They skirted past without incident but Eldon could not shake the eerie feeling creeping up his spine like a spider’s spindly legs. Something in the air stirred and everyone in the group stopped walking except for Eve’s dad. As the only pure human in the group, he did not feel the vibrations around them. Something or someone was coming and it carried powerful magic. Eldon could almost hear the ripping as a gate erupted in the back of a dark alley.
The Sidhe had established the main gates so long ago; no living Fey could recollect their creation. Kept closely monitored, few could enter or leave without detection. The immigrants living in Upper World built portals between Upper World and Evalon in secretive and well-guarded places but they were never large enough for a fey to transport themselves from one place to another.
The only other way to make a gate was to use dark and powerful magic. The magic forced a literal rip in the fabric between the two worlds. An unstable and dangerous method, Sidhe law forbade the use of dark passages into the human world. Only outcasts and enemies of Evalon would ever attempt such a thing.
Whoever created the gate had no regard for the humans who walked, unseeing, down the street. If someone opened a dark gate, it meant the person knew of the mission to wake Eve. Eldon could only hope Clarisse could get Eve safely away from whatever was emerging from the portal. Knowing he must protect Eve and the mortals around them, Eldon ran unarmed into the alley with Aibell close behind. As he reached the gate, the first figure emerged.
A demon stood directly in front of Eldon. Its long snout and beady eyes glowered at him from the dark. A long cloak covered most of its body and the hood hid its short spiky ears. Two hands protruded from the sleeves, each finger the size of a corncob and tipped with a razor sharp claw. The Astaroth demon resembled the human’s idea of a werewolf with short ears and no tail. Incredibly quick in both mind and body, despite its huge size, the Astaroth was capable of ripping Eldon in half.
Eve stood at the mouth of the alley behind her mother, watching. The demon lurched toward Eldon and a rush of warm air flowed out of the alley. Eve gasped in both fear and wonder. Two large wings sprang from Eldon’s back. They were nothing like what Eve had imagined a fairy’s wings to be. In the cartoons, fairy wings looked similar to a butterfly and always shimmered as if made from gold dust.
Eldon’s wings looked tattered but beautiful. The copper colored silk gleamed with turquoise, red, and yellow. A deep ebony color covered the tips and they shivered in the chill of the air as if they contained a life of their own. His wings were dark, lovely, and the perfect match for him.
Reaching for his sword, Eldon realized too late, he was unarmed. A long clawed hand shot out, leaving an oozing wound down his right arm before he could spin out of reach. Stumbling a little, Eldon distanced himself from the brick wall enough to extend his wings. With one gentle swoosh; he rose several feet off the ground. His wings pulled back behind him and he descended the distance in a rush. A satisfying crunch followed as his left foot planted against the demon’s snarling face. The Astaroth turned on him, barely dazed by the blow, and two others appeared at its flanks.
Something silver flashed in the night, followed by a loud crack. The first demon’s head split open with a sickening plop, making Eldon think of bubbling mud. Aibell screamed at Eldon to move out of the way, as she sent another star hurdling toward the second demon. As the creature opened its mouth to roar, the weapon stuck in the exposed cavity. The thing fell to the ground growling, snapping, and choking. Its long talons dug into the hairy flesh of its own throat in an effort to dislodge the small metal throwing star.
Aibell tossed Eldon what looked like a long piece of golden wire and he caught it as the third and final demon attacked. The monster was on him before he could position the garrote or lift himself out of the way. Its fangs dug into his shoulder as he fought against the demon’s massive build. Slinging its head back and forth like a pit bull with a rope toy, the Astaroth flung Eldon’s body from side to side. His beautiful wings smashed against the wall and the violent lunges caused them to rip and tear against the harsh brick.
The world began to fade to black. He was losing consciousness as the demon’s poison flooded his system. He felt his wings retract, beaten and bloody, they were of no use to him. Fairies’ wings were the most vulnerable part of their bodies. They freed themselves during battle but once rendered useless, they folded back inside the flesh to heal. In a final attempt to free himself from the powerful jaws holding him, Eldon gripped the garrote tightly in his free hand and flicked it towards the creature like a whip.
The end wrapped around the Astaroth’s long snout twice and Eldon yanked with all the strength he had left. The enchanted metal of the garrote began to burn and the wire sunk deeper into the demons flesh. The monster released Eldon and began to tear the wire off its muzzle. Eldon fell to the hard pavement and frantically kicked his legs, trying to distance himself from the beast. The wire would not keep it distracted long and his wounds were too severe for him to be able to fight it unarmed.
Aibell’s scream echoed off the brick walls as she ran to him, unable to watch from the sidelines any longer. Her white gossamer wings sprang out behind her. The neon lights barely caught the silver streaks through the sheer chitinous layers. A Valkyrie priestess in training, she could throw the stars or use the garrote but little else. Her self-defense skills were limited. Her preparation focused on the basics because, once she became a priestess, living and dead soldiers would surround her at all times. Despite her frail size and her non-existent battle skills, Aibell ran at the demon.
Dropping her shoulder low as if she were a linebacker on a football field, Aibell rammed the demon. Blinded by its own blood and tears, it never saw her coming. Aibell hit it with such force that the Astaroth fell over into the street and she fell backward on to her bottom. Her wings wrapped protectively around her body. Her beautiful dress was ruined. Stunned by the impact, Aibell took a moment too long to recover. The jolt from Aibell assisted the demon in ripping the wire from its face and it lurched unsteadily toward her.
The smell of burned hair and tissue hung in the air around the Astaroth. Blood poured from the large gaping wounds where the tender flesh had burned away and rendered the thing’s jaws helpless. Unfortunately, for Aibell, its sharp and deadly claws were still capable of ripping her to shreds. The demon hovered above her within seconds.
Eldon scrambled to his feet and screamed at the demon trying to turn its attention from Aibell, as she lay paralyzed by her own fear. She looked directly into the eyes of the demon and what she saw there, froze her like ice. The demon raised its hand; one swipe could take Aibell’s beautiful head from her shoulders. Aibell screamed, Eldon leapt, and a sudden burst of white light blinded them all.
7
Eldon lay as still as death on the bed in the hotel room. Even in the dim light, he looked as if he were going to die. The loss of blood and influx of demon poison caused his normally olive skin to appear yellowish white. The veins in his neck pulsated with the labor of his heart and his breaths came in quick gasps. A thick bandage covered his neck and shoulder where the Astaroth demon had bitten him only an hour before. Another bandage covered the boy’s swollen arm where the less poisonous but sharp claws sliced his skin. Eve watched from across the room as Aibell wept and Clarisse argued.
At first, Eve did not understand what had happened. One minute her family and her two new friends were having a wonderful evening in Times Square and the next, she felt a terrible electric current of fear. She felt the monsters’ approach the same as Eldon, Aibell, and her mother had. She had started to ask her mother what the feeling was, but she never got the chance. A terrible liquid ripping sound had come from the alley and the air had split open as if someone had cut it with a knife.
Aibell and Eve’s mother argued over impossible things while Eldon lay on her bed looking as if he may die any minute. Eve tried to comprehend but it felt as if she were watching them all from behind a thick pane of
glass. Her mind was in shock from seeing three horrible creatures emerge from thin air and rip a boy apart with teeth and claws. The names Aibell and her mother spat at each other sounded like foreign curse words to Eve. Evalon, Sidhe, Trig Na nOg, and Nádcha Večný sounded frightening and strange. Sitting quietly, she listened, wondering why they weren’t taking Eldon to the hospital or a priest and trying to discover why her mother was so angry.
“Aibell, I cannot and will not go back there. I am certain the ban on my presence still stands. Take the boy back to Corrigan before it is too late. Do not waste your time on her or me. She is mine. She is not of their kind. She knows nothing of the fey or their magic.” Clarisse’s voice was quiet and stern.
“Clarisse, I am not asking you to return. In fact, I don’t believe anyone asked you to come to Evalon or Trig Na nOg at all. She can save us, Clarisse. She can save your mother and father. Eve can save the entire fey race, if you let her.” Aibell was being haughty. Her patience faltered and she had very little time for fighting. The plan was shattered and Eldon wouldn’t last much longer if she did not get him back to Corrigan soon.
In quick succession, things began to fall into place. The dream of the Baku, the words magic and fey, and her mother’s anger all made sense. Eve leapt up from the chair she was perched in and ran across the room to Aibell and her mother.
“Wait! Stop for a minute. Are the fey dying? I can save them? How am I supposed to save them? You must tell me how. I dreamed of a monster named Bakezōri of the Baku and he told me the fey were my people and they were the keepers of all magic. I don’t know anything about what you’re saying, but something in my heart tells me this is right.” As she spoke the words, she realized how very true they were. Clarisse tried to drown the magic in her daughter’s blood in the mortal world but the strong nature of the fey came up fighting for air.
“Eve, shut up! You have no idea what you are saying. These beings are not a part of you and never will be. They turned their back on me when you were a baby and I will not lose you because of them.” Pain and regret burned in Clarisse’s eyes as she spoke. “Aibell take your brother or whoever the Daoine warrior is and leave.”
Aibell abandoned her efforts with Clarisse. “Eve, please. Your mother has blinded you against us. I know your grandparents, Queen Mave and King Midir, have searched for you all your life. They may have banned your mother from the world of Evalon but you were always welcome there. Your mother kept you from seeing or knowing your true fairy blood. You are a Sidhe princess and your people are suffering.”
Before Eve could respond, her mother’s hand shot out and slapped Aibell hard across her pale, perfect cheek. “I saved your asses back there and that is all the help you will get from us.”
A red welt streaked across the smooth curve of the girl’s face. Aibell sprang immediately, grabbing Clarisse by the shoulders and planting both her knees in the woman’s chest. The two fell to the floor with a loud crash and began grappling. Eve shrieked in surprise and stood watching as her friend and her mother struggled with each other.
Eve’s father came bursting through the door laden with bags, returning from Aibell and Eldon’s hotel and recovering their belongings. As a human, he was safe from the creatures that attacked the others in Time Square. He had not seen the demons or the portal, he had only watched in mute terror as the struggle took place. He was a manly man but he would not deny that he had almost fainted when the gaping wound had appeared in Eldon’s neck and shoulder. The grotesque sight of the boy rising two feet off the ground and thrashing about like a rag doll had scared him.
When Richard saw his wife and Aibell struggling on the ground he dropped his burden and nearly knocked Eve down to get to them. Grabbing Aibell by the waist, he tossed her to the side as if she were as light as a feather. He stood between the two females extending his hand to his wife and glaring at Aibell with murder in his eyes. In a slow angry tone, the quiet tone that meant trouble, he asked, “What the hell is going on here?”
Aibell fumed, her long blonde hair was a mess and the heel of one her shoes had broken off during the scuffle. Her face was bright red from the blow that had started the fight and her dark eyes gleamed with anger. “That woman hit me.” Aibell almost whined and she looked down at Eldon with a look that said he should be able to protect her, as he lay undisturbed in his pain by the events.
The anger seeped out of Eve’s father as quickly as it had come and he turned to face his wife in disbelief. “Clarisse, is this true? Did you strike that child?”
Eve’s mother was busy straightening her hair and clothes. Despite her efforts to compose herself, a marble sized knot formed on her cheekbone where Aibell had returned her favor. “That is no child, Richard. She is a Valkyrie priestess in training. Her brother, or whatever he really is to her, is a Daoine warrior. They have come here to steal our child. They risked all of our lives tonight and insulted me. To answer your question, yes, I slapped her.”
“That’s not true. We would never steal a child. Clarisse of the Sidhe, you know the portals would not allow us to enter unharmed if we dragged Eve through against her will. We came here to remind Eve of the fairy blood in her veins and ask her to return to Trig Na nOg and help us save Evalon from the cold sleep. If there is not someone of Sidhe blood sitting on the throne by the end of Beltane, our world may be lost. You are so heartless, you would let your own people die and hide your daughter’s true self from her over an old and tired grudge?” Aibell was back to being haughty.
Eve couldn’t stand the way they talked about her as if she were not present. Her temper flared in a white-hot burst. Turning on Aibell, she snapped. “Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on here but do you think you could have told me what was going on instead of sneaking, lying, and almost getting all of us killed? I mean, I don’t know how you do it in your world but here on earth, we don’t generally like spies and freaks.”
Her mother looked proud, which was not what Eve was looking for. “As for you, Mother, you are behaving absolutely ridiculously. You have been lying to me my entire life! Even the lovely little story about you and Daddy was a lie. You are no better than Aibell and Eldon. At least they had desperate reasons to do what they did. You did it out of selfishness.” Eve’s anger was starting to burn out. The silence in the room made her words seem to echo and she heard the harshness in her own voice.
Without the anger, she felt breathless and weak. “Aibell, please take Eldon home or to a doctor, or somewhere. If he dies, I will feel it is because of me. We can talk about all of this when someone in the room isn’t so obviously dying.” Eve’s voice was small and quiet tears streamed down her cheeks. The hell she had gone through in the last hour was surely only the beginning.
“Eve, you do not understand. Eldon is a warrior and his mission is not complete. If he does not return with you, he will not want to return at all.” Aibell’s voice was comforting but her words brought more pain.
“Aibell, who are the Sidhe?” Eve’s question was barely more than a whisper.
“The Sidhe are the rulers of all of Evalon, Eve. They are our kings and queens. They govern the magic we use and help keep the balance between Evalon and Upper World.” Aibell recited the information as if she had learned it from a history book. Perhaps she did.
“This means I, being the only Sidhe left who has not been taken by the cold sleep and who is not banned from Evalon, am the Queen. Correct?” The expression on Eve’s face almost dared Aibell to argue.
“No, your grandmother, Queen Mave, still lives. You are the Princess of Evalon until her death but you are the rightful heir to the Trig Na nOg throne.” Aibell liked where the conversation was going. Eve’s parents stood silently with disapproving looks on their faces. They were ready to intervene at any second but they let the conversation continue.
“Aibell, as the rightful heir to the throne, as the princess of the fey, I order you to take Eldon home. Make sure he is taken care of and then come back here if you can.”
Eve did not avert her eyes from Aibell’s once. She made the order clear and concise. She left no opening or opportunity for discussion. She could not let the boy die because of some stupid fairy mission and sense of honor.
Aibell knew when to quit while she still had room to maneuver. She would come back, she would bring Eve back on her own, but her princess gave her an order and she couldn't disobey. Placing her fist over her heart, Aibell bowed to Eve. “Yes, your highness.”
As quickly as she could, Aibell retrieved the communicator crystal from Eldon’s bag. She found it difficult to turn the bauble and sprinkle the powder at the same time but she managed it. Corrigan came into view and her voice filled the room, “How goes it, Aibell? Have you succeeded already?”
“Corrigan, there has been an attack. Three Astaroth demons came through a dark magic gate in the middle of Times Square. Eldon was unarmed and I only had what weapons I could fit in a small handbag. Eldon is hurt badly.” Aibell’s voice cracked. She was trying hard not to weep.
“The humans have a place they call Central Park. We have a portal established there. I will send help through. Don’t worry, Aibell; he will be fine once we get him home. Where are Eve and Clarisse? Are they safe?” Corrigan was ever diligent, even when playing the part of concerned parent.
“They are here with us. They were present for the attack. Eve has been made aware of the situation but she refuses to discuss anything until Eldon is cared for.” Aibell purposefully left out a large detail.
Eve’s mother stepped in front of the communicator, “Hello, Corrigan. It certainly has been a long time. Yet, you don’t look a day more than twenty-five mortal years. Don’t get to Upper World much these days do you?” Clarisse’s tone was sincere and there was no hatred in her words. She sounded like any old friend greeting another.
Faire Eve Page 6
