As the Crow Flies (Book 19 in the Godhunter Series) Read online

  Ahead of us, the wave was wiping out everything in its path. I could hear my fire faeries screaming in terror, running from the wall of death. My heart clenched and my lungs burned as I ran on, drawing in quick, panicked breaths. The roaring water formed a narrow, unnatural column, and just beyond it I could see the Tine. Our vast lake was being emptied to fuel this vicious attack. And it was an attack. There was no way it could be anything else.

  I came within twenty feet of the water and shifted back to human. Masses of fire creatures were streaming past me in blind terror but the fire fey nearby stopped and rushed over to me, to stand at my back. I straightened, proud of my loyal people, even as I feared for them. I wanted to tell them to run, but I knew they wouldn't listen. There was no way my faeries would leave their queen to stand alone and naked against the tide.

  I was so close now, I could feel the spray on my skin. I could see the debris the water had wrenched up from my kingdom; shrubs and rocks and trees. I held my arms up and pushed the moon magic from me, fury fueling it into something even greater than it was. It hit the water like a fist, encountering whatever magic was empowering it and sizzling into combat. The faeries behind me gasped and took hold of each others hands. Magic rushed out from them as well, a united effort to support my magic, and a wall of fire lifted before me, steaming into fog the instant it hit the water. Mist spread out to the sides and even overhead, dampening the sun and making the scene even more ominous.

  Sparks began to light the steam clouds, flickers of moonlight, as I pushed and pushed with will, anger, and plain old desperation. Sweat broke out on my brow as the water flattened completely, spray jutting upward into the air. Then slowly, drop by agonizing drop, it began to turn over on itself. As soon as the wave broke in the other direction, the magic propelling it broke as well, and the sky was filled with an explosion of lights brighter than fireworks on the Fourth of July.

  Something large landed behind me. The ground shook with its weight. I knew it was Arach but I couldn't look back to reassure him or myself. I was too intent on putting this water back where it belonged. Now that the magic opposing me was gone, the wave rushed eagerly home to the Tine. I only had to urge it along. The fire magic assisting me faded, and the faeries around me began to cheer.

  I strode forward, continuing to direct the water until it was safely a part of the vast Tine once more. Then I dropped to my knees, panting and trembling. My limbs felt like they were full of bees, buzzing and jerking in all directions. Arach was beside me instantly, his arms around me, his strength supporting me. I leaned against him and sighed in relief.

  “The children?”

  “Isleen has them,” he kissed my cheek. “They're fine, A Thaisce.”

  Shouts of Queen Vervain echoed across the plain as steam rose from the hot, muddy ground around us. The Fire Kingdom would heal itself quickly. Fire as hot as ours didn't smother easily. Our embers would catch once more and burn as bright as ever. But there was significant damage; crushed trees, plants, and homes. Several of my people would have to rebuild.

  “The village,” I nodded to a clearing, a hundred feet away from us and full of debris.

  “I'll send faeries to help them,” Arach helped me to my feet. Then he repeated the vow to our people. “Supplies and aid will be sent to you soon. Wait here and do what you can, while I get your queen home.”

  “I'm so proud of you all,” I gathered my strength to speak to my brave faeries. “You stood with me, and together we saved our kingdom. Today has proven yet again that we are more than faeries united by an element; we are family.”

  The fire fey shouted, cheered, and clapped; a surprisingly joyous and victorious response from people who'd just been made homeless. Amid those heart warming cries, Arach shifted into his crimson dragon form and carried me up into the air. He began to head home.

  “Wait!” I shouted up to him. I was too weak to ride his back, so he was carrying me in his claws. “Circle around. Maybe our enemy is still here.”

  Arach roared and immediately circled back, making a swooping loop over our kingdom. We searched and searched but there was no sign of anyone who didn't belong in Fire. It was like the earth had swallowed them up.

  “Earth,” I muttered as Arach finally gave up and turned us back in the direction of Castle Aithinne. “An earthquake could have easily caused a tidal wave.”

  “Very true,” Arach growled. “She wouldn't have even had to be within Fire. Aalish could have simply directed the tremors our way.”

  I clutched at his claws as my body shook again, this time with anger. It was hard to fight an enemy who wouldn't face you. And it was damn frustrating.

  We arrived home to even more cheering. All of the castle had come out to witness the attack. Isleen was holding Rian while one of our other nursemaids, Granuaile, held Brevyn. I went to take my children as Arach shifted, and then began barking orders. The fire faeries instantly rushed to obey, faces gone serious with concern for our people.

  “Is everyone alright?” Isleen asked as she handed me Rian.

  Before I could answer, she reached over to one of our redcaps and yanked his cloak off him.

  “No one was hurt, from what I could tell,” I assured her as she wrapped me in the cloak. Bless her fiery heart for knowing me so well.

  “You saved us, my Queen” Granuaile whispered with awe, and then gave me a deep curtsy.

  “Just barely,” I gave her a weak smile as I tried to wrangle Rian, who was already climbing over my shoulder, awake and excited. “And our fey helped me. They stood at my back and launched a fire attack as I used my water magic.”

  “Of course they did,” Isleen nodded with a satisfied look. “Fire fey are the bravest of all the faeries.”

  I smiled at her loyalty.

  “Let me carry him for you, Queen Vervain. He's overly excited,” Isleen reached for Rian. “To your chambers?”

  “Yes, please,” I leaned forward for Isleen to reclaim Rian.

  “Please, Queen Vervain,” Granuaile held onto Brevyn when I reached for him. “Allow me to carry Brevyn for you too. You look so tired.”

  I thanked her and we all went inside Aithinne while Arach continued to organize a relief party. We headed up to the royal chambers and when we reached my bedroom, I slumped onto the bed, closing the cloak around my dirty body. Isleen deposited Rian next to me, then went to the wardrobe to fetch me some fresh clothes.

  “Did you see anyone out there?” Isleen asked as she handed me a dress and some underwear. “Anyone who didn't belong in our kingdom?”

  Granuaile gasped, “It was an attack?”

  “Of course it was an attack,” Isleen rolled her eyes.

  “We searched but couldn't find anyone,” I sighed and headed to the bathroom. I needed a quick rinse before I could get dressed. Isleen went over to sit with Rian while I got in the shower. I left the door open so I could continue our conversation.

  “I'm sure our king will send out patrols with the workers,” Isleen said matter-of-factly. “But I'd like to go and see that more guards are posted, with your permission, Queen Vervain.”

  “You have my permission and my gratitude,” I called out from the shower and she hurried out.

  I finished washing off as quickly as possible. Then dried off and slipped into my clothes. Granuaile was sitting on the bed beside Rian when I stepped into the bedroom. She had Brevyn in her arms.

  “I can take him now, Granuaile,” I held my arms out for Brevyn.

  I had amazing healing abilities thanks to both my faerie essence and my goddess soul, so I was already feeling strong again. The fact that I'd weakened at all was worrisome.

  “Of course, Queen Vervain,” she handed me Brevyn, who was awake but not nearly as excited as his brother.

  Brevyn stared up at me with eyes far too wise for his young face. They were grim and just a little worried. Where Rian had felt the anxiety around him and found it thrilling, Brevyn had understood it for what it was and what it could mean for him p
ersonally.

  “It's alright now, honey,” I said to Brevyn, and he relaxed against me, closing those ancient eyes.

  “May I fetch you anything, Queen Vervain? Some wine perhaps?” Granuaile asked from the doorway.

  “Actually, that would be wonderful,” I smiled my gratitude to her as she left.

  I had a few moments alone with my boys then. I climbed up in the bed and held Brevyn to me as Rian crawled over and around us with excited growls. I tried to let their presence comfort me but there was a horrible rock sitting in my chest, a tight knot of fear that this was just the beginning.

  After what I'd seen in Brevyn's vision, I wanted to rush to Alfheim with him. I didn't know exactly what needed to be done, but I did know that we needed to be there. The both of us. For some reason, Brevyn had to go to Alfheim with me. Which meant that I couldn't use my ring. Which also meant that I couldn't return to Faerie immediately.

  But I strongly suspected that Brevyn had just shown me a way to fix my star. He couldn't have been more obvious; with that star hanging above his head. Fixing my broken nine-pointed star would solve several of my concerns and could give me the power to defend my family as well as my kingdom more easily. But if I left the Fire Kingdom unguarded now, I could lose it. Did I stay and protect it with what I had or did I leave to gain more power and hope Arach could defend Fire without me for a little while?

  “Damn it all,” I said under my breath.

  Watch your language around the children, Faerie chided.

  “You!” I sat up straight. “You were there, did you see who sent the wave?”

  If you recall, my attention was on you while the water was being summoned.

  “But you didn't look around afterward?”

  I did, there was an extreme pout in her tone.

  “You didn't see anyone?! You're the Consciousness of the Realm! Don't you know everything? See everything? You sure act like you do!”

  I did know everything until you went and screwed up the future and then you broke your star! Now I'm a little off my game, okay?

  “Gods damn it,” I cursed again and Rian giggled. “Don't listen to Mommy,” I told him sternly. “That's a bad word that princes shouldn't use.”

  Yeah, that'll work, she giggled. And which word is bad; gods or damn? You sleep with gods and one of them actually has the power to damn so it's a little uncertain to me.

  “Shut up, Faerie!”

  “Did she see who did this?” Arach asked as he came into the room.

  “No, evidently she's off her game,” I rolled my eyes.

  Well I'll be on guard now, she huffed.

  “You and every faerie in this kingdom,” Arach growled. “No one's getting into Fire without my knowledge.”

  “How secure do you think we are?” I asked.

  “Very,” Arach crossed his arms over his chest as if daring me to argue.

  Absolutely, Faerie added.

  “Secure enough for me to take Brevyn to Alfheim?”

  “What?” Arach's arms dropped to his sides.

  Does it have to do with your star?

  “Yes,” I answered Faerie. “I think the vision Brevyn gave me is his way of showing me how to fix my star.”

  “By going to Alfheim?” Arach asked dubiously.

  “My mother's essence is there,” I reminded him. “And she's helped me before. I think she could do it again. Maybe she knows how to fix it. Whatever the case, Brevyn was in the vision. He was on the Heart Stone with me and a nine-pointed star appeared over him. You can't get more obvious than that.”

  “So he needs to be there?” Arach frowned.

  “I think so.”

  “Why?”

  “I don't know,” I huffed. “Maybe his magic can help me. That Borrowing thing. All I know is that he was on the stone with me so I think I should take him.”

  “Maybe it wasn't meant to be literal,” Arach scowled at the sleeping Brevyn.

  Why are you arguing over this? Faerie snapped at him. If there's a possibility she needs him there, she should take him with her. This is her star we're talking about.

  “And the safety of my son,” Arach snapped back.

  “I'm perfectly capable of protecting our son,” I said gently. “I think I proved that today.”

  “I know,” he came over to me and took my hand. “I just haven't been parted from him. Not since his birth.”

  “Now you'll know how I feel,” I gave Arach a gentle smile. “And your separation won't be nearly as long as the ones I've had to endure.”

  “Fine,” Arach sighed as Granuaile returned with the wine, “take my son out of Faerie, but you had best bring him home promptly, Vervain.”

  He took the glass off Granuaile's silver tray as she gaped at us, and then he downed it in one gulp.

  Chapter Ten

  So here's the thing; I didn't want my husbands back in the God Realm to be worried sick for the two days that I'd already been gone. So I had to jump home to Pride Palace and tell them what was happening before I returned to Faerie. Then I could take Brevyn back with me again to the God Realm via tracing.

  I had a brief moment of wishing Brevyn was old enough to understand me. I could have asked him to just take us through the Aether, with his handy-dandy little tearing-through-the-wards-of-Faerie thing he did. Then we wouldn't have to travel all the way to the Great Tree at the End of the Road, AKA the only tracing point in Faerie (for everyone but Brevyn it seemed).

  I was actually fairly certain Brevyn did understand me. I just wasn't sure as to the extent of his comprehension. He could possibly sense my need to travel through the Aether but end up completely missing the location I wanted to go to. I didn't want to end up in Norway again.

  So we all piled into the royal carriage and headed towards the Great Tree. By we, I mean that Arach and Rian joined us for the journey. Arach wanted to get every last minute in with us before we left. This wouldn't just be the first time he'd be without Brevyn since his birth but also the first time he'd be without me since the twin's birth. At least for more than a few minutes. I wasn't using the ring this time, so he'd experience the separation as I did.

  It was bothering him more than I'd thought it would.

  “It'll be fine,” I squeezed his hand. “We'll be back in no time.”

  “No, you're usually back in no time,” he grumbled. “This instance will be time.”

  “But not too much of it,” I chuckled. “It's good for couples to be separated every now and then. It will give you a chance to miss me. I miss you a lot, you know.”

  “Yes but you have... others to keep your mind off me.”

  “No one can keep my mind off you,” I whispered, suddenly serious. “I miss you every second, Arach.”

  His jaw clenched and he swallowed hard. “I don't want to do this,” he sounded like a child. “You and Brevyn; at the same time,” his arms tightened around Brevyn and the baby squirmed. “It's too much to give up.”

  “I have to do this, Arach,” I subconsciously responded to his childish tone with my mommy voice. “You will be perfectly fine for a few days without us.”

  “A few days?!” He sat up straight as he shouted. The boys began to cry. “I thought it was going to be a few hours.”

  “You were throwing that much of a fuss over a few hours?” I gaped at him as I tried to calm Rian. “Arach!” I nodded to Brevyn, “See to your son.”

  He looked down like he just realized the baby was on his lap, and started to rock him.

  “You are perfectly capable of being a single father for a few days,” I huffed. “You're a dragon king for Faerie's sake. Grow a pair.”

  He snarled, his eyes flashing, and I laughed.

  “Now there's my husband.”

  He settled back against the seat with a huff.

  “Look, we're here,” I waved out the window towards the clearing we had just entered.

  The packed earth road we were on continued further in a continuous loop around the Forgetful Forest. It p
assed before each kingdom of Faerie except for the newest addition; the Dark Kingdom. New roads had been built connecting the Road of Neutrality to the Kingdom of Darkness, but there was one other offshoot. To the other side of our carriage, opposite the clearing with its massive tracing tree, another road branched off, leading straight to the Castle of Eight. The home of the High Royals and the House of Spirit.

  But today I was going away from Faerie. So I climbed out of the carriage, after trading Rian for Brevyn, and marched through the unit of red caps who had escorted us. The Great Tree loomed above us all, as tall as any skyscraper in the Human Realm. Its trunk spread out wider than my home in Hawaii and the roots which curled out of the ground in places, were the thickness of the average palm tree.

  I reached the base of the Great Tree and turned to say goodbye to Arach and Rian. That's when I realized that we might have a problem.

  I saw the concerned look on Rian's face and then looked down to see Brevyn's equally wary visage. Oh no. Why didn't I think of this. The boys hated to be parted; had never been far from each other. They nearly died recently because Rian made his first flight, and Brevyn had grabbed him as soon as Arach tossed our baby dragon out the window. Why had I thought for even a second, that I could take Brevyn and leave Rian behind? So stupid.

  “Um...” I looked at Arach with dawning horror.

  “No,” he said firmly.

  “I didn't think about separating them,” I said by way of an apology.

  The boys started to whine, sensing that this could go very badly for them.

  “No, you can't take them both,” Arach's eyes widened and a note of panic filled his voice. Then he squared his shoulders. “You'll just have to stay.”

  “I can't stay, Arach,” I growled, trying to keep my voice down since we were surrounded by avidly watching faeries. “This concerns my star... my broken star.”

  “I know perfectly well what it concerns,” he sniffed. “But you aren't taking both of my sons from me.”

  “It's just a few days, if that,” I groaned. “It could be over in a few hours. You're acting like I'm divorcing you and taking custody.”