by Eric Asher
“That was a great fight,” Vicky said, weaving past Zola to stand beside me.
“You saw that, huh?”
“Everyone saw that,” Vicky said. “They seemed pretty surprised Drake lost twice.”
The fairy stiffened slightly. “The first time was on purpose.”
“So you didn’t lose to me on purpose?” I asked.
Drake gave me a sly look. “I suppose we’ll never know.”
“That’s a no,” Vicky said. “Now we all know.”
I grinned at the kid, and Drake rolled his eyes.
“Here,” Morrigan said. She pushed on a section of the wall, and it swung open as smoothly as if it was a hinged door. But I didn’t see a handle, or a way in, and as I stepped inside, I didn’t see a way out either.
A round table sat in the center of the room. What looked to be wheeled leather office chairs in varying states of decay circled the table. It looked so out of place after passing through so much stone and using a warded doorway to enter that for a moment I just stared at it. The table was ornately carved from stone. An intricate mosaic of colorful tiles decorated the top, but the old, beat-up chairs kept drawing my eye.
“That’s an … odd choice of decoration,” I said.
Morrigan dismissed my comment with a wave. “Take a seat. The only ears here are our own.” Aideen glided off Zola’s shoulder and walked to a trio of small chairs in the middle of the table. Drake frowned at the office chairs before snapping into his smaller form and following Aideen to the miniature chairs. He dragged his a little farther away from her before sitting down on the opulently carved wood.
I pulled out one of the crappy office chairs and flopped down into it. The stone floor was slightly uneven, and it made the wheels incredibly annoying. They spun back and forth before finally settling into divots.
Vicky hopped into the chair beside me, while Zola took a seat beside Morrigan across from us. The reapers nestled underneath Vicky’s feet like a pair of very bitey ottomans.
“You gave your word,” Morrigan said. “Tell us what you know.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Drake sank back in the chair, his black and white wings arcing back over the finials. “You already know Nudd has spies in your ranks.” He leaned forward. “But his spies are everywhere. They are among the water witches, and the commoners. I would not be surprised if at some point we learn there are more spies in the remnants of the Watchers.”
“We already figured most of that,” I said.
“Damian is correct,” Morrigan said. “You offer us nothing.”
Drake crossed his arms and sank back in his chair again.
I glanced at Vicky. If Drake was already going to try to clam up, maybe a switch in conversation topics could trip him up. Or at least change his mind.
“What are you doing with Vicky?” I asked.
Drake’s easy smile hardened, and a crease formed along his brow. “I already told you I did not seek her out.”
“He didn’t,” Vicky said.
“Then how in the hell did you two meet?” I asked.
Vicky looked down at her hands, and something between a purr and a growl echoed out from under the table.
“It is not my place to tell you,” Drake said. “If Vicky wishes to tell you where she found me, how we met, that is her prerogative. I will not break my word to her, no matter what you threaten me with.”
I frowned at Drake’s words. He was either being sincere, or he was once again proving himself a liar of exquisite skill.
Zola steepled her fingers together and eyed Drake. “She knows something of you. This child …”
“I’m not a child,” Vicky muttered.
Zola nodded to Vicky, but she didn’t change the term. “This child knows something of you. Something you don’t wish us to know. Why? Why put a scar in your armor for her?”
Drake’s normally calm, irritating façade turned to stone. A liar he might have been, but his poker face seemed off today.
“Our reapers were drawn together. I will speak no more of it.”
“Leave him alone,” Vicky said. “He’s not your enemy.”
An almost pained look crossed Drake’s face at her words, and Zola, gifted with the knowledge of more years than any mortal had a right to live, didn’t miss her chance.
“But he clearly is, child,” Zola said. “He withholds the knowledge of the Fae strong enough to possess another. He withholds the knowledge of who Nudd’s spies are, and every secret he holds onto puts you in more danger. Puts us in more danger. And your friends, child … your friends will die for it.” Zola pounded the flat of her hand on the table and Drake, the ancient stoic knight of the Court of Faerie, flinched.
“There are few who have the power,” Drake said. “The immortal, Geb, is one. I don’t know if Nudd has somehow brought her to his side, but she would have the strength. There are old ghosts in the Society of Flame who might have the skill.”
I exchanged a glance with Zola. The Society of Flame was supposedly a well-kept secret. The fact Drake knew about it likely meant Nudd knew, too. Maybe Koda hadn’t been too paranoid after all.
“I don’t know who Nudd has recruited,” Drake said. “But he is much like you, Vesik.”
I slowly raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean he’s assembled a network, an army of his own, of spies and allies that stretches across this country, that’s concentrated here in Falias. But the larger you grow a network like that, the more vulnerabilities become exposed. There’s always a weak link, a pliable mind.”
Drake leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, letting his hands dangle down between his legs. He glanced at Vicky and held her gaze before closing his eyes for a moment.
“So be it. Nudd has erred. He’s given trust to the forest gods and the green men. He believes they are all spies working for him, but the forest gods hold loyalty to no one.”
“Except Gaia,” I said.
“Yes,” Drake said. “But who holds Gaia’s hand? Who keeps their queen, their goddess, from being resurrected to this plane? It’s not Nudd. Not any longer.”
I sat back in my chair. “Shit.”
Drake nodded. “He earnestly believes they are loyal, but you have created chaos among the green men. Stump speaks on your behalf, he takes a mortal name, and while some of the forest gods frown upon this, and even plot the destruction of Rivercene itself, others whisper things to your allies. And more of them could.”
“You believe the forest gods could tell us who is controlling the Fae inside the military?” Morrigan asked.
“Yes,” Drake said. “Understand that if this succeeds, it will not be hard for Nudd to realize where the leak came from.”
“You can stay with me,” Vicky said.
Drake laughed, a sad smile etched across his face, and he shook his head. “I do this only for you, little one.”
“You do this for more than me. You do this for everyone who suffered. Your siblings, and the lost children who may never know different.”
I frowned at Vicky, and wondered just how much she knew about Drake.
“You honor the mantle of the Demon Sword,” Aideen said. “If what you say is true, we may yet free Foster.”
“You can free Foster at any moment,” Drake said.
“Yes,” Aideen said, “but I would prefer not to kill our allies in the process.”
“And that is why you will lose this war,” Drake said.
“Some believe it better to lose a fight than to lose everything they are,” Morrigan said.
Drake turned his head to look at Morrigan, now the old crone once more. “Not this fight. Not this war. If you lose, humanity will become little more than servants, enslaved to the King of Faerie, and victim to his every whim.”
Zola unlaced her fingers and spread her palms out on the mosaic tiles of the stone table. “That Ah cannot abide.”
“You’ve seen the worst of humanity,” Drake said. “But Nudd ha
s had far longer to perfect his insanity. He’s ruthless, and a manipulator with skills beyond any I’ve seen before.”
“We know,” Aideen said with a sigh. “He fooled Cara for years. His own wife, and in the end, he let her die.”
“To a degree,” Drake said. “The Sanatio missed many clues over the years, or chose to ignore them outright.”
“I owe her my life,” I said. “As do my family and countless others.”
“And yet …” Drake said, hesitating as he eyed Aideen. “And yet, if she had seen the signs, acknowledged them, acted on them, how many would have been spared? Would we even be sitting in the ruins of Falias right now? Upon the corpses of the commoners’ cities?”
“Not even the greatest seer could tell you that,” Morrigan said.
Drake nodded. “But it’s that uncertainty you have to live with, and for some of us, we have had to live with it for a very long time. Wondering if we could have done something different, if we could have been something different.” His gaze trailed to Vicky, and then dropped. “Go, find Appalachia’s child in your woods. He may be less dangerous if he is dying. Learn the truth for yourself.”
The old Demon Sword stood, inclined his head to Aideen, and walked toward the edge of the table. “If you need me, you know where you can find me.” He glanced at Vicky and back to me. “Keep my friend safe.”
Drake glided toward the wall opposite where we’d come in. His reaper rolled after him, trailing the shadow of the fairy. When the furball caught up, Drake touched a tiny stone. The hole in the wall opened no more than six inches by twelve. He slipped inside. The rather large ball of fur broke down into what looked like a trail of dust bunnies before filtering up into the darkness after Drake. The wall glowed, and then it appeared to be only stone once more.
Aideen turned to the Morrigan. “Was he telling the truth?”
Morrigan frowned. “If he wasn’t, I do not yet see the ploy. What would he or Nudd gain from our speaking to the forest gods?”
“He’s not lying,” Vicky said. “He doesn’t like what Nudd’s doing. Can’t you see that? He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want to gamble all of existence on a shitty alliance, to lose everything to dark magic.”
“Why wouldn’t he say that here?” Aideen asked.
“Maybe he doesn’t trust all of you. Did you ever think about that?”
I frowned at her question. “What have you been doing with him and his reaper?”
Vicky’s mouth turned into a flat line. “It’s none of your business.”
“Vicky, please,” Aideen said. “It might give us some insight into Drake. We need to know.”
“No,” she said.
“Let her be,” Zola said. “Vicky can tell us when she’s ready.” Zola stood up and walked around the table until she was behind Vicky. She laid a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. I remembered what that was like, having those old bones with that strong grip reassure me when I was in some of the darkest places of my youth.
And I realized that here, prying at Vicky, we were only making things worse for her. The kid had been through hell in the last few years. I just didn’t want to see her hurt again.
“I don’t see the harm in revisiting this at a later time,” Morrigan said. “That does not mean there will not be harm, but for now I do not see it. Go, consult with the forest gods, and perhaps they can tell us more of Nudd’s spies.”
“And if they are truly so knowing,” Zola said, “there are a few other things I’d like to ask them about.”
* * *
Morrigan opened the door, but it wasn’t an empty hall leading back to the cavern. A hooded form waited, a spear in one hand and a fist in the other.
“Do not blindly trust the word of that fairy.” Utukku pulled her hood back and looked me in the eye. “His loyalties are not yours.”
“Most people’s aren’t,” I said.
Utukku inclined her head. “But, for most, a difference in priorities will not kill you.”
“Who are you to judge?” Vicky snapped. “You don’t know him.”
I looked back into the meeting room. Anger lived on Vicky’s face, carving ridges I’d not seen before into her brow.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Utukku just doesn’t want us to shoot our own feet off. It’s a warning. Take it for what it is.”
Vicky didn’t respond, but a flush of color lingered on her face.
I turned back to Utukku. “Thank you. I’ll remember your warning, and we’ll protect ourselves the best we can. But for now, Drake’s lead is the best we have.”
“Pray it does not get you killed.” Utukku pulled her hood up over her head and exited the hall in silence.
“Utukku is upset,” Morrigan said. “More upset than I’ve seen her in ages.” The old crone became a young maiden between one blink and the next. “I only hope her words are unfounded.”
A flash of light sparked from Vicky’s hand as Jasper released a whine. “You’re wrong about him. You don’t have any idea.”
“I’ll meet you in Greenville,” I said. “Gaia can get me there without feeling like I’ve been riding the tilt-a-whirl for two days straight.”
“Damian,” Aideen said. “We left Greenville in ruins. They still haven’t finished rebuilding that park, to say nothing of the forest that was trampled by the harbinger. I don’t know that the forest god will be willing to talk to you.”
“If you speak the right words,” Morrigan said, “anyone will talk to you.”
Aideen laughed. “You have met Damian, haven’t you?”
Vicky’s face relaxed a fraction, and something closer to a smile etched its way into the stony anger on her face.
“So, you’ll meet me there?” I asked.
“No,” Aideen said. “The forest god spoke to you and you alone. And that is how you should return to him.”
The thought of facing that creature alone didn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I believe Graybeard would’ve called it a walking the plank feeling. “What about you?” I asked, turning to Zola.
“Ah’ll go with Aideen to see the innkeeper. She knows more about the green men and their ilk than anyone else Ah know.”
Morrigan started down the hall, and the rest of us followed.
“It wouldn’t hurt to consult with Stump, too,” Aideen said. “He’s one of the few green men who travel long distances. Many of them stay close to their indigenous forests, and the very nostalgia of his visits means he has more information than most.”
“If you can ever get him to just tell you,” I said.
“Yes,” Zola said, “Ah imagine that you trying to get information out of Stump is much like me having a student who could not keep his mouth shut.”
“Ouch,” Vicky said.
Jasper chittered as I followed Morrigan down the hall.
Utukku was waiting to escort us back through the cavern, which was still filled with training and sparring Fae.
“You fought well, Damian Vesik,” Utukku said. “Not nearly so clumsy as I expected. You’ve learned much in the time since we first met.”
“Yeah, I also generally try not to attack people I’ve just met anymore.”
Utukku bared her dagger-like teeth and displayed a wicked grin. “At least no one was hurt. And I have quite the story to tell about the witch queen’s necromancer.”
“Any laugh at Damian’s expense is a good laugh,” Zola said.
I grimaced at my master. We returned to the winding halls, leaving the chaos of the drilling Fae behind us. We stood at the top of the stairs that led back into the catacombs, where the dullahan dwelled in the shadows.
I rooted through my backpack and pulled out the hand of Gaia, studying the dead gray flesh for a time before making ready to walk into the Abyss. “I’ll meet you at Rivercene. You good with the Warded Ways, kid?”
Vicky nodded. “I can ride Jasper. He makes it a little … better.”
“Be safe, Damian,” Zola said. “There are things in motion
that we’ve not faced before. Remember, Gaia is their goddess, and you have traveled with her many times.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what Zola meant, until Morrigan piped up.
“Any story you have to share of Gaia will be a welcome one to the forest gods. Do not hold back. Do not fight them unless you must. It is better to run, for they are more powerful than you know.”
“Are you coming with us?” Aideen asked.
The Morrigan shook her head. “There is much to be done here. The time for the Obsidian Inn to make itself known in force may be near. We must be ready. Now go, rescue Foster and Samantha, and then tell me what you learn.”
I exchanged a nod with Aideen before wrapping my fingers into Gaia’s and stepping into the Abyss.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I didn’t think using Gaia’s hand would ever be normal exactly, but the odd sensation had become routine. My nerves weren’t on edge as the world turned to black and slowly returned to life with the twinkling of the distant stars in the darkness. Gaia’s golden motes floated in a moment later, and for a time I walked hand in hand with a goddess.
“Welcome, Damian,” Gaia said. “It is good to see you again so soon.”
“You, too. I met one of your … disciples? Followers?”
“What do you mean?” Gaia asked.
I looked down at my feet, trying to remember what the term was for the Children of Gaia. Beneath each footstep, the dark path glowed with a faint yellow light. “Appalachia. I met Appalachia.”
“That is a name I know,” Gaia said. “But it is a name one of the spirits took shortly before I was bound to serve the king.”
“They haven’t forgotten you,” I said. “The world has changed for them since you left. Humanity has overtaken much of the lands and forests they watched over while you still lived on the earth. I think you’re more of a ghost to them now, a symbol.”
Gaia walked in silence for a time. I saw a small frown cross her face for only a moment. “It has been a very long time, Damian. Even for the immortals, two millennia is a great deal of time indeed.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, the words feeling hollow.
