Lightness Falling (Lightness Saga Book 2)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  Franklin straightened up, his eyes narrowing as he watched me intently. “You remind me of someone.”

  Don’t react, Ken. But what if they recognized me? What would happen if they found out I was the Queen?

  “I can sense you are powerful.” He rubbed his chin, his gaze sizzling through me. “How have you been hiding this whole time unnoticed? What family do you come from?”

  “I don’t know.” I tried to keep myself calm and centered. I didn’t want him to pick up on my lies. “I didn’t even know I was a Druid until a couple years ago. They left no trail. But I know they’re dead. I feel it.”

  Franklin was hard to read. He just watched me like an animal in the zoo. It was a good minute before he spoke again.

  “What about your fae pet?” He flicked his chin toward Lorcan. “Only two people here know how to command a fae, and that was after extensive training in black magic. Not a newbie talent.”

  I shrugged with disinterest. “When you’re a single female Druid on the run, you learn what you need. Fast.”

  Franklin pinched his mouth together like he wasn’t buying my story. Terror sucked out the marrow in my bones, leaving them hollow. What would happen if he didn’t believe me? I knew this was going to be risky, but being here with no easy escape, and Lorcan under a spell? So much was on the line, and I began to feel the severity of it.

  He paced around the room, his head bowed in thought. My cool façade stayed strong, while my heart pounded and moisture dampened my palms.

  “He stays in the fae pit.” Franklin finally stopped, twisting to me. “And until you prove yourself here, you will be monitored. This isn’t playtime. We are here to make a real difference. Whatever it entails. Your first test will be in three days. If you fail…” He let his sentence fade out.

  It was clear. If I failed to show my dedication to the cause, I was finished. And that probably didn’t mean just packing my bags.

  “If you make it through, you will find a position here. Everyone has their place. Even if it’s just building bombs.”

  “Bombs?” I twisted my hands together in my lap, my voice even. The memory of the explosion crackled through my head. The smell of burnt flesh and smoke. The sight of bloody bodies in chunks. Lorcan impaled with glass. Had it been his order to murder the fae nobles, almost killing the King and Queen?

  “This isn’t the place for picket signs and protests. If you can’t handle it, then you should walk away now.”

  “I can handle it,” I replied firmly, pushing my glasses up my nose.

  “I hope so. We can use your level of magic. The commander will be pleased if you work out.”

  “Commander?” I went rigid.

  “While I’m touched you think so highly of me, do you sincerely think you could so easily meet with the leader of DLR?” Franklin tipped his head back with a snarky chuckle before it died in his throat. “You don’t get anywhere near the commander. Not unless you prove yourself completely indispensable here.”

  I held my shoulders back, hiding the disappointment and apprehension. Deep down I knew it wouldn’t be that easy to find the head of the snake. I had hoped, especially because I had no idea what they had planned for me and knowing at any moment someone might recognize me.

  The line I walked was needle thin.

  “I guess welcome, Raven.” Franklin rubbed his hands together. “This is the war room, the core of our base.” He held his arms out. “Where everything is planned.”

  “Where I live.” Wizard snorted from behind my chair.

  The first smile hinted at Franklin’s face. “Yes. Wizard is our computer mastermind. This is his domain. He gets us all the intel we need. A true hacking genius.”

  I glanced at Wizard. He met my eyes, a shy smile creeping up his face.

  “Have you heard anything about the attack in Switzerland?” Franklin asked.

  I almost wanted to laugh, my teeth sawing together. “I saw it on the news.”

  Franklin smiled. “Three Seelie fae who had helped Aneira gather up and kill Druids, all dead,” he stated proudly. “Rumor had it the King was supposed to be with them, but from my sources they only found the three. How powerful our attack would have been if he had killed the Unseelie King.”

  Fire flamed under my mask, along with rage and nausea. How easy it was for them to talk, sitting here a thousand miles away. I had seen the brutality myself. I had to take a steadying breath now to push away the image of Demrik’s burnt body. He didn’t deserve that. He had been faithful to Lars, not Aneira. He was good and kind. They just clumped them all together. Even Lars.

  “The King, if I recall, was never for the genocide nor on the old Queen’s side.”

  “He didn’t stop it.” Franklin frowned. “And he is certainly chummy with this new Queen.”

  “She’s a Druid. Isn’t that a good thing for us?”

  “You’d think. But she’s only a puppet, a figurehead to look like we are progressing. Out here nothing has changed. And most fae don’t even respect her rule. There is a huge revolt happening on the mainland. It won’t be long before she is assassinated.”

  My teeth crunched painfully, trying to stop any reaction from showing on my face. Thankfully, Lorcan was sedated. There was a good possibility he would not have responded well to that claim.

  Franklin continued, “We may be mostly against the old Queen’s followers, but all fae are our enemy. If taking out the Demon King unsettles the fae world, their dominance over humans, over us…then I will happily do it.”

  They wanted a change no matter the costs and clearly did not understand the difference. Lars and I had prevented total anarchy. But if they got rid of the King or me? Life for everyone, including humans, Druids, and fae would be worse. Humans and fae would call open hunting season on all, with no limits or consequences.

  “Wizard, why don’t you show Raven around? Get her settled.” Franklin returned to the map he was looking over. “Mayhem, take the fae to the pit.” He nodded at the older, muscular human man who had led us down here. “Go as well, Fox.” He motioned to the young guy.

  I took a peek at Lorcan. He wouldn’t look at me, letting the two men shove him out of the room without a struggle.

  It hurt to watch him like that. The beast so passive because of me, even though it probably saved both of us. My eyes tracked him until the door shut.

  “Raven?” Wizard held out his hand, helping me stand. Major moved to the other side of the table, studying the map with Franklin.

  I followed Wizard out of the room, feeling like I had just stepped into quicksand. I was so far out of my league and my comfort zone. And any little slip would bury me.

  EIGHTEEN

  “Don’t worry about Franklin.” Wizard swiped his hand in the air. “He’s like that with everyone, especially if he doesn’t know you.”

  “He was fine.” I followed him down the hall. “Believe me, I’ve dealt with a lot worse. A lot. He should be protective of what you have here. I understand that.”

  “Yeah, all the burden of allowing someone in, doing what the commander tells us, keeping up to date on leads, it all comes down on him and Major. Mainly him.”

  “Are Major and Franklin related?”

  “Would you believe they’re father and son? Franklin was seventeen when Major was born. Bloody young. They act more like brothers though. That’s probably because they just reunited in the last year.”

  “He didn’t raise him? Was he with his mother?”

  “Neither. Major was raised by humans to protect him. Mommy, Daddy, and son found each other after the war.”

  That was why Wizard said my story sounded like Major’s. Giving up your child and the person you love to keep safe? No wonder they blamed and hated fae so much.

  “Where’s his mother now?”

  “You’ll meet her in a bit. They never married. They were so young, and with the threat on Druids, they went their separate ways, escaping death. What happened when they found each other again? Let’s
just say, they are making up for lost time. They say they aren’t together.” Wizard made air quotes with his fingers. “But they sure as hell act like it.” Wizard turned around a corridor, one that opened up to a large room at the end. It was set up like a cafeteria. Empty tables and chairs for about seventy lined the middle of the room, and the far side was the buffet.

  “Breakfast is six to nine, lunch twelve to one, dinner five to seven. Otherwise they just leave water, fruit, and snacks to grab if we’re hungry.” Wizard took me back down the hall, speeding past another corridor.

  “What’s down there?” I pointed at the closed-door hallway down the lane.

  “Uh. It’s off limits.” He rushed through his words. “For the top tier only.”

  I peered down the passage; nothing looked out of the ordinary. But it had me curious what was there. When I glanced back at Wizard, he was steps in front of me. I hurried to catch up. He took me back to the main area. It was quieter than it had been before. Barely a few people still wrestled on the mats and a handful worked on their spells.

  “This is the hub, the heart of our base. Where we train, work, and hang out. Right now most are heading to bed or on a mission,” Wizard said then pointed to the mats. “Ophelia and Poppy are two of the fight leaders. They used to be self-defense trainers. Fox and Mayhem do the advanced classes and also teach target practice in the empty factory above.” He twisted to the magic half of the vast room. “Kenya oversees the Druids.”

  A pretty woman with wavy red hair and a curvy figure stood yelling at one of the practicing pupils. She had a heart-shaped face and blue eyes, a few inches taller than me, and looked to be in her early forties.

  “That’s mommy dearest,” Wizard whispered in my ear. “She is a force. The kindest heart in the world but will take you down to your knees if you make her mad. We all love her, but I’m warning you, you don’t want to be on her bad side.”

  “I’ll remember that.”

  “Kenya?” Wizard called her over. She walked up, her magic slamming into me. “This is Raven, our newest recruit.”

  Her lids tapered, her brows furrowing as her eyes ran over me. She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. “Raven?” She continued to stare me up and down, her Irish accent weighty in my ear. “You remind me of someone…”

  “You’re getting that a lot today.” Wizard nudged me playfully.

  “I have that face.” I tried to smile and shrug it off.

  Kenya pursed her lips, then finally nodded. “Welcome, Raven. I look forward to seeing what you can do.”

  I nodded, not sure how to respond. Her critical gaze seemed to want to open me up and see right to my soul. I didn’t back away, staring right back at her with the same intensity.

  “Well. O-kay.” Wizard clapped his hands together, trying to defuse the tension growing around us. “Let’s finish our tour and get you settled.” Wizard steered me away, curving us toward a hallway splintering off opposite the war room and kitchen.

  “See you, Raven.” Kenya’s watchful eyes still probed, trying to figure me out. I could tell something bothered her. The fact my image was plastered everywhere didn’t help. I hadn’t realized how precarious this was until I was here. Just one movement or facial expression might be enough to trigger recognition.

  What would they do if they found out I was the Seelie Queen? I didn’t think they’d kill me immediately, but they would certainly use me. A bargaining chip? Lars would rightfully sacrifice me before giving in to their demands. Another outcome where he came out the lone leader. In every situation Lars was in the prime seat. I began to question whether this was by chance.

  “Raven?” Wizard’s voice snapped my head to the side.

  “Sorry.” I turned to follow him, looking one more time at Kenya. She furrowed her brow as she watched me. I would have to be careful around her. She would try to figure me out, so I’d have to be on guard all the time.

  Wizard nervously jabbered as we walked, talking about people I didn’t know, or just pointing out places to fill the silence. I was never good at small talk. It exhausted me. I tended to stay in my head. Watching. Observing. Only my close friends saw the talkative side of me.

  “So this is where the bedrooms are located. We bunk two to a room, but I think you will get a room to yourself until someone new comes.”

  I let out an exhale. Thank goodness. One place I didn’t have to keep up the pretense.

  “It’s all mixed here, even the loos. Druids are pretty free, so there are no rules about sex or dating each other.” Wizard’s gaze slid to mine at the last part, his cheeks flushing.

  Oh, nerf herder. It was my fault. I had kissed him, and I hadn’t even known why except my vision told me to do it. If it led me here, it was for a reason, but now I had to deal with the aftermath. He was adorable. Only two years ago I would have had a crush on him. But I already had enough problems between a knight and a beast. I gave him a slight smile and looked away.

  “This is going to be your room.” He grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. “The loos and showers are around the corner.” He flicked on the light and let me go into the room first. It was a box. Of course it had no windows being under ground and only filled with a single bed on each wall, a trunk at the end of each cot for storage, and one table with a lamp between the two.

  On the end of one bed lay two pairs of dark gray sweats, two pairs of underwear, a sports bra, hoodie, bathroom kit, backpack, and two towels. I walked over and touched the items. I felt like I was being committed to prison or an institution. Both, probably.

  “Once you do a few missions, you can upgrade clothes,” Wizard said.

  Ah. Until I proved myself I could not leave here, nor would they waste time or money getting clothes for someone who was not staying.

  “There is also a laundry next to the bathrooms.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “But until your first mission, you’re required to wear the tracksuits while you train.”

  “Is there a training schedule?”

  “Yeah, they post it each morning after breakfast.” He leaned against the doorjamb. “Everyone has different areas of concentration, but you are the fastest Franklin has had anyone do a mission. Normally the newbies are here for at least a couple of weeks before they have any kind of trial in the field.”

  Lucky me. I wasn’t surprised. Franklin knew something was different about me, and he wanted to rub out his inkling to mistrust me and prove my faith to the cause. I wasn’t some average Druid. If I pulled through, I would be a player and a huge asset to them.

  “Well, I’ll let you settle in. You missed dinner, but if you’re hungry there are snacks in the café.”

  Right. I forgot it was probably nearing midnight by now.

  “Show me the pit.” I pushed my glasses up.

  “Uh…” Wizard rocked between his feet.

  “I need to have access to him, to make sure he stays under my control.”

  “The pit is not for someone like you.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “No… I mean… you are...” He stumbled with his words, staring at his feet, then at the ceiling.

  “Don’t let my small size deceive you. I’ve been through a lot in my life. Seen a lot of bad shit.” I let Raven’s brisk attitude snap out. “I can handle a bunch of fae.”

  Wizard rubbed at his arm, then at his temples.

  “Wizard.”

  “Okay, but don’t tell anyone.” His shoulders fell in defeat. “I’m not supposed to take you there.”

  That didn’t take much. It hit me with glaring clarity I could walk all over someone like him now. My inner strength as Queen had flourished. It made me realize in my personal life I needed someone who would challenge that.

  Wizard grabbed my hand, slipping down the hallway right around the corner from my room. Going down another hallway, we hit a set of double doors. Wizard went to a box and typed in a code while I watched out of my peripheral vision. The door popped open.

  “D
uring the day, there is a guard to help retrieve your fae for you, but after eleven, they lock it for the night.”

  It took everything I had to keep my composure. They were treating them worse than animals. Zoo hours. Disgusting.

  Funny how those claiming they had been treated so awful were now doing that exact thing. Two wrongs did not equal a right. I could relate to so much of the anger the Druids felt, but turning around and behaving just as badly was no way to end the hate and discrimination.

  Stone steps led us down, barely lit by a few dim lights above. The smell was the first thing to hit me: pee, sweat, blood. With no windows and an inadequate air ventilation, it was stuffy, the air heavy with stench.

  My gut screwed into a ball, my lungs taking in limited breaths. We reached the bottom, and I stopped, trying to take in what lay before me.

  “Stay close to me.” Wizard grabbed for my hand, but I walked past him, scanning the room with disbelief. I was the one who could protect him, not the other way around.

  It was a large stone room with curved ceilings and pillars, dark and musky like a dungeon. My nose wrinkled with an even sharper stench of urine and body odor. Several hay beds with blankets dotted the wall. The space on the side looked like open showers and toilets. No doors or curtains.

  Three figures were asleep on the straw beds. Each had a bucket filled with a towel, a basic bathroom kit, and they wore matching black sweats and hoodies. The fae uniform. My eyes danced over each form until it landed on the outline farthest away. My stomach wound up like a vortex.

  Lorcan.

  Dressed in the sweat ensemble, he sat with his back against the wall, his arms on his knees, his eyes closed. My hand went to my throat, trembling.

  “We should get out of here.” Wizard looked around frantically, ready for one of the unconscious fae to leap for him. All except Lorcan were sound asleep.

  “Who controls these other fae?” I motioned to the three figures sleeping, their backs to me, but I saw all were male.

  “Kenya is the only one able to control more than one. These are all hers.” Property. I had heard fae talk about humans the same, like we circled back to the slave era. We talked like we progressed, but had we? We just seemed to be repeating history.