Page 10 of Shadows of Air and Earth
"For fucks sake," I muttered, tugging on my bright white hair before sliding into a seat next to Riley.
Picking up a cup of hot tea, the shadow fae watched me from across the table, blowing delicately on the brew before taking a deep gratifying sip, sighing softly into her cup. The scent of mint and jasmine wafted out from the steam, and was soothing, despite my discomfort. "The queen does not know, she is more worried about the seal that has been stolen," she frowned and then shook her head, setting the cup down, "and I have no intention of telling her what you have done."
Both Riley and I stilled before I blurted out, "Why the fuck not?"
Riley's fork clattered on his plate and I winced, knowing then that I had made a huge mistake. I may as well have hanged myself on the city gates.
The shadow fae's emerald eyes gleamed like a predator getting closer to capturing her prey and fantasizing about all the ways she would enjoy her new prize.
"Shit," I whispered, my power flaring beneath us. I could split this room in half and sink her into the unforgiving earth while we made a break for our lives.
Reaching for me beneath the table, Riley’s warm hand settled on my upper thigh to soothe me, his air whispering softly and quietly against my ear, "Wait, terrella."
Remnant smiled knowingly, "Be at ease, Xi Chin. I am not here due to your fine thievery, I am here to ask for your assistance in finding the seal. In return, I will give you therealEmpedolces."
Riley and I both quickly glanced at each other. "What do you mean therealEmpedolces?"
The General sliced into her steamed bun, at this point more sauce than dough. "Just that. The one you stole is a replica. I had it made the first night I noticed you at the Winter Solstice five years ago. Why else would an unknown elemental be there?"
Riley chewed his own food thoughtfully, the sound loud while I stared at the shadow fae in front of us with disbelief. The absolute absurdity that he was eating was beyond my comprehension. My stomach was currently tied in knots.
"How?" I whispered, the color draining from my face. We had been so careful, so tactical…
Her lips twitched, "Those are my secrets which you have yet to earn, Xi Chin." Leaning forward she tapped her finger on the table. "Here's the bargain. I will give you the real staff after you have given me your full assistance in tracking down the stolen seal."
"What is so special about this seal?" I snapped, surely it was not as important as the Empedocles. The one thing that could truly bring our shattered court back together.
Raising her finger, she counted off. "One, the queen is fully aware that it is gone and is ready to burn down every inch of this world to have it back in her possession. Two, it is the key to unlocking the gateway to the realm of Hell. And three, it has a twin that holds back the beasts of origin."
"You're serious," Riley narrowed his eyes, swallowing hard, "As in the fabled monsters the goddess created before the fae?"
She hummed, slicing another bun and bringing it to her lips, "Yep! And without its twin, the prison that holds them will weaken. I fear it already has." As if she had just told us the day was pleasant because the sun was shining, she popped the bun in her mouth, savoring her bite.
I bit on the inside of my cheek, well fuck, thatdidsound slightly more important than naming our next leader to take down the queen…we needed our people alive in order to do that.If the beasts of origin roamed our lands then they were at even more risk than before.
Riley crossed his arms, "None of this explains exactly why you chose us."
Eyes gleaming, she sipped her tea and I couldn't help but squirm under that omniscient stare. "Because you have something to lose, and everything to gain by helping me."
I narrowed my eyes on her, there was something she still wasn’t telling us, wording her answers with a clever fae tongue.
Riley barked with laughter, "I call Faerie shit. You have been tracking the seal for six months and you can't find it. You do not have the upper hand here. You're equally as desperate as we are."
I stilled, my eyes widening. This time it wasn’t my mouth that landed us in a fiery pit of Sheol, nay this time it was Riley’s.
Chapter 6
The general laughed andI stared at the vision she made.
Shadows of darkness swirled, her eyes glittered with the pure smile that lit them from within, and the sound of her voice was a sweet twilight symphony. An air fae could hear the songof the soul when a fae laughed and Remnant Dark’s was the purest one I had ever heard. It spoke of kindred spirits, of fate intertwining, and somehow—it melted my fear of her.
All I saw here and now, was a young fae battling giants alone and it tugged at my heart. The strange urge I had last night called to me again telling me that I could trust this fae with every dark secret, show her every hidden scar, and place my life in her hands to keep safe forever.
It was different than the soul-crushing need and heart-seizing ache Xi stirred within me.
When her laughter trailed off a smirk stayed on her lips, her lethal fingers tapping gently on the delicate teacup. "Desperate? Perhaps I am but it is not for the reasons you are thinking."
I narrowed my eyes on her and crossed my arms over my chest. "I doubt even you know what I am thinking, General Dark." But there was still that small reluctant thought, that doubt that perhaps she could read everything in my soul.
