Legend 4 - Free Falling (3 page)

One, in fact, brandished a death weapon. Nuad arrived at that moment, and he shoved my father out of the way as he sliced through them using his own Death Sword.

He was surrounded by the drooling, clawing beasts, and although singularly they were no match for Nuad, they attacked mob style, and he was caught up in the frenzy of slice and dice.
 

 
Too late, he saw Gaiscioch step through the portal.

 
Too late, he realized that Gais had put his hand up to retrieve the Death Sword from the beast.

 
Too late, he saw the madness on Gais’s face, and he roared out to my father to run.

 
You see, Fae are immune to the Féth Fiada—they are never invisible to one another—but my dad couldn’t see Gais … didn’t know he was coming at him.

Nuad yelled out to Gais, trying to draw his attention, but Gais apparently decided he wanted to take down one of Queen Aaibhe’s Druid priests. Like the coward he was, for a warrior would have shown himself, he stalked my father.

Nuad shifted the distance, shrugging off the Unseelies and screaming at Gais as he tried to reach and shield my father.

The Seelie Fae traitor grinned at Nuad, as though taunting him as he moved in for the kill, moved in all the while knowing my father, though pivoting in a circle with his sword out before him, could not know where to strike!

Gaiscioch could—should—have shifted off and out of Nuad’s reach.
 
Gais could have left my father alone. He must have known he had only a short while on this side.

Instead, Gais decided the time had come to blatantly break his queen’s Treaty and kill her favorites among the humans … her prized Druid priests!

My father couldn’t see him, but he swung his death weapon with force, taking down an Unseelie who had attacked from the rear.

Nuad saw my father’s last heroic efforts, and Nuad saw as well the hatred and irritation on Gais’s face as he drove forward trying to reach him, but Gais had shifted out of his reach.

Gais shifted into my father and struck from behind, shoving the death weapon deeply into his back.

Nuad bellowed and grabbed my father as he started to crumble onto his knees. He held him and saw Gais’s triumphant face. He had succeeded in causing pain … a pain that would be delivered to his queen.

And then even as Nuad mumbled his good-bye to my father, he witnessed Gais’s expression turn into exasperation as the portal pulled him back into the Dark Realm.

There are times Fae can restore a life, but not when that life is taken by a death weapon.

It was Nuad who brought my father home to us …

That was only two weeks ago.

Lughnassa and my father have passed by me, August is here in full swing, and my mother’s Daoine Fae friends and family have arrived in force. They hug her to themselves, whispering words she doesn’t hear.

Over the years they (our Daoine relatives and friends) found themselves, in spite of their natural aloofness, caring for my dad and me. They often visited.

They finally convinced me to let them take my mom back with them to her Daoine home. They have tried everything short of force to make me go with them
, but I can’t.

My mom is in their care for the moment, and that will hopefully serve …

She needs this time to grieve and recover.

I need this time for something altogether different.

You see, the human in me wants Gaiscioch’s blood.
I want him to hear me. I want him to know that, like Rambo
, I am coming for him.

I want to see Gaiscioch writhe with pain. I want to see his life’s blood splatter and pour out of his body until he gasps his last breath in a world of agony!

He took my father’s life. He did not even behave like a warrior. He did not respect my father enough to give him a fighting chance. He ruined my mother’s life, and he has made me into what I am at this moment … and what I am becoming.

I want to be the one that takes his immortal life and feeds him to the monsters he has unleashed.

The human in me wants this revenge more than anything else in the world.

The Daoine Fae in me is strong enough, magical enough, and powerful enough to accomplish my goal. And I have the ‘death weapon’ that my dad never got to use. He couldn’t see Gais, but when the time comes …
I will see him …
because I can.

Like my mom, I am ‘free falling’—
but not into illusion
.

I don’t have the time for that. Oh no, not now, not until I accomplish what I have to do. I have some things that must be done because, you see,
I have a plan.

~ Two ~

On the Isles of Tir in the land of the Fae

EARLIER, THE QUEEN and Prince Breslyn had shifted in to meet me (shifting is our form of locomotion—somewhat like walking through a wormhole to the destination of our choice), and now stood in close conversation with one another while I got used to the mission the queen has set for me. I didn’t like it.

For those of you who have not met me, I am Danté, Prince of Lugh, and I fear that even with all our power and magic, we may not be enough to withstand Gais and his enormous Dark Army
if
they break through the Prison Walls.

Breslyn and I represent two of the four Royal Houses of the Tuatha Dé and are the queen’s most trusted princes.

Our queen is stunning in her ethereal beauty. She radiates a special aura all her own. Her scent is intoxicating. Her long gold hair—picked up now by the strong breeze—flies around her lovely shoulders.

My friend Breslyn holds himself well, though I know he is concerned. Things do not go as well as they should. His dark blond hair, usually slicked back and tied at the nape of his neck, is loose and blows wildly in the wind, and his lips are tight, grim.

* * *

Breslyn, Prince of Dagda, and Queen Aaibhe stood with me in a cloud that enveloped us with a soft glow—a concealment mist. Our plans had to be kept secret from all because Gais had an ally amongst us and we didn’t know who that ally was. Another Fae traitor …

The queen moved her hand and parted the airwaves. It showed us a princess in the Highlands of Scotland—but she was also human. She was standing on a cliffside.

The queen parted the airwaves once more and showed us another scene. A young woman, a Shee Fios whom I knew well—too well—was standing in her garden. I had wanted her, my Shee Fios, but she chose another. I couldn’t help myself as I looked away from her. My queen looked long at me, so I demanded, “Why show me this?”

“Because we have no time for your moodiness, my Prince—the time is dire,” she said softly and reached to touch my arm.

Breslyn put a hand on my shoulder. “New assignment—it will do you good.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Aye … with a human? How will that do me good … and she is but a child.”

The queen ignored my remark and answered, “Danté, you are uniquely suited for this mission.”

“And that is another thing—you call it a mission. I call it baby-sitting.”

“Radzia is both a Daoine princess and a human Druid high priestess—quite special and extremely powerful, but she lacks direction, finesse, and diplomacy. We need her to join with us instead of going about like a loose cannon.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Everything.”

“Now hold on just a minute …” I knew it was just bluster—in the end, she was my queen, and I would of course take on anything she set for me.

“Radzia of MacDaun inherited her position as Druid priestess from her slain father. Gais, cloaked in Féth Fiada, used a death weapon on our priest. She is a Fae by her mother, a Daoine princess, and she is in fact,
a cousin of mine
.” Aaibhe’s eyebrow was up, and I was well aware of the challenge.

I held myself in check. No point arguing with her—she had obviously made up her mind. Besides, I had heard the story already from Nuad, who had been ranting and raving and seething with a desire to avenge his dear friend, MacDaun.

The queen took my hand and sighed. “I prefer we keep this mission between us. Only Breslyn and you, Danté, and of course my dear Ete may know of my plans.”

“Because?” Breslyn’s brow was up.

“Because I now agree with you and Breslyn and believe that there is one on my Council that is aiding Gaiscioch,” she said on a low, heartsick note.

“Aye, then!” Breslyn blasted the air. “Haven’t I been saying so all these months? Gaiscioch had to have a friend, someone whose philosophy matches his own. He had to be getting inside help, my Queen. I have never doubted it and, Aaibhe, my Queen—I think I have told you so often enough!”

I held my peace and watched my friend and my queen as they glared at one another.

“So you did, and so I watched. I have come to see that you are quite right, my Prince … sadly, quite right.” She sighed. “So go then, Danté. You must make contact with the MacDaun child, and, Breslyn, no one must know what we are doing—it is of the utmost importance, as we cannot have anyone even innocently give away our plans to—what did you call him … the mole …”

“Agreed, and, Aaibhe, there is a chance that our
mole …
could be a woman,” I said at once. Breslyn and I were of a mind on this. We both believed there was a mole and that we might have been looking at the male Fae when it might, in fact, be a female.

Breslyn was obviously disgusted. “We have to find out who could be such a fool as to help him.”

“I leave that for now to you and Ete, as Danté has his mission, and I have yet another matter to attend …” Queen Aaibhe said softly as she shifted off and left Breslyn and me to wonder what she was up to.

~ Three ~

THEY SAY THAT revenge is a dish best served up cold. I hadn’t made up my mind about that. What I did know was that nearly three weeks had passed since my dad was murdered, and what I felt was piercing me with a hot, burning iron stake. I wasn’t worrying about how cold or hot my revenge would be. All I wanted was to reach out—find, engage, and kill (torture first)—the villain that murdered him in cold blood.

I was consumed by this goal. It overtook all other needs.

September was not so far off, but I had no plans to go back to the university to continue my studies. I didn’t return the calls from my friends and family. I didn’t think about dating—it was like all my previously very active hormones took a hike. I didn’t read anything but our ancient texts on arcane black magic.

I was everything my dad trained me to be—a Druid high priestess—but now I was more, so much more, because I was a Daoine with purpose and magic at my fingertips.

I was consuming black magic in bits and pieces because one day soon I would need it. Those rules that needed breaking, you see … Gais broke them, and he was my opponent. So, I had to fight fire with fire.

Last week I went into Inverness with a specific drawing and entered a tattoo parlor. I came out with a narrow band of runes laced with Celtic knots around my left bicep. I had another on my left hip and one on my lower back. It was for protection from the specific Dark spells I had learned and meant to employ. I liked the tattoos—they suited the new me.

I went from there to my hairdresser’s and dyed my hair midnight black. I like it, and again, it suits my mood.

My dad rarely ever used Dark Magic as the MacDaun Druid high priest. He didn’t believe it was a healthy thing to do. He always taught me that black magic demanded a price. He said it was addictive.

But I didn’t think I had a choice. Sooner or later, Gais would come after me with black magic. He knew he needed it to defeat a Daoine—even a half-human Daoine. I would need the black art to shield myself when he came.

I’d never, ever dreamed a time like this would come. I was just an ‘almost’ ordinary girl, living an ‘almost’ ordinary life—out with friends, studying, dancing …

Now I was in the middle of a war. I didn’t ask for it, but I damn well meant to be a part of it, because it would bring me that much closer to putting Gais into the earth in pieces!

Now I had to take up another mantle, a gift of training from my dad. I was the Druid priestess of our household, and all I did from the moment I woke until I put my head down was renew what my dad trained me to be.

I had one other advantage to wiggle in front of Gais when he finally came after me. I was honing my Daoine powers—which were considerable. Daoine magic was immeasurable …

Daoine magic was greater than any magic Gaiscioch could conjure up. The only trouble was, I hadn’t ever really bothered with my Daoine powers in the past. I was rusty, so to speak, and unfamiliar with the ‘how-to’ of certain important magic spells … or shall we call them ‘steps’?

I was in the midst of pondering this problem the other day when Nuad, the Fae Chief Tracker, came to visit me.

Nuad is an ageless being of great statue and gladiator power. He had survived the horrors of a devastating ancient war on Danu, and then here again on earth, and was wiser, stronger, and full with purpose because of it. These things took on a life in his demeanor. He stood tall and muscular. His long hair was nearly white with flashes of gold, and he wore it unfettered and free-flowing at his shoulders. His eyes flashed fiercely with his mindset, and those eyes were full with glitter that was dark and unreadable.

He wore slung across his naked torso his magic javelin (the Gae Bolga). No other could wield it, as it was bonded to only him. However, as he approached me, he looked, in spite of his might, dejected and baleful.

I was still angry with him. I blamed him for bringing my father into this mess with Gaiscioch. I blamed everything on everyone.

He knew of course. He hung his head and said on a low hiss, “I know, Z … I too blame myself.” He paused and then in a full voice said, “Child of Daoine, I deserve your contempt, but I must explain that I could not know that your father would try and trap Gaiscioch without
first
calling on me.”

“Why did you give him the ‘death weapon’ then? Why, Nuad?” I was in his face and nearly foaming at the mouth. Thinking back now, I am sorry for it. I had always liked Nuad. He had been a dear friend to my father. They’d enjoyed one another’s company, and this was not really Nuad’s fault. There was only one person I needed to blame, and we know who that was …

“It was never meant for him,” Nuad thundered. “The death weapon
was meant
for you!
”

“What?” I was momentarily diverted.

“Why would I give it to your father?
Why
?
How could he hope to use it? Your dear father, my dear friend, was the best and the bravest of the humans I have encountered. He was like a brother to me. I knew your father could not see the Fae through our invisibility or even through our Glamour. I knew that. He promised me he would give the Danu sword to
you
! He was supposed to train you in its use … teach you about the Dark Fae …” He shook his head. “I never expected him to go the dolmens without me. I never thought …” Again deep sorrow halted his words.

I touched Nuad’s arm. “He did start to train me in its use, but then he always put it away …” I sighed heavily and perhaps was still too hard on him when I asked, “Why didn’t you give him the gift of sight? Allow him to see the Fae … and …”

“And what? Would he run from the Fae he saw?
Not your father
!
And then what? He could not shift, and they could! No …” Again he was shaking his head and this time his fist as well. “At any rate, my Fae standing, my powers, did not allow me to give such a gift—and for good reason, child.”

“Never mind, Nuad … fate played her trick on us, but now … now things will be different.”

“How do you mean?”

I told him then. I told him what I was planning and how I meant to accomplish my goals. I told him what I had been doing—about the Dark Magic I had taught myself and just how I meant to use it.

He stood back from me and breathed a low whistle. “You have the
warp spasm
in your blood.”

“And what is that?”

“The Druid battle cry to avenge—but be careful, little one. The warp spasm has a knack of turning nasty, and it could turn you into a being you don’t really want to become …”

After Nuad left, I thought about what he’d said.

Who was I
?
Some silly girl who bopped around life without a care as I trusted fate was on my side. I had been a fool, but no longer.

I looked into myself. There was only one person inside me now, and that person was going to be a
killer.
That person felt a desperate need for revenge. That person … that person
was already someone I didn’t recognize.

* * *

Damn it to all that is Sacred
. By Danu, this was wrong—I, Danté, Royal Prince of Lugh, had nearly as many years as our queen. I had experience, wisdom, and the characteristic of slow practicality to draw on when needed.

I should not have been required to play nursemaid to this single-minded twerp of a girl! She was no more than a savage.

Breslyn said the queen was pleased with the success of my earlier assignment. I was pleased that she was pleased—because
I bloody well was not!

Breslyn said this time it would be easier for me to deal with a female human because this one was not all human.
Ha!
It
wasn’t the human in her that worried me …
it was the devil.

Daoine—she was a Daoine Fae. What did I know of the Daoine? They were a snooty troop of intellectual Fae that had never bothered overall with the rest of us.

I didn’t like this assignment, but at least this time my mission was more complicated than ‘watch and listen’ like the last one—although I did much more than that …

Radzia MacDaun was a Fae, and so the non-interference clause in our Treaty with Man didn’t enter in this situation.
I could interfere as much as I bloody well pleased.

I was supposed to meet with her and do everything in my power to protect her. She didn’t think she needed protection. I saw in her such arrogance and dangerous self-assurance—so much so that she really couldn’t see what was right before her eyes. She was blinded by her rage. She thought she would be smart enough, quick enough, magic enough to take Gaiscioch down. She was a fool.

She was in far more danger than she realized. She thought because she was immortal and part Fae she was a match for Gaiscioch. A very silly, smug, stupid supposition—and one that could end in her death. Our queen did not want her dead. Our queen wanted her well and fit and fighting for us here in beloved Scotland.

So I was there against my better judgment but at the will of my queen. I could have refused. Aye, but I did that once, thousands of years ago—and found myself told to think over the error of my ways in the middle of the galaxy on a barren meteor with most of my powers gone.

The queen could be testy when disobeyed.

So I supposed this was better than that,
but not much better.

This time, however, I had thought it all through beforehand. No more charging about, flirting with my human female mission. No more giving and offering. No more baring myself to a human female—looking for love because of a winning smile and a bright, warm soul. No more—no more hurting. That’s right
 … no more!

I was done with fickle human females. Who would have thought, after all the happy trail of Fae females I had left behind me in all my thousands of years, who would have thought a mere human woman would have flipped me off for a human male!

Absurd
. Unthinkable, but there you were, and there was no time for such meandering now.

I was Prince Danté, eldest son of the Royal House of Lugh and the best-looking in my family as well, although my younger brothers heartily disagreed with me on that.

I was a Tuatha Dé—Seelie Fae, powerful beyond measure—and we were at war with the monsters of the Dark Realm.

Gais led them against us—Gais who was once one of our own.

It was a fact that shamed us all.
We had come close, very close at different times, to stopping him because of the help of our Druids, and others. We needed to catch him and forever put an end to his existence. We have had him to the brink of capture, and yet still he managed to escape us and survive.

He always seemed to be one step ahead of us. Breslyn and I had finally convinced our queen that there was another traitor on our High Council. In fact, it was what Breslyn had always believed.

Early on I found myself in agreement with him, and now at last, our queen accepted the fact that Gais was getting help from another one of our own. Despicable.

And what must be my mission? Guarding a wayward, unruly child. I could see now after watching her from another dimension where she could not detect my presence that she would be in grave danger simply because she wanted to capture and kill Gaiscioch all on her own.

Impossible—yet, she was a Daoine … Perhaps that gave her a small advantage, but not enough to take on Gais alone.

By Danu, I dreaded this assignment. I knew already that I didn’t like this whirlwind child. However, Radzia MacDaun was my assignment. I could do nothing to avoid going forward with it, but this time I didn’t mean to allow the object of my assignment to mean anything to me.

I will keep her at a distance. I will keep her out of my head. I will not want her in my arms or my bed.
This time … I won’t let a female human take my essence and throw it to the winds … I won’t let another do that to me …

So there I stood outside MacDaun Castle, just a few feet from the stone steps that led to the arched double oak doors. I could shift inside … but this time, I was going to go out of my way to keep things formal. I knew my boundaries. I knew my perimeters, and I meant to keep within them.

She was Daoine Fae, and she was a Druid high priestess—my job, nothing more. Aye then—I reached over and took up the huge black wrought-iron knocker and let it roar. I could have rung the more modern doorbell, but the knocker suited my mood.

* * *

I couldn’t help but stare at my image in the mirror. Who was I? I was still a twenty-year-old girl. I had changed my hair to midnight black, and it was not long anymore. I’d had it cropped around my heart-shaped face. My eyes stared back at me, silvery and cold, and my heart beat in a way that pulled up my nose in a perpetual sneer. So I had to ask myself,
Just who am I? Am I still Radzia MacDaun?

When Sally (housekeeper–friend–long-time confidant in teen crimes) made me sit at the kitchen counter and shoved coffee and buns at me, who did
she
see? Did she see the girl I had been, or the thing I was becoming?

I didn’t know when I’d last really eaten. It seemed all I did was practice gymnastics. They would think if they peeked in on me in our ‘training room’ that I was just letting off steam.