Call to Arms (War of the Fae: Book 2) (9 page)

I stepped up
beside
her, looking at her face as I got into position.

“I do feel a little bit silly standing here like this,” she said.

I smiled, saying nothing.
 
I wanted to see the look on her face when she felt the energy for the first time.

I leaned on the tree, taking my time as I placed first my right hand and then my
left on the tree’s warm and chunky bark
.
 
The energy of The Green was humming, buzzing, flowing through every particle of my being.
 
Damn it feels good to be back here.
 
I got a responding welcome back from The Green.
 

I moved my hand closer to hers.
 
It was only inches away.
 
“Are you ready?” I asked, laying my cheek against the trunk.

“Yes,” she said softly.

I moved my hand and placed it over hers.
 
I saw from her eyes that she was feeling it.
 
The gray color was slowly swirling around in her eyes.
 

I sent out my request for more.
 
And more came.

Céline’s eyes opened wide, her gray irises now turning to violet and blue swirls and waves, moving around faster and faster.

I sent out another request
.
 
More.
 
And it came.

“Oh my ... it is ... unbelievable,” she said, tears in her eyes now.

I made one last request.
 
I asked The Green to show her all of it.
 
To show her the beauty.
 
The love.

I felt the blast coming before it arrived.
 
I gripped her hand hard, hoping it was okay to do this to her.
 

She frowned at the look on my face a split second before it hit her.
 

A ray of silver light burst from her eyes, shining directly into mine, temporarily blinding me.
 
All I could see was liquid silver.
 
I felt her gasp and scream out.
 
Her hand pulled away from mine and I heard a thump.
 

I sent my thanks to The Green, which quickly ratcheted the energy back to its normal lower levels.
 
I broke my connection with the tree and sat down, waiting for my vision to return to normal.
 
Fucking fae had lasered me with her freaky silver eyes.

I heard her moaning faintly next to me.
 
My vision began to clear and I saw her lying on the ground, covered in leaves.
 
Her hair was all messed up and she had some twigs on her tunic.
 

I crawled over to where she was, nudging her on the shoulder.
 

“Céline?
 
Are you okay?”

She just moaned weakly and then dropped into unconsciousness.

Dammit.
 
Now I’d done it.
 
I’d given my trainer a stroke.
 
I was going to be in serious trouble now.
 
I touched the trunk of the ancient and asked it to go find me a green elf, explaining it was urgent.
 

Minutes later the elf I knew as Robin Hood showed up.
 
I could finally see normally again, the silver laser vision having faded.

“The Green has brought me here.
 
What happened?”
 
He was looking down at Céline who was lying motionless on the ground.

“Um, I ... uh ... was showing her some stuff and ... well ... this happened.”

The elf bent down and touched her forehead, keeping his hand there for a few seconds.

“She is not dead.”

Phew.
 
“Well that’s a relief.”

“But I do not know what is wrong with her.”

Double damn.
 
I’m screwed.

“I will take her back to the compound.”
  
He bent down to pick her up.
 
She was a tall woman, but he lifted her with ease.

“What should I do?”

“Go back to the compound.”

“Um, I don’t really know where it is.”

“Follow me.”

I followed him a distance through the forest to a door that was standing there in the middle of a bunch of trees.
 
He grabbed the heavy iron handle, a ring, and pulled.
 
The door swung out to reveal a hallway.
 
It looked exactly like all the other hallways in the compound.

He entered and I went in behind him, following him through the corridor as it twisted and turned for what seemed like a long distance.
 
He finally stopped outside a door I didn’t recognize.
 
“Wait in this room.”

I opened the door and saw that I was standing in front of my own bedroom.
 
I watched from the doorway as he continued down the corridor, headed towards the dining room.
 
Or at least I think that’s what was down that way.
 
Stupid magic hallways made it impossible for me to know for sure.

I went in and sat down on the bed, sighing loudly.
 
“Well, that was fucking awesome.”

“What was fucking awesome?” said a voice from the corner of my room.

I took one look at the creature standing there and started screaming my head off.

The creature took one look at me screaming, got a panicked expression on its face, and started hollering too.
 
“Aaaaahhhhhh!!!”

My scream petered out as I realized that this thing was as scared of me as I was of it.
 
But that didn’t make a whole lot of sense, since
it
was the creature, not me.

“What are
you
screaming for?” I asked.

“What are
you
screaming for?” he asked back.

“I asked you first.”

The thing sniffed while dusting some imaginary lint off its jacket.
 
“I was being polite.”

“Polite?”

“Yes.
 
I didn’t want you to feel bad about being scared and screaming like a little human girl.”

“I think you were as scared as I was.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.
 
Brownies don’t frighten that easily.”

“Oh!
 
You’re my brownie!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m
your
brownie.
 
I am
a
brownie.
 
I am in your room, but I belong to no one.
 
Brownies were freed two thousand years ago by the great and powerful Landor
.
 
Everyone knows that.”

“Oh sure, yeah, Landor, the ... whatever.
 
I’m
sorry,
I didn’t mean it like that.
 
Anyway, thanks for cleaning up around here.
 
I appreciate it.”
 
It was a big relief to find out that he wasn’t here to eat me but that he
was
here to clean up after me.
 
Big difference.

He looked up at the silver tray on my dresser, which was now empty.
 
“Yes, I can see that.
 
I do love the purple ones.”

“It’s my favorite color.”

The brownie jumped from the corner of the room to the end of my bed, scaring me all over again; but this time I didn’t yell.
 
I just cringed a little.
 

“It’s my favorite too!”
 
It stood there expectantly, as if waiting for me to say something.

“Um, what’s inside the wrapper?”

“Only the most delicious candy ever to be made!
 
A little round morsel of heaven.
 
The food of the gods.
 
Eating it transports me to another realm, I tell you.
 
Nothing like it.”
 
The brownie leaned in conspiratorially.
 
“Would you like to see?”

I shrugged my shoulders.
 
“Sure.”

He pulled the purple token from his pocket and slowly unwrapped it.
 
I watched his face as he went through the motions of very carefully untwisting the ends and gently peeling back the edge of the wrapper.
 
He was like a little kid at Christmas.
 

Inside the wrapper was a chocolate ball.

“Do you see?
 
The delicious goodness?
 
The delightful
brown
goodness?”

“Dude.
 
It’s a chocolate ball.”

“No.
 
This is heaven.”

“Looks like a chocolate ball to me.”

The brownie hurriedly rewrapped the token and carefully placed it in the breast pocket of his vest.
 
“I do not know anything of this ‘chocolate’.
 
You are a confused fae girl and I will forgive you for not appreciating the magical delishitude of the tokens.”

“I’m not sure that’s a word.”

“Yes, and yet you call my delishitudes ‘chocolate’ which we both know isn’t a word, so I already know you are not to be consulted when it comes to proper vocabulary.”
 
He nodded his head once for emphasis.

I smiled, laughing inside.
 
Some brilliant fae had figured out brownies were mad for chocolate and had wrapped up some stupid chocolate balls in shiny wrappers to use as bait to get them to clean shit.
 
Awesome.
 
I’d bet I could blow this brownie’s mind with a bag of peanut M&Ms
.
 
Maybe
I’ll have Tony send me some.

“I am almost done with your room.
 
If you will allow me, I will finish now.”

“Yeah, sure, knock yourself out.
 
I’m just going to lie here on the bed and stay out of your way.”

The brownie pulled a cloth out of one of his pockets and began moving around the room, wiping down surfaces and generally stirring up dust.
 
I’m no cleaning expert, but his technique didn’t look very effective.
 
Oh well
, so long as I didn’t have to do it.

“I will now take my leave, unless there is anything you specifically desire me to find for you.”
 
He stood by the door, stubby but delicate fingertips from both hands pressed together down by his waist.
 
He gave me the impression of a tiny English lord, only with a pointy nose and ears.
 
He looked a little like pictures I’d seen of goblins, only without the sharp teeth, claws, and lumpy head.
 
For the most part, his body was proportionate – just very small.
 
Smaller than Becky.
 
Maybe about the size of a smallish dwarf.

“I could really use some black eyeliner and some black mascara.
 
Oh, and a disposable razor for shaving my legs.”

“What kind?”

I frowned.
 
Did he want a brand?
 
Probably not.
 
“For the eyeliner, the kind that you twist and it comes up – waterproof, black.
 
For the mascara, whatever, I don’t care what type.
 
Just black.
 
And the razor?
 
I don’t know.
 
Blue?”
 
I couldn’t think of any brand names on the spot like that.

“Consider it done.
 
You have the good fortune to have Netter as your brownie.
 
Netter can find
anything
.
 
Have a nice day.”

He snapped his fingers once in the general direction of the room’s interior and opened the door, leaving before I could thank him.

I looked back towards my dresser and saw that all the dust particles that had been floating around in the air were gone.
 
Not a single speck remained.
 
Weird
.
 
I guess his technique did work.

 
There was a knock at the door.
 
I got up to answer it, opening the door to reveal Dardennes standing there.
 
I backed up a little, instantly worried.
 
I doubted that he made personal calls to the rooms of fae changelings very often.
 
It had to be about Céline.

“Good morning, Jayne.
 
How are you?”

“Uh, I’m fine.
 
How’s Céline?
 
Is she okay?”

“Yes, she is recovering nicely from her ... shock.
 
I will be taking over your training for today.
 
She will be back with you tomorrow.
 
Please follow me.”