Things have been quiet in the Twilight Kingdom. No one has heard a peep from Uisdean or his Dark Court. Although, we now have allies in the Light. Nighean, Aodh, and their mother Neala went home to Seelie, but they've kept in touch with us and have begun to gather supporters for peace between the kingdoms. So far, it must be a secret recruitment since the hatred between the Dark and Light Courts still runs rampant, despite the return of the prisoners, but I have hopes that someday the secret will come out.As far as my relationship with Keir goes, I now call him Dad more easily and try not to mention my other dad to him even though that relationship feels strained to the point where I despair that things will ever be right between Ewan and I. Cat remains a constant guardian and an occasional pain in the butt, especially when I'm trying to find some alone time with my other guardian. But Tiernan handles her antics as easily and as gracefully as he does mine.Tiernan. I'd never thought
Fairy-Struck: Several types of conditions such as paralysis, wasting away, pining, and unnatural behavior resulting from an enchantment laid by an offended fairy.Once upon a time; isn't that how all fairy tales begin? Except this isn't your average fairy tale. There are no charming princes or wicked witches within these pages, and the fair maidens are more deadly than any big bad wolf. This is a fairy tale in the truest sense of the words; a story about fairies... the real story.My name is Seren Sloane, and I'm an Extinguisher. That will mean nothing to you, I'm sure, so let me go back a little further. No one knows the true origins of the Fey—I don't think even the Fey themselves remember—but theories abound. One has them evolving alongside us, but where we advanced in groups—banding together to become stronger—the Fey evolved from those outcast predators who were too wild for a pack. Those who don't believe in evolution, think instead that the Fey issue from the Divine; angels
"No way." I looked down at the fax in my hand with amazement. "This can't be right.""What is it?" My dad walked into our office; his sea blue eyes narrowing on the piece of paper in my hand like a hawk who's spied a mouse.It was a small office with just a cheap particle board desk littered with all the necessary items; a computer, a phone, a fax machine, and a copier. There was an old desk chair in front of it, a cracking plastic mat beneath that to protect the boring beige carpet, and a beat up filing cabinet to the right. That was it, and with us in the room, the tiny space was almost full. Still, it fit our needs. The office was purely for communication with the Council and for record keeping. The bulk of our work was done outside these bare walls."A warrant of execution." I handed the fax to him. "From the Fairy Council.""The Fairy Council?" His narrowed gaze transformed into surprise which returned some vigor to his sorrow-lined face."When's the last time you saw one of
"It must be a lie." Dad was driving, and we were already over the mountain; away from the heat-reflecting metropolitan montage around the mall and back to the lush, breezy, sprawling suburban side of the island.We turned into a residential area; the bright sun flashing off the remnants of rain that speckled the abundant plant growth in front of every house. Our yard wasn't as well tended as our neighbor's but on the Windward side of the island that just means it was a bit overgrown. It rained too much there for the plants to die."It doesn't matter if she's lying or not," I said for the second time. "The threat of war is enough to grant a stay of execution. The Human Council can figure out what's going on. We can't take the risk that she may be telling the truth, and we don't have the authority to make this kind of decision.""Not war," Aideen interrupted as she gazed out the window distractedly."You said extermination." I turned to look at her. I was sitting in the back seat of
We opened our doors at the same time and slammed them shut together as well; making a loud boom that echoed off our neighbor's brick wall. I walked a little behind my father; casting wary glances around us while I trusted him to take care of what lay ahead. The neighborhood held remnants of the Hunt's passage but no other traces of fairies hiding to ambush us so I focused my attention forward.There were four hunters; two light sidhe of the Seelie Court and two dark sidhe from the Unseelie. It was pretty easy to tell the two courts apart, at least for those of us with clairvoyance. The Seelie, or Light Sidhe, had golden auras which faded to white, like something you'd expect an angel to have. While the Dark, the Unseelie, had jewel-toned clouds of energy pulsing around them. I assume that was how the terms came about, but no one knew for sure. At least, not any humans.The dark sidhe duo consisted of one woman and one man. The woman had crimson hair; the kind of red which only looked
We contacted the Human Council, and they immediately booked a flight for us on one of their private planes. I guess we'd made the right decision in keeping Aideen alive. They knew nothing of her death warrant and would not have approved it without more proof of her crimes. They also agreed with me that the whole matter was suspicious.Aideen sat on my twin sized bed in my spartan room and watched me as I packed a bag with some clothes and essentials for the trip. She was very still, her hands clasped in her lap, but those large eyes followed my every move; like Dian Fossey studying her gorillas. It made me want to pound my chest and roar at her."What is it?" I finally asked."Have you any fairy blood in you?" She appeared nonchalant; letting her gaze wander over the bare, white walls, the arsenal of bladed weapons displayed on my dresser, the chipped bedside lamp placed precariously on a cardboard box, the stack of worn paperbacks leaning against the foot of the bed, and then, finally
Night had fallen when we finally headed out the door; my dad and I both carrying luggage as well as our larger weapons. We were almost to the car when I was lifted off my feet, straight up into the air. I dropped my bag and grabbed behind me at my assailant with one hand as I pulled my iron knife free from its boot sheath with the other. I'd been taken by surprise, but Extinguishers are trained to never lose their cool in a fight, and I calmly assessed the threat as I defended myself.There were two of them. The one on the ground facing my father was the unseelie male fairy from earlier and if the screech coming from behind me was any indication, the female unseelie was the one holding me up. This surprised me a little more. I'd been sure the next fairy attack against me would have come from that winged, seelie son of a bitch.Wind rushed around us as I stabbed back with my knife and realized that she must have some sort of air magic. She didn't have wings so it fell to reason that she
"Why did she grab me?" I asked from the comfort of my large, black, leather, airplane seat."What's that?" My father was making his way back from the black lacquer bar at the far end of the cabin. He handed me a glass of soda as he sat across the aisle from me in his own luxurious chair."Well, if their mission was to kill Aideen, why didn't that fairy scoop Aideen up into the air?" I frowned as I recalled the attack. Now that we were relatively safe inside an airborne plane, I could think more clearly."You were blocking me I guess." Aideen shrugged."No, I wasn't." I chewed at my lip. "You were between me and Dad, but she could have easily picked you up instead of me. Why take the risk of attacking an extinguisher when she could have simply killed you and been done with it?""That is strange." My Dad started to frown; his eyes shifting around as if he were searching for an explanation."Maybe they don't want me dead anymore." Aideen gave us wide, panicked eyes."Don't worry, they're