Wicked Wonderland

  A flash of blinding light struck the ship, changing the sinking feeling in her stomach to primitive terror. The thunder that exploded the same instant drove some of the birdmen back to cower against the sides of the ship, giving an advantage to the more courageous centaurs. “The Undines are shaking the ship from underneath,” Kris whispered from his perch on her shoulder. “That should make the birdmen seasick. But it won’t affect the centaurs.”

  “What are Undines?” Lilly cried to him above the noise.

  “Water fae.” Kris sprang from her shoulder, flew down to the deck humming and, within seconds, regained his normal size.

  And then Lilly saw it! What must be the Undines’ magic, green and blue lights, sparkling, leaping and swirling and flowing up around the sides of the ship. The Undines were adding their water power to the fight.

  A few of the birdmen were indeed seasick and vomiting over the sides of the ship. Majestic swells in varying shades of gray propelled the ship up and down. Salt water mixed with blood splashed in her face. Why did these scum bend to the will of her half sister? She felt a mean gladness to see that some of the birdmen looked much sicker than she felt. Desire for revenge burned in her heart. What would it be like to slice into one of their chests? But she didn’t know if she could do it, didn’t know if she could stomach it.

  Zenia’s magical fires sprang up and were repeatedly repelled by the waves splashing up on deck or by the rain.

  Turning her head at the sound of aggressive bird calls, Lilly saw a huge birdman approaching, his iron sword getting nearer to Kris’s unprotected chest.

  “Kris, look out!”

  At the sound of her cry, Nick brought his axe down hard on the sword itself, and the blow made the birdman drop the weapon and cry out in fury.

  Then Kris was humming and murmuring magic words. Yellow and gold petals fell from the sky. “Warriors of the Light,” she heard Kris whisper. Suddenly, he, Nick, and Lilly wore bronze helms and held bronze shields. She tested the weight of the axe in her hand. Would she need to use it? Could she defend herself?

  Screams to her right made her turn in time to see a birdman viciously stab a centaur. She gasped and shut her eyes for a moment. She’d never seen so much blood. No way would she ever get used to the violence and death of a fae battle. The idea of killing anything nauseated her, but she was determined to help somehow.

  In moments, Nick stood beside them. Though he’d lost his helmet, he swung his axe, and the birdman who’d been trying to kill Kris lost his head on the first stroke. Blood shot out like a geyser. A second birdman approached Nick. Nick’s foot shot out, sweeping the legs from under the birdman. The creature went down with a shout, and Kris impaled him with his sword.

  When a birdman barreled toward Lilly, fear lodged in her throat, nearly choking her, but she aimed her axe straight under his chin and swung. She closed her eyes as she struck, not wanting to see the damage, though the ghastly sound of his scream was enough for her to know she’d managed to hit true. She thanked years of Kung Fu and self-defense classes for her quick reaction.

  She forced her eyes open again and saw the birdman wasn’t dead but had swung away from her, its taloned hand cupping its bleeding wound.

  The stench of centaur and birdmen blood filled her nose and made her gag. Another huge birdman charged straight toward her. For half a second, her heart froze and death seemed a certainty; then, with the speed of an adder, Kris grabbed the creature by the feathers and skin under its head and shoved the pretty silver dagger up and under its humanlike ribs. She wanted to put her hands over her ears to block out the sickening screams, even as she blocked another attack with the use of her shield.

  Kris was not as large as the birdman, yet he managed to hold on to the creature though it struggled and squawked and flailed like a fish. Still holding the animal down, he pulled out the dagger and brutally shoved it in again. The creature grunted and sank to the deck, blood pouring down its side.

  Rain lashed Lilly. Lightning blinded her, and thunder deafened. She was soaked to the skin and numb with cold.

  Another of the largest, most muscular and powerful of the birdman had Nick in a headlock. She remembered her self-defense teacher’s words. “Assess the situation clearly; always aim for the unprotected area of your attacker.”

  Lilly aimed for the space where bird head met human body, and struck the spot with all her momentum and strength. The bronze axe hit against bone. The handle shivered in her hand, and she turned away, wanting to vomit as the axe head went halfway in and blood spurted into her eyes. When she wiped the blood away, she saw the birdman had keeled over and dropped his sword to the deck.

  Though she felt strangely repelled by it, Lilly reached for the iron sword.

  “No, Lilly! Don’t touch!”

  She turned to look at Kris in amazement.

  “The heavy iron in that sword. It will kill any fae powers you have. You’ll be taking the path of iron!”

  That explained why their axes were made of bronze, and Kris and the centaurs had silver swords.

  Kris threw himself into a half spin, using his wings, drifting off the deck for a moment, then smacking his bronze blade into a birdman’s belly. The birdman gave an inhuman shriek that sounded full of pain and fury. This birdman wore thick chainmail. He was winded not seriously hurt, but his screams were hideous, and he cried out the name of his mistress.

  The sound brought Zenia flying out of the hatch that must lead belowdecks, her titanium knife raised high, her blonde hair whipping around her face in the wind. Some of the birdmen cringed. Fear lived on the deck, fear that hung in the air like black flies. It radiated off the birdmen and into Lilly’s heart, making her sweat.

  “How dare you touch Brock? How dare you touch my most loyal slave, you filthy half-breed!” Although Kris had struck the blow to this particular birdman, Zenia turned her rage upon Lilly.

  Lilly almost laughed. “What did you expect would happen while you hid beneath the deck like a coward?”

  Zenia’s eyes blazed with fury. She pulled herself up to her full height and pointed her knife at Lilly. “I was performing magic, you idiot!”

  “And being a coward.” Lilly liked how strong her voice sounded. She lifted her axe and shield to deflect the possible stab of the blade.

  Zenia extended her arm, her long, golden fingernail pointing at Lilly’s chest. “Grab her!”

  Two birdmen caught hold of Lilly’s arms. Nick and Kris moved to free her, but birdmen surrounded them on all sides, their broad shoulders pushing between her and her lovers.

  But it was all right. She didn’t feel afraid. A power, a confidence built up from deep within her body, moving up toward her lungs.

  She opened her mouth and sang.

  She didn’t sing in English. She sang in Fae. She sang with the same voice, with the same power that she’d sung after her earlier orgasm with Nick and Kris. She sang like an angel.

  A white-hot bolt of lightning hit one of the ship’s masts, splitting it in two. The pieces crashed down, smacking the birdman holding her right arm, crushing him beneath their heavy weight.

  The birdman gave an unearthly, inhuman scream as the wood crushed him. Blood spurted from his body onto the deck. The one on the left dodged the falling beams and flew shrieking up into the air and off into the night. Copious cascades of white flower petals, petals of white roses, tulips and gardenia fell from the sky.

  “Come back, you moron. Fight for me, or so help me, you will suffer!” Zenia howled, but her words seemed to have no effect on the birdman who did not glance around or turn back.

  Lilly continued to sing, and the wood from the broken mast went flying, smacking another birdman in the head, then whirling to smash into a third birdman’s solar plexus, winding him completely.

  While Zenia was distracted, Nick approached her, his axe at the ready.

  But she wasn’t as distracted as she appeared. Humming, Zenia pivoted, knocking the axe out of Nick’s hand seemingly just wit
h the force of her arm, though Lilly was sure magic must be involved.

  With a deadly smile of triumph, she held her knife to his throat. “Where is the bracelet? The turquoise bracelet you gave Lillian. Kris should have given something like that to me, made a binding ceremony with me and someone else of royal blood like myself. Give me the bracelet now!”

  “Is that why you’re doing this, you nasty hag? Because you think Lilly is some kind of fae princess? And you believe the rumors that Kris is of royal blood? No one knows if there’s any truth to those rumors. Kris doesn’t even know who his father is.”

  Zenia still clutched the knife to Nick’s throat, making terror claw at Lilly’s insides. The dark fae spat right in his face, “You stupid bastard. I’m her half sister. She has royalty in her bones, but I’ve seen to it she’s weak and defenseless. I took a human approach to the whole thing and stalked her. Silly slut thought it was a man all these years, perhaps an admirer. Like anyone could admire a loser like her. She has the self-esteem of a two-dollar whore.” Zenia gave a triumphant smile. The smile didn’t last.

  His dark hair plastered against his forehead by the pouring rain, Nick shook his head. “Well, that seems to be changing, Zenia. You heard her sing. Who do you think made the mast fall on your precious birdman back there?”

  Fear flickered in Zenia’s eyes. “Shut up! Just shut up, Nick! You always were the most annoying asshole! Just tell me where the whore’s bracelet is, or I swear by The Dark Path, I’ll slit your throat.”

  Even as Lilly was about to scream, Nick brought his arm down sharply, breaking Zenia’s hold on the knife. The knife skidded across the wet deck and dropped over the side of the ship. Two birdmen pointed their blades at Nick. Lilly flung herself on the back of the birdman, but he shook her off, and she slipped and fell on the bloody wooden floor. The birdman kicked her shield so it went whirling off the edge into the ocean.

  Lilly grabbed hold of the birdman’s ankles to steady herself. Another birdman lunged at Nick, but he spun out of reach in a move so graceful and amazing it was like he’d performed the action a million times before. He snatched up a sword lying on the deck. With two quick flicks of his wrist, he slashed each of the birdmen with his sword. The shallow nicks frightened them and made them cry out. Nick crouched low and spun on the deck. Using his legs, he windmilled the two birdmen to the ground.

  One of the braver birdman rushed headlong at him and knocked his sword out of his hand. At the same time, a birdman threw Zenia a knife, and she lunged at Nick. Without hesitating, he wrenched an iron sword from a nearby birdman’s grasp and plunged it into Zenia’s chest. He drew the sword upward and stabbed down into her again while she screamed.

  No! Nick, your magic!

  Nick turned to look at Lilly.

  Lilly surged to her feet again, hacking at the back of a birdman with her axe. Something hit her in the chest. She looked down and watched the left side of her white blouse explode in a crimson wave.

  Through hazy vision, she saw the birdman Brock’s smile. She heard her own groan just as she collapsed on the sodden deck. She didn’t black out when she hit the floor, despite the agony and the wetness seeping from her chest. The pain in her left side felt like a thousand claws tearing inside her.

  Through the fog in her mind, Lilly heard a birdman shout, “Rurik, don’t!”

  Lilly looked up to see the birdman who must be Rurik on the upper deck, pushing at a huge trunk. Zenia lay fallen on the deck directly below. Despite Nick’s attack, Zenia’s chest rose and fell. In a moment, she was up again, her knife aimed at Nick’s back.

  Lilly called his name, and he spun around.

  The cawing of birdmen above her made Lilly look up. The iron truck on the upper deck seemed to pitch forward of its own accord. Suddenly, it smashed to the lower deck with an earsplitting crash.

  The air filled with animal screams mixed with the howl of the wind and the splattering of rain. Nick’s astonished swearing blended with the thunder.

  The last thing Lilly saw was a large red salamander with red-and-green wings slithering across the bloody deck, before her world went black.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nick gritted his teeth. He was nearly ready to strangle this receptionist, she was so freakin’ annoying.

  She asked, “What did you say your name was again?”

  “Nicholas Frost. I brought her here.”

  “It says here they’re trying to get in touch with a Mrs. Marion Rudolph, who is the next of kin. If you aren’t her next of kin, I can’t really help you at this point. I’m sorry.”

  Counting to ten in his head, he watched two elderly patients being wheeled through metal swinging doors. He wanted to smash his fist against the wall but losing his temper wouldn’t help. He took a deep breath. When he was calm enough, he made eye contact with the bleached-blonde receptionist again. “You need to at least tell me how she is.”

  “She’s in surgery at the moment. That’s all I can tell you.”

  Nick ground his teeth so hard they might have turned to powder in his mouth. “Goddamn it!” He slammed his fist against the nearby wall.

  “Calm down, sir, or I’ll have to call security.”

  Rolling his eyes, he shifted away from the information desk. When he looked up, he saw the compassion in Kris’s soft blue gaze.

  Warm arms encircled him. He pressed his forehead against Kris’s for a moment, not caring about the stares of patients in the waiting room. He and Kris held each other for a long, silent minute.

  Kris brushed back a lock of Nick’s hair. “All we can do is have faith that she’ll be okay.”

  He swallowed and nodded. The image of Lilly bleeding on the deck still seared his mind. When he glanced across the room, he noticed an elderly woman staring at them. She looked to be in her sixties, skinny with hollowed cheekbones, a sallow complexion and, in Nick’s opinion, wearing far too much makeup.

  It’s Marion. She’s older, but I recognize her.

  Marion approached the woman behind the desk. “I’m here about my daughter, Lillian Rudolph.”

  The blonde receptionist’s eyes softened. “Are you Marion Rudolph?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry, your daughter’s in surgery right now. I’ll have someone come speak to you as soon as possible.”

  Nick stepped forward. “Marion, you may not remember me, but I’m Nick Frost. I once had Thanksgiving Dinner at your home about ten years ago. My friend Kris and I brought Lilly here to the hospital.”

  Marion wrung her hands. “What’s happened to her? What kind of accident? A car accident?”

  “No, I’m sorry. It was a physical attack.”

  Marion rubbed her hands over her face and burst into tears. Kris put a hand on her shoulder.

  “What…what…by who? She was mugged?”

  “They won’t tell us anything because we’re not next of kin.” Nick’s compassion began to override his dislike of the woman. He struggled to think of some words to comfort her while Kris clasped Marion’s shoulder.

  “She’s strong, Marion. I’m sure she’ll be all right. I’m sure the good doctors here will find some way to heal her.”

  Nick rolled his eyes.

  Typical Kris. Always knows the right thing to say to a woman when I have no idea.

  The information clerk picked up the phone and spoke to someone on the other end.

  “A nurse will be with you in a few minutes, Mrs. Rudolph.”

  The three of them took seats in the waiting area. A metallic blue Christmas tree sat in one corner, covered in silver and blue decorations. A TV mounted high on the wall appeared to be playing an animated version of Frosty the Snowman, although the sound was down too low for Nick to hear it. A New York Times lay on a large coffee table.

  The tension in the air was thick. He hadn’t gotten on with Marion the last time they met, and he wondered how much she remembered.

  Of course, Kris already seemed to be on better terms with her, despite or perhap
s because of the fact he’d never even met her before. He sighed and shifted in his uncomfortable chair for a while and watched a toddler playing with the waiting room’s toys. The little boy pushed a truck back and forth across the linoleum.

  Marion started crying again. “I’m a bad mother. I do everything wrong. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to her.”

  Nick answered her with clenched teeth. “Something has happened to her. She’s been stabbed.”

  Kris passed her a handkerchief from his pocket and shot Nick a dirty look. “That’s hardly her fault.”

  “No. But I hope this gives her the kick in the ass she needs to stop sponging off her daughter.”

  Marion looked up at him, her eyes wide with shock. “Bastard!” she whispered under her breath. Then she buried her face in her hands again, sobbing loudly.

  A nearby door swung open. A nurse with black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail called out, “Marion Rudolph.”

  Marion rose from her seat.

  “Can we please come in with you, Marion?” The calmness and courtesy in Kris’s voice irritated Nick, who just felt like punching someone.

  Marion eyed Nick warily for a moment but then blew her nose and nodded. The nurse gestured to a private waiting room, which they swiftly entered.

  Nick could feel Kris’s gaze on him. He knew Kris wanted to talk about how he’d picked up the birdman’s sword, about how he’d fought with iron and risked his power, but it would be some time before they could talk in private.

  The nurse smiled at Marion and shook her hand. Then her face grew serious.

  “Hi, I’m Nurse Diaz. Your daughter has come out of surgery, Mrs. Rudolph. She has a stab wound on the left side of her chest that narrowly missed her heart. In a few minutes, the surgeon should be here to explain more to you.”