by Kali Willows
“Is that what you fear?” He brushed her hair back from her face and met her gaze. “Not at all. You would never be capable of violence, not like that.” He kissed her forehead. “A street criminal became crazed. He broke into the apartment and knocked you out. He…murdered me, in a blind rage.”
“But why?” She clung to him and sobbed. “You were such a good man.”
He shushed her. “It wasn’t his fault.”
“What?” She tugged back and stared at him in disbelief. “He murdered you. How could you say, after the unspeakable things he did to you, it wasn’t his fault?” Rage burned deep in her belly at the preposterous notion.
“The mortal did not act of his volition, my darling. Much like another person you are so very angry with.” A soft voice spoke from behind Trinity, one she knew all too well.
She swung around and snarled. “Mother?”
There in front of her stood the one person she had no desire to see. Trinity glared at her, resentment festering deep inside as more tears gathered at the rims of her eyes.
“I realize you blame me—”
“You have no right to be here,” she hissed.
“Trinity Sybil McWraith.” Her father raised his voice. Even in the faint memories of her childhood, he never scolded her. “You are here for a purpose, and that is to learn the truth, so that you may heal.”
Reduced to her inner six-year-old complacency, she gawped at her father. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Trinity, the man who killed your uncle was under the same influence I was when I….”
Trinity glanced to find her mother’s picturesque porcelain features marred by sadness and shame. “Influence?” She knew what she meant but needed to hear it from her mother’s lips.
“The Furies tormented the man who murdered Connor, much the same as they did me, and now as they do with you.”
“Why? What have you done to bring the curse of the Furies down upon us, Mother?” She sneered. “I know they were merely contracted to do the dirty work of someone you pissed off.”
Chapter Seventeen
The billowy white clouds overhead began to roll faster. They clustered and darkened into a menacing gray. The wind gusted and whipped Trinity’s hair about her face.
“What’s happening?” She fisted her hands at the sides of her thighs and scanned the ominous sky.
“The Furies approach as we speak,” her father cautioned.
“But they said the Furies can’t come into the Elysian Fields?” She glanced around for any sign of the Dread Ones.
“They can’t, but they are close in your realm. We haven’t much time.” Her mother gripped her wrist.
“Arawn, Kane?” Trinity’s breath caught in her throat.
“Listen,” her mother insisted. “You are in grave danger.”
Her father stepped beside her mother, and her uncle joined him. All three faced her.
“I’m on a para hit list, as each of you were. I need to know why,” she growled with frustration to her mother. “What did you do to bring this onto us?”
“Nothing.” Her mother’s eyes welled up.
“You had to have done something,” she insisted.
Her father narrowed his eyes. “No, but your mother had been cursed. Her entire bloodline is.”
“Why?”
“Perhaps the explanation would best come from me, since I am the reason the curse was unleashed.” Another woman spoke as she approached Trinity’s mother’s side.
“Who are you?” She glared at the newcomer who bore a remarkable resemblance to Trinity’s mother, Lila.
“I am Aileen.” The beautiful stranger gave a slight bow. “Your grandmother.”
“Grandmother?” She stared in disbelief.
She had never seen photographs of her grandparents. In fact, she had very few of her family. Over the years, she’d chalked it up to the continual moves she and her uncle made and never questioned it. Connor never spoke of them and said little about her parents over the years.
“Your grandfather is sovereign of the banshee,” her grandmother continued.
“What?” Trinity snapped.
Her mother released her grip on Trinity’s wrist. “My father is a cruel man, a banshee. His bloodline always held one male for every generation. He believed pure breeding would strengthen the dominance of males, but, as you know, the banshee breed is mostly women.” She eased back, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Aileen nodded. “We tried for years to have a child, but the difficulty with male banshees is procreation.”
“How so?”
“Their genetics are not strong enough to sustain pure bloodline procreation.” Her father spoke low and clear. “That is why the women take on mortal mates, to ensure the banshee do not die out.”
“Wait.” Her head crowded with the overload of information. “Do you mean to tell me that you aren’t my father either?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I was fortunate enough to produce a child with my wife, but male banshees don’t often have such luck.”
“So, how did this result in a curse?”
“The longer it took for me to have a child,” Aileen continued, “the more vicious he became. He had never been a man of love or virtue. He threatened to kill me and take a new wife. So….”
“So you strayed, with an empath.” Trinity began to piece together the whole story.
“Ayden was a kind man, a gentle spirit. He knew we could not see each other again but vowed to keep my secret. He blessed me with a daughter.” Aileen put her arm around Lila. “It seemed fine until she grew into her adolescence and her talents emerged.”
“Talents?” Trinity thought for a moment. “Her empathic abilities?” She glanced to her mother.
“Yes. We tried to hide them, but the older I got, the more suspicious your grandfather became.”
“Your mother and I met,” her father interjected. “We fell in love before things got bad.”
A crack of lightning lit up the sky, and thunder boomed long and deep, shaking the ground they stood on.
“Your grandfather confronted me,” Aileen continued. “I tried to protect my daughter and my lover, but he tortured me, mercilessly until I confessed.” She wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed.
“When he found out the truth, what happened?” Fire coursed through her veins as her hidden history was brought into the light. The truth shot pangs of guilt and remorse through her chest at the sight of the torment her family continued to endure.
“The sovereign executed me on the spot and sent a search party out for my daughter.”
“I overheard the Tiwaz Warriors,” her father went on. “They were ordered to seek and slaughter Lila and her birth father. I managed to get to her before they found her, and we slipped away.”
“And her father?”
Aileen shook her head. “It was too late. He had already been put to a brutal death.”
“That’s when we moved to the mundane world to hide from the sovereign. Connor took us in and helped us raise you.”
“How does all this translate into a curse?” Trinity’s confusion lingered. How could her own grandfather have done this to his wife? Even if his daughter was not of his blood, how could he condemn her to such a horrific fate after all those years of raising her as his own child? What kind of heartless monster was he?
This bastard robbed her of the family she was born to, the family she deserved. He had no right.
“When he couldn’t find Lila, he ordered the Furies to track her down to exact justice, for her mother’s sins, and for being a half-breed. He also ordered them to annihilate any offspring she may have had. He didn’t know about you at the time, but the Furies continue their mission until it is complete.” Tired wouldn’t have described anything her grandmother exhibited. She was depleted on every level of her existence, but, as she shared her tale, an odd relief seemed to fill her weary eyes.
“But U
ncle Connor is human?”
“Half, but yes. And he loved and protected you all the same. Remember, my darling”—her mother cupped her chin—“the Furies cannot directly harm anyone. They can drive them insane, or force an innocent to do their bidding.”
“Why did I cry tears of blood?”
“That was the Furies. Their eyes drip with the blood of vengeance. When they forced you to see the coming deaths of those you loved, it was part of how they drive you mad, to torment you. Banshees do not cry tears of blood,” Aileen offered.
The slithering sense of violation that had festered deep inside her morphed into a frenzy of rage. “How can I defeat them?”
“You take away their power to harm you. Right now is part of it. You have learned the truth, so they cannot affect you anymore, at least not with the past. However, they can still manipulate your perceptions of the present and the future. Beware of them.”
“There is something else you must know, my daughter.” Her father brushed his knuckles along her jaw. “The sovereign has much more power now than he ever had before. He has collaborated with other para rulers. They have created a sacred alliance.”
A sacred alliance? “For what?”
“To rise up against the Syndicate.” Aileen lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes.
“Why?”
“We do not know,” Aileen replied. “But many will perish and suffer horrible fates if they are not stopped.”
A bolt of lightning struck a nearby oak tree and sent it crashing to the ground.
“The Furies are here, in your realm. They search for you now,” Aileen cautioned.
“My mates?” Trinity clasped her hand on her cheek. “I have to go.” She glanced to her family as tears stung her eyes. “I’m sorry you have all suffered so, but I’m thankful to find you at peace.”
She threw her arms around her father’s neck and squeezed him hard as he hugged her back. Connor was next, and she paused in front of Aileen, the grandmother she’d never had. “I wish I could have known you.”
“We will meet again, a long time from now, child.” Aileen took her into a warm embrace and then retreated with a gentle smile.
Trinity glanced at her mother, and the remnants of resentment dissolved. “I’m sorry I’ve been so angry with you. I didn’t know.”
Lila’s tears spilled down her porcelain face. “You couldn’t have. Just know this, my darling daughter. I am honored to have had you. You are an exquisite woman, full of kindness. I am so proud of you.” Lila took her into her arms and nearly squeezed the breath out of her. “I love you, my sweet daughter.”
“I love you, too…Mother.”
Chapter Eighteen
The trees thrashed about from the velocity of the wind. Fork lightning streaked across the sky.
“I can’t hold the conduit much longer.” Arawn crouched on his knees. The gnarled wood of the tree trunk dug through the material of his pants into his flesh. Blasts of wind nearly knocked him over. He held his hands and kept the turnstile open. “Come on, princess,” he prayed. His cheeks blazed with fire, and beads of sweat dripped down his face and into his eyes. The sting grew. His arms throbbed from the intensity of the swirling energy.
“Hang on, Arawn,” Kane called out over the rush of the air.
“Kane,” he bellowed. “Here she comes. Get ready to grab her. It’s gonna be a bumpy landing.” He panted, the last of his strength draining as the shift in weight inside the conduit shoved against his diaphragm. “Come on, baby.” He gritted his teeth, determined to sustain. The water subsided a little around the edges of the whirlpool, and the glint of white hair surfaced. “Grab her!”
Kane reached in, gripped her hand with his, and tugged hard. “I’ve got her.” He gave a final yank, and their banshee flew out of the vortex so fast she toppled Kane over onto the ground. “She’s clear!”
Arawn released the force field and collapsed beside the oak tree with exhaustion. All three gasped for breath. Rolling to the side, he found Trinity sprawled on top of Kane, both grinning and winded.
“I finally got tackled by you,” the gargoyle groaned with amusement.
A bolt of lightning struck a tree just feet away from them, and Arawn bolted upright, his heartbeat racing. “We have to get you out of here.” He scrambled to his knees and held his hand out to help her to stand.
“Wait.” She glanced all around. “Where is Cemil?”
“He’s looking for Brody.” Kane clambered to his feet.
“Brody is doing this?” She frowned at Arawn. “Is he dreaming again?”
“No.” He didn’t want to tell her, fearful she would insist she stay in the midst of life-threatening danger.
“Tell me,” she demanded.
A burst of wind blasted so hard it nearly slammed the three of them over. Thunder rolled long and deep as Trinity and Arawn got to their feet.
“A security team radioed.” He held up his small radio unit. “Brody took off from the barracks. He was upset.”
“Upset? As in sad?” She narrowed her eyes.
“No,” Arawn admitted. “In a blind rage.”
The faint rose of her cheeks flushed to gray. “By the gods….”
Arawn gripped her shoulder. “What is it?”
“A blind rage. It’s the Furies.” Trinity furrowed her brows. “Where did he go?”
“We’re not sure. Deeper into the forest.” Knowing she would take off, Arawn grabbed her arm. “Rekkus is out there. He’ll keep Cemil safe. We have to go.”
“No! Don’t you see? They’re using Brody to get to me. He’s an innocent boy, and people will get hurt. I have to put an end to this now.”
“What can you do, Trinity? They want you dead.” Kane let out a ferocious growl.
“They’ll leave him alone if they find me. I won’t have anyone else harmed, not because of me.” Trinity dashed into the open field and hollered for Brody and Cemil. She disappeared into the trees beyond the lavender.
“Wait!” Arawn started after her, but Kane held him back. “What in Tartarus are you doing? They’ll kill her.” He tried to jerk free.
“Kane, Arawn, I need you. Do you copy?” Rekkus’ voice crackled over the handheld unit.
He snagged it off his belt and pressed the button. “This is Arawn. Trinity is back and headed your way.”
“Kane, unit eight spotted the Dread Ones in the air. They’re heading here.”
“Copy that.” Arawn released the button, panic and rage coursed through his veins. “We have to find her, now.”
“Listen.” Kane let out a deep growl. “If we chase her, we can’t protect her. Rekkus needs my help. You follow, but keep your wits about you. It’s the only way to keep her safe.”
He was right. The mere thought of Trinity in danger drove Arawn half out of his mind. “Okay. Rekkus. What is your location? Kane is on his way, over.”
“I’m at the north end of the conduit forest.”
“Copy that.” He tucked the radio back on his belt and looked to Kane.
“You take the ground. I’ll go by air to Rekkus.” Kane tore off his T-shirt. “There’s no time to lose.”
“What? You’re okay to let her see you shift?” Arawn choked out.
“If I don’t, we lose the vantage point to protect her. If she sees me and never wants me again, that’s a risk I’ll have to take. We can’t let them hurt her.”
Kane crouched and let the shift take hold. His face contorted with agony; his tanned flesh morphed into a slate-gray, leathery skin. He let out a torturous roar as his wings sprouted from his shoulder blades and his talons protruded. In moments, he was fully shifted into his gargoyle form and stood nearly eight feet tall. He spanned his wings, flapped hard and fast, and took off into the sky. Arawn followed on the ground.
***
Trinity’s legs strained as she bolted through the tall flowers against fierce winds. She halted by a cluster of pine trees when a black fog
-like energy field radiated behind the massive trunk of a Dragon’s Blood tree.
“Brody, listen to me.” Cemil’s voice was strained.
Trinity scanned the nearby brush, to find Cemil sheltered on the other side of the gnarled and twisted wood. “They’re messing with your mind.” Cemil’s aura glowed with red fear.
Trinity snuck up behind him. “Let me talk to him. Please, get out of here.”
“I can’t leave you two here alone.” Cemil pointed to two armed security guards twenty yards or so behind Brody. They tucked down and hid but aimed what looked to be dart guns at the teen.
“Give me a chance. I think I can get through to him,” she pleaded.
He held his palm up toward the armed men, motioning them to wait. “But don’t go out into the open until he’s calm,” he cautioned her.
Trinity patted his hand. She surveyed the black aura completely enveloping the adolescent. He stood maybe a few inches shorter than her, a gangly lad with wild, blond curls and bright amber eyes widened with terror. He shrieked and howled with delirium.
“Brody, my name is Trinity. I’m a friend of Cemil’s.”
“I don’t have any friends,” he wailed in a squeaky, unsteady voice. “Leave me alone. You’re the reason. It’s all your fault,” he hissed at her.
Three fierce flashes of fork lightning blazed across the ominous sky. Thunder boomed and vibrated all around and under their feet. Wind gusted about them, forming mini dust funnels that whipped the lavender stems back and forth. The force of flying debris of sand and leaves stung her cheeks.
“Brody….” Trinity delved into his thoughts—a muddle of burning red, ill-omened black, and sheer hatred. She closed her eyes and focused on how his heart punched against his chest, his pulse thrummed behind his ears with a deafening intensity. Nausea overwhelmed him and bile rose in his throat. Fear and devastation overrode even the most basic of his emotions. This boy had become riddled with the frenzy of rage, a volume so colossal, she wouldn’t have read this much on the entire island filled with paras and humans alike, even if they were engaged in a full-fledged war. The psychic assaults on Trinity by the Dread Ones paled in comparison to the torment they perpetrated onto this poor child.
