Shade walked to the living room where her sobs escaped, and she sank onto the couch. She cried for all she was losing and all that had been found in her time in Faerie. Soap placed a hand on her shoulder as he moved in front of her. Staring intently into her eyes, he told her, without words, of the need to leave. She nodded at him, and, with her last tears dripping off her chin, she got to her feet. Turning toward the door, she gave another nod, telling her friends she was ready to go.
Shade joined them as they walked out without turning around, her pack and sword securely on her back. She knew her grandmother was resting in her comfy, overstuffed chair. Shade could just feel it. She could almost see the smile playing across Lana’s face in her mind’s eye as the woman who had taught her more about herself and her magic than anyone else, closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep, one she would never again wake from.
The wind howled and the sky darkened as they made their way into the forest. The group ran down the slope and into the trees which surrounded her grandmother’s prison grounds. Shade kept pace just behind Soap as Camulus yelled for them to get to safer ground and away from the clearing. Her hot tears cooled on her cheeks as she felt the bite of the wind freeze them on her face. Andraste paused in front of them, waiting for the group to catch up as he waved frantically for them to go faster. His arms stopped mid-air as a now-horrified look froze across his face, his eyes reflecting the flickers of orange and yellow fire now burned behind them.
“Bloody hell. What’s going on now?” He yelled as the rest of the group came to a stop, catching their breaths and turning to see what was happening. Shade bent down, gasping for breath as she let her head tilt toward the house up on the slope. It now stood engulfed in a raging fire. Her eyes widened in sheer horror and disbelief.
“No! Oh please, no!” Shade stumbled forward, wanting to run back up the slope to the house. Soap grasped at her arm and pulled hard, embracing her tightly. “Let me go! She’s still up there! Let go!” Shade pulled and tugged with all her strength, but Soap was relentless.
“No, Shade. It would be suicide to return,” Soap whispered to her. “She’s gone now, to the Summerlands where she wanted to be. She’s gone.” His voice cracked in pain as she clawed at his arms. He winced but didn’t loosen his death grip on her, afraid she would run into the inferno. Shade’s sobs shook them both as she tried to control herself, blinking back the stabbing pain she felt as she watched the fire eating the house away in a tall pillar of embers and flames. The ashes spewed from the cracking wood as it collapsed. The entire forest around the house soon caught on fire as well, withered and burned. The crashes of debris sent jolts of sickening pain through her.
After a few minutes, Shade became silent and let Soap slowly loosen his grip. He was still afraid to let go completely, just in case she again decided to head toward the pyre. It lit the night sky around them, illuminating it like the city lights back home did. He pulled at her to continue. Standing at the edge of the woods, watching the mighty crackle of flames and the billowing, black smoke rose from the wreck was not safe. She dragged her feet along, letting the Changeling pull her.
Shade felt numb and weak. Her stomach twisted in a knot, and she wished to close her eyes and curl up against a tree forever. The despair clung to her, a deep and suffocating shroud, pulling her into its depths. Squeezing her eyes tightly together, she prayed for nothing but to wake from this infernal nightmare.
Chapter Fourteen
“LOOK!” SOAP YELLED out as he pulled Shade out of her reverie. She followed to where he was pointing. Her eyes widening as she stared at the scene opening before them. Molten lava was now spewing from cracks splitting the ground and spreading across the earth atop the slope.
“What’s going on?” Shade called out while wiping the last of her tears away. “Where’s that coming from?” It was Shade’s turn to grip onto Soap’s arm, her fear rippling through her. Her hands shook as she glanced at the other warriors, waiting for them to decide what to do or where to go.
“We’ve got to get out of here, now!” Soap tugged at her again. Shade stumbled forward but turned back to see what had him so shaken up. She gasped as she watched the liquid fire flow faster down the hill toward them. In its wake, hundreds of the vilest, ugly-looking creatures she’d ever seen emerged. Dark, green-skinned Goblins, Erlkings and Horned Orcs poured out from behind the blazing inferno of her grandmother’s house. Their red eyes glistened like orbs of blood in the light of the forest fire. Axes, swords, spears and tri-bladed short swords flashed as they raced down the clearing, their screams deafening as they echoed across the woods.
“Now, Shade! Move!” Soap’s voice snapped. “Aveta has sent her horde of Sluagh and other dark, unworldly things to hunt us. We won’t make it out of here if we don’t move now!” They began their ascent down the edge of the tree line, farther down the clearing. Shade sprinted. Branches and other shrubbery raked her arms as they reached the end of the clearing and entered the cover of the forest. Each one of them ran as fast as possible while avoiding falling on their faces. Shade glanced back and began running faster as she glimpsed the vile creatures closing in. She wasn’t sure they were going to make it.
“Soap!” She called out toward the warrior, hoping he had some sort of solution. Camulus was just ahead of him and was glancing back at them.
“Camulus, wait! We have to teleport. They’re coming too fast,” Soap said. He came up to where Camulus had paused behind a wall of trees and fallen logs. Camulus gave him a quick nod as he peered around the trees, but then shook his head, pulling out his sword and dagger.
“Too late, they’re here. I suggest you get yourself ready to….” A clang of metal cut him short as an Orc rounded the corner and met his weapons. The impact almost sent him back into a tree.
“Spread out! Shade, get your sword!” Soap yelled as she fumbled to grab her sword from her pack. With the hilt in hand, she backed away from the group as the others spread out, too, fanning away from the spill of creatures which had reached them. Shade swallowed down her panic, trying to remember everything she’d learned from Lana and the fighting skills Soap and Dylan had taught her.
This is it. Now’s the time to find out if I know my stuff!
Shade swung at the first Goblin reached her. Smacking swords and finding they were equally matched, Shade pulled her magic together and sent a rush of air to knock him over as another attacker quickly replaced him. She could hear the others clanging weapons beside her but concentrated on swinging to her left and throwing a kick up to meet the short Goblin’s chin. He grunted and yelled back at her but his sword faltered as he let his guard down. Taking advantage of his oversight, Shade bunted him atop his head with the hilt of her sword. He had barely crumbled to the ground when another Orc jumped her from behind. Dropping her sword, she pulled on his arms as he squeezed around her neck, cackling in her ear. She scratched and beat on him, pulling and tearing to no avail.
Panicked as her vision flickered, she spotted a large tree next to her. She turned and backed up sharply into it. The Orc grunted but didn’t let go. She shoved back with all her might, smashing into him once more. This time he loosened his arm just enough for her to head butt him in the face. Screeching, he shoved her away while shielding his face as black-green blood oozed from his shattered nose.
Shade pulled a dagger from her pack and retrieved her sword from the fallen leaves on the ground. It shimmered in the fiery light of the flames which now lit up the forest around them. The thicker tree trunks slowed the consuming flames enough to allow the fighters some room to battle it out. Thin streams of lava were now crawling across the forest floor toward them, steaming and igniting the dry vegetation. She wiped at the sweat that dripped into her vision, eyeing the Goblin who now stood smirking in front of her, an axe in his hand.
“Oh no you don’t!” Shade smirked back as she called the rain from the sky using the Santiran Water Magic she clutched to her chest. She reveled in the cool water, bringing the he
at of the fire down as it steamed on the trees. The lava remained unaffected by the water, sending steam clouds up in pillars where the rain touched the molten rock. Shade gathered a ball of water and aimed it at the Goblin as he pulled the axe back to swing. She flung the water ball at the dark creature, letting it hit him with a stinging splash which caused him to sputter in the wave of drowning fluid, dropping the axe as he stumbled and fell back.
Shade spotted Soap to her left, fighting off an Erkling Warrior. The horrid, withered-looking creature had black eyes and grey, sallow skin. It reminded her of a corpse, but without the rotting flesh. It swung a huge mallet against Soap’s sword. It may have been thin, but the force of each hit was wearing Soap down. Shade ran behind the hunched-over creature as Soap slashed it across the chest, and she sunk her sword into its back. The withered creature disintegrated into a puffy blast of dust, covering both of them.
“Eww! That’s disgusting! It’s like mummy death all over me!” Shade groaned. She wiped off some of the crud before another Erkling approached, circling them. She backed into Soap, who now faced an Orc with a sword in its hand.
“This is going nowhere fast. There are way too many of them!” Soap yelled out.
“You don’t say! What do you suppose we do about it?” Shade pressed her lips together as she eyed the Orc. His smirk grew wider as he closed in.
“We have to teleport out of here, but we can’t if we don’t all hold onto each other. We have to get closer to the others.” Soap’s frustration spilled into his voice as he caught his breath.
“Where did they go?” She scanned beyond the Orc, into the forest, but saw no sign of Andraste or Camulus. “Shoot, where are they?” More Sluagh arrived and started squeezing into the circle, narrowing the distance between them. “Crap, more of them. We can’t kill them all. What should we do?” Shade felt the panic twist in her stomach. The odds were growing disproportionately against them.
When Soap didn’t answer, she threw a glance over her shoulder to see why. The creatures had also stopped advancing. “What’s wrong, Soap?” Shade inquired and followed his stare, sucking her breath in.
Two riders galloped in on animals that appeared to be horses with much longer necks, no eyes, and mouthfuls of sharp teeth. Shade moved to stand beside Soap as they stared at the horrors before them. The two riders were fey. One she recognized, and the other she didn’t. Evangeline sat on one of the horse-like creatures. Her long black hair had a streak of white along one temple and was pulled back tight against the nape of her neck. She wore a black, worn, leather rider’s outfit, appearing to blend right into the creature she rode. Her black leather boots shined on the sides of the animal.
Shade moved her eyes over to the other rider. A handsome faery man, he had long, platinum hair with deathly pale skin. A streak of black at the nape of his neck flawed the white sea of smooth hair in a most startling way. His eyes were the color of mother of pearl and seemed to change color depending on which way he was looking. His face had strong features, but his pale skin made it look more fragile. The black armor he wore also blended into the soft black tunic underneath the metal plating. Hands with black leather gloves held firmly to the reins of the dark horse, matching the gloves on Evangeline.
“What are they riding? Who are they?” Shade whispered to Soap as she watched the two leaders eyeing them back.
Soap breathed in deeply, looking at her as he answered. “Their steeds are Kelpies, Death Horses who love to drown their victims. Those two are Aveta’s top lieutenants, Evangeline and Corb. They’re Aveta’s hands of death, both very powerful fey,” he whispered to her.
“You are most correct, Rylan,” Evangeline interrupted. “You forget we are also Witch and Warlock. Much more powerful than a spiteful Faery Changeling. Don’t you agree, Rylan?” She tilted her head and narrowed her gaze at him. She turned to Shade and smiled, a smile that reminded her of the iciness of Sylphi, Jack’s Teleen girlfriend.
“Shade, how nice to see you again. You have no idea how delighted we are to have found you.” Vange’s smile seemed more like a predator savoring a tasty treat to come rather than a normal smile. Vange was the nickname Jack had called her when Shade had first met both of them in an abandoned warehouse.
“Sorry I can’t return the sentiments.” Shade bit her tongue, regretting her smart answer. Don’t piss her off yet!
Vange let out a laugh but didn’t seem too happy with her witty remark. Shade hoped her loose tongue wouldn’t anger her too much. At least not yet.
Evangeline turned to Corb as she tugged the reins, turning the Kelpie around. “Take her to Aveta. I have other pressing matters to attend to.” Corb nodded slightly before she galloped away, parting the legion of dark warriors. Corb never wavered. His stare was stone cold, unmoving and revealed nothing. Shade wondered if he ever smiled or frowned. His face seemed hard, frozen into the blankest expression she’d ever seen.
Shade gulped. Somehow she knew he wasn’t that much warmer deep inside his hardened exterior.
“Kill him, tie the girl up and bring her to me.” Corb commanded as he waved to his troops nonchalantly and pulled the reins of his own Kelpie and began trotting away. The circle of creatures immediately began to move again, tightening around them.
“Soap! Shade!” A voice called out to them the sky. A flash of luminous wings and black feathers flashed above them. Turning up, Shade watched as two beautiful women, one with sleek, black-feathered wings and the other a Pixie-like faery, held their arms out toward them.
Soap raised his arms up to them, and Shade quickly followed suit. Their hands clasped down on their arms and pulled them straight up into the smoky, wet air above them. The night rushed past them as they looked back down to where they had just stood. It was now flooded with Sluagh and other dark creatures. Corb had stopped in his tracks and was watching them as they flew away. His face remaining cold and blank, but his eyes twinkled with a taint of evil which shined so brightly that even with the distance growing between them and the screeches of creatures below, it sent an icy shiver down Shade’s body.
Chapter Fifteen
BIBETTE GRIPPED SHADE’S arms as they flew over the treetops. Shade glanced up to observe her savior. The faery’s outline against the dark of night was more shadow than anything. All Shade could see was her thin outline, the blur of her iridescent wings and long hair rippling in the wind. She glanced over toward Soap, who dangled from the black-winged woman’s arms. She looked much like a black-haired angel. Amazed, Shade smiled. She was relieved to be alive and having escaped from the massive army of dark creatures.
They flew for a short time more before they came upon a large mountain range of high, barren cliffs. Once they reached a flattened plateau, the flying faeries set them down gently and came to stand next to them. Camulus and Andraste stepped toward them, grinning from ear to ear as they gave each other gripping hugs, all relieved to see the others alive.
Bibette stepped toward them. Her light brown hair was flowing around her shoulders in straight wisps. Her skin almost matched the color of her hair, a soft, golden brown. She reminded Shade of a Filipino woman. Bibette’s see-through wings hung behind her and glistened in the moonlight. She smiled at Shade as she reached her hand out to her.
“I’m Bibette, and that’s Queen Aluse of the Black Ravens. Those who helped Andraste and Camulus are Naja and Ren.” She waved over to two other black-winged faeries who nodded their greetings and waved. Ren was the only male among them.
“How did you know we needed help? And thank you for helping us, of course,” Soap said as Naja started rubbing ointment on his cuts. He smiled at the attention but pressed his lips together at Shade’s raised eyebrow. “Hey, they had impeccable timing!”
Shade rolled her eyes and sat down on the cool stone of the mountain, turning toward the direction of her grandmother’s house. She was grateful to be safe, but the faint glow of the fire reflecting off the clouds of the night sky could still be seen from the mountains. She felt n
umb and exhausted at the same time. Ren came over to help her apply balm to her own cuts and bruises. She let him fuss over her but felt empty and forlorn as she stared at the orange glow in the far off horizon.
Soap plopped down next to her, giving her a friendly nudge. He followed her eyes and watched the burning forest. It was so far now, it was just a faint glow.
“Hey, she died well. She knew she was going and chose the perfect time to do so. You know, Lana sent Queen Aluse to help us, as if she knew we would need them. Even in exile, she still had strong allies. Lana loved you so much, Shade. Don’t ever forget that.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Shade fell into the embrace and let the tears spill out. The weight of her pain poured out as a light rain slowly sprayed down on them. The same rain had been falling in the forest and had extinguished part of the raging fire. Shade loved the feel of it, like heaven was crying with her.
“Shade….” Soap loosened his embrace to point at the clouds. “It rains when you cry. Did you know that? Like you’re controlling the weather!” He tilted his head back, enjoying the cool splashes soaking his face and running down his sopping wet hair. “At least we’re clean now.” He winked at her as he shook out his golden-brown hair which looked almost black while sopping wet. Shade sniffled back her sobs and smiled while watching him enjoy the downpour. Soap always had a way of looking at the brighter side of things.
Chapter Sixteen
THE CRACKLE OF fire snapped and popped, echoing in the dark forest. Shade stood in the center of what looked like a ring formed from fallen logs crossed end over end. She spun around, looking about her. She had the feeling she was being watched. Gulping, she hoped she was dreaming and silently prayed for her spirit guides to come and keep her safe.