Riftkeepers: Pursuit

by Carrie Whitethorne

  “And my son showed you the truth.” It wasn't a question.

  “Yeah. Dane took me back into my own head…” She hadn't thought about it before.

  That was messed up!

  “And you didn't find that odd?”

  “I didn't really think about it but now you mention it, yes it's very odd!”

  Why didn't I question any of it?

  In answer to her silent question, he explained, “Dane shielded your mind, spared you the shock and panic you were bound to experience when you learned all of this. How have you been sleeping?”

  What's that got to do with anything?

  “Okay, I think. Dane didn't leave my side in the time I spent with him. He even slept in my room while I stayed with him. When I got home, Dane said something about me not being alone and Callan has always been there at night.”

  He nodded, “No nightmares?”

  “No.”

  Which isn't normal is it? I should be suffering some sort of post-traumatic stress after all that!

  “Has anyone been inside your mind recently? Other than yourself and Dane?”

  “No. Why would they?”

  “Would you mind if I checked to see if your mental barrier has repaired itself, Charlotte?”

  “Can it? Does it matter if it has?”

  “It could and would be advantageous. Your mind being left wide open to invasion, should the opportunity present itself, is not something we can afford. We need you, and your power, kept safe.”

  “Look all you want,” she sighed.

  “Hide your power. I've no wish to come within reaching distance of it.”

  “I don't know how,” she said, frowning.

  “Yes, you do. You hid it from him, now hide it from me.”

  No I don't!

  “Yes. You. Do.” His eyes flashed with frustration as he growled, “Now hide it.”

  “You hear my thoughts?” she gasped, stepping back.

  “Should I wish to. A talent I share with my sons, my brother and his daughter. As a rule forbid its use on outsiders, except in unique circumstances. Dane did not use it lightly when you were,” he paused, choosing the word carefully, “unwell.”

  Eyeing him warily, she tried to remember how she'd managed it before. Nothing. There was nothing there.

  Hide. Just hide. Please, I don't know how to get to you, hide yourself.

  “Okay. I think I've done it,” she lied.

  Markus, not fooled, cocked a brow and said, “We shall see.”

  She braced for the onslaught but none came. Instead, her scalp itched. Running a hand over her hair, as if to brush it away, she frowned.

  Markus.

  His lips twitched up at one side. “Very good.”

  The strange sensation sank deeper, pressing gently into her mind. Then stopped.

  Markus cocked his head and laughed, “You're a very clever girl, Charlotte. No wonder Callan is so protective.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

  “He's anxious. I've never seen him like it. He's fought in wars, battled warlocks, saved civilizations and never once have I seen him like this. Now I know why.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “You have the advantage now. If I cannot get into your mind, no-one can.”

  She didn't understand. “What did I do?”

  “Your mind is closed. Whatever command you gave made your mind impenetrable. I would advise keeping that particular defense in place at all times.” He grinned then. “Now we've tested that out, let's try something a bit more, fun.”

  “Such as?” she asked, carefully.

  He drew a large stone from his pocket and sat it on the floor. Stepping back, he said, “I'd like you to melt it.”

  “Is that a diamond?” Her voice had raised several octaves.

  “Yes. Why?” he asked, puzzled by the question.

  “Well one, that things worth a fortune and two, they don't melt,” she stated, rolling her eyes.

  He shook his head gently and said, “The monetary value of the stone is irrelevant. With enough pressure and heat, they do, indeed, melt. You must simply apply enough of each.”

  She stared at the stone. She'd never seen anything like it in her life.

  “What am I supposed to do?” she murmured to herself.

  “Use your imagination,” he laughed and walked away.

  Heat and pressure…

  She studied the stone, walking around it, brows knotted. Markus stood by the door, he nodded once in encouragement as she glanced to him.

  Taking a deep breath, she summoned a small fire over the diamond. The flames danced over the polished floor, turning it a deep purple. Markus was silent, she didn't bother to look his way.

  Heat.

  With that thought the fire grew hotter and hotter. Smoke rose in great plumes, covering the domed ceiling, blocking the chandelier from view. The windows flew open along the external wall. Charlotte didn't notice until a cold wind blew in, sweeping the smoke from the room.

  Pressure.

  Shadow formed around the fire, encasing the flame and smoke. The raw energy sang in her veins as she summoned all she could.

  Up.

  The orb of shadow and flame rose from the floor, suspending the stone before her. She dared a glance at Markus. His eyes flickered in the light as he gazed at her, his features set in an intense glare.

  Shrink it down… Squeeze.

  Smaller and smaller the orb became, heat and smoke and flame locked within the shadowy shell. Hands balled into fists, knuckles white, she willed the searing flames to destroy the precious stone they held. With an audible crack, the floor beneath shattered and a perfectly round, clear ball sat cradled in the shattered marble.

  Stop.

  The shadow and flame died with a hiss and she dropped to her knees. Markus knelt beside her, a warm, strong hand between her shoulders. “That was magnificent,” he murmured. “Are you alright?”

  She wasn't sure. Her hands ached, the power surging through her body threatened to take her over. Unable to answer, she placed both hands on the cold floor and sucked in a breath.

  Markus leant over and picked up what remained of the diamond. “Astounding. You reformed the whole stone.”

  I'm fine! Don't worry about me, down here on the floor. For f…

  “I can hear you,” he drawled, admiring the perfect sphere in his hand. “And you a Princess.” He clicked hos tongue and shook his head.

  Dragging herself from the floor, she faced him. Her eyes narrowed. “If we're done, I'd appreciate it if you could take me back to Callan.”

  I'm not a Princess. I just married a prince!

  “Sorry about your floor,” she muttered, noticing the damage.

  He flashed a familiar smile, the same smile she'd seen on Danes lips many times before.

  “Not to worry. Shall we?” he smiled, offering her a hand.

  Chapter 10

  “How was it?” Callan asked as she sank into the sofa beside him.

  “Okay. Not as bad as I was expecting, to be fair. He didn't mess with my head like Dane hinted he would.”

  “What did he do?” he asked, slowly.

  “Told me to hide my power from him while he checked to see if I had any mental defenses. Whatever that means. Then made me melt a diamond,” she shrugged.

  “Yeah, he wouldn't want to come face to face with it like that. The temptation to take it would be too great, even for him.”

  “What? He could have just taken it? Could Dane have when he was in my head while I was out?” she gasped, horrified.

  He nodded. “Dane has far more control than Markus, and he didn't know it was there. Have you any defenses?”

  “Apparently. He seemed impressed.” She closed her eyes and tipped her head back into the soft cushions of the sofa and said, “You need to stop worrying about me.”

  “He's done a lot of talking I take it?” he huffed.

  “Some. Really, though, I don't want you to worry. I'm fine. I have y
ou all training me, helping me. We'll sort it out and be able to settle down and live our lives.”

  “I can't help it,” he mumbled.

  “I know. Just, just calm down. Please. It's all okay.”

  Changing the subject, he said, “So, you did the impossible. How did he react?”

  “I don't really know. I sort of ended up on the floor, knackered. I got a bit pissy with him and asked him to bring me to you.”

  He chuckled. “You got pissy with the King of the Unseelie court?”

  “Yeah. Prick left me in a heap on the floor while he played with my melted diamond. How long are they going to be?”

  He barked out a laugh and said, “Not long. Dane promised them a snowball fight when Enya got bored down there. It'll probably get messy. Dane versus Enya doesn't end well, does it?”

  She groaned. “No. He's as bad as she is. Especially when she kicks his arse.”

  “I've never known anyone his age take defeat by a six-year-old so badly.”

  “How old is he?” she asked, giggling.

  “Older than me. He must be about three thousand years old now, give or take.”

  “Oh, my god,” she gasped.

  “What? Like an extra thousand years makes much difference,” he laughed.

  “Compared to my eighty, if I'm lucky, yeah,” she sniffed.

  His face slackened.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I just don't like to think about it,” he swallowed and looked away.

  Shit. Open mouth, Charlotte!

  “Oh. Don't worry about that. Its years away.” She nudged him with her foot.

  “Yeah. I could speak to a vampire. I'm owed a favor…”

  Why does he sound serious?

  “They're real?” she asked in wide eyed disbelief.

  “As real as fairies,” he shrugged.

  “Why haven't you told me all of this?”

  “I didn't want to bombard you with it. It's a lot to take in.”

  “Yeah. Just a bit.” She shifted and rested her head on his shoulder. Bringing round an arm, he pulled her in close. “So basically, every mythical being every written about, actually exists?”

  He nodded. “Or it did. You know about the dragons and the wyverns, us, the druids, the vampires. The other races like werewolves, the human warlocks and witches, unicorns, phoenix, demons, gods and goddesses all exist, or did at one point or another. Some were hunted to extinction, some are in hiding, some left this world millennia ago, others are protected by us and the druids.”

  “So, the dragons and wyverns are protected?”

  “Yes. They do live free but some stay with us. They protect the portals, we protect their habitats. Oddly, the wyverns are the friendlier of the two species. Vlasta's grandmother volunteered herself as the first guardian of her kind,” he explained, smiling.

  “Are the vampires as dangerous as legend says they are?”

  “Yes and no. It depends which coven you're dealing with. Same with the werewolves. Same with us if you look back far enough.”

  “Rubbish,” she scoffed, “you're all nothing but good.”

  “No, we haven't been.” He shook his head, sadly. “Fairy legends have their fair share of dark tales. Mostly Unseelie in origin but we're one race. We've been cruel.”

  She refused to believe it.

  I've received nothing but support and kindness.

  Apart from Nyja of course, she's all kinds of lovely.

  “Well things seem to have changed.”

  “For the most part. We still have the odd malevolent one among us.”

  “Like Nyja?”

  He stiffened at the mention of her name. “Exactly like Nyja. Markus keeps her on a short rein but she could cause a lot of damage.”

  “How long have you fought her off?”

  “Too long. I stopped visiting when she let herself into my room once,” he made a disgusted sound and shuddered at the memory.

  “I'm sorry I lost my temper,” she said, quietly.

  “I'm sorry I wasn't more direct with her. You deserve better,” he sighed.

  “What's that?” she asked, sitting upright.

  “What? What's wrong?” He turned her by the shoulders, his eyes scanning her face.

  “That! Can't you feel it?” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper.

  “No… Oh, it's Enya and Zander with Dane. You can feel them?”

  “Yeah. Well I can feel something. It's like a warm feeling…”

  He looked thoughtful, “That's exactly how we tell who's coming.”

  “So how am I doing it?”

  “I don't know,” he shrugged as the door opened.

  Zander and Enya ran to her, pink cheeked and soaking wet.

  “Who won?” she asked, pulling them into a hug.

  “Well it wasn't me,” Dane huffed, flopping onto the sofa between her and Callan. “Little monsters built themselves a fortress and pelted me with snowballs.”

  She could feel the cold coming from his clothes. “You will challenge them. You're frozen, all of you.”

  “I think you two need to go and change into something warm and dry,” Callan said.

  When they'd left the room, he turned to Dane and said, “Charlotte, felt you coming.”

  “How?” Dane looked at her, surprised.

  “I don't know. I just felt all warm and fuzzy,” she shrugged.

  “That's interesting. The more you use it the better its gets,” Dane mused. “I like that I make you feel warm and fuzzy though.”

  Charlotte clicked her tongue at him.

  Callan laughed, “Tea?”

  “Please,” she said.

  “No thanks,” Dane said, “I need to see what Father thinks of Zander's work today. He did well. I'll see you both later.”

  “Has Dane gone, Mummy?” Enya asked, emerging from their bedroom.

  “He's had to go back to work, baby. Have you had a good day?” she asked, patting the sofa.

  Enya climbed up and snuggled in next to her. “Yeah. I was bored though and I wasn't allowed to play with Vlasta.”

  Playing with a wyvern!

  “Well she was working, she can't play when she's working.”

  “When are we going home?” Enya asked as Zander joined them.

  “I told you, we have to stay here for a few days but you can go home whenever you like. Nanna and Granddad said you can stay with them.”

  They looked at each other and Zander said, “I want to go home.”

  “Enya?”

  She nodded but looked conflicted.

  Callan handed her a mug and she said, “Daddy can take you whenever you're ready. We'll follow you in a couple of days.”

  “Do you want to go home?” he asked. “I can go and see Markus now and you can be at the palace in an hour if you do.”

  “Is sleeping a hobby or are you just bone idle?” Dane drawled.

  “You're one to talk,” she grumbled, dragging herself upright. “What time is it?”

  “Five. Callan's in the shower and we're expected down for drinks at seven. Who do you plan to beat up tonight?”

  “We'll have to see which of you pisses me off, won't we?” she scowled, heading for their bedroom.

  “I'll see you down there,” he laughed as she closed the door.

  “Callan? Why didn't you wake me?”

  He called from the bathroom, “Because you were exhausted. I asked Dane to leave you to sleep. There's plenty of time. I've run a bath, wake up properly and I'll bring you a glass of wine.”

  “Did they get off okay?” she asked, removing her clothes and walking into the bathroom.

  “Yep. Settled and happy with Ma.” He gave her an approving look as she walked to the bath.

  She smirked and said, “What sort of evening can I expect?”

  “Typical Unseelie evening. Drinking, music, dancing. It'll be relaxed. Wear something pretty.”

  “I don't do pretty,” she grumbled, ducking her head under the water.
/>
  He waited for her to come up and said, “Luckily I bought you a new dress while I was out.”

  If its slutty he's dead!

  “Show me…”

  He laughed and went into the bedroom, returning seconds later with a long, black evening gown. The flowing fabric glittered with a silver sheen. Its neckline high, the sleeves long, it was perfect. “I had it made for you last week. There are shoes to match. No heels.”

  “Callan, it's beautiful! Thank you.”

  “I wasn't sure you'd like it,” he admitted.

  “You haven't made a poor choice yet,” she laughed. “You seem to know me as well as I know myself.”

  “I do my best,” he said bowing. He smiled and left her to her bath.

  Her thoughts drifted to the day's events. The way Markus admired her abilities seemed odd.

  How can he be so in awe of it when the rest of the fae world seems terrified? Even Callan still flinches at the sight of it.

  Suppose it's no different to Dane wanting to play with it.

  Their fear fed her own. Enya hadn't mentioned it since she'd summoned the flames outside the castle, but now they knew she had magic she had to think of a way to broach the subject with them.

  I can't afford any accidents around them.

  Markus' words filled her mind. “Charlotte could sear the flesh from your bones with a single thought.”

  Am I really that dangerous?

  “What's wrong?” Callan asked from the doorway, holding a glass of wine.

  “Nothing, just thinking about something Markus said,” she sighed. “I don't want to be a danger to anyone.”

  He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bath. “You won't be a danger. If you were you'd have hurt me in temper by now and you haven't. I've given you enough opportunities.” He laughed softly and handed her the wine, “Try to relax, enjoy yourself. Stop worrying about the things you can't control.” He kissed the top of her head and said, “I'm going to get dressed.”

  That's easier said than done.

  She lay back in the hot water and sipped her wine.

  I hope there's no drama tonight. I don't think I could handle it.

  Chapter 11