The Shadowed Path

14. Reine-2

One thing that many people can gather about Fae from fairy tales is that we have a certain hierarchy we like to follow. Consequently, in a pinch, we'll look to the highest-ranking one to make the decisions. Unfortunately, that meant that the other Fae looked to me…except Ellerin, who paced along the shoreline and murmured to himself as the lake's waves grew choppier. He drew shapes in the mud at the edge of the water, and I sensed he placed defensive spells.

He could do what he wanted, but there was no telling how long they'd hold. Meanwhile, I had humans, a weakened gargoyle, and two Fae princes to worry about.

"Rhys, grab our packs. Lawrence, you, John, and Kestrel head into the woods and find somewhere to hide, preferably in a cave where you can seal yourselves in."

"What about in the trees?" John pointed up. "Those things can't fly, can they?"

Rhys' scar made his expression grimmer. "No, but they can climb."

"Fuck." Kestrel shot a side glance at her father. "Sorry."

Rhys returned with the packs, and everyone got theirs.

"I can help. I can fight." Lawrence flexed his hands. "I'm not useless yet."

"You need to do what you came to do and protect the humans. Ellerin, can you send them home?"

"The Shadowed Path doesn't work like that, Princess. Once you're on it, you're on it until you get what you came for or die trying."

John crossed his arms. "Somehow that wasn't in the agreement we made."

Ellerin turned to him. "You didn't ask. For an experienced earth witch, you're pretty dumb when it comes to dealing with its elementals. Haven't you ever heard of a Fae bargain?"

Kestrel tugged at John's sleeve. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't know."

"Me, neither," I added. "And I am sorry. I would never have allowed you to come had I known."

The blond Fae shook his head and chuckled. "I knew you'd be something else, Princess, but this is too much. Apologizing to humans?"

"And who in Hades are you?"

All traces of mirth vanished from his face, and he smiled. The dim light glinted off his slightly pointed teeth. "What, you don't remember me?" He took a harp from his cloak and struck a note that almost made me weep with its sorrow…and clued me in to his identity.

"You're Troubadour, the dark Fae who helped me."

"And who…" Kestrel trailed off and looked at her father, then shut her mouth. Smart girl. John didn’t need to know his daughter had been possessed, albeit briefly. He muttered to himself, and I hoped he hadn't finally gone over the edge. Poor guy had been through a lot, and I knew when the shock of his wife's death wore off, it wouldn't be pretty.

"If you're going to run, then go." Ellerin pointed into the forest. "The border to the Gray Zone is not too far that way. Stay on the path, and you'll get there. The water wolves, being dark Fae creatures, won't be able to follow you."

"What about him?" Lawrence inclined his head to Troubadour. "Isn't he a dark Fae?"

"The rules are different for the high Fae." And I sensed he qualified.

I looked at Lawrence, magnificent in his gargoyle form, and shooed him with my hands. "Go. I'll catch up to you."

"Very well." He and the humans headed into the woods, and the mist soon swallowed them up.

I took Sir Raleigh's head in my hands and said, "Go and help protect them." I could tell he wasn't happy, but I couldn't send them into the wilderness with only a sick gargoyle for protection. Sir Raleigh knew his way to and through the Gray Zone, and I hoped Kestrel could call upon something useful. I'd forgotten her parents were earth witches. Although he might not be able to access his full power here, John might be able to help somewhat.

"And what about us?" Rhys asked.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Ellerin beat me to it. "I've set up some defensive illusion runes in the sand. They should turn back the first wave, but more will come. Troubadour, can you use your music to further confuse them?"

"Yes, but to what end?"

"If we can get them turning back on each other, they may possibly attack the rest of the swarm, not us."

"And us?" I asked.

"Stand ready. Unfortunately, the two of you, being light Fae, can't do much destructively." He sounded doubtful, and his gaze lingered on me like a challenge.

I didn't have time to ask for clarification. The leading edge of the swarm hit the shore, and as promised, turned back and attacked their fellow water wolves. Unfortunately, although Ellerin had drawn the runes high up, the melee soon obscured them, and they lost their effectiveness.

Then Troubadour played a series of notes, which worked for a few minutes, but the water wolves howled and growled in an effort to drown him out, and we found ourselves in a line backing toward the trees.

"Hades," I muttered. "Why are there so many of them?"

Troubadour rolled his eyes. "Probably because someone is interested in you not making it to Lorien and decided to wake and summon them. That's why they're so grumpy."

"They're not supposed to know I'm here."

"When you entered Faerie, the trees sang their joy in your coming, Princess. Not all could hear it, but enough could. I did."

"Well, that's sweet but damn inconvenient."

The water line moved sluggishly with the pieces of water wolves who had torn each other to bits, and the stench of their slime made me breathe shallowly through my mouth, then nose, alternating since it stung my throat. I blinked tears away in time to see a new wave of water wolves, their eel-like faces in rictus grins, the slime dripping from their teeth. These didn't rush. They knew they had us trapped and wanted to play with us.

But Ellerin wasn't going to give up. "On a count of three, fly. The humans should have had enough time to make it close to the border by now. We only have to hold the wolves off a little longer."

I gaped at him. "You mean, you were stalling for them?"

"Why did you think, Princess? Their fate is tied to yours."

"Wow." More and more surprises.

He counted, and we jumped just before the wolves reached us. We managed to hover out of their reach, and Ellerin used his staff to shoot lightning at any who dashed toward the woods. I'd just started to relax when something else came out of the water. It had the dark coloring and stench of a water wolf, but it also had wings and a lizard face. It shook itself off and roared, leaving us gagging from its rotting fish breath.

"Water wyrm!" Rhys drew on our light Fae ability to create something out of nothing and made a bow and arrows materialize. His wild shots and wobbly flying revealed he'd not figured out his wing balance well enough.

Ellerin continued to pick off the wolves, leaving me and Troubadour to face the wyrm, which rose slowly from the water, each beat of its massive wings scattering the wolves underneath him.

"Got much experience with dragons, Princess?"

"Not for a long, long time." And typically, they and I would drink mead and make fun of the knights who came to rescue me from them. "You?"

"Same."

"Got any tricks in your harp?"

"Nope."

"All right, then." I knew my light Fae powers wouldn't do much against the massive creature, and I found myself rubbing the vampire scars at my neck. What had Ashlee Wyatt, the vampire club owner, told me? That my parentage wasn't as pure as I'd thought. And I had managed fire before, being a high Fae in command of all five elements. Of all of them, it would be the easiest to turn to destruction, which didn’t come naturally to light Fae, and it opposed water.

"Stand, er, hover back!" I stretched out my arms and mentally reached to the sun, which hid behind the thick clouds above me. I whispered a spell to bring its warmth to me and added a plea for an extra boost.

By now, the wyrm had managed to hover over the water and study us each in turn to see who would be the easiest pickings. I waited until it was distracted by Rhys and his not-so-great aim with bow and arrows and launched a fireball at its head. As far as fireballs went, it lacked in size and impact, but it definitely met the annoyance quota.

"Hades." I rubbed my hands to try again.

"Hey, sis, light one of these!" Rhys flew to hover beside me and held out one of his arrows. He changed the tip from stone to a triangle of wood and flammable resin, and I lit it aflame. He notched it, and I sent another fireball—this one bigger, harder, and faster—at the wyrm's head. When the creature opened its mouth to roar, Rhys shot the arrow down its gullet. It shut its mouth, its yellow fish eyes wide, and then burst into flames. The water wolves scattered away from it back into the lake, and it sank from view. We landed and watched the water bubble.

Ellerin mopped his brow with a handkerchief. "Nice work, Prince, Princess."

"Thanks."

"See, sis?" Rhys nudged me. "We make a good team."

"Sometimes." I shoved him, and he stumbled backward. His wings disappeared, and he landed on his ass in the slimy mud.

"What was that for?"

"What were you thinking, bringing Lawrence here? Didn't you know it could kill him?"

"Ohhh." Troubadour put a hand to his mouth, and I could tell he feigned shock. "Has the princess fallen for the gargoyle, then? That's juicy. Talk about star-crossed lovers."

Rhys stumbled to his feet and cupped his hands, allowing water to fill them so he could rinse off. "It's been so long I forgot. I didn't know it would be this bad."

"But you knew it wouldn't be good for him."

"I swear, I was trying to help!"

I itched to send a small fireball his way, but I knew it wouldn't do any good.

Troubadour pointed to the water with his harp. "As lovely as all this family reunion is, we should get going. Who knows what else is in that lake? Has it occurred to anyone else that that was too easy?"

He had a point—the water hadn't stopped bubbling yet. The wyrm could have been a prelude to the main event, and a sense of exhaustion seeped in at the edge of my adrenaline high. How much energy had those fireballs cost me?

We trudged toward the tree line, and I'd just made it into the woods when something hissed across the sand and leaf mulch behind us.

"Ooof!" Ellerin fell face-down and slid backward toward the lake. He turned and aimed his staff at something, sending a beam of light through the thick, black tentacle that had reached out for him. His efforts severed the connection, but five more came out of the lake, waving and searching for prey.

"Go!" He motioned for us to flee. "I'll be right behind you."

All five tentacles paused, then headed straight for him.

I tried to run back to help him even though my magic was beyond depleted. "Ellerin, no!"

But Troubadour grabbed me and dragged me into the trees, and I was too tired to resist.