Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 3, Portal Guardians (11 page)

Truth, truth, truth, truth
... The genuineness of what was being presented to me by my formerly sworn enemy banged around in my head.
 
A vision of Maggie's beady but all-seeing eye pierced through my memories, making the sensation even more intense.
 
Truth, truth, she's telling the truth
.

I said the first thing that popped into my head.
 
"Why on earth would you want to be friends with me?"
 
How does a person go from hating to liking in such a short period of time?

"Why would you ask me that?" she said, almost pitifully.

"I don't know ... you're a badass witch.
 
You hate me.
 
Everyone thinks you're the next big thing in witchyville.
 
I'm a fuck-up.
 
I swear too much.
 
I do stupid shit all the time.
 
I think Tony only keeps me around because he feels sorry for me."

"You can't possibly really think that," she said softly.

"I really do," I said.
 
"Make a chart.
 
There are a lot more people and fae in the 'Hates Jayne Sparks' column than the other."

"I'm not there."

I smiled.
 
"No, you're in the 'Annihilate Jayne at First Opportunity' column."

She smiled back.
 
"No.
 
I'm in the 'Wannabe Disciple of Jayne' spot."

I snorted.
 
"Please.
 
Now you're laying it on a little too thick, don't you think?"

She shrugged.
 
"I've messed up.
 
I got in way over my head and trusted the wrong guy."
 
She glanced over at Jared, so briefly I wasn't sure it had actually happened.

I looked over at him too and noticed right away he was staring at us.
 
"Jared's a good guy, Sam."
 
I looked back at her, and oh, how my heart was aching for this poor girl right now.
 
I glanced over at Spike and saw his profile as he leaned against the bars of his cage, his hair sticking out all over, his straight nose, the lips that covered my favorite smile ever.
 
I'd almost walked away from all he was so freely offering me.
 
What an idiot I was.
 
Not anymore.
 
Samantha and I were both a couple of jerks when it came to guys.
 
Maybe there was hope for her too.

She nodded, saying nothing, her chin to her chest.
 
A tear fell from her face down into her lap.

"He really cares about you," I said softly.

She shook her head.
 
"He left me behind," she whispered.
 
"And Ben was just there.
 
All the time, he's been there."

"Jared hated himself for leaving you, you know.
 
He's just so blind to the council's orders sometimes.
 
You can't fault him for his dedication, when it's something you want so badly for yourself."

She nodded, sighing wearily.
 
"I know.
 
I don't hold it against him.
 
I just wish ... things could be different."

"I think they can.
 
The Dark and Light Fae are together, thanks to Ben and Maggie fucking around in things they shouldn't have been.
 
So why don't you take advantage of it and mend some fences, as Finn would say."

"I'm trying," she said, looking up, rushing to wipe the moisture from her cheeks.

"Yeah.
 
I got that."
 
I smiled.
 
"Just relax.
 
We have time to fix this stuff.
 
Trust me."

"You have a spell up your sleeve to get us out of here?" she laughed at her own lame joke, as if me casting a spell would be a good idea in any situation, let alone one where we had to escape in one piece.

"No, not a spell.
 
I've got friends, though."
 
I nudged the baby lying on the floor next to me.
 
"Hey, Baby Bee.
 
Are you hungry still?"

He was sleeping on his chest with his arms and legs tucked under him, his little butt up in the air and his pants drooping down enough to reveal his tiny crack.
 
He moaned a little at my words.

"Come on, little dude.
 
Time to fly around.
 
We need you to play spider nakies right now."

He sat up suddenly, his hair stuck out to one side, drool shining on his cheek.
 
"Spider nakies?
 
Where?"
 
He looked around the cage blindly, sticking his lower lip out when he noticed no one was actually naked.
 
"No spider nakies in here."

"Not us.
 
You.
 
I need you to do a special secret mission for us, just like your brave papa.
 
If you do this, I'm going to get you a big, fat strawberry."
 
I'd spied one on the floor under one of the benches earlier.

"You play too, Lellamental."

"Yeah, okay, I'll be right behind you."
 
I acted like I was getting ready to take my tunic off.
 
"See that key down there?
 
The one hanging on the hook by the door?"

Willy crawled on hands and knees over to the edge of the cage to see where I was pointing.
 
Once his eyes locked on the target he nodded.

"He can't get that, can he?" asked Samantha.

"Sure he can, Sam.
 
This is no regular baby pixie.
 
This is Tim and Abby's son.
 
He's the strongest, smartest, fastest pixie baby in the entire realm.
 
And he can fly really well."

Willy was busy scrambling out of his clothes, a huge grin splitting his little face.
 
"Spider nakies, to the rescuuuueee!" he was shouting gleefully, tripping on his pants and falling on his ass.

"What's he saying?" she asked, staring at him intensely, possibly trying not to laugh.

"He's doing his war cry right now, getting ready to fly right at that key and bring it back to me so we can open this cage and get him some yummy strawberries, right Baby Bee?"

"Yes!"
 
He stood quickly with one hand on his hip, his legs spread, his other hand held up above him in a clenched fist, baby man parts dangling down in an area I tried to avoid looking at.

"Why is he naked?" she asked, a look of fascinated disgust on her face.

"It's part of the awesomeness.
 
Without the nakedness it would just be a spider game.
 
Willy likes to feel the breeze, I guess."
 
I tried to withhold the snickers that were battling to take me over.
 
"Okay, Willy.
 
Now I'm gonna do something special with this game, okay?
 
You're gonna feel it in your belly, and it might tickle, but you just need to go get that key and bring it right back here, okay?"

He nodded his head, looking so much like his dad it made my heart ache.
 

"Okay, little buddy.
 
Go for it."
 
I pulled The Green up into me and had to immediately set the brakes on it, it was so powerful here and bubbling with enthusiasm to overtake me.
Woof.
 
Easy now.
 
Just a little bit to get him strong enough to lift that damn key.
 
I sent the energy into my little friend who'd just left the safety of our cage in flight.

I knew the moment it hit him because he zoomed up to the ceiling and then sideways, heading directly for Jared's cage.
 
The daemon shot his hand out just in time to catch the pixie before he face-planted into the bars.

"Wooo - eeeeee, Lellamental!
 
That doesn't just tickle my
tummy!
 
That tickles my booty too!
 
Weeeeee!"
 
He struggled out of Jared's grip and took off again.

"Willy!
 
Get the key, you spaz!
 
Get the key!"
I shouted.

Everyone in the cages started rooting for him right along with me.
 

"Come on, Willy!
 
You can do it, little guy!" yelled Finn.

"Get it, Willy.
 
Get the key for Jayne!" shouted Tony.

"Woo hoo, get it little pixieman!" laughed Spike.

"Spider nakies to the rescue!" I yelled.

Jared clapped along with Niles.
 
The only ones not cheering him on at this point were Samantha and Ben.

And then one more voice joined the fray.
 
"Come on, Willy!
 
You can do it!" yelled Samantha, looking over at me for a second before clapping her hands for him.
 
She had a huge smile plastered on her face, and for a second, I could totally see her as a happy person.
 
I'd never seen that vision with her before, and I had to admit, it wasn't awful.

We all watched as Willy bumbled his way over to the key, looking like a naked, drunk pixie possibly having a seizure in midair.
 
He finally reached the key ring and gripped onto it with arms and legs, looking over at me.
 
I couldn't see his little face, but I knew exactly what he was doing - smiling like a maniac.

"See me, Lellamental?!" he yelled.
 
"See me!
 
I'm doing it!!
 
Spider nakies to the rescue!"

"That's it, buddy!
 
You're doing it, alright!
 
Bring it over here now!
 
You can do it!
 
You're the strongest pixie in the whole world!"

He set his little wings to buzzing triple-time, slowly but surely lifting that heavy key off the hook.
 
Soon it was free, and he was immediately falling to the ground with its weight.

Samantha gasped.

I shot more energy into Willy's little body, trying hard to hold it back and give him only what he needed.
 
The energy so badly wanted to rush in there and just blow him apart with the power.
 
It was like a wild horse, bucking and straining to get away from me.

Willy rose up, the key in his spider nakie grip, and he made his way over to us in our cage, sometimes falling a few feet, sometimes diverting left or right, but eventually reaching my outstretched hand and falling down into my palm, completely out of breath.
 
He rolled over onto his back, his arms and legs spread out, making him look like a very sorry, very limp starfish.
 
"I did it, Lellamental," he gasped.
 
"I'm ... the strongest ... one."

"Yes, you are, Willy.
 
Yes, you are."
 
I stood up carefully and drew my arm and his prone body back into our cage, handing the key that lay across his chest to my cage-mate.
 
"Open it, Samantha.
 
We need to get the hell out of here before someone comes back."

She rushed to fit the key into the lock and opened the door, leaning out a little to look at the ground below.
 
"Now what?"

"Now one of us climbs up on top of this mother and goes over to that chain and shimmies down to the ground to lower all of these cages for us to get out of."

She looked at me, laughing at the ridiculousness of it.
 
"Seriously?
 
That's your plan?
 
I can't do that; I'd fall and kill myself.
 
Can
you
climb like that?"

I frowned, looking over the path I'd have to take to do it.
 
"Uhhh, no.
 
Probably not."

"Throw us the key!" urged Jared.
 
"We can climb out."

I looked down at the exhausted naked baby in my hand. No way was he going to be able to fly that key anywhere else without some food first.
 
He was half asleep again already.
 
I picked up his clothes off the floor of the cage and urged him to get dressed before he was completely out.
 
I'd already seen enough pixie parts to last me a lifetime.

Samantha walked over to the edge of the cage nearest Jared.

"Wait!" yelled Ben from the other side of us.
 
"Toss it to me.
 
I'm closer."

Samantha looked over her shoulder at him and then back at Jared, biting her lip.
 
She turned to me.
 
"What should I do?"

I shrugged.
 
This one was all on her.
 
Something just told me to stay the hell out of it and let her sink or swim on her own.

"Tell me!" she insisted, whispering loudly.

"It's totally up to you.
 
Past, present, or future maybes.
 
You decide."

Jared was in his cage, his hand held out, reaching towards her.
 
His gaze was steady, calm, forgiving.

Ben had his arm out too, his body pressed against the bars.
 
His gaze was penetrating, passionate, intense ... powerful.

Samantha looked from one to the other and then took a step closer to Jared.
 
"Ready?" she asked him.

He nodded, his lips pressed together in concentration.

"Samantha!
 
What are you doing?!
 
Toss it to me, not him!" growled Ben.

I smiled to myself.
 
As you sow, so shall you reap, motherfucker.
 
I felt nothing but a sense of justice at seeing Ben left hanging in the dust.