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EILISH

The Veil

Silvanus warned me that Morrigan couldn’t be trusted, but I insisted that we save her from Variant’s palace. And that was a huge mistake. I’m just as guilty as Cambion in the destruction of Pyre’s home—I can’t blame Cambion for things that I contributed to indirectly. All of us have made mistakes, but mine won’t let me sleep through the night.

The others choose to believe in fate, but I struggle to believe that something out there is writing my story, that I don’t control the things that I do or say. My head hurts, but not as much as my leg. I feel just strong enough to heal the gash on my thigh, because I’m slowing us down. The realization of my role in all of this pains me more than I care to admit. And though I don’t know who took my memories or who killed my family, I know that whatever power rests inside me is responsible. The one who killed my mother and sister, the dark figure who haunts my dreams... he wants me for something.

And the Midnight Queen knows what that something is.

I’m upset she escaped, but maybe it’s for the best. I’m not sure I would have been able to control my impulse to kill her after Baron revealed that she’d been present the day he was killed. I care for the vampire deeply—so much that seeing him avenged would have brought me pleasure.

I kick a loose rock and stand up to pace between the trees. The fire from the campsite casts my shadow on the trunks of the living oak. Anger, guilt, and frustration war within me. So much blood has been spilled in the race for power, the race for the Throne of The Gods. But how powerful could the throne be, if all of the gods were slaughtered by Abedon?

Did none of them best him in combat? One being was strong enough to lay waste to the deities, and yet Silvanus was able to imprison Abedon almost single-handedly. A branch snaps to my left and I reach for my dagger. Baron holds his hands up defensively and winces as if the action summoned some sort of.... Of course. Anyone who has been stabbed to death with a dagger to the heart would be uneasy around an enchanted blade like the one Pyre gifted me.

“I’m sorry, Baron. I wasn’t thinking. The memory must still be fresh for you,” I say softly while sheathing the blade. “How did it feel? When the last piece clicked for you, I mean.”

“It was painful and enlightening.” He moves closer, leaning against the tree beside me. “I expected the memory or the knowledge to change me somehow, but then I remembered that those things had already happened to me, even if I couldn’t recall the details. Life doesn’t care about the details. It makes us who we are without much care for how we feel about the matter.”

“Will it be the same for me, you think?”

Baron shrugs. “You’re plagued by nightmares, Eilish. I’m not. And you’re constantly proving just how much of a contradiction you are. Who knows how you’ll be when you finally remember everything?” The vampire pulls me against him and just... holds me. Baron and I usually struggle with our burning hunger, but this is different. He tilts my head back and brushes my lips with his. I shudder and cling to him. There’s no lust, no seduction, and none of the urgency that usually flows through our kiss. It’s desperate and deep and so much more than a kiss should be.

His hands against my lower back make me feel safe and secure in his embrace, like I can face the dawn without fear of what might come next. Baron’s kiss feeds something in my soul, the part of me that yearns for Cambion’s light. It’s not enough from the vampire to allow the angel in me to flourish, but it’s enough to make me feel something that isn’t dictated by my succubus side. His hand moves further up my back and traces the lines that mark me as an angel. I twitch, but I don’t pull away from the embrace.

It feels intimate in a way I’ve never felt before.

“Pyre is training you to take his place,” I say as he nods. “That means you’ll stay here when all of this is over?”

“ When all of this is over seems a long way off,” he answers with a shrug.

“It all has to end some time,” I say.

He nods. “And when it does, yes, I do plan to remain here.”

“Then what will become of us?” I ask as I face him.

“I don’t know,” he answers. “But, let’s not worry about that now. Our focus needs to be on the immediate future, Eilish. We need to focus on defeating Morrigan.”

The sound of Kolvar’s laughter breaks the moment and Baron steps back. I stare into his eyes and feel like I’m drowning in a sea of emotions I don’t understand. Licking his lips, Baron takes my hand, leading me back to the camp where the others listen to Kolvar’s tales. Kolvar reveals how he and Cambion first met before the great battle.

“I was in the middle of a tavern brawl—of course, I were the one winnin’ and I’ll call anyone a liar if they say that ain’t true. Then the King of Some Fuckin’ fae realm comes inside and the whole place gets real quiet. He’s got that annoyin’ look on his face that’s a cross between constipation and amusement. You know the one.”

Everyone laughs and nods in agreement, but I bite the inside of my cheek and continue listening as Kolvar recants the tale. I can’t say I’m in a very jovial mood.

“Cambion looks right at me and says, ‘I could use someone with your skill, satyr.’ I swear by the gods that I laughed right in his smug face. Then he raises his hand and knocks me on my ass with a spell! That’s cheatin’ in a tavern brawl, you know? But Cambion don’t care one bit, just cocks his girly brow at me.”

“Then what? You kills him?” Flumph asks nonsensically. I roll my eyes and pinch the little sprite’s cheek. Noni laughs at Flumph’s poor attempt at humor and cuddles up with her master. Pyre shivers in his robes and Noni uses her magic to comfort him. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips and he slowly drifts off to sleep as the story comes to an end—Kolvar and Cambion shared a few drinks after their fight came to an end and the large satyr agreed to help in the battle.

I find the story interesting, but I also think it shows more about Cambion than the others realize. “Cambion didn’t want to bring the Unseelie here,” I say suddenly, surprising myself with the weight of my own words. “There are deities tangled in this mess and other beings like Morrigan. Cambion, Variant, and Theren are all victims in my eyes. They’re being controlled by… something and shouldn’t be held accountable for—”

“No,” Dragan barks. “I won’t sit here and listen while you try to defend Cambion or any of the others. Eilish, Cambion may not have meant to bring the Unseelie army to our doorstep, but he deliberately went behind our backs and practically handed Theren everything he needed to find us.”

“Just listen for a second,” I argue. “You weren’t there when I was talking with Theren.” I stand up and look around the camp at my companions. “Cambion tried to help Aima and me. He argued on our behalf and begged Theren to see reason. And when I was connecting with him—”

“How do you know the connection was real?” Dragan cuts me off again. “After we trusted Morrigan when you told us about your vision, I can’t risk believing in him or her again. This group can’t afford any more hits. Until Cambion proves his worth, he’s as much an enemy to me as the others.”

“Don’t trust my vision, then, but trust my magic, Dragan. You’ve seen some of what I can do, but there’s more. I can use my magic to probe someone’s soul. Kolvar witnessed it, and so has Aima. And when Theren touched me in the clearing, he wasn’t alone there. The King of The Unseelie Court isn’t in control of himself. I don’t know what’s happened to him, but that person I met out there, that isn’t him,” I argue. “And neither is Variant. We need to help Cambion so he doesn’t end up like them, trapped in his own mind while Morrigan uses him as a puppet.”

“Morrigan has no power. Even Pyre couldn’t sense much of any strength inside the Midnight Queen.” Baron stands up and faces me boldly. “I’m not saying you’re wrong or right, but we can’t just go on another rescue mission when we don’t have all the answers. We have to assume that Cambion may already be corrupted. Let’s follow Kolvar’s plan, all right?” The vampire reaches for me, but I turn away from him and walk over to my corner of camp, keeping my back to all of them.

When the others fall asleep, I follow suit. I don’t know how long it is until Pyre wakes me. He limps off and I follow him as he points to another portal not far from where we stand. “That’s the main portal to the Unseelie Kingdom, one not even Noni knows of. You and I need to close it, Eilish. I can’t do it without your power.”

“What about Baron?” I ask.

“He isn’t a strong enough spellcaster just yet. Please.” Pyre begins walking toward the portal, leaving me no choice but to follow him. His steps are careful, so as to not cause himself more pain than necessary. “I agree with you, by the way. The others do as well, but it’s still too soon for them to properly process what they saw in that clearing. I know Cambion wasn’t acting freely and he did what he thought was best. It’ll take the others time to see that. Give them that time.”

We close the portal much more easily than I’d expected and make our way back before the others are the wiser. I lay beside Dragan. Though we’ve argued over Cambion, I still find myself seeking his comfort. Baron reaches for me subconsciously in his sleep and I tangle my fingers with his and close my eyes. But, of course, the dreams return…

Go, now, Eilish, run!

The voice grows more insistent, panicking even. I don’t know where it’s coming from, if someone I can’t see is talking to me or if the voice is just in my head. Or if I’m just imagining the whole thing.

“I can’t... run anymore,” I say out loud, panting with the exertion it takes to speak. My voice sounds strangely foreign—high-pitched and terrified. Inhaling, I shake my head as I face the road ahead of me—asphalt that stretches for what seems like miles, with only the loneliness of a dark forest on either side to keep it company. And the occasional broken-down car, mostly reduced to a skeletal, rusted frame.

It’s coming , the voice warns. I can hear it. Tree limbs snap behind me, accompanied by growling and the sound of something sniffing, catching my scent on the wind. Move, Eilish!

My heart beats like a frightened bird trapped in a tiny cage. The chills are growing stronger now, refusing to let go. Beneath my armpits, my shirt is soaked, and still more beads of perspiration bleed from my hairline. I’m so exhausted, the idea of continuing on makes me want to pass out.

If it finds you, it will rip you to pieces, the voice cautions.

My eyes open just as the sun begins to rise. What was the beast chasing me in the forest? No. Not a beast, a man. I know it wasn’t a beast, though it growled like one. Whoever he was, Morrigan didn’t want him to catch me. Was it out of concern, or something more malicious?