A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (40 page)

Chapter Nineteen

THE FAERY WATCHED
from the edge of the woods. Evangeline let the crisp breeze of wind play with her black-as-night hair as she leaned against one of the mulberry trees. She watched the house where her sister lived. Shaking her head, she smiled as she thought about living in the human world. Her mortal sister had chosen that life, and she hadn’t. They had both grown up in Faerie until she was around seven, then they had moved to this house with their mother, near the edge of the human and Faerie borders. Jade had stayed, and Evangeline had left as soon as she could to live and work in Faerie. Now, staring at her human dwelling brought a rush of memories of them as young girls, laughing and dancing around the backyard. Their giggles echoed in her head as she stared at the soft glow of lights from the kitchen as they blinked off.

She knew why Jade had remained in the human world. She knew all about Verenis and how hard Jade had fallen for the handsome Faerie King of the Southern Realms. She had warned her about falling in love with fey. Watching her sister fall had not been easy. Even when Aveta had ordered Verenis be hunted down, no one could’ve gotten Evangeline to reveal Verenis’s love for Jade. She had remained silent.

The Queen was still none the wiser about Jade. Unfortunately, Verenis’s presence around Jade wouldn’t have gone unnoticed for long. Verenis had realized the danger of Jade’s discovery, especially with her pregnancy at stake. Vange had watched him erase her sister’s memory, watched her forget everything under the spell, even her own sister. She knew immediately Jade wouldn’t remember who she was or who Vange was, either. It had pained Vange to turn away and leave, never to speak with her sister again for fear that Queen Aveta would kill Jade and her unborn daughter.

It had been eighteen years since that fateful day. Now Vange was on the hunt for her niece on the Queen’s orders. She never would’ve guessed Shade was the baby she had turned from to protect so long ago. Vange smiled, looking up at the twinkle of stars which gazed down at her.
Oh, the irony of it all
, she thought. She knew the moment she’d seen Shade up close, she was Jade’s daughter. She looked like Queen Lana, but Jade’s features stuck out from her like a knife. Vange had hoped Shade wasn’t her long lost niece, but alas, fate was not so kind.

Pondering what she would do or even say to Jade, Vange began her walk down to the house. Her long coat kept out the chill of the night, and she cast a floating witch light in her path to illuminate the way. Vange’s fire powers from her mortal mother were strong in her, just as they were in Jade. The fey blood amplified them even more. There was nowhere she could go that she would ever be in the dark or cold with power like hers. She wondered if Jade was starting to remember anything. Memory charms fade with time, and it could very well be near the time to replenish the charm’s powers. She’d have to do it since Verenis was now long dead. She didn’t want to, but if Shade was to stay safe, she had to make sure Jade remembered nothing.

Vange stopped abruptly, watching her witch light suddenly bounce off an invisible wall. Tilting her head, she scanned the dirt until she spotted what she was looking for. Crouching down, she lit the ground around her with the witch light and frowned, noting the trail of salt and the specks of still-drying blood. Standing again, she reached out to touch the invisible shield before her.

Damn! Jade already knows.

The shield rippled under her hand and sent a vibration of pain up her arm. Pulling her hand away, she winced from the slight shock. Vange had no choice now but to call her sister out of the house and speak with her. The protection shield was strong. Even she could not penetrate it. She concentrated on the shield, feeling not one but three powerful essences embracing the spell. If Jade had found two other Witches to perform the spell with her, they were now as safe as anyone could ever be from faeries, aside from hiding in an oubliette. No one could enter the home without their permission. No one and nothing could penetrate its magic.

Vange paced back and forth for a moment, thinking hard on what she would say to her sister. Maybe she could enter if given permission. She ran her power along the barrier again and found it laced with a disabling spell. Jade had foreseen something. Maybe she had known Vange would come back here for Shade. If she were allowed to enter the grounds, she would be stripped of her powers while within the shield.

Clever, Jade. Very clever.

Vange swallowed back her frustration as she stared at the house beyond the barrier. It had become worn with the years. The exterior structure boasted old, peeling paint and fading bricks. She felt a twinge of longing as she scanned her childhood home. She hadn’t felt the homesickness in so long that it felt nauseating and made her lose her breath as it roiled in her stomach. Squeezing her eyes shut, she breathed in until the pricks of pain eased away. Her eyes fluttered open and narrowed as she called out to her long lost kin.

“Jade! Jade, I need to speak with you! Jade!” Vange paused, waiting for movement from the darkened house. The lights flickered on inside and lit up the living room window. She grinned as she saw shadows shuffle behind the curtains, waiting patiently to see her sister once more.

Jade flung the front door open. The crack of the door slamming on the wall echoed across the empty yard. Shade, Soap and Benton popped out behind her, eyes wide in surprise and puffy with sleep. They stopped as she came into their vision. Gaping at Vange, Shade looked the most baffled by her sudden appearance. She gripped her mother’s arm, but Jade shook her off. Nothing but recognition danced furiously in Jade’s tiger-brown eyes.

“Vange, I should‘ve known you would eventually come by here.” Jade’s voice dripped with resentment. Her face crinkled into a scowl as she eyed her sister. Realizing suddenly that Vange had remained outside the protective shield, she smirked and started walking toward her sister.

“Mom, wait! Don’t go near her, she’s Aveta’s lieutenant! She’s here to kill us!” Shade gulped back her panic as her mother waved her away. Jade came to stop near the barrier’s edge and gave her sister a once-over. Jade’s lips pressed together tightly as she took a moment to gather her thoughts.

“Sister, how good to see you after all these years,” Vange said. “I never thought I would ever see your shining face again.” She gave her a sinister grin as she patiently waited for Jade to decide what to do about her.

“Why’d you come here, Vange?” A glimpse of pain flashed across Jade’s eyes as she glared at her sister.

“You know why. Verenis’s memory spell has obviously worn off. Unfortunately, I have come too late to salvage it. It could not be helped, Sister.” Vange’s face became serious as she watched Jade fume. She didn’t want to underestimate her, but she had to speak with her at all costs. She sighed. Diplomacy was going to have to win out tonight. “Look, Jade. I swear I’m not going to hurt you or your daughter. I need to speak with you.” Vange glanced around, suddenly aware of how exposed she felt standing outside the barrier wall. “Please let me in, and I can tell you.”

“What makes you think that I would let a lieutenant of Aveta’s near my home? You work for her, Vange! Why should I even trust you?” Jade frowned, ready to march back into the house and forget her.

Evangeline sighed. Her loyalties battled within. She watched her sister, her best friend until she’d left at the age of eighteen to explore the Faerie world. She felt a tug at her heart in a place which had remained cold and dormant for what seemed an eternity. Longing bubbled up into her chest and caught her in a state of panic as Jade began to turn and walk away from her.

“Jade, stop! Please, I’m still your sister,” Vange pleaded. “Nothing will ever change that. Not even Aveta. I swear to you, as my own fey blood binds me. I will do and say nothing to harm you or anyone else in your home. Ever. I promise you this.” She tried to swallow as her mouth turned dry and her heart quickened in desperation.

Jade stopped in her tracks, seemingly torn between returning to the porch where Soap, Shade and Benton waited. Staring down at the grass in the dark shadows cast by the illuminated windows, Jade wrestled with uncertainty. Turning back to her sister, she knew just what Vange had sacrificed in that one moment. Searching her sister’s eyes for absolution, she saw what she needed. Fear and sadness mixed and swirled in her sister’s dark eyes. Jade approached the barrier once more.

“Mom, no!” Shade yelped from the porch. Jade shushed her and waved her away, her eyes never leaving Vange’s. Her intense stare stabbed back at Vange, but the Faery Witch stood her ground. Finally, Jade sighed, releasing a breath that she’d been holding for a while.

“Alright. I hold you to your oath, Evangeline. You will be powerless when you enter here. I made sure of it.” Jade’s hand pierced the barrier as she held it out to her sister. Vange nodded and took it, gripping it tightly, and stepped through the threshold. A slight tingling rush swept through her as she crossed the barrier, making her dizzy for a moment as the magic swept over her, binding her powers completely. She shook her head and glanced up at Jade, a twinge of panic searing through her dark eyes.

“Don’t worry, it isn’t permanent,” Jade stated blandly. “You will be right as rain when you leave our home. Come.” Jade waved her on and turned back toward the house.

Shade released her bite on her bottom lip. The coppery taste of blood tainted her mouth as she realized she’d been clamping on it too hard. She eyed Vange as she passed her and ducked into the house, not giving her a second’s look. Glancing at Soap, her displeasure spilled across her face.

“We can’t trust her, Soap. What are we going to do?” Shade said.

Soap stepped forward, embracing her tightly as his long golden-brown hair swept over her like a cape. “There is nothing to do, Shade. I think you shouldn’t underestimate your mother. She looks like she could probably handle herself quite well if need be. Besides, she has made sure we are protected here. I won’t let anything happen, okay?” He loosened his embrace as Shade nodded. She was slightly reassured, but still alarmed. She sighed as they turned to enter the house.

Chapter Twenty

“
I NEVER COULD
stand living here. The iron in the pipes and pans appalled me. You’re lucky it never fazed you.” Evangeline stood leaning on the kitchen counter with her arms crossed. She looked slightly uncomfortable but tried to appear more at ease. She wasn’t used to being in this kind of situation. Being an Unseelie leader for so long, diplomacy was not in her vocabulary. Most things she just took by force. Now, observing her sister as she moved through the room made Vange wonder where her long-lost peace had gone.

“Here, drink this,” Jade said, handing her a cup. “It will help with the iron effects since you have no power to shield you.” The cup was full of some sort of concoction she had whipped up.

“It’s not poison, is it?” Vange gave her slight, nervous chuckle, attempting to cover up her reluctance.

Jade sighed. “No, it’s not poison. If you don’t believe me, you can just leave.” She slumped down at the kitchen table where Soap, Shade and a sleepy-looking Benton waited.

Vange glanced down at the swirling white fluid. The nausea from the iron in the house made her head swim and had brought her dangerously close to fainting. She had envied Jade’s human resistance to the iron toxicity that her own faery heritage had cursed her with. At least with a shield of glamour, Vange had endured it quite well as a child. Now it was like breathing in fumes of exhaust that penetrated down to her gut
. No wonder we leave the cities to the mundane humans,
thought Vange. She sighed and downed the potion with a quick swallow. The queasiness faded as the sweet liquid filled her stomach. It quieted the pain and dizziness so fast that Vange felt exhilarated to feel normal once again.

“Wow, it’s glamour without glamour! That’s amazing, Jade. You always did have the most powerful gift of the magical arts. I never thought I’d see you as a full-fledged Witch.” She grinned, tossing the empty cup into the sink. “Now, since I feel quite alright again, where do you want to start?” She felt giddy, almost drunk. “What was in that stuff? It’s good!”

Jade rolled her eyes. Shade pressed her lips tight to avoid doing the same. Only Soap let out a stifled chuckle but stopped and cleared his throat to shield it when Shade elbowed his ribs.

“I learned to make it as an apprentice to Gilarel. She was a gifted teacher of the magical arts and a powerful Witch. She taught me well. And I paid attention.” Jade tilted her head at her sister and motioned for her to sit in one of the empty chairs at the table. “Why did you come here, Vange?” Jade asked. “I’m not powerless against a memory charm like I once was, so you can forget about reinstating it. Why risk yourself to come here? You can’t have Shade, if that’s what it is. She’s under my protection, and you and I both know I can still match you. Even out of practice, I can still outwit you.” She waited, watching the blood drain from Vange’s face as the memories washed over both of them.

“I didn’t come here to fight, Sister. I wanted to warn you. My legions are at war right now with Prince Lotinar’s armies. If they break through, they will come here and take Shade. With or without me. Corb is in command. He is ruthless, and his heart is as black as pitch. He does not hesitate and will not be swayed against killing her or taking her back to Aveta. He is truly the Ice King.” She sucked in a breath and turned to Shade, eyeing the ampule of Santiran Water around her neck.

“Aveta wants that Water Magic, Shade. She wants you to wield it for her. She will stop at nothing to win this war. She’ll even break the wards between our worlds. No human will be safe, no place will be hidden. I’ve come to warn you, that’s all.” Vange turned her attention back to her sister. “You may think I’ve forgotten the past, but I live with it every day and keep it deep inside where not even Aveta can see. I don’t want you or any of my kin harmed.” She rubbed her eyes. Her once strong and confident mask melted away as her fatigue became apparent. Dark circles stood out starkly under her slightly reddened eyes.

Jade’s face was cold and hard. “We are safe here,” she said, “even from her. I will make the necessary arrangements to stay here for long periods of time. Promise me this, though: you will steer them away as best you can, without notice. Then I shall believe everything you say.” Shade was impressed with her mother’s calmness. This new Mom was a fierce warrior, something the memory charm seemed to have suppressed.

“I promise I will,” Vange answered. “But I can’t hold them back forever. You do understand that, right? Corb will notice my diversion eventually. I’m afraid you might have to eventually leave and go into hiding. I’m sorry about this. I should’ve never let it get this far. The Unseelie Queen has grown far too strong, and even I can’t overtake her now. I never meant it to go this far.” Glistening tears welled up in her eyes, but they reluctantly didn’t spill down her cheeks.

Shade watched the emotion play across her aunt’s face. She suddenly wondered why Vange had joined Aveta’s ranks. She knew about Vange’s past with Jack, and the reasoning behind breaking such a happy union baffled her. Plus, if Vange was half human, too, why didn’t Aveta use her to wield the Santiran Water Magic?

“Vange?” Shade asked quietly.

The raven-haired faery faced Shade, straightening a bit as she pulled her hard exterior around herself once more. “Yes, Shade?”

“Why did you join Aveta? Why did you leave Jack to go work for her? And if you are also a halfling, why can’t you work the Water Magic for your Queen instead of me? I don’t get it.” Shade leaned forward, drilling her gaze into her aunt’s hardened face.

“Because I have hidden my human side for very specific reasons, namely all of you. And Jack? What do you mean I left Jack? How do you know about that…?” Vange’s stutter gave away her surprise as she backed into her chair, wincing at the mention of her former love’s name.

“He said you were engaged and that you suddenly up and left one day to join Aveta’s army. Why would you do that? Why leave your true love?” Shade gulped, hoping she hadn’t gotten on Vange’s dark side.

Vange stared back at her, horrified. Her lips contorted into a scowl. Realizing her slip, she let her face slide back into a blank canvas, but she could not hide the seething rage behind her dark eyes.

“I don’t think it is any of your business. I work for Aveta, and that is all,” She snapped at Shade as she stood up. Turning toward Jade, Vange calmed her voice but remained intensely serious. “Jade, I’ll be leaving you now. If I do not return soon, Corb will become suspicious.” She nodded her farewell and turned abruptly, leaving out the front door, and out of the protective dome.

Reaching the other side of the barrier, she collapsed down to her knees as the force of her powers returning to her took her breath away. Gasping, she turned back to the house, seeing her sister watching her from afar. Vange took in slow deep breaths as she regained her composure, returning the gaze before swiftly running away into the blackened forest of the night.