The Aetherfae (22 page)

It was dark outside, just after sunset, when I sensed a pair of Rogues a mile to the east. Both had hunted us in France—I recognized them. I also knew that where there were two, there were more. Jean continued to pilot the little Citroën through the side streets of Gemert, completely oblivious of the danger. I considered Clóca, but how could I explain going invisible to Jean? If I cloaked the entire car, he wouldn’t know we were invisible until a car pulled out in front of us and it was too late.

Rather than frighten our ancient chauffer, I connected to the elements without drawing too much power, and prepared to fight if the need arose. After ten minutes, it was clear the Rogues didn’t know we were there. The one who’d taken the shape of a dog and sniffed out our car earlier in the day drew no closer than a half mile. But it didn’t change course, or even slow down, so I relaxed as much as I could and stayed vigilant.

TWENTY-THREE

SYLPH

W
e arrived around ten o’clock at night, the meandering drive to Veluwezoom having taken much longer than I anticipated. Jean didn’t want to leave us alone in the dark, but we assured him we’d be meeting a friend. He finally agreed and drove away. I hoped he would find his way back to Belgium safely. I shuddered at the thought of what the Rogues would do to Jean if they figured out he’d helped us.

Between us and the dense expanse of forest was De Steeg, a small village nestled on the edge of a river. We walked along the darkened streets, catching shadowed glimpses of well-kept gardens and tidy two-story brick houses with tiled roofs. Each house seemed more inviting than the last—everything about De Steeg seemed inviting. I found myself wishing for more time and different circumstances, so we might have had the chance to spend a few days there. We debated getting a room in a bed and breakfast and setting out in the morning, but agreed it would put the little town in too much danger.

Following the navigation on Ronnie’s phone, I shielded us with Clóca. Invisible, we began walking north along a narrow path in the woods. The thick canopy and the full moon cast deep shadows all around us.

Candace twisted her head from side to side. “God, this is so creepy. It reminds me of just about every horror movie I’ve ever watched.”

Ronnie put his hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him. The woods might have been a little creepy, but I could sense everything around us and they didn’t bother me. I’d gotten over my fear of the woods after living in the Weald for two years. Aside from the trees, I only felt small mammals and birds. No Fae. No Gavin.

“Candace, it’s okay, we’re alone.”

“No Fae, either?” she asked.

“None yet, but a little further in and I might have more luck.”

Twenty minutes later, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. We had closed in on two dozen Fae. I stopped in my tracks and cast an Air barrier around us to mask any sound we were making.

Candace and Ronnie froze.

“What is it?” She asked.

“I think I’ve found the Kabouter,” I whispered. “Stay close. Follow me.”

I led them through the woods, well away from the trail. Fortunately, there wasn’t much underbrush—nothing like the Ozarks. The Air barrier suppressed the noise we made as we tromped through the trees. It was so dark I had to rely on my senses to navigate. The shimmering essence of everything—trees, rocks, logs—allowed me to help Candace and Ronnie maneuver across Veluwezoom. Slowly, we closed the distance.

* * *

In my childhood, I always pictured fairies as diminutive little beings with wings that floated from place to place and caused mischief when the right occasion presented itself. Even in my research I ran across accounts of similar beings, but after the Earth trial I’d learned that Fae didn’t take those shapes—or at least I thought. Sure, Sara showed me that form mere seconds after she revealed her true nature, but she’d never taken it again, so I was awestruck when I found the Kabouter.

They were congregated in a small meadow a hundred feet in diameter. Under the silvery-blue moonlight, they forced numerous white flowers to bloom, transforming the small patch of grass into an ethereal garden. Candace gasped and sighed alternatively, her loose fingers covering her lips, as the picture before us unfolded and evolved. I felt three more Kabouter high above us. I didn’t feel Gavin and that made me sick to my stomach. He promised to meet me.
Give him more time, stupid. He’ll be here—you just have to be patient.

After the Kabouter transformed the field, they settled among the flowers and appeared to…well, they appeared to relax. It was my chance.

I created a small opening in both barriers. The Kabouter responded immediately. Twenty feet from me, a tiny winged sylph spun and channeled energy. Her looks were deceiving. The skill with which she drew power told me she was ancient, and not a Fae to trifle with.

“Do not fear me. Tse-xo-be sent me. I’m looking for Elegast.”

The little Fae forced the veil from around me. I allowed it, but kept Ronnie and Candace hidden.

“Human. You should not have come here—death follows you.”

The tiny blonde Fae drew a quick sniff through her doll-sized nose and shook her head. “They will find your scent here…we are all in danger.”

She moved away from me, channeling more energy. She appeared to be on the verge of attacking.

“Please, I just need to talk to Elegast. Tse-xo-be sent me,” I pleaded again.

A slender being with large hazel-looking eyes settled a few feet from me. His shoulder length brown hair parted in the middle, framing a square jaw and straight, regal nose. “Then Tse-xo-be has done us both a disservice.”

“I will leave, immediately, you have my word—“

“Leave? Oh, no. You are not leaving,” the blonde sylph said, before silently communicating with her clan. “
Elegast, kill her now.”

I pulled energy from the night air, from deep in the earth, and from the light of the moon—any source I could tap, and tried to plan an escape.

Elegast studied me. “No, Freya, we will not kill her.”

The sylph dropped her head in disgust, transforming into Naeshura as the rest had already done.

“Thank you,” I said.

He shook his head. “We will hold you until the hunters arrive. Your fate is for them to decide.”

My gut screamed
back away
, but with Candace and Ronnie hidden just a few feet from me, that wasn’t possible. “I need to find Bastien. Tse-xo-be said you could help me. He said you would help me.” That wasn’t the truth, but at this point, I was willing to say about anything.

Elegast shook his head, never breaking eye contact. “Bastien has not revealed himself to anyone in millennia—not Faekind, and certainly not your kind. If he desired your company, he would have found you.”

“He is the only one who can help. Please, how do I find him?”

“You’re obtuse, even for a human. You made a mistake coming here. I cannot help you. I do not want to help you. If I allow you to leave, we will all pay a heavy price.”

My temper began to flare. “You’re the one making a mistake. The Alliance will come for you soon enough—Ozara will kill you and anyone in your clan if you don’t join her.”

He shook his head and acted annoyed. He didn’t believe me.

“I watched her do it to the Ometeo. If you want to survive, if you want to keep your freedom, I’m your best bet.”

Elegast laughed aloud. “You? Then we are all in trouble.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I can agree with.”

He smiled and nodded, finding humor where none existed. He conjured Quint, and swirled it in a glowing orange cyclone, growing it to thirty feet, then fifty. He didn’t try to attack me.
Was this a test?
Before he could react, I wrestled control of the energy away from him and compressed it into a small sphere. The rest of the Kabouter took physical form, but I didn’t look to see what shapes. They channeled energy, ready to strike me down, I assumed. In the palm of my hand, I divided the Quint into pure Earth and Fire energy. With little effort, I pulled the essence of Air and Water as well, and allowed each substance to pulse and lilt between us before dropping my connection.

“Fine, you have mastered the basic elements.”

“And I can control Quint.”

He smiled. “True.”

“I can do more than that.”

On instinct, I dropped the Clóca Barrier to reveal Candace and Ronnie. They walked to my side. The Kabouter drew around us.

“Like I said, I’m you’re best hope.”

“How much hope is there if Ozara does not trust you?” Elegast asked.

It seemed like an odd question. They knew more about my relationship with Ozara that I’d assumed.

“Ozara may not want me to learn Aether, but I will learn it anyway. Bastien can help.”

The blonde Fae, Freya, moved to Elegast’s side. “How do you know that?”

“I don’t, for sure. But my instincts tell me to find him.”

“
She is more powerful than we were led to bel
ieve. Perhaps there is hope,”
Elegast silently said to the others.

“The risk is too great, Elegast. The hunters return as we speak. We’ve given them our word.”

My inner voice screamed,
trap—they were expecting me.
I tried to control my breathing.
Of c
ourse they were expecting me. The Rogues destroyed the bridge to flush me out of France. I’ve been so stupid. They were chasing me here.

“What is it you want, Maggie O’Shea? If you learn Aether, what do you think you can accomplish?”

I didn’t expect that question, either. It wasn’t the question you’d ask a condemned human, or at least I hoped.
Maybe there is still a chance.
The problem was that I didn’t know anything about the Kabouter, so I didn’t know how to answer the question.

“Don’t bother. I know what you want. You want to return to the way things were, don’t you?” Freya asked. “You seek the reformation of the Seelie clan? Save your species, subjugate the original clans—that is what you want, is it not?”

“I would prefer it to this, honestly.” I said. Freya shook her head and wrinkled her small nose as I continued. “Listen, I’m not stupid. I understand the Seelie Clan is gone, but surely if the original clans work together, there can be a place in the world for all of us.”

Freya seemed almost sad when she spoke. “You are so human, so naïve. Things will never go back to the way they were.”

“If the original clans banded together they could resist…”

Freya interrupted me. “No, that is where you are wrong. The original clans will not survive this. Every clan is systematically being forced to choose sides. Dersha and the Second are doing exactly what Ozara and the Alliance are doing. In six months there won’t be any independent clans left.”

“Dersha has already gotten to you, hasn’t she?” I asked. “You’re joining the Rogues.”

“Rogues—if that’s what you want to call them, then yes. We have no choice. We are only thirty. Our options are join or be annihilated.”

I was disgusted, and I let the emotion seep out of my brain.

Elegast read me. “We tried to make a deal with the other northern clans, even the Sidhe.”

“And they refused? All of them?”

“Each of them labors under the delusion that if they keep quiet and stay neutral, they will be spared.” Elegast said. “And why not? That is what the Seelie and the Unseelie did for five thousand years—they left the neutral clans alone as long as we obeyed and stayed out of the way. It is different this time—they just do not see it yet.”

Freya placed her small hand on his shoulder in a rare example of physical contact. “In truth, the other clans might have been willing to aid us if we were more powerful, but we are few in number. Why risk the wrath of Ozara or the Second when they gain so little in return?”

Each of them seemed resigned to defeat. The ritual in the field made more sense. “You were saying goodbye tonight, weren’t you?”

Freya nodded.

“Is there nothing I can do to help?”

Each of them looked at me, pondering my question. “
Should we tell her where to find Bastien?
’ Freya asked silently.

“
She will never make it to Fontainebleau alive, and she might inadvertently lead the Second to him,”
Elegast said.

“
Bastien can take care of himself,”
she said.

“
But for what purpose? The human will never learn Aether without Ozara or the Sec
ond—both want her dead.”
He managed a smile. “I’m afraid there is nothing you can do to help us, at least not like this.”