Chapter 8: The Plan
Out of everything I’d experienced so far, entering a shimmering mist in the air in southern Ireland and exiting it in northern Morocco was the one that really caused the knowledge that magic existed to sink in.
Once the mist, a way according to Sidney, dissipated behind me, the clearing darkened. I stood there for a minute letting my eyes adjust to the darkness and listening for any unusual sounds around me.
Once my night vision returned, I returned my iron dagger to its sheath on my belt and shouldered the hikers pack Fiora had given me.
In my vision of Lysandra, the collar around her neck was locked on using a modern padlock, and at least her estate, all the locks were modern as well, though I had yet to come across a door that was locked.
Other things that had gone in the pack was rope, a first aid kit, binoculars, a flashlight, and clothes for Lysandra. In addition to the cold iron dagger, two more knifes were found, a hunting knife, and what one of the men called a Puukko. I still wasn’t sure what set cold iron apart from other metals, or from regular iron. These knives were steel. They said steel knives wouldn’t be as effective as the cold iron dagger, but they would still hurt the Fae.
It was warmer here than in Ireland. I didn’t dare take the armored jacket they provided off, but I did take the light jacket I had put on over it off and shoved it in the pack before shouldering it and setting off towards the villa.
I could have followed the roads, according to the map Fiora found, there were roads that lead around the park and one passed close to the villa, but they would add a considerable amount of time to my journey, and would risk my being spotted, even if by someone not involved with the Fae.
The full moon provided plenty of light, so I left the flashlight in the side pocket of the pack as I set off through the woods.
I took a round about path, stopping to check my phones GPS every so often. The villa itself didn’t show on any human map, but I put a pin in as close to where it should be as I could. I wanted to approach it from the north east, so I had to circle wide around it.
I reached the villa with an hour to spare. The trees were cut back a couple dozen paces from the villas brick wall.
I pulled the binoculars out of the pack and set it on the ground at the base of a tree. It had been a long time since I had climbed any trees, but it didn’t take long to climb up high enough to see over the walls into the villa.
Throwing my leg over a large branch, I braced myself leaning back against the trunk as I brought the binoculars up to my eyes.
I was surprised by how few people I could see. There were two, holding spears, leaning up against the wall next to the gate blocking the driveway. Guards it looked like. Beyond that, I couldn’t see any other fae on the grounds.
Most of the windows were dark, as late as it was, most were likely sleeping. A few on this side of the building still had lights on. On the ground floor I could see the kitchen staff working, probably getting ready for breakfast in a couple hours. The Fae made most food from scratch each day.
One room on the second floor had its window uncovered and its lanterns lit. I couldn’t see anything from where I was. Letting the bincoulars rest from the strap around my neck, I moved over to a branch coming off the side of the tree and shimmied out on it a little ways before looking again.
I felt my face heat up when I saw why there was light in that room. A rather beautiful Fae woman was on top of her partner, her back to him as she rode his tool, a sheen of sweat covered her body. His hands were on her hips, her eyes were closed and her mouth was open. Though I couldn’t hear her from this far away, I was certain she was moaning loudly.
I dropped the binoculars, letting them hang from their strap as I quickly climbed back down the tree. I had seen more than enough.
Whoever built this place wasn’t overly concerned about unwanted visitors. The wall and gate would keep most people out, but beyond that there was not much in the way of security.
The wall was made out of irregular stones, each a foot or more wide, and three to six inches tall. It looked more decorative than protective. I had a grappling hook, in case I needed it, but once I was up to the wall, I decided it wasn’t necessary.
The stones may not have been intended to be used to climb, but they were easier to scale than the rock climbing wall at the universities gym. In less than a minute I was up and over the wall, and crouching behind some shrubs that lined the back courtyard.
I took a moment to check the time. I had a little over twenty minutes before the distraction, if it came on time.
The yard was dark, with only the glow from a couple of windows, and the light of the setting moon, to illuminate it. There was a large set of ornate double doors in the middle of the back wall of the building, but there was also a much smaller more utilitarian door near the left corner of the building.
I slipped the picks out of my pocket as I approached the smaller door, but was surprised to find it unlocked. The Fae were nothing if not egotistical. Fiora and Sidney both told me that Elara wouldn’t be worried about any rescue attempts, I still didn’t understand the politics behind it, but it seemed to be working in my favor.
There was a hall leading off to the right, and another one leading straight ahead. I could smell food cooking to the right, and the one ahead was too dark to see more than about twenty feet.
I decided to go with the darkness. I paused and listened at each door as I came on them, giving till a count of five before opening them and looking inside. I used my phones screen to provide some light. Most looked to be store rooms or large closets. The fifth door I tried opened to a narrow stairwell leading both up to the second floor, and down to the basement.
I paused at the bottom of the stairs, listening for any noise on the other side of the door. Just when I was about to open the door and slip through, I heard the door on the ground floor above me open.
I looked around, there was a little room in a dark corner behind the stairs I could hide, that I ducked into. I slowly drew the cold iron dagger from its sheath as I hid.
“I don’t know why we don’t just kill her already.” A male voice said. “Elaras stupid whore prisoner is more trouble than she’s worth.”
I bit my lip and listened to see if he was talking to himself or to someone else.
“I don’t know what I did to incur Elara’s anger, to deserve having to stand guard duty.” He said as his feet came within sight.
I tightened my grip on the daggers handle as he walked down the stairs. I wanted to leap on his back and silence him, but realized he would be more use alive, for a little while longer.
I waited till he went through the door, before slipping through it. There was very little light when he opened it, so I wasn’t too worried about being seen. I let him get about twenty feet ahead of me before I followed silently. The hall intersected another one, and the guard turned to the right. I let him get a little further ahead, listening for anyone else that might be coming down from either end before turning the corner and following him.
The hall way turned to the left this time and I could see light from around the corner. A few feet before the end of the hall, there was another door. I ducked into it when I heard the guard greet someone else, presumably the guard he was here to relieve.
I kept the door cracked just enough that I could see the other guard pass as he headed for the stairwell I came down. I counted to twenty before stepping out of the room and peeking around the corner.
I could see him about halfway down the hall. He was sitting on a chair, his back to the door that I hoped Lysandra was behind.
Just as I was debating what to do, the building shook followed by the muffled sound of what sounded like thunder claps. Explosions I realized. The distraction. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but explosions hadn’t entered my mind.
The guard jumped to his feet, and I stepped back away from the corner, into the doorway again, as I heard him come running. I waited till he passed and his footsteps faded before hurrying to the door he had been guarding.
There was a padlock securing it. Thankfully it looked like a regular hardware store padlock. I pulled out the lock picks and set to work trying to pick it open. It had been while since I had tried picking any locks, and my hands were shaking.
Another explosion went off, causing me to jump, dropping the pick. I bent down to pick it up and just as I did I saw someone running down the hall at me. Letting go of the lock and the tension tool, I jumped back, drawing both the cold iron dagger in my left hand, and the puukko in my right hand.
It was the same guard as before. Apparently he decided he shouldn’t abandon his post. The hall wasn’t wide enough to get out of his way completely. He wasn’t holding any weapons, so I batted his hand aside as he dived through the space I had just left. I spun on the spot, my foot connecting with his thigh, knocking him crashing into the wall.
Before I had a chance to consider my next move, he was up again, extending a collapsible baton. As it extended he swung it, aiming for my head.
I ducked under the batons swing and slammed the pommel of my dagger into his elbow.
“Fucking hell!” He snarled.
“Don’t make me kill you!” I hissed as I jabbed the puukko at his belly.
Somehow he lurched back just outside of the blades reach. The baton smashed down on my arm hard enough to make me cry out. The pain was was excruciating, but as soon as it set in, my vision went red and the pain faded to the background.
His movements slowed as I dodged back away from him. By the time I regained my footing, he was only half turned, and moving like he was stuck in a pool of honey.
Taking advantage of his sudden slowness, I pushed off leaping forward in a dive, both hands forward, the knives out to either side. He barely reacted as I covered the distance between us, my fists impacting his chest.
I felt his ribs snap and cave under the impact, then he was flying back into the wall. I regained my footing and set myself, ready for whatever he would do next.
To my surprise, he crumpled to the floor and lay there unmoving. I watched him for a moment, before cautiously approaching. I could see his keys attached to his bet. Up above I could hear an alarm bell ringing, and people shouting. I reached in and ripped the keys from his belt, watching him for any reaction, before backing away and turning to unlock the door.
I gasped once I saw inside the large room. Lysandra was there, like I saw her in my vision, but she was naked. The metal collar around her neck was locked to the floor with a short length of chain. Her body was covered in half healed cuts, and blood caked her hair.
I wanted to rush to her and pick her up, but I heard a voice in my head warning me to cover my armor before I did. I yanked the light jacket out of the pack and hurried to put it on.
I knelt down beside Lysandra, and began trying the keys on the lock, one after the other, until the lock clicked open, revealing a charred wound all the way around her neck. I pushed the collar aside as I brushed Lysandra’s bloody hair out of her face.
“You!” A cold voice said from behind me.
I turned and saw a woman standing in the doorway. A Sidhe, judging from her emerald green eyes and ruby read hair. Her features were soft, and in any other circumstances I’d probably describe her as warm and caring. But her eyes were cold, colder than any I had ever seen before. The cold hatred in her eyes looked foreign on her. She was shorter than Lysandra, at least a foot shorter than even me.
“You are all they sent to rescue her?” She laughed. “One pathetic human? The whore who warms her bed?”
I stood slowly, drawing the cold iron dagger again.
“Why do you hate her so?” I asked, trying to stall for time.
“Hate her?” She asked incredulously. “Why do I hate her? Because she cast me aside. I could live with that, but not once I found out she was seen with a dog like you!”
“You were?” I started, eyes wide.
“Lovers? Oh yes, for many centuries.” She laughed. “She will love me again! Or she will die!”
She held up her hand and orange fire enveloped her fingers, before I could react, the fire shot out from her talon like nails and hit me in the chest.
I waited for the pain, for the heat, and the smell of flesh searing. Instead, I felt coldness radiating from the platinum amulet around my neck, wave after wave of deep frigid cold flowed out of it, covering my body in a protective layer of ice.
I moved my arm, expecting the ice to crack and fall away. It flowed with my movement. Like a second skin, covering my own, and the clothes I was wearing.
“Impossible!” Elara hissed. “To think she would give so much to a worthless human!”
Elara launched herself forward in a blur, her hands out infront of her, no weapon in them, but her nails like an eagles talons on the tips of her fingers. She was moving faster than any human could. Covering the distance impossibly fast.
My mind cleared, and the red mist crept over my vision again as time seemed to slow enough that her super human speed slowed to merely human speed.
I dodged to the side and punched out with my empty hand, my ice covered fist smashing into her ribs as she flew past, knocking her to the side.
Instead of being knocked off balance, she slid to a stop and launched herself at me again, a primal hatred filling her eyes. I dodged again, this time bringing my knee up into her belly as she flew past, my arm coming around in the same moment, the pommel of my dagger slamming into the back of her head.
She fell sprawling face down onto the floor next to Lysandra. Before she could react, I dived on top of her and held the blade of the cold iron dagger to her throat.
She screamed as the iron burned into her skin.
“Please Riley, spare her.” A weak voice said.
I ignored it, not knowing who Riley was and not seeing anyone around.
I pressed harder against her throat, letting the gurgling cries of pain sooth the ache in my heart.
A hand touched my thigh. I looked over and it was Lysandra.
“Please, spare her.” She said as she squeezed my thigh.
And just like that, the red haze over my vision faded, and weariness washed over me. I pulled the dagger away from the helpless Sidhe woman.
I saw the collar laying between them and before Lysandra could stop me, I closed it around Elara’s neck and locked it closed.
As soon as the iron was locked around her neck, she started whimpering and her body contorted in agony.
I looked over at Lysandra, and she was unconscious again. Now that the iron was off of her neck, I could see the wounds on her body start to heal. The smaller scrapes had already healed over with a angry red layer of skin, and the larger ones were slowly starting to narrow.
I pulled a blanket out of my pack and gently wrapped Lysandra up in it. I placed one arm under her neck, and another under her knees and lifted her up.
I left the room, not looking back at Elara as she lay there whimpering. It was better than she deserved.
I could feel my exhaustion growing with each step. Whatever that red haze was, it took a lot out of me. I was panting by the time I reached the top of the stairs. I could hear muffled explosions from the front of the villa.
I wanted to go as far away from them as I could. I almost turned towards the back of the villa, the way I came in, but I realized I would never be able to climb the wall carrying Lysandra, not in my current state.
Instead, I turned towards the sound of explosions. Towards the smell of smoke, and cries of fear.
From time to time people, Fae, crossed the hallway I was walking down, in a hurry to get where they were going, none of them even looked at me.
There was a doorway on my left, leading outside. I pushed the door open and stepped out into the night. The sounds of battle were louder out here. At least I think it was battle. There was a lot of shouting, some of it in anger, some in fear. It looked like the roof of the building in the front was on fire.
One foot after the other, I slowly made my way up to the front of the building. Once I reached the corner of the building, I paused to take a look. The courtyard was covered in rubble. The wall had collapsed in places, and every window in the front of the building was blown in.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw something bright come over the wall on the other side of the yard, it shattered on the cobblestones and a large ball of flame spread out from where it landed with a roar. Molotov cocktail I guessed.
More came over the southern wall of the property, three, four, five more.
The few Fae still standing rushed to that side of the property, trying to put the flames out and a couple called for Elara.
I stepped out from behind the building, and walked as fast as I could towards one of the large holes that was blown out of the stone wall surrounding the compound.
I was almost there when a voice called out, ordering me to stop. I turned to look and saw a trio of Fae guards, two with spears and one with a ball of fire in the palm of his hand. A Sidhe.
Before I could do anything, the Sidhe flung his hand out launching the ball of fire in my direction with a roar.
I turned my back to it, trying to protect Lysandra from it. The amulet on my chest grew cold again and a layer of winter ice surrounded me.
I felt an impact, but instead of the searing pain I expected, it felt like someone slapped me on the back, followed by a sizzle as the flame died unable to contend with the armor of ice covering my body.
I set Lysandra down, and turned to face the three Fae, the red haze tinting my vision for the third time. The weariness fled and I could feel my strength returning.
The Sidhe lord threw another ball of fire at me, and I batted it away, the ice growing thicker on my arms, and over my knuckles. I saw spikes grow over the knuckles as I clenched my fists.
“Run, or die.” I hissed as I took a step towards them, the shattered remains of the cobblestones crunching under my foot.
The two Fae on either side of the Sidhe looked uncertain.
“Get her!” The Sidhe commanded.
The Fae to his left reluctantly stepped forward. A single step, than another, and another. He held the spear out, its deadly point aimed for my throat.
He jabbed it at me once we were close enough, attempting to stab me in the throat. I reached up and grabbed it, his eyes going wide at how fast my arm moved.
I felt the pendant pulse, and ice flowed from my hand, up the spears shaft. Before the Fae could react, the ice flowed from the spear to his hands and encased him, his cry of pain cut off as his mouth froze over.
I yanked on the spear and it came away, along with his hands.
The other Fae on the other side of his lord dropped his spear and ran.
I swung the spears shaft, slamming it into my former opponent, causing his body to shatter into thousands of icy shards.
The Sidhe lord looked terrified, but did not follow his underling. I spun the spear around, gripping it just behind the remains of the dead mans frozen hands, and leaped forward, driving the point of the spear into the Sidhe’s belly. His cry of pain was cut off as ice flowed into his body from where the spear stabbed into him, freezing him from the inside out.
I let go of the spear and turned back to Lysandra. I had no idea what was going on, with the ice, or with the red haze and the new found strength and speed it lent me, but I didn’t want to be here if either gave out.
I stooped and picked her back up, then took off at a jog through the shattered wall and down the hill side.
The journey that had taken me over an hour when approaching the villa, took me less than twenty minutes at a run. The sun was coming up enough that I could see well enough to avoid any trees or tripping hazards.
Once I reached the clearing where I had arrived a couple hours earlier, I slid to a stop. I had to set Lysandra down on the forest floor. She was still unconscious, but she looked to be a little better than before.
I collapsed to the ground as both the red haze, and the ice armor faded. Weariness like I had never experienced before filled me, nearly overwhelmed me. I focused on the ring on my finger, doing as Sèadna had instructed me to, reaching out to her with my mind. It seemed like an eternity before I felt a response. That done, I collapsed on the ground next to Lysandra.
I woke somewhat as someone picked me up, then truly lost consciousness.