Through Time-Frankie (4 page)

Chapter Five

“HORDLY, WE NEED to coat this with one final dipping to complete the spell and bind the formula to the
Golden Wiele
. Do you have the ingredients prepared?” Pestale asked as he unfolded the darkly glittering net. It had once been gold, and had belonged to the Dark King. Pestale smiled as he thought of his father’s carelessness with his possessions.

“No, it is still fermenting, but I have attached all the needles, every move she makes will make dozens of needles prick her skin and dislodge more venom into her system.”

“When will it be ready?” Pestale asked impatiently.

“A few more days—no more than a week, then it will be ready. You know, it just might kill her.” Hordly pulled at his lower lip. “That won’t serve, at least not if it kills her too quickly.”

“It won’t kill her, it will only keep her weak and delusional,” Pestale sneered. “After all, she has evolved even beyond her Fae powers. Killing her won’t be as easy as killing a Seelie, even a Royal Seelie. She is powerful, but not as smart as she thinks she is. She will never see it coming.”

“This potion you have designed,” Hordly pulled his full sensual bottom lip and paced, aware that Pestale watched him, as he waited for the next question.

Hordly stopped and said, “Brother, there are times, when I look into it, deep into the vat and I feel uneasy.  It could harm us to breathe in the vapor.” Hordly said obviously troubled.

Pestale laughed, “There is nothing about that which is odd. Don’t breathe it in. You know you just have to shut down when the vapor rises. We have to be careful with handling it, and all will go as I planned. That is why I have Sventer and his warriors in charge of filling the syringes and the needles. They are not as easily affected by the poison  and are immune to the iron powder. But, I have seen that even they must take some precautions when the vapor rises from your mixture” Pestale smiled and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “We have been through a great deal over the eons, you and I. In the end, it will all fade away with the pleasure the future will bring us.”

“I don’t trust the Blue Demons.”

“We should not and won’t trust them, merely use them until they can be used no more,” Pestale responded thoughtfully.

“If
he
discovers us, he will end it all and he will kill us…” Hordly offered on a worried sigh. “But it is worth it, isn’t it. He won’t know it was us, will he? He will think it is the humans. When we finally kill her, and he is lost, he will forget about us as he slaughters the humans, and destroys their world. He will do his worst and then just maybe he will disintegrate.”

“There is no maybe. Without Crystal, he will finish himself in one great blast. It will be the most wonderful sight, will it not? We will finally have everything we want, and our revenge,” Pestale said softly. He stared at the altered Fae netting, the Trackers gold net—
The Golden Wiele
, and played with the ring on his finger, saying quietly.  “He gave me the ring all those thousands of years ago when he first brought Crystal to the Retreat. He purposely infused it with his essence, in the hope that I would become more like him. He told me to wear it always, and I have, but his great hopes that some of what he was would seep into me over time have been for naught.”  Pestale laughed harshly and then sneered. “How dare he hope for such a thing—
how dare he!”
He paused and brought himself under control, a smirk lifted his lip before he added, “But in the end, you know, Hordly, some of our father has, in fact, invaded my mind and my powers.  Some of his essence did seep through my flesh, and into my blood—
the worst part of him
,
his darkness
. He was always more than a little dark, even when he was King of the Seelie Fae, even when he was consort to the good Seelie Queen Bridget. Why else would he have allowed her to be killed?
Remorse afterwards
, well, I don’t think that makes him better than us, do you?”

Hordly laughed, “I don’t care what it makes him. The difference between us, Pestale, is
you
care too much. I don’t give a damn about our father’s opinion. We are what he left us to become.
I want, I need,
and that is the long and the short of it.” He shrugged. “The Shapeshifter females have sufficed to fulfill some of those needs. When I want it rougher, I take a Blue Demon female. They offer some sexual comfort, but they are nothing compared with the passion of a human female. I want to return to the Human Realm and take those lusty human beauties, and perhaps this time, I won’t turn my
Lianhan
on full force and allow them to live as long as they please me.”

Pestale laughed, “You don’t like the Shapeshifters as much because you can’t order them about. They are not subject to the Lian and don’t become addicted to us, and you know as soon as you see a pretty human, you will enslave her sexually. You can’t help it, you like it too much.”

Hordly grinned, “Aye, I do like it when they die at my feet, die while begging for more.”

“You are really far more degenerate than I,” Pestale commented with a smirk and then a slight frown. “Be careful, this time, we can make no mistakes.”

“Will she come, do you think? She doesn’t always.”

“She will. Even though she has evolved, and is so much pure energy, she is still the human she always has been. She never let go of her human, and I remember once how strongly she said that she never would. You see she admires the human traits, human frailties, like kindness, empathy, concern, and a love of all things living. Crystal will come, when she is called. She has her favorites here in Conglam.”

* * *

Soon after Frankie’s father had deposited her in her bed, and left her to rest, she heard him whispering with Jazz and Trevor before he took his leave. She wondered if he was headed back to the dinner party and pulled a face.

She adored her father, but he too often was moved by pomp and ceremony. Then Prince Worley’s face came unbidden into her mind. She found she disliked him far too much and could not explain the why of it to herself.

A knock sounded on her door and she sighed and called, “Yes?”

“Frankie?” Jazz said softly.

“Aye, Jazz come in then,” she said and sat up. She wasn’t in the least bit tired and wondered why she was even lying down.

Jazz touched Frankie’s long black hair and gave her a hug, “Okay now, sweetie?”

Frankie sighed heavily and picked at her pretty yellow floral patterned quilt, “Aye, I suppose, but ye know, Jazz…it was strange and although it was over in a few moments, I have this awful feeling that it was triggered. It wasn’t like m’usual visions which just arrive helter-skelter. This one was different.”

“Explain,” Jazz said simply.

“I don’t know that I can. It doesn’t make any sense. That pompous prince who thinks he is a shining gift to the female gender, well, he was talking to me and then when he touched me, I was hit by this…well, this vision and it was full of malicious waves of darkness. I was surrounded by it and I couldn’t get out.”

“And you think
he
triggered it?” Jazz frowned. “Why?”

“I know, yer thinking that it doesn’t make sense. And yer right, it doesn’t’. He is a Daoine Prince and I don’t think he is even the warrior type,” Frankie grinned over the notion.

Jazz played with Frankie’s hair, “Have any ideas what your vision was trying to tell you?”

“No, but the pain I felt, Jazz, it was someone else’s pain and whoever it was that was suffering, oh Jazz, they will go on suffering, on and on.” Frankie shook her head, “I’m that worried about it, I am.”

“Well, there is nothing you can do about it now, and besides, your visions don’t always come to pass, do they? Remember that time when you were so sure we were going to come across a pack of wolves being shot at by hunters from the sky? Trevor went ahead and found them, and disabled their helicopter and the wolves were saved that day. So visions don’t have to come true,” Jazz smiled reassuringly.

Frankie grinned mischievously. “Aye, that was such a relief. One of those wolves had pups with a nanny back at their earth. It would have been a tragedy of such far reaching proportions if those hunters had killed the alphas.”

“I know,” Jazz said and then grinned saucily, “Well, since you weren’t enjoying the dinner party, your little bout with dark visions put an end to it early, so some good came of it.”

Frankie laughed, “Yes, if only I had the vision sooner.”

Jazz smiled ruefully, “That bad, huh?”

“Worse, young Prince Worley is so full of himself.”

“I met him once, he had accompanied Queen Mab to the concert the Milesians had put together in Dravo.” Jazz frowned, “He seemed an ass, but I never gave it much thought back then,” Jazz offered thoughtfully.

Frankie wrinkled her nose, “I don’t find him so very good looking either. There is something in his smile that quite puts me off. Noa, I don’t like him.” Frankie sighed, “Besides, a lass needs more than a pretty face, doesn’t she?”

Jazz’s brow went up, “Very good. Yes she does, so tell me,
what do you need
, Frankie girl?”

Frankie grinned
,
“
Sleep
. Right now, I need sleep. I’ll be rushing off early in the morning remember, so I probably won’t see ye before I leave.” Sighing she added, “I’ll be doing something normal at least.  I have plans to meet m’future roomy in Dublin and spend the night there, and do a little shopping.”

“Oh, that will be good for you. I’m glad. But you will let me know where you are staying for the night, okay?”

“Right ye are, Jazz, but
I am
eighteen ye know and I think quite capable,” Frankie grinned naughtily.

“Still, I just would like to know,” Jazz said sweetly.

Frankie hugged her fiercely, “Now go away and be with yer very own prince, and let me be.”

Jazz got up, put out the light on her way out and left Frankie lying back against her pillows.

A vivid memory slipped suddenly into Frankie’s thoughts, and she saw it as though it were a movie film on a big screen TV.

A night no more than four months ago, a beautiful night.

Images floated before her mind’s eye, taking shape, feeling real, so real. It was the scent of the fresh air in the outdoor pavilion where she and her friends had gone to an open air concert in Charleston, SC.

She could hear the country music blasting—awesome and so different than the quiet mundane music at the dinner party earlier that evening.

People were standing on their chairs, waving their arms, singing, dancing and although the volume had hurt her eardrums she had been having a wonderful time.

Remembering that she could mute the volume with her magic, she did just that, and her sensitive Fae hearing got some relief as she danced in place and laughed with her friends. Life had been simpler then—still complicated, but not like now.

Even as the band drove the crowd into a frenzy, even as she sang wildly and laughed, she thought of Graely and wondered what he was doing, wishing he was there with her.

Beer and high spirits ruled.

The band was hot, and getting hotter. The lead singer threw his guitar picks into the crowd and people scrambled for them.

He danced with his guitar and each minute his dancing got sexier, more intense as he beat out the rhythm of his song. He was a hunk, and when he suddenly ripped off his shirt and threw it into the throng of fans, the crowd went wild.

Frankie screamed with all the other girls, not knowing or caring why, it was just fun.

Her friends were jumping up and down in a frenzy as they sang.  Excitement reverberated off the atmosphere.

Most people were just letting loose and having fun, most of them. A few had gotten way too bombed and Frankie learned that not all drunks are happy ones.

Just a row away, a guy shoved another guy who he accused of taking his seat, although no one was actually sitting down. Yelling turned into shoving and shoving turned into punching and tearing into one another.

The crowd went nuts and ridiculously took sides though very few even knew one another. A brawl of huge proportions broke out.

Frankie had never seen anything like it. She wasn’t worried for herself, but for her two friends at her side who became rattled and frightened. 

A flying beer can caught her friend Barbara right in the head spilling its sticky liquid all over her shoulders and top.

Frankie blinked and produced a towel saying “Here…here…” and although her friend asked her where it had come from she just shrugged and tried wiping her down and trying to calm her.

She had just succeeded in getting Barbara quiet when Sally got knocked to the ground. This sent Barbara off into a convulsive screaming fit.

Frankie reached down and helped Sally who was now holding her head and crying. She knew she had to find a way to steer them out of the fray. She could use magic and shift them away but then she would have to use a memory spell afterward, which was always disruptive and unpredictable for humans. She hated to subject them to that, but she had to do something.

Frankie was beginning to feel desperate.

Guys were jumping onto each other all around them. She tried making a path for herself and her friends who each had an arm tightly in their grip.