He sniffed and continued to frown. “Where’s the crystal?” He turned to Braelynn, who was sitting up but hadn’t gotten to her feet. She was mighty confident about herself. I wasn’t yet sure if I should take this as a good sign or not.
“Where’s Lorell?”
“He’s indisposed.”
“Oh, well. That’s mighty unfortunate then.”
The guy turned scarlet, even more so than what the heat had already done to him. “I don’t have time for your petty faery games, girl. Give. Me. The crystal.”
Braelynn jumped to her feet and stepped forward. “Give me Lorell.”
The moment her dress bumped into him, his eyes widen as a spark flashed between them. It seemed to force him to take a step back, even closer to the edge of the pool. He almost lost his balance, but caught himself just in time.
“You dare threaten me with your putrid faery tricks? Your heads will roll for this.” His snarl remained carefully subtle since he didn’t want to alert the many hotel employees wandering about.
“Look. I’m sure Lorell wants his crystal as much as you want him to have it, but you have to keep your end of the bargain. If you just bring him to me, or us to him, I might consider your demands.” Braelynn folded her arms, never wavering. She looked somewhat bored, but I could feel the magic she was radiating to repel Larry. It was laced with some sort of offensive taint toward Unseelie fey and was making Larry sweat like a waterfall, almost as if he’d already fallen into the pool and drenched himself. Whatever it was doing to him, he hated it, and his resolve was crumbling before our eyes.
“Enough!” He hissed as he tried to step away but couldn’t move. I noticed Braelynn had him in some sort of magical chokehold that was mighty unnerving to the big guy. She was stronger and more conniving than I’d ever given her credit for, and it left me thoroughly impressed.
These girls had a lot up their sleeves. I bet that even if I spent weeks with them, I’d never truly know them.
Chapter Thirteen Crystal Intentions
Crystal Intentions
August 5th, 1702
The variety of roots and herbs used in elemental magic can be lifesaving. I managed to cut my arm on a scythe while chopping down some curiously overgrown brambles creeping into our cornfields at an unnatural pace. I worry the witch has returned and cursed my family again. Still, the cut was not healing well enough, even with the use of my fire magic to seal the wound.
I questioned my good faery friend named Aliander. He informed me that many oracles and healers of Faerie use herbs collected in both the human and faery worlds to heighten the healing effects of their spells. He assisted me in finding useful plants and offered information on what each one could do. I learned which were good healing ointments excreted from root plants and discovered some, which if dried in the sun, could be used for severe pain when ingested. I mixed some of the healing plants with some of our own medicinal herbs and applied the mixture to my festering wound. The following day, I was pleasantly surprised to find the wound completely healed and lacking any trace of contamination.
~Brendan
Braelynn eased back on her magic and let him go with a twitch of her finger. He staggered to the side and settled down on one of the plastic lounge chairs. She paused for a moment before she sat down on another lounger, motioning for me to join her. I gave her a “What the hell?” look, but she flicked her large brown eyes at me, daring me to not comply.
After that show, I sat down right away, still keeping a keen eye on Larry.
“Fine. I’ll take you to Lorell. He won’t be happy to be disturbed,” Larry said, wiping his brow with his sleeve.
“Why not?” I asked.
Larry glared at me, flashing his inhuman eyes from beneath his human-like glamour. They glowed amber, like a wild devilish animal, and I could almost see the face of a boar shimmering behind it. He was an Unseelie creature to the bone, that was for certain, and not a pretty one whatsoever.
“He avoids the Sidhe faeries at all costs.” He took a deep breath and got to his feet. “This way. And don’t you dare pull another one on me or even go near your weapons while in his presence. He has wards to zap you where you stand for that.” The boar-like man continued forward without even turning back to make sure we were following.
I fell into step next to Sary, looking confused. “What’s he mean by Sidhe?”
She sighed, still annoyed at me for some reason or another. Like most women I get to know, I’d already gotten on her bad side.
“The Sidhe are the ruling class of faeries. Those with Sidhe blood are usually the rulers of either of the courts. Most of them don’t take to the human world much because it weakens our magic. Your sister is part Sidhe, as am I, but I’m also human.”
I look ahead to Braelynn, who was just ahead of us. “What about Braelynn?”
Sary shook her head. “She is not Sidhe, but she’s a great sorceress. The human world doesn’t bother her much. It affects most Sidhe, but there are exceptions. Unseelie and lower class fey wither in the presence of iron-filled human cities if exposed to them for prolonged periods of time.”
I nodded. It was interesting learning more about the Faerie world. It was still confusing, but I figured since I was a mercenary on a mission to kill Unseelie escapees and the banished who got in my way, I might as well learn all I could.
“Sounds awesome.”
Sary fell silent, and I figured she’d returned to blocking me out, so I just followed along behind her and kept a watchful eye toward the crowd of tourists, gamblers and screaming kids as we left the pool area and headed down a long hall toward one of the many tower elevators of the hotel.
I couldn’t wait to find out what would be in this tower. It seemed faeries liked to live up high in the human world. Maybe it aided them to distance themselves from the human populace in the higher parts of the city, a bit farther from the noxious fumes of the city below. Maybe they just liked to be hermits in tall buildings. How would I know? I just needed to find this Oran guy already and get a move on.
We piled into the elevator, and it would have been fine without the massive figure of Larry to hog up a whole half of the tiny box. I could even smell the taint of his Unseelie blood this close to him. I tried not to gag on the stench and shifted as close to the wall as I could without letting him out of my sight. I didn’t trust this guy. His sweating and constant tugging at the collar of his shirt made me suspicious of him and Lorell. Maybe it was this bad feeling I was getting in the center of my gut that was making me paranoid. No matter what, I had to heed his warning and not draw my weapon or risk certain death.
“So why the security detail to see Lorell? You could’ve just told us what room he’s in,” I said.
Larry shifted again, ignoring me until the 10th floor came and went. Then he tilted his head toward me and smirked.
“Others have tried to kill him before. Can never be too careful.”
“So why do you want Lorell’s crystal? Were you even going to give it to him?” This made Larry move his weight back and forth on his legs as he continued sweating even more profusely. “You weren’t, were you? You would’ve kept it for yourself if we let you.”
I heard Sary curse at me to shut up, but I couldn’t. I was having too much fun probing at Larry.
“I don’t answer to your kind … human.” He spat the last word out like dirt in his mouth. It only made me chuckle.
“My kind? Yeah, okay. Haven’t heard that one before,” I snickered. “I’m sure it doesn’t matter what kind come by here. You don’t like Lorell, but you work for him. Maybe he’s in more danger from his employees than anyone else.”
At this, Larry swung around and grabbed my hoodie, shoving me back against the elevator wall. The whole carriage shook while Braelynn screamed threats at Larry, who obviously wasn’t listening. His glowing amber eyes burned through his glamour, and I could see his boar-like appearance breaking through.
“Whoa there, Fido. Your ugly is showing.”
I kept on smiling, trying hard to not crack up laughing. He couldn’t hurt me. Even this manhandling didn’t do any damage, and he realized it too late. Larry shot spears at me before abruptly letting me go. I struggled to catch my balance before I hit the floor. Finding my footing, I watched the creature as he growled and muttered to himself. He couldn’t hurt me, and he knew that. It seemed the Unseelie were truly helpless if they stayed too long in the human world. Losing control of one’s glamour was a dangerous mistake. It could mean certain death from either humans, who’d want to take him down for scaring the bejeezus out of them, or from hunters like me.
I smirked as I watched his shoulders slump. I was getting quite cynical in my young age.
A bell rung as we reached the fortieth floor. I rubbed my hands together, flexing them to keep from drawing my sword. The tingle of ward barriers hit me as we stepped off the elevator. They stung and caused me to sneeze while the power poked at us as we walked forward.
“Your wards are flawed,” Braelynn stated dryly. I wondered what she meant by that. Maybe they were unstable, but I couldn’t feel the same imperfections she did. Whatever it was, if I was going to be killed for going for my weapon, I wanted to know what kind of flaws she was talking about.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She turned back to me and winked. “I mean the wards placed here have too many loopholes. I suggest Lorell get them replaced by a worthy caster.”
“Our safeguards work just fine,” Larry snorted as we reached the last doorway in the hall. He glowered at us before he knocked three times.
“Who is it?”
“Larry. I have visitors for you.”
“I do not wish to see anyone.”
Larry craned his neck at us as he continued. “I told them that, but they won’t listen. They even put a chink in my armor.”
We all cocked our heads toward him. I assumed he meant the glitch in his glamour.
Silence came from the other side of the door, as if Lorell was contemplating whether to open it or not after what Larry had told him.
“Who are they?”
“They claim they were sent here from the Southern Seelie Court by the new queen called Shade. They have a crystal of yours.”
“It’s from Ferdinand,” Braelynn called out. “He said you would know to trust us if we gave you this crystal.” This got her another death glare from Larry.
The locks on the doors jiggled, making me almost laugh out loud to think that besides the faulty wards on this place, he depended on regular old bolts and chains on the doors. How quaint. Any thief or decent burglar could get in there, even with wards in place. Not very smart of this Lorell guy.
The man who swung the door open wasn’t what I expected. In fact, I wasn’t sure what he was now that he was in plain sight. He stood there quietly observing us. Two short twisting horns stuck out of his forehead like a goat’s, and long, soft white hair covered most of his face. A goat man? I was intrigued as we filed in, heading to the sofas he pointed us to. Were those hooves attached to goat legs sticking out of the bottom of his short pants?
“Larry seems quite flustered from the trouble you three have caused him.” Lorell leaned over and whispered into Larry’s ear as the giant boar-like man bent down and nodded. Soon after, he spun around and headed out into the hallway, clicking the door shut behind him.
“He was less than hospitable,” Braelynn replied before sitting down with her back straight, looking authoritative. I was starting to wonder what this chick was really made of. First she was quiet, and then she was all-knowing and taking control of the situation, like an expert leader. What next?
“Well, his manners are frequently lacking. I do apologize.” Lorell motioned to a jug of water and several glasses. “Can I offer you refreshments?”
All three of us shook our heads.
“Very well.” He slipped down onto an overstuffed, well-used chair and let his eyes roam over each one of us, studying our clothes and already judging. I could feel it. Oh, well. I’d done just the same a moment before.
“We seek information,” Braelynn said.
“Do you have the crystal Larry told me about?”
I could tell he was trying to hide the fact that he was desperate to see the crystal. It sparked my curiosity, and I leaned forward as Braelynn brought it out of her purse and held it out in the palm of her hand.
Lorell’s hands twitched, like he wanted to snatch the crystal away from her. Braelynn knew the deal and held it closer to her body.
“Where can we find Oran and his tribe?”
Lorell paled and slumped back onto his chair. His fingers intertwined, nervously rubbing his skin right off as he contemplated her question. “I can’t tell you. Ask me something else.”
“I can’t give you the crystal, then. It’s the only thing we want to know.” Braelynn moved to return the crystal to her purse, making Lorell’s eyes bug out in a panic.
“N—no! I mean. Please, I need that crystal back! Ferdinand wouldn’t return it to me when I asked. You don’t want to find Oran. He’s not a reasonable man. He … he’s offended quite easily, I’m afraid.” Lorell was almost in tears. I could feel his panic sweating out of his pores. The guy was losing his grip fast.
I shifted in my seat. I almost felt sorry for him. It was obvious Lorell wasn’t the enemy here, anyone could see that. It made me wonder just how bad it would be to meet Oran. Something told me it wouldn’t be pleasant at all and that we should heed Lorell’s warnings. Still, this was exactly what I needed to find more Unseelie to complete my mission.
“We need something on Oran. That’s how this trading thing goes. You can’t expect something for nothing.” I mumbled. My patience was running low. Enough of this run around. “So just tell us where he is already.”
Lorell let out a long, lingering breath, looking helpless. I could see the fear carved in his face as he thought about how much this would cost him. I wanted to shake him and tell him that it didn’t matter what he told us. We were the ones going to face the danger. We were the ones on this mission, not him, not anyone but us. Oran would never guess who gave us the Intel, it only mattered that we find him. Some things just need to be dealt with.
After what seemed like an eternity, Lorell straightened, and a calm, resolved expression fixed his features into a confident mask once more.
“Very well. Frankly, I’m surprised you don’t already know. He’s been lingering near the western border of Faerie,” he said, staring right at me. “He’s practically your neighbor, right in your back yard, young man.”
“What?” My eyes widened, horrified at the implication. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Since you’ve been gone, he’s moved his forces right next to your house in Portland, since it’s quite secluded. Ideal to hide an army of Unseelie and banished.”
I shook my head. “You’re kidding, right?”
Lorell frowned, obviously upset that I didn’t believe him. I didn’t give a flying crap if I’d offended him. “I’m afraid it’s quite true.”
“Have they been on our land? In my house …?”
Lorell shook his head. “I don’t believe so. Your mother placed several wards before her death to protect the land, correct?”
I nodded.
“Then you mustn’t worry. They will remain intact as long as your family’s core magic is still there.” He paused, tilting his head curiously. “It’s there, right?”
The Pyren. I hesitated, wondering if I should even disclose its location. What the hell.
“Yes. Our Pyren is still there, protected with the strongest of wards. My mother made sure of it.”
“Then I highly doubt Oran has been able to penetrate the wards. He probably settled just beyond them. Since you’re not there, he has nothing to worry about.”
I stood up, heading for the door.
“Where are you going?” Sary was at my side, hand on the door before I could yank it open.
“Where do you thin
k? I have to get home. Shade has to know our family’s magic is in danger. There is no way Oran is going to get near the Pyren.”
“You can’t go alone. It’s too dangerous.”
I laughed bitterly, letting out a long, frustrated breath. “Then what do you think I should do about it, since you think you know everything?”
Sary narrowed her eyes at me, angry at my snarky works and lack of respect. I didn’t really care what she thought anymore. If Oran got through the wards and into our Pyren, our family would take a major magical hit, one we’d never recover from. He could steal our powers, use them against us. It was too dangerous to leave exposed with him nearby.
“Get your sister. You’ll need help.”
“I can deal with Oran.”
“No, you can’t. He has an army now. You’ll never survive it.” Sary’s eyes filled with fear. Fear for me? I didn’t think so.
“I can handle an army.” Okay, so I was being delusional. Still, I needed out of this hotel.
“Be reasonable.”
“I’ve told you what you wanted. Can I get the crystal now?” Lorell’s voice broke through our argument, and we turned to find him on his feet, holding his hand out to Braelynn.
“Certainly. Thank you for the information.” She dropped the crystal into his palm. Once in his possession, he clutched it like a precious cargo, tightly to his chest.
“I never thought I’d see it again.”
“What the hell does it do, anyway?” I muttered. My mood was soured, but that didn’t mean my curiosity wasn’t piqued.
He turned toward me, eyes burning with hatred. “It keeps the iron sickness at bay by creating illusions for its holder. It strengthens my glamour. That, and it can give the owner of it a wish. Any wish.”
“Choose wisely.” Braelynn’s voice broke his insane rant, making him jerk his stunned glare back toward her. “It won’t give you what you want. It never does exactly what you wish for, so do be careful.” She walked toward us and nodded. “It’s time to go.”