Runaway Fae

by Runaway Fae

He nodded.

  The broom soon snapped in half with the powerful blows of the sword the Fae swung with skill. Liam used the two pieces as nunchucks with no chain between them. More than once Shauna caught the smack of the wood against the Faerie’s skin and his cry of pain, while she watched his feet for an opportunity to trip him. Her chance came, and she shoved out a lighter box behind the Fae. He tumbled backward, cracking his head against the hard floor, immediately unconscious.

  Over her shoulder, she heard Joe and the goblin’s voice. “Quick, let’s get him out of here.” She grabbed the Fae’s arms and lifted them above his head. “I’m not sure what we should do with him, Liam. We can’t risk opening a portal.”

  Her muscled companion brushed aside her hands and hoisted the Fae over his shoulder like a lightweight sack. “I’ll take care of him. You keep an eye on Joe and the goblin.” He pinned her with a commanding stare. “Don’t you do anything until I get back. Nothing.”

  Shauna gave no response as Liam headed out the back door. Worry ate at her when she began to realize that Liam very often forgot to suppress Darkling urges. He might actually be out there killing the Fae. She took one glance back at Joe’s door as it was opening, and then darted out the back door, closing it behind her.

  Outside, the air was humid and thick. The sun had gone down, and she felt it difficult to push through a feeling of doom and despair. Shaking her head of the ridiculous feeling, Shauna stumbled forward, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimmed light. A weed overgrown path led around to the side of the building where a narrow opening led to a shed Joe had told them housed more supplies. She headed that way because she noticed a pad lock on the fence to the right, the only other direction Liam could go.

  “Liam?” she called softly.

  No answer. She stood at the door to the shack, praying Liam wasn’t inside killing the Fae. If he turned more to the dark side, the man she knew and loved could eventually be lost forever. The shack was not very big, yet with the shadows and the moon hidden behind clouds, she couldn’t see in. “Liam?”

  Suddenly, his eyes glowed in the darkness. Red light etched the black orbs, permeated with such an evil that she felt it inside her, in her mind and smelled it in the air. Shauna backed away. Tears filled her eyes. And then through her haze of tears and fear, she saw a flashlight hanging on a hook just inside the doorjamb. She found the courage to grab it and shine the light on Liam. He ducked and cried out at the brightness, but the evil in the air lessened.

  “Shauna.”

  “Liam, please don’t kill him,” she begged.

  At first he didn’t answer or come out of the corner he was in. “He came to.”

  “H-he attacked you?”

  She watched, her heart breaking, as he buried his head in his hands and sank to the ground where she now saw the Fae bleeding, his own sword in his chest. The flashlight clattered to the ground when she lost strength. She was crying in earnest now, sobbing on the quiet night air.

  “Shauna, I am lost.”

  She should have gone to him, to comfort him and tell him everything would be okay. But the problem was, she didn’t think it would. Though she didn’t want to admit it to herself, Liam was a Darkling. How could she align herself with her people’s enemy, with a man who she had heard planning an attack on her people. Yes, she knew now her cousin was as evil as they came, but through no fault of his own, so was Liam. The only thought that ran through her mind at that moment was to run.

  Shauna stumbled away from the shed and back toward the door leading into the diner. Once inside, she quickly untied her apron, scribbled a hasty note to Joe that she was thankful for all he had done, but she had to move on. She peeked out the kitchen to the front of the diner and saw that Joe was occupied with a customer, his back to her. She headed for the front door at almost a run, not looking to the left or right.

  Outside, in the cool air again, she jogged toward the highway. Maybe once out on the roadside, someone would pick her up. When she was a mile or two away, she would risk opening a portal back to Faeland. If she could concentrate, she could open it into her mother’s bedroom with none the wiser if they weren’t keeping tabs. She could gather her mother and they could disappear. They would not be the first Fae to live in a land other than their home. They wouldn’t be the last.

  Chapter Ten

  Shauna’s feet ached, her stomach grumbled since she hadn’t eaten anything and surprisingly, no car or truck had stopped to pick her up. She could understand had she been with Liam. His size had frightened off many when they had been hitchhiking just days ago.

  She sighed. “Don’t think of him anymore. He’s out of your life. Forever.”

  Soon a car came along and began to slow. Shauna offered her friendliest smile and waved. The woman in the driver’s seat smiled back and began rolling down her window. Then, glancing past Shauna’s shoulder, a look of horror came into her eyes, and her tires squealed as she drove away.

  “What is going on?” Shauna screamed.

  “Poor little princess,” a voice said behind her.

  Shaun whirled around but saw nothing behind her. She glanced up and down the road. Then the scent of the goblin came to her. Fear dried her mouth. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t know who she was.

  With a trembling hand, Shauna reached out and yanked the goblin from the bent shadows, making him visible. He was no longer disguised as a human was, but in his full ugly glory—saggy-skinned eyes and all.

  It laughed, “Good joke on you, huh, princess?”

  She wasn’t aware the goblin had a sense of humor and told him so.

  “Ah, but I am happy thinking of the money I will get for capturing the Faeland princess whose loving cousin, the king, has been searching all over for her.” Before he even finished speaking, he cuffed her. Shauna wiggled her fingers but the cuff didn’t release. She searched her mind for an appropriate spell, but the goblin touched a thick, disgusting finger to her forehead and darkness clouded in on her vision, as he faded from view.

  * * * *

  Liam returned to the motel room he and Shauna shared and found the room empty. He had assumed she had been so upset over his actions that she’d taken the rest of the night off. Joe had not told him any different. He had considered invading the man’s mind to find out what he had been meeting with the goblin about but figured his abilities had caused enough troubles.

  Now, understanding that she had left him, he slumped down on the bed. She was better off without him. After all, it was he who brought her to the dark world and told her the truth of what had happened to her family. She had been safe where she was for the time being. He could have ... what? Mastered his power? No. That didn’t look possible. As he had told Shauna, every time he attempted control, the dark magic took it back and made him do something he regretted. He felt cursed. And as such, the princess was better off without him. Safer.

  Liam packed his bag and straightened the room with a heavy heart. He walked down to the office to check out and turn in his key, then headed toward the highway. Though his stomach growled since he’d missed dinner, he couldn’t think of eating. He wondered when he would ever get his appetite back.

  When he passed the diner, heading south, he kept going. There was really no need to inform Joe of his plans to cut out on him. They had not liked each other, Liam recognizing immediately that Joe was attracted to Shauna. It had taken her slender hand on his sleeve to keep him from losing control and killing the chef too.

  “I’ve become a murderer,” he mumbled. “Just remember, she’s better off without you.”

  When he was about one hundred feet past the Joe’s diner, he heard running steps behind him. He stood, feeling the darkness rise within. He spun around, at the ready for the attack. It was Joe.

  He was out of breath. “Hey, I know you’re leaving and all, but I wondered if you could do me a favor.” The man looked nervous. Shauna had mentioned him looking jumpy earlier when the goblin came. “I know we haven’t seen eye-to-eye, b
ut I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have. Please.”

  Liam sneered, “Haven’t you heard? I’m bad news. I kill without remorse.”

  Joe looked surprised but nodded. “All the better. I’m willing to pay you to kill someone for me. Any way you see fit.”

  Liam pivoted and continued on his walk. Joe shuffled along beside him. Suddenly, because he needed something, the man was all humility. What happened to the Fae that had tried to seduce Shauna right from under his nose? He felt himself growing angry thinking of it, and tried to remember that someone small time like Joe wasn’t worth it.

  But the man wouldn’t be put off, “If you help me, I will tell you where to find Shauna.”

  Liam frowned, “Doesn’t matter. We have decided to go our separate ways.”

  “That is assuming she was safe.”

  An unseen force lifted Joe from his feet and slammed him against a dumpster not far from where they stood. Liam felt the same tingling ache at the edges of his eyes, which he had felt when he killed the Fae earlier. If Joe didn’t tell him what he wanted to know or if he didn’t like the information, he would be fighting not to rip the man to shreds. He dragged in deep breaths, told himself silently to calm down, but every time he looked at Joe, Shauna’s frightened face came to mind.

  The invisible hold on Joe’s throat tightened.

  “Where is she?”

  Joe gave a strangled sound while clawing at his neck. Liam was not inclined to ease the pressure. He pressed harder. Life preservation caused Joe to use his own powers. He hurled a ball of fire at Liam, which was quickly absorbed into him, no ill effects.

  “Where is Shauna? You have one second,” Liam told him.

  Joe formed another ball of fire. This time it flared with the head of the goblin. Joe had traded Shauna for whatever would get him out of trouble with the goblin. Liam considered killing the man and then thought of something better. He waved an arm to open a portal to the dark world. Darcy’s house hove into view, with Darklings strolling along the platforms. With precision, Liam hurled Joe’s body into the opening, to land at the creatures’ feet. When they began to growl and bare sharp pointed teeth, Liam said, “Problem solved,” and closed the opening.

  He raised a hand again to open another portal, then stopped. It occurred to him that possibly the goblin had not taken Shauna to Faeland to trade her. Not right away. Goblins were braggers. It was likely the creature had taken the princess to his own world to gloat before his brothers. The problem with that was that Liam had no idea what the coordinates of the goblin world were. He had never had a reason to visit until now. “Dammit.” Kneading the tense muscles of his neck while he thought, he considered his next move. Who would know? A minute later, he growled in annoyance. Waving a hand again, he opened the way into the dark world and stepped through.

  Immediately, the dull ache that was constant in his eyes eased. The darkness was so soothing, so perfect, he hated himself more. Joe was not on the platform in front of Darcy’s house. Liam glanced up and down the street, but no Darklings were in sight either. When he heard a cry of terror from inside the house, he took off at a run, throwing open the door.

  It looked like hundreds, though probably much less, Darklings crowded the interior, concentrated on the corner beside the stairs. Liam had no time to waste. He flicked the black creatures aside, using more force than he intended. Some flew through the air, hitting the wall, and he tried to reign in his force. When he reached Joe, the man was in the fetal position, very nearly sucking his thumb. His face was wet with tears, and Liam supposed he was experiencing his worst nightmare. For the first time, just a hint of compassion sparked to life inside. Mentally, he grasped it, prepared to nurture whatever positive feelings emerged from him.

  Plucking Joe from the fray, he turned on his heel and strode back to the door. Once they were outside, Liam confronted him. “Open a portal to the goblin world.”

  Joe wiped his face and crossed his arms. “Not until you help me out.”

  “I can toss you back to the Darklings,” he warned.

  “You need me.”

  Liam wanted to rip his throat out and feed it to the beast in the water, but refrained. Joe was right. He did need him. He had no idea of the location of any other magical creature that just might know how to open a portal to the goblin world. He had no choice.

  “Fine. Where to?”

  Joe grinned. He held out a hand for Liam to shake but got nothing in return. Soon he dropped the arm to his side again. “Back to my office at the diner first. Then to my apartment. Thank you so much, Liam. You won’t regret this.”

  Liam opened the way and stepped out with Joe in tow as he marched at a clipped pace back to the diner. “I already regret it. Now let’s go. We have no time to waste.”

  Worry over Shauna’s safety clouded Liam’s mind as Joe trashed his office searching for what he didn’t know. When he retrieved a pink square of paper from beneath his desk, held up by a sliver of tape, Liam frowned, but said nothing. If the man took too long, he would kill him and take his chances. Something in his eyes must have relayed the message to Joe for he hightailed it over to a picture on the wall and yanked it down to reveal a safe.

  “So that was the combination? You don’t know it by heart by now? Or at least where you keep the paper with the code on it?”

  Joe grinned, “Something you don’t know is that I was once cursed too, by a wicked witch who found me cheating on her. Was my girl.” He shrugged. “Never get involved with a witch. Big no-no.” He swirled the knob and then set it to zero before working out the code. “Anyway, she cursed me with a crappy memory.”

  Liam folded his arms, leaning against the unkempt desk. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Nope, I can’t remember crap. A year ago, I stole a certain object off a goblin who had the misfortune of visiting my diner, who had stolen the thing off a lady he described as being beautiful, but evil to the core. A black-skinned woman.”

  Liam stiffened, thinking there couldn’t be two such women. He said nothing. Joe opened the safe to draw out another paper, and Liam sighed in frustration. “Is that it?”

  “Soon, I promise. But I have to get that jewel back to the goblin. I don’t know who ratted me out, but I can’t do anything with it anyway. I had it appraised. Worthless. I figure he can have the thing back. My only problem is, I don’t know where it is.”

  “What!” Liam stormed over to Joe and lifted him by the collar, shaking him in anger and disgust. “I don’t have time for this, you fool.”

  “Wait, here me out, please,” the loser begged. “I know where it is, sort of.” He tapped his head. “See this sheet is the coordinates for the world I hid it on.” He looked guilty. “A year ago, I had no need to hide my magic; I just like living in the human world. Much more to steal. Anyway, the witch had said to me that everything that happened was inside my head locked away. As soon as I experience anything I long to hold on to, I forget it. But I didn’t forget your ability.”

  Liam sneered, “What ability is that?”

  “The ability to read minds. If you could dig into my mind, you could find that memory of where I hid the jewel. Then we can take it back to the goblin and trade it for Shauna.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  Joe shrugged, “I make it my business to learn what valuables everyone has.”

  Conveniently, Liam read Joe’s mind at that point. He hissed, reading that the man had bugged he and Shauna’s room. That was how he knew who they were, why he was so willing to give them jobs, without much of a fuss.

  But his mind-reading idea made sense. Maybe. If the jewel was impressive enough looking, the goblin might desire it more than he desired to deal with trading Shauna, especially if a bug were planted in his mind that the Faerie king might screw him over or even kill him for having the gall to hold the princess for ransom. It might work. But how did he probe a mind? He had never tried before. And how could he concentrate enough when all he could
think of was what the goblins were doing to Shauna?

  Chapter Eleven

  “If I do this, I could fry your brain in the process.”

  Joe squeaked, “What?”

  Liam wasn’t sure he just wanted to scare Joe. The darkness was unpredictable. He wouldn’t be surprised if Joe’s mind was barely useful for forming two words, let alone running his body after the probe. Something told him he shouldn’t do it, for Joe’s sake—another light in his dark tunnel—but he would do anything to help Shauna. If this was what it took, so be it.

  The two of them faced each other, Liam’s eyes locked on Joe’s. He pictured the inside of Joe’s mind for a long while, but nothing happened. He tried closing his eyes, with one hand resting on Joe’s head. Still nothing. Maybe if he was angry enough, he could access the power. That didn’t work either. Frustrated, Liam stood from the chair he occupied and tossed it across the room. He tore at his hair, Shauna’s sweet face filling his thoughts. How could he focus when he was so worried?

  “Tell me!” He demanded. “Tell me how to get there and I will beat the goblin to a pulp. He’ll never harass anyone again!” He slammed a fist on the edge of Joe’s desk, pain ripping his gut. He loved her. There was no denying it. She was everything to him, his life. The air he breathed. If anything happened to Shauna ....

  Liam spun on his heel, extending a hand out toward Joe. The man’s body flew backward against the wall and he rose from his feet, almost touching the ceiling. Liam felt the itch in his eyes. He knew the power was growing inside, taking over. He didn’t care.

  Joe grabbed his head, screaming. “Stop, stop! It hurts!”

  Liam didn’t let up. Suddenly, he saw into the man’s mind as if it was a maze. There were passageways to the left, right and straight ahead. He knew somewhere at the back or maybe in the middle was what he sought. But instead of sensing his way as a rat would in a maze, he burst through the barriers, charging forward until he saw the glow. Joe’s memories.