Page 4 of Shadows of Air and Earth (Remnant Archives)

I stared into the very eyes that had been part of my waking nightmare for the past six months.

Her brow arched as she watched me stare like a goddess damn ninny. My words escaped me along with my soul that seemed to run as far from here as it possibly could, leaving my body to betray itself in the presence of a great power that some called monstrous.

Riley stepped closer, his strong presence bolstering the confidence I so desperately needed as shadows trailed around our feet, sniffing out our deceit like a bloodhound. My mouth opened but still no words came out.

"Can we help you, General Dark?" Riley said confidently over my head.

Tilting her head towards him, her long ponytail slid over her shoulder in blue black waves.

"I am not entirely sure if that's the correct question to ask me, Riley Dragoon.

I believe it is more or less if you are willing to help me, isn't it?

But first I'd like to know the end of this lovely story.

" Looking back at me, her emerald green eyes seized my heart, skittering its thunderous beat to a full stop before accelerating faster than before.

Panic set in. She knew. She had to know.

Riley's wind fluttered against the back of my neck, stirring my hair, and calming my racing pulse.

I exhaled slowly, licking at my suddenly chapped lips then narrowing my gaze, chin lifted.

I would not fear her. Only victims feared others and I would never be a victim again.

"You said spirits make the shadows go tipsy because they are light on the palette. "

It seemed like the world slowed down with the blink of her eyes and then sped back up again when she released a loud snicker, leaning back in her chair to cross her powerful legs. Her booted foot bounced with thought, "Well I suppose that is better than the last version I heard of The Wailing."

I licked at my lips again. "You said you would see if we are willing to help you. Now I want to know with what exactly? How can the humble fae of the plains willfully help the general of Faerie?"

Clinging to the slow bounce of her foot, the shadows crawled along it, already bored with their perusal and needing some sort of new stimulus to occupy them while mother had a chat with friends.

Except we were not her friends and if she knew what we had done, chances were we were now her direct enemy.

"Of course," she said, her eyes flashing, "I suppose this information is for all here to hear.

" Briefly her gaze fell on the crowd of fae giving her a wide berth, shifting away the moment her eyes trailed off of them in her scrutiny.

Faces pale, eyes wide, they couldn't look away from her even though they wanted to run.

Her eyes settled back to me, nodding softly to herself.

"It has come to the Capital's attention that something was stolen from the palace on the night of the Winter Solstice.

An artifact to be precise. An artifact that I have tracked to these plains.

Unfortunately, the trail has gone somewhat awry . "

My stomach sank and my hair fell in a soft curtain across my face but I did not react. Staying still. "And what exactly is this artifact you speak of?"

The shadows tick-tocked lazily with her boot, slow deadly pendulums of darkness. “One half of twin seals, shaped as a small disc, made of molten rock from the bowels of Hell. Without its twin, this seal will bring wrath down upon Faerie.”

Molten rock? That sounded a lot like firestone to me. I caught Riley’s eye briefly before smoothing over any other reactions I may have revealed.

"We have no knowledge of a seal," I replied confidently, refusing to acknowledge the coincidence of a sacred seal going missing the same time we took something else…something far more precious.

Her lips pressed into a thin line while she uncrossed her legs, feet hitting the floor in a soft thud to sit straighter in her chair.

An action that ensnared us all in her powerful and alluring scrutiny.

"I wouldn't expect you to…however, I am in need of two fae that know these parts well enough and have the skill set I require to assist me in tracking it down. I’ve been told you both served under Lord Oberon in the Blood Wars. Am I wrong?"

I glanced up at Riley, folding his arms across his chest, a sneer pulled across his handsome face, "You mean when we served under him for about a month before his untimely death in the wars? I’m sure you know of that particular story, don’t you, general?

It was the queen after all who was the only one to survive the slaughter. I’m sure she told you all about it.”

Utter silence, not a single fae breathed.

Skipping licking my lips this time, I bit them instead, my nerves fully charged. We were going to die here. There was no way around it. I’d seen her take out fae for much less.

Raising her brows, the shadow fae general shook her head, "I prefer to do my own research, Riley Dragoon and my research tells me the two of you are exactly who I need," Rising, she snuffed the shadows out with her hand and despite her short stature, she was still a living breathing goddess amongst us. Untouchable in our reality.

"Then your resources were fucked, general," I snorted for the first time, rolling my eyes without realizing what I was doing. Riley’s air immediately rushed around me protectively, while another round of sharp collective inhales sucked out the rest in the room.

She smiled down at me, knowing glittering in her eyes, "No, I don't think they were, actually.

" Shadows flowed down from her arm and I was thankful for the high back chair or else she would have seen me recoil from their dark tendril abyss.

Eyes wide, I watched as they picked up my full Hydra Piss shot and placed it gracefully in her hand, not a single drop spilled.

Throwing it back without taking her eyes off of mine, she discarded it rim-side down.

The sound echoed throughout the room making those around us flinch while there was not even a single twitch in her body from the drink I knew tasted like acidic poison.

"But I will tell you this. It would be prudent for you to join me, there are fates worse than The Wailing, worse than even the loss of your people from a queen you despise, and I cannot guarantee my protection should that time come. "

I swallowed hard. My relief in believing she knew nothing of what we stole ripped from me. Riley and I’s goal had been to always keep the elemental court safe and free of Deirdre’s clutches—and what she was alluding to tonight, was that whatever power this seal had…our people would not survive it.

And it seemed neither would we, why else would we need her protection? She was our enemy, wasn’t she?

Shrugging, she winked, “I’ll give you until morning to decide, after that I can linger no longer but the choice will still be yours.” Turning to Ura who stood stoically behind the tavern's bar, she added lightly, "I don't suppose you have any rooms available in your fine establishment?"

Ura glanced back at Riley and me before crossing his arms in front of his chest with false bravado, "Nay, General Dark, there are no available rooms for you here."

I withheld a groan. I knew for a fact that Ura had more than a few rooms available. There were so few of us out on the goddess plains now, and Remnant Dark would know that too.

She nodded politely, "Funny thing that. The last two taverns I visited had the same response. However, I suspect there is a room available for a fae who is not the general to the throne."

Ura stiffened and I held my breath, the fool.

She snickered, "Worry not bartender, a monster like me belongs uncaged under the stars and not in the confining bars of fake civility.

" Waving her shadows, a large bag thumped onto the bar, coins spilling out in a loud clatter on the smooth polished wood.

"For your trouble, I am sure my presence has cost you some revenue this night. "

Ura stared at the pile of gold as did the rest of us. Slowly, he looked back up at her, "I need none of the queen's gold here, General. We will be just fine without her generosity."

Flipping her long ponytail back over her shoulder she gave him a knowing look, "Well then it's a good thing that this isn't the queen's coin, Ura Ohnz.

Never forget I was the daughter of the Lady of Night first, Princess of the Shadows.

" Looking at the hovering darkness, she added, “Come my loves, we are no longer welcome here.” Spinning, she gave us both one more wink before walking out the door, her shadows trailing behind her like smoke blowing in the breeze.

I counted to ten. Ten seconds of holding my breath after the door had closed with a sharp click. "Goddess," I whispered on a harsh exhale as the tavern’s gossip roared anew with terrified excitement.

"I wouldn’t pray to her, Xi. She abandoned us a long time ago and she isn’t going to help us out of this Faerie shit," Riley hummed darkly, a strained edge to his tone. I glanced up, seeing more than a few ghosts of haunted memories in his eyes.