Winterfall

by John Conroe

  “The babies are here. We won’t take any chances,” Declan said, eyes still on the elf, his steel orbs floating over his shoulders.

  Greer turned to Ian, brow furrowed. “Babies?”

  “Chris and Tanya,” Ian said, waving a hand at each of us in turn, “have twins. Remember what I told you about what we’ll do to protect our children?”

  Greer nodded. “Well, this is like that but more,” Ian said.

  “Oh. Well, I mean absolutely no harm to anyone’s children. But I fail to understand how much more dead I could be if Lord Declan should choose to end my life.”

  Tanya was suddenly face to face with him, the wind of her passage blowing back his shoulder-length platinum hair. His eyes widened at her speed. “Declan won’t have time to end you if we decide you pose a threat,” she said, her voice quiet and calm.

  He nodded. Slowly. Like a glacier.

  My vampire disappeared in a pop, back at my side, the two of us between the twins and the elf. Greer turned his head to find her, then nodded slowly, almost to himself.

  With a glance our way, he turned to Declan. “Milord Declan, I am here as an emissary to beg an audience.”

  “What’s with the Lord stuff?” Declan asked, the energy arc disappearing into his fingers.

  “What title would you prefer, Milord?” Greer asked, very serious.

  “Declan will do just fine,” our kid witch said.

  “Ah, but see, it will not do for me to address the ruler of the Middle Realm with anything but respect,” the tall elf said. “Especially as I am here at my mother’s request.”

  “Perhaps we could sit down?” Ian said. “Greer is here on a diplomatic mission and I think you should hear him out.”

  Declan glanced at us. I felt my vampire’s instant agreement. “Fine. Lydia, Nika, why don’t you take the twins out?” I suggested. Declan waved a hand, the circle fell, and the two vampires stood with our babies. ‘Sos changed to a merely enormous Kodiak bear and followed the ladies and kids out of the room, pausing to look back and pop his jaws.

  Greer looked fascinated. “I have never seen his like,” he said admiringly. “He would tear a pack of trolls to pieces all by himself.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Stacia said.

  “Of course, Milady. You are correct in my ignorance,” he said mildly.

  Tanya sighed. “Alright. Let’s take some seats. I think our point is made.”

  “Thoroughly, Miss Demidova,” he said.

  “You know us?” I asked.

  “We have conducted thorough reconnaissance since the events in upstate New York when we met the Moores,” he said. “Our lack of knowledge of the changes to this world cost us dearly during that meeting. Your place and power in this world guarantee that we would… study you.”

  “So what’s your mom want?” Declan asked.

  Greer pulled back, clearly trying to keep his composure in the face of Declan’s blunt and informal style.

  “You have left our world in disarray,” he said. “The dragons are clearly very angry. The dragon Trygon came close to dying at the jaws of their leader, Gargax. My mother, Queen Morrigan of the Winter Realm, was wounded in combat. That has not occurred in over six hundred years. She has isolated her court in her northernmost fortress while my aunt, Queen Zinnia of the Summer Court, prepares to wage war. You defeated my sister, the Queen’s Killing Frost, twice in one afternoon, giving her more scars than she has ever received, and you successfully laid Claim to the Middle Realm,” he said.

  Declan started to speak but Tanya beat him to it. “Why does your aunt wage war and against whom?” she asked.

  “Summer and Winter exist in uneasy peace at the best of times. Any imbalance and war breaks out. With mother licking her wounds, Aunt Zinnia would like to press her advantage,” he said.

  “But they both participated in the attack on Mack and Jetta?” Ashley asked.

  “True, but both were hoping to gain advantage over the other. That’s the reason you both ended up at tiny, out-of-the-way Forpost rather than the larger, more controlled Demyne,” Greer said with a nod to the Suttons. “Summer arranged the portal but shifted the destination to destabilize Mother’s control of the situation. It is the way of things on Fairie.”

  “You said Zinnia would wage war,” Stacia asked. “Why is she waiting?”

  “Therein lies much of the issue. To attack each other, the armies of the Summer and Winter Courts must cross the Middle lands. These have been neutral till now,” he said, leaning forward, then thinking better of it as he got close the industrial iron coffee table in our seating area.

  “What is different?” Ian asked.

  “Why, the land itself. It is decidedly hostile to any not of it,” Greer said.

  “How is land hostile?” Jetta asked.

  “It shakes and shifts, the mountains are unstable, the rivers wash away riders who attempt to ford them, the creatures of the plains attack armed men without provocation, but the worst are the funnels of wind. They blow up out of thin air and destroy anything that tries to cross the plains. There may be other things; we don’t know. Zinnia has lost all of the scouts and advanced troops she sent to cross it.”

  “So you’re here to do what? Seek help so your aunt can attack your mother? At your mother’s request? Do you understand how that sounds?” Tanya asked.

  “A term I have learned here, on Earth, is dysfunctional. My relations are perhaps the apex of dysfunctional. But it works. Our courts shift back and forth, yet somehow there is stability. The dragons have always been a dangerous factor, but the Speaker allowed discourse with them that is now impossible. The realm that separates our two courts has become a violent, dangerous place,” Greer said.

  “What about Idiria?” Declan asked.

  “It appears to be fine. The inhabitants are the only individuals who may traverse your realm without fear. They have been acting as emissaries between the Courts.”

  “So what do you want with me?” Declan asked.

  “We are asking that you and Ashley, as Speaker, return to Fairie and settle your realm,” the elf said.

  “So you can finish trying to kill me and my party? Oh, and let’s talk a bit about the elven technology in the hands of the Vorsook, who have attacked Earth,” Declan said.

  “The Vorsook?” Greer asked. “They found other gates?”

  “Apparently they took over another world that had ancient unused gates to this planet,” Tanya said. “They attacked with a modification of your Black Frost weapon technology that creates almost indestructible fighters from the bodies of our own people.”

  He looked shocked. “And you fought them off?” His tone was slightly in disbelief.

  “We did. We have a counteragent that destroys the nano organism. A plant from your own world,” Tanya said.

  He sat back, digesting that news. His eyes moved among them while he clearly was thinking about the implications. “The Vorsook have known us for over a thousand years. They too employ life as their primary technology, so we have, from time to time, traded with them. Our population is very small in relation to our world and the cost to them to conquer us was never worth the, how you say, payoff. I was not aware that Mother had traded one of our most highly guarded technologies to them.”

  He paused and thought some more.

  “The Vorsook wanted to use our gates to Earth to assimilate you into their society, but Earth has long been our resource for genetic material to keep our species alive. The queens and their mother, the hag Cailleach, agreed that they would be blocked from our gates. I am troubled that they have both obtained our most prized knowledge and twisted it so thoroughly. And you have found a counter to it? From Fairie? Which you all brought back?” he asked, directing the last question at Declan and the rest of Team Fairie.

  “We did. We’re lucky that way,” Declan said, glancing at me with a quick smirk.

  “You appear so. It’s almost as if you bend the very laws of probability in your fav
or,” Greer said, nonplussed.

  “Yeah, almost,” Declan agreed. “So if we go back, and that’s a huge if, our relations with your mother will be rather… strained? Seeing as how she has helped an alien race almost conquer and destroy our species. It’s possible I’ll just give Zinnia free passage and hell, I might even lend a hand.”

  Greer’s dark skin paled considerably. “I see, Milord.”

  “Wait,” Ashley said. “I’ve had the displeasure of meeting Queen Morrigan several times. She’s nasty, but highly intelligent. Why would she give her most guarded weapon to a race that she blocked from coming here and then send you here to request our return?”

  “Mother has always guarded the Black Frost knowledge with ferocity. I, too, have an issue with her giving it away. But how did you manage to find the only Fairie plant that could have helped you?” Greer asked.

  “We happened upon escapees from your mother’s labs. One of them had enough knowledge to show us the plant,” Jetta said.

  “That seems almost as improbable. Escaping from mother’s workshops is almost impossible, and any who somehow manage it are tracked down by Neeve. She has never failed. Well, till you wounded her twice,” Greer said with a nod toward Declan and Stacia.

  “You’re suggesting a setup? By someone other than Queen Morrigan?” Tanya asked.

  The lean elf shrugged. “I do not see any other option.”

  “You understand that this implicates your sister?” Ian said.

  “My sister and my cousin were in charge of this scheme to separate your party,” Greer said. “But they are both their mothers’ children. Both have been heirs for centuries. It is possible that one or both has tired of waiting,” Greer said.

  “So Neeve and Eirwen set the whole thing up. Neeve let herself get wounded?” Declan asked.

  “No, I think my sister underestimated you—all of you. I know for a fact that she is deadly angry about the results of your interactions. In fact, whether you choose to return to Fairie or not, I would advise great caution.”

  “At the moment, I’m not at all inclined to return. Why should I care if the Middle Realm, as you call it, is hostile to both Courts?” Declan asked.

  Greer looked affronted. “But you claimed it. The land is tearing itself apart on your behalf and you would choose to do nothing?” he said, displaying anger for the first time.

  “Not our planet,” Stacia said, but I could see Greer’s comments bothered Declan. His aunt, who had sat quietly throughout the entire conversation, was also looking unhappy. Witches had a close, almost sacred connection to the natural world. Declan’s Earth powers would likely make him even more concerned.

  “Okay, they’ve heard you out. The message is delivered. Now, I’ve got one for you to take home,” my vampire said. “We’ve come under attack by your technology. We’ll be responding to the Vorsook, but don’t think we’ll be forgetting your world’s role in this. Tell your royal relatives that Earth, the entire Earth, is moving to a war footing. Interfere any further and you’ll need to worry about more than earthquakes in the middle of your continent.”

  Greer took her words in silence, simply nodding before turning to leave. “I’ll walk you out,” Ian said. On cue, Deckert and Stevens returned to follow the elf out of the apartment.

  When they were gone and those of us with supernatural hearing could tell the elevator was descending, Tanya turned to Declan and Ashley.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m bothered that I left the land in danger,” Declan said, “But I’m not eager to head back anytime soon. I don’t quite know what to do with myself.”

  Tanya glanced my way, then turned back. “We have a few ideas. Wanna hear them?”

  Declan looked at Stacia, then Mack and the others. He turned and nodded.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked. We told him.

  Epilogue

  Burlington, Vermont, USA – one week later.

  Mack and Declan came out of the stairwell on the second floor of Arcane’s residence wing and found Dellwood, the school’s resident Alpha werewolf, holding an unfamiliar kid off the floor by his neck. A couple of the other werewolves stood nearby, as did a few young witches who Mack didn’t really know.

  Dellwood calmly looked over his shoulder at them, showing absolutely no strain in holding a kid that had to weigh at least one hundred and thirty pounds two feet off the ground one-handed. “If it isn’t the missing Jokeland and his sidekick, Manure Mack.”

  “Hey Gellhood, watcha doing?” Declan asked. Someone snickered, probably one of the weres because the girls all looked too scared to say boo.

  “Not that funny, Matthew,” Dellwood said without turning away from Declan.

  “Nah, it’s at least a little funny. You do like that hair gel,” Matthew said. Mack looked at the subordinate werewolf with surprise. Old Matthew must be growing a pair. Matthew gave him a nod, which Mack put down to the obvious crush the kid had on Jetta.

  “I do like this gel,” Dellwood admitted. “You’ve been saving that one for a while, I bet.”

  “So why are ya beating up the kid?” Declan asked, nodding at the squirming boy. He was a few years younger than the rest of them, probably around Jetta’s seventeen years, and not overly large. Maybe a lean five-five or five-six. Mixed heritage with the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe imprinted on his features. The single most interesting thing about him was the light of defiance in his brown eyes.

  “This one? I’m not beating him up. Do you see blood? I don’t see blood,” Dellwood said reasonably.

  “No you’re right, no blood, but maybe a little bluish tint to his face,” Declan suggested.

  Dellwood effortlessly brought the kid closer, studying his face. “Yeah, he’s a bit blue,” he said, setting the kid down. “Honestly, warlock, he’s one of yours, but he’s got some kind of mouth on him. Downright disrespectful. Tell ya what, kid. You keep your trap shut and I let you breathe.”

  The kid looked angry but his need for air won out. He nodded and the giant werewolf released his ham-sized hand.

  “So you decided to come back? You’re more than a little behind there, Duckline. Gonna be hell to catch up,” Dellwood said.

  “Not even going to try,” Declan said with a grin. Dellwood just raised his eyebrows.

  “No, Dullpud, I’m teaching.”

  “No way! I don’t have to take your class, do I?” Dellwood asked.

  “Nope, witches only. Advanced techniques,” Declan said with a grin.

  “Hmmpf. Probably a good idea,” Dellwood said. “Keep that hatchling out of my way.” Then he turned and walked down the hall, his pack on his heels. That left the embarrassed and angry-looking new kid along with a handful of young witches who were staring at Declan with awestruck eyes.

  “Can we take your class?” a pretty blonde asked hopefully.

  “It’s only for the older witches, but maybe in a year or two,” Declan said with a smile. “Now, who are you and why are you pissing off dangerous werewolves?”

  The kid frowned, rubbing his throat. “That guy’s just a bully. He knocked me over and wouldn’t apologize.”

  “He’s an alpha werewolf. They don’t do apologies, kid,” Mack said. “They tear out throats.”

  “The school shouldn’t allow bullying,” the kid said.

  “They don’t, but they do allow natural hierarchies to form, as well as teach survival tactics for confrontations with both supernatural and natural threats. You appear to need those lessons badly,” Mack said.