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Unseelie Realm
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AFTER DACRITH VANISHED, I became the target for the spells that the Finlarc sorcerers, Unseelie fairies and goblins had prepared. Using Gorm’s gem, I created a shield to protect myself from the barrage that came my way. They burst harmlessly against the barrier.
“Enough!” Lord Nicolaia shouted, using an enchantment to boost his voice over the noise. The spells fizzled out and my father contemplated me with a pleased smirk. “So, the prophecy has finally come true,” he mused.
“Thanks to our meddling,” King Lod added slyly. “The Dark Prince has been dethroned and now the Unseelie realm needs a new ruler.”
“I’m guessing you intend to take Sindarian’s place,” I drawled, pointing the gem at my dear old dad.
“Me?” Nicolaia said, then chuckled. “No, my boy. I prefer to be an advisor rather than a leader.”
The mountain shook at another colossal crack of thunder that made rocks fall from the ceiling. We went still until the tremors stopped. One of the purple sorcerers said something to my father and pointed his staff at me threateningly. “What did he say?” I asked.
“He wants to know if the bargain he made with Sindarian still holds.”
“Sorry,” I said with a fake grin at the gigantic four-legged creatures. “Consider your deal to invade Earth to be rescinded. I’m afraid you’ll have to go back to your own world.”
King Lod translated for me and the spokesperson for the Finlarc army roared in fury. Again, they aimed their staffs at me, but I didn’t give them a chance to unleash their spells. The gem pulsed with blue light as I focused on their magical weapons. The crystals on the ends of the black staffs shattered, rendering them useless. “I’ll give you monsters a choice,” I shouted over their bellows. “Leave now, or I’ll kill you all.” I held the gem up to emphasize how easy it would be for me to crush them.
“You can’t kill that many beings,” Nicolaia said sharply. “Our realm is already suffering from the deaths of Syanil and our Prince.”
“Then I suggest you convince your allies to leave peacefully,” I said with a careless shrug.
Moving into a huddle with the twisted gray goblin, my father hunkered down to whisper a plan. King Lod glared over at me, silver eyes gleaming brightly in his hideous face. He nodded reluctantly, then they turned to the Finlarc spokesperson and gave him his marching orders.
Lord Nicolaia sauntered over to me, but remained a few steps away from the shield that still protected me. “We’ve altered the bargain that Prince Sindarian made with our allies,” he informed me while studying me closely. “We’ll send them to another realm where they can carve out a home for themselves.”
“How do I know you aren’t going to send them to my world?” I asked suspiciously.
“Take a look through the portal yourself,” he invited, sweeping his hand at the slightly shimmering doorway. A group of goblins had gathered near it and were chanting, tuning it to somewhere else.
“I might just do that,” I replied and strode closer to the portal. My shield was strong enough to deflect both physical and magical attacks, so I didn’t need to watch my back. With Gorm’s gem in my possession, I was the most powerful fairy in both realms. If I wanted to, I could rule this entire world and everyone in it. The only reason I’d decided to stop the Finlarc sorcerers from invading my planet was because it would be fun to return there and wreak havoc on it myself.
Waiting until the goblins stopped chanting and for the doorway to settle into its new location, I cautiously moved closer and stuck my head through it. One glance was enough to tell me which world they’d chosen to send their allies to. Bursts of electricity flickered in the darkness of a swamp as elemental hounds chased after each other. They were just one of the types of beasts that roamed this planet. There were also fire-horses and seal-like things that could turn water into ice and use them as weapons.
Drawing back, I tried to contain my glee at the fate that would be waiting for the purple creatures. “Have a nice trip,” I said, waving at the Finlarc warriors with my free hand as they began filing through the opening. This door was one-way only, so there would be no return for them.
The goblins and fairy soldiers watched their allies to make sure none of them tried to balk at leaving their world. While they couldn’t kill them if they tried to stay behind, they were ready and willing to use magic to oust them from their realm. From the way the mountain kept shaking, the land was dangerously unstable already. Even one more murder could tip the balance and tear their realm apart.
When the final six-armed monster stepped through the portal, I raised the gem and concentrated. The goblin doorway was nowhere near as powerful as the dragon portal had been. It took far less magic for me to destroy it, proving just how inferior and unstable it had been.
King Lod jumped up and down in fury when the doorway flickered, then dissipated. “Do you know how long it took me to create that!” he shouted in fury.
“Do you know how little I care?” I retorted and pointed the gem at him. He blanched and shied away. “I’ll make a bargain with you, King Lod,” I offered.
“What bargain would that be, half-blood?” he asked warily.
“I’ll allow you to live if you, your kin and your allies never try to create another doorway like that again during my lifetime.” If left to his own devices, he would be sure to begin plotting to take over other realms again. I didn’t want to have to go to war against any other allies that he might recruit from other worlds. I didn’t want any competition, quite frankly.
He spluttered in outrage, knowing he was boxed into a corner. I kept my expression slightly bored, indicating that I would happily zap him to smithereens with the gem if he refused. Lord Nicolaia nodded his support for the idea. The sweat beading my dear old dad’s brow was the only sign he showed of his fear that I would end up destroying their entire realm if I killed again. “I agree to your terms,” the Goblin King grated at last.
“Wise decision,” I said mockingly, then prepared to teleport myself away.
“Before you leave, there is a matter we need to discuss privately,” my father said.
He might have gotten my mother pregnant, but I felt no ties to this man. Curiosity got the better of me and I hesitated. “I’m listening,” I said.
Motioning for me and his horrible little ally to follow him, he strode away from the Unseelie warriors and goblins. When we were some distance away, he erected a barrier around us to stop anyone from being able to listen in and got straight to the point. “You owe me two favors, son.”
“I guess I do, Pop,” I replied with a smirk, wondering how he would try to manipulate me. “Exactly what is it you want from me? If you’re thinking of trying to take the gem from me, it won’t work for you.”
He waved that suggestion away. “I have no need of the jewel,” he said, but his gaze lingered on it before he shifted to his ally. “King Lod and I made a bargain long ago. We are now within reach of attaining our goals. As such, we have a small quest for you.”
My hackles rose at his choice of words. “Will this quest repay both of the favors I owe you?” I asked suspiciously.
His mouth tightened, then he reluctantly inclined his head in agreement. “If you fulfil the task we will set, you will no longer owe me any favors.”
“What is the quest?” I asked.
“You will return to Earth and bring my daughter back to the Unseelie realm,” King Lod said.
“That sounds easy enough. You could send anyone to do that.” My suspicions rose that they would class this simple job as a quest. “What’s a goblin doing on Earth anyway?” I added.
“She is only half goblin and probably isn’t even aware of her true heritage,” Nicolaia told me.
“What’s her other half?” I asked, assuming she was half human. It turned out I was dead wrong when he replied.
“She’s a dryad princess,” Lod said with a wide grin. “My daughter will be the first Unseelie Queen. We have no idea where she is on Earth, so it might take some time for you to locate her.”
Even in my uncaring state, I was almost shocked. He had to be talking about Asha. Queen Wysterial had foreseen that Asha would become a queen. She’d neglected to mention she would be the ruler of the Unseelie realm. Destiny had driven the dryad to join my team, so it wouldn’t be hard for me to find her at all. “I’ll find the girl and send her to this realm,” I agreed. “Once I’ve finished that quest, we’ll be square.”
“That we will,” Lord Nicolaia confirmed, satisfaction oozing through his tone.
I sarcastically saluted him and teleported myself back to the Seelie portal. Or I tried to anyway. I made it as far as the borderlands before coming to an abrupt stop. My Seelie magic was gone, suppressed deep beneath the surface. If I wished to use the portal that I usually used, I would have to walk there, which would take me weeks.
Turning around, I saw how catastrophic the results of killing two fairies had turned out to be. Storms raged across the Unseelie realm. Even from the borderlands I could feel the upheaval. King Lod’s territory was too distant for me to see from here, but the mountain where the Unseelie Court reigned was shrouded in thick black clouds. Lightning struck constantly and thunder rumbled in a continual roar that made the ground shake.
The gem pulsed in my hand again, reminding me of its existence. Gorm had told me I would only be restricted by my imagination with what I could do with it. With a shrug, I concentrated on Earth. “Take me home,” I commanded. With a bright blue flare of light, I was shifted back to Texas.
