by Mindy Hayes
I nodded. “Somehow Guthron knew to recruit Marcus after the Battle. His disdain for Rymidon must have been very vocal.”
“So, why did he tell you this now?”
It was difficult not to shake with rage as I spoke. I wanted everything Marcus had confessed to vanish, to be a nightmare my mind had conjured up. I wanted what he’d said to be a lie.
“Marcus claims he didn’t know Guthron was creating an army, or that they were going to take our blood. Apparently Marcus was put in place as an ‘ally’ to throw us off. And Marcus had no qualms with betraying his own kind if it meant revenge for Nerida.”
“You don’t believe that Marcus was unaware of their agenda?”
“I cannot trust anything that comes out of his mouth. He betrayed me, Calliope!”
My outburst stunned her into silence.
“I am sorry. It has been a very stressful day. He left Rymidon, and I came straight here.”
“But, why?” Kai demanded. “Why do the elves want to begin a war? What have we done to them?”
“The elves are tired of being the ‘inferior’ race. They want our powers. Marcus says they’ve been experimenting since the Battle of Faylinn and have finally discovered the correct amount of blood to use so they can change. He wanted to warn me so we can stop them before the full army is created.” I scoffed. Some timing he had. “He knows they will begin with attacking Rymidon, but he doesn’t believe they’ll stop there. Marcus thinks they will move down the line. One kingdom to the next, until the elves rule our domain.”
“So, you think they have Lia?” Cameron asked.
“It is very possible, Cameron. If they approached her, would she be willing to take the risk to be fae again?”
“I can’t imagine Lia leaving with the elves, especially considering Rymidon and the elves haven’t been on the best terms for quite some time,” Calliope said. “Not to mention, they’re terrifying.”
“I don’t know how they’ve swayed our kind to change and fight with them, unless it’s some blood oath. We gave you back this life, now you owe us. Lia may have been desperate enough to have this life back. All I know is Marcus is concerned, and that concerns me.”
Calliope paled. “We can’t let our kingdoms know the elves have the power to transform. Who knows who else would be able to use the scroll against us?”
“I don’t know how to stop that from happening.”
“What did Marcus say?”
“That he would be our inside man. He told me where the elves are. He doesn’t know where the blood is being stored, but he knows where Guthron is hiding. For all I know, he is still lying to me and this is a trap.”
“You don’t trust him at all?” Calliope asked.
“Could you? All of this time he has been strategizing with me and lending support, and it was all a lie. Everything he’s done for me has been for his own gain.”
“Okay,” Kai said with confidence. “Then here’s what we’re going to do.”
As Kai laid out his plan, I could hear Sakari in his voice. As if Sakari had possessed Kai’s soul to come and lend his comfort and assertiveness, to let me know I wasn’t forgotten. I wasn’t alone.
Chapter Thirty
LIA
I was beginning to wonder if I had a death wish or if I was just plain stupid.
This cure could either not work at all or kill me, and here I was traipsing into Rymidon’s sworn enemy’s lair with no form of protection, like it was another day exploring the forest. Smart, Lia. Really smart.
“Are you having second thoughts?” Spiky Ears asked when I slowed my pace.
I didn’t care enough to know names, but I was going to have to come up with better nicknames if I was going to differentiate one from the other. Though, that seemed a little pointless considering they all looked the same to me, and I could be dead in ten minutes.
“Questioning my sanity, but not second-guessing.”
“I’m sure Guthron will ease your mind.”
Doubtful. Something told me meeting the king of the elves wasn’t going to make me feel any better. If Cameron knew what I was doing, I’d never hear the end of how reckless I was being. But, the possibility of having my life back was worth the risk of death. If it worked for whoever they were going to change, there was nothing to hold me back.
Yes, there is.
I quieted my thoughts. This was what I wanted, no matter who I left behind. This was the life I needed, the life I craved.
The elves led me to the mouth of a wide cave. “Follow us.”
Not sure what else I was supposed to do.
Walking through the opening, the inside of the stone hill expanded. Torches lined the inside, marking our path. The farther we walked, the larger the tunnel was until it opened into a gigantic room full of elves. One elf stuck out from the rest. He wielded power as he stood in front of the silent gathering welcoming me. All eyes were on me.
He extended his hand, but I didn’t take it. His fingers were long with sharp nails. For all I knew he would stab me with them. “I am Guthron. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lia.”
It wasn’t a pleasure to meet the king of the elves, so I only nodded. He dropped his hand.
“Tarron is about to make the transformation. I understand you would like to watch before making the transformation yourself.”
I nodded wordlessly.
Guthron gestured for one of the spiky ears to step forward. He was holding a large syringe filled with a thick, dark liquid and approached a human standing off to the side of the gathering. Tarron stood skeptically before he looked to Guthron for instruction.
“Malachi, this time use every last drop. Do not let a single drop go to waste.” His tone was more of a warning. What would happen if he didn’t inject it all?
“What is Malachi going to do with the syringe?” I asked, hushed.
“He’s going to inject into Tarron’s heart.”
“He’s going to stick that thing into his heart?”
“Seems as though it should be more complicated?”
“No.” My head shook. “It seems it should be less evasive. There was pain before, but all I’ve needed to do was take the pastelline lily to Lake Haven and immerse myself. Now you’re saying Malachi is going to stick a giant needle into my heart.”
“I didn’t say there wouldn’t be pain or consequences. Every transformation has been different so far. There is the risk that you will not survive.”
Of course. “It would’ve been nice had your men mentioned that detail when they came to find me.”
“Would it have changed your mind?”
A giant needle to my heart? Death or my life back? I’d already decided. It was worth the risk. At least now I knew death was most definitely a possibility. I shook my head in response.
Malachi looked to Guthron for the go-ahead. Guthron nodded, and Malachi thrust the syringe into Tarron’s chest. He cried out. One second he was upright, the next he fell to the ground. I lunged for him on instinct, but Guthron held my arm back.
“My men will take care of him.” Several elves rounded Tarron, picking up his legs and arms and laying him on a slab of rock in the corner. Malachi was given another syringe, and he injected the second one, careful to utilize the entire cure.
“The transformation will begin soon,” Guthron said to me.
It didn’t take long. His eyes remained closed, but his body jerked like he was having a seizure. Tarron thrashed from side to side. No one looked concerned or made a move to help him. They were expecting this. How many times had this taken place?
Soon, points began to develop on the tops of his ears and the color of his skin deepened, turning his pale skin tanner. His body eventually stopped convulsing, and he remained still. Was he dead?
“It’ll take awhile for him to wake. His body needs time to rest and fully accept the change. We can proceed with you now or wait if you’d like.”
I’d seen enough. The human was now a faery. I couldn’t wait any longer. “It’s all right.
I’m ready.”
Another one of the other spiky ears brought Guthron a new syringe. This felt very Little Mermaid-ish. Guthron holding my new life in his hands like Ursula gave Ariel legs. All I needed to do was sign on the dotted line, give him my voice, and I could be fae again. In a manner of speaking.
“Can I see it?”
Guthron held it out for me. My fingers inspected the large glass tube. “It’s warm.”
“It needs to be fresh fae blood.”
Fresh faery blood? I stopped, my hand pulling back from the syringe. “They didn’t tell me it was faery blood.”
Guthron smiled. At least, I thought that’s what it was. His fang-like teeth made it difficult to decipher between a smile and a sneer. “How else would you be able to transform back to fae? Were we supposed to brew up a potion?”
If we didn’t need faery blood to transform before, there could’ve been a number of different ways. My mind never thought I’d have to be injected with the blood of my own kind.
“How did you come into possession of so much fae blood?”
“Donations from those who wanted to support our cause.”
How did others know about this cure when so many did not? “Which is what, exactly? Your men weren’t very forthcoming with information.”
“Isn’t it obvious? Sharing powers, equal opportunities between our species. If we have the same powers, there will be no need for us to rely on the fae. We’ll be able to fend for ourselves. Heal one another; grow crops as efficiently; protect ourselves. The fae will no longer have to take care of the rest of our realm. They’ll be free of us.”
“So, this will change you as well? This isn’t simply a selfless act to allow those of us who wanted to change back, but couldn’t, the opportunity to do so.”
“It is a little bit of both.” His tone was persuasive, indulging even. Too glib for my taste.
I ignored the pit in my stomach. Before I could talk myself out of it, I nodded so Guthron would proceed with shoving the needle into my heart.
“Will you have to use two of these on me as well?”
“You are different than Tarron, so you’ll only need one. It will sting a bit for a few moments, but it will be over soon,” Guthron coached and positioned the needle over my chest. Fear clawed at my insides. And then, the syringe punctured my skin. Flames lit my veins before I went limp. I fell to the ground.
…
It felt like I’d been put under anesthesia and was trying to come to, like when I’d had to get my wisdom teeth removed. My brain was in a horrible fog. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t open my eyes. Through the dark I heard faint voices.
“Her ears grew back normally.”
“I see her wings are starting to unfurl. They appear to be a normal size.”
“Did her eyes grow larger yet?”
“She’s getting more color in her skin.”
I couldn’t feel any of that. My entire body was numb. If I opened my mouth, gibberish would tumble out.
“She’ll need a few more moments to wake up. Then we’ll know the full extent of her changes.”
I didn’t understand. What changes? I’d changed? Wait. Fae changes. I couldn’t feel them yet. But more importantly, why wouldn’t they know the full extent of my changes? Wasn’t I supposed to return to my original fae form?
When I pried my eyes open, they locked with a familiar set of forest green eyes. Marcus? I blinked. That couldn’t have been right. My vision cleared, and, sure enough, Marcus’s hulking frame stood next to Guthron like they were old buddies.
What was he doing here? I nearly asked when he faintly shook his head once and his eyes narrowed, silencing me. Did he not want them to know we knew each other?
“How are you feeling?” Guthron asked.
My throat was dry, so I swallowed to answer. How was I feeling? I closed my eyes and took inventory. Nothing ached. I reached further inside. If anything, I felt stronger. I was in my own skin again. I moved to sit up and hands reached around to steady me.
“I’m fine.” I shifted away from the touch. “Just give me some space, would you? I can’t think with you breathing down my neck.”
“Her feistiness has not faded,” Guthron grumbled.
Comfort I’d been waiting to experience for months soothingly wrapped around my body, hugging me. I’ve missed you, too, Wings. I sighed my relief.
“Lia,” Marcus asked, “Are you okay? Does anything feel strange?”
I peered up at him standing beside me. “Should I feel strange?”
His mouth opened and closed. Did he not know how to answer my question? Why did he look so anxious?
“No,” Guthron answered. “You should feel normal. Your powers should have been restored. Your wings and ears have returned, as have your eyes. Physically, you look as you should.”
“So, internally, you want to know if the blood worked.”
Marcus nodded. He appeared to be more concerned than anyone else, and I wanted to know why.
I closed my eyes again and focused on the dirt at my feet, sensing the elements in the earth, making them work for me. When I opened my eyes, flowers bloomed along the base of the rock slab they’d placed me on to recover.
“Fascinating,” Guthron uttered.
“Is this not the result you were expecting?”
“You’re the first to recover and use your power,” Marcus said.
“What about Tarron? Shouldn’t he have woken up by now?”
Marcus exchanged a look with Guthron. What was he hiding from me? Marcus answered, against what I could assume were Guthron’s orders. Why was Marcus listening to Guthron?
“Tarron did not wake up,” Marcus said.
Chapter Thirty One
SARAI
We watched the elves’ hideout, camouflaged high up in a tree, to assess the surrounding area and their defenses.
“They have four guards on duty,” Kai said as he counted the elves outside the cave opening. “Declan and I can take them out. After that, Kayne, you and the rest of your men step in and follow Declan and me inside. We want to remain as quiet as possible to catch them off guard. If Marcus is on our side, by the time we get in there, he’ll have the upper hand on Guthron.”
“And if he’s not?” I had to be realistic. Marcus could have lied to me again.
“Then, if we don’t make it out with the blood and the scroll within fifteen minutes, Calliope, you and Sarai come in to use your elements. You may need to wipe out all of the elves to keep this contained.”
“Minutes?” I asked.
Calliope answered, “I’ve been teaching Kai how to keep time the only way I know how. I’ll let you know when or if we need to go in.”
“What, are they vampires?” Cameron asked, his eyes wide as he studied the elves standing guard. “Look at those teeth! They could shred us to pieces with one bite.”
“Cam, shhh …” Calliope scolded.
Kai secured his bow and arrow across his back and perched on the edge of the branch, preparing to leap. “Let’s go, Dec.”
Cameron looked ready to jump out of the tree after Declan and Kai.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Calliope grabbed the back of his shirt, holding him in place.
“Lia’s probably in there. I’m going in after her.”
“And what makes you think you’re going to be able to do anything against all these powerful creatures?”
“I’ve got a knife. I know how to use it. And I’ve been taking kickboxing classes. My side kick is impeccable.”
“Nuh uh, Karate Kid. Not happening.” She looped her arm through his, locking him to her side.
He wriggled to get loose to no avail. Cameron groaned and sat down on the bough. “Sometimes I hate being human,” he mumbled.
Calliope shushed him again as we watched Kai and Declan approach the cave. Silently and swiftly, they took out the guards one-by-one. Two arrows from Kai took down two, and the third was brought down by Declan w
ith a snapped neck. The guards didn’t stand a chance. Though, I wished it could’ve been done without violence, I immediately felt more confidence in the situation. With their speed, and Marcus on the inside, they’d be in and out in no time.
…
“What’s taking them so long?” I paced the limb.
“It’s only been five minutes, Sarai,” Calliope said.
“I don’t know what that means.”
“You’ll have to wait twice as long before you and I need to go in. Don’t worry. Kai and Declan are the best Keepers in Faylinn. Plus, four of your Keepers are backing them up. I have faith they’ll succeed.”
“We do not know how many elves are in there. How many have changed by now. There could be hundreds. For all we know, Marcus isn’t in there and all of our Keepers have been taken down.”
“Don’t forget as fae we have strength and speed on our side. The elves might be cunning, but we’re stronger. There could be a hundred elves in there, and Kai and Declan could take them all out by themselves.”
“I am glad you have so much confidence in them, but I do not want to wait any longer. I cannot bear not knowing what is going on inside. There could be slaughter and we wouldn’t know.”
“Five more minutes. Give them a chance, Sarai. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to use my elements against the elves. They are no match for you and I together. Not to mention we’re not alone out here. Our elements will cause a scene and draw attention. None of us want that.”
“All the more reason to go in now and put an end to this.”
Calliope took my shoulders in her hands, forcing me to face her. “You don’t want a war, but you’re willing to massacre an entire clan of elves?”
I took a deep breath. “I know you are right. I simply worry they’ve already changed and our Keepers stood no chance, and here we are wasting time, while they die needlessly.”
Calliope winced. “Fine,” she conceded. “We’ll go in, but we won’t use our elements unless absolutely necessary. Okay?”
