by CC Solomon
They moved slightly closer, Senna covering her mouth and coughing. Joo-won could now see a man, chained to the wall by the neck. His arms hung above his head, also suspended in chains along with his ankles. He was partially skinned, his chest and torso a mess of red, exposed muscle.
The Ghoul was currently peeling the skin off of the poor man’s right arm, starting under the armpit. He peeled with slow precision, with the sharp side of what appeared to be a cross between a butcher’s knife and a dagger.
“My dogs will have a feast tonight,” The Ghoul stated, a smile on his lips.
“Please, mistress. Please. I’ll do anything. Just forgive me,” the chained man said in a strained voice.
Joo-won squinted his eyes. The man didn’t have the pointed ears of an elf or the blue aura of the Fae. He was human. “What did he do?” Joo-won asked, his voice bored. He wasn’t squeamish but he could do without the theatrics of torture.
“He broke a contract. He asked me to kill his enemies and he was to send me five children from his town. I did my part. He only sent me one and refused to send any more,” the Irish fairy stated, turning partially to Joo-won with a smile. Her startling pink eyes gave off a deceivingly gentle appearance. Misandre’s pale, shimmery skin glowed in the dim light and her long, fiery-red hair cascaded down her back, reaching her waist. She wore well-fitted, forest-green pants, with a short matching caplet. She was not getting her hands or her clothes dirty. Not a drop of blood from the flaying had splashed onto her immaculate appearance.
“Are you planning on killing him? There is no need for us to be present for this torture porn. Please get it over with so we can discuss business.”
Misandre’s smile widened. “I haven’t decided yet if he will die.”
“Can he even survive being skinned alive? How is he even coherent?” Senna asked, her face in a disgusted frown.
“What do you think I should do, King?” Misandre asked, still gazing at Joo-won.
Joo-won looked to the man, eyes showing no pity. He had no feelings regarding the matter, in all honesty. He didn’t know the man and he had broken a contract with the Fae. Owing a favor to a Fae was never a good thing for humans. The Fae had a way of making deals and promises that weren’t always what they seemed. Joo-won had no doubt this was such a case but once the promise was made there was no going back. This man would have to face the consequences.
“Were you later able to get the four additional children, after capturing this man?” Joo-won asked.
Misandre nodded. “Of course. We had to kill a few humans to get to them but that was to be expected.” Her face showed no remorse.
“Then you received your payment. Why continue to torture this man?” He asked in a clinical voice. “Set him free or kill him. Either outcome for him will be poor. His people won’t accept him back, since they now know his role in the loss of their children and townspeople.”
Misandre tilted her head and considered Joo-won for a moment. She nodded. “Very well. You make a fair point.” She turned to the Ghoul. “Kill him.” She then turned away and walked closer to the elves.
“No!” the man croaked out before the Ghoul slashed his throat with the knife. A pool of blood poured from his neck and soon after the man sagged in his chains, dead.
Joo-won sighed and turned away, unaffected but even more ready to leave the room of death.
“Joo-won, so good to see you again,” Misandre stated.
She put her hand out to him, and Joo-won took her hand and kissed it. Misandre released a slight sigh.
“Once again, you remind me of how powerful you are,” he stated.
“And once again you remind me of how wise and handsome you are,” she replied in a breathy voice.
It was not lost on Joo-won that he had a certain effect on women. Some more than others. And even the Unseelie Queen was not strong enough to resist his charms. She had no king, as he had no queen, and it was no rumored she wished to unite their particular courts through marriage.
Although she was beautiful, and they’d had their share of intimate moments, he would not be swayed by her powers. She was dark and sadistic. Joo-won had no taste for her magic or behavior. He could barely tolerate the position he was in now with the original soulmates. If he was going to war, he’d much prefer it be because he had no choice, not because he’d aligned himself with those greedily seeking to destroy and control light or dark Fae. He was no pacifist but he was also no war-monger. Until now.
Joo-won let go of Misandre’s hand and she seemed almost disappointed.
The door opened behind them and the two guards reappeared.
“Let’s go to my study. Guards, clean this mess up. Return him to his town,” Misandre ordered moving to the door.
“My dogs will be sad they didn’t get more of a treat,” The Ghoul stated, turning to them.
His real name was Lorenzo but everyone referred to him as The Ghoul. He was, after all, the only ghoul around the Fae. Any others would be a threat, dying to taste the flesh of such rare beings.
Lorenzo looked at Senna with longing. His coal-black eyes, exposing no white. He was muscular in build, with short, wavy, black hair and tanned skin. He had been born in the human world, specifically Brazil, but that’d been over one hundred and fifty years ago. He looked, however, no older than his thirties.
Senna rolled her eyes and looked away from him.
Misandre paused. “Fine, you may take his legs and arms. Send the rest of him home as a warning to his people not to betray us again.”
The Ghoul’s smile grew as he walked to join them.
Once the group arrived in the study and took seats around a large circular oak desk, Joo-won spoke again.
“So, why did you want to meet with us?” Joo-won asked.
“The soulmates,” Misandre exclaimed. Her pink eyes grew rage fueled.
“Which ones?” Joo-won asked with a lazy smile.
“Are you mad, Elf?” The Ghoul spat. “You know the queen is referring to those newly-made soulmates.”
“You will refer to him as Elven King or King Joo-won!” Yuri shouted, leaning in to the table towards the Ghoul.
The Ghoul smiled, baring razor-sharp teeth. “Make me.”
Yuri jumped up and Joo-won shot his arm out in front of him. Yuri looked down at the arm and slowly sat down.
“Aww, too bad, I would have loved to taste some elven flesh,” the Ghoul sneered.
“And I would have loved to turn you into an ice sculpture and smash you into a million tiny pieces, you scavenger,” Yuri shot back.
“Children! This is uncivilized. We should not be fighting each other,” Misandre chided them. “There are other enemies we must focus on. Anyway, our progress against these new soulmates is slow. There is internal turmoil between the two but not enough to destroy each other. We had hopes. We should attack them now.”
Joo-won sighed. “The originals are not ready. They have a plan. Let’s stick to it. I’d like not to incur their wrath.”
“Then we must dispose of the new soulmate supporters. One by one, if we have to. I’ve heard word of a special Six that surround the new soulmates.”
Joo-won sat back in his chair. “Yes, I’ve gotten word of such a thing. Rare. If the new soulmates have such a grouping, they would be more challenging to defeat.”
“What is this special Six?” Senna asked.
“Magic beings who are brought together for a specific purpose,” Yuri replied.
“Brought together by who?”
“Fate.”
Lorenzo scoffed. “You melodramatic elves. Fate had nothing to do with bringing them together. Someone selected them. We don’t know who.”
“Why would someone select them?” Senna asked, eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.
“The special Six usually join to stop something that could destroy our worlds,” Joo-won explained. “In this case, I think someone believed the destroyers would be us.”
“It was those monstrous huma
ns. We have to strike now. They already have an edge with these Six,” Misandre stated.
“Who are these Six?” Lorenzo asked.
“One of them is part of the new soulmate pairing,” Misandre answered. “This is why they must be destroyed. They are young but shouldn’t be underestimated. We will have to call on Ahmed.”
Ahmed, the Jinn. As a Jinn he was supposed to be neutral, like Joo-won, but he had been human first, having lived most his life unaware of his true being. Jinns were highly difficult to capture and those from Ahmed’s bloodline, one of the most powerful of the Jinn, even more challenging to control.
However, Ahmed was so new to being paranormal, he’d allowed himself to get caught by having his lamp stolen. It was Joo-won’s people who had procured the lamp. Since that knowledge came to light, the two now had a rather…tense relationship. Now the Jinn was entrapped into doing the bidding of the original soulmates. However, Joo-won didn’t trust Ahmed would do anything for them to his fullest ability.
“You’re assuming he will try his best to capture them,” Joo-won stated.
“If he turns on us, he will be dealt with,” Misandre spat. “If I could just kill them all!” She slapped the table with the palm of her hand. “They are as irritating as flies.”
Joo-won tilted his head and gave her a chiding look. “Be still, Queen.”
“How can I? We are finally in a position to put the human race under our feet, where they belong. It was humans who killed my family. They are all destructive cockroaches.”
Joo-won nodded absentmindedly. It wasn’t that he was cold. He sympathized with Misandre’s position. Villagers in her home country of Ireland, centuries ago, had captured and burned to death her two daughters, assuming they were witches. She’d retaliated by killing the entire village. Yet still, that was not enough. Since then, the fairy had made it her only focus to terrorize humans and grow in power.
Joo-won sighed. “Be that as it may, Queen, the originals don’t want the soulmates dead. They want them to submit and become followers. That’s where their particular power stems.”
“There can’t be two soulmate parings at once Elven…King,” Lorenzo choked out the last word.
“They aren’t planning to keep them as soulmates,” Joo-won replied with a dismissive wave towards the ghoul. “The plan is to separate them but keep them alive and useful. They are already at battle with one another. Give it time.”
“What of The Six?” Yuri asked. “Should we dispose of the other five, once we know who they are?”
“Without question,” Misandre replied in a harsh voice. “If this female soulmate is protected by them that will make things more difficult. We must eliminate all threats.”
“Who are The Six, specifically?” Lorenzo asked.
“Our intel reported that the female came to Silver Spring with five other beings. A good starting assumption could be that they were The Six,” Joo-won replied, eyes narrowed in thought.
“Can we be sure?” Lorenzo asked. “Would we know when we see them?”
“The Six will give off a silver glow. Not separately, but when with at least one other, their magical auras will shift. No other magic beings give off such a glow,” Joo-won answered.
“If we capture one, the others will come and we will see for sure. They won’t allow one of theirs to perish,” Misandre stated. “What type of beings are these Six?”
“The female mate came with a succubus,” Senna spoke up. “Also, a were-jackal, her brother, who is also a mage, another fairy, and a being whose power we still can’t determine yet. But her brother was recently killed. If they are The Six, then with him gone they would no longer be a threat, correct?” She turned to the elven king with questioning eyes. Avoiding unnecessary battle would be most preferable.
Joo-won didn’t respond at first. He leaned forward on the table, rubbing his chin in thought. “Possibly. Unless the male soulmate takes his place.”
“We should kill every member! Leave no room for worry or doubt” Misandre exclaimed.
“Spare the female soulmate and this fairy,” Joo-won stated. “Bring the fairy to us, perhaps we can make her see reason. We are her kind, after all. Fairy magic is useful and rare. We can’t afford to waste such a being.”
“She might already be here,” Yuri replied.
They looked at him with surprised eyes and Yuri looked around the table before giving a lazy shrug. “What? The Fae always bring earthborn fairies to the Fae realm, so it is not always of interest. The description I received of the new fairy was very generic. Not enough to capture my interest, initially. I had planned to ask for more supporting intel after this meeting.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Joo-won asked in a tight voice.
Yuri frowned. “I did not know her significance until just now. We are only now learning of this special Six and that a fairy could be part of that group. She just arrived. Once I knew better, I was going to bring it to your attention.”
Joo-won gave him a curt nod in understanding.
“Where is she?” Misandre asked, leaning forward.
“With a Seelie court. The Seelie court of Queen Arwa.”
Misandre gave a smile that failed to reach her eyes. “Perhaps we should make a visit to Arwa while our truce still holds.”
“And do what?” Senna asked. “If she is under Arwa’s protection, she can’t be harmed. Doing so will cause a war.”
“We can make things look accidental. She is a new fairy after all. She’s not as strong,” Misandre replied in a flippant tone.
“Is she pretty?” Joo-won asked Yuri.
Yuri adjusted uncomfortably in his seat. He looked over to Senna then looked away quickly. “I was told she is attractive.”
Joo-won smiled. “Perhaps we can convince her to join us,” Joo-won countered.
“And how, pray tell, would you get her to betray her friends?” Misandre questioned.
Joo-won gave an arrogant smile. “She’s already chosen to leave her friends by coming here. Right when one of The Six was killed. She might not be as close to them as we think. Allow me to talk to her. Get to know her. We may not get her to join an Unseelie court but perhaps she could join my court. If she stays with Arwa, she will still be a threat. I would be the least offensive alternative.”
Misandre tilted her head back and gave a disapproving glare. “You plan to seduce her?” she surmised.
Joo-won sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, giving her his best playboy smile.
Misandre narrowed her eyes. “We don’t have time for such foolishness. We kidnap and torture her until she comes to our side. And if she doesn’t, we kill her.”
“That sounds…messy. Why would we waste a pretty face for that? I like my plan better.”
Misandre leaned in. “I don’t,” she sneered. “You, of all people, should want the power that she has. It’d be a waste just to keep her alive.”
Joo-won’s smile widened, unbothered by her words. He had clear reasons for wanting to grab on to power where he could, but he would decide where that came from and to whom he’d share his predicament with. It definitely wouldn’t be with The Ghoul. “Let’s make a deal. Give me three weeks to convert her.” He wiggled three fingers in the air. “If I fail, then we go with your plan.”
Misandre leaned back in her seat. “Three weeks. Are you so arrogant to believe that is all that you need?”
A twinkle grew in his alien eyes. “Yes, yes, I am. So, do we have a deal?”
Misandre huffed. “Fine. I’ll humor you this once. In three weeks, I get to peel the skin off the new fairy.”
Chapter 4
“What?” Lisa cried. “What do you mean he’s alive? I just came from a morgue where I saw his body dead on a cold table. It’s not possible.”
“Well, he’s not quite alive yet. He will be. Before he was killed, he drank vampire blood. You all did, unknowingly,” Arwa explained. “Mae, the seer in your town, foresaw the death of one of The Six. T
o avoid permanent death, she insured your lives by fortifying you with vampire blood, thus allowing you to become almost immortal.”
Lisa shook her head. “I never drank vampire blood. I would have tasted it.”
“Mae is very clever in how she hid it and when she did it.”
“How does drinking vampire blood save us?”
“Drinking the blood of a vampire before you die will, in most cases, turn you into a vampire if you should die a mortal death like your Charles. Of course, you must drink it within a certain window of time for this to occur. Usually, that window is seven to nine days from drinking the blood. You die your mortal death and within a few days, you should awaken as a vampire. You would still maintain the powers you had prior if you were paranormal and, in essence, become a hybrid.”
“So, you suspect Charles will become some type of vampire tech mage?”
Arwa nodded.
“Why wouldn’t Mae tell us she was doing this?”
“May I explain?” Bella spoke up, putting her cup of tea down on the crystal-like coffee table.
“Please,” Arwa replied with a slight nod.
“If Mae shared her plans, you would have resisted it. Our seers saw that The Six did not want to become vampires. Made-vampire are different from the paranormal shift vampires. They don’t need to eat, can’t procreate, are more susceptible to burning in the sun and going blood lust. I went to your world and spoke with Mae, telling her that this was the only way. She’d seen a death of one of you but not which. However, we knew who it would be and we knew that Charles would not want to become a vampire. If Charles died, if any of The Six died, before they could fulfill their purpose, both our worlds would be doomed.”
Lisa sat back in her plush chair, not feeling comforted by the velvet fabric. Instead, she was annoyed and confused. “Why didn’t you come see me then? If you knew it was Charles maybe we could have taken him here to protect him so he wouldn’t have to become a vampire at all!”
