by Miranda Kavi
Celeste wasn’t sure what the posts were for, and she didn’t care.
Tink was tied to one of them, his hands over his head. He was barefoot and shirtless. Blood ran out of his ear, down his face, and all over his torso. Red, angry lines crisscrossed his bare chest. His eyes were closed, and he was too still. She stared at his chest, willing it to move. It did. He was breathing, which meant he was alive.
“Oh, Tink. What has she done to you?” she whispered to no one in particular.
“Jennifer seems to be in better shape,” Rylan said.
Celeste forced her eyes to look away from her best friend. Jennifer was tied to a post a few feet away from Tink. She was bleeding too, but not as much. She still had all her clothes and shoes on. She was awake, breathing rapidly, red swollen eyes darting around.
A force crashed into Celeste, sending her rolling down the hill. She landed at the bottom, her head still spinning.
“Celeste!” Rylan shouted.
She sprang to her feet, just in time to watch Fayga stride down the hill. Her black hair was free, waiving around her wildly in the stiff breeze. She was barefoot, wearing a tight bodice with skin-tight pants.
“Celeste. I was hoping you would come.”
Rylan charged Fayga, knocking her off her feet. Both of them rolled down the hill. Rylan recovered first, grabbing a fistful of her hair, pulling it back, and punching her repeatedly in the stomach. She only smiled then pushed him off her with both of her arms.
He flew twenty feet in the air then landed in a nasty heap. He didn’t move.
“Rylan!” Celeste screamed.
But she didn’t have time to react, because Fayga was coming at her again. Celeste held her ground, forcing the purple light through her, but Fayga lifted her hand and hit her across her jaw. She fell back, landing with her back against the cold stone of the cottage.
Fayga pinned her to the cottage, holding her shoulders down. Her lips twisted into her version of a smile. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Let them go! Please let them go.” She wrapped her arms around Fayga’s wrists.
“No, I shall not let them go. I will kill both of them while you watch, then I will kill the halfling, then I will kill you,” she said in her oddly melodic voice.
Celeste knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it. She looked for Rylan, wanting to see him one last time.
He was gone.
Fayga followed her gaze. “Looks like your mate has left you alone.”
She struggled against Fayga, but her strength was unbreakable.
Kara appeared on the hill behind Fayga. Kara would know what to do. She’d save her. She returned her attention to Fayga. She could not betray Kara’s presence.
Fayga had already seen it. She turned around and saw Kara, then turned back to Celeste. “Oh, you think she is here for you? She is not.”
Kara moved to them slowly. She did not look up, did not break stride.
Fayga smiled in her strange way. “Kara, tie Rua here up. The rope’s inside.”
Kara nodded once, then moved to the opening to the cabin.
“Kara!” Celeste screamed. More wetness rolled down her face before she could stop it. She’d been betrayed and now her friends would pay for it. “Why?” she asked. “What did I do to deserve this?”
Kara paused outside the door, keeping her eyes on her feet. “She has my daughter.” She looked at her with watery, sad eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Fayga rolled her eyes, and stepped away from Celeste. Fayga let her go, and Celeste slid down the wall of the cabin. “Go!” Fayga said to Kara.
Kara wavered at the door, eyes moving to Tink, Jennifer, then back to Celeste.
“Ava is near. I’d hate for something to happen to a child,” Fayga said.
Kara returned her gaze to her own feet. “I’m sorry.” She stepped into the house, leaving Celeste alone with Fayga.
Fayga pulled a knife out of a holster strapped to her thigh. “I’m going to finish carving your witch friend up. I insist you watch.”
“No!” Celeste launched herself at Fayga, throttling her throat with all her force. Purple flames shot out of her hands and into Fayga, making her flicker. Her eyes widened, then got very dark.
Celeste flew through the air, fireworks exploding in her vision. She landed on her back. She tried to move, but couldn’t. Get up. You can do this. Time passed, but she couldn’t tell if it was seconds, minutes, or hours. Finally, she stood slowly, unsteady on her feet. Fuzzy blackness encroached around her vision, but she could still walk.
She moved toward Fayga, who was crouched over Tink, drawing the knife across his chest.
“No!” She stumbled forwards.
Then she remembered her birds. She called them to her. They burst into existence.
Fayga flung her knife aside and stared at the sky above her.
The birds swarmed Fayga, clawing at her face, tangling in her hair. She swatted them away, but they picked at her skin. She screamed, then ran at Celeste, birds and all. Fayga’s cold fingers closed around her neck, and Celeste burst forward with all her purple flame, forcing it to move down Fayga’s body. Fayga emitted the most in-humane blood-curling scream, then started to fade.
Celeste closed her eyes, and pushed with her power.
Then Fayga was gone.
Celeste collapsed. Her light was absent because her energy was dead. She was so tired she could barely move, but Fayga was back on the other side, where she needed to stay.
She stayed down in a daze, until Jennifer’s piercing screams broke through her brain fog.
“Oh, my God! Where am I? Celeste, can you move? Celeste!”
She rolled over to face Jennifer, the girl she hated. The girl who’d mocked and ridiculed her. Jennifer twisted her bound hands and pointed to Tink. “We have to untie him. We need to stop the bleeding.”
And right there, her whole perspective on Jennifer changed. Stripped of her makeup and stupid high school ranking, Jennifer was just a girl. A scared girl whose first thought was not for herself, but for Tink.
Celeste stood up, forcing one foot in front of the other until she was at Tink’s side
“Tink!” She lifted his chin. “Can you hear me?”
He opened his eyes. “Celeste?”
“I’m here, and everything will be okay.” She pulled at the rope holding his wrists above his head. His skin was slippery with his own blood. “Just a second.”
She fumbled for the knife that Fayga had discarded. It was huge and heavy. It scared her to use it near Tink’s already bloody skin, but she had no choice. She carefully cut the ropes and his arms fell to his side. She tossed the knife behind her. She pulled him away from the post, laying him flat on the ground.
He was slick with blood, so much blood it made her sick. “Tink? Are you okay? I’m going to get you back home, okay?”
He watched her with glassy eyes. “How bad?”
She smiled. “You’re just fine. Everything will be okay.”
Think, Celeste. She needed to get him to medical care. What was the fastest way? How do you call an ambulance in Scotland?
Jennifer screamed again. “Celeste, behind you!”
Celeste whirled around. Kara had picked up the knife. She tossed it from one hand to the other with an ease that screamed expert. Her eyes had lost their warmth. “What did you do!” She pointed the knife at Celeste. “You bring her back. She knows where my daughter is.”
Celeste stood so she was between Kara and Tink. “You brought her over in the first place. You’ve been working with her.” She took a few steps forward, praying for her strength to return.
“Yes, I did. And now she’s gone. And only you can bring her back because you marked her and sent her deep, you stupid, stupid girl.”
Celeste took another step back. She wavered on her feet, but tried to recover. “I’m not bringing her back.”
“Then you will die.” Kara smiled then raised her knife.
Celeste tried
to run, but her legs were weak and she tumbled to the ground instead. Kara came closer and closer, Jennifer screamed louder and louder, and all Celeste could think about was if her parents would ever find her body.
A shudder passed through her core, her necklace charms leapt from her skin by their own fruition, and she was dying.
CHAPTER 17
Water was everywhere. It swallowed Kara whole, wrapping her in a living wall of power. It washed over Celeste, rinsing her clean of all the grass, blood, and gore clinging to her. It gently lapped at Tink, rinsing his blood away.
Strong arms pulled her off the ground. “Celeste! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” It was Rylan. She was in his arms.
“Am I dead?”
“No.” He pushed her hair out of her face. “You’re not dead. You’re safe now.”
“How? Where did you go?”
“I went for help. Kara pushed me to the other side and blocked me out so I couldn’t return to you. I saw her deceit. I knew what I had to do,” he said.
“Which was?”
“Find me.” She turned in the direction of the deep feminine voice, which matched a woman of extraordinary beauty. She was tall, with golden blond hair waving halfway down her back. She was wearing a simple white sheath dress and sandals. She looked to be in her mid-forties. “I am Regina.” Regina flipped her hand up, and the wall of water disappeared from around Kara.
Kara lay on the ground, sputtering up water.
“Regina? The oldest Tuatha?” Celeste asked.
“Yes.” She turned to Kara. “It is almost the Summer Solstice. I was ready to die a natural death, but you have perpetrated this evil on us.”
Kara coughed, but stayed on the ground. “My daughter. She has my daughter.”
“Your daughter is long dead, and you were an absolute fool to trust Fayga. You should have come to me. We would have helped you. We could have saved your daughter, trained Celeste, and kept these innocents out of harm’s way.” She swept her hand in the direction of Tink and Jennifer. “But you have done this.”
Kara bowed her head. “She’s dead?” She sobbed, chest shaking as sorrow ripped through her. Her head snapped up. She looked at Regina. “Kill me.”
Regina lifted her hand, sending a thick wall of water around Kara. She was completely hidden from view. Regina picked up the knife and disappeared behind the living waterfall.
Celeste turned away from the roaring wall of water. It didn’t take much to understand what would happen behind it.
Rylan gently set her down. “Can you stand?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to untie Jennifer, okay?”
“Okay,”
He did, making quick work of Jennifer’s bindings. When he freed her, she said, “Thank you,” and shook her hands out.
The wall of water disappeared. Regina stepped away, leaving Kara in a bloody mess on the ground.
Ethan appeared next to Celeste, along with a sick-looking Sergeant Grimes.
Sergeant Grimes dropped to his knees, coughing. When he recovered, he took in Kara’s body, Tink, and Jennifer. “Where is Fayga?”
“Celeste pushed her back,” Rylan explained.
His eyebrows rolled up. “Okay, what happened to Kara?”
“She was in on it. She helped Fayga, then tried to kill Celeste, so Regina dispatched her,” Rylan said.
He jerked his head towards Regina. “How did you kill her? Tuatha are very tough to kill.”
Regina frowned. “We still die if we are grievously injured. The visible evidence I have left should help pass off her death off as suicide.”
He nodded. “So, Fayga was after Celeste, Kara helped Fayga, Fayga used her friends to get to Celeste, Celeste got rid of Fayga, Kara tried to kill Celeste, and Regina killed Kara?”
“Yes,” Regina said.
“What does Fayga have against Celeste?”
“Celeste has a lineage,” Regina said. She came to Celeste’s side, and rested a hand on her shoulder. “You come from a line that produced the most powerful Tuatha. A very, very long time ago, one of your ancestors, a Tuatha, crossed over and killed Fayga’s mate, Reven. She has been waiting a long time to seek her revenge.”
“Why did my ancestor kill her mate?” she asked.
“Because his human wife was having an affair with Reven. They produced several offspring, which was a disgrace to him. It’s all in the past, now. We will talk more later. Right now, we need to get your friends to safety.”
Sergeant Grimes nodded again. “Ethan and Rylan, help me get Kara’s body and these two back. I’ll sort out all the arrangements.”
Ethan grimaced, but did not argue.
“I’ll be right back.” Rylan kissed her on the forehead, wrapped his arms around Tink and Sergeant Grimes, and they disappeared.
Ethan took Jennifer and Kara, and they also disappeared.
Regina sat on the ground next to Celeste. “I’m sorry I didn’t protect you from her. I didn’t see her treachery until Rylan explained it to me. He’s been looking for me for a while, but I wasn’t ready to be found.”
Celeste pulled her knees up to her chest. “It’s okay. I just want all this to be over.”
Regina patted her knee. “I’m sorry to say this, but your life will not be easy. You will always have to deal with the Sidhe. They will enter your life even when you don’t want them to, they will ask you to resolve their disputes, and some will try to harm you.” She paused, tilted her face back, and closed her eyes. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. “You are very powerful, Celeste. Perhaps the most powerful Tuatha the world has seen. You must be very careful.”
“What does that mean?” Celeste said. “How am I powerful?”
“Your power allows you to directly manipulate Sidhe and maybe others. Do you think Ethan allows himself to be ordered around by just anyone? You marked a powerful Sidhe and pushed her so far over, she will probably never be able to move again. The mark is a warning to all Tuatha not to let her pass. That is not a usual power. You are more than a gatekeeper, my dear. There is more.” She smiled. “I can even tell you about your lineage and your parentage.”
“I know all about my parentage. I have parents. They chose me and they love me. They’re in Kansas, waiting for me to come home. So, no I don’t need you tell me any other parentage because I don’t care. I don’t want all this. I’m just a girl and I want to go home.”
Regina stood up. “Of course. Come, your Rylan will be back soon.” She offered Celeste her hand, which Celeste took and stood. Already, she started to feel more normal again. She glanced at her palms, and sure enough, her little flame was back.
Regina caught the flash of silver of her necklace. She fingered the pendant Tink had given her. “This is how I found you so quickly. I put it into the network so Tink could get it to you. He’s a powerful witch, that one, but he doesn’t know it.” She let go of the pendant, then gently patted the skin on which it rested. “Keep this with you so I may always find you. You have much to learn, and you should meet the other Tuatha.”
Rylan and Ethan appeared in front of them. Ethan stepped forward to link arms with Regina.
She turned to Celeste. “I will see you soon,” she said. Then they both disappeared.
Rylan picked her up, cradling her against his chest again. “You want to go home? You look pretty damn tired.”
“Is it still night there?”
“Yep.”
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around Rylan. She tensed her body, and before she knew it, she sensed a different world. She opened her eyes as he lowered her onto her bed. “It’s very late at night, get some rest.”
“What about Tink? And Jennifer?” she asked.
“They’re fine. Rest.” He kissed her ever so lightly on the lips.
Then she began to get extremely tired, and the world started to fade. “Rylan, don’t.” She tried to talk, but she was already asleep.
. . .
He
r room was filled with bright daylight when she woke. She blinked at the ceiling. Her hips hurt, and her arms were sore. Why was that?
Her morning brain took a couple of seconds to produce the answer. Holy crap. She rolled out of bed to sprint for the door.
A strong arm pulled her firmly, but gently back into bed. “And where are you going, missy?”
“Rylan!” She threw her arms around him and pressed her body to his. His jeans felt rough on her skin. He rolled on top of her and kissed her. Her pulse quickened and her skin flushed, and before she knew it, her legs wrapped around him.
“Wait!” She pushed him off. “What time is it?”
He disentangled one hand from her hair to bring his wrist to his face. “1:37 in the afternoon.” He pulled her back into a kiss. She let him have his way for a second then pulled away again.
“Is Tink okay? Where are my parents?” she asked.
“Tink is fine, and visiting hours are from six to eight tonight. Your mom is in the living room, your dad on his flight to China. I made sure both were under the impression that you were up sick all night, so they let you sleep in and skip school,” he said.
“Oh.” She rolled off of him, landing on her side next to him.
He moved so he faced her, his fingers tracing a path down the side of her face.
“Jennifer?” she asked.
“Fine. Thinks she was abducted by Kara,” he said. “She checked out of the hospital a couple of hours ago.”
“Did you, um, mess with her memories too?”
“Yes. Sergeant Grimes took care of the setup. Tink and Jennifer were found in Kara’s basement, tied up. Kara committed suicide. Sergeant Grimes will make sure an autopsy is never done.”
“Wow,” she said.
“What about you?” he asked. “How are you? You okay with all this?”
She smiled, resting her hand on his. “I am now.” She leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the check. “I’ll be right back.” She stood to leave then looked down at her clothes. She was in her skimpiest set of pajamas; tiny boy shorts and a nearly see-through camisole. “Rylan, did you change me last night?”
“I had to,” he said with a very smug smile.
