For a Pixie in Blue

by Cecilia Randell

  Then he saw it. A flicker of lavender, there and then gone.

  Yes…

  He didn’t hesitate. He needed to get Shardon, Brika, and the new sacrifice to the mountains. According to Brika, there was something there that could help. Leaping, he tackled the Chief Elder to the ground, covering her mouth and rolling them to the far side of the room. His thoughts raced. How to avoid the guards?

  Something fell loose from the Chief Elder’s robes. A small box, the metal a dull gray to match the collar he still wore. Pinning the old woman’s body with his own, he freed a hand and used it to unlatch the box.

  A purple crystal nestled inside, shining at him. It called to him of power and safety. Promised him his dreams. Grabbing it, he used the power that flowed into him to slam it against the stone floor.

  He was complete. He gazed down at the Chief Elder and knew he could pluck her life from he, as one could pluck a grape from the vine and pop it in their mouth, the juice bursting sweet over the tongue.

  Phillip…

  The Chief Elder’s eyes widened and then narrowed, the purple growing brighter. It was deeper than Brika’s glow, brilliant. And old. Phillip could feel the weight of those years. Yes, he could extinguish the Chief Elder.

  But he could not wrangle Shardon on his own.

  Get to the mountains…

  Phillip shifted his grip, one hand still over her mouth; the other circled the slender throat of the old woman. She struggled, trying to break free, but the cushions and rugs surrounding them muffled the sound. Finally, her struggles ceased. Phillip eased back his hand, monitoring the life force in the fragile body. Satisfied it would survive, he tore strips from her thinner under-robes and bound her limbs and mouth. It wouldn’t delay her for long, but hopefully long enough for him to get to Blue.

  The timing on this was tight.

  Scooping up the turramin box, he gently placed Brika inside. She sent a gentle pulse of reassurance and a thought: Hurry.

  He took a moment to straighten his clothes and ensure his hair was smoothed down. Stepping from the room, he turned to the guard stationed outside. “Chief Elder wanted to spend more time with Brika’s Sacrifice. I should go to quarters.” His voice was smooth; the deception came to him easily.

  The guard glared at him and drew his knife. “Let’s go then.” He gestured down the hall.

  “To my quarters?”

  “Right. To your quarters.”

  Phillip heard the untruth. He didn’t even have to reach out. He simply opened his mind and pulled. The life rushed into him, the euphoria. His blood rushed. He was light, powerful. Nothing could stop him.

  Hurry…

  A face drifted before him, an image. A strand of blue hair fluttered in front of gray-blue eyes, and a soft smile spread over pink lips. The girl. Her name was Blue. They loved her.

  Get to the mountains…

  He cut off the link to the guard and stepped over the body. He felt a small kernel of pride. He’d left the man alive.

  Chapter 16

  BLUE

  “Blue.”

  She twisted in her seat. Phillip stood there. But it wasn’t just Phillip. It was Phillip plus. Except... even though the purple glow was there in his eyes, he didn’t look fearsome or terrifying. He looked afraid. His eyes were wide, and he clutched a small metal box in his hand. How the hell did he get in?

  “Is that—” Blue reached for it.

  “Yes, but it’s not what you think. We need to get out of here.” His voice was distorted with the tones of the crystal being, the plinar.

  Her chest tightened, and her heart pounded. She tensed, ready to pounce on him or run, she wasn’t sure which. She had genuinely believed he was getting better.

  “Phillip,” she started, her tone cautious.

  “No. We need to go. Now. I said I’d protect you, and I will.” The purple faded just a bit. “I know I haven’t given you a reason to trust me. But you need to. This is not... there is shit going down.” His hand tightened on the box.

  “Your crystal…”

  “Was just destroyed. It’s really not what you think.” He blew out a breath, and his brows drew together. “Dammit Blue, I didn’t think you were the kind to hesitate.”

  If he was in full contact with his crystal, what was in the box? And where was the guard?

  “What did you do?” she whispered.

  He flinched, and the purple glow in his eyes roared back. “What had to be done. We need to go. Now.” He grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.

  She stumbled. At the last moment, she made the decision to go down, hard, and try to delay him. She needed a moment to think, to gather her wits. Not the type to hesitate? Hah. No, she wasn’t, but that was when she actually trusted the person she was with.

  She just didn’t trust him.

  He tugged at her arm, trying to pull her back to her feet. His gaze darted to the door, eyes wide. Heavy footsteps, more than one pair, sounded outside, growing closer. His grip tightened around her arm where it stretched between them.

  The door to her unit was flung open, and Mo’ata flew through the opening, Felix just behind him. She craned her head back, trying to catch his eye, but his gaze was fixed on Phillip.

  Before she could say anything, he lunged at the younger man, taking him to the floor. Except Phillip still had a tight grip on Blue’s arm and it was wrenched, twisted, and she cried out as something popped.

  Everyone froze.

  “Phillip,” Felix said, his voice low. “Let her go. She’s injured.”

  Phillip’s hand tightened at Felix’s first word and then sprang open. Blue’s arm dropped, and she clenched her jaw. She was unable to hold back another groan. Hell, she wanted to scream. This hurt.

  She tightened her abdomen, wanting to sit up to see what was happening, but she only got a few inches off the floor before the pain overwhelmed her and she sagged back.

  Okay, no moving. Lying there was good. No movement involved in that. “Don’t hurt him,” she said.

  “I will not,” Mo’ata said, just as Phillip replied, “Okay.”

  It would have been funny if it wasn’t for whatever had just happened to her. But at least they had stopped.

  “Hey, pet.” Felix knelt over her.

  She was grateful she didn’t need to move to see him. “No one is trying to kill anyone, right?”

  “Not yet.” He grinned at her, but it was strained. “What hurt?”

  She narrowed her eyes. Just the thought of anyone touching her right now was enough for her to wish Beast was here to kick everything. “You will not touch me.”

  “Pet—”

  “And stop calling me ‘pet.’” Another wave of pain, this one like a low burn, swept through her shoulder and down her arm. Her eyes closed, and she bit her lip, a scream trapped in her throat. Gradually the burning faded, and she realized she was panting.

  “Blue. Look at me.”

  She pried her eyes open and met the green of Felix’s. They were wide, but she saw something new there, something she hadn’t seen yet. She’d seen him playful, and she’d seen him cold. Now his brows were pulled together in concern, and there was something else...

  “Blue, I need know where hurts.”

  She drew in a breath and held as still as possible. “Shoulder. Right.”

  “Good. I examine it. Need see if sprain or something worse.” His hands hovered over her right shoulder and paused. “Need quiet. Not know when guard come, but crystal gone.” His gaze shot to Phillip and then back to her.

  “Something is off.” She sucked in a breath, riding out another wave of pain. “Phillip, he didn’t mean to hurt me. He kept saying we needed to leave. I tripped.”

  “Yes. Someone stole Brika’s Sacrifice. Elder dead. Guards hunting Phillip. We come here first.”

  “We need to leave,” Phillip said from where he still lay under Mo’ata’s hold. He didn’t try to get free, and some of the franticness was gone from his voice. The deeper tones were s
till prevalent, though. “I can explain, but we need to get away first. And we can’t trust any of the Prizzoli. Please. I know I’m... messed up, but I need you guys to believe me. Blue has to get out of here.” There was a soft grunt and a scuff. “Stop.” The deep tones increased on that word. “I can help her. I can fix her. And then we leave. We all leave. All of us, okay?”

  Blue hadn’t looked away from Felix throughout that whole little speech from Phillip. The mercenary didn’t divert his gaze either. He raised a brow.

  Time to make a decision.

  “Do whatever you have to. I’ll try to be quiet,” she said.

  Mo’ata appeared on her other side. She still wasn’t used to his clean-shaven face. His expression held the same thing as Felix’s—concern and that something more.

  On her clansman she would have called it love.

  On Felix...

  Something to think about when you don’t feel like someone stuck a hot poker in your shoulder.

  Mo’ata held out a small piece of brown leather, frayed at the end. “Bite.” He leaned forward enough to reach her mouth, and his hair fell forward.

  Blue opened her mouth, and he placed the leather between her teeth. She bit down.

  “Do it,” Mo’ata said to Felix.

  Large hands cupped her shoulder. He was probably being gentle, but the poker was back. Or maybe it was a chainsaw.

  Her teeth dug into the leather, but she could hear faint whimpers. She was pretty sure she was the one making the sounds.

  Felix moved out of her view. “Is dislocated. Need put back in place. Better to do sooner.”

  Another face appeared over her. Phillip, his eyes clear and brow pinched in concern. “Damn. I am so sorry Blue.” He looked over to Felix. “Quickly. We need to get out of here.”

  As Felix put his hands back to Blue’s shoulder, Phillip turned to Mo’ata. “Where are Forrest and Jason?”

  Felix probed her shoulder again, and the chainsaw was back. She bit down on the leather, preparing for worse.

  “They went to the mountains. Forrest wanted to sketch. They took the cubs also, give them a chance to play.”

  “Damn it.” Phillip’s lids slid closed, and she could see his eyes bouncing back and forth under them. “It’s her. It’s the Chief Elder. Shardon escaped into her.”

  Felix had been doing something with her arm this whole time, and now he looked to Mo’ata. “Hold her in place.”

  And what did Phillip mean Shardon was in the Chief Elder? He was in Brika’s Sacrifice still. Right?

  “I pull arm. Not hard. Try relax.”

  Was he insane? They were all insane. There were two crystal monsters, but one was trying to what? Save her? And Felix thought she would relax? As a chainsaw ripped her arm off?

  Yeah, no.

  Her vision narrowed down to one particular swirl of color on the ceiling. It was a very nice swirl, a blend of blues that faded into golds and then to red. The colors twisted in on each other until she wasn’t quite sure where the spirals and curls started and ended. She wondered if Forrest had tried to duplicate any of the styles of the Prizzoli. Not that she really wanted to commemorate her ti—

  A hot poker joined the chainsaw in tormenting her. The grunting, pained sounds grew louder. Why can’t that wimp-ass just shut up? Oh, wait, that’s me.

  A pop. Relief flooded her. She took two deep breaths and exhaled slowly on the last. Opening eyes she hadn’t realized she’d closed, she met those of the three men still hovering over her.

  “That was not fun.” She propped herself up, careful to keep the injured arm close to her body, and four hands shot out to support her back. She snorted. “I vote for that to never happen again.” Her shoulder was sore and the muscles were jerking in little spasms, but the chainsaw was gone.

  A hand cupped her right shoulder, and warmth spilled into her, coursing through the stretched muscles and strained ligaments, seeping into her very bones.

  Phillip was healing her.

  She jerked forward. “No. Just get something to brace my arm.” Her shoulder felt markedly better already, but the sharp movement had sent a fresh pang through her upper back.

  Phillip jumped away, staring at his hands. Then he focused on Blue. “We need to get out of here. Now. And you need to be mobile.” He looked at Blue, then Felix and Mo’ata in turn. “I don’t have time to convince you. If you know anything to be true about me, know that even at my darkest, I never hurt Blue, or intended to. I am not lying. Shardon has escaped. He has been hiding in the Chief Elder, biding his time. He tipped his hand. I have a plan, but we need to get away. We need to get to a place where we have the advantage. It is possible to pull him in again.” He took a breath. “We need to get to the mountains, to the resting crystals. If we can connect in to them...” He trailed off, his eyes glowing a bright purple, and once more he wasn’t just Phillip.

  But this Phillip was calm, his gaze direct.

  It took her half a second to decide. It was foolish, insane, but if the Chief Elder was in fact Shardon… If what Levi and the old stories said was true…

  It was a lot of what ifs, but it would make sense. The little things, the little wrongnesses, had started before Phillip came. What he said actually made sense. One moment the Chief Elder was benign, almost grandmotherly. Other times she said things that held an edge of menace. The extreme demands that pushed the Alliance to the edge and subsequent desire to treat Phillip as a guest. The isolation that kept them all on edge. The accidents, Mo’ata’s accident. Hadn’t the Chief Elder been there? Had it all been some design of Shardon’s?

  Was she insane to trust the crazy person? Yes. Was she going to? In this, again, yes.

  “How do we get out of here if everyone is looking for you? They’ll be here any minute. The surveillance they installed would have shown you coming,” she said.

  Mo’ata and Felix exchanged a look, and the silence drew out. Then Mo’ata nodded. “Call him,” Mo’ata said, and Felix pulled out his comm, speaking low into it. Mo’ata tore a strip from her bedsheet and used it to wrap her arm to her side. While bent over her, he whispered, “There is no shame in taking the healing offered if it will help us move when we need to.”

  Blue pulled back and stared at him. Damn him for being right. “Phillip,” she called in a low voice. He hurried to her side. “Finish it.”

  Mo’ata unwound the cloth and stepped back, allowing Phillip access. He didn’t go far and kept his gaze trained on Phillip, one hand hovering over his knife. One wrong move and there would be another plinar looking for a new body.

  Warmth seeped into her shoulder once more, and this time she allowed it. What seemed an eternity later, but was more like five seconds, Phillip pulled away from her. She rotated her shoulder and stretched her arm out and over her head.

  Perfect.

  She stood, gathered her belt and knives, and shoved her feet in her boots.

  “So what’s the plan?” A small cylinder on the table caught her eye. The scrambler. She scooped it up and activated it.

  “Trevon has a transport stashed in the construction zone. He’s getting it ready. We just have to make it to him.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Blue strapped the belt around her waist and adjusted the daggers. Hopefully she’d learned enough in her short lessons to do some good. “Out the window?”

  Once they hit the ground on the other side, they ran. Felix took the lead; Blue did her best to keep up, Phillip and Mo’ata behind her. There were shouts and the thud of booted feet, fists beating on doors, sounds of pursuit, but they came from the front of the buildings, not the rear. Rounding a corner, Felix pulled up short. Levi stood there with two other guards. Each had a knife pulled.

  Levi’s eyes widened as they fell on Blue. She could almost see him assessing the situation. Had Phillip taken her hostage? Was he manipulating Mo’ata and Felix? What was the best way to take the threat out?

  Blue flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around the Prizzoli. “Phillip is
not the bad guy for this one,” she whispered into his ear as she pretended to cling to him. He wrapped his arms around her in turn and spun them so his back was to the other guards.

  “He stole Brika’s Sacrifice. He killed Elder Shinzu.” His voice was barely a whisper in her ear.

  “Not Shinzu.” There was a split second of doubt that she brushed away. “Shardon is in the Chief Elder,” she finished, hoping once more that she hadn’t just screwed them all by choosing to trust Phillip in this.

  There was no hesitation. He set her down and spun to the other guards. The first he took out with a blow to the base of the skull. The second had time to react, but wasn’t fast enough. Levi pulled his blade and caught the second guard in the temple with the hilt.

  “They will not be out long,” Felix said as he tied their hands with a length of cord.

  Where the hell did that come from? Sneaky mercenary.

  Mo’ata ripped off their sashes and used the cloth to gag them.

  The whole thing took five seconds.

  Then they were off once more, Levi now leading. Twice they had to double back as the guards closed in. At one point, Levi led them through a building constructed similarly to the guest quarters, one chamber connected to another, and then out a window.

  Blue was breathing hard, while the others, even Phillip, had steady, even breaths. Add to list if we live: running. She groaned internally as her tired legs caused her to stumble over a patch of uneven stones. Mo’ata caught her and placed her back on her feet, barely breaking his stride.

  She could see the construction area now, about twenty yards away. Trevon was in there with a transport. They just had to reach him.

  “Halt.” The order came from behind, and Blue put on a burst of speed, the others keeping pace with her.

  I’m slowing them down.

  A new group of guards came at their side from the corridor between the construction area and the market quarter, cutting them off. A third group approached from the left.