“How far to UnderBarrow?” Hans asked as we stared over the unending dunes.
“We cross to the center, to the World Tree,” I said, stepping through the open gates after a long breath. I’d been here more than once since Tam and I had become an item, but every time it made me nervous, and every time I was sure something bad would happen.
UnderBarrow was located at the base of the World Tree. Once a thriving industrial area of Seattle before the World Shift, the Sandspit was a two-hundred-acre wasteland. To the north lay Darktown. To the west—the Bogs, and to the east—the Metalworks. Gaia had struck home with her lightning, and as the great rails and trains had melted, the sand became infused with her anger and rogue magic. Chaos reigned here, and the Seattle World Tree had risen out of the ground, dimensions opening through its branches. The sand glowed, though you mostly saw it during the night as a pale blue light among the shifting dunes that continually moved in the ever-constant winds.
I braced against the biting wind as we wound our way through the meandering course that would take us to the center. Dusk had already fallen, and the snow froze on the sand, making the stinging grains hurt even more as they pelted my face, mingling with the thick of the storm that was blanketing the city. More snow seemed on the way and if this kept up, we’d be in for a long, cold winter. My sore eye ached, though the cold actually seemed to help. We trudged along, diving to the side occasionally as snow-lightning crackled, rolling low to the ground like a neon snake through the rising mist.
“Boy, they weren’t kidding when they warned against going into the Sandspit,” Hans said, watching as a brilliant blue bolt thundered by. “What the hell? How can lightning be so low? There’s no thunder.”
“Ground lightning. Another delight that seems prevalent here.” I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, wincing against the stiffness in my side. “I’m not sure what causes it, but it’s not the same as lightning from the sky.”
“It’s inherent within the magic here, feeding off all the impurities mixed into the sand. I’m not clear on how it all works, but I remember hearing something about it in our geology class when I was in school.” Jason covered his face with his jacket, trying to shade his eyes from the onslaught.
Jason is right. Queet spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. The ground lightning has a sentience of its own, though nothing like human thought. It can be vicious.
Some twenty minutes later, we had wound our way through the labyrinth of dunes, obstacles, and storm to reach the center of the Sandspit.
There, rising up from deep within the crater, was the World Tree. At the bottom of a pit well over one hundred feet deep, the massive oak spread its branches every which way, a tangle of limbs that webbed out. Along the trunk, at the base of the thicker limbs, were portals to other realms. An incandescent and eerie green glow shone from the heart of the tree, lighting the chasm all the way down.
There were a number of World Trees, spread across the globe, each with their own portals that crossed into other realms. In Seattle, the World Tree was oak, but in other areas, the trees were native to their area.
All the trees were linked, though nobody had ever quite figured out how. Though it was possible to travel from tree to tree, the governments had learned early on not to send their soldiers through to attack neighboring lands. The battalions vanished forever. Any gear they been carrying had melted, falling as slag at the base of the roots.
Gaia was in charge of the World Trees, and she made no bones about reminding people that she would do as she saw fit.
At the edge of the crater, near a massive pile of scrap metal, a staircase remained hidden from sight. The first time we had entered the pit, Tam had guided us. Now, I knew it by heart.
The stair was steep and dangerous, and the sand slick. I led the way, as beat up as I was. Jason had only been here a couple of times. Hans, never. But I’d visited Tam in UnderBarrow weekly. As I stepped over the side, I gingerly reached down to feel with my foot. There it was! My foot landed on the stair. As I sucked in a deep breath, the muscles in my side twinged, reminding me just how unhappy my ribs were. I slowly let out my breath and, one step at a time, began my descent.
I focused on the steps in front of me. Looking back to see how Jason and Hans were doing could easily cost a misstep and send me over the edge to a long, nasty tumble. They’d have to fend for themselves. The light of the World Tree provided enough illumination to see by, the portals glimmering, vortices of glistening light that opened into other realms, other worlds.
I wonder where they all go. At times the impulse to take a chance and pop through were strong, but I always managed to corral myself. The Abominations came from Pandoriam, a monstrous realm of chaos and anger. What if there were other, more iniquitous realms waiting out there? The thought of facing creatures worse than the Aboms always put a crimp in my hunger to go gallivanting through space.
Time began to blur. Watches and phones and all things electronic ceased to work when we neared the Sandspit, and they sure as hell didn’t work in the Sandspit. Or UnderBarrow, for that matter. In fact, time did whatever the hell it wanted to. Slowed, quickened, stopped outright. It was easy to lose track of the outside world in here. I shouldered on, testing each step as I descended into the crater, trying to ignore my face, which was stinging like crazy. As soon as we got to UnderBarrow, I was putting more salve on it.
The next moment, I glanced over at the tree and realized that I was almost to the bottom. The World Tree was like that. You’d go down, down, down and then, without warning, you’d be at the bottom. I stepped off into the sand and waited for Hans and Jason. A moment later, Jason jumped lightly off the stair to join me, and after him, Hans.
Hans looked down at the tangle of knotted roots that had forced their way aboveground, rising like gnarled fingers from the compacted sand below. The roots were knee-high in some areas, extending out from the tree like bony tendrils, and they glowed, pulsing with a deep, slow rhythm.
“They mirror Gaia’s heartbeat,” Jason said, reverently kneeling by one.
“That’s what Tam told me. I wonder if any of the Greenlings have ever been down here.” The Greenlings were sentient plant beings—Gaia’s henchmen, so to speak. They had waged war during the World Shift, striding before her as she brought humanity to its knees. They would do so again in a heartbeat, if need be.
“I imagine the roots of the World Trees were where they were born,” Hans said. “What better place to spawn them?”
It made sense to me. “All right, now to UnderBarrow.”
Around the base of the World Tree, with a quarter turn, I ducked into the mouth of a cavern that was hidden in shadow. Duck being the operative word, given the opening was barely five feet high. Jason and Hans followed, and Queet ghosted around me.
The entrance led to a massive cavern with walls that shimmered from the magic compacted into the sand. The ceiling was a good twenty feet high, inlaid with crystals set into a star-shape pattern. Their light brilliant blue and green lights radiated off the walls. It was the sign of the Tuatha de Dannan, the Bonny Fae. And Tam was their leader, the Prince of the Northwest Clan, the Lord of UnderBarrow.
An opening at the back of the cave led to a long, narrow passage. There were no guards here. Tam’s people knew we were here. I led the way again, traipsing through the tunnel until we came out into another chamber much like the first, and a throne sat in the middle of the room. The throne was empty, and the Fae milling through the room turned as we entered. Damh Varias, one of Tam’s advisors, approached.
“Lord Tam is not here, milady. We have not seen him in a couple of days.” He sounded worried. While Tam was often gone for a day or two at a time, I had a feeling they sensed something was up.
“Can we speak privately? My friends and I have news you should hear.” I had some semblance of standing in the Court of UnderBarrow. Everybody knew that I was Tam’s girlfriend, although here they called me his consort.
&n
bsp; Damh Varias held my gaze for a moment, then motioned for us to follow him into another hallway. We entered yet another chamber—one I hadn’t seen before—with a table and benches in the center. He gestured to the serving woman.
“Bring us chacolia.” The Fae loved chocolate, and they had made it a passion to develop new drinks. Chacolia was a spicy, sweet cacao-cinnamon chocolate drink that packed the punch of highly caffeinated coffee. In fact, a couple mugs of it set you good to go for hours. I welcomed the thought. Not only did it provide energy through the caffeine, but the drink acted like a sustained, time-released lunch. After the girl set the tray on the table and served us, she exited the room, curtseying to both Damh Varias and to me.
As soon as she shut the door behind her, I turned to the advisor.
“Tam’s been captured by the Devani.” As he paled, I explained what had happened.
“Two days then, he’s been out on the Tremble.” Damh Varias paced the length of the room. “The Fae are not immune to the energy there. This could be bad. Very bad. He hasn’t been in contact with us, and if he could, he would have let us know what was happening.”
“We’re heading there now to spring him. If we can find him,” I added slowly, not wanting to think about the possibility but realizing it had to be voiced.
“You put yourselves in jeopardy, you know.” Damh Varias turned to me. “You already look like you’ve been pummeled well and good, milady.”
“The Order of the Black Mist is responsible. Tam told you about the Thunderstrike? Apparently they’re out for a little revenge. Lyon sent his men after me.”
“They make a deadly mistake, then. You are the consort of our prince. The Bonny Fae claim you as their own until, unless, Lord Tam should part from you. Even then, we likely would watch over you as a friend to the realm.” Damh Varias was a tall, thin man, showing gray at the temples, which meant he was old. Very old. Older than Tam, who had seen the Weather Wars in person.
“I’m grateful for that. They roughed me up pretty badly. I’m not going to be running any races soon. But we have to get up to the Tremble and do our best to find Tam before the energy begins to warp his mind. We can’t leave him out there.” My chin trembled as I realized how afraid I was that we’d be too late. I hated to admit vulnerability, but there it was: I was in love with Tam and now I was terrified that I was going to lose him.
“The Tremble isn’t far, but we need to keep clear of the trains and their stations,” Jason said. “I spotted a few Devani around the Monotrain platform at the Trips, near Sarinka’s place. I called a friend in Darktown and he confirmed they’re hanging around the Monotrain platforms there, too.”
“I hope to hell they aren’t looking for me.” I paused. Could Tam have been forced to tell them about me? Or were they just on guard? But the soldiers of light had never before been all too particular about public transportation, so the thought that they might be looking for someone specific was a credible one.
“I doubt it, but we can’t take chances. We have to get to the Tremble unnoticed.” Hans wiped his mouth with his hand, shaking his head. “We can do that until we hit Croix, but then it’s going to be more difficult. We’ll stand out.”
Damh Varias cleared his throat. “That you make an attempt to rescue our prince does not go unnoticed. Or unrewarded. I will send someone with you to help. She’s skilled with both regular bow and an expert mark with the bariclore.”
I blinked. Bariclores were illegal to possess in the city proper, though there wasn’t much the government could do to stop people who lived out in the wild from owning them. They were projectile weapons, a lot like a bow and arrow, but they were as small as a stunner, and they propelled darts that could be rigged to tranquilize an enemy. Possession of a bariclore within city limits could cost twenty years in the work mills.
“We’d appreciate all the help we can get,” Jason said. “I have no idea of how we’re going to find Tam.”
“Elan will be able to help you. Wait, and I will summon her.” Damh Varias exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
“Are you sure it’s wise, letting someone tag along we’ve never met?” Hans frowned. “What if she’s a spy?”
“A spy for who? My boyfriend’s—your friend’s—people? They already know everything he does about us. Jason is right, we need the help. The Tremble scares the hell out of me.”
Hans shrugged. “Okay. Good by me. I just wanted to make certain we know who we’re traveling with.”
“She’s not likely to be a spy for the Devani.” Jason fell silent as the door opened and Damh Varias entered, followed by a tall, willowy woman. Her hair was the color of sand, and her eyes sea-foam green. But she had a regal, piercing look to her, and her jaw was rigid.
“May I present Elan. She is one of Lord Tam’s bodyguards when he chooses to utilize them, and she’s an expert markswoman. Elan, you know who Fury is. These are her friends, as well as Lord Tam’s friends. May I present Jason and Hans. And the misty one is Queet.”
Queet laughed. Thought you hadn’t noticed me, Lord Varias.
“Not a chance, ghostly one.”
Elan stiffly clicked her heels together. She wore gray jeans and a pale blue tunic, and her boots were leather with steel-toes. Her hair draped down in a long braid that set off the angular nature of her face and nose.
I started to say hello but Jason beat me to it. “Elan, thank you for your gracious offer. We’re so grateful for your help. I’m Jason Aerie.” He took her hand. Instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips where he gently placed a kiss on the top of it.
I glanced over at Hans, who repressed a snort.
“Well met, Jason Aerie, hawk-shifter.” She gently retrieved her hand and turned to me, inclining her head. “Lady Fury, daughter of Hecate. I humbly offer my services.” Then, with another quarter turn, she faced Hans. “Hans of Temple Valhalla, well met to you, brother in arms.”
Hans grinned at her. “You know all the right things to say. But well met to you, and thank you for your help. So you—”
“You carry a bariclore?” Jason interrupted. His eyes were bright and as I studied him for a moment, a light clicked. Jason was preening. He had been bowled over by Elan.
I scanned her quickly, but long enough to realize that she actually looked a lot like Eileen, Jason’s fiancée who had been murdered. Tall and thin, with angular features, Elan could have been a kissing cousin of the late hawk-shifter. Even her name was similar.
“Yes, I’m an expert mark with both the bow and the bariclore. I usually don’t use the tranquilizing darts in city limits, but seeing that we’re headed out on the Tremble, I’ll bring a few. I can carry it beneath my cloak.”
The handheld crossbows were also illegal. The law permitted us to carry knives and daggers and even swords, but distance weapons were prohibited for private use. The government was more afraid of assassination than it was of people gutting their neighbors. Though it made no sense. Magic more than made up for the mayhem caused by distance weapons.
Another thought occurred to me.
“Is Tommy-Tee still here?” I hadn’t seen the street musician for a while.
Tommy was one of the Broken, addicted to Opish and too fragile to watch after himself. But he always tried to do what was right in his addled brain. Tam had brought Tommy with us to UnderBarrow after the quake had left the singer homeless, and there was some hope that they might be able to bring his mind back from wherever it had wandered. Tommy lived in a perpetual Tremble of his own, and it occurred to me that he might be able to steer us through the district better than we could steer ourselves.
“Tommy is with us still, yes. And I know what you’re thinking but he cannot go with you. While he would be the best suited to navigate the Tremble, it would undo all the progress we’ve made. Tommy-Tee will never be fully mended. But he can function better on his own with some help. Taking him into the Tremble would unweave our magic.”
“Was he telling the truth? Did he really live through the Weather Wars?” No human had a life span that long.
But Damh Varias nodded. “Yes, he was telling you the truth. There’s so much there that he’s seen. He was here, where the Sandspit is, the night the World Shift went down and the World Tree was born. That’s what broke him, and that’s also what extended his life. As far as we know, he’s one of a kind.”
I thought about what he said. That would make Tommy-Tee the oldest human alive, it seemed. But then, was he still human, after all this time?
“All right. We need to get on the road,” I said. “Damh Varias, do you by any chance know a safer route than if we go through Uptown and North Shore? Even if we went around the Edge and took a ferry back over, we’d still have to go through North Shore. I can’t chance being stopped along the way, and my kind are always viewed as suspect in the upper districts, especially at night.” While I couldn’t live in Uptown or North Shore there, it wasn’t technically illegal for me to be in the streets, but at night the Devani would be out in full force patrolling and they never needed a reason to stop anybody. Given the circumstances, I didn’t want anything to muck up our rescue.
“We can get you to the lower border of the NW Quarters without being noticed, though it will be by boat. The waters surrounding the Tremble are dangerous and turbulent, and unless it’s an absolute emergency, we don’t attempt landing there. The Locks are deadly.” He shrugged. “It’s the best we can do.”
I nodded. “Your help is welcome. Where do we find the boat?”
“Elan will lead you. We have tunnels that you can take out to the edge where the Trips meet Pacific Sound. Our boatman will be waiting.” With that, he ushered us to the door. “Bring him back, if you can. He’s the heart and soul of UnderBarrow. While others can lead, and his brother would willingly step in, Lord Tam is our prince.”