Paranormal Word Series Box Set (Books 1-3 and Novella)

by CC Solomon

  Chapter 17

  We walked to the source of the explosion where the wall was first built. People were in place throughout the perimeter of the village but most were centralized at the front. I could only assume that was because our attackers were mostly at the entrance of the town. It appeared that Ed had the villagers well prepared for action when the alarm rang out.

  “They know we’re here. We should talk to them,” I stated.

  Mercy and Ed exchanged concerned glances.

  “They’ll take you as soon as you step beyond the ward,” Ed explained. “Besides, we don’t know for sure it’s you they want.”

  “So, we won’t step past the ward. We’ll talk to them from your tower.”

  “We can hold our own, don’t worry,” Phillip added.

  “You didn’t hold your own with that guy in the city,” Ed countered, as we walked to the tower.

  A bang against the ward shook me and I inadvertently grabbed Phillip’s arm, who steadied himself, looking down at me. “That’s not good. They’re weakening it,” I gathered, letting go of him and straightening up.

  “So, we strengthen it,” Phillip replied, expression confident. He looked over to Ed and Mercy. “We could have handled that guy. Just was taking longer than expected.” Phillip walked towards the tower, which was a few feet ahead of us.

  Ed didn’t look convinced. “Amina, be careful up there. The Fae, they aren’t like your friend. They are manipulative.”

  I nodded. No one in the village knew the full extent of our powers. Since mind control was part of our gifts, we weren’t susceptible to it from others. However, I wouldn’t underestimate the strength of Fae magic, especially with our current banishing spell.

  The four of us climbed to the top of the tower after the current guards descended the ladder upon Ed’s orders. “Make sure no one shoots,” he told one of the guards.

  “It’ll either ricochet off, weaken, or even break the ward,” I explained. “We’re fine right now.”

  The guards nodded in understanding and took off. We’d explained this to the villagers already but it didn’t hurt to send a reminder out.

  I turned to the ground in front of us and maintained a neutral face as I gazed at about fifteen beings standing on the pavement in front of us. A guard from below shouted that there were just as many in the back. Clearly, the Fae were outnumbered but I could only imagine their power made up all of the difference.

  The beings did not look like Lisa. I had no experience with Fae other than her and what I learned in books and movies as a child. It was a hit or miss, regarding whether any of our supernatural understandings from the Pre-world were really valid. Some were very true, like witches using spells. Some were mostly true, like vampires not liking the sun but not all of them burned to a crisp. Some myths were totally not true. You did not become the undead if you were bitten by a vampire or a zombie. There was more that needed to happen.

  Fae, in my Pre-world knowledge, were glittery, with wings, and usually small in size. They carried wands and made wishes come true. Lisa was barely over five feet and petite, so I figured that was close enough. Evidently, I didn’t know a damn thing.

  Even though I was several stories above them, I could see that they were tall. No one was below six feet. They were like a co-ed basketball team. They were all pale in color, almost iridescent, with varying hair colors, ranging from blond to black to even green and blue. The Fae were dressed in regular street clothes and there were no wings on their backs or wands in their hands; not very exciting.

  “They don’t always look like that,” Mercy muttered. “They’re using glamour. Sometimes they look like the monsters they are.”

  “What do you want from us?” Ed shouted down.

  The fifteen Fae looked up at us in unison. Creepy.

  One spoke. A woman with waist-length, deep-red, wavy hair. “Edward. We mean your village no harm. We would simply like Phillip and Amina, please,” she replied in a deep and powerful voice laced thickly in an Irish accent. She sounded educated and wiser than the years she appeared, which couldn’t have been more than thirty-something.

  “Why?”

  “That is our business.”

  Ed gave a lazy smile, hands on his hips. “I’m sorry but it isn’t. See, Phillip and Amina are our guests and they only leave if they want to leave. Now, I’m sure if they were going to consider leaving, they’d want to know why.”

  “They are the soulmates, we need them.”

  Ed crossed his arms and smiled. He looked over to us. “Soulmates? What is she talking about?”

  I sighed. “Basically, we’re super strong witches. We can go into detail later, if you don’t mind,” I explained.

  Ed looked deceptively amused and shrugged.

  “What do you need us for?” Phillip called down.

  “Your power,” the female Fae replied in a neutral tone.

  Of course.

  “Do you need us to help you with something in particular?”

  I shot Phillip a look. These people weren’t here to ask for help. They were here to take.

  “We need you,” the female answered, eyes dead.

  “Sorry to hear that, ma’am, but we’re going to have to pass. We appreciate you, though,” Phillip replied with a smile.

  She shot her hand outward and the ground shook.

  Not good. If she kept at this, it was very possible our ward would break. If I didn’t know before, I knew now; the Fae were strong.

  I grabbed the railing. “We need to go down there. No use starting a fight and risking the lives of other people,” I said to Phillip.

  “You sure, darlin’?” Ed asked, eyes filled with concern. “Fae are dangerous. Their magic goes beyond making themselves look pretty. They affect time, they can make you fall into a deep sleep, they can—”

  “Banish a person,” Phillip muttered. “But we’ll be ready for them. I refuse to believe the Fae’s magic can beat ours.”

  I side-eyed Phillip. I was glad he was so confident but I sure as hell wasn’t. Nothing in the past nine years of magic made me believe that I was invincible.

  “Got to give the people what they want,” Phillip stated before grabbing my hand and whispering a teleportation spell.

  A second later we were standing at the edge of the ward. Teleporting within Ireland was no problem, getting out was another thing.

  “Just so you know, we have no intention of leaving with you. Not without a fight. But no need to bother these good people,” Phillip announced.

  “One of my best friends is Fae, you know. I don’t think she’d appreciate you coming for us,” I reasoned. This was my last-ditch effort before a complete fight.

  The red-headed fairy, who I now decided to call Fae Lady, narrowed her otherworldly pink, yes, hot-pink, colored eyes at me. She considered me for a moment and then relaxed her face. “Lisa,” she stated.

  I raised my eyebrows. How did she know? No time to figure out Fae magic now, but I’d file it in the memory bank for later contemplation. I nodded.

  “She sent you away. She is not your friend,” Fae Lady stated.

  I was beginning to think that myself, but it didn’t make it any less difficult to hear. Phillip lightly elbowed me and I was sure that was his way of saying “I told you so.”

  “She’s just confused on a few things. In fact, maybe if you could send us back to where we came from, we can resolve everything and work out some sort of deal,” I offered. It certainly sounded reasonable in my head. I had no idea how they would get whatever they wanted from us but I figured one step at a time.

  “No, we take now,” said Fae Lady. She didn’t even bother to consider my very sound offer.

  “Why? Why go through fighting when we can maybe work out something mutually agreeable?” I was getting panicky and frustrated now.

  I looked up to Phillip, who was glaring at the Fae with narrowed eyes and tight lips. He was ready to pounce.

  “That is not the plan. The soulmates
must submit,” the Fae Lady continued.

  “Submit to what? We can help!” I shouted.

  “Our masters are coming. You are to follow.”

  “Who are your masters?”

  “They have plans for you but it is not ours to tell.”

  “We aren’t going anywhere without knowing anything,” Phillip shouted.

  She tilted her head.

  “Look, we are trying to protect the world. So, if that isn’t your master’s objective, we aren’t going,” I added.

  She glared at me. “You submit or die. You have no other options.”

  What the… If I weren’t afraid of zapping myself, I would have banged my head against the invisible ward wall. Why weren’t they willing to at least talk this out?

  “We’re soulmates, we don’t submit,” Phillip called.

  She shook her head and frowned. “You know nothing of your power. You know nothing of soulmates.” Fae Lady scoffed. Her cronies remained still during this exchange, like creepy statutes. “Well, I shall educate you. Soulmates are enhanced souls. Born on the same day of the same year at the same time. When you were both born, you were born with only part of your own soul but part of the other’s soul. You have this gift and have not been trained on how to use it. You are the most destructive of any pairing. Our masters can teach you.”

  If we were that powerful, why would these masters just give us the blueprint on how to reach our full potential without wanting something in return? No, these masters wanted to either use us or subdue us.

  “What if just I come with you?” Phillip stated in an even voice.

  I looked up at him, mouth open.

  “Send Amina home and take me. It’s as good as submitting, since we won’t be together. We won’t be a danger that way.”

  “Phillip, you can’t,” I said in a lowered voice. While I wasn’t in full forgiving mode with him, I didn’t think him walking into the hands of the mysterious enemy would do our overall cause to fight these evil masters any good. “You aren’t going to sacrifice yourself. We don’t even know if anything they are telling us is true.”

  He looked down at me with softened eyes. “Aww, will you miss me?”

  “Wha—”

  Fae Lady spoke up. “No. We take both.”

  “Fuck that,” Phillip said evenly.

  “Bloody bastards!” I heard Ed shout from behind us.

  I turned slightly. He stood behind us, aiming his bow and arrow at the Fae.

  “Ed, this isn’t your fight. Your people don’t have to get involved,” I stated.

  “Oh, darlin’, any chance to kill fucking fairies is something we welcome. And with your help, we have a better shot,” he replied with a menacing smile aimed at the Fae. “Let’s fight!”

  I looked back to Phillip. He winked at me then stepped beyond the ward.

  Chapter 18

  I followed Phillip over the ward. Ed and several of his people soon did the same. Anyone who did not want to fight would be safe behind the ward. That left nearly a hundred humans joining us in the fight.

  One of the Fae, a male with spiky, silver hair, disappeared. I frowned and did a full spin searching for him. He soon materialized above me with a sword in his hands. It was framed in a glowing, blue light and had a gold-trimmed hilt. The weapon came towards me but I jumped back before he could land the sword into me.

  I widened my eyes in shock, surprised at the speed of my movement and the distance I’d cleared. I’d never been that mobile. How had I done that?

  I didn’t have time to think as the silver fairy raced towards me. I moved out of the way, lightning fast again, and circled behind him. I pushed my hands onto his back and the fairy arched forward away from me. He let out a high-pitched cry and I watched in horror as his skin shriveled and grayed where my hands connected to his back. Soon, the decay expanded over his entire body. His hair thinned and his body became frail. He was aging. He dropped the sword and fell to his knees.

  As he appeared to weaken, I began to feel renewed and energized. I felt like I could jump over trees. How could I physically feel that strong?

  Ask how later and focus on what you’re doing, woman! I heard Faith shout in my head.

  Faith, is that you? How am I hearing you?

  She doesn’t listen. She never listens. I heard Charles grumble in my mind.

  What the hell is going on? Am I going crazy?

  No. We’re having visions that you’re in trouble, so we’re just lending some help, Faith replied telepathically.

  But how? How can you send me your power and talk to me?

  Phillip had spoken to me and lent me strength telepathically when I was locked in the paranormal prison but now I understood that to be due to the soulmate connection. How had Faith and Charles done this?

  Could be due to the Power of Six. I heard Felix chime in. Mae said we could do stuff like this so we’re trying now.

  Right, we all felt you were in trouble. I guess at the same time. Lisa stated.

  I bristled at hearing Lisa’s voice but tried to move past that unease for the time being. Where’s Erik? I asked.

  Right here, baby. Pay attention. We can figure out the how later. Erik said in my head.

  I nodded. You can see everything I see?

  A chorus of voices answered, “Yes” in my head.

  Phillip clapped his hands together and the grass grew under the feet of an orange-haired, male fairy. The blades of grass wrapped around his body in milliseconds, covering him like a mummy and drawing him down to the ground. His peers did not stop to aid, focused on their own fights with the villagers.

  The fairy struggled against the grass, which seemed impossibly strong, and soon his body sank into the ground, covered by dirt. The process took less than thirty seconds.

  “Can he dig his way out?” I asked Phillip.

  “The thousands of ants eating his body won’t allow that to happen.” He looked at me with emotionless eyes. “That’s why he was struggling. I can’t imagine it felt nice.”

  I grimaced. “I thought it was because of the grass.”

  He looked away. “That helped.”

  Phillip was clearly taking no prisoners.

  “I’m sorry. But we can’t be nice,” he stated.

  As if he could ever be nice, Faith grumbled.

  I sighed. “No, we can’t but we need to keep at least one alive to help us get home.”

  That’s smart. Fae sent you there, Fae can get you out, Erik stated.

  Mina, I’m sorry, Lisa said in a soft voice. I’m trying to get you back but it’s harder than I thought.

  Fae Lady let out a high-pitched scream that stabbed at my spine. She charged towards Phillip, who stood his ground.

  Another fairy, closer to me, walked with purpose in my direction. Her face changed, growing more angular before my eyes. Her skin took on a sickly, yellowish tone and her long, forest-green hair whipped around her face like snakes. Her limbs appeared thinner and longer, hanging unnaturally to her knees. She was now over six-foot-five.

  The hell is that? I heard Charles cry. Get out of there, Mina!

  I looked past her as the Fae and humans charged each other. The Fae had begun to strip all glamour away and were now in full warrior forms, representing various shapes and sizes of goblinesque creatures. Not exactly Cinderella’s fairy godmother.

  The green-haired fairly ran straight for me and then disappeared mid-run. I spun around, meeting her claws. Her hands sank into my chest easily, as if I were not made of skin and bone but, rather, water. However, I felt no pain, only pressure as her fingers moved around in my chest. I was frozen. Paralyzed, really.

  Teleport, Amina. Lisa cried in my mind.

  I can’t.

  Tears welled in the corners of my eyes from the pressure and my breath stopped. She was reaching for my heart. My mind clouded. I couldn’t focus on magic to push her away.

  And then the digging in my chest stopped.

  She screamed out and the hand that
was pushed into my chest was now without a body. She backed away in fury, now missing a right arm and hand. I looked over to Mercy, who was holding a sword.

  A woman with a sword Mae had told us. Was that woman Mercy?

  She swiped again but the fairy stopped her with a wave of her hand, sending Mercy back onto her bottom.

  I yanked the hand out of my chest and this time it did hurt. It felt like ripping a blunt object out of me, only no blood spurted out. Hopefully, that meant no internal damage. However, I didn’t have time to whimper. The green-haired fairy was about to turn Mercy into body parts. I magically burned her detached arm, now lying on the ground. The fairy cried out an inhuman shriek. Could she really feel that?

  She bent down and reached for her burning arm and I kicked her in the face with a strength I’d never had before. Her green, bushy eyebrows narrowed in rage. Her right cheek and nose were now misshapen, bloody and bruised from my attack.

  Before I could send another kick her way, Green Fairy pushed out her remaining hand and a ball of ice flew from her palm into my stomach. Ice cold spread within me, freezing my insides.

  I needed iron. That was like kryptonite to Fae, from what the books said. I whispered a spell of healing to stop the cold spread but it didn’t stop, only slowed. The fairy smiled at me as the cold reached down to my legs, leaving a dark, opaque film resembling frostbite as it paralyzed my body once again.

  I’m trying to slow the freezing but my magic isn’t working, Felix called in my mind.

  “Toss me your sword!” I shouted to Mercy, who looked ready to swipe at the fairy again.

  She raised an eyebrow at me but didn’t ask questions. She threw the sword and then reached into her holster for a handgun, firing immediately. The bullet hit the fairy in the chest and she fell back but I suspected she wouldn’t stay down.

  I caught the sword and focused my magic on it but I was weakening under the fairy’s cold magic.

  I need help, guys.

  You’ll need fire to fight her, Lisa said. I can help with that.

  Soon, fire tinged the sword like a torch. I focused on the element of iron and the sword grew heavy in my hand.