by K. F. Breene
Callie scowled at Dizzy. “We wouldn’t have bothered if it hadn’t been you and Penny in the mix.”
“I’m just coming along because of Reagan,” Penny said. “The Flush”—she reduced to a whisper—“was not very fun.”
“Why is that?” I stepped up again as the rest of the fae ducked through the gate. “You never said. I mean…you didn’t give me a reason I actually believed. Boredom and hunting for weird stones has never been a problem for you.”
“Why didn’t you pester her about it, then?” Callie demanded. “It’s a little late now, with curious ears listening in.”
“We’re the only ones with curious ears, hon,” Dizzy said. “Everyone else has been there.”
“I didn’t badger her about it before ’cause Charity’s story was more interesting, and then I just forgot.”
Penny was still whispering. “I didn’t want to…speak badly. But… Well, you’ll see. They aren’t exactly welcoming to strangers.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” I shrugged. “I’m rarely welcome anywhere. This will be no different.”
“It might be a little different,” Emery said, and started laughing. That was promising.
We finally stepped up to the gate. Darius put out his hand to stop us.
Halvor, a hard-eyed man with impeccable posture and an air of unspeakable violence, stepped up to my side. All of the mages took a step back.
“’ello, guvna,” I said in a terrible English accent.
He didn’t respond. Not real chatty, that fae.
Here we go, Darius thought.
Like prickles lightly sliding across my skin, the magic of the gate washed over me. The dark sky became orange with little gold filaments floating around us. The path turned to cobbles, flanked by sweet-smelling flowerbeds laden with magic and trees with perfectly manicured branches. The whole thing looked like a children’s picture book, down to the little bench under a green light pole off to the side.
Romulus stood near that bench, speaking to two tall and swishy elves, their hair flowing in the lack of breeze, their red and orange tunics draped down their slight bodies just so, and their hands flared to the sides just a little, like they were about to dance forward and frolic in the flowers.
It was all an act.
All of it. After my stint in the Underworld, I knew in my blood this was a magical construction painted over the natural habitat.
To that end, I looked upward, wondering if it was like earth, and the universe waited beyond, or if it was like the Underworld, and we were actually inside an enormous cave or something. And if the former was true, were we in a different universe than the one that existed on the Brink side, or was it somehow the same?
Darius moved us forward, Halvor still at my side, forcing us to stay within a protective bubble of fae. I let them shepherd me, looking back at the gate, wondering if the worlds weren’t separate at all. Maybe we all existed together—the magical people and the humans—and the magical people sectioned themselves off into these pockets in time and space. Maybe we actually stood on Brink soil.
“Oh no,” I murmured, grabbing my head. “This place is just as much of a mindfuck as the Underworld.”
Do not mention that here, Darius thought, his hand tightening on my wrist.
“Can the elves hear as well as you?” I whispered, no longer able to see them through the thicket of fae surrounding us. “As well as the shifters?”
Nearly.
I nodded and tried to ignore the urge to explore the magic stitching this place together. Maybe my magic couldn’t crack the Realm open like it could the Underworld. Then again, with Lucifer so suspicious of the elves, and the elves so distrustful of him…
It seemed logical that the two could be very detrimental to each other’s setups. I bet I could crack this place like an egg. Dang it, I really wanted to try.
“Come forward. You, there.”
The elf’s musical voice wasn’t nearly as pleasing as Vlad’s. It was like he was trying too hard. Or not made for seduction.
Halvor pushed in a little closer to me. “You do not have to go forward unless the Second wishes it.”
“And not even then, since he’s not my Second.” I peered through the spaces between the various heads and necks and caught both elves looking my way. Shifters stepped through the gate, Andy and Sour Face, my buddy the yeti, and Yasmine, who was a serious looker. Charity already stood up front with Romulus, and they had not turned. Apparently he didn’t wish it.
Let this escalate, Darius thought. Let them see how the elves handle not getting what they want. It is a lesson the Second must learn.
I felt Penny tight to my back. Emery was right there too, content to hide with us.
I hated hiding.
“Nope,” Penny said, and grabbed the back of my tank top. She’d probably felt me tense. “We don’t need this to kick off, Reagan. Just stand back.”
“They think they own the world, do they?” Callie asked with a huff. “Since when do people need a pass to enter the magical world?”
“That’s part of the problem,” Darius murmured.
“Step aside.” The elf put out his hand, ready to move Romulus away.
“There is a vampire,” the other elf said.
Magic condensed around the area. It grew heady and heavy, pushing down on us. Squeezing us.
“Weird magic,” I murmured, splaying out a tiny bit of fire to eat through it. Like oil on water, it flicked over it. “Hmm.”
“Vampires are permitted in this part of the Realm, are they not?” Romulus said, raising his voice.
Roger finally stepped through the gate, brawny and ready for action. He evaluated the situation and immediately strutted to Romulus’s side.
“Bring them forth,” commanded the elf clad in red.
“Good luck, dipshit,” I murmured.
The one in orange took in the largish cluster of powerful magical people. The fae surrounding us. The shifters filing in. Roger staring them down. Romulus losing his patience. He looked back at his buddy.
“Leave them,” the one in red said a moment later. “For now.”
“Yes, good choice.” Romulus bowed. “We will present to the castle as soon as we are able. I know that you are eager to officially meet the Third.”
The elves didn’t stay to chat. They started jogging out of the area, and any idiot could tell they were going to get backup.
“Time to go,” I called out, and did a circle with my finger. “I don’t think we want to be here when they get back.”
“I agree,” Romulus said softly, and turned toward the path.
I could feel Darius’s approval, and suddenly the Seers’ insistence that he come with us made all kinds of sense. He was needed to steer the fae. They had to know the real state of affairs, and through subtlety and suggestion, he would help show them just that. He would do what Vlad had been trying to do for months.
It wouldn’t be Vlad who ultimately gained their favor, though.
“Those sneaky littles witches,” I said with a grin, pushing Halvor further away.
“Who?” Penny asked, still pushed against me.
“No offense, bub,” I told Halvor, whose expression darkened as soon as I addressed him. “But I don’t know you well enough to wear you as a skin suit.”
“Ew,” Penny mumbled.
Working just a little bit of magic to pick at the setup around me, I answered Penny, “The Seers. They got it right. Never trust a vampire.”
Eleven
“Incoming.”
Charity looked to the left as Devon hung back a little, none of the shifters having shifted yet. Based on what she saw coming toward them, that might change in the next few minutes.
A group of five elves in various shades of bright sauntered along the path, almost like they were skipping. Behind them trudged what could only be described as a magical horde, made up of various thick-bodied and heavily armed magical creatures. One had a bludgeon, another a cudgel, some were equipped with daggers
, and one with a boomerang, of all things, laden with spikes.
Romulus slowed as they reached an intersection with the fast track, a path that magically sped up travel time. They’d only been traveling for half a day—the journey would take at least another two—and already the elves were coming in numbers. Darius had assured them that this would happen. Emery had agreed with the vampire and told Romulus to be ready. But even though Romulus had gotten a taste for how the elves handled things on his way out of the Realm, he hadn’t thought the situation would escalate. He’d hoped his rebuff, plus his intention to reinstate the warrior fae’s traditional duty in the Realm, would grant him a pass. And it probably would’ve. But it did not grant his party a pass, that was clear.
The elves at the gate had spied the young blond woman traveling with a vampire. They suspected, correctly, they’d found the woman Lucifer was looking for. The one who was causing all sorts of problems for the kingdom. They would want to capture her at all costs, warrior fae be damned.
“Darius was right,” Charity said to her father, because that truth had to be acknowledged and acted upon. It would change the way Romulus had planned this travel. It had to.
His movement was incredibly slight, and Charity read it as two things. One, he agreed. And two, he very much hated being wrong. He was probably a reformed sore loser.
He angled his body, silently giving the signal, and their people formed into their usual battle cluster, locking Darius and Reagan in the middle and forcing the mages to the outside.
“Shift,” Roger commanded, and puffs of green preceded skin and hair boiling into animal forms.
“Let me out,” Reagan hollered.
“She doesn’t know how to fight this way,” Charity told her dad as they positioned themselves on the path, moving head-on toward the slowing elves. The elves could read the signals—this wouldn’t go smoothly.
“I do not wish to advertise what is in our midst,” he responded.
“The vampire has it under control,” Kairi said, always with Charity in battle and now at her back. “Though from his posturing, he doesn’t seem confident she’ll hold back for long.”
“I’m surprised she’s holding back at all.” Charity quickly loosened her sword and then let her hands fall to her sides, like her father was doing. The song of battle rose through her. The feel of Devon’s wolf urged her on.
“Greetings,” Romulus said as the elves drew within speaking range. They stopped on the path, facing the warrior fae. A soft breeze flowed through them. Fragrant flowers bloomed all around. “It seems you have a battle party ready. Please, what is the disturbance? I did not see anything along the way.”
The warrior fae had certain ways of handling things, and arrogance and posturing were two of the favored tactics.
The lead elf stepped forward, and the slight tightening of Romulus’s shoulders suggested the creature was dangerous. Powerful, in other words, by rank or magic or both. Probably both.
“Second, so good to see you,” the elf said, and its cadence, words, and politeness made Charity ten times warier than the brutish creatures at its back. It suggested someone higher up in the ranks, and she’d learned through her life that those types of people always had the upper hand. In the Brink, that meant money and power. Here, that would also mean fighting prowess.
“Yes, hello. I apologize, I do not know your name and rank…” Romulus smiled and bowed slightly.
“That won’t be necessary.” The elf flicked a finger, and the others fanned out, preparing for what came next. Romulus’s arms tensed. This would be bad. “It has come to our attention that you are traveling with someone the elf royalty wishes to speak with. You and your party are to come with us immediately. Full quarter will be given to those who come peacefully.”
“Are they all one sex?” Reagan asked softly, her voice carrying in the sudden quiet. “I can’t tell. They’re all trying a little too hard to appear jolly, obviously, and they kind of look like clones.”
“Ssshhh,” someone said, and it was probably Penny.
“Full quarter…” Romulus smiled while squinting, showing the humor he found in those words. “You are attempting to treat peacekeepers like war criminals.”
“I’m glad you see it our way. Now, if you’ll step forward, one at a time, we’ll apply the necessary restraints.”
“I see.” Romulus put his hands behind his back. “And what infractions did we commit?”
The elves fanned out more on the path. The creatures waiting behind them shuffled forward a little, anxious to fight.
The lead elf said, “Before you left the Realm, you killed members of the kingdom. You—”
“We are all members of the kingdom. There is no law against defending oneself.”
The elf hesitated, and it was clear its patience was running out. “You killed members of the elfin royal throne, and for that—”
“Nonsense.” Romulus waved the thought away. “We killed foot soldiers, nothing more. They were too stupid to be in your employ. That is something I must bring up to the royal family. Having those types of drooling simpletons working for your kind brings all of you down. It’s an embarrassment. No, I did you a favor. What else?”
The lead elf—possibly a female—blinked and popped out a hip before regaining control of itself. “You refused to hand over the mage sentenced to death. For that—”
“You see?” Romulus said. “That is the problem with employing idiots. I already explained the details of young Emery’s inclusion in our group, something I will also take up with the royal family. It is above your pay grade, I’m afraid, and given the way you’re carrying on, I’m starting to assume it is also above your comprehension ability. What has happened to the royal guard? Is your goal to become a laughingstock? Because I must say, madam, you are well on your way.”
“Oh my God, I like him so much,” Reagan whispered.
The lead elf straightened indignantly. “Second, it is in your best interest to come quietly. We do not wish to harm you. It is the mage, the woman, and the vampire that we want. The rest of you will simply be questioned.”
“Simply be questioned?” Romulus laughed. “Oh my, no. No, that will not do. We will not turn ourselves over to you, we will not be questioned, and we will not stand for you wasting our time any longer. Either disperse now, or we will kill you all. Those are your options.”
The elf’s voice turned sharp. “With respect, Second, you’ve been gone a long time. Things are done differently now. It would be best if you educated yourself on those changes rather than make an error that you cannot unmake.”
“There has been no respect here, just wasted breath.” Romulus centered his weight and let his arms drift to his sides again. That was his cue that he planned to fight.
The elf clearly saw it. Her hair stilled, no longer waving in the absence of a breeze. “This is your final chance, Second. We take no pleasure in shedding your blood.”
“Ridiculous.” He drew his blade in a swift, practiced movement full of grace and power. Charity was right behind him, and she knew from the way the elves moved, and the speed with which Halvor leapt out from within the group of fae, that this battle would be a challenge.
Before she could even start forward, however, the orange bled from the sky and the flowers and trees along the path melted into fire and brimstone, with a few random candy gumdrops stuck in. Large carrion birds swooped down, screaming curse words. And then, in a blink, the scene was all gone. All of it. And only flat desert remained.
Twelve
“I knew it!” I pushed out through the pack of fae, using the hole Halvor had just made. Magic swirled around me, tearing down the elves’ construction just like it had my father’s, but this was so much easier because of all the practicing I’d been doing.
The elves stood on the path, stunned, looking around at the desert landscape in confusion. Black sky stretched overhead with stars punched through, just like in the Brink. Barren dirt ran underfoot, smooth and flat,
no rocks or debris in sight. It must’ve been cleared away long ago to create the alternate reality that had been there a moment before. A pale moon hung in the sky, its light dappling the ground. It was bright enough for most to basically see, but would hinder those without the advantage of vampire night vision.
“Mind fuckery,” I said, running with my sword in hand. I knew better than to hang out and admire my handiwork. Cahal had been an excellent teacher.
Halvor reached the lead elf first. His sword cut through the air and then the elf’s neck. I reached the elf beside it, dodging the falling head. It startled at my sudden appearance, having been lost to its surroundings a moment before. I stabbed it through, bowling it over, and kept going. As it fell, I yanked my sword free and rammed into some sort of troll-looking dude with a small head and enormous arms.
A roar shook the ground from Steve’s lion form, followed by Cole’s yeti bleat. I took those sounds, deep and primal and consuming, and magically echoed them. Using just my sword to hack at the (still confused and obviously very stupid) creature horde, which was second nature to me, I used my magic to fashion more beings on the periphery, hiding in the darkness. Working quickly, I duplicated, tweaked, and animated.
A spell bloomed in the air and then splintered, corrosive and volatile. Also, not well directed.
“Jesus, Penny, some of us are working in here,” I yelled, and dived to the side. I didn’t want to disrupt the nasty-ass spell. That thing would kill very painfully.
“Then turn on the lights,” she yelled. The stress was getting to her.
I lit up the area in fire, circling our new friends, who had (mostly) come out of their shocked stupor and started to fight back. My magical creatures stomped through it, their legs moving too slow for their speed, but the horde didn’t seem to notice.
I ran to the front of the shindig, where an elf’s curved blade was slicing through the air at a pace that made me just a little jealous. It slashed at Devon, the big black wolf, and then made a move on Charity, who fought alongside him.
