Faolán eased himself up from the ground, dismissing me like an insect beneath his boot. I could have just closed my eyes and drifted away right there in the fragrant grass for all the attention he paid. He stumbled backward, his eyes glued to the figure standing barely beyond my line of sight. Hate, jealousy, and-could it be?-love twisted his features into something even more otherworldly than he already was.
The longer we’d been in this strange place, the more his Fae glamour slid away, as if he couldn’t spare the concentration to keep the guise intact. And I focused on those things: his face, the way his body trembled in Brakae’s presence, the slight shifting of his eyes, how they’d become rounder and brighter. Because if I didn’t, I’d succumb to my fear and pain, and I’d be damned if Faolán saw me weakened by anything he’d done.
Grass rustled in the distance, and with it came a stirring breeze and the fragrant scent of Shaede, though there was something foreign about it that my senses could not identify. I closed my eyes, the hairs standing on my arms as I felt her presence beside me. She knelt and gathered my head in her hands, cradling it on her lap. Don’t open your eyes, I thought as she combed her fingers through my hair, sweeping it away from my temple. Just lie here and sleep.
“Faolán, my love.” Brakae’s words jump-started my heart as if I’d been struck by lightning. “What have you done?”
I’d heard her wrong. Of course, she’d said, “Faolán, you low-life piece of shit, what have you done?”
But, no, just like all of the lovely surprises in my life, I’d heard her plain as day. “My hand has been forced.” The longing in his voice was unmistakable. “You helped them imprison me. And why? For the pestilence known as humanity? I loved you. I love you still; yet you would rather see me dead than a race so disgustingly fragile their lives are nothing more than a flash of lightning against a black sky.”
Here I was, sliced open and bleeding to death in a realm where time flew by at a blurring pace, with Brakae and Faolán positioned on either side of my battered body having a bittersweet lovers’ reunion. Wasn’t this just fan-fucking-tastic? Brakae continued to stroke my hair-did the whole of the supernatural community have an affinity for petting?-as Faolán paced back and forth, as agitated as I’d ever seen him.
“This is an old argument,” Brakae said. “Too old for us to revisit. Life, all life, is precious, and there is not one of us who deserves a higher place above another. I will not reopen healed wounds by entertaining your madness again.”
Hello? Anyone remember the bleeding girl here? And why the hell was I still not healing? God, I wanted to pass out from the pain. Yet the little Days of Our Lives moment unfolding at my head and feet kept me nice and conscious. “I hate to interrupt,” I said, struggling to lean up at least on one elbow. “But, Brakae, this should be the part where you stand up and run the fuck away!”
“Shhh.” She cupped the side of my face Faolán hadn’t managed to break. “Don’t worry. I trust you.”
You trust me? What the hell kind of thing was that to say at a moment like this? Good Lord, I was beginning to wish Faolán would hurry up and kill me, just to give me a reprieve from all of their cryptic talk and strange behavior.
“Get up,” Faolán commanded, and I felt my world go fuzzy and gray. “I don’t have time for idle discussions. Brakae, take us to the glass.”
I looked up at Raif’s daughter, the deadly smile on her face an exact replica of his. How had I not recognized it the moment I’d met her? A light of calculation gleamed in her sapphire eyes. Maybe she wasn’t as harmless as I’d thought. “Yes,” she said as she placed her hands under my arms, easing me to a sitting position. “It’s time to go.”
“Why is my body not healing?” I asked close to her ear. Confusion swirled in my mind from Faolán’s influence, countered by the cleansing effects of Brakae’s close proximity. A war was being waged within my mind, and I didn’t like it one damned bit. “I’m not going to be much use to you beat up and bleeding. Not to mention weaponless.”
“A Fae dagger,” Brakae murmured. “It has been forged with magic,” she said. “You’ll heal, but not quickly. If he’d wanted you dead, he would have driven the blade through your heart.”
Son of a bitch. For once Azriel hadn’t been a complete liar. He’d told me once only a magic blade could kill me. The asshole knew about the blade, and about what I would eventually become. Who would have thought his lies had been woven with the truth? “He’s controlling me,” I said. “I may not be able to fight him.”
“Darian, you’re talking too much again.” Faolán pulled me away from Brakae, tucking me safely behind him. “Now be quiet and move along.”
Brakae remained stoic but pleasant as she led us from the circle of stones down a winding path as if we had nothing better to do than take a leisurely stroll in an enchanted forest. Blood trickled down my chest, soaking my shirt. If I ever got out of this mess, I’d ceremoniously burn this particular outfit. I ignored the lush green forest, the brilliant blue sky peppered with dragonflies and other buzzing creatures too strange to be mere insects. I felt the presence of magic all around me and other creatures watching from their hiding places. But none of this mattered or held me rapt. My mind dwelled on one thing and one thing only: Tyler, and the fact that I would more than likely never see him again.
“You’re not really thinking of handing your half of the hourglass over to Faolán, are you?” At least I could use impending death and disaster to get my mind off Tyler. “I mean, you do realize he’s not planning to bring peace to the world or anything like that.”
“No,” Brakae said. “I plan on handing it over to you.”
Was everyone out of their fucking minds? I was the last person on the face of the earth who should have that glass. “I don’t know how well you’ve thought this through, Brakae, but I would advise against that.”
She looked back and flashed me a very Raif-like smile. “I trust you.”
Fantastic.
I worked my jaw back and forth, thankful it had finally begun to heal. The swelling in my eye had gone down, and I traced the cut on my cheek, now scabbed over. It wasn’t my usual speedy recovery, though it was better than human. My chest still felt like I’d been gored with a red-hot poker, but the blood no longer flowed. A gentle twist of my shoulders sent a violent spasm of pain clear through to my spine. Bleeding or not, I was still pretty worked over.
“Darian, my father?” Through the strength, I could sense the sadness in her words. “Is he well?”
How was I supposed to answer that? “I don’t know,” I said as I walked behind Faolán. The last time I saw my mentor, his daughter’s ex was driving a knife into his gut. Honestly, I didn’t think it would help our situation if I told her Raif might very well be dead. “But he’d better be all right.” I lowered my voice for Faolán alone and fixed him with an accusatory glare.
I had to believe Raif had survived Faolán’s attack. He was one of the strongest people I knew. There was no way a stab to the stomach would kill him-even if it was with a Fae blade. My mentor was too damned tough for that.
I wondered if she knew about all that had happened since her disappearance. Her mother had died trying to find her, for Christ’s sake. How could I possibly break the news that her mother had been dead for centuries? And that her father might have died because I’d dragged him into this mess. “Brakae-” I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and started again. “You’ve been gone a long time.” Shit, this was hard. I didn’t often break bad news to people. “Your mother…”
“Moira told me,” she answered before I could continue. “She brings me news of my loved ones. You can’t imagine how frustrating it is to be here, unable to communicate.”
Moira. That devious bitch. “She’s known you were here-talks to you even-and she never told Raif you were alive?” Death was too good for her. When I got my hands on her, I’d make sure her torture was slow and painful.
“It’s not like that,” Brakae said. “You shouldn’t think ill of her. It is not her place to speak for me. She’s not a Guardian of this realm, and the natural order must be protected at all cost.”
Oh good. More cryptic explanations. Someone was going to give me a straight answer for once, damn it. “Oh yeah, well, what about-”
“Darian, silence.” Faolán’s voice cut through my mind, effectively stifling my voice and putting an end to any questions I might be tempted to ask.
As we continued to walk, I abandoned trying to speak through Faolán’s absolute control. O Anel became my sole focus, the Faerie Realm and all its wonders pressing in on me. In the human world, I sensed the energy of the supernatural like an assault on my body. Bones humming, skin crawling, breath stalling…I felt it all. But here, the energy of every being, every tree, every blade of grass mingled and became one. And the way it wove around me, permeated my senses, gave me peace instead of pause. Fear did not exist in this place-nor common sense, apparently. But despite my circumstances, the wounds that healed too slowly, and the thoughts of never seeing Tyler again, I was not afraid.
We walked for a good hour before Brakae stopped at the face of a large granite rock. At least fifteen feet tall and draped with moss and clinging vines, a gaping maw of an opening invited us to enter. An ethereal golden light emanated from its dark depths, warm and pulsing with magic. “Brakae,” I said, my voice finally coming through, thick and sleepy, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
She answered with a soft glowing smile, though the gleam in her eyes screamed of steel-hard strength. This woman was one hundred percent Raif’s daughter, and I realized, as she stepped through the curtain of vines and moss, that I trusted her.
At Faolán’s urging, I stepped through the curtain behind Brakae, my breath catching at the sight of her. No longer the poised woman, Raif’s daughter stood before me, the child I’d first met in my dreams. Time had no rules here. And wondrous magic ran rampant. I was so out of my league.
“Come here, Darian.” Her tiny voice urged me forward. “I’ll show you what you’ve come so far to fetch.”
Her soft little hand twined around mine, leading me deeper into the cave, which defied the laws of physics with the scope of its size. Like Reaver’s basement, this place sprawled out before us, lush grass, a pool of water-and holy shit!-gigantic trees. Brakae padded in front of me, Faolán pressed close at my back. Both were fighting for control of me in one capacity or another. And I walked helpless between them, unable to act to the benefit of either while they played their tug-of-war.
“Stop,” Faolán said, winding his arm around my waist. His dagger pressed into the flesh at my neck. “Brakae, my dear, I think it best you stay with me and let Darian retrieve the glass for you.”
She shrugged, her tiny shoulders thrown back, posture straight as a little soldier. “If that’s what you want, Faolán.”
“Yes,” he said, beckoning her with a finger. “That is what I want.”
She came to me, squeezed my fingers in her hand, and smiled. “As a Guardian, you may retrieve the glass for me. You and no one else.”
“Do it.” Faolán shoved me forward, his command overtaking any hope of lucid thought.
Brakae’s half of the hourglass sat nestled in a tree trunk. The main body of the tree had broken off long ago, and graying spears of splintered wood jutted up around the hourglass, encasing it like sharp, pointed teeth. But for all its menacing appearance, I plucked the glass from its perch with ease, just as I had with Reaver’s half. The supernatural world had its mysteries, but it didn’t know shit about security. Go figure.
Golden sand swirled in a torrent, probably sensing its other half nearby. As if worried, time ceased its natural rhythm, abandoning order for chaos. I turned to find Brakae no longer the child, but the adolescent just blossoming into womanhood. Faolán stood before her, pain distorting his features as he looked upon her. A deep and scarring resentment flared bright in his silver eyes, and at once I shared that pain. It was the agony only a broken heart could cause.
“Bring it to me.” His voice, thick with emotion, choked on the words. My heart raced in my chest as I fought the compulsion to do as he asked. As if unaware of my mind, my body responded, hurrying to his side, despite the burning, throbbing pain radiating from my torso with every step. Brakae stood silent, her face emotionless, save her eyes, which spoke of a sorrow too deep to express.
I could stop this if I played my cards right. Though, to be honest, I had no fucking clue what Faolán planned to accomplish by bringing the two halves of the hourglass together. A few feet would close the gap between us. I stopped, despite the urge to go to his side. “I want to know what you’re going to do,” I said, digging my heels into the earth. “And then, I’ll give this to you.”
“I am going to end this perversion.” He ground the words through clenched teeth. “I am going to heal the flow of time. There will no longer be two realms between us, but a single place. And our kind will not be forced to hide our true natures from creatures too narrow-minded and filled with fear to accept that which is extraordinary.”
“And you will kill all of humanity in the process,” Brakae whispered. “Please, Faolán, if you love me, you won’t go through with this.”
Hang on just a damned minute. “Do you mean to tell me, if Faolán puts the hourglass together, every human in the world is going to die?” Brakae gave me a look as if to say, Isn’t that just what I said? “What exactly is going to happen if he puts that thing back together?”
“In the realms, time runs parallel to itself, though at different rates of speed. Mending the glass will merge the realms. O Anel with the mundane world. The veil between us will be lifted, and that parallel line in the human world will have to accelerate to match the pace of time here. They will age, Darian. Instantaneously. Before our eyes they will turn to dust and be no more.”
Well, there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen. Sliced open and bleeding, zombie mind control or not, I could not allow Faolán to follow through with this insanity. “Listen to her,” I said, taking the diplomatic path first. “I can’t let you go through with this.”
Faolán laughed, though the humor did not spread to the rest of his face. “You have no choice. I’ve had your blood, and you are mine by right of the oldest magic. Now, bring me the glass.”
Could I drop it? Just smash it into pieces? If the sands of time itself swirled in the hourglass, what would happen if I dropped it? Whom would I kill? The inhabitants of this world? Mine? Both? It was too much to chance. I looked to Brakae. Her body quavered for a moment as the illusion of her young body grew to reveal the grown woman once again. Steel determination mingled with sadness, and I knew by the expression on her face that she would do what had to be done. No matter what she felt for him, she would kill Faolán before she would let him kill billions of people all in the name of his twisted version of love. Thank God she was on my side, because if she possessed even a fraction of her father’s prowess in battle, Faolán was shit out of luck.
Toe by toe, my foot began to slip toward Faolán. I fought for all I was worth, leaning away from him as my body rebelled against my mind. Anytime, Brakae, I thought, trying to give her a silent signal. Whatever you’re going to do, you’d better do it-now. No such luck. Either I was a piss-poor nonverbal communicator, or she just didn’t think this was the right time to act. Regardless, stalling had gained me nothing more than a renewed attempt by Faolán to control me. His power flooded my body and mind, flowing through my blood with every beat of my heart. And as my mind clouded with only one thought, my feet and legs responded. Go to him. Give him what he wants. Do. Not. Fight.
My arms reached out toward him, confusion swirling in my brain, and everything but Faolán blurred out of focus. He smiled, an expression of pure madness, and he plucked the second half of the hourglass from my waiting hands.
I looked at Brakae, her face shrouded as if by mist. An almost indiscernible nod of her head was all I needed. I knew what would happen if I gave Faolán total control. I’d blacked out at the hotel twice. Like a light switch was being flicked off and on again inside my brain, I’d awoken from a state of prolonged unconsciousness, only to find that mere moments had passed. Time would mean nothing once I surrendered to him. I’d have no memories from now until Faolán decided to restore my self-control.
But Brakae wanted me to do this, and I had to trust that she believed that giving myself over to Faolán was for my own protection. Standing on the precipice of losing myself completely, I looked into that dark abyss and smiled. No fear. No regret. You can’t win without losing. And so, with Brakae’s faith to support my decision, I stepped off the edge into the darkness.