So, for the first half of the movie or so, I was rockin’ and rollin’, having a great time. Then . . . the forest of the monkeys. Forget lions, and tigers, and bears. That creepy ass forest with the monkeys dropping down from the sky? That one had me screaming.
Walking into the Twisted Forest is sort of like that. It’s even in the air, everything is just a little off. Like the green isn’t quite green, the trees are just a little . . . twisted is the right word. Reality’s been chucked in a blender here, and came out not quite right when they put it back together again.
“You’ve been through here before?” I ask Cole as we walk, the horses left behind. We didn’t want to, but they refused to step foot past the border of the Woods. They’re smart, maybe smarter than their riders. “You said you have local’s knowledge.”
“One time, as a young man,” Cole says. “A family disappeared in the Twisted Wood, and I joined the search party. We went in with over a hundred men, all heavily armed. Only eighty-five returned. No trace of the family was ever found, although years later, some claimed that the wife was seen among the woods, deathly pale.”
“Well now we shall prove the old wives wrong,” Jacob says, trying to sound hearty. “Then we can get to The Vale, and feast like princes.”
“Why not kings?” I ask, who gives me a smoldering look.
“Kings don’t eat out Princesses,” Jacob says, and I have to shake my head, he’s so blatant that I know he’s scared shitless. He might actually be wrong about that statement, but I realize he’s just trying to lighten the mood. But there’s a fine line with Jacob between his normal banter and when he’s scared. Still, it helps, honestly.
I know it sounds strange to be reassured that my Guardians are scared, but it’s true. Part of it, of course, is that I’m scared too. The spit is electric in my mouth, and inside me the evil part of me is giggling, rubbing its hands together and rejoicing at what it senses around it.
Here we can have a little bit of fun.
“Not going to happen,” I whisper as I reach up and adjust the straps on my pack. At first Tyler protested that I shouldn’t be carrying our supplies, but stopped when I pointed out to him that if trouble did find us, him having his hands and bow free would do a lot more toward saving me than my courtsword. He didn’t like it, but he agreed.
“How wide is this wood, anyway?” I ask as we go deeper. “Will it take us over the mountains?”
“Around it. The Twisted Wood lies in a shallow pass that would be a main thoroughfare if not for the residents,” Jacob replies. “What would you say, Cole? A day’s walk?”
“If we keep up a good pace,” Cole confirms. “I don’t want to be caught here in the dark, but it is better to push through in the dark rather than try to camp the night. Hope you’re ready for a long trek, Eve.”
I glance down at my boots, glad that I decided right before making the journey to the Fae realm to wear my best SWAT-style footwear. “I’m ready. I think I can-”
A rustle sounds in the woods, and a moment later a mournful wail that undulates, silencing all of us as Tyler brings his bow up, peering outward. “We should pick up the pace.”
We lengthen our stride, the air becoming warm in my lungs as we swing our arms, not running but eating up the ground as quickly as we can. Noah comes behind me and undoes the pack, taking out two of the water bags and putting one over his shoulder before passing the other around. I take a sip, and he shakes his head.
“Drink more. Fear may rob you of thirst, but in battle it is as deadly as a cut to the hamstring.”
I take another pull and we keep going, my legs aching as the terrain climbs at a shallow, energy-sucking pace until I finally have to stop. “Five minutes guys . . . I need five.”
“Agreed,” Cole says quietly. “Rest, snack, and we move. Keep your ears open though.”
Our snack is hardly enough, just some gathered berries, but it helps refresh me as we get going again. It’s something that I have to admit privately that my Fae didn’t lie about. Maybe it’s the magic of the land, I don’t know. Maybe it’s all the exercise I’ve been getting. But my body feels tighter, and even a simple berry from a bush tastes better than anything I ever had in Haven.
Another mournful wail sounds in the woods and a cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. I look around nervously, my hand on my sword. Jacob’s in the lead, his knives out and in his hands, but beyond him I see another figure, making me blink. It’s the Dark Rider, but he’s not beckoning, and instead standing at what looks like a clearing, his arms spread wide as if welcoming us as we approach.
“Ambush!” I call out just as Jacob enters the clearing, but already my call is too late. From all sides come a horde of women who float over the ground rather than step with their legs, but it doesn’t matter. Their speed is as fast as we can run, and their wails build upon each other until we’re surrounded by an unbroken wall of miserable screeching.
Looking at the enemies around me, I can’t even begin to count how many are there. All of them are women, ranging from ancient looking hags to women who, if it wasn’t for the unnatural pallor of their skin, would still look young. Their faces are twisted, their jaws yawning open to reveal teeth not like my fangs, but instead multiple needles, with their fingers extended into claws.
One of them gets within striking distance of Noah and he jabs his staff, knocking the creature back, but within seconds she’s back on her feet, trying to get closer again. This time I slash with my courtsword, but while it cuts her deeply, the creature doesn’t fall.
“Move!” Cole yells, and my Guardians form a circle around me, their weapons ready. Tyler’s unleashing arrows like a machine gun from his bow, but other than turning a dozen creatures into pincushions, he’s done nothing. “Force a hole!”
Noah and Jacob try to combine their attack, but things get chaotic within moments. Cole’s enchanted sword is able to stop the creatures simply by cleaving them in half, but mine doesn’t do much. All we can do is keep them back, where they encircle us, preventing us from moving in any direction as they slowly tighten their noose.
“Ahh! Bitch!” Jacob yells as one of the creatures scratches at his chest. He buries a knife right in its skull and it drops, finally truly dead. Jacob yanks the knife back, gasping in pain. “It fucking burns!”
“Eve, your sword!” Tyler asks, and I hand it to him, knowing he’s better than I am. With Tyler and Cole’s blade now giving my Guardian’s length in two attacks it feels like, for a moment, that maybe we can turn the tide.
But my hopes are short-lived as the creatures decide to change tactics, diving in to attack and slash at us. Tyler gets bitten in the leg and he screams, stumbling back as Jacob covers him with his knives. I try to slash with my protective knife as one of the Childless Ones sees me, but we’re quickly entangled and Cole is scratched across the back as he grabs the creature by her hair and throws her off of me.
Above the fracas, I see the Dark Rider at the far end of the clearing, looking at me with eyes that start to glow the same color as my demon powers. He reaches for his forearms, pulling first one and then another invisible object off of them, and I understand. My bracers.
Noah’s trying as hard as he can, his staff doing heavy damage, but the creatures are only being knocked to the ground before getting up. He can’t cut them in half, and a crushing blow to the head is difficult as quickly as these creatures move. The only hope . . . is me.
I can’t.
If you don’t, they all face a fate worse than death. As do you. Think what your powers would do among the ranks of these foul, soulless hags?
I stop, crying out when a creature takes advantage and scratches my left arm. The pain is galvanizing and piercing, my right hand going to the cut and dropping to a knee. In an instant I look, and I see my Guardians fighting, but they’re losing. There are just too many bodies, the Childless Ones are too powerful and these are not their normal heavily enchanted weapons. The weapons they have do nothing.
&nb
sp; Without even thinking, my right hand slides down my arm, yanking off my left bracer, and the surge of power that cascades out in all directions sends everything tumbling. I strip my right bracer, and the world slows, the power surging through me as I get to my feet, the pain in my arm forgotten.
I raise my hands, and the fire forms on my fingertips, enveloping but not burning in the least. Instead, it’s warmth, such warmth as I haven’t felt since coming to the Fae realm, except with my Guardians when they’re serving me with their lust.
The fire blasts from my hand, striking a dozen of these foul, pathetic reflections of their weak forbearers and consuming them. They scream, their damnation finally brought full circle.
There are still so many, and I unleash torrents of fire in all directions, catching not only the Childless Ones but the woods themselves on fire.
I bring my hands together, lifting them to the sky as at the corner of the clearing the Dark Rider shows me what to do, bringing his fists down. I nod, understanding him very clearly and drive my fists into the ground, a wave of green fire rippling out. Too late I realize that my Jacob is on the ground and he’s also tossed aside by the fire, crying out as the green flames singe his flesh, but not so badly that it can’t be healed. My power grants pleasure as well as pain, and-
Something hits me in the back of the head and everything goes dark, the world shutting off like a light switch being thrown.
Chapter 25
Eve
Waking up is like waking from the worst hangover of my life. My skull throbs like an infected tooth, and as I open my eyes, I realize I’m hanging on the back of something furry.
“Ugh,” I groan as I try to open my eyes and fail, but I’m taken in gentle hands and laid on the ground. “Who . . . I can’t see?”
Something cool touches my forehead, and then I feel Tyler’s thumbs on my eyes. He murmurs something, and while the pain in my head doesn’t stop, when he lifts his thumbs away I can open my eyes. Pain lances through my head again, and it feels like my skull is being split open by rusty spoons.
“Where are we?” I ask, my voice rough and raspy. “What happened?”
“Noah had to cold clock you in the back of the head,” Jacob says, kneeling down next to me and offering me a water bag. “Don’t drink too much.”
“Shit . . . concussions are no fun,” I mutter. “What did you hit me with Noah, a tree?”
“Actually, he had to hit you with a tarsbryd, a magical strike,” Jacob says, helping me sit up. “When you went off, he tried with his staff, but it just shattered on your head.”
“I don’t . . . I don’t even remember that part,” I whisper, looking at Noah as he lets Cole wipe his back off. I gasp as I see the wounds on Cole’s skin, and looking at Jacob and Tyler, they’re not much better. Actually, Jacob’s the worst, his side is pink and raw, blistered. “Did I do that?”
Jacob nods. “Don’t worry about it, Princess, it’ll heal. Besides, I heard that chicks dig scars.”
“Why is it not healed already?” I ask, my vision coming back enough that I can see that wherever we are, we’re not in the Twisted Woods any longer. “How long was I out?”
“A day,” Tyler says, looking in my eyes. He’s trying to maintain his doctor’s calm, but I can see the worry in his gaze as he cups my cheek. “You scared us . . . you promised.”
My memories come flooding back, and I gasp in the horror of what I unleashed. The woods on fire, the Childless Ones turned into shambling candles, hurting my Guardians as well . . . I did it in mere seconds. What sort of monster am I?
“I . . . I’d like to say it was justified because there’s no way I want to spend eternity as an undead zombie witch as well as a magical half Fae, half demon, but you’re right,” I whisper, blinking away the tears. “I’m sorry. It seemed like there was no other choice. I just-”
“You did what was natural,” Noah says, coming over and helping me up. He holds me in his arms, and a moment later I feel another three sets of arms wrap around me, holding me in the middle as my Guardians reassure me that while there are obviously consequences as to what happened, they are still with me.
“Now we must take the next step,” Cole says when we let go, and I see that he’s limping slightly. “On to find my sister.”
“Wait,” I ask, kneeling down as a wave of nausea sweeps through me. “Ugh . . . my head hurts.”
“The feedback was much stronger this time,” Tyler says, offering me a sip of water again. “After Noah knocked you out, your powers kept trying to manifest themselves. We had to be rough with the bracers.”
At the mention of my bracers I look down, wincing as I see the network of fine cracks that spiderweb the gold. They look like they’re being held together by a little bit of Scotch tape and not much else. “I don’t think they’re going to last much longer.”
Cole looks at them. “We knew they were only a temporary solution. We need to push on to The Vale quickly and get as far as we can while they still work.”
“What weapons do we still have?” I ask, wincing when Cole holds up my little sword. “That’s it?”
“A couple of sticks, too,” Jacob adds, shrugging his shoulders. “That fireball you unleashed did a lot of damage to our supply situation. We’re going to have to depend on speed and stealth for awhile.”
We start walking, and as we do, I take a moment to look around. The sights heal my aching soul, and while I still feel guilty about what I’ve done again, what I see helps me keep moving without descending into depths of depression and despair.
In each area of the Fae realm the forests have been different, but this one . . . this could be my favorite. Tall majestic evergreens dominate the skyline, and the whole area is open into a large bowl-shaped valley that stretches into the white northlands in the distance. The middle of the valley is dominated by a huge lake, almost perfectly round and a deep blue that I thought was only possible in the oceans. Surrounding it is farmland, and on the shores of the lake is a small city with a castle just on this side. The sum total looks like Camelot come to life, something out of a fairy tale. Slender parapets soar to the sky above a courtyard, and the city walls sweep outward in two graceful arcs to protect the city itself while not feeling like it’s closing everything in. Best of all, the road looks wide and free coming out of the castle, a welcome change from tromping through the woods for so long.
“I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see a welcoming place again,” I admit, but as I do another wave of nausea sweeps over me. I slow, wavering before I take a knee. There’s nothing left in my stomach to heave up, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try. “Urgh . . . if I get there before rupturing my spleen.”
“You will,” Noah says, scooping me up in his arms like I’m as light as a feather. He carries me like I’m a child, and at first I want to protest, but then give up. He’s right, I can’t make it much further, and this helps.
I sigh, the exhaustion from walking and the headache sapping the strength from my body. Noah carries me for about twenty minutes, allowing me to recover a little.
The actual road starts, and we keep going, pausing only five minutes an hour. Cole’s limp gets worse as we go, while Jacob’s bitten shoulder and burned side cause him to hiss with pain every time he touches something. Finally, I have to raise my head. “Cole . . . how’s the leg?”
“Better with every step,” Cole lies through his teeth, smiling grimly. “Next rest stop, we will go dancing in the grass.”
Tyler chuckles, then grows serious. “Cole, The Vale, it’s your . . . home?”
Cole pauses, nodding. “When we get there, things may be . . . strange. But I stand with you all.”
“What do you mean by strange?” I ask, but before Cole can answer, there’s traffic coming the other direction. Cole grips his wooden stick while Tyler lays a hand on the hilt of the courtsword.
Jacob drops next to me, but relaxes after a moment. “It’s a farm wagon, looks like a family.”
Jaco
b’s observation proves true a minute later as the wagon rumbles up the dirt road past us, the driver raising a hand in greeting. With him are three others, his wife I assume and two children who goggle at us from the back of the wagon. “Pleasant days and long harvests,” he says, his wide brimmed hat cocked back on a pleasantly round face. He looks more carefully, then does a double take. “Lord Cole! I beg your forgiveness!”
“No begging needed,” Cole replies, clearing his throat as the farmer brings his hand to his chest. Cole returns the gesture, and the farmer sits up tall in the driver’s seat of his wagon, giving us a huge smile.
We keep going, but a moment later one of the children calls out. “Lord Cole, wait!”
Noah pauses beside me, and we look back to see a beautiful little boy, his sandy brown hair flopping over his eyes as he runs up in his overalls and boots, his bare chest underneath tanned and lean. He almost looks like a Fae Huckleberry Finn. He comes to a stop, looking up at Cole with bright blue eyes.
“Is it really you?”
Cole nods, and the boy smiles. “I never thought . . . Mama told me about you, but I didn’t think I’d ever see you. Uhm, Papa said I shouldn’t ask, but you’re limping. We saw the fires over the Twisted Wood, did you come from there?”
“We did,” Cole confirms, and I can sense he is eager to be on his way. “We must go to the castle.”
“Yeah!” the boy says, turning away before stopping and looking back. “Do you want a ride? You look like you need a ride.”
Cole looks at each of us, and I nod slowly. “He’s right.”
Five minutes and one ponderous three-point turn for a horse-drawn wagon later, all of us are in the back with the farmer’s family. I’m seated on a sack that I think contains clothing, while Noah leans against a bigger sack of corn. Tyler and Cole sit on the wood floor of the wagon, while the children sit up next to their parents, staring at us in a mixture of surprise, excitement, and almost a bit of reverence.
Guardians of Hellfire (Guardians of the Fae Book 2) Page 12
