Winged Warriors

by Elle Casey

  I snorted. "I guess not. But how is that my fault?"

  She shrugged. "I don't have the whole story. You'll have to talk to Dardennes probably. But what I do know is that you were identified a long time ago as the Mother of the fae, and Jared saw it as his sacred duty to get you here. But he didn't count on you killing the love of his life or your presence bringing the Forsaken out of the shadows."

  "Oh, so I'm getting blamed for that too?"

  "Only by him. You know…when someone is hurting, they'll throw the blame for just about anything at the feet of the person who they decide is going to be their fall guy. Usually it's the one guy who can handle it. Or girl."

  I thought about that for a little while before I responded. "I know you really liked Jared."

  "I did. Until I realized that he had a problem."

  "You knew this about him all along?"

  "I knew he was angry. I knew he was sad. I knew he was really good at hiding those things from everyone around him."

  "But not you."

  She shook her head. "No. Not me. Because like you, I can feel the difference between a lie and the truth."

  "I never felt him lying to me."

  "Because he never did. Jared wasn't always this angry, vengeful fae you saw here tonight. The Forsaken got to him."

  That made my heart fill with dread. "You mean…they recruited him?"

  "I guess you could say that. The Forsaken can sense someone with darkness inside them. They take advantage of that weakness."

  "What weakness?"

  "The darkness." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Everyone thinks that darkness is a strength, that being angry and ready to bring the pain to those around you is somehow a sign of strength. It's not. Darkness is weak. Darkness is giving up. It's love and light that are tough. Love, light, and truth are the only things that can truly defeat anything."

  "I know this is going to sound like an insult, but I think you and Ben would have made a good couple. If he hadn't been so messed up in the power struggle, I mean. He's wise now, like you."

  "He understands now what's important. He didn't when he was fae."

  "So, how did you figure all this out? What makes you so smart when the rest of us are so clueless?" I couldn't help but smile. The me from a year ago would have slapped my face for saying something like that to Sam, of all people.

  "I'm not much of a talker, but I'm a good listener. And I watch people. I watch fae. I remember things. And whenever I was practicing casting with you and your elements, I caught glimpses of another place. Another…way. Of being, I mean."

  I nodded. I had gotten glimpses too, but Sam had taken it to a whole other level. "So what are we going to do?" I asked, feeling kind of defeated over the whole thing. "You and I know that love is the ultimate power, but if those Forsaken are as nasty as I think they are, is it going to be enough?"

  Sam shook her head no. "Not if it's just us who know it. We need the entire world to know."

  I laughed, halfway to crying. "Oh, so what you're saying is that it's impossible. We're doomed."

  "Not really."

  "Are you kidding? You think we can get the entire world to love one another in a single night?"

  Her smile was super sneaky. "I think the means is already in place. And all you have to do is show up and do your Jayne Blackthorn thing."

  I thought my heart was going to choke me, the way it jumped up into my throat. "What?" I was barely able to grunt out the word. She sounded like she had a plan, and knowing Sam and this situation, it was going to be craaazy.

  She stood and held out her hand. "Come with me."

  I put my fingers against hers. My hand was clammy and cold. Hers was warm and dry. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

  I nodded and got to my feet. "I do, Sam. You and I haven't always gotten along, but you've taught me a lot. You sacrificed so much to be here. And I know you cared a lot about Jared and you just…ended him to save me. Of course I trust you."

  "Jared is where he needs to be right now, so don't worry about him. And there's somewhere I really think you need to be right now too."

  I threw myself against her and hugged her hard. "Okay. Take me there."

  She grabbed me around the back and placed her cheek against mine. "Hang on tight."

  We disappeared from Ben's room in a flash of light.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  WE WERE IN Maggie's house, but it didn't look the same at all. The kitchen stuff was completely gone, and the entire living area was filled with high tech equipment and tables. Angels—dudes and dudettes with wings—were sitting on stools in front of banks of monitors and phones.

  "Whaaaat in the hellll is happening in heeeere?" I said, slowly turning around and around. I was obviously stuck in some alternate reality where Maggie had decided to purchase a bunch of computers and hire a posse of angels to run them. What is she doing? Running her own QVC channel? I could see crowds of people on the various monitors, stages with crazy light shows flashing all around them, and the sounds of people screaming in what I was pretty sure was happiness and excitement. Rows and rows of uniformed military personnel were gathered outside of every single one of the venues. The sounds of people talking in several foreign languages filled the air around us.

  “It’s…the concerts,” I said, totally lost. “But, I thought they weren’t happening until…”

  “The Forsaken managed to time-slip the dates and made the concerts happen sooner than originally planned. But we were waiting for them to pull something like that, and we were prepared.” Sam was obviously proud of her team’s ability to maneuver like that, and I totally understood.

  I was so very, very glad that I’d left the managing of the details of our plan to someone else, because the idea that the Forsaken could do this had never even crossed my mind.

  Sam put her hand on my back and pointed to an empty spot between two angels. "Sit there."

  The angel on the right turned around and gestured at the chair. "Sit."

  "Beau!" I yelled, rushing over to sit next to him. "How the hell are ya, man?"

  He didn't answer, and this was how I knew it was really him. He was better at looking hot than he was at talking.

  Sam came and stood behind me. "You're going to address the whole world in about a minute." She gestured at a big countdown clock on the wall.

  I felt like the ocean had suddenly filled my ears. I couldn't hear very well. "Say what?" I shouted.

  Sam raised her voice. "I said, you're going live on the air in…forty-five seconds."

  "I can't…I don't…" I looked around desperately for something that might make sense.

  The angel on my other side, who had been busy talking with his neighbor, turned to face me.

  I thought my heart was going to explode when I saw his face. "Chase! What the hell!" I threw myself at him and hugged him around the neck hard enough to strangle him.

  He patted me on the back. "Good to see you too. But you're about to be live at all these venues, so let's save the reunion for after."

  I sat back on my stool, my entire body tingling from head to toe. "I think I'm going to pass out."

  "No, you're not," Sam said, massaging my shoulders firmly from behind. She shook me pretty hard a couple times, too. “Look in the camera." She turned me in my seat so I could see my face on the monitor in front of me.

  "But…but…"

  "We don't have time for your buts," Sam said. Then she giggled.

  She. Giggled.

  I looked up at her. "You've lost your mind. You realize that, right?"

  She patted my cheek. "I'm actually having fun, if you can believe that."

  I shook my head. "No. No, I can't. Sorry. The Sam I know doesn't have fun."

  She looked over my head at the screen on the desk. "The Sam you knew wasn't in charge of determining the fate of the entire world before now. I kind of like when life gets complicated. I think I'm good at managing crazy."

  My brain started going on the fritz. I
got a headache. Then a sense of euphoria took over. I was floating. Then I was falling. Pieces of memories started to pop up. At first they seemed unrelated, but then they started to get connected. They started to make sense.

  It was like a giant puzzle had been floating around in my head in a thousand different pieces—memories of things I'd seen, heard, or done, separated by miles and miles of space and time, but they were all moving together really fast now. The edges lined up and connected, creating a framework for me to build on—the fae had been separate for too long, and they needed someone to bring them together because Darkness can only take over when Light fails to come together.

  The middle parts found each other and connected—all fae and humans must seek their own destinies, defeat their own demons, make their own choices with their own free will or there will be no value in what they do.

  Then the middle parts were floating into the center of the frame made by the edges, and connected themselves together—we all need one another to survive, and there was only one way we could come together and defeat darkness. There was only One way.

  I looked up at my cousin who was grinning hard enough that I could see every single one of her teeth—shown to me in that moment as a girl who’d been in my family for many lifetimes, and not just this one. I looked to my right and I saw Beau—revealed as my brother from another life, which explained why he was always looking out for me as my protector. And to my left was Chase—my guardian angel who had always been there for me and would always be there for me, regardless of what dimension I was living in…no matter what decisions I made, and no matter how badly I screwed up.

  "Okay," I said. "I get it." Kind of. I faced the screen and cleared my throat. I wiped the sweat off my head and smoothed my eyebrows down. On fleek, baby. "I'm ready."

  Beau pointed to the screen. "In five…four…three…two…ONE…"

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  I LEANED FORWARD to get closer to the microphone on the desk. I tapped it a few times to make sure it was working. People around the world cringed at the sound it made. They were in stadiums in eight of the biggest cities in the world. They were in train stations and airports and schools and homes everywhere. My words were being simultaneously translated into hundreds of different languages. The angels were letting me see everything so I would understand what was in play, so I wouldn't screw up too badly. I patted Chase on the hand to thank him for that little gift. Then I went back to the microphone.

  "Hi. My name is Jayne. I'm here to tell you that the entire world is in danger of falling into darkness. Lots of you showed up to listen to music today…or night. It's nighttime where some of you are. It was supposed to be awesome and fun and amazing, like nothing else you've ever seen before. Well, I guess that's true. It will be that. But not in the way you were expecting."

  I took a moment to clear my throat before continuing. "You see, there are these really bad dudes…the Forsaken…who are using this opportunity when you're all gathered together, to take us all down. They're going to try and convince you that being suspicious of other people because they don't look like you or talk like you or think like you is a good idea. They're going to convince you that hating people who are different is the way to be. I mean, heck…we're already halfway there, aren't we? We kill each other over religious differences every day. We fight over stuff that doesn't really mean anything in the long run. I mean, oil? That's just stupid! We're going to be zooming around in hovercraft ten years from now, and you're not going to need any of that crap. But whatever. I'm getting off track. I'm here to tell you some important stuff: You humans are not alone. There are fae—supernatural creatures—living among you, and they're watching out for you. Keeping you safe. But we can't do it all by ourselves. We can't keep you safe from yourselves. You need to open your eyes and see what's around you.” My tone changed to one of pleading. I could see everything so clearly now. We had made it way too easy for the Forsaken. “Stop hating everyone. Stop being mean to other people. Stop turning a blind eye to people and animals in need. We're all in this together. We are all part of one big whole. It’s not me against you, us against them, or them against us. It’s just…us. We are all One.”

  I paused, closing my eyes for a moment so I could see all those puzzle pieces in my head lining up. "Do me a favor and look around you. See who’s there with you. My fae brethren are going to reveal themselves to you so you can understand that what I'm telling you is not a joke and it's not a hoax."

  I sent out a signal through the Green and on the Wind, through Water and even in Fire, telling every fae out there that we needed to go for the big reveal. It wasn't a permanent feature for our world; our witches would remove the memory of what the humans would see today from their minds, not long after they saw what I wanted them to. But this big reveal was the only way I could imagine them ever believing my message that love was the only way to survive hate.

  A faint memory of the fae would survive in the humans’ minds, like they had in Tony's mind after he'd left our compound and the fae had erased him. These humans would know deep down inside somewhere that they mattered and that love was their only real mission in life, that they weren't alone, that they were part of something greater, something vast and magical.

  Dragons appeared in answer to my call, hovering in the air above every concert venue. Images of these great beasts were transmitted around the world. People looked up and gasped. Some screamed, but not in fear—they were amazed, blown away. Fae took the hands of humans nearby, removing their glamouring disguises so they could finally be seen for who they really were. Creatures of every shape and size imaginable appeared and showed the humans the truth—that they are nowhere near to being alone on this planet.

  I looked over at Chase, and he nodded at me, mouthing the words, "Time to wrap it up." He swirled his finger in a circle, like I imagined a TV producer would.

  I grinned. "Gotcha." I turned back to the screen. "People…listen to the music. But don't hear the hate. Ignore that message. The only thing that matters is love. We are all One." I leaned in close to the mic for my final words. "Peace, out. Like, literally. Peace, love, and happiness, you guys.”

  I pushed my stool back from the table and stood. I stretched my arms high above my head and then clapped Beau on the back. "Thanks, bro. Good sound quality." I was shaking all over. I could not believe I'd just addressed the entire freaking world.

  He gave me a thumbs-up and went back to his work.

  I turned to face Sam. She was grinning from ear to ear.

  "If you don't stop smiling at me like that, I'm going to call for a doctor."

  She held her hand up. "I'm proud of you."

  I high-fived her, but held onto her fingers. "I'm proud of us. And thank you, cousin. I know you put a protective spell over me using my mimickers, and I’m pretty sure it’s the only reason I’m alive right now.“

  She opened her mouth to answer, but the door to Maggie's house opened up and interrupted her. The old hag herself was standing there, leaning heavily on a cane. "Well…you've done it now. The Forsaken are waiting for you in the meadow."

  I exchanged impressed looks with Sam as we dropped our high-five. "That was fast."

  "Come on," she said, all traces of good humor gone from her face. "This is the last piece of the puzzle."

  I grabbed her arm. "You saw it too?"

  She nodded. "Who do you think put it together?"

  I shook my head in amazement, running out of Maggie's place right behind her.

  "I'll meet you there!" our grandmother to the tenth power called out.

  I reached for Wind and had it sweep Sam and me up, asking it to deliver us to the feet of the Forsaken. It was time to end this thing, once and for all.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  WE LANDED UNDER the tree where my mom was buried. Coincidence? I think not. At first I was offended that the Forsaken had chosen to have our final showdown there—it struck me as disrespectful. But then I was glad. After having my own
children show up and tell me what an asshole I was, it gave me a new perspective on motherhood and the complicated business of raising kids. There was way more to it than I'd ever imagined. I wanted my last moments on earth to be spent at my mother’s final resting place.

  Sam and I stood side by side, staring out into the mist that covered the ground up to our waists. There was nothing there but gloom.

  "I hope they're not snakes," I said. "They'll sneak up on us and strangle us before we even see them coming."

  "I'm pretty sure they're not snakes," Sam whispered. Her eyes were scanning left and right. It was plain to see that she didn't know any better than I did what these evil beings were going to look like.

  I pulled Earth to me, surrounding us in the purest form of power I knew. The trees whispered to me, telling me to be careful. They could not protect me from everything.

  I asked Water to join us, and a slight drizzle began, dampening our hair and clothing. It was refreshing and felt like it was washing the space around us clean. The taller flowers with faces above the mist opened, welcoming the water to their petals, leaves, and roots.

  Fire warmed our skin, turning the moisture in our clothes to steam that rose up to curl Sam's hair. The heat was just enough to keep the chill from settling in.

  And finally Wind arrived, sweeping the mist out of the meadow and leaving the grasses bare. It blew the scent of the forest to our noses, allowing me to breathe in the life force that swirled around us.

  "It's so beautiful here," Sam said.

  "Yeah."

  "I guess if we have to die, this is a good place to do it."

  I took her by the hand. "We're not going to die."

  She looked down at me. "How do you know?"

  "Because I love everyone too much to let that happen." I finally got it…what Ben and Tony and Chase and everyone else who had already seen it had been trying to tell me. We'd been fighting for the upper hand for so long, we had forgotten that it wasn't about the hand or the fist. It was about the heart. It was about our souls.