by Eric Asher
“It’ll be fine,” Frank said.
Park nodded.
“I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true,” Frank said. “Eventually you’ll learn to trust this bunch as much as I do.”
“They’ve saved your life before,” Park said.
“They’ve saved yours, too,” Frank said.
Park gave one sharp nod, and we started up the block, closing on the hospital in relative silence.
CHAPTER THREE
“Aideen,” Frank said. “Why don’t you stay with me? They’re going to be watching Damian more than anyone. You’ll be less likely to be noticed with me.”
“You are right, Frank,” Aideen said. I felt her pat my neck as if she was consoling a loved pet before leaving him at the kennel. She pushed off and landed on Frank’s shoulder. Not only had Frank been right, but Aideen’s black and white wings almost vanished against the busy pattern of his Hawaiian shirt.
“Oh, Frank,” Aideen said, disgust clear in her voice. “You’re sweating like a Burning Lands troll in a furnace.”
“What does that mean?” Park asked.
“Some things you’re better off not knowing,” I said.
“How did you survive being a criminal if stress makes you sweat?” Aideen asked.
“By getting other people killed,” Frank said, his voice solemn.
“I am sorry,” Aideen said. “I did not mean to bring up bad memories.”
Frank dismissed the thought with a small wave as we followed Park up to the receptionist’s desk.
Park leaned forward, crossing his arms and taking a casual pose. “We’re here to see Lincoln.”
“Sure thing,” the receptionist said. “We had to move Ms. Lincoln. I’m afraid she took a turn for the worse. You’ll find her in the ICU. Keep it brief.”
Park tensed, and only responded with a nod. He led us through the halls of the hospital as though he’d been to the ICU more than once. I suspected, with what he’d told us about the casualties in the past, that was exactly the case.
“If she’s on a ventilator,” Frank said, “she’s not going to be able to talk to us.”
“I know,” Park said. “If she was in that bad of shape, they wouldn’t let us in. We can use a whiteboard if we need to. She still has one good arm. And if we lose her, we don’t have anything to go on.”
If it weren’t for the tremor in Park’s voice, I would’ve thought he was being cold. But he was worried. This was his friend. This wasn’t a nameless soldier, a statistic to be run across the six o’clock news.
I didn’t have to ask whether or not we were getting close to the ICU. I wouldn’t have been able to block out the ghosts if I wanted. At least not without closing down all my other senses. And that seemed like a really stupid thing to do right then. Even without trying to focus, gray and black wisps crept into the edges of my vision. The weight of the dead grew into a crushing presence.
I hated hospitals.
Park turned the corner and nodded to an MP before slipping into the room the soldier guarded. The ICU wasn’t all that different from any other ward in the hospital, other than perhaps having additional space for more machines, and much more strict criteria for visitors. I doubted we’d be waltzing in if Park wasn’t with us. Park lifted the paper chart hanging off the end of the bed, an anachronistic sight in what was otherwise a cutting-edge facility. He cursed and turned his attention to the broken woman on the bed.
“She’s dying,” Aideen said, ignoring the chart. “Close the blinds.”
“I didn’t bring you here for that,” Park said.
“I cannot heal her completely,” Aideen said. “It would kill me to do so. But I may be able to give her a chance.”
Park ran his hand through his hair, cursing under his breath. “Casper hates magic. I can’t do that to her without her permission.”
“Then we’ll do it without yours,” Aideen said. “Damian, restrain him if it comes to that.”
“Aideen,” I said, some part of me thinking that I should be the voice of reason here, and the other part of me thinking that speaking out against Aideen at this point would be the exact opposite of reason.
Frank closed the blinds, sending the room into an eerily lit darkness. Aideen exploded into her full-size form, showering fairy dust across the room, and the suddenness of it sent Park stumbling back a step.
“Oh god,” I said. “Warning next—” I didn’t finish my sentence before a huge sneeze almost gave me whiplash. I blinked tears out of my eyes and fought off another sneeze.
Aideen gently laid her hands on Casper’s upper arm. It was one of the few areas of pale flesh that wasn’t covered in bandages. The fairy moved delicately, careful not to disturb the hoses and wires and God knew what else coming out of Casper’s body.
“Socius Sanation.” Those were Aideen’s only words. The room felt as if it had been lit from inside by a brilliant white sun. Seconds passed. Twenty. Forty. We were closing on a minute when Aideen’s wings started shaking.
“Stop,” I said. “We’re not losing you to save her. You need to stop.”
Still, she continued. A few more seconds, and the sun abruptly went out.
“You don’t understand,” Aideen whispered, slouching against the bed, her head hung low. “She was in so much pain. I couldn’t leave her like that.”
A burned stretch of flesh on Casper’s forehead crinkled and fell away.
“What in the hell?” Park said.
“She’s better,” Frank said. And before he finished talking, Casper clenched her fists.
“Casper?” Park said.
Pale white eyelids fluttered and then opened wide, bright green eyes flashing between me and Park and Frank before finally settling on Aideen. Casper flinched away from the exhausted fairy leaning on her bed.
Aideen struggled to her feet and leaned slightly against my arm.
“Welcome back,” Park said.
“What have you done?” Casper whispered in a hoarse voice.
Park frowned at Casper and followed her gaze back to Aideen. “She means you no harm.” Park gently laid a hand on Casper’s wrapped shin. Casper looked down at her leg, eyeing Park’s hand, and staring at it in something like confusion.
“She means you no harm,” Park said again.
“No devil will take my soul.” Casper stared at Aideen. “You may have taken my brother, but you will not have me.”
Casper’s accent wasn’t thick, but it was there, so Aideen’s next words didn’t strike me as any great surprise. “You are of the old blood.”
“The what?” Casper asked.
“From our homeland,” Aideen said, placing a hand over her heart.
“Casper,” Park said. “Please. You would’ve died.
“Did she tell you that?” Casper asked. “You cannot trust a fairy. All they are is lies.”
Aideen stiffened against my arm.
“You have it all wrong,” Frank said. “Not all fairies are bad. Some of the ones you see on the news, like Nudd and Hern? Oh yeah, they’re bad. But what about the fairies that are fighting them? There are fairies standing against them to protect the humans.”
Frank’s words grew more passionate, more fiery. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, or if it was exactly what we didn’t need at that time. “There are things in this world we don’t understand, things people think are just stories. Some of them are more than that.”
“He’s right,” Park said. “She didn’t have to heal you. She could’ve let you die, and I would’ve been none the wiser. She could’ve killed you, for that matter, and I would’ve been none the wiser. These people saved me more than once, Casper. And now they’ve saved you, too.”
“And so they own you now?” Casper said.
“No,” I said. “He’s our friend.”
Casper eyed me for a moment. “I doubt that very much.”
“Your words pain me,” Aideen said. “These things you say, they are exactly why we fight the king and all he stand
s for. That, and he has killed many in my family.”
“Then tell me,” Casper said. “What do I owe you for this?”
“Information,” Aideen said, with so little hesitation that I flinched. “Tell us what you know about those who attacked you, and I will consider your debt paid in full.” Aideen shook slightly, and I wasn’t sure if it was the healing that she’d performed, or exhaustion of another sort. She leaned on me a little heavier before changing back into her smaller form and fluttering to Frank’s shoulder.
Casper didn’t seem surprised by Aideen’s transformation. I suspected that meant one of two things. She had known Fae earlier in her life and had seen one of them transform before. Or, perhaps more likely, those that attacked her unit had been very much like Aideen.
“You don’t mean to drag me into Faerie?” Casper narrowed her eyes slightly at the fairy, causing more of the burnt skin to fall away and reveal the fresh flesh beneath.
“Should you ever find yourself in Faerie,” Aideen said, “I’ll do no more than give you a tour of my home.”
“I wouldn’t really recommend that,” I said. “Every time I go there, someone tries to kill me.”
“Damian,” Park said, “That’s not helping.”
But a small laugh escaped Casper, and the tiniest hint of a smile played across her scarred lips. She took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you what I know, but there’s much more I don’t.”
“Anything could help,” Aideen said.
Casper nodded. “We were on patrol at the far end of Main Street. It wasn’t Main anymore, though. It was where it merges into that other road and goes down by the old railroad tracks.”
“By the highway?” Frank asked.
Casper started to shake her head and then winced. “No, not that far, but in that area. It was just the five of us. We’d left the Humvee on the other side of the highway, closer to the base.”
I frowned and glanced at Park, not sure what she meant by a base on the north side of the highway.
“It’s not a full-blown base,” Park said. “It’s more of a staging area. Go on.” He nodded to Casper.
“It wasn’t just the one fairy,” she said. “There was something else with them, but I couldn’t get a good look at it. It was too damn fast.” She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her brow furrowed, causing another scarred patch on her forehead to crack. The bright pink skin already looked healthier from Aideen’s healing. Casper turned her gaze to Aideen. “I swear it had a helmet and huge claws. It was one of yours, wasn’t it?”
“No,” Aideen said, her voice tired. “That was one of the dark-touched vampires. They are agents of those we fight against. You would do well not to lump all supernatural creatures in with them, especially those who would be your allies.”
“So you say,” Casper said.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Frank said. “Talk to me.” He leaned on the foot of the bed. “Talk to me.” He lowered his voice slightly, drawing Casper’s attention away from the fairy on his shoulder. “We want to help you. We have to know what happened.”
Casper glanced at Park, and then kept her focus on Frank, her gaze wandering to Aideen only once or twice. “After the … vampire picked off the back of the squad, there were only three of us left. The fairy made quick work of the lieutenant then. I didn’t see where the vampire went. I was too busy screaming in the fire that suddenly appeared all around me.”
“Fire that the fairy cast?” I asked.
“It looked like it,” Casper said, “but you can’t trust your eyes with fairies about.” Her voice rose slightly, and then trailed off as her exhaustion rivaled Aideen’s. Casper frowned. “There was one thing I noticed that was odd. When the fairy cut the lieutenant, he bled green. Green blood from a human. I figured it was some kind of magic, too.”
“Yes,” Aideen said. “Yes, it was.”
I looked at Aideen, waiting for her to indicate whether we needed more information, or if that was enough for now. She nodded once as Casper closed her eyes.
“We’re good?” Park asked.
“Yeah,” Frank said. “Let’s let her rest.”
Casper was already snoring lightly by the time we all exited the room. Park nodded to the receptionist as we passed, and we started back to the cobblestones of Main Street, Saint Charles.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Zola’s here,” I said, reading a text I must have missed while we were at the hospital. Foster gave me a nod.
“Did Casper help?” Park asked as we entered Death’s Door.
“She did,” Aideen said. “She confirmed what you’d already told us about the green blood. And she told us more; she told us the dark-touched are already here. As are Glenn’s soldiers.”
“Are you sure?” Foster asked as he glided into the room. He tilted slightly, and angled to land on Zola’s shoulder.
“It’s still speculation,” Aideen said. “But the witness we spoke to says a fairy used fire.”
“Many fairies can use fire,” Foster said, crossing his arms.
“This spell was enough to engulf a human,” Aideen said. “It was at a level of the Demon Sword.”
Foster almost growled. “They’re setting us up.”
“That’s no surprise,” Zola said. “We’ll see more consequences from Nudd’s stunt.”
“We’re already seeing more boots on the ground,” Frank said. “Tanks in Saint Charles, for fuck’s sake.”
“Yes,” Zola said. “And now those soldiers have been attacked by a power thought to be wielded only by the Demon Sword.”
“It’s brilliant,” I said. “In one ruse, he’s driven a wedge in to prevent an alliance with the commoners, and now Foster looks like a traitor to his own cause.”
“Gwynn Ap Nudd has seeded doubt,” Zola said. “All he needs to do now is let it grow.”
Park crossed his arms and took a deep breath. “A leader does not rise to power on compassion and understanding, at least not one who is a self-styled dictator.” He looked from Foster to Zola in turn. “I’ve seen warlords use similar tactics. They only need to fill people with fear of the unknown, fear of anything different. And those who the man would hurt worst, rushed to help him first.” Park looked like he wanted to spit.
Bubbles shuffled through the saloon-style doors, sniffing at the air before butting up against Park with her hip. When he didn’t pet her immediately, she bumped him harder until he had to catch himself by throwing his arms out on the counter.
“Persistent,” Park said.
“It is probably in your health’s best interest to pet her,” Aideen said. “She has been known to get … bitey.”
Park scratched the cu sith’s ruff while the rest of us watched in silence. Bubbles arched her back, smooshing Park up against the counter until the sergeant finally had to push her away to keep from being suffocated. Bubbles chuffed at him, and then slowly stalked away into the back room. Park smiled at her grumpy exit.
His smile fell when Bubbles vanished from view. “Why here? Why now?”
“Because this is a war,” Zola said. “Nudd does this to turn the commoners and the military into tools for his arsenal.”
“You’re saying that Nudd fellow … you’re saying he’s orchestrating this?”
“Yes,” Zola said. “That is exactly what Ah’m saying. Son, did you not just say your soldier saw a man bleeding green this morning?”
“Well, yes,” Park said. “But that’s different. I think. I’m not sure.” He frowned and his forehead crinkled as he turned away from the old necromancer.
“You’ve seen enough of Nudd and his people to understand this,” Zola said. “Damian, summon the water witches. You can use the disc to tell Nixie about this, but we need Alexandra or Euphemia here.”
“What do you mean to do?” Park asked.
“I mean to hunt them down,” Foster said slowly while sheathing his dagger, then slamming it back home, “and show them the true power of the Demon Swo
rd.”
It was a rare sight to see Foster use all his powers. My most vivid memory was when we found the child killer’s van years before. Foster had turned it into so much slag inside a supernova of fire.
“So,” I asked. “Did Nudd create a new Demon Sword?” I paused, wondering if that was even the right way to phrase the question. I didn’t know much about how his mantle worked.
“No,” Frank said. “Foster’s still alive, so no one else can be the Demon Sword as long as he lives.”
Aideen nodded. “Frank’s correct. It’s much like the mantle of the Sanatio. While Cara lived …”
“Aideen,” Foster said. “If Nudd has declared a new Sanatio, could he bestow the mantle of the Demon Sword on another fairy?”
Aideen shook her head. “It’s possible he has bestowed some power onto a knight, but no one may take the mantle of the Demon Sword so long as you live.”
“How did you know that?” I said, eyeing Frank.
“It was a story,” Frank said. “One Cara told us. I think we were at the cabin.” He frowned slightly, and then nodded. “Yeah, I’m positive it was at the cabin. Sam was down there with us. You might’ve been elbow deep in a chimichanga.”
“You never did listen to her very well,” Aideen said, giving me a small smile.
“We know the fairy who attacked Park’s men was not Foster,” Zola said, “but Park’s men, they may be harder to convince.”
“Can you come with me, Frank?” Park asked. “You’ve met several of my soldiers. It may help to have you by my side while I’m briefing them.”
Frank glanced between me and the fairies. “If I go now, I won’t be able to help with the hunt.”
“We can handle dark-touched vampires and an idiot fairy,” Foster said.
“Why do you say he’s an idiot?” Park asked. “He did manage to kill off one of my squads.”
“He’s an idiot,” Foster said, “because now I have to kill him.” The savage grin on Foster’s face caused Park to take a step back.
“Oh yeah,” I said, “that look will breed all kinds of trust with the military.”
