The Sylph was encased in the brightest white light I had ever dared lay my eyes on. Tears sprung from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks before I could wipe them away. I squinted against the light, desperate to see Jodi, and realized she too was adding to the brilliant glow. Although nowhere near as bright as the Sylph, Jodi’s body shone with the pure Air magic that was her higher self.
They were trapped in a battle of wills, each just barely holding the other off and no doubt inflicting enormous amounts of pain, if the searing of my skin was anything to go by. My empathy for Jodi nearly had me doubled over , but I pushed the pain back, not willing to give into it. I tried to split my concentration between Jodi and my shields, willing more strength into them when I saw the small flames licking the edge of my aura. I remembered Steven forming a shield around me on the balcony of the bookstore made of his power. The heat of it hit me and I struggled to find a breath. I closed my eyes against the light and heat and pulled it into me and funneled it with a thought to Jodi, letting the heat from Steven fill her and bring the molten iron in her hands to life. I felt the momentary burn of it hurt her and, in turn, backlash to me, but we concentrated and she directed the magic through her hands to attack the Slyph.
Terra, Jodi’s thoughts were whisper soft in my mind, to your left, there are splintered boards. Some have iron nails in them. She didn’t even have to finish the thought; I simply lunged for a board, grabbing it like a baseball bat, and swung with all my strength at the back of the Sylph, the nail embedding into her shoulder blade. She screamed again and I was forced to let go of the board and cover my ears as the pain of her scream lanced through me.
We have to do it together! Jodi thought at me suddenly, her hands grabbing at mine and pulling me up from my knees. I hadn’t even realized I had fallen until that moment. The Sylph was on the ground, writhing in pain and trying desperately to reach behind her and grab the board now stuck in her back, but it was in too awkward a position for her to reach. Jodi pulled me over to her and clasped both our hands together once we were standing over her, creating a circle with our bodies.
“With the power of Earth and Air we banish you,” Jodi and I said in unison and I could feel the magic between us grow instantly, swirling around us in a vortex, the swirl of air and magic drowning out the screams of the Sylph. “With the power of Earth and Air we will this area clear.” We raised our voices with the power growing stronger. I felt the burn in our hands as the iron beneath our skin grew hot, but this time the burn didn’t hurt. I took strength in that and directed the power of the iron to the writhing form of the Sylph on the ground and felt rather than heard her scream as the light of her magic began to fade rapidly. “With the power of Earth and Air we banish all spirits that don’t belong here!” We all but yelled the final line of the incantation and felt the ground beneath us rock and the walls around us shook with one final scream of the Sylph.
A bolt of electricity shot between us, blowing us apart, and we were flying back into the boxes. The air rushed out of us as we hit the ground and, before I could blink, the world went dark and the garage around us disappeared.
Chapter 20
Before I opened my eyes, I was acutely aware of the taste of moist earth in my mouth and my entire body hummed with more power than I had ever felt when not sunk into the ground. That was how I knew we were underground before I opened my eyes. When I finally did open my eyes, confusion hit me hard. I could feel the presence of a hundred energies around me, but I was looking up at an earthen ceiling. I pushed up on my elbows to sit up, the room shifting as I did, making me dizzy. I closed my eyes again until I was confident that the world had righted itself.
I could feel Jodi’s presence behind me, her signature my only comfort. I got to my hands and knees and crawled over to her, shaking her gently to get her to come round before I really assessed where we were and what was going on. Though, in the pit of my stomach, I was pretty sure where we were. Jodi blinked slowly, her wide blue eyes focusing on my face as consciousness and awareness came back to her. I helped her sit up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her hand with my free one.
“Welcome, Terra, Earth Mother.” A vaguely familiar voice resounded within the cave-like room, drawing my attention off to the left. We shifted together to face that way and, once again, I saw I was in the presence of Iris of the Shattered Light.
I inclined my head towards her in a makeshift bow. I knew that protocol said we should stand up and bow to her, but after the fight in the garage with the Sylph, I just couldn’t put myself, let alone Jodi, through the hell of trying to get to our feet just then.
“Welcome, Fae, Air Spirit.” Iris nodded ever so slightly to Jodi, who was trembling in my arms now. I had tried to convey the terrible beauty and power of the higher faeries, but nothing quite compares to being in their presence.
“Shay,” Jodi whispered to me, her voice trembling, “where are we?”
“I think we’re in the Sidhe,” I whispered back, letting my gaze drift away from Iris and her almost unbearable beauty to take in the room around me. We were definitely in some sort of official room; Iris was sitting on a raised throne and the same motley crew of faeries from the orchard surrounded her on all four sides. Large oppressive figures stood behind her, looking almost treelike in appearance while smaller, more elegantly decorated beings were on either side of her. These were handsome and beautiful, naked and enticing, as only nymphs could be. Still farther below them and tumbling from Iris’ feet were tiny creatures resembling frogs, birds, and flowers. Floating in the room were beings much like Tegan.
More and more faeries of varying degrees of magical appearance ringed the room around us. A strong part of me wanted to stay here and find out everything I could about all the different kinds of Fae Folk, but that was part of the draw of this place. Once the Children of Danu retreated into the mounds of the Sidhe, their magic called to the rest of earth’s magical creatures, drawing them home. If you went into the Sidhe willingly, you risked your life. Time for mortals stops within the Sidhe and what feels like hours to you really translates into days and months and, before you know it, a lifetime has gone by and you haven’t aged a day. The terrible truth was, though, once you left the Sidhe, your years would come rushing back to you all at once and the stories say many a human was found dead at the gates of the Sidhe.
My mother told me the stories her grandmother had told her and I knew that it was also possible, if the Sidhe wanted to it could simply alter time backwards and you could spends days and weeks here and when you left only minutes may have passed in the human realm. I prayed that was the case for Jodi and me right now. I swallowed audibly and turned my attention back to the patient Iris, who was watching me closely, gauging my reaction. I tried to look both humbled and confident under her stare. I hadn’t been afraid of her in my own world, in my backyard, but here in her kingdom in this magical place, I was at her mercy.
“We are grateful to you,” her voice echoed through the room, the power of it singing through my body. “You have brought the traitor to justice.”
An earsplitting wail cut through the silence. Jodi jumped under my grasp and we flinched together, looking for the source of the noise. We watched as a creature that could only be described as a Minotaur entered the room. I had always wanted to see the woodland creatures of the stories I’d heard as a child, but in that moment I realized how dangerous our childhood dreams could be.
Here I was, within killing distance of a true monster. He was massive, at least nine feet tall and three feet wide in the shoulder. The horns that burst out of his head were as big around as my arms and sharper than any spear. Soft brown fur curled down his torso, disappearing into the cloth pants I was relieved to see covering his bottom half. The only other clothing he had on was a crossing of thick leather straps over his massive chest. I dragged my eyes back up the long length of his body, meeting his eyes finally. I saw a human intelligence there, which just made him even scarier.
He had an iron chain grasped in his hands and was dragging something in behind him. He snorted loudly, a white puff of hot air bursting from his bull nose, before hauling the chain bound form into the center of the room. This was the source of all the noise. It was the Sylph. I felt Jodi tense under me while I fought to keep my face calm, but we were entirely too close to her for comfort. He let the chain fall to the stone floor. I realized then that faint wisps of smoke were rising from the Sylph’s body where the chain touched bare skin, telling me it was made of iron. With it wrapped around her, there was no fear that she’d be able to stand up and attempt escape. With one more loud breath, the Minotaur turned and stalked out of the room, taking some of my tension with him.
I watched the Sylph writhe on the floor, my stomach churning with her cries, but I couldn’t find any pity inside me for her. After what she’d put us all through, I almost enjoyed her pain. That was a difficult realization for me, but at the end of the day, no matter what magic I have, I am still human. I still have baser emotions.
I swallowed hard and tightened my grip around Jodi’s shoulders and started to maneuver us off of the floor. Once we were on our feet, we continued to cling to each other, all the while trying to keep our heads held high in front of our audience. I turned my attention to the still silent Iris, almost afraid of what I knew was coming.
“Sylph,” Iris finally spoke, “you have been brought here on charges of malicious intent to harm humans. More importantly, you risked the exposure of our world.” I closed my eyes against her echoing voice. We were here to witness her trial or execution possibly. I wanted to get out of here right now.
“Do you deny these charges?” Iris asked. Everyone turned their attention to the pitiful mass on the floor. She’d gone still in the past few moments and I wondered if she’d finally passed out from the pain of the iron on her skin, but when I heard the weak laugh bubble out of her, I knew she was still awake. The laughter grew as the moments stretched until it was bouncing off of the earthen walls, maniacal and eerie.
“Sylph!” Iris commanded, her voice reverberating and hurting our weak human ears. Jodi clung to me a little tighter, trying not to whimper in pain or fear. I stroked her hair slowly. I had to believe we were safe here and I wanted her to believe that too.
“Do you deny these charges?” Iris asked again, but I could hear the patience slipping out of her voice. This was not the same calm, regal entity that I had met only days ago. Her anger was something terrible to behold. My animalistic sense of survival was telling me to run, get away, but I had no idea how to get out. If only I had a pair of ruby slippers right about now.
When the Sylph continued to laugh without answer, the Minotaur stepped back into the room, his bare feet making no noise on the stone floor, but pooled at his feet was a length of whip, the braided thick end gripped in his hand. I heard a soft scrape against the stone and caught a glimpse of an iron barb tied to the end of the whip. I started to shake my head back and forth as I watched the Minotaur’s whole body shift, his arm arcing behind him, his back curving. Just as his stomach muscles began to contract and he threw his arm forward, whipping the leather, I covered Jodi’s eyes with my hand and spun away from the Sylph, focusing on the wall past Jodi’s shoulder.
I heard the crack of the whip when it snapped at the Sylph’s body. Her scream tore through the air as her body took the beating. My stomach roiled even though I refused to look. Usually I won’t look away from another’s pain and torment, but this wasn’t needless suffering, even I couldn’t argue that, so I wouldn’t watch this. I wouldn’t be strong with her. After an eternity, the snapping and swishing wind stopped. So had the laughter.
“I will only ask you this once more,” Iris said, her voice drawing our attention again. It was softer now, closer to the voice I had enjoyed from the orchard. “Do you deny these charges brought against you?”
“No,” the Sylph whispered. When I finally looked at her, I saw the gauzy dress she had been wearing was reduced to strips and her skin was a mess of welts and bloody ribbons. Blood eked out of the corner of her mouth as she spoke. Her beautiful blond hair was stained and matted with skin and blood. She began to tremble in pain and cold from the stone she was lying on. I knew I would have nightmares of this moment for the rest of my life.
“Very well,” Iris said matter-of-factly. Jodi began to tremble in my arms. She didn’t want to witness this, but I had a feeling, because we were intended victims of the Sylph’s crimes, we would have to bear it. Swallowing against the gore in my stomach, I tried to focus on the wall past Iris’ throne. I wasn’t sure how you killed a faerie, but I knew I didn’t want to watch it. As I was blinking back the sting of tears, I became aware of a presence standing beside us. Turning slowly to look, I found the monstrous Minotaur looming over me. He no longer held the bloody whip, which I was grateful for, but he now held a wooden bowl full of salt.
“What?” I asked lamely. He seemed to be waiting for me to do something with the salt.
“As a victim of the traitor, you have the right to take vengeance on her,” Iris said. I turned my face to look at her, unnerved at how calm she was at all of this.
“I don’t understand,” I said, nodding towards the bowl of salt.
“You may bind her for the execution.”
My stomach lurched then, unable to handle the concept of rendering another being helpless to wait for their death. I felt myself shaking my head again before I was aware of making the movement. Jodi was trembling again and I gripped her a little closer to my side for my comfort as much as hers.
Iris regarded me carefully, one fine brow arching as we held each other’s gaze. The minute stretched in the silence. Finally, just as my knees began to weaken, Iris nodded. Even though he wasn’t looking at her, at her nod, the Minotaur turned and walked away from me. I really didn’t want to watch. Everything inside of me screamed to look away, but I tracked every movement as the Minotaur gathered handfuls of the coarse salt and flung it at the still bleeding Sylph.
She started out screaming as the crystals settled into her open wounds, but by the time the Minotaur was scraping the bottom the bowl she was hardly whimpering. She was giving into the pain, her mind slipping away from reality and shutting down so she didn’t have to deal with it anymore. I should be delirious with her pain as well, but here in this alternate world I couldn’t feel anyone’s emotions. Not even Jodi, who was closer to me than anyone else, was affecting me. I knew she was fighting off a panic attack and tears just from the tremble of her body, but if it weren’t for that, I’d have no idea what she was going through.
Once the salt binding was finished, the Sylph was staring glassy eyed at the ceiling, the muscles in her body were loose, and all the tension had seeped out of her. If she had been human, she would have bled to death by now. The bowl was gone and I had no idea when it had disappeared. I was losing moments in this nightmare. The Minotaur clapped his hands together to dust them off and reached behind him, pulling a wicked blade from the sheath on his back, finally telling me what the leather straps were for. I could see that the blade was iron from where I was. This was it. The sylph that had plagued me was going to die.
Jodi shifted her weight and turned in my arms to bury her face in my shoulder. I couldn’t blame her for it. I began to stroke her hair again, watching the blade rise into the air before it began the decent to the floor, finding a home in the sylph’s chest. It struck deep into her heart and with one final, pitiful whimper, the sylph’s eyes went dark as the life went out of her.
I’m not sure what I expected, maybe for her body to burst into a shattering of light or pixie dust, but I didn’t expect for her body to just lie there on the cold stone floor. The Minotaur pulled the blade free of the body and slipped it back into the sheath. I noticed he didn’t bother to clean the blood off of it. He looked at me and gave me a nod that I couldn’t bring myself to return before he turned and walked out of the chamber. Two other creatures came forward to gather up the body, tha
t’s all I could refer to it as now, and carried it silently out of the room.
“Are you satisfied?” It was Iris speaking and, when I turned to look at her again, I realized the question was directed at me alone.
“I didn’t ask for that!” I gaped at her, revolted at the idea that I had asked for this.
“No, but as the victim, are you satisfied?” Her voice as so level, so damn calm I felt my temper rising inside of me like something alive. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to lash out at her violently.
“I didn’t ask for that,” I said again, gritting my teeth against everything else I wanted to scream at all the calm faces around me.
“These are our laws,” Iris said. “Whether you were the victim or not, it was how it would always have been. Are you satisfied?” No, I was not satisfied. Death would never satisfy me. Yes, I had always known somewhere deep inside of me that the sylph would have to be killed to stop her, but I had held on to a tiny bit of human hope that she could have been reached before it came to that. But when I saw her locked in battle with Jodi, I knew that if Jodi was in mortal danger, I would have driven any and all iron I could lay my hands on into the sylph’s heart until she went still under my hands.
“What about Jeremy?” I asked.
“What about him?”
“He was a victim too.”
“So he was.” Iris waved her hand and Jeremy materialized where Jodi and I had come to on the floor. His body was still limp and his eyes were closed. Two of the guards that stood at Iris’ side moved forward and gathered Jeremy up, carefully, and walked out of the chamber.
Elemental Series Omnibus Edition Books 1-4 Page 55
