Faerie Magic (10 page)

I retreated into my shadow and waited for the final contestant to arrive. Within ten minutes, one of the batlike shapes detached itself from the ceiling and landed in front of the hobgoblin. Long limbs spread out and it spoke in a language I didn’t know. But the hobgoblin nodded, another symbol appeared, and I knew the spidery faerie had entered. I didn’t hate spiders in particular, but those long, hairy legs made me shudder. I counted at least eight eyes on its head.
Hope I don’t have to fight against that thing.
I wouldn’t even know how to disable it with magic.

Crap. I really, really wasn’t prepared for this.

Once the creepy spidery faerie crawled off, the hobgoblin walked into the centre of the open space on the floor. His voice rang out through the room, “We have our contestants.”

Whooping, roars and stamping feet followed his words.

“I will draw tonight’s matches.” He waved a hand, and symbols floated into the air. I counted, and realised there was one symbol for each contestant. Once they’d settled into rows, high above his head where everyone could see them, glowing lines began to appear, connecting them.

Oh… damn. The symbols must be in the faeries’ own language. Of course, I was the only person in the room unable to read it.

“The first match will place Crusher against Crawler.”

Crawler. Might that be the spidery fey? A troll against a spider. That’d end well.

“The second match… Pixie against Lilac.”

Not me. I breathed in and out, my heart thudding against my ribcage.

More announcements followed. I didn’t dare relax until he said, “And the final match for tonight will put Sunbeam against Icer.”

Thank god for that.
My arms dropped to my sides, and I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my sleeve.

Okay. I had one day to prepare. To learn how to use magic against half-faeries without giving away that I was human. No big deal. Oh, and with no witch spells, not even protective ones. No daggers, or even my sword. Poor Irene would have to stay behind.

Me, and magic I hardly understood, against a bunch of half-bloods desperate to win a ticket back to Faerie. So, about as much of a recipe for disaster as a troll in a china shop.

Calm down. You’ve got time to prepare.

I debated slinking away, but before I’d taken two steps, the room changed.

Seats rose from the edges of the room, forming layers. I stumbled as the ground under my feet rose into concrete steps, halting near where the hobgoblin stood. My legs bumped against the step behind. Apparently nobody else had been taken by surprise, because they began sitting or standing on the steps.

Another rumbling sound came from under my feet, and at the edge of the lowest ring of seats, the ground opened. Brambles grew, forming a barrier between the people sitting down there and the now-clear opening in the middle of the floor. The arena. It was even bigger now the crowds had moved to the edges to take their seats, and the lights overhead dimmed until the one bright area covered the centre of the room. The hobgoblin walked out, flanked by two ugly, green-skinned brutes. Ogres. His bodyguards, most likely, in case the battles got out of hand. He stood facing the crowd, and spoke, his voice amplified.

“The first match of this week’s Trials pits Crusher—” He paused, and the half-troll lumbered into the arena, swinging a club in one giant hand—“against Crawler.”

There was a pause, then the spidery faerie’s hairy legs carried it across the floor. Ugh. I shuddered a little, withdrawing into the shadows. Seeing the creature brought back memories of a crazy faerie squatting in an old factory in a nest of spiders and undead.

“Last faerie standing,” said the hobgoblin, with a bloodthirsty grin. “Let the match begin.”

Seconds later, the troll launched a flying kick at the spidery fey. The crowd howled and screamed, and the whole room shook when the troll landed, its huge feet hitting the floor. The spidery fey, however, had already crawled out of the way.

Knowing how clumsy and stupid trolls were, I’d bet on the spider winning the show. Sure enough, the troll spun on the spot, waving its club in the air, but the spidery fey kept scuttling out of range. Crawler’s long legs moved swiftly, dodging one attack after another. Surely the fey must have some kind of weapon. Otherwise this’d go on forever, or at least until one of them tired out. Trolls were damned persistent when they wanted to be.

Crawler’s steps moved closer to its opponent, weaving around the troll’s club and scuttling in and out of its legs. Still, the troll couldn’t catch it. A restless murmur went through the crowd. Shouts rang out. People were bored, and wanted more action.

The troll stomped and roared in frustration, stabbing the floor with the heel of its club. The spidery fey ran behind it again. With another roar, the troll swung the club in a full circle, very nearly clocking itself on the head. A few people laughed in the front row, but behind, things turned rowdy. I shuffled along the row, alarm ringing through me when someone in the same row threw a punch at the guy in front. The area beside me dissolved into a brawl, and nobody seemed to be paying any attention to the match anymore.

Get out of here.

I edged along the row, but found my way blocked by a half-ogre. Dammit. I looked at the arena, where the spidery fey had begun to weave in and out of the troll’s feet again.

The foot came down. A spidery leg snapped. Yikes. I winced a little as the spidery fey screamed. The sound drew everyone’s attention back to the arena, while I took advantage of their distraction to climb into the partly-empty row in front. I’d almost reached the door when a deafening thud shook the room.

The troll had collapsed onto its face, to thunderous noise. The spidery fey crawled on top of its body, waving long legs at the crowd, aside from the dead one hanging limp at its side. Whispers travelled through the crowd—Crawler’s tail carried a poisonous barb.
Clever.
More so than I’d have expected from a creature whose face was entirely made of eyes.

Unfortunately, the end of the match brought more rowdiness. I stood pinned to the back of the seat as two half-faeries threw Summer magic at one another in the row behind. Blasts ruffled my hair, and a torrent of leaves materialised above me. I ducked, alarmed to see my own hands were clearer. The illusion had been knocked somehow. Or maybe it was wearing off. I needed to get out, asap.

Seizing my chance, I ducked under a half-faerie’s arm and sprinted for the exit. I’d seen enough for now. Once I was home, I’d figure out my plan.

Nobody followed me from the room, but the darkness of the corridor slowed me down. The shadows hid me, but people passed in and out of the other doors. Looked like this whole place was an exclusive underground socialising place for half-faeries. I hadn’t seen anything illegal yet, but neither had I found any clues about who might be giving fake faerie blood to the Trials’ winners.

Hopefully I’d have better luck with my half-faerie disguise on.

The door opened under my touch, and I slipped out into the alleyway.

“What,” said a silky voice, “is a human doing sneaking around here?”

I froze, turning around. I hadn’t heard anyone behind me, but faeries had stealth magic I’d never hope to beat. With no sign of the enemy, I chanced another step forward.

“Not so fast.”

Hands grabbed my shoulders. I tensed instinctively, attempting to break free, but their grip was impossibly strong.

“You can’t run, you foolish mortal girl.”

Laughter, melodic and awful. I struggled and kicked, but he held me, lifted me off the ground like I weighed nothing, and carried me away from the taste of freedom.

“Third time,” he whispered. “You don’t think I’ve been watching you? I think it’s time I showed you how seriously I take your safety. You could get eaten alive out there in the forest.”

I didn’t speak. I’d gone limp, eyes wet with tears. Brambles snagged in my hair, and my hands were scratched. I stopped trying to break free.

In the present, I jabbed my elbows backwards in a move that would have winded a human. As it was, something solid—armour—crashed against my arms. I fought to escape the memories’ grip, grasping for the magic just out of reach.
Come on, fear is a tool. Use it.

A blue haze exploded across my vision and the grip finally let go. I whirled around, reaching for my sword. The half-faerie’s faint form appeared, the glamour lifting to reveal a tall figure with a pointed face and silver hair cut to shoulder-length.

Strange… and vaguely familiar-looking. Then again, most half-faeries looked pretty similar, to me at least. He spun a sword in his hand, one that also looked familiar. Wait…

I froze, every muscle locking in place. The black armour he wore, the pale grey, wickedly sharp sword made out of carved wood, the blue haze of magic outlining his body… he wasn’t from Winter or Summer. He was…

“Did you think you wouldn’t draw my attention, Ivy Lane?” He gave me a feral smile, revealing perfectly white teeth. “You unleashed chaos in the Grey Vale.”

I unfroze, slowly, as my own magic curled around my body like a protective coat. “I killed a dangerous Sidhe. What are you, half-Sidhe?” The Sidhe were the highest rank of faerie, but if his faerie parent came from the Grey Vale
,
I couldn’t begin to guess what kind of magic he had.

“Half a Sidhe,” he said. “You know which.”

Oh. Fuck.

“Avakis.” The name came out in a whisper.

“I’ve been interested to meet you. I didn’t expect to find you hiding behind a spell amongst the half-bloods. I thought I’d have to seek you out myself.”

Shit. How the hell had it slipped my notice? He looked just like him. Like Avakis. Aside from the silver hair, his appearance was more like his pure faerie father than any half-blood I’d met.

I kept my head high. “I’m not in the least bit interested to meet
you,
so unless you’d like to end up the same way as your father, I’d suggest you go back to the Grey Vale. Leave this realm alone.”

“I live here, human.” His too-handsome face twisted into a snarl.

“Really, now?” I gave him a derisive look to disguise the horror creeping down my spine. In my darkest nightmares, I’d never dared imagine some part of him might have survived. “What are you creeping around this alley for? Screwing with half-bloods, right?”

“It’s amazing what outrageous lies will work on the desperate.” He continued to watch me, his eyes like icy blue chips. “I heard your name. I know you closed the veil. I expected you to interfere.”

“What do you want, a round of applause?” The more I talked to him, the easier my breathing came. He was like any half-faerie—desperate for attention. I doubted Avakis had been an attentive parent.

“Don’t talk to me like that,” he hissed.

“You don’t get special treatment just because you’re the son of a murdering lunatic.” I pulled out my sword. “Stay away from the half-faeries. In fact, stay out of this realm altogether. We don’t want you here, whatever your name is.”

“It’s Calder.” His cold blue eyes flashed.

A snarling noise filled the air, and a layer of faerie glamour peeled away, revealing two huge furry shapes with giant paws.

Hellhounds.

I backed away, holding my sword. Wisps of magic flared around me, turning to light as dazzling as his own. Right on cue, the two hellhounds bared their teeth, sending a blast of fear-magic at me. But I was ready. My own magic formed a barrier between me and the ice-cold terror, my blade a smooth extension of my arm as I cut the first hellhound’s throat.

My instincts sharpened. I spun around, slashing left and right until the hellhound was too dizzy to keep up. I felt Calder watching as I stabbed the beast through the roof of the mouth, then turned to engage a third opponent. As its huge form slumped to the ground, I used the momentum to carry me across the alley to Calder, and brought my sword in a wide arc.

He waved a hand, and a blast of icy air hit me, my back colliding with the alley wall. The magic he had must be a pale reflection of my own. I ought to be able to beat him.

The anger roiling in my veins fed into the blue smoke swirling around me. I willed it to form a weapon, like when I’d fought Avakis, but it remained in smoke form. We were in the mortal realm. There must not be enough power here. Damn.

I tightened my grip on Irene instead. The iron would be more than enough to kill a half-faerie. My hands shook, all the same, my balance thrown off by the reappearance of my mortal enemy.

Fear was supposed to fuel my magic, but my legs shook as I stalked towards him. He waited for me to come, his own blade held casually at his side. Then he struck me with magic again. My feet skidded, my blade faltering.
No. For crying out loud, he’s not Avakis. You can’t let him intimidate you.

My blade collided with his, and I bared my teeth. “This is your last warning.”

“Don’t you threaten me, human scum,” he spat. “You’re nothing. You killed Velkas by a fluke.”

Magic coiled around me, but his was brighter, a blue halo surrounding his body. The same colour as his eyes. He raised his weapon-free hand and shot a blast of icy coldness over my head. The temperature dropped. The air around him hummed with magic.
It’s not right.
His power shouldn’t be so strong away from Faerie.