EIGHT
Baron
The Forest in the Sky

 

I feel something—a slight hitch in the energy of the forest. I roll into a fighting crouch, before I forget my injury and simply collapse against the ground. I look up to see Pyre standing just out of sight. He’s slightly hidden between two immense oak trees, maybe twenty feet into the distance.

He reveals himself slowly, looking over at Dragan for a moment and I notice the gargoyle’s stiff.

“It is time you left this place,” Pyre says, looking at each of us in turn.

He raises his hands and chants in a voice too deep to be natural. The trees shrink from his power as energy crackles in the air and emerge as lightning. Bright green light tears open the veil between this land and the next. The portal appears as a circle, the perimeter comprised of various colors of light. The circle floats in the air, perhaps four feet off the ground, and within it, we can see the landscape of another location. Pyre bids us to step through.

Dragan glances back at Eilish, where she stands near me. Meanwhile, Flumph and Cambion enter the circle and disappear. Eilish hesitates.

“Eilish,” Dragan says as he bids her to approach him.

“I want to make sure Revenant,” she starts as she glances back at me. Her eyes are wide pools of concern. They incite something deep within me that’s both resentful and angry. I don’t want her pity nor her concern.

“Go,” I bark.

She looks back in the direction of Variant’s castle before turning to face Pyre. “Your spirits told us the Midnight Queen is held prisoner at Variant’s palace. Will you help us rescue her?” she asks with a tone of insecurity.

I swallow hard. Eilish doesn’t know where I stand with regard to Morrigan. No one does. Regardless, I will not be involved in the Midnight Queen’s rescue. I’ve already stuck my neck out too far and I’ve compromised myself in ways that still bewilder me. I’ve had enough of compromising myself.

I feel Pyre’s blind stare and I turn to face him. In this moment, I despise the mask on Pyre’s face, because I can’t read his expression. Instead, I watch as he faces Eilish and nods. Apparently, his response is good enough for her, because she approaches the portal, with Dragan behind her and the two cross over.

Pyre then faces me, and the necromancer extends his hands in my direction. I feel my body lifting and he then rotates me so I’m floating on my back. He moves his hands in the direction of the portal and I feel myself beckoned forward as if carried by invisible hands. Icy tendrils caress me as I enter the portal, all that energy prickling my skin. Once on the other side, I frown in confusion as I face the same forest we’ve just come from.

But it appears different now. There are no leaves on the trees and a light dusting of snow blankets everything in white. I look up at the sky where snowflakes fall gently from an endless stretch of ebony. A hundred galaxies hang above us in a spattering of stars and vibrant swirls of color, casting an amethyst glow on the ghostly forest below.

“Come,” Pyre says as he leads us down a winding path towards a cottage with black smoke meandering from the chimney. I feel myself change direction—floating upwards—I’m suddenly vertical with my feet below me. I simply hover above the path below as I’m moved forward. Clearly, Pyre understands that I’m too weak to move myself.

I’ve become a fucking invalid and I’m not pleased about it.

The splintered, wooden front door cracks open and a tiny creature peeks her head through the opening. She’s so small, the top of her head doesn’t even reach the doorknob. She sees us and her eyes grow larger with anxiety or surprise. She pulls her head back in and slams the door shut.

“Don’t mind Noni,” Pyre informs us as the beginning of a smile haunts his lips. Clearly, he’s fond of the small creature. “She’s my house brownie.” Then he faces his front door again. “Noni, open the door for our friends.”

She does as instructed and pushes the door fully open, standing there and waiting for us to enter. She isn’t much smaller than Flumph, but her head is larger than her body and her eyes are two huge sapphire orbs. A tiny pink mouth tilts up into a shy smile when we approach her. Pointed ears stick out of a mop of auburn curls that frame her freckled face.

“You bring Noni friends, Master?” the brownie asks in a high-pitched voice as she then hides her face behind her plethora of curls.

“Yes,” Pyre answers.

We follow the little brownie into the cottage. With its thatched roof, mud walls and ancient wooden floors, it’s undeniably modest. But it’s also shelter. The brownie closes the door behind us. She then scampers from the main room into an adjoining one, opening and closing cupboard doors as evident by the sound. When she returns, she bears arms full of bread, cheeses, and fruit which she empties on top of a long and rustic wooden table. On either side of the table is a long and unstable bench.

Flumph stares at Noni in obvious annoyance. “Why you serve him?” the sprite asks as he motions to Pyre and crosses his arms against his chest.

Noni crawls clumsily onto the table to light a candle, not hearing the annoyance in Flumph’s tone.

“Noni’s master take good care of her, so Noni take good care of him,” she responds with a large and genuine smile.

Flumph’s eyebrows meet in the middle of his creased forehead and his scowl deepens. “That’s what the giants want you to think!”

“No. Not Master. Noni love her master.” The brownie looks genuinely upset by Flumph’s insinuation and Pyre growls a low warning at the fool sprite. Flumph hides in Eilish’s hair as Noni climbs into the necromancer’s pocket, seeking his comfort.

“Noni was nearly dead when I found her,” Pyre informs us. “She was trampled by Variant’s soldiers when they raided a faerie village,” he continues to explain. “I took her in, healed her, and she chose to remain here as my companion.” Then he turns his sightless gaze to Flumph, who swallows hard. “She’s no slave, so I’d advise you to watch your tongue.”

Flumph deflates a bit. I feel myself floating towards the table and release a heavy sigh as the tension in my bones seems to worsen. Pyre catches my wince. “The pain will leave you soon.”

“I don’t know what type of poison caused this,” I respond.

Pyre shakes his head. “Your discomfort is not caused by poison.”

I frown because the pain is quite obviously caused by the tip of the poisoned blade. There’s nothing else to which I can attribute it.

“The sigil causes your distress,” Pyre finishes.

“The sigil?” I repeat as I glance down and behold the glowing red lines of the mark Pyre left on my forearm.

“Yes,” he answers. “The sigil contains powerful necromantic energy. Energy that requires a price in return for the benefits it offers.”

“Benefits?” I scoff. “I’ve yet to witness any benefits that equal the tax it’s placed on my body.”

“Then I daresay you haven’t noticed that you can walk in daylight?” Pyre asks with a knowing grin.

“I thought that fact was simply owing to the ether of the atmosphere surrounding Variant’s palace,” I respond. “The clouds impart different abilities on those with shadow magic.”

“The mark is made of very dark magic, which means you carry darkness with you all the time. Thus, you no longer require potions such as Nightshade or the like. You are now your own source of shadow fuel,” Pyre explains, then he turns to face Dragan. “I’m in the process of finding a solution to your problem of turning into stone when out of your realm.” Dragan scoffs as Pyre continues. “You cannot continue to safeguard yourself by relying on the energy flowing through Eilish.”

“Safeguard himself?” Eilish asks.

Pyre faces her and nods. “The only reason Dragan has not returned to his gargoyle shape while outside the shadow plane is owing to you. Your energy allows Dragan to suppress this curse Variant placed upon him.” Pyre turns back to Dragan. “Gargoyles are very particular beings; you must hence grant me time to find an antidote for your curse.”

Dragan just nods but glances at Eilish, with an expression I can’t quite figure out. Perhaps it’s a mix of awe, gratitude, and anger in equal parts.

“Cambion, while in the veil, you must wear a talisman so the ethers don’t deplete you of your strength,” Pyre continues. Then he holds out his hand and a golden cuff-like ornament appears in his palm. The gold cuff glints in the starlight and Cambion is instantly awed by its beauty.

“The Necklace of Adaptation,” Pyre announces. “It will allow you to maintain your aura and health in this atmosphere.”

“And me?” Eilish asks.

“You require nothing to exist here,” Pyre answers. “The shadows and the light within you protect you against the ethers of the veil.”

“How do you know all of this?” Eilish asks the necromancer. “You seem to have a world of knowledge hidden beneath that mask of yours.”

“Here in the veil, time does not exist the way it does in the realms, I, therefore, had eternities to study and learn, while your world's time would constrict you of these same valuable lessons.”

“Lessons from whom?” Eilish continues, eyeing Pyre.

“We are no longer in the world of the living, which means I exist with spirits from all times, all realms, and all species. I have and continue to learn from them. When applicable, I use that knowledge.”

“So, does the veil have a balance that needs to be maintained like the realms?” Eilish continues.

Pyre shakes his head. “No. This is a wellspring of raw energy—there is no balance here, no stasis. The veil just is. The only rule that governs it is one of guardianship.”

“Guardianship?” I repeat.

Pyre nods as he faces me. “The veil requires a guardian, someone to ensure the power inherent in all the realms is never abused. While balance is not applicable here in the veil, it is quite crucial elsewhere.”

“And you’re the guardian of the veil?” Eilish deduces.

Pyre nods, his expression somber. “I am the guardian.”

 

###

Flumph

The Veil

 

Ok, soze jist ta make sure I’m followin’ Masky’s point—that weird, glowin’ red thing that appeared on the vamp’s arm—that be solvin’ his little dilemma known as vamp’s can’t walk in the sun?

Yeah? Well, good fer him. But what that mark doin’ for the rest o’ us? Jack shit, that be what. An’ what good’s a necro-whatever if he ain’t all-powerful? Jack shit good, that be what. I don’t care if he got some cool tricks up his sleeves, I want me some real answers!

I notice that little slave o’ his be outta his pocket and walkin’ ‘round and chewin’ on one o’ them pieces o’ bread she brought out fer all of us. I already stoles like two of ‘em when no one was payin’ no attention. An’ I stole some cheese too. Right befores I cut the cheese!

There’s a little bit o’ humors for ya.

Anyhows, I flies right over to that brownie an’ I give ‘er my best tough look. “Looks here, I need ta know if your master up to no good.”

“No good?” she ask an’ her eyes goes all wide like.

“Yeah, what he been doin’ all this time if he ain’t been fightin’ Variant?” I ask her. My arms cross in front my belly as I squint my eyes at her real mean like. I seen Dragan an’ Cambion do that plenty of times at each other an’ it makes ‘em look meaner soze I figures I oughtta try.

“Master watch.”

“Master watch what?” I demand.

She look all concerned like. “He watch the naughty king and the Unseelie to make sure they not tapping into the veil. Spirit magic dangerous. Only Master know how to control it. Noni walk through the veil with him and them spirits and she hear stuff too.”

“Like what? What ya hear?”

She shake her head like she ain’t supposed ta say nothin’.

“Outs with it.”

She swallow real hard but then she start confessin’. “Noni hear the Unseelie Court talking about the naughty king. Unseelie Court say he out of control and need to be teached a lesson. Noni gets scared and goes home, but first she see the pretty Unseelie lady get hurt by the naughty guards.”

The pretty Unseelie Lady? “You talkin’ ‘bout Aima?” I ask an’ that little brownie just nod right quick. “When you sees this?” I leans up ‘gainst the wall, an’ inhale real deep so my chest pull out further. Noni needs to understand jist who she be dealin’ with. Noni cross her little legs and sit down next ta my feet. She lookin’ up at me with them freaky big eyes o’ hers. They kinda pretty.

“Noni see Aima hurt after you and gargoyle man taken by the naughty king.”

“Did you see you a big ugly satyr too? He gots a nasty ass beard an’ real long hair.”

Noni nods. I can tell she thinkin’ real hard. “Noni see him. He real big, Mr. Flumph. Noni see him at the Unseelie palace. There be lots of naughty soldiers at the Unseelie palace. They make the big satyr beg and he fight lots and lots of soldiers, but he not win.”

“Why he not win?” I interrupt. “They kill him?”

“No, they tooks him to the dark place in the Unseelie kingdom. That be a right bad place from what Master tell Noni,” the annoyin’ critter finishes. Thank fuck.

“So they gots Aima and Assface in the Unseelie Palace?” I repeat. “The elf ain’t gonna like that one bit.” I fly up to the table, leavin’ Noni on the floor where she looks all worried like she done said too much. My feet pounds on the table and I grab the font o’ the elf’s shirt to make him looks me in the eye.

“What the hell do you want, sprite?” he snarl all scary-like. But I not so scared o’ him. Not when he dress like he do.

“Yer allies been taken by your fuckhead brother!”

“My allies?” he repeats.

“Kolver, the fugly satyr, an’ your old girlfriend,” I spit backs at ‘em. “Aima.”

That shuts him up real nice an’ I hurry over to Pretty ‘cause she let me sits in her lap an’ that be the most comfy place ta be, I reckon. I notice she been might interested in this Necro character, Pyre. She been watchin’ him nonstop.

I think he ain’t too bad even if he a whole lotta crazy fer talkin’ to ghosts an shit. An’ that mask make him look a little weird-like. He a lot better when he take that mask off. But his eyes... they the real scary part o’ him. Ferget the tattoos all overs his body an’ the dark robe. Them eyes give me the shivers.

“How did Theren get Kolvar and Aima?” the elf ask as he turn to face Pyre.

“Aima surrendered to Variant’s soldiers after putting up a good fight,” Masky explain. “She’s a member of Theren’s council and Variant was unable to kill her without risking a war with the Unseelie.” He pause for a second. “I'll help them escape when Aima reaches out to me again.”

“What about Raflamir?" Dragan barks.

I can't believe this dick gonna ask ‘bout that schemin' elf! What be there to ask? Raflamir done sold us out to Variant! Ain’t nothin’ more ta know!

Noni peek her head up over the table an make her eyes cross over her nose. Then she duck back outta sight. She look up again an’ I stick my tongue out at ‘er an’ she just copy me, which make me real mad like ‘cause I ain’t in the mood ta play no dumb games. Good thing Pretty there to pats me on the head so I keep my cool.

“Raflamir is unharmed,” Pyre inform us. “I only hope whatever he gained in return for your capture is worth the guilt that will plague his soul for the rest of his days.”

“That does little to ease my anger,” Dragan grumble. I agrees with him, but Pyre shake his head like what he spoken oughtta be enough.

“Raflamir faced an impossible decision,” Pyre begins but Dragan shake his head.

“Bullshit! He sold us out and he should answer for it.”

I notice Cambion be right quiet.

“I’ve looked at your past,” Pyre tell Dragan an’ the gargoyle look all surprise like. “I have walked by your side, through time, while you were dreaming. You’ve never had a family, Dragan. You do not know the horror that fills you at the thought of losing someone you love. You’ve never had to watch someone slip through your fingers as you fight to keep them alive.”

“I watched Baron die,” he grunts. The vamp look over at him real quick an’ then he look away. Cambion look at the gargoyle too like he be surprised King Shadow Dick even mentioned the vamp. I be surprised too.

“And your attachment to Baron was a close one, yes, but I speak of attachments that are far closer,” Pyre say. “Raflamir faces repentance, not punishment. Such is justice.” Masky man stand up an’ hang his robe an’ mask on the hook-thingy by the door o’ the cottage. He all muscley an’ pale with them runes on his body.

Pretty’s eyes all but bulge outta her head when he take his shirt off an’ pull the band from his red hair. That girl must be in heat ‘cause the only one she ain’t eyein’ like they be prime cuts o’ meat be Noni. Well, an’ me, I guess.

Pyre must feel her watchin’ him ‘cause he turn an’ give her a look that feel all heavy with lust, I be thinkin’. ‘Course, I ain’t good with this shit soze what do I know? Whatever that look is, it say a lot when a blind psycho can give a look like that. I think she wantin’ him an he wantin’ her an it make me wantin’ to get the fuck off her lap. When he go an’ smile at her like they gots a private joke er somethin’, I notice the red blotches on Pretty’s cheeks.