Unhuman Acts

by Candace Blevins

  He nodded. “The mirror for that building is…” He blew out a breath, frustrated. “Hard to explain, since you don’t understand the various races in Faerie. Think of it like a church dedicated to Nazi type beliefs. They foster hate and violence instead of love and acceptance.”

  “That happens in Faerie? I’m surprised Mab and Titania allow it.”

  “Titania only tolerates it because it allows her to see who she should keep an eye on,” Sophia explained. “If forced to go underground, the group might infiltrate where they could do real damage. Mab’s reputation as the Dark Queen won’t let her shut them down, but they royally piss her off.” She smiled. “The Amazon warehouse is a huge, open-air spice market. The interstate is a river. It all fits.”

  Aaron walked to a table near a wall and motioned for me to follow. On it was a map on a three foot by four foot (at least) piece of paper, with little stars on Point Park, McClellan Island, Homewood, a field near the house Striker had been in across the river from the nuclear plant, Mahan Gap, Nathan’s house, several spots on Missionary Ridge, and the area around the Redoubt soccer fields.

  A string looped between some of the points created a slightly lopsided seven pointed star.

  “The outer points of the star are all on a power spot, and the lines between cross power spots at random. We believe that anchoring all the spots at the same time will…” He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s more than just anchoring them by people who are good. It will also involve people in other realms working on the mirror spots at the same time. If we can pull it off, we might be able to win Chattanooga, and there are those who feel that winning our city will be the difference in who wins the wider war.”

  “But no one knows for certain?”

  He shook his head.

  “Nathan’s house is on a power spot?”

  “Of course. You already know it’s at the juncture of two fault lines. Cats know at least a week before an earthquake hits, so there’s no danger of one catching him unawares, and he wanted the power.”

  I nodded. “Three of your power spots are at places where fault lines intersect.”

  “More than three. Do you think you can create a portal between Homewood and your castle in Alfheim?”

  I looked at him a few moments, considering all angles. “Possibly, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

  “Put it in the dungeon in the farmhouse, if you’re worried about security. We need the anchor.”

  I could do it in the buried container. That would also resolve the issue of how to keep me safe while I meditated for days to make it happen. “Yeah. I can do that. We have another secure site.”

  He lifted an eyebrow but didn’t ask. “Good. One to Faerie and to Svartalfheim already exists on Lookout Mountain. There are nearby portals to other realms, but we’ll focus on those two. Several to various realms are on Missionary Ridge. You’ll open one to Alfheim from Homewood. We’ll connect to Jotunheim through McClellan Island, and to Niflheim on Mahan Gap. We’re still working out details for other spots.”

  “When?”

  “Solar noon tomorrow and then solar midnight twelve hours later, if we can get everyone in place.”

  I shook my head. “It took me days to open a gateway to Olympus. I have no idea how long it will take, but there’s no way for me to be constrained by time. Once it’s made, I can be on a timetable. What does it mean to anchor a portal?”

  “It means we’ll all hold them open for at least three minutes, and visualize the spot as an anchor — a place where the worlds are attached. Fastened.” He looked to Sophia and back to me. “If you’ll get started on creating a gateway as soon as possible, and then let me know when it’s made? We’ll organize the joint anchoring across realms once you’ve forged it. The connection to Alfheim is worth a delay.”

  “Promise me you’ll see to it Harrison’s looked after? I’d intended to get him settled in myself, but things started happening. Now I find myself torn between getting started on the portal and going back to take care of him.”

  “I’ll see to it he and Isaac are introduced. We thought he was dead. I’m glad you’ve brought him to us.”

  Chapter 10

  I drank a delicious smoothie Sophia made for me, used the restroom, and flashed myself and Cora to Homewood. She checked in on the people there under our protection while I flashed to the underground container on the back of the property and used the light on my phone to figure out where to put the portal. I decided to make it so you’d appear to walk into the corner, as if you were walking out of the larger section into the earth on the other side.

  I flashed to my castle next and asked for Zeta. A quick strategy session with my favorite cedar sprite and other advisors, and with their input, I chose a jail cell near the front of the dungeon for the corresponding gate. I asked for purple paint and a brush, and when someone brought it, I brushed one of the jail cell bars with it, and then a line on the stone wall about four feet away. My doorway would be the hypotenuse of the triangle in both realms.

  I flashed back to the underground container and painted the same shape door in the corner. When I’d formed the gateway in China, I hadn’t known where it would link up. Would having a visual in both realms make it easier, or harder? I had no idea.

  I flashed to Cora. Talked to the men and women she was with a few moments, and then apologized that we couldn’t stay longer. I stepped us to the container and explained what I’d done before telling her, “I’ll be safe in here. It won’t work for you to watch over me — if I meditate for two days, you’ll need food and water, and any movement can pull me out of the process. Should I take you back to Jess’s house, or would you rather spend some time with our people at Homewood?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll stay in the guard shack over the top of you. The safe closet is stocked with protein bars and water. I’ll be fine, and no one will get to me if I lock myself in.”

  I shook my head no, but she crossed her arms and glared at me. “I can fight. I can pull on all of my wolves, and possibly every damned wolf on the planet. Flash me up there.”

  Okay, so she was right, but I didn’t want to leave her alone.

  “If I need you,” she finally said, “I’ll telepath to let you know.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes. Promise.”

  I went up with her, made sure the coast was clear, went back down below, and settled in.

  I had three bottles of water and four protein bars, but I figured it’d be like before, and once I got started, I’d forget about my bodily needs.

  Everything was different this time, though. I was already intimately familiar with the land on this end and the other end. I owned both. Within four hours, I was in the dungeon in Alfheim. I meditated in it, made sure everything was set and solid, went back through to set things on the other side, and then flashed up to Cora.

  “I’m finished.”

  “That didn’t take long.”

  “No. Would you like to walk through with me and meet Zeta?”

  She smiled. “I would. You seem stronger. I’d expected you to be weaker, after expending so much effort.”

  I had been, before. This had been almost too easy. “I’m not sure I understand why, but it just kind of worked. Maybe it’s because I could visualize both sides, or maybe because now that I know what I’m doing, it isn’t as difficult.” Or maybe because I’m the Harlequin, but I didn’t say that out loud.

  “You should let Aaron know we can meet his solar noon schedule for tomorrow.”

  Right. I held my hand out, she took it, and I flashed us to Aaron’s island. We went to our knees the second we landed, because that would clue them in we were friend and not foe, since we hadn’t called first.

  They were all in dragon form, flying around the island, and Sophia landed to talk to us.

  “Let Aaron know the gateway’s in place. I can hold it open during the solar noon tomorrow.”

  “This is excellent news. Where will the two of y
ou stay tonight?”

  I looked at Cora and back to Sophia. “We’re going to spend the evening in Alfheim. We may spend the night there. If not, we’ll either stay in our own underground fortress with the others we’re protecting, or we’ll return to Jess’s home.”

  The huge dragon nodded. “Make sure Nathan and Ryan are apprised.”

  “Take care of your kiddos.”

  I flashed us to the underground container, and I counted my breaths so I’d be in the right rhythm to go through. Cora matched my breathing, and even our hearts went into sync. I held her hand, and we walked through the portal together.

  My personal guards were waiting for me when I came through. I introduced Cora, and we made our way aboveground, with guards before us, beside us, and behind us. The main courtyard was full of people, and I gave Cora’s hand a small squeeze before we climbed the steps up to the dais.

  “I’d like to introduce you to Cora, Alpha of the Homewood Pack in Midgard. We’re bound together. She’s mine and I’m hers.” I looked around. “I asked for Zeta earlier, does anyone know where she is?”

  “I’m here, My Queen.” Zeta walked through the crowd and to the dais, and I walked Cora down to meet her. “Cora, this is Zeta. Zeta, this is Cora.” I breathed in. “Cora is also close to my cedar tree. Do you recognize her?”

  The two let go of me and hugged, and tears came to my eyes. It’d been important these two women like each other, and their hug told me all I needed to know.

  When they pulled apart, Zeta looked to me, her eyes happy. “I’ve prepared a snack for you and your…” She shook her head. “For you and Cora. Wolves need more food, and you expended much energy making the gateway.”

  “That you for your thoughtfulness,” Cora told her, “I look forward to whatever you and your people have prepared.”

  “We have wine, cheese, and sausages for a snack, along with some perfectly ripened berries. I hope the two of you can stay for dinner — roast pheasant for the carnivores, and a cornucopia of vegetable dishes for the rest of us. Come.”

  Once again, my primary guard unit flanked us when we prepared to move. I waited until we were away from the crowd to stop them.

  “We need to discuss this. How about two of you in front of us. One on either side to flank us, and everyone else watching our back? Cora and I are a formidable pair, and we’ll keep Zeta between us to be sure she’s safe. We just need ya’ll to give us a heads up to trouble and then act as our backup. No one fights my battles for me.”

  The head guard bowed to me. “We can do as you’ve asked, so long as you don’t request we reduce our numbers.”

  Right, because Mordecai had explained the importance of how twenty-one went with the title of Erlkönig. I’d need to explore the sacred math later. I remembered that we’d fought twenty-one people at TBC, and filed it away to talk to Aaron about later. Probably Ryan and Nathan, too.

  “Of course. Thank you for working with me.”

  Zeta took me to a room in the castle I hadn’t seen yet, but I fell in love with it the instant we were inside. It offered incredible views of the countryside, and it housed at least forty indoor bushes and small trees.

  “When everything settles down in the human realm, I’ll need to spend at least a week learning about the castle. Thank you for showing me this room. I love it.”

  Zeta answered my questions about how the villages and towns had taken the news of a newly crowned Queen. From what she said, I resolved to talk to Mordecai about planning a tour of the countryside to assure everyone the stewards would still be ruling in my place, and that there would be no major changes.

  Cora and I had a marvelous time with Zeta, and then with the members of the ruling Stewards over dinner. We were about to head down to the courtyard to watch a comedy play when Mordecai walked into the room.

  He put his hand on my arm and shot me visuals of what I assumed was happening at home. Our house was under attack. It appeared that Abbott was under attack at his safehouse, and forces had the RTMC surrounded, but hadn’t been able to breech their walls.

  Show me our house again?

  A quick look. I’ve done more than I should.

  It looked like our home was being attacked by demons — or perhaps half-demons — a variety of shapeshifters, and human-shaped people I assumed were Celrau, but I couldn’t be sure.

  Thank you.

  If you get yourself killed I won’t forgive you. Bran’s house is surrounded but he assures me he’ll be fine. In your shoes, I would take care of Homewood, then provide an assist to the bikers, and then go to Abbott if he’s still in need of help.

  I nodded, and he disappeared.

  I looked at Cora and she nodded and handed me her arm. She’d seen and heard it all.

  “I apologize.” I looked around the room and then met Zeta’s gaze. “People we care about are under attack and we must go to them.” I turned to the guard unit. “Close all gates and go to high alert. Once word gets out ya’ll are mine, it could put you in danger. We’ll have to work out a way for you to get word to me if you need me, but we don’t have it yet.”

  I nodded to the room, smiled at Zeta, and stepped out with Cora. We paused in the realm I’d made, and I blew a breath out. “To the Midgard castle for guns and ammo first? And to check on the people inside?”

  “Works for me.”

  I nodded, and we stepped into our own personal armory.

  When we walked out of the armory, we were more loaded down than Rambo during his most weaponed scene. Not just guns, but ribbons of ammo draped over our shoulders, ready to feed into our fully automatic rifles.

  I stepped into the main gathering room and felt Cora behind me. “We just popped in to prepare to fight these bastards. Everyone okay?”

  Etta stood and gave us a huge smile. “Fuckin’ A. The cavalry’s arrived. We’re good. Go kick ass.” Etta was one of the RTMC’s working girls, but also a sister to one of the ol’ladies.

  The pack had made little mega-reinforced battlements around the yard’s perimeter over the summer, and I stepped through the nothingness to put Cora into one and myself into another. I started firing through the tiny loophole when she told me to.

  I got lucky and managed to take down one of the velociraptors — but only because he turned to help a friend under fire from Cora and gave me a perfect shot from the side. He went down, I kept firing, and he didn’t get back up. I blew up heads of the Celrau with my energy, and then I aimed my rifle at a huge bear. I think it was possibly a Kodiak and not a grizzly. Either way, he didn’t go down easy, and he ran at me. I thought I might be in trouble even inside the battlement, but I focused heat in his head while I shot, and he finally went down, too.

  Within seven minutes, I was pretty sure Cora and I were the only people still alive outside the house.

  I don’t sense anyone else. I didn’t know if she’d hear heartbeats or movement I wasn’t picking up, but it’s always a good idea to ask the shapeshifters.

  I’m pretty sure there are at least three more vampires. No heartbeats, but I feel them.

  How are you on ammo?

  Low. You?

  Same. Another minute, maybe minute and a half.

  More visitors. Damn. She beamed what she was smelling so I could catch the scent. Sulphur. Demons.

  I sighed. I’m going to grab you and take us back inside. We need to take a look at the security cams.

  Demons show up on the infrared. Vampires don’t. Shapeshifters would show up, too.

  I’d made it to Cora when I sensed panic, and then smelled what she did.

  Smoke.

  I left her in the battlement, where she’d be safe, and I stepped to my cedar tree. No fire near it. My heart settled a little, but not much. I turned in a circle, sensed the smoke, returned to Cora, and took both of us to the opposite side of the house — and to the fire.

  We appeared ten yards from the demons. Full demons this time. I didn’t see Xaephan, and I didn’t think they were quite his level o
f power, but these weren’t lower level pawns either. These guys had some serious mojo.

  “Are ya’ll fucking kidding me?” I counted seven, to the two of us. My power reached out to Cora’s, and we joined without having to touch. We’d pulled it off in practice, but this was a first during an actual fight.

  “Shall I send you back, or should I kill you all and be done with the lot of you?”

  “You agreed not to kill us.”

  “Nope. No agreement whatsoever not to kill you.”

  I aimed my laser machine-gun-style at the asshole who’d spoken, and he disappeared as the light hit. I didn’t know if he’d be okay or not.

  The remaining six rushed us, and I levitated Cora and me up and shot the laser across the demons. Total spray and pray, but it worked and they all went away. Had Xaephan really thought I wouldn’t shoot to kill when they threatened to burn my woods and house?

  My ankle started to itch almost immediately, but no way in Hell — or on Earth — was I inviting the Demon Lord for a conversation in the middle of a fight.

  Another fast trip to the supply room for fire extinguishers, and Cora and I went to work putting the fires out they’d started. It’d rained recently, so thankfully, we got them out before too much damage was done. When I was certain we’d found them all, I told Cora. “We need to help the others under attack, but we need our people here, defending our land.”

  She nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Can you take us back to Trezevant?”

  “Of course. Do we need anything from here?”

  “We’re coming right back. We’ll load up again once we get our people settled.”

  Chapter 11

  An hour later, Cora and I landed in the wooded area inside the RTMC’s compound. The sound of multiple generators reverberated in the walls — the bikers weren’t afraid to let their neighbors know they were fully prepared. We’d texted Brain to let them know we were coming, so Bubbles was waiting to escort us inside the clubhouse.