Seducing Destiny (23 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Cade had been fussy so I brought him along with me for a visit with Alden before we left for the Tree. He was snuggled up on my shoulder, content for the moment as I sat in a chair near Alden’s bed, watching him sleep. Alden had been through hell at the hands of the Mages, and Eliran had been trying to accelerate Alden’s healing process. One of the other Fae healers who I knew had been working on Ristan a few days ago had used her healing touch on him as well.

Bruises and angry red welts remained on his hands and arms, but he was a fighter. I readjusted Cade in my arms, and turned to find Ryder watching me from the door of Alden’s room.

“I thought I’d find you here,” he said softly.

“He doesn’t deserve what the Guild is doing, or the Humans.”

“No, he doesn’t. We can fix it though, and luckily the children we saved can vouch for what occurred at the Spokane Guild.”

“The children,” Alden whispered and turned to look at me.

“Are recovering,” I said softly. He’d taken blows to the head, which the healer had been working on. Luckily she’d caught the blood clot in time to remove it before it could have done any real damage, but the side effect was a massive headache. “We saved a lot of them; some are still receiving medical care from Eliran as we speak.”

“My head feels like it was used as a soccer ball,” he said as he tried to sit up.

“Don’t get up, Alden,” I said, watching as he gave up. I stood and handed Cade off to his father. “We have news from Vlad and Adrian. It’s not good.”

“Damn, kid. I’m already on my ass, what could be worse?” he asked as his gray eyes watched me. I felt my stomach flip-flop as I tried to figure out the gentlest way to deliver this blow. “That bad?” he asked as I continued to search my brain for the way.

“The Seattle Guild is accusing the Fae of attacking the Spokane Guild. They’re labeling you as a traitor. Because of your connection with the job at the Dark Towers, they’ve seemed to connect the dots and now think you allowed us in to kill and destroy the Guild.”

“Shit,” he said as he rested his head back on the pillows and looked at me. “I knew there would be accusations, but that’s extreme, even for the Seattle Guild,” he mumbled.

“It gets worse,” I continued. “The Humans in Spokane are calling for blood. I believe the Seattle Guild is fueling the fire—well, I believe the Seattle Guild has a couple of Mages inside that are helping to fuel the fire.”

“I thought the same thing. But even without the Mages prodding things along, you know how the Elders are. If they think the Fae attacked the Spokane Guild, they’d be forced to call for blood or chance being challenged for new leadership. I don’t blame all of them for this, and you shouldn’t either. Losing the Spokane Guild was a huge loss to them; it’s where our history was stored. We can fix it, kid.”

“It’s still there,” I corrected. “Ryder sealed off the entrance to the catacombs before we burnt the Guild down so the history is still there and safe. But fixing this won’t be that easy,” I said as I moved closer to hold his hand reassuringly. “I think they set us up. They knew we would show up, and I think we were meant to take the fall for what happened there. I think the Mages are ensuring that war is openly declared on the Fae and that we have nowhere to run. Within minutes of the Guild being burned, national news, international news, and social media had the story up. As if they’d been tipped off and had a prepared story beforehand. We think that a glamour or illusion spell had been placed on the Guild, because up until we entered it, the Humans walked by as if nothing was amiss. After we entered, it broke. There are pictures of us entering the Guild, taken just before Ryder dropped the invisibility veil over us, which means someone was there watching us from the outside. Bilé was who you saw in the catacombs, and he let the Mages know some information about the Demon and it might have given them some ideas. Adrian and Vlad were there, and yet they didn’t feel or see anything wrong. You know Adrian’s instincts as well as I do. He’s normally able to smell a trap from a hundred feet away, and he didn’t sense anything. The person there who reported it has to be either in league with the Mages, or had been tipped off.”

“How would they know you’d even be there?” Alden asked.

“Good question,” I said and shook my head sadly. “But I don’t really have a good answer to it. They just could have guessed that we would show when they started in on Ristan. Right now I have to worry about saving my children and that’s why I came to see you.”

“How’s the little miss?” he asked with a guarded look.

“She’s a fighter,” I said with a broken smile. “I wanted to be the one to tell you what’s happening. I’m sure we can fix it, but I need you to be a little patient with us. Get better first and we’ll get a plan together after we get the babies to the Tree. I’ve threatened everyone inside these walls with certain death should they assist you in leaving here before I return.”

“Is that so?” he asked as he narrowed his eyes on me.

I smiled.

“Damn, kid,” he said as he shook his head, and then winced in pain. “Don’t think I’m ready to do much of anything right now anyway.”

“Good,” I said. “You can join us today if you wish. I know you love learning the Fae’s secrets. I took them into the Guild and showed them some of yours, so it’s only fair that you be invited to this event,” I teased lightly.

“You took them inside of the Guild, kid, but it was to save us. I know that had to be hard for you to do, and couldn’t have been easy on your conscience. What you did wound up being for the good of those children, too. They wouldn’t have lived if you hadn’t intervened and found them.”

“Be that as it may, that argument won’t help us with the Seattle Guild. I do however have plans in mind for them, but my children come first right now,” I said as I watched him.

“Kid, you do what you gotta do. You go take care of those children and I’ll be right here when you get back. I’m glad you asked me to go, but this one has too much riding on it and I don’t want to slow you down. Besides, if the Mages attack, you’ll need to be focused on those babies and not this old man.”

I looked at him and shook my head. “Please wait for us; together we’re a force they can’t beat. I can’t lose anyone else, and I won’t. If you leave, and they kill you, there will be no Guilds left standing when I am done. Do you understand me? I will personally make it my mission in life to rid the Human world of them. Do you understand me?” I asked with a don’t-fucking-do-it-look.

“Damn,” Ryder said as he awarded me with a crooked smile.

“Didn’t you feed her, Ryder?” Alden asked as he looked past me to Ryder. “She’s only this grumpy when she’s hungry.”

“I don’t feed her anymore,” he said as he gave me a smoldering look that was loaded with lust. “She’s my meal, but she no longer feeds from me.”

“Try it anyway. Maybe find her a doughnut or something,” Alden offered before he turned back to me. “I’ll be here, I promise. Don’t go wiping out the Guilds; it would be total chaos without them in place. The Fae would declare it open season on the Humans.”

“They already have in Spokane,” I said as I exhaled. “Luckily Vlad sent out a warning which seems to have lessened the instances of open attacks on the Humans. I’m sure he and Adrian will be effective in stopping the Fae until we can we create another Guild and place you back in lead of it. But, Alden, I think the one you run—that we help you run—it shouldn’t be a part of the actual Guild. I have an idea for one, and once things calm down enough, we will talk about it and see if it’s something that’s workable.”

“I’m in,” he said with a soft smile. I shook my head and started to argue that he should at least hear the details, but he held up his hand. “Listen to me, Synthia. I’m not the young man I used to be and I’m not immortal. I’ve given the Guild the best years of my life and what I’ve done under the guise of it is something I can’t forgive myself for. The Guild would retire me—even if you managed to somehow make them see that I’m not guilty of the charges, they would retire me. Think of it for a moment; just for allowing the Demon free reign in the Guild they would have retired me. Oh, he was wandering around inside the Guild long before I was aware of it. All the Guild Elders will see is that I knew he was there, even if it was to protect me. I helped him and didn’t report it. So as a proud man, I need to walk away from them with as much dignity that I can. So yes, if you have a plan for a safe haven, and a way to protect the innocents that isn’t linked to the Guild, I’m in.”

I smiled. “You’re not immortal, Alden, not yet.” I left him with that thought as I turned and left him gawking on the comfy bed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to follow me.

“You realize you just told him that you plan to make him immortal, and then left?” Ryder asked as we walked into main hallway.

“It’s not his choice,” I said and then heard my own words. “He can make it, but only if he makes the right one.” I smirked.

“He won’t choose immortality.”

“He will, and here’s why, Ryder. He’s not done living, and he needs to atone for his sins. That’s how he thinks. He thinks he slaughtered—well, sent thousands of Witches and Warlocks to the slaughter and now he wants to atone for it. He’s not a young man, but he isn’t that old either. He’s not done living. He’s the only link I have to that world, and we need him.”

“You just threatened to wipe out the Guilds,” he said as he turned to look at me as he handed Cade off to Darynda.

“And I meant it. If they kill him for the Spokane Guild, I’ll show them what true evil looks like. He’s the only reason I’m willing to fix the bond between the Fae and the other Guilds. I don’t think Fae should be in the Human world, so I would see no reason not to recall them back to Faery. We fix this world and recall the Fae, which would end the war, period. They’d have no one to fight and the reason for their existence would cease to be. But, Ryder, if they hurt someone I love, they will in fact cease to exist. You and I both know that the Gods are aware of what is happening, and that Danu created the Mages—inadvertently—but they
are
Changelings, which means they are Fae.”

“You’ve thought this through,” he said, wisely not arguing the fact.

“I have. Not because I wish them harm, but because I’m tired of being on the losing end. Alden doesn’t deserve their accusations. Not after everything he’s done for them; everything he’s lost because of them. Marie said a long time ago that each of the Witches and Warlocks were special, and that each held the Guild up. Alden singlehandedly held the Spokane Guild together and he’s lost a lot because of it. He deserves their respect, not their accusations.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

We sifted in before the masses arrived. The ice that had frozen the Tree had been slowly spreading down the base and now covered the roots and the ground immediately surrounding the Tree. The rich scent of sandalwood was in the air, and I let it filter through me. My handmaidens walked behind me as I moved closer, and then we all stopped. There were a lot of other trees surrounding the largest one, and I knew for a fact they hadn’t been here last night.

The Fairies worked tirelessly as they tried to save the Tree. They hadn’t made a difference in the ice, as every time they thawed a small piece, thicker ice replaced it. I exhaled a shaky breath and turned to look at Ryder, who was scouting the area with sharp eyes.

“Feel anyone else?” I asked, knowing that the lesser Castes would soon be here, and while they would be a show of force, they were weaker than the others here.

“No,” he said and turned his obsidian eyes on me. I watched as they glittered with the challenge facing us. I knew Ryder loved challenges. I was a challenge he’d enjoyed winning. This one, however…This one, everything was riding on. This was a big one, and we both knew it.

“We can do this,” I whispered breathlessly. Anxiety was a bitch. I had it. I had so much of it right now. “We can do this, Ryder; tell me we can do this.”

“We can do this,” he said softly, and I believed him. “You can do this; you’re one of the strongest women I know. You have escaped my grasp on many occasions. You stand up to the Horde King, and you make the beast purr like a kitten lapping at cream. I have no doubt that together we can save our children’s lives and fix this mess. With you at my side as my Queen, there is nothing we cannot do together.”

I turned to watch as the Shadow Warriors sifted in behind Adam and the Dark Court. Their cloaks were silver, but the moment they caught the light, they turned black as the shadows they were named for. Adam walked proudly between his parents, his eyes on me and the Tree that stood in frozen stillness behind me.

“We brought as many people as we could without leaving the Dark Kingdom vulnerable to an attack,” Adam said as his tri-colored green eyes watched me. “I hate not knowing what you’re feeling. I’d grown so used to it that I feel I’ve lost a piece of myself without it.”

“I’m terrified,” I whispered. “I’m glad you came, and I’m also glad to have my best friend at my side for this, Adam,” I said as a tear slid down my cheek.

“Don’t cry, Fancy Face,” Adrian chided as he sifted in. “Show no weakness,” he whispered as he bowed to me.

The Light Fae sifted in next, without their King and Queen. I bowed to Shea, and judging from the crown of diamonds she wore, I was betting she’d taken the lead after the exile of her parents. Their warriors were cockier and hadn’t worn cloaks; instead they’d come dressed in full armor. Theirs looked as if it was created of the same material the Elite Guard used, only theirs were a shimmering white color. We watched as they joined us silently.

“Thank you,” I said to Shea, as I squared my shoulders and tried to dislodge the fear I felt.

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” she said as she looked to where Adam stood beside his parents.

I looked at Adrian, who smiled knowingly back at me. “Don’t need super powers to feel that one, now do ya?” he said with an emphatic wink that was almost comical.

I felt the power ripple through the air and turned to look at the Tree. Danu stood beside it, her eyes weary as she took in the damage.

“Sister,” Liam’s voice sounded as he and my parents sifted in. The Blood Warriors sifted in around the King and Queen. Their armor was crimson in color, and had barbs of metal that were lined at strategic points that could easily be used against an enemy.

I knew that the guards were all on edge. It was the first time in history that I knew of that every royal Caste was present with their entire guard in tow. Skeleton crews of guards had been left at the palaces, and while it wasn’t ideal, the more we had here, the better the chances were of fixing the Tree—or more to the point, saving my children.

“Thank you for coming,” I said, and noted that I sounded like a parrot. “This means more than I can ever put into words,” I amended.

We stood united as the lesser Castes sifted in, and when they were all present, I turned to Danu who looked at the entire assembly in awe. Her eyes took us in with open pride.

“Is she here?” Madisyn asked, as she watched me.

“Yes,” I replied and turned my eyes to see Madisyn as she searched the area by the Tree. “I’ll be right back,” I said to everyone, and moved closer to the Tree and Danu.

“There is more damage than when I checked on it yesterday,” she said as I got closer.

“Can it be fixed?”

“Not by me,” she admitted. “I’m not even sure you can do it,” she continued. “This frost is meant to affect the Tree and anyone who touches it.”

“You can’t bless them and the land won’t accept them without the Tree,” I said barely above a whisper. “We have to save this Tree.”

I turned my eyes to where Ryder’s men now stood with my children as he walked in our direction. He saw the look in my eyes and for a brief moment, I saw his despair as he read my thoughts. I turned to walk and meet him, but the ground shifted. I had to struggle to keep my balance. Danu reached out and held me up, and then I felt it.

I blanched at what I felt, the raw untapped power of a Leyline. “Oh no,” I whispered, thinking that the Mages were here, at the same time and place my babies were.

I turned to warn Ryder, but then I felt calmness fall over the glade. I looked at Danu as she watched something across the water as it approached. I gasped as the White Stag—the real one—walked out from the lush forest and moved to where we stood. He was a symbol for the world of Faery, and he spoke for the world in times of great need, or at least that is what my Fae history teachers had said.

It was a massive deer, but where a regular stag normally had horns or antlers; he had elaborate branches of wood that seemed to have been interlinked into an intricate design of Celtic knots. His hooves clicked against the rocks; it was the only sound that could be heard.

I looked to where he had left the forest, and watched in shock as hundreds of tiny Bramble Pixies followed in his wake. Other animals, as well as more Pixies, followed behind them. I stood side by side with Danu. I felt her fingers as she slipped them around mine in a show of solidarity.

“I’ve only seen this magnificent creature once before, and that was when I created this world,” Danu whispered for my ears alone. “He draws his power from the Leyline under the Tree,” she continued. “He knows what you are.”

“How is that even possible? No one else knows, except for those who needed to.”

“I feel you.”
A voice of deep timbre filled my mind.
“I felt your birth, and you are tied to us. To these lands,”
the voice said, and as I watched, the White Stag approached.

“It’s you,” I whispered to the Stag.

“It is I, my Goddess,” he continued to speak in my mind.

Okay, let’s be honest. Carrying on a conversation with a Stag was weird.

“You’re of the land, and we, your people, have come to pay our respects. We have power to feed the Goddess, and the bond we share called us to you.”

I was at a loss for words, unable to think beyond the fact that I hadn’t even known the White Stag actually existed.

“The Elder Tree’s bark will melt the ice, my Goddess, and you can heal the Tree,”
he said softly as he bent his head with his massive horns scraping the ground.
“That is why they’ve come.”

I looked around at the trees, and smiled, and then frowned. “Won’t it hurt them?”

I watched as one of the massive trees moved and the entire ground shook with the sheer force of it. I swallowed as the beautiful ancient tree reached for me with its branches, and lifted me up swiftly.

I saw the men preparing to move forward as Ryder stepped closer. “Stop them, Ryder. It’s friend, not foe.”

“Friend,” the tree said loudly, its voice like a severe wind rattling through the leaves.

“Friend,” I whispered as I tried to balance on the harsh branch. “Thank you for coming,” I said and exhaled a shallow breath.

“My bark will melt the frost and ice. You can use it; it would be an honor if you did so. Elder Trees have the ability to banish or break spells. But it is only through death that the spell can be broken and rebirth can happen,”
he said through the same mental path as the Stag had.

“But it will hurt you,” I said, knowing I would risk anything to save my children. I just wanted to make sure it was aware of the danger it faced.

“It will not hurt me,”
he said softly.
“I will die for you, and for the children you must save and the others who will come after them. It is the way of life, and I am honored to make the sacrifice for you. I only ask that you allow my children into the safety of your gardens. That you protect them, and plant a seedling from my body to regrow and allow my children to watch over you and yours.”

“Done,” I whispered. “I don’t have a garden yet, but I will create one for the seedling and your children. I can never express to you how much this means to the entire realm of Faery. Your sacrifice will be noted, and I will make sure that this story is told to generations after this one, so that everyone will know of the Elder Tree’s sacrifice to save their world.”

I felt depleted and elated in the same moment. I hated the unfairness of the entire situation, but I wouldn’t turn the Elder Tree down. My children had to survive, and there was no denying that it was a selfish thing, but it wasn’t only for my children; it was for the ones who would come after as well.

“I’m not sure how this will work,” I whispered as the Elder Tree set me back gently on the ground, and Ryder approached silently. “I’m not willing to cause you any pain, but I accept the sacrifice that you have offered. Is there a painless way to proceed?” The ground trembled a little as if the Elder Tree was chuckling at me. I took that as a no.

“Synthia,” Ryder whispered as his fingers grazed mine in silent support.

“The bark of this Elder Tree will break the spell, but I’ve made him a promise that I fully intend to keep,” I said as I turned to look up at Ryder. “His children will be in the garden that we will create, and they will watch over us as we do the same for them. They are his children, and for his sacrifice to save ours, we will in turn protect his.”

“Synthia, are you sure?” Ryder asked. “Elder Trees can be very dangerous,” he amended.

“My children will be vigilant, and they will know of the sacrifice I make today.”

We both turned to look at the Tree. “I’ve already agreed to it, and I will protect the trees.”

“So be it,” Ryder agreed.

“Once I have said my goodbyes, Goddess, I will give you the bark that is needed to save the Tree. You will need to bless the ground around the Tree, and the White Stag will show you how.”

“Thank you. This world needs more creatures like you, who are willing to make sacrifices for the good of this world.”

I looked up at Ryder as his words finished, and then back at the Elder Tree.

“We need the kind of rulers you two will be,” the tree said. “Ones who can unite our people, our land, and bring peace to this world.”