Dria found it difficult to process her surroundings as she rushed with Vek down a tree-lined road. Countless points of light painted colors across the stone road they traversed, and windows glowed with yet more. Humans were everywhere—rushing along the walkway, sitting in self-propelled, wheeled conveyances, staring from the glass fronts of stores. And they were all peering fretfully toward the crackles of lightning flashing in the distance.
There were more strange objects than Dria could absorb, so she stopped trying. On the horizon, where two triangles of light joined, she spotted several unusual flashes, but she couldn’t determine their origin. Vek hurried toward the odd sight without hesitation, so it must be relevant.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Dria sent.
Vek nodded. “The triangles in the distance are the aquarium. Two large buildings that house tanks full of sea creatures.”
“Why would you…” Dria shook her head. “Never mind. The bridge is nearby?”
“Just beyond,” Vek answered. “The flickering beams are probably spotlights set up by the humans. Difficult to tell. They also have devices that can record things and send the images to others. Their technology is worth exploring. I believe it could intersect in fascinating ways with magic, as Fen has begun to show me.”
Fear and curiosity twined in her gut. This place was nothing like Moranaia—and she loved it. Though she couldn’t read the signs or understand the words the humans spoke, she hoped some day she could linger. To discover what the food tasted like in the restaurant they hurried past or to examine the inside of one of the moving conveyances. Even more, she would love to experiment with her magic on their technology. She’d enjoyed her training well enough, but it hadn’t involved a great deal of innovation.
They dashed through a huge courtyard in front of the aquarium Vek had pointed out. Darting around decorative formations and the few humans who dared get this close to the trouble, Dria and Vek finally reached the main road to the bridge. Unfortunately, it was blocked by a line of conveyances and people wearing official-looking clothes. Metal flashed against their chests, and many of them pointed what might be weapons toward the bridge.
Not that she could see much of the actual bridge—the view was blocked by a massive wall of swirling energy.
A uniformed woman stopped them. She spoke, but Dria couldn’t understand the words. “What did she say?” Dria asked.
Vek frowned. “She ordered us to turn back. You haven’t learned human languages?”
“It wasn’t a pressing need in the heart of Moranaia. What do you suggest?”
“Immobilization spell. I don’t have the ability to control this many minds at once, and the situation doesn’t warrant their deaths. They are doing their best to guard the city at great risk to themselves.”
The woman’s hand dropped to something strapped to her side, and she barked out a command. Vek answered, his voice low and soothing, as Dria gathered energy. Then she threw the spell outward, capturing the uniformed officials in the immobilization spell’s grasp. Most of them were humans without command of magic, but a few must have had latent fae blood or natural magical talent. It would take more energy than she wanted to spare to hold them for long.
“Hurry.”
Together, she and Vek dashed up the short stretch of road between the conveyances and the shield blocking further progress. Dria analyzed the obstacle and created a counter, a bubble of energy that would allow them both to pass through safely. She didn’t know what weapons the humans held, but it seemed best to continue obscuring their vision in case they decided to use them. Once the magic started flying, the inexperienced wouldn’t be able to discern friend from foe.
Dria pulled Vek through with her and immediately scanned the area visually and magically. She hadn’t been able to get a clear view of the river beyond the shield, so the sheer size of it stunned her almost as much as the crackle of magic in the center of the long bridge. She’d expected the river to be significantly smaller.
Stone railings lined each side of the bridge, interspersed with columns gleaming with light. In the distance, lightning danced around something that looked like a large rock. “Have you been here?” she sent.
“Fen has driven over this bridge often on our travels,” Vek said. “In the center, there’s a massive steel framework with concrete stones anchored on each side. I believe it’s for balance if they need to raise the bridge.”
A flicker of fire streaked in a horizontal line near the stone, and lightning hit beside the origin point moments later. The glowing columns cast blotchy pools of light across the road beneath their feet and revealed a figure standing on one side of the bridge. A woman, Dria thought, but it was impossible to be sure at this distance.
“Are you better with fire or lightning?” Dria asked.
“I’ll take fire,” Vek answered. “The energy has the feel of a Seelie Sidhe.”
“Can you mask your presence?”
“Easily, ahmeeren. You get their attention, and I’ll sneak in behind.”
At Dria’s nod, Vek crouched low and crept away. True to his word, his energy signature dulled until few who weren’t bonded with him could detect it, and his body blended into the shadows between street lights. Dria charged forward, pulling in as much energy as she could and casting her strongest shield around her body.
The figure near the center structure spun at the surge of power. Yes, a female Sidhe, one dressed like she’d just stepped out of the Seelie court. Could this be the woman Delbin had mentioned? Dria scanned her and then smiled. A mage of average talent. Perfect.
“Cease this madness,” Dria called, using magic to amplify her words.
The woman jerked in surprise. “Stay out of this, Moranaian. Your time will come.”
“You must know your actions are foolish. The humans are watching. Your magic has been revealed.”
“That I doubt,” the Sidhe woman answered with a sneer.
As Dria grew closer, another figure appeared at the top of the concrete slab that formed the top arch of the bridge’s frame. Lightning snarled and tangled around her body, and tendrils flicked recklessly against the stone. Even a novice would be able to tell that the woman had lost control—if she’d ever had it.
The Sidhe mage lifted a ball of flame and tossed it toward Dria, but it was a wasted effort. With a flick of her hand, Dria gathered the abundant moisture in the air and solidified it into a globe before casting it toward the flame. She felt it hit, but she didn’t stop to watch, instead using the distraction as a cover for her levitation spell.
She glanced down long enough to see Vek materialize behind the Sidhe woman, his fangs at her neck before she’d registered his presence. Dria had to trust he would handle the mage. Her attention was on the young woman shuddering at the top of the bridge. A half-blood, if she wasn’t mistaken.
“Calm yourself,” Dria said.
But the woman shook her head. Clechtan, she didn’t understand. Sighing, Dria shifted her shielding to create a ground, a conduit for the lightning when it struck. Then she propelled herself forward until her feet touched the large stone slab. The woman flinched, and a spark whipped across the space between them before being swept away by Dria’s shield.
Then Dria darted forward and slapped her palm against the woman’s forehead.
The language spell surged between them, spearing pain through Dria’s head. But she’d trained for pain. She let it wash over her until the bulk of it receded and her vision cleared. Just in time. With a cry, the woman began to crumple, and she might have fallen if Dria hadn’t been there to steady her.
Lightning scattered around them as the half-blood gripped her temples and moaned. “What did you do to me?”
“I needed to know your language,” Dria answered. The panic in the air was almost palpable. If the woman didn’t calm down, she might summon an actual storm. “What’s your name?”
“Tamara,” she answered, wavering on her feet. “Are you with that bitch trying to kidnap me? I might be a freak, but I’m not going to be put on display.”
“My soulbonded…husband, you might say? He is taking care of her.” Dria was no empath, but she tried her best to send calming energy toward the other woman. “But you…I heard you’re up here threatening people.”
Tamara shuddered in Dria’s grasp. “I wanted to jump, but I couldn’t get up the nerve. Maybe it wouldn’t even kill me. Or I’d electrocute a bunch of innocent people. I didn’t know I could do this. I didn’t know.”
“Nothing is wrong with you,” Dria said firmly. “Have you heard of elves?” The woman nodded. “Well, we’re real, and I’d say one of your parents was some type of fae.”
The lightning flared but then settled a little. “What?”
“Magic has come back to Earth, and many people with latent blood are awakening.” Dria gestured toward the sky. “And now it will be evident to everyone thanks to your lack of care. Calm down, get off this bridge, and learn how to control your gift. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”
A hint of anger crossed Tamara’s face. “Who do you think you are?”
“Dria Moreln, Princess of Moranaia, and the mage who will knock you unconscious if you can’t be contained.” Despite her harsh words, Dria smiled. “But work with me, and I’ll keep you safe from the woman trying to kidnap you.”
“Need help?” Vek sent.
“Nope.”
Forehead crinkling, Tamara studied her. “I don’t know how to get control.”
Dria gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. “Then let’s figure it out.”
Vek pressed his knee into the Sidhe woman’s back and tied her hands deftly with the silk cording he’d ripped from the sleeve of her fancy robe. He’d almost ripped her throat out after skimming the surface of her thoughts, but she was high ranking. A far better bargaining tool alive rather than dead.
He slid his fang against the top of his arm until a small amount of blood welled up and then smeared the liquid along the rope. With a surge of power, he activated his most powerful holding spell into the binding, a trick almost all Felshreh knew. If she wanted to be free again, she would only earn it with another drop of his blood.
He couldn’t believe what he’d seen in her mind.
Kethen.
It was Kethen’s face he’d discovered in her memory as he’d drained her to almost nothing. His cousin was the liaison between King Torek and the Seelie. Had Dereck’s death driven hm to this? He’d been one of the few who didn’t vie for power in the court. The amiable sort, always with a ready smile. Perhaps Vek had never understood Kethen—maybe his friendliness had hidden a deeper agenda. Still, he struggled to reconcile this plot with what he knew of his cousin’s nature.
Dammit, he’d always liked Kethen. Now he’d probably have to kill him.
The lightning ceased its flickering. Sensing a surge of power from Dria, Vek hefted the Sidhe woman over his shoulder. Just in time. Dria and the young half-blood floated down until their feet settled onto the road.
“We need to go,” Vek said. “The shield keeping out the police…the authorities…started to falter as soon as I drained this one. What about the half-blood?”
“Tamara is coming with us,” Dria answered. He quirked a brow, but his mate’s expression remained resolved. “She isn’t a threat. I’ll make a portal back to the shop, and we can figure it out from there.”
Vek studied his mate. Something seemed off about the interaction, but he couldn’t… Wait. “When did you learn English?”
“There’s a spell for everything, love.” Smirking, Dria patted his cheek. Then she tugged him under the concrete slab above them. “Maybe I’ll teach you someday.”
He found himself smiling as she formed the portal in moments. Far better than his clumsy attempt. The other woman, Tamara, gaped when the image of the shop clarified, and she balked when Dria tried to pull her through. Always willing to help his mate, Vek flashed his fangs until the half-blood yelped and darted into the gate.
The light of the shop was blinding after the dim glow of the bridge, but Vek’s eyes adjusted quickly. As Dria rushed through the portal and closed it behind her, he shrugged his captive from his shoulders and dropped her into one of the chairs. Her head lolled, but she didn’t wake. Probably wouldn’t for a while, considering how much energy he’d drained from her.
Dria’s adoptee, Tamara, leaned her hands against the back of one of the other chairs. She was quite young, even by human standards, and her blood radiated with the power of a strong Seelie noble. Lightning, hmm? Vek could narrow down her parentage quite a lot based on that alone.
Maddy hurried through a different door from the one she’d used earlier. “Well, this is going to start a riot.”
The half-blood let out a squeak, and a charge built in the air. Dria settled her hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “English, please, Maddy. Tamara doesn’t understand Moranaian. Probably not any of the Sidhe dialects, either.”
“Okay.” Maddy’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, you’re the girl from the bridge.” Then she noticed the Sidhe slumped at her table and paled. “Damn. Oh, damn. I know her. She’s one of my father’s contacts at court, Lady Egana.”
Vek stiffened. “How well does he know her? Because her current plans include invading Earth, not buying jewelry from an exile.”
“You’d better not be suggesting my father is a traitor,” Maddy said, color flooding her skin. “She purchases diamonds. That’s it.”
“Lady? Court?” Tamara asked. “This is America, isn’t it?”
Maddy studied the woman for a moment. “You didn’t know, did you? That you have Sidhe blood.”
The woman lifted her hands helplessly. “No clue.”
“Why don’t you two leave Tamara with me. I’ll explain things to her.” As fear lit the other woman’s face, Maddy pulled out one of the chairs and sat. “I promise I won’t hurt you. My name is Maddy. This store is called The Magic Touch, and we help any fae who need it. Mostly, we get them Earth clothes and convert gems into money, but I can hand out some explanations, too. Probably better than Vek and Dria can. After all, I’m also half-human.”
Impatience scraped at Vek’s insides as they waited for the woman to decide. But finally, she nodded and sank into the seat she’d been gripping. “Okay.”
Dria darted to the center of the room and began to form the portal. As Vek bent to lift Lady Egana, he speared Tamara with a glance. “Do not betray us if you enjoy living.”
With that bit of solid life advice administered, Vek turned and carried his captive through the gate.