LadySmith

by Rhavensfyre

  Alex hung up the phone, dropping the fear and indecision in her voice as easily as an actress shed her character once off stage. She turned towards her remaining audience, her lip curled up in a distasteful sneer. Just telling Bellaria that she needed her help, that she was too weak to help Rohanna, left a bad taste in her mouth. Not as foul as the witch herself, but it still made her stomach turn.

  “It’s done. Bellaria is expecting us tonight.” Alex tugged at her braid. “Goddess below, but that was hard.”

  “I’m sure it was.” Shyann jumped up on the kitchen counter and took a huge bite out of a stolen apple. Her legs swung back and forth, making her look deceptively young and vulnerable. Fae camouflage meant to distract and deceive, nothing more, Alex thought. She was pretty sure that out of all of them, Shyann was the deadliest of all.

  Shyann tipped her head, narrowing her eyes at Alex for a moment before grinning at her.

  “Don’t underestimate yourself, Alexandria,” Shyann said. “Bellaria’s arrogance is her greatest weakness. She thinks she’s won, let her believe that. She won’t see you as a threat if she thinks you’re weak. We need to use that to our advantage.”

  “But I’m not weak, not anymore,” Alex answered bleakly. “My father’s ‘gift’ took care of that.”

  “Careful, Alexandria, or I might think you’re buying into Maeve’s insistence that we are doing nothing more than fulfilling a longstanding prophecy.”

  “I could say the same thing about you, Shyann,” Alex grumbled, reflexively rubbing at the leather bracer, a part of her mind always aware of the markings hidden there. “You come and go at her request, how do I know I can truly trust you. She might have told you to befriend me.”

  Anger flashed in Shyann’s eyes like a flash fire. Her mouth dropped open, the apple forgotten in her hand. “Alex! I’ve already betrayed Maeve just by coming here today, how can you say that?”

  “I’m sorry. Ever since I was a child we were fed horror stories about the Greater Fae. I see you, and I hear my aunt telling me how they were made to do terrible things, many times on a whim or simply because they wanted to remind us that we were less than they. It’s hard to reconcile what I know of you with those stories.”

  “I can see that. Trust is hard to find and even harder to keep. I hate Bellaria with every fiber of my being. She is the worst of the worst, but I cannot condemn all witches because of one. There are many women who follow a gentler craft and abhor what she’s become. She is sick and twisted and as addicted to power as some of the Fae, I will give you that. We are not all innocent, and it is good to remain wary. I’ll not tell you a lie and say your aunt exaggerated.”

  Shyann suddenly became quite intrigued with counting the number of seeds she could pull out of her apple core. “But, um, Alex? You have to realize something.”

  “What?”

  “You really haven’t made the connection yet, have you?” Shyann’s gaze slipped across Alex’s leather bracer before meeting her eyes. “If your father is who you say he is, you aren’t Lesser Fae, you never were.”

  “Oh, hell.” Alex blindly reached behind her for a chair and sat down before her legs gave way. “I…I don’t understand any of this. My father. Why did he show up now after being absent all these years? Would he have even bothered if it wasn’t for Bellaria and Rohanna?”

  “I don’t have those answers, Alexandria.” Shyann felt horrible for her new friend. She had every right to be angry at her father, and she doubted he would ever give his daughter the answers she needed. It was just the way it was with the most powerful of their kind. “I’m sorry it had to be me, but someone had to tell you. Bellaria might figure it out and if she does, she will try to use that knowledge to derail you. News such as this in the heat of battle can be the difference between victory and death. Truth can wound a warrior as easily as a blade, and knowledge can make you bleed. You need to be alright with this before you go against her.”

  “I need to be alright with it,” Alex muttered. “So much easier said than done.”

  She jumped up from her seat. It was always easier to deal with things when she was on the move. Hand’s clasped behind her back, she stopped at the picture window and gazed out at the green grass and blue sky above. How she wished she could leave all this behind and just run. It would be so easy…shed this life for another and exist for the night. Goddess knew there were plenty of souls that deserved more than one visit from a true NightMere. She would have purpose…but she wouldn’t have Rohanna.

  “Accept an unpleasant truth or lose the girl. How very Fae, hmm? I thought I was the master of the forge, but I feel like I’m the one being tossed into the fire and tempered beneath a ruthless hammer.”

  Shyann shrugged. “I won’t argue with you. The question is, Alexandria Strider, will you be alright with this or am I wasting my time here?”

  Alex spun back around. Shyann was still on her countertop perch. She looked like a child sitting like that, ankles crossed and swinging a good foot off of the floor, but there was nothing childlike in the challenge she issued. Alex cast a troubled look towards the back bedroom where Rohanna slept, unaware of their meeting, then met Shyann’s gaze.

  “I freed Rohanna of Bellaria’s spell, but she’s still a threat. No matter what, if we do nothing, Rohanna will be in danger.”

  “Yes. I believe so. Once Bellaria has her eyes on a prize, she will never go away, she will never stop trying to claim her, and if she ever becomes useless to her, she will kill to keep anyone else from having her.”

  “I can’t allow that,” Alex growled. There really was no choice, not unless she was willing to cede the win to Bellaria and lose Rohanna in the bargain. “If your offer still stands, I will gladly accept your help.”

  Shyann’s face lit up, eager and cruel and altogether too excited about the coming battle. Alex half expected to see her rub her hands together gleefully, but she simply grinned and jumped off the kitchen counter. As light on her feet as a cat, she headed for the front door.

  “Okay, then, I guess that’s my cue. I’ll see you at sunrise.” Shyann stopped at the threshold and looked back at her. “One last thing, Alexandria. Maeve and all her talk about prophecy can be annoying, but look at everything that has happened to get us to this point. So many coincidences, so many unexpected and unexplained endeavors. There has to be a pattern, and if you see prophecy as an attempt to explain those patterns…to make them easier to recognize, it might help you trust Maeve a bit more.”

  “Good hunting,” Shyann added, and then she was gone, leaving Alex alone with her thoughts.

  The afternoon sun streamed through the window at a harsh angle. It flooded the room around her with a red-gold glow that cast the world into a mockery of hellfire. Soon, very soon…she would have to do something she abhorred doing.

  “Trust Maeve,” she muttered. I’ll trust the woman as far as I can throw her, and even then that would be stretching my trust farther than I like. Maeve knew more than she was telling, and that smug, superior smile masquerading as complacent acceptance did nothing but infuriate Alex. She didn’t believe in the infallibility of fate nor the immutable quality of prophecy. Anything could be made malleable with the right leverage.

  Maeve was too pleased that Rohanna had found her power in time to escape from Bellaria, and all too certain that Alex had the knowledge to heal her. It was as if their hard won victories proved that she—Maeve—had been right all along, trusting her ancient prophecies. Alex trembled in remembered anger. She had wanted to strike out at Maeve that night but sent her on her way instead.

  All she cared about was Rohanna, not some ridiculous prophecy or pre-ordained battle with Bellaria, and yet here she was, ready to do just that.

  Bellaria. From what Alex had gleaned from Rohanna’s confused memories, she wanted to control the Shadow Lands, to return to Faerie and continue her war there.

  Bellaria wants to go home. Well then, far be it from me to keep her from her goal.

  CHAPTER
FORTY

  “Remove the bracer, Alexandria. Now!” Bellaria demanded.

  The witch gripped Rohanna tightly from behind, a sharp knife held against the flesh at her throat. A thin trickle of blood ran down the smooth skin. A light breeze carried the sharp metallic scent towards Alex, making her wary. This wasn’t exactly how she had expected the night to play out. I’m going to have to improvise.

  “Truly, you need proof?” Alex asked. “You know who I am and what I am.”

  “Yes, I would see for myself. You are useless to me without the markings, and there are rumors…” Bellaria licked her lips, her tongue slipping out between wolfish teeth before her jaw snapped shut. Only a fool would think it a sign of nervousness, and Alex was no fool. Bellaria knew something. Something she shouldn’t know and had almost revealed.

  “As you wish, then, but you’re just wasting time.” Alex’s gaze never left the other woman’s face while she unlaced the wide leather cuff encircling her left forearm. It felt strange removing it in front of Bellaria, and on her command.

  The heavy leather was solid black, surprisingly free of scuffs and scratches you would expect from someone who worked long hours at a forge. Even the leather laces were shiny and new, sliding easily through the holes punched evenly along the underside of the bracer.

  Careful, don’t give anything away.

  Unceremoniously dropping the bracer onto the ground in front of her, Alex slowly raised her left arm across her chest. Every muscle in her body felt strung tight as a bow, practically quivering with the desire to act. She was careful to keep her fear for Ro buried deep, just in case the witch could smell it.

  The full moon had reached its highest point above them. Alex’s raised arm caught the delicate beams, illuminating the details of the intricate blue tattoo that wove across her wrist and forearm.

  “Is this sufficient proof?” Alex asked, ignoring the shocked gasp that escaped from Ro as the ancient markings came alive under the light of the moon. “This is what you wanted to see. What you needed to see?”

  She lowered her arm. Two sets of eyes followed the designs that danced against her skin, seeming to be both a part of her while somehow alive.

  “Is it, witch?” She shook her fist at the shadow-clad woman. “You know what this means, and what I can do. Only certain Meres are marked in such a way, these markings are a testament of my rank.”

  Alex avoided looking at Ro directly; she could not risk giving away how deep their connection went. Let her think I want the human, nothing more. Bellaria understands greed and power. Rohanna is safest if she thinks I am acting on baser desires. “You don’t need to threaten her anymore. She’s still too weak to be of use to you, but I can take you back to Faerie on my own.”

  “You will take me back to Faerie?” Bellaria jumped on Alex’s offer all too eagerly. “Of your own free will?”

  “I will take you to Faerie,” Alex agreed.

  “That’s not good enough.” Bellaria backed away from the stones, the sharp blade still pressed to Rohanna’s neck. “I want to know why you offer yourself in place of Rohanna.”

  Alex thrust out her hand towards the two of them before she could stop herself. “Think, Bellaria…all these years you have tried to get Rohanna to do your bidding, and after all these years, has she ever managed to open the Gateway? Spill her blood tonight and you may find your way home, but what if it doesn’t work? You will fail, and there will be no second chances. I, on the other hand, can give you want you want.”

  “And in return?” Bellaria narrowed her eyes at Alex.

  Alex chuckled. “I enjoy her presence, Bellaria. She is, how do I say, compatible with my needs. Look at her back. See how I’ve marked her. How many humans do you think I could find that enjoy such play, let alone survive?”

  The tableau froze between them. Alex trying so hard to be someone she wasn’t and Bellaria sensing that something was wrong.

  Rohanna clung to Bellaria’s knife arm, barely able to swallow let alone speak, that’s how close the knife sat against her veins. One wrong move and she would bleed. It would only take one moment of carelessness on Bellaria’s part…or Rohanna losing her nerve and trying to run.

  “Alex?” Rohanna’s lips moved, but no sound came out. She beseeched Alex to end this before Bellaria’s paranoia got the best of them with a look. Alex stepped forward, hiding the subtle movement of her head in the motion…the quickest of warnings that Bellaria missed but Ro did not. She closed her eyes, her eyelids fluttering in protest. Self-preservation demanded she remain watchful, and it took a huge effort to fight her natural instincts.

  “Bellaria,” Alex leveled a lethal stare at the witch woman. “I will take you to Faerie—of my own free will.”

  “Prove it,” Bellaria gestured wildly with the knife. The silver blade flashed, casting a crimson arc between them. Drops of Rohanna’s blood spattered across the stone arch, waking the ancient circle. Rohanna clasped her palm across the wound and whimpered, her eyes never left Alex’s face.

  “It’s just a small cut,” Bellaria sneered. “Now show me what you can do.”

  Alex glowered at the witch-woman but held her tongue. Losing her temper would do neither of them any good, no matter how much she wanted to tear Bellaria apart with her bare hands. She turned her back on the witch to gaze on the stones standing sentry behind her. The sacrifice stone hummed in anticipation of offered blood. Rohanna’s blood. Alex ran her left hand across the stone, quieting its muted song.

  Alex wheeled around at the sound of Bellaria’s triumphant cackle. Rohanna lay crumpled at her feet, unmoving, and barely breathing. Fearing the worst, she was at Rohanna’s side in less than a second, peering into her pale face. A low moan escaped from Rohanna’s lips.

  “Why?” Alex demanded.

  “Why?” Bellaria spat, mocking Alex’s question. “Because you are a fool.”

  Bellaria had discarded the subtle disguise she had kept while pretending to be Ro’s stepmother, revealing her true nature. She was tall and unnaturally lean, with feral eyes that held the silver glow of a predator. Those eyes were fixed on Alex now, urging her to fear her like the prey she thought Alex was.

  No, she thought, this is but one, not a pack. She visualized the witch as a lone wolf, left to skulk in the shadows and survive alone. This close, she could smell Bellaria’s desperation. Her desire for power was so intense it had overcome all other needs, including any joy she might have been able to find on Earth. She is consumed by this dark and twisted quest, Alex thought. There is nothing else left for her.

  “I know how much this woman means to you,” Bellaria said, waving her arm in Ro’s direction. “You thought you could control this game, hide your connection with Rohanna. You cannot hide anything from me!”

  Alex listened in silence to the woman’s ranting, her heart beating madly in her chest. The desire to do something, to act, was so strong that it hurt.

  “I can smell you on her, in her. Her aura is so tainted with yours. I wonder if she knows what you have done to her,” Bellaria continued, enjoying Alex’s growing discomfort.

  “Do not speak of what you do not understand, witch!” Alex growled, risking a quick glance at Rohanna. She was still unconscious, unaware of this last scene being played out above her.

  “Tell me, does she know? Should I wake her? Tell her what has happened?” The witch pressed on, her voice arrogant. She looked delighted at the prospect of tormenting Alex with her knowledge.

  “No,” Alex spoke barely over a whisper. “I love her. If you do that, she may never trust me again.” Her voice broke with emotion. The words had been spoken aloud. The three of them were inside the sacred circle—the stones now knew her secret.

  Alex lowered her eyes and bowed her head before the cowled woman.

  She could not risk Bellaria learning anything more about her. Dropping her shoulders, Alex feigned defeat.

  Let her think she has broken me.

  “Ah. At last, the truth.” Bellaria laug
hed. “You have allowed yourself to become weakened by love, Alex…a weakness no Mere is supposed to succumb to. How deliciously ironic considering how much effort I took to make sure Rohanna found no man to her liking. It never crossed my mind that she would take an interest in the fairer sex, although I have to say you are a magnificent specimen, regardless of your gender.”

  Bellaria reached beneath her cloak and tossed something heavy on the ground in front of her.

  “Pick them up and put them on. I can’t have you getting away from me.”

  Alex looked down at the familiar shape of iron shackles. Placed on a Mere, the iron would make her weak, easy to control. Alex gasped and backed away from the evil things. Bellaria meant to make her a slave. “This wasn’t our agreement. I told you I would take you home, isn’t that enough?” Alex didn’t want to put the shackles on, but the die had already been cast. She had to continue this to the end.

  “You have made a fatal error tonight, offering yourself up to me. A captive Mere has its advantages, especially the heir to the GranMere. You have given me your word, and you cannot be foresworn. So honorable, the Merefolk.”

  Bellaria pulled herself up to her full height and gazed down at Alex.

  “I am not content with your offer. I am a Queen and I deserve a mount worthy of my station. You, Alexandria, will be that mount…and when your GranMere dies—and mark my words she will be the first to die—you will take over leadership of your tribe and I will have all of you. No army can stand against me, not when they are shitting and pissing themselves while they run like rabbits from the Wild Hunt. I will teach your people to enjoy blood again!”

  “And Rohanna?” Alex rasped.

  “Rohanna is a Gatekeeper, the first one born in a very long time. She and only she can open the gates between the Shadow Lands and Earth. Can you imagine how much power the one who controls the gates between magic and technology can gain?”