The each uisges’ nostrils flared as it scented for its prey. It was moving, heading to my right, when a second arrow struck its right shoulder. Shrieking, it turned in the direction the shot had originated. Mab’s bones! The arrow had come from the area where I stood. The creature moved to face me, lips drawn back to display the full length of its fangs. I hadn’t been the shooter, but try explaining that to a furious each uisge.
It charged toward me, the arrow in its shoulder not slowing it down one bit. I retreated a single step, having to climb onto the metal support beam bolted into the pavement, but there was nowhere else to go. With a ragged sigh, I pulled the No.2 pencils from my pocket and, with a quick flick of the wrist, slid them down between my fingers to rest securely in the palms of my hands, point outward. I spread my feet hip width apart, bent my knees, and raised my fists preparing to strike.
There was no hope of surviving close combat with an each uisge, but I planned on finishing this one off with my dying breath. It was already injured, which gave me a fighting chance at taking it out of the current battle. Its eye was an oozing, useless mess and the arrow in its shoulder was embedded deep enough that it was probably scraping bone as it ran. If I could jab a pencil in its remaining good eye, it might become one less monster my friends would have to fight today.
It seemed like a decent plan, as far as split-second near death strategies go, but I never got a chance to find out if it would work. The each uisge was so close that I could feel the pounding of its hooves vibrate up through the metal framework into the soles of my boots, and smell the carrion on its breath, when two hands grabbed me from behind.
Chapter 20
Have I mentioned that I am not fond of heights? Yes, I’m more than a little bit neurotic. I have an aversion to touching or being touched (psychometry’s a bitch), dislike waiting in narrow hallways far beneath our city streets with tons of bedrock overhead (hello, claustrophobia), and am prone to panic attacks. Oh, and swinging to and fro while flailing above a hungry each uisge makes me sweat buckets.
I was lifted into the air, my feet dangling within inches of the each uisges’ snapping jaws. With a vertiginous tilt, I continued to rise as the open air Ferris wheel car, that I suddenly found myself in, swung back and forth. The faerie bard I’d met earlier dropped me, without ceremony, onto the gondola seat beside the succubus, Delilah. Not my favorite amusement ride companion, but I was alive.
There was that.
Without a word or glance, the faerie bard climbed out onto the front of the car. He was barefoot and I idly wondered if he were part gecko. What else could explain his ability to walk with ease on such a slippery surface?
Slippery surface. I peeked over the side of the gondola to watch the ground move away at a rapid pace. I squeezed my eyes shut not wanting to look, but forced them open again.
The faerie continued walking along the top of the metal and fiberglass car, settling into a crouch as he reached the oval tip. As he leaned out precariously, the entire gondola swung forward. I let out a little squeak of terror, gripped the safety rail with gloved hands, and held on for dear life.
He raised the bow and drew an arrow back to his pointy ear. In one graceful movement, he released the bowstring allowing the arrow to dive down more than two hundred feet to thrust deep into the each uisges’ single functioning eye.
If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I would have sworn it was an impossible shot.
Judging from the effect it had on the each uisge, the arrow probably traveled all the way into its brain. The last thing I saw, before the arc of the Ferris wheel blocked my view, was the each uisge dropping lifeless to the ground.
“Um, thanks,” I said, voice shaking. “Ni-ice shooting.”
The faerie bard slung the bow over his shoulder and sat cross-legged, where he’d stood, on the front of the swinging car. Delilah purred happily in the seat beside me and I inched away. I was thankful for the rescue, but wasn’t about to repay the favor with a life-essence-sucking embrace. If Delilah wanted to cuddle, she could cozy up with her faerie friend.
“The Green Lady charged us with finding you and offering our protection while you remain within the boundaries of her domain,” the faerie said.
My very own bodyguards? I wasn’t sure if the glaistig had assigned my safety to these two to keep them out of trouble, or to safeguard her wishes. Either way, I was grateful for the help against the each uisge and would gladly accept an escort to the carnival gates.
“Okay, great, I can use the help,” I said. “As soon as we’re off this thing, I’m heading for the park exit. I already lost time facing down that each uisge. If you’re coming with me, we need to move fast.”
I didn’t want to waste any time getting off the Ferris wheel. People thought these contraptions were entertaining? I guess it’s all fun and games until you fall to your death.
I was already planning the escape route in my head. I’d been able to see the entrance turnstiles, before the each uisge came bursting up through the pavement to block my path. There were a few obstacles, including the dead water horse, spinning carousel ride, and piles of debris, but with the faerie and succubus covering my back, I felt confident that I could make the run unscathed.
I bent down to check my boots, making sure that they were tied tightly with the laces tucked out of the way. Tonight an untied shoelace could mean my death. I pulled up my pant leg, determined to quadruple knot my laces before we hit the ground running.
“Wait,” the faerie said, reaching out to grab my arm.
I pulled out of his reach. Arm already extended, he fluidly altered the movement to point at the bay below. His eyes were fixed on something in the water. Irritated, I stopped fussing with my boot laces and followed his gaze.
Oh.
From the Ferris wheel, we had a bird’s eye view of the ensuing battle below. I looked on in horror, overwhelmed by the vastness of the destruction already beset upon the harbor. Something had found its own means of entertainment—and it had nothing to do with amusement park rides.
Every boat, down to the smallest dingy, had been torn from its moorings and ripped apart. Docks and boat slips lay empty, an ominous portent for the city that lay beyond. But the destruction of property was nothing, a momentary distraction to wet twisted appetites, compared to the slaughter taking place in deeper waters.
The night carnival cast flickering light on much of the bay, from its position atop the pier, and the lights of waterfront businesses and residences reflected here and there, casting an eldritch glow on the water…illuminating the abominations within. Waves crested, holding aloft battle detritus. Spined, furred, and scaled bodies swam past the floating corpses of the fallen, to face their foes.
Though it was impossible from this distance, and with the constant blare of the alarm, I could imagine weapons ringing as they clashed above the surf. Everywhere I looked, fae creatures fought. Blades, tridents, harpoons, teeth, and claws gleamed beneath the city lights before sinking into flesh and disappearing beneath the waves.
Hundreds of each uisge had attacked the water’s edge, but were driven back out to the center of the bay by another fierce species of water fae. The merrow had kept their promise.
The dark waters of the harbor continued to swell with their numbers as more merrow joined their tribesmen. Even in the half-light it was simple to tell the merrow and each uisge apart. While each uisge were a nightmare form of water horse, the merrow were a beautiful, if deadly, mating of sea life and water faerie. Similar to merfolk, the merrow resembled attractive humans from the waist up. From the hips down, the merrow took after their non-fae parentage. Everywhere I looked, tentacles and fish tails lashed out.
They had come, and just in time. The merrow were savage fighters, but the each uisge had their secret weapon: Ceffyl Dŵr.
I recognized Ceffyl from my visions. He was in his water horse form, just as he had been while ruling over his court. During that vision, I had seen his reflection in the dark pools of wate
r at his feet. I had been impressed when I first saw him in this form. Sleek seal-like skin covered his well-muscled body from equine head to seaweed entwined tail. He was larger than the other members of his court and his eyes held wisdom in their dark green depths.
That had been before the each uisge had their fun. Ceffyl’s beautiful gray coat was now striped with jagged ropes of pink scar tissue. Blisters and open sores, unable to heal, lined his skin where he had been wrapped in iron chains. This regal man had suffered greatly at the hands of the each uisge. I felt sorry for him.
The visions that I previously experienced through his eyes, when I touched his bridle, had made me sympathetic to the kelpie king. He had served his people well and had the misfortune of feeling a great deal of pain during his immortal lifetime. That pain had imprinted on his bridle, embedded into the leather grain alongside sweat and tears. And let’s not forget, he had been married to a child-killing bitch.
No, Ceffyl Dŵr, like my friend Jinx, was not a lucky soul.
Now he was being forced to fight for his torturers. The kelpie king, pulled along by the puppet strings of his stolen bridle, lead the each uisge army. No kelpie would join this fight with Ceffyl Dŵr leading the enemy, and the merrow I had spoken with, via the magic seashell, had sounded fond of the kelpie king. None of the fae wanted to go up against him, which was too bad. Ceffyl Dŵr was a formidable opponent.
The situation looked grim.
How many would be killed before this was all over? And, at the end of the day, who would be left standing?
Concerned, I pulled my eyes from the water battle to assess the damage along the waterfront. That’s when I noticed it, the absolute absence of humans. The pier and waterfront had been bustling with people out enjoying the summer night, and trying to beat the heat by staying close to the water. Now, there were no humans in sight.
The emergency weather warning alarm system was effective, but it wasn’t one hundred percent effective. Though it seemed like an eternity since the first each uisge appeared, not much time had gone by since the sirens began their wailing. Most crowds don’t move that quickly and efficiently in a crisis. Also, there were always stragglers. Whether dissenters stubbornly refusing to do what they are instructed, wounded persons immobilized by their injuries, good Samaritans wanting to help, criminals looking for opportunities, or people remaining behind to protect their property from potential looters—there were always people who stayed at the scene.
I was glad that the streets weren’t teeming with panicking humans, but their absence went beyond the realm of normal possibility. It almost seemed as if someone had cast a “keep away” spell on the entire waterfront and pier. But that was impossible. The amount of magic skill and harnessed power needed to fuel such a spell was unthinkable. No one was that powerful, right?
I cast a glance for the far side of the waterfront, where I was due to meet with Kaye. Kaye, and her hunter and magic wielding friends, should be there by now. Could they be responsible for keeping the human population in the dark, and out of harm’s way? Hunters took their vow to protect the people of this city very seriously, and no member of the magic community would want to risk knowledge of the supernatural finding its way into the general populace.
Had they found a way to cast the “keep away” spell together?
I had to concentrate, but finally caught sight of Kaye and her friends. They were cloaked in mist and shadow, but my second sight, with some effort, allowed my eyes to cut through the thick fog. Obviously, someone had thought to cast more than the “keep away” spell. And now I had a good idea how they had come to accomplish such a thing.
The entire magic population of Harborsmouth stood in a circle, with Kaye at its center. There were hundreds of them, standing with hands linked and heads bowed. I had no idea that there were so many magic practitioners in Harborsmouth. Every minor hedge witch and magician’s apprentice had turned out, ready to face the each uisge threat against our city.
Now that I could see past the dark shadows of the cloaking spell, the lines of magic shone brightly. Green, blue, and silver bands of power snaked between each member of the circle. Every time Kaye raised her hands, the lines of power would lash out to strike her chest where she drew the energy into herself. Magic licked over her body like blue flame.
I was both incredibly proud, and concerned for the safety, of my friend. I had no idea what support I could lend to the casting, but I felt certain that I had a role to play. There must be something that I could do to help. I desperately needed to get off this ride and make it to where the magic ritual was taking place.
Before the Ferris wheel reached the bottom of its arc, I was out of the gondola car. I hit the ground running. Without looking over my shoulder, I knew that the faerie and succubus were close on my heels.
“Hang on, Kaye,” I whispered. “I’m coming.”
Chapter 21
The faerie quickly overtook me, leading the way as we ran. I considered myself in good shape—went jogging daily, when the job allowed, ran sprints up and down our stairs and around the block, practiced self defense moves in the open space of our loft apartment, and didn’t over eat—but had to struggle to keep up. I was fast for a human, with decent stamina, but no match for a faerie. My pride kept me running full tilt, as we passed the carousel ride and leapt over broken pavement, but I suspected that the faerie wasn’t even trying. He was more focused on potential attackers than his running speed.
With a grimace, I pushed myself to run faster. I wouldn’t be able to keep up this pace much longer, but at least I’d reach Kaye sooner rather than later. That was the upside of quickening my pace. The downside was that I sounded like an overweight dog on a hot day.
I tried to control my panting breaths, since it seemed to excite Delilah. The last thing I needed was to turn on a succubus. I inhaled hot briny air in through my nose then exhaled slowly out my mouth.
I nearly stumbled when the emergency weather siren stopped blaring. The silence, as the alarm cut out, left my ears ringing. I shook my head and continued to run, with Delilah at my hip.
We were drawing close to the exit, the metal turnstiles within sight, when the succubus abandoned her place at my side to veer toward our left. I slowed, but she looked back at me with a wink and nodded her head toward the park entrance.
Turning back to face her prey, Delilah seemed to grow in size. Not in the way that the glaistig had become physically larger, by calling separate parts to join together, but as if she suddenly had presence. Her aura seemed to envelop the entire pier, as she set her sights on an each uisge who was attempting to ambush us.
The black horse leapt toward us from its hiding place, but Delilah was already blocking its path. The each uisge had been completely silent, moving like a living shadow as he raced in for the attack. How had she known that the monster was waiting for us behind that ticket booth?
Lust.
The succubus, equipped to sense lust in all of its forms, could sense the bloodlust of the water horse. He was frenzied from battle, foaming at the mouth, scraping the ground eagerly with razor-sharp hooves, and focused his gaze on his new opponent with nostrils flaring. In fact, the each uisge was looking at Delilah with a hunger that bordered on desire.
Each uisge enjoyed the perversion of mixing pain with pleasure. Tearing apart a sexy succubus was probably this guy’s wet dream—twisted son of a bitch.
The water horse lunged toward Delilah only to pull away at the last second. He was like a cat playing with a mouse. Too bad for him, she was a tiger in mouse’s clothing. Delilah let her flirtatious mask slip away to reveal the face of a killer—a very hungry killer.
When was the last time that she ate?
Her manicured fingernails had been replaced with talons and she dragged one across her wrist, drawing blood. She now had her opponent’s undivided attention. The each uisge fixated on the blood dripping down her arm.
Delilah strode forward without hesitation and, with one acrobatic leap,
jumped on top of the water horse’s back. Gripping his head, the succubus stilled the beast. The each uisge was no longer fighting—he appeared to be in a trance.
Delilah’s pupils widened and dark veins stretched out across her chest and down her arms and hands. Riding the each uisge bare back, she gripped him tightly with her legs and dug her fingers into his tangled mane.
“You do not want to see this,” the faerie said.
His voice broke the spell. I had been rooted to the spot, watching on with a mixture of horror and curiosity. The succubus started rocking back and forth on the back of the entranced each uisge, and I looked away. I turned to face the faerie, rather than continue to watch the embarrassing Delilah train wreck. Judging from the moaning coming from behind me, I had turned away just in time.
The faerie had come to stand silently at my side, hand resting on his bow. There was tightness in his stance, and a crease in the middle of his brow, that hadn’t been there before. I wondered how he felt about Delilah’s method of feeding. If he had feelings for the succubus, it would be difficult to watch her seduce, and kill, another man to sate her hunger.
“No, I don’t think I do,” I said, shaking my head.
“We are nearly at the exit,” he said, turning to face the turnstiles. “I will lead you the rest of the way, but there we must part.”
I gestured the faerie to lead the way and fell into step behind him. It didn’t take us long to reach the gates. At the turnstile, I bit my lip wondering how best to say goodbye. We may not have been friends, but this man had saved my life. I felt that I owed him some kind of thanks, but my mouth was dry and mind blank. I wished, at that moment, that I were better with words, and with people.
“Um, thank you,” I said. “Safe travels.”
“Safe travels and good hunting,” he said.
He watched over my exit through the turnstile and out the gate, then pivoted on one foot and was gone. The faerie had kept his promise to the glaistig, nothing more. He had watched over my safety until I reached the boundary of The Green Lady’s kingdom. He was a faerie skilled at killing, and had only been doing his duty for his queen. That was something best not to forget.