Page 18

FLUMPH

The Veil

Aima ain’t lifted her head since we brung her to the other side an’ them Sentrals or whatever the fuck they be called brought her back ta life. I guess she weren’t quite dead but she also weren’t quite livin’.

Anyhow’s the Sentrals did the best they could an’ now it be up ta Aima ta make sure she want ta live. The Sentrals said she gotta fight for her life it it mean enough to her.

I been scratchin’ my head tryin’ to think o’ somethin’ that’ll help, but I feelin’ useless as usual. Noni doin’ her healy bit, so I ain’t got nothin’ to do till she done. I’m gettin’ real fuckin’ tired o’ havin’ to see my friends hurt ‘cause o’ that Unseelie prick Theren. He an’ I gots us a big problem. If he come near me, I’ll teach him a thing or two.

“WHEN THE FUCK THIS SHIT GONNA BE OVER?” I ask.

Vampy toss a fuckin’ boot at me an’ it nearly hit me, too! I sticks my tongue out an’ throws the boot back. It don’t even get close to him, but it feel good to do it. Noni finish up her healin’ an’ fall back on the pillow. She lookin’ real pale in the face.

“Noni need sleep, Mr. Flumph. But there’s something itching at Noni’s brain. Somebody needing help from Noni.”

“Well? Who it be?”

“Noni think it Mr. Dragan... the energy feel real big and dark like him, but not mean. Not to Noni.”

“Them at the Threst , ain’t they? Maybe they gettin’ barbecued by some big fuckin’ demon or some shit like that. It’d be a real shame if Shadow Dick got all crispy-like when he protectin’ Pretty an’ all. Should we go see if he needin’ somethin’?”

I flys over to Noni an’ picks up the little house brownie. She battin’ her hands at me but I don’t really care. Somethin’ wrong, then we needs to fix it.

We land over in the corner by our bags an’ I give her my last cookie. She gobble the fuckin’ thing up an’ already she gots more energy than she should.

Once she ready to go, she open one o’ them portal thingys an’ I shoves us through the openin’. The second I open my eyes, I see a demon’s ass comin’ right for me!

I jumps to the side an’ Noni go flyin’ outta my arms. The demon fall right beside me. When I looks up, I notice we right in the middle o’ a really bloody battle. Can’t these fuckers do anythin’ without causin’ a fuckin’ war?

My poor little wings flys me up high soze I can gets a good look at what goin’ on. Noni zippin’ ‘round the battlefield an’ I spots the gargoyle. Wait... I spots two gargoyles. Which one o’ them be my gargoyle? Their big ugly asses all looks the same to me.

Arrows start flyin’ right toward me an’ I gotta get to my friends. I follow Noni’s hyper bouncin’ till Shadow King pick her up. I hear him shoutin’, soze I gets closer.

“What are you doing here?” he ask.

“Noni sense you need her,” the little brownie say.

Somethin’ real sappy-like cross the gargoyle’s face an’ he lift the side o’ hims armor an’ I see a big ‘ol gash in him’s side. It be bleedin’ somethin’ fierce. Noni gasp an’ try to help, but she can’t. Not here, not with all this shit happenin’ ‘round us. An’ I knows the faerie realms drain her magics faster than the Veil.

I search for Pretty, but she ain’t nowhere I can see. That ain’t good.

***

EILISH

The Threst

I can hear Dragan calling to the forces as he crouches low to the ground. Kolvar covers my advances and we move closer to the Threst . Orcs and demons rush toward the mercenaries, leaving a clear path to the stairs, and we run quickly and quietly towards the entrance.

The door is heavily warded, just as I feared. Kolvar lifts me onto his shoulders and I grip the bottom of one of the silver hexagon borders between large slabs of pure crystal. I hoist myself higher as Kolvar leaps up beside me. We climb, using the silver frames to balance ourselves until we reach the peak of the curve.

A burst of black smoke bellows out from the opening at the top. When the smoke ceases, I peer inside and see what looks like an enormous cauldron beneath us. The vat of boiling goo isn’t ideal to land in, but there’s a crate of fabric beside it. The bloodied cloth causes my stomach to turn as I think about the poor fae creatures at Morrigan’s mercy. But I see no other way inside. Kolvar nods and I lower myself down, hanging by my arms as I summon my courage.

I let go.

The fall feels endless but my body hits the pile eventually and I roll out of the way for Kolvar to do the same. With my hand hovering above the blade strapped to my thigh, I move through a narrow passage lined with cages. Fae creatures of all sorts sit within their metal enclosures—some in better shape than others. Heavy boots thunder from the other side of the sphere, and Kolvar and I hide in the shadows behind a cluster of cages.

“You shut up or else I’ll come down there wif the electrifyer,” shouts a demon guard.

A small, plump female swathed in robes approaches the cauldron. She must be the artificer. My suspicions are confirmed as she pulls enchanted weapons from the roiling goop. Kolvar moves along the left as I move to the right, where a large demon stands guard before me. When Kolvar gives the signal, I attack without hesitation.

My dagger glides across thick skin until I plunge the blade deep into the demon’s belly and twist, gasping as his soul is absorbed by the serpent at the hilt. The artificer trembles, raising her hands in surrender as Kolvar kills another demon on her other side.

I lunge, gripping her and turning her so she faces away from me. Then I press my dagger to her throat in case she means to sound the alarm.

“I’m not loyal to Morrigan,” the woman says. “I have no fight with you.”

“The talisman,” I start. “Is it complete?”

“No,” the artificer replies. “Morrigan tried to pull its power prematurely but it wasn’t ready. It required more lives, more power.”

“But she possesses it now?”

“Yes, but her power is still hindered,” the woman responds.

Kolvar restrains her by binding her hands behind her back and shoves a rag in her mouth, securing it behind her head. Then he drags her along with him as he unlocks the cages. We move swiftly, without stopping, from one floor to the next. I cut through our enemies as Kolvar follows behind with the newly freed fae. On the final floor, I see the entrance straight ahead, but something doesn't feel right. I lift my hand to stay Kolvar’s movements. He pauses as I assess the eerie silence in the Threst .

Morrigan.

She and a strange creature appear out of a puddle of murky water. Kolvar shoots me a worried look. The satyr has no defenses against Morrigan’s magic, and neither do the fae.

I push back and pull him aside. “You have to go. Get Dragan and the others and try to make it back to camp. I’ll distract Morrigan, but if she triggers my magic, I could kill everyone here and I don’t want that.”

Kolvar pulls me into a hug and I hold on tight. “You be safe. If you don’t come back before the legion heads out, I’m comin’ for you. No matter what.”

I give him a smile. “Go. Be safe.”

The satyr releases me, and I sheath my blade at my thigh once more. Soft padding at the bottom of my boots allows me to walk silently across the floor. Two demons kneel before Morrigan as she barks orders at them.

“Your job is to find more fae to feed the talisman, so I expect you to get it done.”

She catches sight of me as I approach. “Eilish... you...”

“Morrigan,” I say and the sound of my voice belies the way I feel about her.

An orc comes in through the entrance, his body riddled with arrows. The door closes behind him and Morrigan’s eyes snap with fire. “My Queen, a legion of soldiers scatters our numbers. We are losing.”

Hope flares within me and I use the distraction to my advantage, carving through the demons at Morrigan’s side in the blink of an eye. She turns to glare at me. Pressing her boot to the back of the orc, she pulls his sword free before rushing toward me. I block her strike with my dagger.

“I’ve fought in thousands of wars before you were even born. What makes you think you can best me?” she demands.

“I figure my inexperience matches your lack of power.” I hurl a ball of light at Morrigan. She lowers her sword to block the spell, allowing me enough time to plan my next attack. Glimpsing Kolvar slipping toward the entrance, I throw myself at Morrigan.

She’s taken aback by my sudden aggression and stumbles. But the Midnight Queen recovers quickly and whispers a spell. The strange creature appears, and stares at me from large, unblinking eyes.

I suddenly feel like I’m drowning. Water replaces the air in my lungs and I fall to the floor. My dagger clatters beside me, but my arms are free. The power is dark, and I feel the succubus side me churning, hungering for that darkness.

I grab the creature as red mist spills from my lips and flows into her eyes. I can finally gasp for breath and I climb on top of the creature, pulling the darkness from her body. Large, rubbery wings shoot out of my back, knocking Morrigan off her feet. For a moment, my own darkness takes over, powered by the creature's shadow magic.

Only when the creature stops flailing do I move away from her. My stomach heaves and I vomit. There’s terror in Morrigan’s eyes as she hurries to grab the sword. I reach for my dagger and my wings melt into my back once more. With trembling hands, I watch Morrigan. Nausea and dizziness creep up inside me.

Morrigan attacks first. I block.

“So, the angel and the succubus in your blood are fighting for dominance?” the Midnight Queen chuckles. “I told you this would happen. I told you to maintain the balance between the darkness and the lightness within you. You knew you needed Cambion and yet you allowed him to slip through your fingers.”

“Cambion loves his brother. He did what he thought was right.”

“And he died because of it.”

Morrigan’s words cause me to stop mid-strike as my stomach falls. Cambion’s dead? No! He can’t be... “You’re lying.”

“No... the kelpie was quite thorough.”

I can’t believe it. I won’t.

Not when Morrigan has lied repeatedly and manipulated everyone. My heart knows Cambion is still alive, but my anger takes hold. All my training kicks in. I let Morrigan get a hit; she grazes my thigh with the sword and the victorious smile on her face buys me a chance. I take it. My elbow bashes into the side of her head and I pummel her with three rapid-fire spells.

The Midnight Queen drops to the floor, unconscious. My legs buckle, but I refuse to fall. I limp toward the stairs and make my way to the cauldron. The Threst can’t remain standing. I push the cauldron over and head back to the door with my blade in hand. The one-way wards allow me through without tripping alarms.

The sight before me will forever be branded into my memory. Bodies scatter the ground, and the earth is soaked in blood. I reach inside the sack on my back and carefully pull the three explosives out. Then I pull the pins from the devices. As they begin ticking loudly, I throw them overhead into the Threst.

I run as quickly as I can but the explosions trigger faster than I imagine they will. The blast catapults me several feet into the air. I bounce off the stairs and roll onto the ground. I pull myself to my feet even as my body screams in pain. But I’m alive. At least I’m alive.

Orc bodies obscure the path, but I make my way across the battlefield. Though the marsh is vast, I know my way. Boot prints and horse hooves lead me back to camp, but the mercenaries have already moved on.

***

I follow the tracks back to the gateway. Though my leg is bleeding and I’m moving at a snail’s pace, I’m still moving. I’m exhausted and my body aches but I won’t give up. If the mercenaries moved on, they must think I’m dead, lost in the explosion.

Dragan…

Dragan must be beside himself with worry. It’s that thought alone that won’t allow me to stop moving.

A long, painful trek takes me to the gate that leads to the mortal realm. Once I pass through, I hear Dragan’s deep voice.

“I don’t fucking care if it’s blown up!” he yells. “I’m not leaving her behind!”

I feel a smile on my face, but my throat is raw and I can’t call out to him. Instead, I continue forward. A mercenary sees me, and immediately runs toward me, pulling me into his strong arms as he carries me back to the others.

“Lady Fulthain!” someone else screams as heads begin to turn in my direction. I see smiles overtake their features as they begin to clap and cheer.

I watch as Dragan turns all the way around from where he stands in the center of the mass of soldiers. Whatever he was saying, the words drop off his lips as soon as our eyes meet. At first there’s shock on his face and then intense relief. I smile at him and he immediately takes off, running toward me. He pulls me from the man’s arms and smothers me in his own.

“Fuck, I thought I fucking lost you, Eilish,” he whispers as his voice cracks.

“Dragan,” I start but I can barely hear my own voice, it’s so hoarse.

He pulls away from me and I see the path of his tears cutting through the dirt on his glorious face. I reach up and wipe his tears away with the pad of my thumb.

“I love you,” he whispers.

The End

Find out what happens next in:

FORBIDDEN HUNGER

Book 8 of the SHADOW GUARDIANS Series!