The Maebown

  The moment I felt the Coalition shifting to Naeshura, I channeled all the anger I’d been feeling over what Sara told me and projected back to Ozara. She felt me immediately, straightening her back and brushing her hair at her collarbone. The other Fae in the desert stopped communicating and stared at her.

  “Maggie, you survived. How unfortunate.”

  “And like usual, you missed.”

  “Did I?”

  “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

  “I have not actually given it much effort.” Her amber eyes glowed in the low light. “Run along, before I change my mind.”

  “Leave so soon? What, so you can teach a few more Fae how to create Clóca—and get them killed?”

  “Their deaths are regrettable,” she said, shifting her eyes to the barren soil at her feet. “But to preserve freedom and liberty for our species, some will die. That is inevitable. Every Fae in the Alliance recognizes that.”

  She was giving a canned speech.

  “Caorann represents a danger to every independent clan. She’s murdered hundreds already, and until she is stopped, all of us are at risk,” she continued as the Fae around her nodded.

  “We are in a life or death struggle to preserve our existence. The Second is the greatest threat we have ever faced, made all the more dangerous because she has seen fit to share the secret of Aether with an unstable, deceptive, human child.”

  My brain was clicking with counter arguments, but my gut told me to keep them to myself. This wasn’t the place to reveal her betrayal—they’d all think I was a lunatic. None of the nodding Fae would believe a word. There was, after all, nothing I could do to convince them while projecting. I forced the anger to boil, picturing my father, Rachel, and Doug in my mind. It had the desired effect.

  “Do you sense that, my brothers and sisters? O’Shea is consumed with anger and revenge. I ask you, is the world a safe place when a human possesses the power of Aether? I think not. Caorann and Maggie O’Shea must be eliminated,” Ozara said, her voice booming.

  Zarkus and Ozara exchanged a quick glance. I assumed my visit was postponing their plans and that was making him uncomfortable. I needed to buy more time.

  “All of you are fools, slaves to the rantings of a leader who will sacrifice your clans to get what she wants—complete control.” Over the top, I thought, but it should keep them talking.

  Zarkus roared with laughter. The others joined him. “Complete control? You are delusional. Ozara offers us freedom. This alliance is built on the cornerstone of clan autonomy—the Unseelie would have never joined the Alliance for anything less.”

  Oh puke.

  I knew I couldn’t keep Ozara stalled forever, but I ranted enough to keep Ozara occupied for thirty minutes. At a point she stopped engaging me, so I moved away several miles and calmed down. When I popped back, she was preparing to enter the Seoladán. She didn’t seem to sense me. Just before she passed through, Anuket came through wide-eyed and shaking.

  “Caorann and the Rogues have discovered us—we have been forced to withdraw.”

  Ozara screamed a curse and disappeared in the energy well.

  THIRTEEN

  ADRIFT

  Ozara appeared from a Seoladán in a massive underground vault of brownish orange stone. The roof of the cavern stretched about five hundred feet above her. Three openings appeared in the roof, and she ascended through the smallest. The surface was arid and rocky, and while I couldn’t feel the heat, I sensed waves of heat energy radiating off the hard-baked land. The sun hung on the western horizon as Ozara wrapped herself in Clóca and shot north. It was late evening, wherever we were. High above, we drifted over a flatter area and crossed the stone spine of a low mountain range, then headed over a large body of water reflecting the deep blue of the twilight desert sky. In ten minutes, and after what appeared to be a hundred miles, she edged back over land—a broken coast of stone and sand, with the occasional patch of scrubby green plant life, where dry streambeds carved chunks out of the earth as it met the sea.

  I didn’t feel any Fae, but Ozara shifted direction to the northwest and paralleled the mountains toward the north. In a few minutes, I sensed the Kobold and a few Ohanzee. There were no Alliance Fae, no conflict, and no Coalition elders. It quickly became apparent why. The Kobold and Ohanzee where the youngest, and probably held back in reserve—Pavati, the youngest member of the Ohanzee Elders, was the only Fae I knew. I flashed six miles ahead and warned them. Pavati gave the order. Shifting to Naeshura, they speed away before Ozara was close enough to attack.

  My enemy froze when the Coalition Fae scattered. She sent out pure air energy for a mile. She’s looking for a cloaked Fae. A few seconds later, she moved to the north, away from the coast and toward the dark mountains. She shifted direction several times, very chaotically. It reminded me of Cassandra’s movements when she left the Weald to rendezvous with the Rogues. She knows she’s being followed. Can she sense me?

  I didn’t know the answer to that, but guessed she was confused as to why the young Fae dispersed before she got to them. Again, she stopped and sent out Air energy—then Water. She totally believes someone is following her under Clóca.

  In a series of dizzying course changes, she finally moved northwest again. In an area near the coast, I sensed more Fae. Bastien and Tse-xo-be were among them. Ozara slowed and dropped to a low rise between two small mountain peaks. Behind Clóca, she formed Aether. I didn’t have time to speed forward and warn them, but I did have time to scream—well, telepathically.

  “Peekaboo, I see you.”

  She spun, dropping her connection to Aether. “You clever little witch,” she snarled.

  “Ozara is here—behind Clóca. Follow my voice.”

  Ozara hissed, and reformed Aether just as Caorann, who was also hidden, blasted the area. In a massive pillar of dust and shattered stone, Ozara’s Clóca disappeared and the Coalition attacked. Quint, Plasma, cutting wind, and lightning descended upon the spot where Ozara had been hiding. She managed to shift to Naeshura and dive deep into the stone to avoid the brunt of the attack. Caorann sent Aether into the mountain after her. The entire structure vibrated, sending sand and small rocks skittering across the surface. I tracked her as she moved in her natural form back toward the Seoladán. Over the water, I sensed something else coming from her—a form of Aether, very subtle, it affected my mind like warm air being blown over my skin.

  “I can feel you now, Maggie O’Shea. You are invisible no longer.”

  I didn’t project a thing.

  “You are a clever girl, I will give you that. I’m sure you are aware I have your friend’s family? … No need to answer, your silence speaks for you. If I sense you again I will dismember her father and then her brother—I will do it slowly. Do you understand me?”

  I knew she was telling the truth—a mixture of panic, fear, and rage filled my mind. I tried to connect to the elements and create Aether, but I had nothing. Instead, I let the tether snap me back to my body after projecting, “Yes.”

  * * *

  “It is called Khoshilat Maqandeli, or the gathering place of the Jinn—though really, it is only a Seoladán. It lies in Oman in a neutral area at the edge of Jinn territory,” Tse-xo-be said after I asked him about the giant cave were I’d tracked Ozara. “The portal she used is a southern Seoladán, one of the many the Jinn elders created around their territory. It makes that region of the world a very difficult place to secure—had you not warned us, many would have died.”

  I felt a little better about the day’s events, but the toll had been a heavy one. Ten Coalition members died in a skirmish in the Persian Gulf. Five more near Tehran. Every clan had lost at least one. A bottomless void seemed to have formed in my heart. Ozara had Candace’s family and she could track me now. I’d given myself away. I didn’t tell the Fae who Ozara held hostage, only that I was unwilling to risk their lives.

  “Maggie, today was an unparalleled victory,” Ostara said, as she wrapped her arm
around my shoulders. “There has not been a victory this one-sided in our history. I know you are upset that Ozara knows when you’re tracking her—and I’m sorry about the humans, but you saved lives—hundreds of lives.”

  Volimar, in the first display of kindness or compassion he’d made, took my hand and thanked me. His expression was so warm that he seemed almost human.

  “Bastien was right about you. For saving my brothers and sisters, I am indebted.”

  “Then will you please do me a favor?”

  “Anything,” he said.

  “My friends miss their families, and with the exception of Sara and Gavin, most of you have ignored them. Talk to them—really talk to them. They feel isolated and out of place.”

  He nodded. “It is long overdue.”

  Volimar stood in an abrupt motion, like an immortal unimpeded by gravity, and I shook my head.

  “What is wrong?” He asked defensively.

  “Everything. You move like a movie vampire—too fast. It’s alarming. And it wouldn’t hurt you to use a contraction every now and then.

  “Is that necessary?”

  “It would put them at ease,” I said.

  Over his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Zeus shaking his head.

  “I will…I’ll try.”

  He shifted from robes to wrinkled jeans and a loose white knit shirt. “How do I look?”

  “Hot,” I said.

  He laughed. “I know that. What I mean is do I look…casual enough?”

  I fought with a smile and nodded. “Yes, and try to relax when you walk. Please.”

  He shot me a dirty look and slowly turned. He looked drunk. He walked over to Candace and Ronnie, who sat near the edge of the lake, Lough Gur. Volimar’s gate was awkward. It was a complete departure. Usually, he had a regal stride with his shoulders back and his head held in a rigid posture. His attempt at casual and loose…it was pathetic, completely off. Nevertheless, Ronnie’s face lit up when he saw Volimar bobbling forward. Candace noticed and elbowed Ronnie in the ribs.

  Zeus watched, laughing softly. “Volimar appears to have wounded himself.”

  “He has never actually watched a human move, has he?” Poseidon said, visibly amused.

  “Leave him alone,” Aphrodite scolded them.

  She sat beside me, and leaned against my shoulder right after she kissed me on the cheek. She still moved like a housecat in heat, but she toned down the looks she’d been giving Gavin. He groaned on the other side of me.

  “We owe you a great deal,” she said. “I apologize for being so aloof before.”

  Aloof? She’d been anything but aloof. “It’s okay.”

  “Friends?” she asked.

  “Um, yeah,”

  “Good.”

  She gave me a once over, her puffy, wet lips pressed into a red bow. “I can see why Gavin is so attracted to you. Perfect facial structure, mesmerizing and mysterious brown eyes, and such a beautiful complexion—young humans are so sumptuous,” she said, putting the tip of her forefinger in her mouth.

  Oh my god, Aphrodite is hitting on me. Help.

  “You can shield your thoughts and hide the images in your mind—the unpredictability is alluring. So many facets.”

  I felt my face blush.

  “Oh, and you’re modest. Incredible power and modesty—a Fae would never act like you. It’s like your kind say, icing on the cake.”

  “What do you want, Aphrodite?” Gavin asked.

  “It was once called hysteria, but I believe it falls under the category of girl talk now. I just want to get to know the girl—the girl that stole your heart, like Helen and Paris.”

  Gavin rolled his eyes and looked as though he’d swallowed unsweetened chocolate.

  “What?” I asked.

  There was a twinkle in her crystalline blue eyes and a smirk on her face. “It was a joke. Helen of Troy, you’ve heard the story I assume?”

  I nodded.

  “I made a bet about men and their attraction to women with Zeus and Apollo. They didn’t think men would fight a war over a woman.”

  “So Homer…that’s all true?”

  “Well, horribly exaggerated as most tales are—we didn’t intervene as Homer told it. Still, there is truth in the story. Per the terms of our bet, I was only permitted to compel men to find her attractive—nothing else. Helen was actually quite plain—she had bad teeth.”

  Gavin shook his head and walked away to the sound of Aphrodite’s giggling.

  “I’m somewhat of an expert on attraction, you know.”

  “Yeah, your legend doesn’t do you any justice.”

  “Oh, I’m not that bad. But I have studied human expression over the millennia—you’d be surprised to know how little your species has changed. Tastes have changed, of course. Helen was, shall we say, well nourished?”

  “Well, thanks for destroying the vision I had in my head.”

  She laughed. “So, your Air barrier, it is quite remarkable—it blocks communication from anyone standing beyond it?”

  I didn’t tell her that Caorann could hear through it. “Yeah. No one can hear my conversation on the inside, but I can’t hear anything from the outside, either.”

  “Oh, do show me.”

  I stared at her and my internal alarm went off.

  “You have nothing to fear, I just want to experience it. Besides, if I tried anything, you would kill me. I do not have a death wish.”

  I nodded and circled the two of us. Instantly, the only thing I could hear was the sound of my breathing. She reached out and touched it.

  “Most impressive. Sound waves are completely reflected—nothing passes through. Does it buffer all frequencies?”

  “Yeah, not a peep.”

  “Like I said a moment earlier, I’m quite an expert at reading human emotion and facial expressions.” Oh boy, here it comes.

  I was under the distinct impression that I needed to leave the barrier in place. I listened to my intuition and played along. “That must be nice. I have a difficult time reading people.”

  “Nice? Yes. And most revealing. In fact, I’m not just an expert on attraction.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Blunt. I like that about you, Maggie O’Shea. So I will reward you by being equally straightforward. I know the identity of the human who tracks us using what you call astral projection.” She said, shooting a quick glance to Candace.

  I didn’t say a word. I just stared at her.

  “Yes, I can see that I’m right—it emanates from you, of course. But really, don’t feel guilty. I already knew, and it wasn’t just the pathetic lie you told to everyone else that gave it away. Your friend’s reaction, the looks you gave one another, your stutter when she asked if you could sense the consciousness, and the increase in her respiration and heart rate when you said you could—they were all easy to read.”

  The muscles clenched in my jaw and I felt my pulse quicken. She read that reaction, too.

  “I will not reveal your secret, Maggie—at least not yet. I will give you time to think about whether her mother’s life is worth risking any of ours—yours and Candace’s included. You are very bright, so I know you recognize that is the risk of allowing…what is her name?”

  “Chloe.”

  “Chloe, a beautiful name—it’s Greek, you know.”

  “So, your solution is to kill her mother?”

  “I didn’t say that. But you and I both know she is most likely dead already.”

  Her words hit me in the gut. I didn’t see a way of getting Chloe away from Ozara, especially with her moved to the Alliance stronghold. But there was something Aphrodite didn’t know, and I hoped her connection to humanity was as strong as I thought it was.

  “The Alliance has moved her entire family to their stronghold—mother, father, and brother.” I hung on the word entire, trying to drive the point home. “You seem to be willing to write off her mother as a casualty, but would you do that to her whole family? If sacrific
ing the entire Olympian clan to save the rest of us were an option, what would you have me do? What would you do?”

  She stared at me, and then turned her eyes to Candace.

  “No, really, I’m asking that question,” I said.

  “You love her, yes?”

  “I’d die in her place. I say that with complete conviction—I nearly lost her once.”

  Aphrodite leaned over and kissed me on the cheek again. With wet eyes, she answered. “I love my clan. If I am being honest, I would do anything to protect them until every option had been exhausted. Then, and only then, I would let them perish to save the species.”

  I felt like an enormous weight had just been pressed on me. “So, you’re going to force the issue?”

  “No, Maggie. You misunderstand. I said after every option had been exhausted—we, you and I, have many options before it comes to that.” She paused and grinned. “You played that very well.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I, of course, love humans. You surmised that, didn’t you? Until it was forbidden, I’d taken many human lovers. I never developed the bond like you have with Adonis. But my fondness for humankind runs deep. I find humans, well, some humans, more passionate about life than my kind—but that is a story for a different time. Your friend is petrified, despite her noble attempt to hide it. You should console her, I think. Besides, we’ve spent too much time behind your barrier—I don’t want to arouse suspicions. For the time being, your secret is safe with me. You are in love with an Olympian, and he you, so that makes us sisters in my estimation. We will exhaust all options, yes?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” She seemed sincere, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that her definition of sisterhood was very different than mine.

  “Compose yourself, darling. Your heart is slightly faster than it was before we began.”

  I took a deep breath and calmed down. Then I dropped the barrier.

  * * *