Flight (Children of the Sidhe) (12 page)

“I’m worried for his heart. I may as well tell you, since it will all be out before long,” Tessa drew a deep breath. “Mikhail has a small daughter, and her mother is not
Sidhe.”

“Yes.” Was Thrum waiting for her to go on?

“Did he tell you?”

“His decisions have troubled him. He needed an impartial ear.”

Tessa knew Thrum wouldn’t intend the condemnation she heard in those words, so she didn’t tell the treewoman how that statement made her feel. Of course she couldn’t be Mikhail’s impartial ear. She was too far on his side.

Thrum seemed to shudder.
“The world rumbles just below our roots, Tessa. Changes are afoot, and they run deep. You are right to worry about the child.”

Tessa’s head shot up and she stared incredulously at the treewoman. “What are you talking about?”

“Your niece. She is the Guardian’s only weakness. And it is the Guardian the Fomorii want.”

Tessa’s head spun. “The Guardian? Are you talking about the woman, Rosa?
” Mikhail had alluded to the woman’s power, but Tessa had refused to believe she could be important.

“
They must never trap her. That one guards old secrets. Abarta is using her as bait so the Fomorii do his will. He must be stopped.”

“But what do the Fomorii have to do with anything? They’re having their own civil war, and they were cast out of Tir Nan Og just minutes after they came here. It was Midir who aided them–” Thoughts of Bertran suddenly filled Tessa’s mind, and bile rose in her throat. Bertran had been the front line, and behind him stood Abarta. Could it be it was the same with Midir and his apparent involvement with the Fomorii months ago? Was Midir only the front line?

“You see? It goes back to that point. That’s the split. And that’s the answer. The Sidhe have not heard the last of the Fomorii.” Thrum’s voice seemed to echo in the sudden stillness of the Middleworld forest.

Tessa was suddenly sure she wasn’t the only one
who’d heard this pronouncement, though she didn’t know whether the other listeners had been friendly or not. She just knew they weren’t alone. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to escape. If only she had somewhere to be. She had hours left before her meeting with Abarta, and still no solid plan.

“How do you know all of this?”
Tessa finally asked in a small voice. Her blood practically vibrated with the need to shift, to fly. She would have to do so before she met Abarta – it would settle her mind.

“Ah.” The elder tree gave her a small, crooked smile. “We tree
-folk are good listeners. Don’t forget it.”

“I still don’t know what to do about Abarta, and I’m running out of time,” Tessa whispered.

“I’ve never known you to play the victim, Tessa. You’re better than this. Stronger than this. Quit sniveling and think it through. I’m confident you’ll come up with something.”

Tessa raised her chin a notch. Thrum was right, afte
r all. She was no weakling. Abarta had crossed the wrong woman. He’d assumed she would cave to his demands mindlessly to save her family’s reputation, and so far, she’d proven him right. Her cheeks burned with shame and anger knotted her belly.

Suddenly, a revelation hit her with alarming speed, multiple thoughts colliding in her mind as they all came together. She got it.

Abarta had sold her this intricate story that was supposed to keep her full attention on him. But they didn’t call him the Trickster for nothing. He’d lied to her from the beginning. He’d never meant her niece harm, and he’d certainly never meant to spill the secret about her. If the Sidhe knew of her, they could protect her, much as Tessa had finally suggested to Mikhail. In the meantime, any help he coerced out of Tessa would only help him reach his goal of annihilating the half-humans. She’d aided him blindly, out of her greatest weaknesses – pride and family loyalty. He’d known how to use them against her, and she’d danced to his tune.

No more.

Twenty

Thrum’s cryptic advice would never have gotten him all the way to the Well of Slaine, but Season was there and she guided him. When they were close, she flitted onto his shoulder. “I won’t go closer, Nathan. These folk aren’t accustomed to my kind. I’ll visit the Morrigan and return later.”

“Thanks for leading the way,” Nathan sm
iled. “Tell the Morrigan I said
get a life
.”

Season frowned and shook her head. Nathan shrugged.

Blip. The pixie was gone.

Nathan continued in the direction Season had indicated.
A chattering from the branches of a nearby tree greeted his arrival. He tried to get a look at what was making the racket, but the creature stayed out of sight. Of course, it was always possible it wasn’t alive at all, but a ward similar to Tessa’s, just with a much more annoying sound. No matter the variety of alarm, it was obvious the folk who lived here were being summoned to meet him. That was all well and good.

Still, he was surprised when folk swarmed out of
the dwelling and surrounded him on all sides. This was a full-blown settlement. Many of the Sidhe brandished weapons of a glorious nature. The metal was of such fine quality that it shone in the hazy afternoon light. Maybe they were enchanted. He wondered which among the Sidhe had magic he should fear.

He held up his hands in what he recognized was a human gesture no one in power here was going to understand. Yet he saw recognition in seve
ral faces, and one of those people spoke. “Are you Nathan?”

Nathan grimaced, uncertain in the face of their advantage. They knew of him, but h
e knew very little about them. “Yes, that’s me.”

The woman who had asked stepped forward, extending her hand in anot
her gesture so familiar Nathan’s heart leapt to his throat. He shook her hand, and couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

“
I’m Therese. We’ve been waiting for you. This is my brother Joel.” Therese gestured to the man who stood behind her. They were similar in height and build, tall and thin as many of the Sidhe came.

So these were the other
Sidhe children on the assassin’s list. “Isn’t there supposed to be another of us?”

“
Eva,” Therese confirmed. “They haven’t been able to find her yet. We’ve been worried about both of you.”

Nathan shrugged.
“I’m fine, just a little late to come around, I guess.” He looked her in the eye, trying to evaluate everything from her honesty to her intelligence in a few strained glances. “Do they really think they can protect us here? What’s so special about this place?”

“
Sidhe can’t fight here. It’s a safe zone, due to the healing springs. A place a wounded immortal might come to regain their strength in peace.”

“
What do you mean they can’t fight? Like it’s a law or something?”

“
It’s a spell. A powerful enchantment on the land. Any Sidhe who attempts violence will instantly lose consciousness.”

Nathan frowned.
“Does it work on us, too?”

“
Oh, yes.” Therese gave her brother a dark look, and he scowled right back.

“
You tried it out?” Nathan asked Joel.

He nodded.
“Not worth it, man.”

Nathan chuckled.
“Sorry. That’s shitty luck you were here first. I would have tried it if I were here. Anyway, good to know.”

“
Can we show you around?” Therese asked.

“Nah. We were just about to eat,” Joel spoke up. “You know he’d rather eat than look around.”

Nathan grinned, and followed them.

Looking around, Nathan realized about half of the
Sidhe who’d been surrounding them had melted back into the forest or the short squat buildings between the trees that lined the spring. The others continued to watch them, sort of like they were a curiosity you might take a moment to observe at the zoo.

Nathan didn
’t like the feeling, and Hawk definitely didn’t like it. He had to keep his emotions under control. When he started to feel out of control, Hawk threatened to take over. Animal instinct was a sure bet, and his natural inclination seemed to be to retreat to that primal state when things got too heavy. Maybe he’d learn to control it with time, but that didn’t help him fit in better among the Sidhe, who were raised with their abilities as they were raised to use their limbs and digits.

Twenty-one

Tessa’s fury m
ade her dangerous. Abarta had invited her to meet at the pavilion right next to the river Xanas at dusk. It was the spot where Ian and Hazel had wed a while back. Tessa’s anger made her swallow her unhappy memories of that day. Abarta had probably been trying to make her uncomfortable. She couldn’t wait to return the favor. She’d make him very uncomfortable, indeed.

He was already there, watching the flow of the river. He kept his back turned in an obvious insult. He didn’t fear her, much less respect her.

And that was the final straw. Tessa opened the floodgates, throwing her head back with a rough laugh as magic coursed through her. Abarta finally turned, but not in time to deflect her spell, which bound him hand and foot, though you couldn’t see the chains. They were there, and they were real. The chains of her fury, her potent rage.

“I won’t say I trusted you, Abarta, because we both know that isn’t true. But you’ve been lying to me…and now you’ll pay for trying to use me to your own ends. You’ll pay for Bertran. You’ll pay for this whole sorry string of events that I am coming to understand is your doing. You’re behind it all, aren’t you?”

He didn’t struggle, just smiled at her. That’s when she got worried. But she wouldn’t show him that. She couldn’t. Now that she’d instigated the attack, she had to stay strong. She had no delusions that Abarta cared for her, or for the life of yet another Sidhe. If it suited his purposes and he was able, he’d kill her without mercy or a second thought.

Tessa stilled her nerves and smiled back. “I’ve figured something out, Trickster. And here your hold on me ends. You would never harm my niece when she’s the ticket to what the Fomorii want from you.”

His smile faltered just enough to tell her she’d struck home with that comment. He didn’t expect her to figure him out. “It doesn’t matter. It’s been fun, Tessa, but you aren’t exactly essential to my plan.”

“Which is?”

He laughed loudly. He snorted and shook his head in derision. “I have nothing to gain by including you. You’re troublesome.”

“Well, thank you. H
ere I thought you hadn’t noticed.”

Abarta still didn’t struggle, which told Tessa he wasn’t done speaking with her. Yet he didn’t seem nervous about what would happen when their conversation was at an end. What was his game?

“You have no idea how close I am. So close I can taste it. I know where your precious half-humans are hiding. This was to be our last meeting, no matter what was said. I hope you can forgive yourself, in time.”

He wriggled his hands, his first sign of struggle, and then he was gone. Just gone. Disappeared.

“No!” Tessa shouted. She hadn’t seen it, but apparently he’d had some way to force an instant portal. If he truly knew where Nathan and the others were, how could she even get there in time?

Ian. He was the only one with the power to open portals wherever he stood. Tessa had no idea where Abarta had come upon whatever device had allowed him to do so, but its existence explained a lot. It had always seemed he knew far too much to be traveling as most
Sidhe did.

All of these thoughts ran through Tessa’s mind in a few moments, as she turned heel and ran toward Authority Guard headquarters.
Luckily she was already close. She had to find Ian
now
and get to the well.

“Ian!” Tessa tripped over the doorway to his office in her haste, and nearly sprawled headlong on his floor. Hazel watched her with concern from a cushioned chair near a window, where she’d been reading a worn volume Tessa recognized as ancien
t poetry of the Tuatha De Danann. Her fingers rested reverently on the cover. They did share a common history, after all. It was the first time Tessa noticed Hazel as another Sidhe woman, and not a half-human competitor for Ian’s affection.

Ian rose from behind his desk in a heartbeat and caught Tessa’s arm to steady her. “You’re in a hurry. What’s going on?”

“We must go to the Well of Slaine. Abarta knows. He’s going there now.”

“How do you know this?”

“I’ll spill the whole story later, Ian. Just trust me, that’s where he’s going, he’s going now, and he’s going to kill them all!” Her head swam with panic. Would he question her until all hope was lost?

He must have seen the question in her eyes, because he nodded to his wife, gripped her elbow firm
ly, and opened a portal to the Well of Slaine, stepping through with Tessa clutched to his side.

Twenty-two