs with a thought. I blocked out the room. It is better not to have distractions.” He waited but all I could do was rub my hands over the very real wooden table that I had apparently created out of thin air.

  He continued, “I am in complete control of my magic at all times. I know when I use it and when I do not. You must learn to sense the change, when a wish becomes reality. Not every desire should be made manifest.”

  I thought about the trout, four like Jay had usually caught when we camped out. The kitchen where Celine and I cooked dinner resembled my kitchen at home, right down to the sliding glass doors. That’s why I knew where everything was stored in the cabinets. The vegetable garden outside the backdoor had looked a lot like Sinlae’s garden.

  My hands were shaking and I’d bitten my lip hard enough to draw blood. This was fucking terrifying. What if some guy pissed me off on line at the coffee shop and I thought to myself, I wish this asshole would fall into a pit right about now. “How do I learn…?”

  “I will train you.”

  I had jammed my hands between my knees thinking that maybe the shaking would stop. All that happened was my knees started to shake. “And what’s the catch?”

  “When the war comes, you will fight beside me. I require your blood oath.”

  I was so cold. Why was it so cold here? I blew on my hands and rubbed my arms, then stopped when I realized what he’d said. “I’m pretty sure the prophecy states you’ll be fighting beside me.” He laughed. “Not a believer?”

  “I am not an unbeliever. It is only that you have yet to prove yourself able to lead an army.” He spread his own hands on the table. “I am a practical male, having lived through many battles. Your magic is stronger than it should be at this age, but it does not make you a leader of ancient warriors. You must understand.”

  I was still rubbing my arms. He shook his head in frustration. “This is my point exactly. You have healing magic and do not use it on yourself, only others. Warm yourself. How can you lead if you are shocked to this extreme by the discovery of each magical gift? You will faint the first time you bring lightning down on your enemies.”

  “Lightning?”

  “We do not know what is possible.”

  I sent myself a touch of warm and soothing magic and I was able to relax into the chair. My thoughts grew clear again. I couldn’t hand over control, but we needed an agreement. I wouldn’t rush into anything. Making a blood deal with a fae lord who might be as old as the planet had to be worded exactly right. Otherwise you could be screwed for eternity.

  “Where do you see this war taking place?” I asked.

  He tilted his head in thought. “Wherever Naberia sends her army, obviously somewhere on the mortal plain.”

  “That would mean humans and shifters and vampires and wolves would be affected.”

  “It is unfortunate but unavoidable.”

  “Collateral damage, right? If you want to enlist my support you’ll need to rethink that.” Fin leaned back and folded his arms, maybe realizing that I had my own agenda and it was very different from his. “ Who do you see as being a part of your army?” I asked.

  “The people of Faerie.”

  “And…?”

  “These questions of yours make no sense. Do you agree to a blood oath or not?”

  “I have allies and friends that I need to protect.”

  “I assume that they will fight beside us, like my allies.”

  “Who are your allies?”

  He shrugged. “Demi-fey, woodland fae…”

  “All fae.”

  “Of course.”

  “Maybe you should think about branching out. Would you like to know who I believe will ally themselves with me?”

  “Of course.” He almost laughed at what he felt was a ridiculous claim, but my gaze held him in check.

  “The Shapeshifter Council, The Vampire Council, the Western Pack Council, the Kelpie Court, several other species of unseelie, Isaiah, son of Naberia, and his followers…”

  “Isaiah will not fight on your side. He has lied to you. It is what one would expect from a demon.”

  “Have you ever met him?”

  “On the battlefield.”

  “He saved my mother from Kennet by teaching her how to use her demon magic. He protected me from Fiona and Naberia and trained me well enough to allow me to stand by my mother’s side when we came to court
to rescue my father. He will support me wherever I stand.”

  “He will side with the Fae? You are under a sad delusion.”

  “You do not know what is possible, Grandfather.” His expression was skeptical, but I continued. “Many of my shapeshifter friends are experts in the use of modern weapons.”

  He shook his head. “We use traditional weapons in battles of this sort. Magic of course, but because we are mostly equal in blocking each other, not much magic gets through. Wars between our species are usually won with swords and the courage of their wielders along the courage of their mounts.” He looked down. “It is unfortunate, but…”

  I smiled. “I found the kelpie race. They’re now official allies of mine.”

  Furrows appeared in his forehead. “Some still live?”

  “Yes. The king himself will be my mount…if there’s a war.”

  He smiled honestly now, nothing fake. “I feared they had faded. This is wonderful news. But understand, their race has been the ally of my people for millennium. They will come when I call.”

  “And fight beside me.” His look remained amused, which was better than angry. “I think I come to the table with a lot more firepower than you do.”

  “You have never seen the power of an angry King of Faerie facing off against an angry Archdemon.”

  I leaned forward. “Most of the unseelie will support Naberia. They’ll outnumber the fae.”

  “Your point?” He didn’t seem too concerned.

  “Your people need what I can offer. The bargaining chips aren’t only on your side of the table in this negotiation.”

  “What do you want, other than training?” His feet were now up on the table. I’d seen Isaiah act like that during serious negotiations, so I didn’t take it the wrong way. It was just an I’m a big shot and you’re not kind of pose.

  “The battle will take place where no innocents will be injured.”

  “Unfortunately you will need to negotiate that with Naberia.”

  “C’mon. Look around. You can create a separate reality. Fight your battle here, away from the innocents.”

  He watched me for ten heartbeats. I know because I counted them. But I didn’t flinch or ask for a compromise or change my mind. This point was non-negotiable. “I can agree to do everything in my power to accomplish that goal, but I cannot promise. It may not be possible.”