Bittersweet (23 page)

 

 

Like stepping through a doorway leading from the tropics to the arctic, we were in Noctria. The shimmer of magic we'd passed through was no longer visible behind us. Everything around us was in ruins, blanketed in snow. Gentle flakes drifted to the ground landing silently over us. The place was empty, not a sight or sound for as far as we could see or hear. Nothing but snow. And more snow. And cold silent winds, to amplify the barren deep freeze of this land.

My nose and cheeks grew numb with cold. We'd been walking for a time when Zanthiel spotted something in the distance. A small stone house nestled in a gorge, with thick red smoke rising from the chimney.

Zanthiel led me down the winding snow covered path. It reminded me of my last trip to Noctria, except, of course, it was far more breathtaking this time. The trees were like crystal glass, decorated with icicle prisms throwing a multi-tonal spectrum of hues through the glowing mist.

Cold swirled around my feet, numbing my toes. It smelled like frozen herbs, the way they did after a fall harvest when Gran used to freeze dry some of the excess stock for emulsions. The pungent scent somehow sharper in the frosty air.

When we arrived at the house, I felt it before I saw it. Something wasn't right. It was all too familiar. Too cozy and idyllic to be what it seemed. The door was ajar and footprints led away from it. Zanthiel examined them. “Three sets,” he said quietly. “It appears they are not at home.”

“But someone is.” I could feel it. I moved toward the door, desperate for the heat wafting from the small opening. I almost didn't care what we'd find inside. There was a fire and warmth on the other side. Once inside, I discovered the reason for my apprehension. In the far corner of the room, chained to a wall was Tilak, the dwarf who had saved my hide more than once in Mythlandria. I darted toward him but Zanthiel held me back.

Three ancient women stepped out from the massive fire hearth. The flames covering their body slowly extinguished, leaving no trace of burns or pain. Their protruding heads were nearly bald, holding only a few strands of shoulder-length hair. The scalp surrounding was covered in weeping blisters and boils. The stench of decay pierced my nostrils and I held my breath to inhale as little of it as possible.

I swallowed, my gaze darting from the dwarf to the witches and back.

The witches huddled close together, with empty eyes and hollow souls. Each one more horrifying than the next, their translucent skin drawn too tightly across their bony frames, and eyes bulging rimmed with red, and striped with veins. One held a handful of stones. Each with a different marking etched into its surface. She tossed them high into the air, never taking her beady eyes from mine.

“Beansidhe witches often use runes to cast,” Zanthiel said. “It is how they determine if you are who you claim to be.”

I watched as the stones fell in slow motion, as through falling through water. They landed directly in the witch's bony hand. She read the stones, decoding whatever message they held. Then the witches exchanged hushed whispers with one another.

“What are they doing with Tilak?” I murmured to Zanthiel. He didn't respond, not that I'd expect him to. Saving lives apart from mine wasn't on his agenda. It was on mine. Tilak had helped me more than once. I don't know what caused his incarceration, but I was going to do what I could to free him.

“We beckon you, Ilyandra Alundra Sidhe Halfling,” one hissed in a voice sounding more serpent than human. I couldn't help but notice that her thin lips didn't move when she spoke. Yet I could not only hear her clearly, but I knew exactly which one was speaking to me.

“I came for answers, but I also want you to release the dwarf.”

Zanthiel rolled his eyes.

The witches hissed in unison like serpents on the attack. “Come to us, make us a trade and we shall give you what you are most seeking.”

One of them peered into a large stone basin filled with dark oily liquid. A scrying bowl, I recognized it from Abby's garage. They were used for seeing into the future.

What I was seeking was the truth. Would they give that to me? I had my doubts. Witches here were not known for their honesty. It was their merciless greed for torture and mayhem that preceded them. Like Oc
tãhvia
, they were dangerous, but I had to keep reminding myself that I was more so.

Refusing to back down, I moved forward. “I have no intention of giving you anything in this trade. You will let the dwarf go free. Or you will regret it.”

Another witch with more scars than leathery skin sidled up to the first. “She's brash.” She scowled at me. “We must kill her.”

“Hush,” the first said, keeping its beady eyes trained on me.

I refused to look back at Tilak, knowing how much pain he was in. Time was of the essence and it was critical I remained focused.

The tall slender witch inched toward me, her teeth bared, ready to take a bite. With a quick breath, I raised my hands and chanted. I can't say that I even knew what I was chanting, the words just flowed on their own. Faster than ever before the energy built, filling me with a cold that shot from my core through my hands and straight into the witch. She reeled backward, impaled on the end of a wooden post protruding from the fire mantle. I winced in horror as she crumpled to the ground. Then as the life left her body, I clapped my hands over my mouth. Oh no.

The first witch's eyes grew wide. “Una Electa. You truly are she.”

“I am,” I said. My voice quivered. “And unless you want the same fate...” I lifted my hand, having no idea if I could pull that off again and hoping that she'd just back down so no one else got hurt. My heart pounded in my chest. I'd just killed another witch, and it bothered me that I didn't feel as ill or traumatized as I used to. I should have felt awful, but what I felt mostly was intense relief. This was over. The last witch was already rushing for her skeleton key to free Tilak. We could finally move forward, find Hawthrin. One step closer to the end.

“My queen.” Tilak came forward, shoving past the haggard witch who freed him. He offered a deep bow. The bruises on his cheeks were nearly hidden beneath his beard, but when he rose I could clearly see the slashes they'd cut into his face.

“Kinda more fugitive than queen really,” I said, drawing him into a tight hug. He smelled like tobacco and fire and pine trees. “You have no idea how good it is to see you.”

He cleared his throat gruffly. “Ah lassie, ye always did have a knack for the overdramatic. Hasn't been that long. Yet I see much has changed indeed.” He eyed Zanthiel without further comment.

The Shadow faerie put away his sword and stalked toward the door to check outside. Then he returned to heap another of the witches' bodies onto the raging fire.

“He's helping me,” I whispered to Tilak when I was sure Zanthiel was out of earshot. “It's a long story, but we can trust him.”

“I can see that. If he's to guide you to your father, then I suppose it's good ye trust him to help you.”

I sighed. Word really did travel fast considering the lack of social media.

The last remaining witch came forward, her keen gaze sizing up our reunion. “If it's answers you came for, ‘tis best you not leave without them,” she said. Her body hunched over the scrying bowl, which began to churn violently. Small waves rippled across its surface, and yet not a drop spilled out.

“You are here for many purposes. None of which will find success. It is your desire to find freedom and to gift it to another. All you will find is death.”

I noticed Zanthiel straighten at her words. “I see it here. So clearly.” She pointed when she saw the look of doubt on my face. “Come, see for yourself.”

Zanthiel strode to the scrying bowl to peer inside.

“You will be hunted. You will be found. You will be killed. Before the veil is sealed, your soulless body will be returned to your homeland to rest in eternal purgatory,” the witch said.

Bleak.

“Ay lass, do not heed a word she says. These witches are a crafty lot. Can't be trusted,” Tilak grunted.

“Unfortunately, in this they can,” Zanthiel said. “And because of this you are leaving.”

I spun to face him. “I'm sorry,
what
?”

“Leaving. You. Now,” he repeated stonily. Striding toward me, he took me by the arm. I wrestled to get free, but his hold was steel.

“There are riders coming for you even now as you stand. They will find you. And you will die,” the witch continued her prediction.

“Yes, I heard you the first time,” I snapped. “Zanthiel, you can't let her scare you. I'm not going to die. And I'm not leaving. Not before I do what I came here to do.”

But he was resolute. “You are leaving now. I will ride out to hold them back. Dwarf. You must take her to the veil before it is too late. Unless you want her death upon your conscience, you will do this.”

Tilak frowned. He wasn't afraid of Zanthiel, but he blanched at the comment.

“Tilak.” I shook my head as Zanthiel handed me over to the Dwarf. “You don't have to listen to him,” I said.

But I was outnumbered. The whistling of flaming arrows pierced the wall and we dove to the ground for cover.

“I can cast a cloaking spell, but it will hide you only for a short time,” the witch said from behind her cauldron.

I didn't have a chance to ask why she was suddenly willing to help us before Zanthiel gave her the go ahead to cast the spell.

Tilak grabbed hold of my hand as the witch encased us in the fiery red smoke.

When it cleared, we were in the Wyldes of Faery and neither Zanthiel, nor the witch, nor the snowy landscapes of Noctria were in sight.

I paced back and forth while the Dwarf listened to my pleas. “Tilak, you saw what I was able to do. I'm powerful. All I need is a little more coaching to learn to control it better.”

He looked skeptical, but he hadn't shoved me though an invisible one-way door back to my world, so I kept talking. “I can do what I came here to do, to keep the people I love safe. My healing powers are failing. I'm a danger to everyone in my world right now. My father can help. Please just help me find the Summer Court of Faery and I promise you everything will be fine.”

He stroked his beard, his furrowed brows drawn tight as he considered it. Finally, he heaved an exasperated sigh. “Aye Lassie. Agreed. The knight will have me head if anything happens to you, so you best be right about this.”

“Nothing will happen to me.” I smiled and kissed the top of his head.

He blushed ferociously but grunted in reply. “I s'pose the Summer queen won't let any harm come to you,” he said.

“Thank you, Tilak.” I exhaled a sigh of relief. “There's still time to fix things and get back home before it's too late.” I was getting good at sounding more confident than I felt.

“I hope yer right or it's me head on a pike.” He gestured toward a path through the thorny bramble. “This'll lead to the Summer Court.”

“Once this is taken care of, I have to find Venus. It's probably safer if I return to Noctria alone. Zanthiel doesn't need to know.”

“Well, you'll not find her back in Noctria, dear girl. They're in Mythlandria.”

I stopped walking. “They. You mean Adrius took Venus back to the castle with him.” I could hardly spit out the words. She'd already won favor with his father King Etienne for turning me in. I guess their union, though not real, had already been accepted. I gave Tilak a determined look. “Then that's where I need to go next.”

“Of course it is. But I dare say not likely for the reasons it ought to be. And certainly not without yer magic in top form.”

“Tilak, you're not obligated to—”

“Too late for that lassie, I'm coming with you,” he said. “Our fates are intertwined now.”

I smiled a little. It was impossible not to.

If Adrius was letting Venus stay with him at the Citadel then it was even more imperative that I find a way to break the binding curse enslaving him to her. Should anything happen to his father, Adrius would be crowned Mythlandria's king, but it would be Venus, as its queen, who ruled them all.

 

 

Summer Court of the Seelie fey was exactly as I remembered. Balmy, sparkly and filled with deadly trance-inducing flora. Steering clear of the poppy fields, we'd made our way to Amaryllis, the Summer fey who'd trained me, unsuccessfully the first time, to use my powers. Tilak left to find more information about the witches and their predictions, trusting the Summer fey to keep me safe.

It was quiet in the cottage, except for the occasional breeze stirring the wind chimes and knocking the screen door against the frame. I sat on a toadstool chair, close to a roaring fire. It was my third day in Faery and we'd spent most of the time trying to get my powers to activate on command. Today, however, she was undertaking a different task.

“Now, give it a quick stir,” Amaryllis said. Her delicate fingers hovered above a long reed whisking around a wooden bowl on its own. I was trying to listen, but it was difficult to concentrate in this heat. It made my head fuzzy. Or it could have been the candy she'd been feeding me all morning.

“And then you need to pour it into a mold in order to get the leaf shape,” she prattled.

I nodded absently. I'd become far more apt at devouring faerie food without the nasty side effects than my first time in Faery, when I'd fallen into a dizzy spin of wild colors and hallucinations. According to Adrius, I even tried to take my clothes off. He'd teased me about it for days.

Adrius
.

Where was he? With Venus, having a wonderful life together? It was hard to imagine, but that might have been because I didn't want to.

“
Aaaand
, I'm boring you to tears, aren't I?” Amaryllis said.

I snapped back to the present, clearing my throat. “Uhm, no, not at all. You were saying something about leaves.” It was the most unconvincing lie ever told.

She smiled, sharing the same thought.

“Sorry, it's just, I was thinking.”

“About Adrius?”

I looked away, focusing on something moving in the distance. A bird perhaps, though much larger and more vibrant than anything in the human world. Post-prehistoric times, that is.

“I know how in love the two of you were. I don't believe a love like that could possibly vanish.” She snapped two delicate fingers together, and it sounded like the ring of a tiny bell.

I shrugged, forcing back the drops of moisture pooling in the corners of my eyes. I'd cried enough tears back home. It's true, the last time Adrius and I were here, we were together, and it would have been impossible to miss how in love we were. Now... I inhaled deeply. “That was then. Things are different now.”

Her glistening wings fluttered behind her. “Hmmm. So you say, but your aura tells another story entirely.”

I met her violet gaze again. “My aura? What does it say?”

“That you still love him. And you wish to find him, and free him. That is the real reason for your return, is it not?” She gave a smug grin.

I was speechless. How could invisible colors of light energy surrounding my body say so much?

“If you were not still interested in freeing him, what else keeps you here when the doorway to your home could seal shut at any moment?”

“There's so much more to it than that. I want to see him, but not for the reasons you think. I can't leave until I do. Once I know how to break the curse, I need to see...” I trailed off. It sounded stupid.

“If he still
wants
it broken?” Amaryllis giggled.

My eyes narrowed. “You find this amusing somehow?” Not surprising. Faeries found humor in even the darkest situations.

“Yes,” she said through deepening chuckles. “You're still a silly human under all of that power. But of course he still wants his freedom. Why would he not?”

Shrug. “I knew how much having it meant to him, but if he was in love with her again then who knows, maybe he's changed his mind.”

And with that she burst into full blown laughter, falling backwards on to the couch, clutching her middle.

I shook my head and tried to decode her laughing fit. “So… you're saying I should try? That there's a chance he still might want—”

“You,” she finished my sentence.

“I was going to say his freedom.” The hope that he still might want me was too painful to consider. How could he, after everything? We had no future. Never really did. They would never let us rest, and even if the spell worked and the veil remained open, we would still be faced with the same issues. He couldn't survive in my world without Hawthrin's potions to keep his lungs from becoming polluted. And I would be forever on the run here in his world. Even my little hideaway in Faery wouldn't stay secret for long. The king had spies everywhere and the bounty on my head was high. And yet still, I couldn't bring myself to leave without knowing for sure.

Amaryllis straightened. “Whatever your true reasons for coming, if you are doing this you must be quick. The elders have predicted there is little time left before the veil is sealed completely and you become trapped here. Eternally. And believe me,” her face shifted to a serious expression, “forever is a long time to run from those who hunt you.”

I stared at the mossy covered floor. Tiny flowers sprouted around the edge, like a decorative border. “Venus had no trouble using her powers in my world. I figured once I returned here…” I shrugged a shoulder. “I don't know, I guess I assumed mine would work too.” I looked up at her. “Why do you think they aren't?”

“There's a reason you couldn't conjure your magic in your world. It was too hard to summon the control and energy needed. You were still relying solely on your magic from our world. When you used your grandmother's magic, you had more success, yes?”

I nodded. All of the spells I'd tried from Gran's grimoire had worked.

“You need to unite the two. Use both sides of your magic and do not fear them. In the Nevermore, you are linked to that energy force. It feeds your gifts and flows to you freely. The more time you spend here, the stronger they will become. Venus has had much more time to practice her powers. She's stronger in your world. But you are stronger than she is in this world. In fact, you are stronger than most.”

“It didn't feel like I was stronger when she was torturing the people I love.”

Amaryllis wrinkled her delicate nose. “What did she do to them?”

"You could say she derives a curious amusement from lighting things afire."

“Things?” she frowned.

“Yes. You know. Like cars. Trees. People.”

"Ahh. I see." She looked horrified.

I sighed. “What about my healing gifts?”

She looked unsure. “They may work here, if you strengthen your powers. But they'll not likely work in your world. Not unless you dampen the darkness interfering with them. That is something only your father can help you with. King Oberon is gifted in the healing arts and you share his bloodline. There must be a way he can reverse whatever is poisoning them.”

“Now I just have to find him. Any suggestions? A magic portal that will land me directly on his doorstep?” Unless I could use magic it would be too dangerous to travel the old-fashioned way.

“There are always shortcuts from Faery to everywhere else. However, you'll find the palace gates more heavily guarded than before. Take caution, and remember who you are. Your dark magic will serve you well against the forces that seek to oppose you.”

I was still upset that Zanthiel had refused to go with me. He'd sent me on my way back to the human realm. Probably figured I was safely tucked on the other side by now, doing something mundane like math homework or vocal practice, instead of setting out on a potentially fatal rescue mission to free a prince I no longer had any claim to. “I came to Faery for two things. To find my father and to figure out what's wrong with me. I'm not leaving until I've accomplished them.”

“No you didn't.” Amaryllis hopped off her seat and wandered through the open door to the gardens, a labyrinth of hedges that changed size and position regularly. “You came for more than that and you know it. You want to know who is behind the spell sealing the veil against the will of the high order of wizards. And you want to break the curse binding Adrius to Venus. It's fine to admit you want those things, Lorelei. I want them for you too. None of us wish to see you with,” she looked over her shoulder, then lowered her voice, “the dark one.” She sat on the center of a sunflower which effortlessly held her weight.

I followed her, laughing. “You know, you can use his name, Amaryllis. It's not as if saying it aloud once will call him to you.”

“Won't it?”

We both jumped at Zanthiel's voice.

Amaryllis cringed and her shoulders curled inward. I thought she'd shrivel into herself completely if she could.

I put my hand on her forearm to reassure her. Then I gave Zanthiel a warning look.

“You know, a civilized being would make his presence known and not eavesdrop on a lady's private conversation.”

He gave a half-smile. “We both know I'm not a civilized being. And if I wanted to know what was going on inside your head, I would listen for myself. In fact, I already have so you could say I'm all caught up.”

I felt my face warm, but I couldn't figure out why. Not like I'd been thinking romantic thoughts about him. Quite the opposite. Yet, something about being reminded of our intimate connection made me worry about thoughts I'd had when I wasn't paying attention.

“If the next thing you say is that I'm not a real lady, I'll have to smack you.”

He laughed.

Amaryllis watched us closely. I could see the wheels turning in her mind.

“You are obscenely energetic, considering you kept me awake all night,” he said darkly.

From the corner of my eye I saw Amaryllis's jaw mouth fall open, her eyes wide and full of shock.

I fought back a smile. “If I recall, it was you keeping me awake,” I said, barely able to contain my own laughter.

“You started it.”

“You finished it.”

By then Amaryllis's expression had become too much and I burst out laughing. The confused look on her face only made me laugh harder.

She frowned. “So you two are... or are not... Never mind,” she said, hopping down from her sunflower. “I have some things to attend to for Titania.” She glanced back at us once more before she flittered away into the twilight ethers.

“That was fun.” I had almost recovered from my giggle fit.

He nodded. “Fun is over now. I thought you'd returned to your world. And yet I find you here. On the brink of another catastrophic idea.”

“I'm not a child. And I know what I'm doing.”

“Do you? Because your actions state otherwise.”

“I have powers, Zanthiel. They grow stronger with every second I'm back in the Nevermore, I feel it.”

“And are you willing to use them to do what needs be done? Are you willing to take a life to save your own?”

I swallowed, and blinked twice. Was I?

He laughed darkly, knowing my answer. “We both know that you are not. And there is the tragic fault in your plan. Those who reside in this realm are more than willing to end your life for the king's bounty. Some for mere sport.”

“There has to be a way around it,” I insisted. “I'm supposed to be here according to a prophecy in place for eons. How could one haggard old witch's prediction possibly derail that?”

“Even you know that fates can change.”

“You're right, they can. Including the one the Beansidhe saw.”

“Stubborn until the bitter end.”

I crossed my arms. “You were the one who bailed. Not me.”

“I won't let you sacrifice yourself.”

I was prepared to argue, all night if I had to, but a piercing howl interrupted us.

“What was that?” I turned to see a dark yellow cloud against the azure sky, moving quickly toward us. Too quickly. Against the wind.

“This is not good,” he muttered. Then he cursed and grabbed hold of my hand. “Run, Lorelei. And whatever you do, do not look back.”

We raced faster and faster, against the wind, as the cloud enveloped us. The air choked out of my lungs. Coughing and sputtering, I fell to the ground. My knees ground into the dirt, my legs refused to stand. Zanthiel picked me up in his arms, and ran with me, but it was not for long before he fell to the ground as the thick yellow cloud suffocated us. I gasped, my eyes bulging, threatening to burst from their sockets. Laying on the ground I took one last gasp, as the toxic cloud flooded my lungs, and my last conscious breath escaped my chest.