Fury Rising (Fury Unbound Book 1)

I motioned to Jason and Tam and we moved off to the side a bit. “What do you think?”

  “I have no clue except that was the most lucid I’ve ever seen him. But…and this is a big but…can we trust what he said? He seems agitated now.” Jason shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s probably time for his Opish. He may have some on him, most of the addicts do. Check his pockets,” Tam said.

  Jason moved off to help Tommy-Tee while Tam scouted the area. I stood, arms folded, staring at the World Tree. The trunk was at least twelve feet in diameter. Branches sprang out beneath each portal to a network into a set of natural stairs—or rather, limbs that could be used as stairs. It would require some climbing, but as far as I could see, it would be possible to reach any of the vortices from ground level.

  Jason found Tommy-Tee’s stash and helped him pop one of the tablets. Opish could be either taken internally or smoked. Most O-Heads preferred the smoke, but we didn’t have time for Tommy-Tee to light up. But he seemed to be content swallowing the tablet and a few minutes later, the blissful look returned to his face, only this time it was the bliss created by the drug rather than the magic.

  Tam returned. “All right, I found what I was looking for. Follow me.”

  We followed him around the base of the World Tree, stepping over limb and branch and root. The tree radiated like I imagined the nuclear power plants had so long in the past. All of the power plants fueled by reactors had been torn to bits during the World Shift. As far as I knew, Gaia had negated the radiation in them and now our power was generated by wind, geothermal energy, and solar power.

  As we crossed another quarter turn around the gigantic tree, Tam veered to the left, toward the wall of the crater. We followed. There, in the dark of the night, was an even darker mouth of a cave. The opening was only five feet high. Tam ducked inside. I followed, with Jason and Tommy-Tee right behind me.

  As I straightened up, I gasped. We were in a large cavern. A twenty-foot ceiling extended farther than I could see. The walls glittered with sparkles of rogue magic that gave off a dim light. I realized that the sand had been compacted. It was smooth and shiny, so dense that it had become hard as stone.

  The cavern was empty, as far as I could see, but it didn’t feel empty.

  “What is this place? Does the city know about it?”

  Tam shook his head. “No. This tunnel belongs to my people. It leads to a safe space. Don’t worry about it collapsing if there’s an aftershock. I guarantee it won’t.”

  As we approached the back of the cave, Jason exclaimed as he pointed to the ceiling. Inlaid against the roof of the chamber was a star-shaped pattern of glowing crystals. They were blue and green and they shimmered, brilliant against the dim light that pervaded the chamber.

  “What’s that?”

  “That is the symbol of my nation. The Tuatha de Dannan. What you call the Bonny Fae. We go back farther than the Weather Wars, you know—a lot farther. My people originally came from a land called Eire. We have a history so steeped in magic and legend that it would put modern history to shame if they were to record it right.”

  “Why don’t we know about this?” I asked. “I never learned anything about your people in history class, not even when we studied the cultures of the Otherkin.”

  “Because the corporatocracies don’t want you to. Not only are they leery of the Otherkin—which is why we’re banned from holding public office—but they don’t want you to know about life before the Weather Wars. You only know what they want you to know. For example—Jason’s people? The hawk-shifters? They come from the land of Black Forest, but from a time when the actual Black Forest existed as a woodland rather than a city. Long before the rise of nations and the rise of technology. The time of the Weather Wars isn’t ancient history. The time of the Weather Wars is built on ancient history.”

  At that moment, Tam led us into a narrow passage leading away from the main chamber. As we headed in the general direction that I gauged the Bogs were in, Tommy-Tee suddenly spoke up from behind me.

  “I’ve been here before,” he whispered. “I remember this place, too.”

  As I glanced over my shoulder, Tam suddenly vanished through an opening ahead. I stumbled over a root, catching myself as I came to the edge of the archway. As I peeked in, Tommy-Tee’s words vanished from my thoughts.

  “Welcome to the Court of the Bonny Fae, welcome to the home of the sons and daughters of the Tuatha de Dannan,” Tam said, leading us into a brilliant throne room filled with Fae. As a group near us stopped to stare, Tam inclined his head as a collective gasp ran through the room.

  “Lord Tam O’Reilly, Lord of the Barrow! Welcome home, Your Highness,” one of the men said, as everyone—man and woman—dropped into curtseys and bows.

  Jason and I stared at Tam, who merely winked at me, then strode to the throne in the center of the room and there, he took his place.

  Chapter 20

  “Lord Tam?” Jason stared at him, incredulous.

  “I am at that, Jason. Lord Tam, Prince of the Northwest Clan of the Bonny Fae. I’m Lord of the Realm here.” Tam sprawled out on his throne like he’d been born to it. Every one of the Fae in the room had cast a reverent eye on him.

  As we cautiously approached the throne, I looked around the room. The chamber was so large that I couldn’t see the far end. The ceiling stretched beyond my sight, the apex lost among the flickering lights emanating from the walls of the chamber. Furnished with benches and long tables carved from some dark hardwood, the cavern seemed sparse, nothing like I would picture a throne room. Except for the throne itself.

  Tam’s throne had been hewn out of what looked like black marble, etched over every inch with knot work carvings. What I first thought was Wandering Ivy covered the base, but then I realized the plant growing around the base wasn’t sentient. Holly branches broke through the cavern floor to flare out from the other sides of the throne. Crystals—shimmering and clear—sparkled from the back, above where Tam’s head rested, and silver spines jutted out to the side along the back, forming a gleaming row of threatening spikes.

  “You’re a prince?” My mind reeled, trying to take in the news.

  “I’ve been called that and worse,” Tam said. He snapped his fingers and two men stepped forward, kneeling at his feet. “I don’t have time to stay, but I have a task for you.”

  “Whatever your will, Lord Tam.” The taller man rose, coming to attention.

  “One of my friends needs protection while the rest of us are away. You will guard him from harm. He’s one of the wandering ones. Keep an eye on him, make him comfortable. If he’s amenable, let him visit with the shamans but do nothing that will harm him. We also need you to watch over our things while we’re away.” Tam motioned for Jason, Tommy-Tee, and me to move to his side. “These are friends of the realm, friends of the throne. Any time they need protection, they are welcome here in UnderBarrow. I present to the court Jason Aerie—hawk-shifter and magician. Tommy-Tee, vagabond minstrel. And Fury…chosen of Hecate.”

  At that, there was a groundswell murmur ran through the chamber and a ripple swept the word Welcome to us from a hundred voices in unison.

  “And now, I must be off. Stay safe within UnderBarrow this night. The ground may not be done with her shaking and moaning.” Tam was on his feet again and motioned for us to follow him.

  We swept along behind him. I had no clue what to say as we exited through a door on the far left of the chamber and found ourselves in a long passage. Everything had happened so fast that it felt like it was a hallucination. We followed Tam along the barren corridor until he stopped at another door.

  “We can go find the Tunnels now. Tommy-Tee will be well cared for until we return.” He paused. “What?”

  I glanced at Jason, who was grinning like an idiot.

  “I can’t even begin to form a coherent statement. You lead us into an underground cavern next to the World Tree that happens to be a Fae
barrow, and then we find out you’re King of the Hill. Then boom, we move on again. You expect us to be blasé about it? What is wrong with this picture?” Jason was laughing so hard all of a sudden that I couldn’t help but join in. With everything that had gone on, this might actually have been the most disconcerting.

  “Jason’s right. Should we start calling you Lord Tam now? What’s the proper etiquette?” I leaned against the wall, grateful for the chance to blow off some steam. Everything had been so grim the past few days.

  Tam glared at us. “I don’t know what’s so funny. You never asked if I was royalty, and I never had a good reason to tell you.” He caught my gaze and held it. “Does it make so much difference to you?”

  I sobered, suddenly feeling the weight of his question. While he had directed it at both of us, somehow I knew he meant it for me. I caught my breath and smiled.

  “No, of course not. You’re still the Tam we’ve known all these years. Just…more. And just how often do you meet a faerie-tale prince, anyway? This is the answer to a lot of girls’ dreams.”

  He motioned for us to follow him up another set of stairs hidden beneath the sands. As he took the lead, Jason reached out to catch my arm.

  “Is something going on between you two?” His gaze pierced my own.

  I blinked. He didn’t sound all that pleased. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. Why?”

  “Be cautious, Kae. The Fae…they’re different. They can break hearts and walk away whistling a merry tune. They don’t mean harm, but they don’t think or feel the same way…”

  “The same way what? The same way you feel? The same way I feel?” I bristled. “Jason, as close as we’ve been and as close as we’ll always be, you need to let me make my own choices. You know what I’ve been through. You know what my work is like with Hecate. You’re my friend, but you’re not my father. I lost my father a long time ago.”

  Jason regarded me for a moment. “I knew him, you know. I met your mother through him. He loved you so much, and I made him a promise when he got sick that I’d do whatever I could to help your mother and you.”

  I froze. I had never heard him speak of my father. “You knew him?”

  “We were friends, yes. He and your mother came to my shop when you were born and the hospital found out you were Theosian. Neither of them had any clue about how to raise a daughter who was a minor goddess. They were terrified that the government would take you away from them.” He frowned. “I try not to fill his shoes—you aren’t my daughter. I don’t see you as a daughter. But…you were my charge. And you are my friend. I care about you.”

  Once again, a twinge ran through me. I had tried for so long to ignore my feelings for Jason. Now there might be something real with Tam. I knew Jason was mourning Eileen in his own way, and I wanted to make allowances for that, but why did his words hit me so hard?

  Then, with a flash, I knew. It wasn’t my crush on him surfacing. No, it was a flashback to my childhood. I had buried my grief over my father’s death from the beginning. My mother needed me to cushion the blow for her. Even as a young child I had realized that. With the circumstances around her death, life felt far too dangerous to give into emotions. And it felt like everything that had gone on—that was going on—was threatening to push me into a great vat filled with all the pain and loss I had repressed.

  I caught Jason’s gaze. “Please…leave his memory in the past. My father’s dead. I can’t afford to think about my losses right now. You are my friend, Jason. As my friend, please don’t try to run my life or protect me from one of the few things that aren’t trying to kill me. Tam is Bonny Fae, and—apparently—a prince. But he’s also Tam. And since there’s nobody else in the picture, if getting involved with him is a mistake, let me discover it on my own.”

  Jason’s expression went blank, though I thought I saw a flash of pain in his eyes. But he merely nodded, turned, and followed Tam up the sand-covered stairs.

  Once we reached the top of the stairs, I found myself totally disconcerted. The World Tree was behind me, but I had no clue which direction we were facing.

  Tam pointed to the front and right. “The Bogs are in that direction—northwest. The Junk Yard lies beyond them. We should be able to find the entrance there. But we need to discuss what we’re going to do. We can’t just barge in. We’re going to need to locate Tunnel Pike and be prepared for the bog-dogs.”

  “Besides my weapons, I also have a talisman that will allow me to Trace the Thunderstrike once I’m within five hundred feet of it.” I sat down on a sand-covered chunk of metal. “But I need to rest for a moment. We’ve been going a long time, and I’m so tired.”

  Jason and Tam had an advantage on me—shifters, Weres, and the Fae had more resilience and stamina than humans and most of the Theosians. While I could wipe the floor with most humans in a fight, the fact was that I needed plenty of sleep and time to recharge.

  “Are you capable of going in there tonight?” Jason motioned for me to scoot over so he could sit down too.

  “I don’t know, to be honest. My hand still hurts from the acid burn. I should have looked at it while we were in UnderBarrow. I’m just…tired.” I yawned. “You know, if we’re going now, I’d better get on my feet.”

  “We can help, though it’s going to take a toll on you in the long run. A small toll, but still, fair warned.” Tam motioned to us. “Back to UnderBarrow. We have a shield in there, beyond my throne room, where time shifts. All Fae are capable of shifting time if they’re in their Barrows. You can rest, and when we come out, only an hour will have passed. One hour isn’t going to make a difference. I should have thought of this while we were there, but my people don’t tire easily and I’m afraid I forget about others at times.”

  Jason nodded grimly. “That’s best. We can’t afford to go in at low ebb, and to be honest, I’m tired too. Let’s go.”

  “Queet? Can you go tell Hecate what we’re doing? We’ll be on our way in an hour, but I desperately need sleep.” I knew that I couldn’t reach her from the Sandspit with my phone—reception fritzed out here all the time. And there was no way it would work in UnderBarrow.

  “Sure thing, Fury. I’ll be waiting here when you come out in an hour.” Queet whirled past, a ghostly mist in the cool night.

  As I dragged myself to my feet, I knew Tam’s answer was the only one that would work. I was too tired, and we were in too much danger to go on without rest. Without another word, we followed Tam back down the sand-covered stairs, and re-entered the world of UnderBarrow.

  Tam led us down the hall beyond the throne room. This part of UnderBarrow was alive with color and light and shadows that moved by themselves. I felt like I was in some sort of Faerieland. Which, I supposed, technically I was. I could smell fresh bread and stew and the scent of roasting meat. My stomach rumbled. I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while, and most of my food had been sugar.

  Tam heard the gurgles and laughed, but in a way that made me smile at him.

  “I guess I’m hungry as well as tired.”

  “We can take care of that. We’re passing past one of the kitchens. I’ll have food sent to both of you.” He walked respectfully by my side, and I wanted to reach out, to touch his hand, but was very aware of his status. One simply didn’t grab the hand of a king…or a lord, whatever the case might be. Not in his home. Not in front of his people.

  Tam showed Jason to his room first. Jason gave me a warning look before closing the door. I knew what he was thinking but shook off his concerns. This was my life, and if I had a chance to find something real with Tam, I wanted to risk it. Jason saw me as a good friend. I could feel it on a gut level, and I didn’t expect that to change. All the fantasies of what life would be like if Eileen wasn’t in the picture had come crashing with a reality check. And as they shattered, I realized that they were schoolgirl fantasies. Jason had rescued me. I had a case of hero-worship that I’d never fully grown out of.

  We stopped in front of
a door five down from Jason’s room. Tam nodded to one of the servants who had followed us. She was a pretty girl who looked about twelve, but she might have been two thousand, for all I knew. She stepped up to the door and opened it, entering before Tam. Protocol, I thought. Tam seemed used to it. I thought of all the times he had held the door for me and ushered customers out of the shop. The juxtaposition gave me a headache. Who was he, really? How did a Fae Prince go from Lord of UnderBarrow to working on computers in a magic shop?

  I followed them into the room and gave a little gasp. The chamber was small but the bed was piled high with luxurious silk covers, and it smelled like autumn and cinnamon and everything cozy that made me want to curl up and nap. A gown was draped over the bed, sheer, the color of the night sky covered with hundreds of twinkling beads. I slowly walked over to it, only to find that the beads were actually metallic thread, embroidered onto the cloth.

  “This is…beautiful.”

  “A beautiful woman should wear beauty to her bed.” Tam slowly approached, as I heard the door shut behind us. The servant girl had exited the room.

  “Tam...” His name lingered on my tongue. I wasn’t sure what I wanted—what I needed, even, beyond a good night’s sleep.

  “Hush, and let me talk.” Tam reached out and put his hands on my waist. He drew me toward him but stopped short of embracing me. “You need sleep most of all. I’m not going to pressure you into anything. We need to talk. There’s obviously something growing between us. Why it emerged now, I don’t know. But we have to discuss it, to see where we want to take it. I leave the decision up to you.”

  I bit my lip, feeling the need to be honest. “I have to tell you something. For years now…”

  “You’ve had a crush on Jason.”

  I let out a sharp breath. If it was obvious to Tam, then had Jason noticed it? But Tam shook his head, as if reading the question in my eyes.

  “I don’t think he knows. But I want you to search your heart. He’s free now. If you want to pursue him, I’ll stand back. But Fury…as close as you are to him, I don’t think Jason would be a good match. You admire him too much, and he feels too protective of you. I don’t know if he would see you as his equal, precisely because of the fact that he raised you.”