Dwellers of Darkness

Some days can feel like years. In my case just the opposite was true. I had only been in the Otherworld for what felt like a few days but returned to Earth’s realm three years older. Age didn’t really apply when you can live for thousands of years. If I were human, I would be twenty-two now.

I’m not. Human that is.

The rebuilt city of Seattle glittered below and only cemented the fact I had truly been gone so long. My last glimpse of Seattle was of piles of concrete and death. All done by my hand.

“No. This can’t be. It’s not possible.” Kennedy’s voice shuddered, breaking into my thoughts.

“Well, it is.” Eli sounded detached.

I turned to face him. Everything about his demeanor was forbidding and vicious. He seemed even bigger than his 6 foot 4 inch frame, and he seemed ready to attack. His green eyes were sharp and menacing as he watched my every movement. He was more Dark Dweller than the guy I had been with a few “days” ago.

“How did you get here so fast?”

His unfeeling eyes latched on to mine. “I happened to be in the neighborhood.”

“In the neighborhood? We’re over an hour and a half from Olympia, in the middle of the forest.” The sharp smell of pine clung to the inside of my nose. The hot sun broke through the branches, filtering across my face. When I had left it had been almost winter. Now, the air was warm causing a trickle of sweat to slide down my back.

Normally nature relaxed me. Eli was not making this possible.

His shoulders swelled; his head hunched down. “Like I said... in the area.”

I forced down the nervous acid curling up my throat. Having his blood was like a flare in my veins. It came to life when he was near. It was even stronger for him. He could track me anywhere.

“H-how is this possible?” Kennedy stared at the rebuilt city below, a trembling hand at her stomach. Granted, I was stunned by the evolution of Seattle, but I had known about the Otherworld a little longer—how time moved differently there. In the past couple months, or years if Earth time counted, I had learned to adapt quickly to the surreal life I was plunged into. My survival depended on it.

Even though Kennedy had been held prisoner by Queen Aneira and been given information about the Fae world, I knew it was different to experience it. She was a facts person and could handle being told things, absorbing the
realities, but living it was not the same.

“You were being held by a Fairy, surrounded by magic, and you ask me how?” Eli snapped at her.

“Hey. Give her a break. Some of us weren’t raised knowing about this stuff.” My eyes narrowed. Eli had never been known as the nice guy, not even close, but this was unusual. His rage and irritation rippled off him, dying to be invoked.

“Well, she’s
gonna have to learn fast.” Eli’s tone hinted at what we both knew about Kennedy. What she didn’t even know about herself yet—what she really was.

My head shook slightly in warning. I squinted my eyes to convey:
not yet.

Eli jerked back and looked away from me. Anger smoldered through
his eyes. Even when being an ass, he was a sight to behold. Eli’s shoulder-length, light brown hair had been shaved off. He looked menacing with his tattoos and the scar cutting along his jaw-line. His piercing, green eyes were full of heated fury. But, damn, he was still so freakin’ sexy it hurt to look at him. It was even more painful to recall what happened between us only a few days before. Well, a few days to me. Where his lips and hands had been. How he felt deep inside me. How his gaze had roamed greedily over my body. Now they only looked at me with cool contempt.

“Kennedy, I know this must be really hard for you to take in.” My mom stepped up to her and touched her shoulder. Her dark auburn hair hung limply down her back. She was drawn and sickly looking after years of torture, but her eyes were just as gorgeous as I remembered. A deep rust color, which glinted in the sunlight.

Kennedy shook her head. “But my family... what they must be going through...” she trailed off. Her tiny frame shook.

“I know, sweetheart.” My mother’s voice was soothing.

I was reaching out for Kennedy when I heard a diffused pop of energy. Two tiny, winged creatures sailed through the space, a doorway from the Otherworld, and almost crashed into Eli’s head.

“
Oooohhh, prruutty llaady?” I heard Cal slur before Simmons spoke over him. Cal was in his pirate-like jacket with his swizzle stick sword swinging in the air.

“My lady! They are coming. The soldiers are approaching.” Simmons was dressed in a 1960s fighter pilot outfit, which he had stolen off a Ken doll.

“What?” My shoulders tightened.

“
Suuulders... blah blah... cooooming.” Cal hiccupped. “Whaaat heee saaaid.”

“We tried to divert them to another portal, but they split up and some are heading this way.” Simmons’ frown reflected the disappointment he felt with himself. “I am so sorry, my lady. I failed you.”

The group went still with alarm, except for Cal who weaved drunkenly through the air.

“Move. I have a car down the hill.” Eli waved for everyone to start running.

I pushed Kennedy to follow Eli and Jared and then turned to my mother. “Come on.”

Mom set her jaw and shook her head. “Ember, we are not going with the Dark Dwellers. They are hired assassins. You don’t know what they have done. They are even more dangerous than the soldiers.”

“Mom, we really don’t have time for this, but trust me when I say they’re not.”

Simmons zipped down, close to my ear. “My lady, we really need you to retreat.”

I grasped her hands. “Mom, please. Whatever issues you have with them are just going to have to wait till we’re safe.”

“Ember, they are beyond dangerous.”

“You don’t think I know? But it doesn’t matter; I’m one of them now.”

She missed my meaning and responded, “Don’t you dare say such a thing. You are not like those killers.”

The air crackled and at least a dozen of the Queen’s men propelled out the realm door. “Go,” I shouted. At the sight of more and more soldiers coming toward us with swords raised, my mother’s stubborn nature gave in, and she ran with me. Her legs could barely keep at a jogging pace. Since being locked up in Aneira’s dungeon, her once strong, petite body had become spindly and weak.

The solid block of soldiers advanced on us. I looked over my shoulder and fixated on the first united front. I drew on my powers, and with a push from my mind, a few of the men flew off their feet crashing like dominos into the ones behind them. It would only stall them for a
moment. We had to move faster.

“Eli,” I screamed. He whipped around.
Help
. My expression must have conveyed to him what I needed because, without a word, he sprinted back to me, picked up my mother, and took off.

“Get her,” a dark-haired soldier yelled pointing at me, while more men came through the entry.

As I ran after the group, my brain rapidly evaluated the situation, maybe due to my Dark Dweller part or Alki’s training. They were after me because only I really mattered to the Queen. If I split from them, my friends and mother would have more of a chance of getting away. My powers alone would not be enough to stop the soldiers. I could already feel the muscles in my legs straining to keep running. My body was too exhausted to be able to fight them all. Escape was my only option.

Not needing a second thought on the matter, I pivoted, breaking off the main trail onto another one. A wall of colossal trees and thickly dense foliage kept me on the thin gravel path. Immediately, I heard the Queen’s troops shouting. As I hoped, most changed direction to follow me. Their instructions were to capture me at all costs.

“Jumpin’ junipers, w-what are yooou doin’?” Cal’s hummingbird metabolism was burning off whatever liquor he’d consumed, but he still swerved as he flew down close to my head.

“Leading them away from my friends,” I hissed through my teeth. “You don’t happen to have any more of what made them sleepy do you?”

“Uh... no... didn’t think we’d need it anymore. So... I kind of drank it.”

Ah.

“My lady, what would you like us to do?” Simmons whizzed around a tree. The Queen’s men were so close I could feel the vibrations from their shouts creeping up my spine. I had to get off this trail; I was too easy to follow. The steep ravines were coated in heavy brush, unstable ground, and rocks. I stopped, looking down.

“Oh, no. Are you nuts, girly?” Cal exclaimed as he darted by my ear.

I ignored Cal’s boozy insult. “Simmons, please go help the others. Make sure they get out of here safely. Tell them whatever you need to get them to leave.”

“No, my lady. We can’t leave you here.”

Cal suddenly became serious. “Simmons, do as the lady tells you. You do not question orders. I will stay with her. She will be okay, I promise.”

Simmons sighed but saluted me and darted off through the trees. My chest burst with relief because Cal wasn’t leaving. Simmons was always good to have at your side; he would follow orders. But Cal conveyed a fierce loyalty once he let you in. He would fight to the death for you and not follow the rules in doing it.

“You! Stop!” A voice boomed behind me.

After another panicked look down at the treacherous ravine, I let out a small whine.

“Well, think of it this way, you won’t actually die in this realm.” Cal buzzed in my periphery.

That wasn’t completely true. A perk of being Fae was the difficulty of dying on Earth. Death here consisted of fire, decapitation, or being shot with iron bullets but not from diseases, accidents, or natural causes. Weapons made in the Otherworld could kill us here as well. Two times a year we were even more vulnerable: Samhain, known to most as Halloween, and Beltaine, the first of May. Both times were when our worlds bled together and exposed us to all sorts of risks. Thank goodness this was not one of those times.

“Thanks, Cal,” I retorted. “But I don’t plan on getting hurt.” I fixated on my powers. If I could move people and objects with my mind, why couldn’t I do it to myself?

“Um
... Ember... your powers don—”

“See you at the bottom.” I took a deep breath and flung myself into the gulch, concentrating on images of my body floating. The first time I hit the ground, bones crunched, knocking the wind out of me. Tucking my head in, I somersaulted, flipped, rolled, and crashed down the hill. There was so much pain I couldn’t decipher between hitting a bush or a stump. My body picked up speed, so I flew through the air and bounced off the ground in intervals. I am sure I screamed, but I couldn’t recall even opening my mouth.

It felt like eons before coming to a stop at the bottom. I continued to lie there; my body was in too much shock to move.
Why hadn’t my powers worked?

I heard distant shouts above me. The soldiers were still at the top of the hill.

“I’ll give you an eight point five. Your dismount was somewhat lacking flare.” Cal fluttered to my chest.

A groan tore through my teeth. Still numb, pain had yet to fully reach me. I was not looking forward to when it did.

“I tried to stop you before you did something foolish. Too late. Next time you want to throw yourself down a gully, know your powers never function on yourself.”

I grunted in response, which was my way of saying, “Good to know.”

Note to self: find out if your powers work on yourself before executing a plan.

“It’s probably the last thing you want to do, girly, but this is the perfect time to get away from them. They are still fiddling with themselves up there, indecisive on what to do next.”

Blinking a couple of times, I forced myself to nod. I wanted to lie there and let the earth heal me, to soak in its energy. Yet time was critical, and I couldn’t afford to hesitate. Another grunt broke over my lips as I pushed myself up. My ribs stabbed me, causing agony. No doubt, there were a few broken ones. The rest were fractured or bruised, along with my wrists and ankles.

Awesome. Good day so far.

Cal hovered over me as I climbed to my feet. He tugged at my shirt, pulling me forward. Working through the pain, my legs jogged slowly forward, and I let Cal lead me through the gully. I felt blood trickle down my face and knew it covered me. Almost every exposed inch of my skin was bleeding, and mounting bruises filled in the gaps. My brain felt like it had been through one of those salad spinners.

The agony from my wounds had me tripping and grumbling through the dense forest. We had lost the soldiers, but with the Queen after me, I would never be really safe until I was at the Dark Dweller’s compound.

“You have to keep going. We may have lost them for now, but they will not give up easily. She will have someone track you down.” Cal nudged his head into my back, bumping me to continue.

I hated being weak, but the stabbing pain took everything out of me. I stumbled forward, falling to the ground. This time I knew I couldn’t get up. Cal’s voice hummed in my ear, but I could no longer understand him. My hands clenched the dirt, wanting it to swallow me and take the agony away. Its energy started to trickle into my veins, but I didn’t have time for the earth to pump into me the quantity of healing I needed.

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