Through Time-Slamming

by Conn, Claudy

  Humans held their hands to their ears and began dropping to their knees.

  The Babblers were on them—feeding as a horde.

  Blood horrifically covered the grass and what was left of the humans was an unbearable sight.

  Some humans ran, but the other castes had moved in, and the sound of humans crying out in fear and pain filled the atmosphere.

  Pestale found that while Hordly was thoroughly enjoying the chaos and Morrigu looked unconcerned, it was not something he enjoyed at all. It was a necessary part of his plan, to instill terror, but in the end it was not what he wanted. This horrific bloodletting was not how he wished to live.

  He looked at his younger and middle brother and for the first time noticed that Graely appeared miserable. He put a hand on his young brother’s shoulder, “You are disturbed.”

  “Pestale, I find this barbaric. Humans are thinking creatures, and this…is not what I want. Killing in battle is one thing, but this is slaughter. We must not allow them to feed indiscriminately…it is cruel,” Graely argued.

  Pestale laughed, “You are naïve, then. Just what did you think it would be like? They have been holed up in the Dark Realm for eons, they are hungry and humans serve them as food, they aren’t eating for sport.”

  Graely shook his head and said nothing and Pestale clicked his tongue and turned to Morrigu who was running a hand over her body, excited now by the frenzy.

  He stroked her cheek and said softly, “Morrigu, I need you to concentrate. The Bains Caste who are ferocious fighters, and whom I mean to use as the fore runners when we engage the Royals, cannot shift. It is your job to shift them as a group, while my brothers and I make certain none of the others remain behind. You know where to go, yes love?”

  She rubbed her cheek against his hand, “Oh yes, it was my favorite place on Earth when we roamed freely as Seelie Gods. You are good to me Pestale, to take me back there—to give me a castle all my own. My beloved Grampian Mountains.” She eyed him, “Will you come quickly, and take care of me, Pestale, I am in need…?”

  “We will be right behind you and we will always take care of you,” Pestale said, and he believed it to be the truth. He would always try and take care of Morrigu, who had been the only female available to supply their needs and who was by virtue of her DNA, also their mother. He excused her and blamed the Dark King for deserting her when he took up with his human consort, human no longer, Crystal.

  “Hordly, you and Graely gather them up…,” Pestale smiled with the pride because of their first victory. “We are off for…” he hesitated and the smile filled his eyes, “home, we are off for home.”

  Chapter Four

  “JAZMINE DECKER, MARINE Biologist, you are late for duty,” Jazz said to the empty cave. “Or at least, you will become the fall if you don’t get out of here, or is it fall already in the human world? She knew that time in the Faery Realm and other realms as well worked very differently.

  So what month, or year she was in, was a total mystery. Jazz sighed over the problem.

  “What to do?” she asked out loud. She was talking to herself, yup, talking to herself, but that was okay, exercising the vocal cords was a good thing.

  She had been thinking about her situation for what seemed like an hour and had come to the conclusion that in all probability, she wasn’t in immediate danger of dying. She was after all, an immortal, and if she could keep from being eaten, which she believed she had enough power to accomplish, then it was only a matter of time before Trevor found her.

  She bolstered herself with this belief, looked around, put her head down on her bent arms and stretched out on the fronds.

  “This sucks,” she told herself, for as bad as her situation was, she was fairly certain something awful was happening back in the Human Realm. She knew that Pestale and his army had tricked them and used another Portal—one the Seelie had overlooked. They should have known—she should have known, because she was a Fios and as a Fios she should have sensed something more was afoot. Afoot, she asked herself and laughed. Her laughter weaved into hysterical before she got control and told herself to breathe, just breathe.

  Right, what she was dealing with here was spilt milk, the hysteria tickled her throat, but she beat it down.

  So what did this mean? It meant that the Dark Royals were probably engaged in battle with the Royals and the Seelie warriors somewhere in her human world. And here she was unable to help. “Really, really sucks,” she added.

  She got up, brushed herself off and went back to the mouth of the cave. Dusk was settling in. No sense trying to find her way through the dark in a land filled with prehistoric everything.

  She went back and tried to mind link again with Trevor, talking out loud as well, “Trev, can you hear me? Trevor? I thought you said this mind link of ours would work anywhere? You said we could never be parted by land or distance because of our bonding. Trev…can’t you hear me?”

  Why couldn’t he hear her? Did this mean they were not really bonded? And if they were not really bonded, did that mean she was not his ‘true mate’ as he had told her?

  The doubt slid through her body with wicked force and pricked sharply at her heart. A sudden tear formed and she swiped it away.

  She had to get control of herself.

  She was in the worst possible situation, and had not allowed herself to cry and she was not about to start now.

  Trevor was her true love, and she was his, she was not going to give into doubts and bawl like an idiot. That would do her no good. She had to find a way to survive until she could get back.

  “Trevor? Please, Trevor, I know you love me, so find me,” she beckoned

  Her heart, her human heart which was still in her chest beat out his name and demanded attention. He had rocked her universe with his love, with the force and depth of his love and he would find her.

  “Hear me, Trev,” she whispered in the cave. She shouted it in her mind in waves of desperation. “Just hear me…track me…come on baby. You are a Royal Seelie Fae, and you better find me soon before something else does and decides to have me for dinner!”

  She got up and began pacing. She tripped over her own feet and as she fell her finger got caught in what was left of her top. First it had been ripped by the talons of the dinosaur bird, and then she had to use part of it for a torch, now this!

  Her top came off in shreds, which left her in a sports bra, and for some reason, even this made her want to cry.

  Why can’t you hear me? He had said that their mind link would span the Universe…? “TREVOR!” she cried out loud as well as in her mind. Sending out her energy in one feverish bolt and suddenly she felt that feeling when you aim and actually make the basket! She felt him. She actually felt him—near, so near, and she began wailing his name in her mind, over and over again.

  ~*~

  Trevor had scanned his surroundings. She was here somewhere—she simply had to be. Where would she go?

  The human he knew was still a part of who she was and would still be driving her decisions. She would seek shelter. Her human side would look for a hiding place because she wasn’t ready yet to let the Fae blood take full control.

  But what sort of hiding place?

  He scanned the horizon and all at once he knew. She would go high, to the mountain range so that she could survey her situation. He knew his mate. He knew what his beautiful Jazmine Decker would do.

  And then he saw it in his mind; a cave.

  She would look for a cave. He smiled to himself as he thought of her, as he pictured her. All at once he was frantic to get her back safely into his arms. He had to find her! By Danu and all that was Earth, Wind and Fire, he couldn’t go another moment not knowing where she was.

  He organized his thoughts and concentrated on finding the cave she would seek out for shelter.

  A moment later he was there, standing in front of a cave with a jutting rock partially obscuring its entrance. He went inside and though he could see a bit in the d
ark, he knew she might not yet be able to. With a flick of his wrist,

  torches were produced and light was everywhere.

  He strode towards something that caught his eye. It was covered in dirt, and though it had not been exposed to the weather, it looked seriously aged. He knew this fabric.

  His Jazmine Decker had been wearing it when she had jumped into the Portal. Why would it look so aged? Why? What the hell was going on? Just where was she?

  The fabric was ragged, as though it had been torn.

  It was nearly disintegrating in his hands.

  Disintegrating in his hands—from time.

  And then just as he realized why and closed his eyes with frustration, he heard his Jazmine Decker scream his name in his mind.

  Their link—she had found a way to use their link. Their link could not be stopped by distance, or even time. The sensation this realization gave him made him feel warm with pleasure and helpless all at once.

  He had a job on his hands, for not only had the Portal sent her to this dimension—but it had slammed her back in time!

  He paced frantically for a moment and then called back to her with his own link. Do you hear me love? Do you hear me, my Jazmine Decker? I’m standing in your cave, so stay there. Don’t go anywhere while I figure out how to jump back in time and get hold of you.

  He looked up, put his hand up and called, “Orb of Time, this Royal will not be denied!”

  A moment later the Queen’s Orb was in his hand and he frowned as he commanded it. “Orb, speak to me about my mate.”

  The Orb sighed, “My Queen released me from her sphere to do just that, because things are about to enter the chaotic state in the Human Realm. She says there is no time to lose—she needs you both now; right now. Catastrophe is in the making and she needs the Fios with her special skills brought to her at once.”

  “What has happened?”

  “The Royals have been tricked. The Unseelie Princes and their army did not really try to exit the Portal in Ireland. They are hidden from detection but we know they arrived in England at Stonehenge, because they left a trail of blood. Great trouble lies ahead.”

  “Trouble eh?” Trevor gritted his teeth. “So be it, just get me to my mate, now.” At that moment, all Trevor wanted was to get to his Jazmine Decker. Everything else faded to the background.

  The human world they were sworn to protect was being threatened with the emergence of an Unseelie Army. He needed to fight beside his brother, and Breslyn. He needed to fight with them immediately, but first he had to secure his mate. He had to get her back beside him first.

  Never before had they been out-smarted by an Unseelie, not even when the Dark Ones were led by Gaiscioch, a Seelie and one of their own.

  He would get his Jazmine Decker safely in his arms and only then would he attend to saving the Universe with his brethren. He had absolutely no doubt that in the end; they would slaughter the Dark Fae—because they must.

  As far as he was concerned, this would be the Dark Royals last stand because this time, he would not listen to the Queen or the Dark King. This time, there had to be severe consequences for the Dark Prince’s actions.

  And what of the consequences for disobeying the Queen in the end? Consequences for his actions be damned, because this time Pestale would die at his hands!

  Chapter Five

  FAINTLY AS THOUGH miles away, impossibly too far to be heard, she heard him all the same--Trevor’s voice in her head. He said her name, Jazmine Decker and it sounded like a caress.

  How funny that he always called her Jazmine Decker even when they made love. She adored the sound it made in her heart.

  Suddenly her thoughts and emotions were interrupted as the earth trembled beneath Jazz’s feet. She got up off of the palm fronds and planted herself against the wall. What now?

  Dirt sprayed across the earthen floor.

  “Okay…okay, I’m okay…this will be okay,” she told herself out loud and waited as she rubbed her hands down her now abused and dirty jeans.

  Burrowing its way out of the hard earth, a slimy black and green tentacle appeared. It was no more than six inches in length and about three inches in diameter. Its gross looking tentacle widened and splayed in the air as it inched towards her. She could see suction cups on its tentacle sucking in air as it swayed upwards. Eww! thought Jazz as she pressed herself against the cold damp wall of the cave.

  Her shields were up front and the back of the cave was protecting her from invasion from the entrance and exit, however, she had not thought to lay a shield over the floor. She had wondered if the back of the cave had led to an exit. Choosing her steps carefully, she started to back out of the cave. She was so close to being reunited with Trevor…she couldn’t be eaten now. That just wouldn’t be fair!

  “You have Fae blood in you,” she told herself and the words echoed back to her in the cave. “You are equipped with Fae and Fios magic, and Trev said the combined two are unbeatable.” So then Jazmine Decker thought to herself as Trevor would speak to her, “you gonna let a slimy crawly beat you?” It flashed through her mind that logic had nothing to do with her fear of confronting this new beast. She was still the person who jumped and screamed when a small and relatively harmless spider was in her vicinity. She gulped and bolstered herself. “You can do this. You can. Look at all you have already done in this insane Realm. You don’t need to run from this.”

  No need to run, but still might not be a bad idea…? Snakes, lizards and tentacles were not things she wanted to play with and like spiders, all these things terrified her.

  Yes, but you need this cave. Trevor will come to this cave, she told herself. Time, Jazz, it is time to take a stand.

  She sighed and planted her feet staunchly on terra firma. No more running! That was all she had done since she had landed in this mad Realm. Running was no longer the answer. Trevor had told her to stay where she was so that he could get to her and that was what she was going to do.

  Her brows arched with determination as she stared at the thing coming up and out of the earth. No more running, she repeated in her mind. She then shrugged and thought, oh well, I can always shift if this ugly turns out to be more than I can handle. Right? Right.

  The monstrous creature did in fact turn out to be uglier, larger and more vicious than she had imagined it might be. As it emerged from its burrowing, several other tentacles danced before her eyes as if to say “yum yum, eat her up”. This was going from bad to worse.

  The dirt began to give way and the many tentacles proved to be only the tip of what was coming.

  As the beast worked its way up and out of its tunnel, the swaying octopus-like tentacles sent a chill over her entire body. The tentacles now over three feet in length gave way to the spiked body of a round pulsating mass of grotesque flesh covered with suction cups. The sucking sounds from the creature made her skin crawl.

  Jazz knew this was both body and head because a mouth opened and displayed rows upon rows of sharp teeth. A black tongue lapped at its repulsive face, and her nose wrinkled involuntarily at the thought that this was its face.

  It reached for her with its tentacles, slurping at the air. Jazz did not recognize her own voice as her scream turned from nauseated to aggressive.

  Her Fios went into overdrive and was instinctively joined by her Fae magic.

  She immediately Slammed the creature, and this time she Slammed it with her own brand of Fios/Fae magic. It was a new creation. Somehow the Fios in her had joined with the Fae blood and created a method that was bigger, better and oh so close to perfection!

  The monster rolled and with a series of grunts, landed so that it was flattened against the back wards which acted as an invisible fencing of her cave. It screeched in pain and fury. Before she even knew what it was doing, one long tentacle caught her up and held her high as it bellowed out its victory.

  There was nothing else she could do. Because the thing was holding her, if she shifted it would merely shift with her an
d she would still be in its hold.

  With one thing left to do, the notion of what she was doing repulsed her. She thought, hey, my life or its life, and she quickly made her decision.

  She set the body of the beast on fire, and it immediately released its hold on her.

  As she stood and watched the fire consume it, and heard its terrible bellowing before it lay still, she felt a wave of nausea. She always felt sick when she had to kill something. Even when she had to stomp on a spider invading her house, it had always made her feel guilty. Once again though she told herself, this was different. This was a kill or be killed Realm, sad but true.

  Even so, the human that would always be who she was told her that killing was horrible. Her Fae told her to expect much more death and destruction to come in the very near future.

  “Well done, Jazmine Decker, well done!”

  His voice so welcome, so beloved and so damned sexy made her turn and jump into Trevor of Lugh’s embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think, all she could do was hold on!

  Chapter Six

  HE STROKED HER hair, taking its length in his fingers and holding it as he kept her close. He covered her dirty face with his warm hungry kisses, and whispered ancient Danu words of gratitude.

  She snuggled against his light shadow beard and reveled in the sound of his voice which seemed like a caressing murmur as he repeated her name over and over again. He held her as though he would never let her go.

  She put her head back enough to look into his beloved golden eyes and with her heart bursting with love, demanded “What the hell took you so long?”

  He laughed and squeezed her tighter. “I had to find which Realm you were chucked into, which I did. Although I was sure I was in the right place--in the right cave because I found a piece of your clothing, I couldn’t find you.” He sighed, “Then it came to me, just where you were.” He teasingly dangled her torn top in front of her eyes.