The Toll (78 page)

Laughing harder at every harsh growl,
as I ducked and dodged, and he snarled his displeasure, we both
loved the chase.

I didn’t get far before he caught me,
barely rounding the table, and just as he pinned me down, fingers
snaking below my skirts to flip them over my head, Quaz called out,
“Oi! Ye selfish bastards! Let us in!”

Glancing over my shoulder as Troll
bent me over the table, swiftly flipping my skirts up and sidling
up behind me, his bare thighs tickling my skin, I tossed my head in
the direction of the veil to Under.

Grunting, Troll leaned down, nuzzling
my nape, grunting when I elbowed him and started struggling to get
up. “Let me up!” I hissed fiercely. “They might see!”

“
Willna see anythin’,” he
muttered, pulling back with an affronted chuff, grudgingly putting
my skirts back before adjusting his tamptet. Standing back, he
smoothed the back of my rumpled cloths out, huge hands roaming over
my ass more than necessary, grinning when I gave him a pointed
look.

“
Thank you, I think,” I
murmured cheekily, allowing my mate-husband to help me
up.

“
Only ‘cause he has the
beastie,” he conceded.

“
Of course,” I winked,
looping my arms through his.

“
Expectin’ ta be fully
compensated me later,” he grumbled petulantly, thumbs strumming
along my wrist, sending a wave of heat rushing up my
forearm.

“
Oh?”

“
Yeah,
oh
, an’ ye’ll be sayin’ a whole lot
of other-
argh.”
A low, sexy growl rumbled up Troll’s throat as my fingers
slid down his chest, grazing his nipples, arching over every dip
and curve sculpting his thick abdomen, and I laughed, giddy.
“Playin’ wit fire, woman.”

Reaching over, I pinched his ass,
patting the bared cheek when he grunted but didn’t shoo me away.
“Don’t you worry, troll-lover,” I winked saucily, a wicked grin
tilting my lips, “I’ll hold you to that.”

“
Fuckin’ better,” he
muttered, covering his nipples quickly, before I could twist
one.

“
There’s more than one way
to handle an Ornthren, Troll,” I teased.

Smiling to myself as Calder came
toddling towards us on his own two legs, holding his arms out as
his papa made growling, grumbling noises and rushed over to him,
scooping him up in his big, strong arms, pretending to bite his
neck as he squealed happily, little pudgy hands batting at his face
for more, my heart melted.

Hands resting on my stomach, there was
no fear or worry for this little one, only happiness and hope.
Though the curse, in so many ways, remained, it was already broken.
We were cursed alright, cursed in love. Our love would last longer,
and was much stronger than anything the Fates could toss at
us.

We couldn’t see into the future, and
had no way to guess how things would turn out, but we had each
other, bonded through strength and love.

Curses? Hah. Together, we could do
anything.

Not Quite The End

Divine
Intervention

The Fates

Gathered around, Lachesis hummed
quietly to herself, eyes shut tight, hips swaying from side to side
as they waited.

Any minute now, they would
show.

It was time.

“
Children of fate, wrought
from the light. Walk a hard path, live a long life.”

Atropos’ head whipped towards her
sister so hard her neck cracked loudly across the
clearing.

“
Think you the only one
with things best left unsaid, which cannot be undone?” Lachesis
started humming again as tension vibrated off of her sibling. “If I
could have spared her, I would.” Fingers fluttering under her hood,
she whispered hauntingly, “I’ve already paid my own price,
sister-dear, I’m afraid.” The ache in that voice had Atropos’
shoulders rolling as they slowly slid back to their slightly less
rigid stance.

Walking over, Atropos pulled her
sister into a bone crushing embrace that had Lachesis
sighing.

Clothos joined in, in a rare show of
affection between the sisters three, resting her head on top of
Future’s white blonde, messy mop, ruffling it as she hummed
Lachesis’ warning melody quietly.

“
It comes over me.”
Lachesis sighed resignedly, gently nudging them off before it was
time. “They come. Today, tis time.”

Atropos and Clothos shared a long look
as they tipped their heads to one another, adjusted their cowls,
and took their rightful places. They hated this, loathed it, but
this was the way, as it had always been, and up until recently,
would have always been.

“
Spin. Spin. Spin. Pull the
thread, weave the life, cut it down.” Muttering to herself absently
as she got that vacant look in her eyes, her humming vibrating her
thin frame, it had already begun. “Fate, fate, sisters fate. Thy
will be done. Change. A time for change. Ever changing.”

“
Thy will be done,” Clothos
murmured, snapping her fingers so her spindle disappeared, fingers
gripping her spool so tight she thought they might bleed. The
change overcame her as well, but she was still fully aware, unlike
poor Lachesis. “Winds of change,” she said quietly, fingers running
over the small spool of glowing gold thread as her head began to
spin.

Atropos remained quiet, fingering the
hilt of her scissors at her side, eyes narrowed, lips pressing into
a thin, hard line. She didn’t utter the words, refusing to take her
place.

“
Change. Change. Change,”
Lachesis chanted under her breath, a slow, empty smile stretching
her lips, swaying faster and faster.

At the low buzz, humming at the backs
of their napes, they all froze.

“
Come. Time to taste the
fires, little dragon.” Bobbing her head along slowly, Lachesis
started her little dance, oblivious to the surprised looks that
crossed her sisters’ faces.

The Lady was the first to show,
emerging from a swirling mist of water, solidifying as she took a
deep bow before the three hooded figures, their faces properly
masked from view. “Sisters,” she whispered quietly, head bowed low
in supplication as she took to her knees.

“
Niniane,” Clothos murmured
in greeting.

“
You know what I’ve done,”
The Lady admitted quietly.

Without an ounce of remorse, she
lifted her gaze, strong in the face of her own judgement, blue eyes
vibrant, brimming with life.

Eyes slowly going across each sister,
she further tempted fate. “I hold no remorse for my actions, and
admit to them freely. I made a vow to Gersthart not to meddle
anymore, and promptly broke it. You forbade me from interfering
with man’s will, and I’ve done that too. I entwined Gersthart’s
line with Phedaenya’s, knowing full well the course. I take full
responsibility, but,” she seemed to falter a little, recovering
before the sisters could respond, “should you show leniency, I
would only commit them again. I have many mistakes to atone for,
but fear I haven’t the heart. I’ve failed my sons as their bearer,
Gersthart more than most, just as I’ve failed to connect with man
as I should.” Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to continue,
“You may not see what I’ve done as helping, as I have, but my
eldest has found peace. I’m not ashamed of the end, but I regret
the pain his bonded endured that led her there. She too, has found
her own peace, and they’ve both bonded, in love. I have many sons,
spread all throughout Under, reaching far beyond the catacombs, or
the cells entombing them within. If I am released, I will only
endeavor to find them their own relief. I cannot be trusted, as I
don’t know my own mind anymore. I will do whatever it takes,
breaking vows, cursing man, changing paths, tempting fate, whatever
it takes. They are blood of my blood, heart of my heart. I fear....
I fear, despite protests from my get themselves, I will not rest
‘til my will is done. With that in mind, I would wish that you
would end me.”

Surprise flitted across Clothos’
features, the spool she was fiddling with stilling in her hands.
“Entwined them how? You’ve no more the power to do so than a
human.” Blinking as if she hadn’t read her right, she looked to
Lachesis, who could sense her sister’s gaze.

“
Atropos has a bigger heart
than she lets on,” Lachesis whispered softly.

Gaze darting to Death, she couldn’t
believe it. “You helped?” Clothos snapped. “After all... after...”
At a loss, pain taking her features as she clammed up, she stomped
her foot angrily, pointing to Lachesis accusingly. “How could
you?”

Atropos peered at her from beneath the
rippling folds of her hood curiously, gaze steady on the two,
remaining silent.

“
You know we are not to
help!” Stamping her foot again, a rare show for the normally placid
sister, Clothos whipped her hood off and pulled her long white hair
back, silver and shimmering strands of ivory glinting like snow in
the waning light. “Do you not see what happens when Fate
intervenes?” she hissed, exposing the nubby stumps left where her
ears had once been.

“
When she knows, it will
mean everything,” Lachesis put in softly, trailing her fingers
above her hand as she gyrated and twirled quietly to some
non-existent song.

Niniane, glancing up, gaped at Clothos
wonderingly, shock flitting across her delicate features. “Whom did
you help, and to pay such a price? Can you not still hear? When who
knows?”

“
I read lips! It is
enough.” Clothos’ voice cracked across the small clearing on the
edge of the Lux, but she quickly pulled herself together. Glancing
at Atropos’, whose head was tilted as she eyed her, she quickly
looked away. “And never you mind my affairs.” Covering her head
with her hood once more, escaping Niniane’s stare beneath the
confines of her cape, she once more started to play with her spool
of string.

Blinking, as if dazed, Niniane’s gaze
snapped to Atropos. “What price did you pay?”

The Elemental gasped, horror dawning
across her pale, porcelain-like face as Atropos simply
shrugged.

“
Fate’s got her tongue,”
Lachesis giggled, cupping a hand over her mouth, tongue in
cheek.

“
You’re voice,” Niniane
murmured, pale, thin hands clasping at her own throat.

“
Her tongue,” the chortling
Lachesis reiterated, as if this was all a game.

Atropos growled at her giggling sister
in reply, arms crossed mulishly over her chest.

“
You make light of her
sacrifice?” Niniane’s face reddened as she gained her feet, water
rippling as the length of her gown swirled, melting into small
waves that danced about her calves.

Lachesis, unaffected, stopped humming
and swaying softly, hand slipping to disappear beneath the folds of
her cape, and cocked her head.

Voice deepening, the Fate
murmured ominously, “I make light of nothing. She chose, knowing. I
could no more help her than I could stop her. She altered a path
already set out, she changed a mortal’s fate, thus changing her
own. The balance
must
be kept. Such is the life I am bound to.”

“
By mutilation?” aghast,
bile rose in Niniane’s throat.

“
No different than a fit of
pique that killed a village, eh?” Clothos shot back, in their
defense.

The Water Elemental immediately
snapped her mouth shut, bowing her head, thoroughly chastised. She
had no room to speak of such things. “Forgive me,” she murmured, “I
forget my place.”

Taking a deep breath, the spinner
settled. “We are forbidden from interfering. Punishment was
mild.”

“
And yet you intervene,”
The Lady muttered, thinking of the sniveling human they barred all
from touching. She couldn’t help that one, her lips would not
remain shut on that account—it still burned in her gut like bitter
acid.

“
Where Fate has stepped in,
Others have before. Two rights do not make a wrong, any more than
three wrongs make a right. I merely keep the balance.” Lachesis
owned her part in how fate plays out, admitting more than she’d
been permitted to.

“
You do.
You?
Just you?” Canting
her head to the side, eyes narrowing suspiciously, Niniane
waited.

“
How life wills it,” the
alotter’s hand reappeared as her fingers danced in front of her,
shoulders lifting in a careless shrug, “I cannot say. We are the
overseers. Unless called upon, we’re only meant to ‘see’ and watch,
to keep. We carry out life’s thread. We do not choose, exactly, but
have barred any more intervention in the one you call Phedaenya’s
life. She has been tampered with enough. It was willed she would
live it on her own, from now on. You understand? As well as all
others involved, for that matter.” Tacking the last part on, and
quite meaningfully, she made her point crystal clear. That meant
the human male too.

“
More than I wish too,” she
gritted out. Even now, Niniane’s fingers itched to drag the vile
excuse for a male that had violated Troll’s bonded to her lake, do
a little cursing of her own.
It really is
my fault,
what happened to her,
she thought.
All my
fault.