by H. D. Gordon
Aria’s eyes darted to the side, where a vine was slowly creeping over the ground.
“If that vine comes any closer,” she said, “I’ll slit your throat right now.”
The creeping vegetation halted, and Tristell gritted out some birdlike chirp that was Faevian language, though one did not have to speak the strange tongue to know she’d just cursed an insult.
Whatever the Fae Queen said made Aria roll her eyes. “No need for name calling,” she said. “I’ll remove the blade from your neck after you answer a few questions, and since not everyone here understands our language, the common tongue will do just fine.”
The skin on Tristell’s throat was still sizzling where the iron was touching it, her face was pulled taut with pain. Even from where Charlie was standing, he could see the murder in her slanted eyes. He hoped Aria knew what she was doing.
“Our language?” the Fae Queen spat. “You’re not one of us, Halfling. I can smell the human in your skin… and where are your wings? Oh, that’s right, Halflings can’t fly. Don’t insult Faevian kind by including yourself within it, child.”
Charlie could tell by the dark look that passed over Aria’s face that these words were a serious insult, particularly the part about not having wings.
For the first time since he’d met the Halfling girl, he wondered what it must be like to be a Fae without wings. He thought now that it would be kind of like being a Sorcerer without magic, or a Vampire without fangs.
Aria ignored the barbs, her voice impressively even. “Do you know who I am?” she asked.
When Tristell didn’t answer, she dug the blade a little deeper into her skin. Tristell made a small sound that was part growl, part squeal.
“One more time,” Aria said. “Do you know who I am?”
“You call yourself Aria Fae in the human world. You are a Peace Broker. Though I can’t imagine you’re here on orders.”
“If you know that,” Aria replied, “then you know why I’m here. I want to know what’s happened to my mother.”
“Your mother?”
The blade dug deeper.
“Don’t play dumb,” Aria threatened.
“Fine,” Tristell spat through gritted teeth, neck still sizzling. “There was an accident. Your mother was among those who got caught in it. She’s dead.”
Charlie thought he saw a little moisture gather in Aria’s eyes before she blinked it quickly away. Her features darkened as she absorbed this, but her voice came out steady when she spoke.
“We both know it wasn’t an accident, Tristell. I want the truth.”
“Foolish child. What will you do when you find out?”
“I’ll seek justice accordingly. Now, talk.”
“Elisa meddled where she should not have,” the Fae Queen said. “It cost her her life. Now release me before you really piss me off. I’ve got a kingdom to steal.”
“I should kill you right now,” Aria said.
“But that’s just it, isn’t it?” taunted the Fae Queen. “You can’t, can you? It goes against Fae nature, and most are too weak.”
“You said yourself I’m not one of you,” Aria replied. “And you don’t seem to struggle at all with taking life.”
“Now will be your only chance,” said the Fae Queen
Charlie held his breath. In his head, he was screaming at Aria to just do the deed already, and liberate them all from the Fae Queen’s malevolence.
There were clearly issues with Tristell among her own kind that were deeper than Charlie was privy to, and killing her would seem to be doing everyone a favor.
But, apparently, Tristell had been right about Aria’s hesitance to take her life, because in the next heartbeat, the Fae Queen sprung off the ground with animal-like agility.
Her large, feathered wings extended and knocked Aria free of her hold, sending the Halfling girl flying through the air before colliding with a tree. Her small body struck its trunk hard enough to make Charlie cringe.
Fae Guardians rushed him, and he kicked the first one hard in the gut, sending him back onto his rear. The next he sliced with the iron blade Aria had lent him, the Fae’s skin sizzling the same as Tristell’s had.
Several of the others launched spears at him. He avoided most of them with a quick roll to the left, but one lodged itself in his right shoulder deep enough to send an electric shock all the way down to his fingers.
Panic swirled in him as he realized he was hopelessly outmatched. He bit down on the sensation, refusing to give into its implications.
The more of these Fae Guardians he killed, the less there was of them to attack Surah. At least his death here would not be in total vain, and he would take with him as many of them as he could.
But then Aria appeared as if from nowhere, having sprung up from the ground with the same agility the Fae Queen had exhibited only moments ago.
She ran up the side of a tree near Charlie, spinning in the air and clearing the Fae Warrior’s heads who stood between her and Charlie by several feet.
Aria landed at his side with a soft thud, her balance as strong as a cat’s. Her hand gripped Charlie’s, and then the two of them were falling through time and space.
The sensation was all encompassing.
If Charlie had to compare it to something, he would say it was like being scooped up by an enormous, invisible hand and slingshot across the universe.
Colors, objects, and distance became nothing more than white blurs.
They hit the floor of Aria’s apartment moments later, landing with heavy thuds, no grace or ease this time. Charlie tucked his head instinctively, going into a roll. This was a good thing. His shoulder struck the edge of the coffee table rather than his head.
Aria had taken the brunt of her fall through the tailbone, and she lie flat on her back now, staring up at the ceiling, panting with exhilaration and wincing in pain.
Charlie pulled himself up onto the couch, the air tearing just as rapidly in and out of his lungs. “What the hell?” he said.
Aria tensed and sat up, glaring at him with her bright green eyes. “What?” she asked.
Charlie spread his hands, his eyebrows going up, ignoring the flash of pain in his bleeding shoulder. “Why didn’t you kill her? Why didn’t you kill Tristell?”
Aria pulled herself up, wincing. “I think you mean, thanks for saving my life, Aria,” she said. “And why didn’t you kill her? You’re the one who went there with the intentions of taking a life. I only said I was looking for answers.”
Charlie supposed she was right. But, still… she’d had the Fae Queen in her clutches, and she’d just let her go.
“She all but admitted to killing your mother,” he said. “She’s started a war between the Sorcerers and the Fae. I guess I just thought—”
“Well, you thought wrong,” she snapped. “I don’t know much about Sorcerers, but Fae children are raised to take life very seriously, to respect all living things.”
“You’re half-human aren’t you?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Charlie sighed, sat on the couch, and ran a hand down his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, and meant it.
The girl relaxed her stance a bit, clearly sensing his earnestness. “You’re right,” he added. “Thank you for saving my life. Again. It’s not you I’m upset with. This has all just gotten so messed up.” He looked down at the knife still clutched in his hand. “If my brother had been any slower… if I’d been any faster, he’d be dead right now. I’ve accomplished nothing but getting you in trouble.”
Aria let out a slow breath and took a seat in the armchair across from him. Whatever hostility she’d held toward him a moment ago was gone. She was clearly good at accepting apologies.
“I’ve never needed anyone’s help getting into trouble,” she said, “and don’t worry about me. I’m not as stupid as my pretty face makes me out to be.”
She grinned, but it was without joy. The smile of someone freshly broken. Reaching in
to her leather jacket, she pulled out a rectangular device Charlie was unfamiliar with. There was a screen covering the front, and Aria pressed a triangle on the surface of it.
Out of small speakers on the side, the Fae Queen’s voice said, “Elisa meddled where she should not have. It cost her her life. Now release me before you really piss me off. I’ve got a kingdom to steal.”
“You recorded her?” Charlie asked in amazement.
Aria nodded. “I needed something I could bring to my superiors. When I told them I thought Tristell was responsible for my mother’s absence, they told me I was mistaken, refused to look into the matter any farther, demanded I let it go. At least now… at least now I know.”
Her voice cracked on this last part, and Charlie’s stomach clenched as he came to a late realization, feeling terrible about having snapped on her a moment ago.
“You didn’t know your mother was dead until Tristell told you,” Charlie said. It was not a question.
Voice small, she replied, “I wasn’t sure until she told me.”
“I’m sorry, Aria,” he said. “I lost my parents when I was young as well. Lost everyone I loved, actually. Except for my brother.” He rubbed his jaw, which was in need of a good shave. “And I guess he’s as lost to me now as he ever could be.”
Silence hung between them a moment. Then, Charlie said, “Will she come for you now?”
Aria seemed glad for the change in subject. “Who, Tristell?” She waved a hand. “No one knows my location outside of the Peace Brokers, and something tells me she’s got bigger fish to fry.”
She shrugged. “But I guess if things go her way, she’ll get around to me eventually. Tristell is not known for her forgiveness, and I held an iron blade to her throat.”
“I have to make sure things don’t go her way, Aria,” Charlie said, though he felt guilty. She had just found out her mother was dead, and he was asking her to risk her life again.
To his surprise, the Halfling girl only blinked at him, studying his face. After a moment, she seemed to come to some sort of conclusion, and gave a single nod.
“Where do you want to go?” she asked.
“To help Surah.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
She nodded. “Though I have a feeling she won’t be happy—”
Aria was cut short when something came crashing through the large windows of the living room. Glass shattered and rained down like diamonds, catching in Aria’s hair and scattering about the floor.
The something was actually a someone, a muscular male Fae with silver hair and eyes… and a long sword clutched in his hands.
Charlie barely had time to blink before the intruder charged forward, blade aimed straight at Aria’s heart.
Chapter 38
Samson
The sky was a steely gray, the clouds shifting above the trees of the northeastern jungle.
Rain was coming. The animals of the jungle could sense it on the wind. The cave dwellers took to their caves, the burrowers to their burrows. The green and brown trees—hundreds of miles of them, a veritable sea of green—rippled and bent in the gale. The only sound was the rustling of the leaves, the occasional snapping of branches.
Samson sat at the base of one of the older trees, an enormous conifer that had stood longer than any other living thing Sam knew of.
He watched in silence, his large head resting atop his paws, as pine needles rained down around him. He watched them but did not see them falling.
His eyes were turned inward, replaying the fight with Drake, thinking of Surah. Always Surah. Something was wrong with her, and he needed to know what.
He stood, stretching his powerful muscles, leaning forward on his forepaws and then back, bending his spine. His rear right leg still ached from the fight, but he could wait no longer.
He had to go and check on his Sorceress, because he could feel in his bones that something was very wrong.
“You’re leaving,” said a familiar voice, breaking into the thoughts in his head. It was not a question.
Sam turned and looked at Mila. His wife. His mate. The cat he’d sworn fealty to. He didn’t want to lie to her, but how could he explain so that she could understand? He couldn’t. He said nothing, only looked at her with unblinking amber eyes.
“If you go,” she said, communicating in the silent way of theirs, “the pride will follow.”
“No. The pride will stay here. I will return shortly. You have my word.”
He turned to go. Sam felt guilty, but there was no time. Something told him Surah needed him now. He wished he’d never left her, though he knew there had been no other choice.
“It doesn’t work like that anymore, Sam,” Mila snapped, stopping him in his tracks.
He’d never heard her voice as commanding as it was now, and it surprised him enough to hold him captive.
“You don’t get to just walk away when you want to,” she continued. “You’re our king. If you’re going to look for trouble, the pride has to go with you.”
Her sleek black coat caught what little light was left of the day, and her bright, feline eyes stared back at him with a defiance that was uncannily similar to the kind Surah adopted when she set her mind on something.
“Who said I’m going to look for trouble? I’ll be back before the sun rises.”
Mila took two steps forward, putting the two of them were nearly nose-to-nose.
“Two-legs are always trouble. I wouldn’t think I’d have to tell you this. You have responsibilities here. Don’t you care about that? Haven’t you any honor? Or have you been living among them so long that there’s none left in you?”
For a moment, Samson was too shocked to respond.
Some part of him knew that Mila had a point, and that it wasn’t her he was truly angry with, but that part was smothered as the urgency of the situation increased.
His head lowered and his teeth bared, a sight that would have sent lesser creatures running. A low rumbling sounded from deep in his chest, and his eyes flashed in the manner of a true beast.
To her credit, Mila did not move an inch, didn’t so much as blink or flinch at Sam’s undoubtedly intimidating reaction. She stood her ground, met his gaze, and held it.
Ironically, this also reminded him of Surah. His wife and his mistress seemed to have many traits in common.
Except Surah loved him enough to let him go when he’d told her he had to.
“I don’t expect you to understand,” Mila, he told her. “I just need to make sure she’s all right. Once that’s done, I’ll return to you and fulfill all my duties as king.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And when she’s not ‘all right’? When you find your precious two-leg needs you to pull her out of trouble, and that you can’t return to fulfill ‘all your duties as king’?”
“I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
“Then the pride’s coming with you.”
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s not your call.”
“The hell it isn’t!” He all but roared, his voice was so loud in her head that now she did cringe, if only a touch.
He released a slow breath and forced himself to calm down. “I’m the king. You said it yourself. This is my decision. The pride has no stake in this battle.”
“You are our stake in this battle,” Mila replied. “You stupid beast. Don’t you understand that if something happens to you we’re lost? Without a strong leader, like my father had been before you killed him, we could find ourselves on the brink of extinction again. How can you not see that this isn’t just about you? How can you be so selfish?”
These words were like a slap, probably because they rang with an air of truth.
For a long moment, he could think of nothing to say. When words finally did come, they sounded lame to his own ears.
“I have to go, Mila.”
She said nothing for what felt like a very long time, or maybe Sam was just feeling every second as if they were ho
urs.
Either way, the answer she gave revealed she could be as stubborn as Surah—yet another quality the two females shared. He thought under different circumstances, Mila could learn to love the Sorceress as well.
But this was the hand they’d been dealt, and the choice he made next would impact the lives of many, feline and two-legs alike.
“Then go, Samson,” Mila told him, “but know that if you do, the pride will follow. You hold our fates in your paws.”
Chapter 39
Charlie
The girl was quick, obviously having inherited her agility and athletic ability from the half of her that was Fae.
Had she been any slower, any slower at all, the intruder’s blade would have gone straight through her chest, would have killed her instantly.
As it was, Aria did an impressive forward roll, right between the male Fae’s spread legs, ending up behind him.
All of this—including the impressive entrance made by the male Fae crashing through Aria’s living room window—happened within a matter of seconds.
It happened so fast that it took Charlie longer than it should have to go on guard, and by the time he snapped to realization, Aria was already preparing to take the newcomer on.
“Dude!” she said, gesturing around the apartment at the broken glass. “Who the hell is going to pay for that?”
The male Fae looked surprised at this reaction, but he was clearly here to do a job.
“Aria Fae?” he asked, his silver eyes narrowed and sword still held at the ready, waiting for another opportunity to strike.
Aria adopted a fighter’s stance and scooped up a wooden staff that had been resting against the wall. By the marks on it, Charlie could see the weapon had seen good use, but thought her a fool for choosing it. One didn’t choose staff against blade.
“The one and only,” Aria replied. “I’ll assume Tristell sent you.”
