Jayce stared at the expanse of forest in front of him. Without the columns marking the area, one would never know there was a portal to a whole other dimension. Nearly invisible to the naked eye, the portals had to be marked accordingly. The only tell-tale sign was a slight waver to the air, like the sun baking off the hot sands in the Summer Court.
A faint shimmer here in the verdant forest, the barest reflection and refraction of light. More than one unsuspecting Fae had stumbled through the portal before some unnamed Sidhe had suggested marking the areas.Now, one required a permit to move freely through these portals. Jayce had never understood the draw to Earth. But his father had made a very long and complicated contract with the governments of the world on the other side of this portal.By nature, Fae were a curious people. Long lives and even longer memories settled a sense of ennui into the people as a whole, and humanity brought some pleasant reprieve for the most bored among them.Which had led to the wars. Humans had a tendency to not appreciate some of the more unsavory characteristics among the Unseelie.Goblins, incubi, and redcaps being among the worst of the ones that crossed the barrier. Iron weapons had all but sealed the Fae back in their realm, until the birthing of the Inherents.Halflings that were both human and Fae, able to wield the most ancient of magick, but were ostracized from their own society as…how did the humans term it? Other.Neither fully human or fully Fae, these people had sought others of their own kind. And has humans were wont to do, happened to reproduce at an alarming rate, forming clans that offered their services as protectors. This brokered a peace that allowed the Fae to freely visit the human realm, with a price.Any untoward actions on humanity was quickly and succinctly dealt with by these protectors. Inherents were judge, jury, and executioner on any visiting Fae. Jayce had always felt this afforded the Halflings too much autonomy, but it was his father’s legacy so who was he to complain?“Goddess take it!” The muttered curse brought Jayce back to himself and he half-turned to the voice. “Are we not all present and accounted for? Can we not just proceed and get this mess over with?” Beckett leaned against the tree behind Jayce, the exasperation in his voice fully at odds with the perfectly practiced appearance of unaffected boredom in his bearing. The Prince of the Summer Court had never been the most patient of individuals.“We’re still waiting on her Ladyship to grace us with her presence.” A lilting voice to Jayce’s left answered. Tobin, the musically gifted Prince of Autumn, had always loved to hear his own voice. Jayce rolled his eyes.“Ah, it fully slipped my mind that we would be escorting the child as well.” Beckett gestured toward the portal. “I’m ready to return to my Court. There are preparations for the Solstice celebration.”“It’s barely mid-winter!” Jayce protested. “There’s still the equinox coming in a few month’s time. Why would you need so much time to prepare for your paltry celebration?!”“Paltry?” Beckett scoffed. “It’s only the year’s largest celebration.” He tipped his head in Jayce’s direction. “And we’re planning a wild hunt to end the event. Hoping to score a Spark for our ever lonely Prince of the Spring Court.” He curled his lip, distaste breaking through his boredom. “It wouldn’t do for a Prince to Spark with some Unseelie. Could you imagine the gossip?!” He shuddered for effect.“I don’t need a Hunt, Beckett. And I certainly won’t be Sparking with any brownies or winged creatures either. It’ll happen when the Goddess wills it.”“Maybe, but if you don’t plant your seed in some fertile belly soon, Spring will start to wither. Wouldn’t want to be responsible for the annihilation of your entire Kingdom, would you Jayce?” Beckett hissed back. He threw his head back in mocking laughter, shaking out his golden hair.“Boys, how about we have a bit of decorum about us.” A voice breezily chirped from just beyond the clearing before the small, pixie-ish Princess of Winter glided into view. All three princes straightened themselves from their slouched positions.Gemma had that effect on everyone. Infectious laughter and a general good nature had nearly every Fae around her trying to be just a little better.Jayce had been utterly disappointed when Gemma had ascended and there was no immediate Spark. It would’ve been so neatly packaged, to unite the Spring and Winter court with a marriage.Gemma was the first female Sidhe to ascend a throne in three generations, and all three princes had been sorely disillusioned by the fact that none of them had Sparked for her.“Ever fashionably late, my Lady.” Tobin held his arms out, beckoning her closer.Jayce shuddered. He was not fond of overtly physical contact, his own brand of magick allowing him too much insight into an individual’s essence to ever make it comfortable. Gemma stepped into Tobin, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him to her.“It’s been too long!” Gemma exclaimed, the ever present laughter bubbling from her lips.“It’s only been a few months.” Beckett rolled his eyes, even as he lined up to greet Gemma.Once she released Tobin, Beckett grabbed her hand and pressed a chaste kiss to it. “But it has seemed forever.” He murmured against her skin.Gemma turned to Jayce, and grinned up at him. “I’m going to hug you.” It was the only warning he received before she physically launched herself at him. She grasped him and pressed herself to him for the barest hint of a heartbeat before releasing him. “Not too overwhelming, I hope.” She grinned up at him unrepentantly.The Fae tended to be a tactile people. Those whose magick would allow it, anyway. No sense of personal space or privacy.“It was quite acceptable, as far as physical contact goes.” Jayce nodded to the portal. “Let’s do our duty as representatives of our People, witness this transition, and then get back here. Beckett has his precious party preparations to think of, after all.”Gemma tried to hide her wide grin behind her hand, before turning her sparkling eyes to the columns marking the portal. “The Summer Solstice is the soiree of the entire year, after all Jayce.” She admonished over her shoulder and she bound up the steps to the portal.Jayce just realized that she was dressed oddly as a representative of her court. Some sort of thick dark trouser and an entirely immodestly cut top that was both too low on top and too high on bottom. It barely covered her breasts, and left her stomach bare to the eyes of everyone. She stopped right in front of the portal and gathered her raven hair into a thick tail at the back of her head, twisting it into a knot and using some form of band to secure it.“Whatever are you wearing, Gemma?!” Apparently Jayce wasn’t the only one to finally register her appearance. “It’s not appropriate!”“One, Beckett, to be the Prince of the Summer Court, you can hardly tell me my outfit is not appropriate. Clothing has always been very much optional in every corner of your kingdom. Two, these are clothes that B and I picked out together when I stayed with the Fees. Three, they’re certainly more comfortable that any corseted official dress that I would have invariably been forced into by current ’fashionable’ convention. And, finally, four…what I may or may not wear is none of your concern. I might have to witness in an official capacity, but these Halflings are just as much my family as my Uncle was. I would suggest that you all be on your best behavior here. I will not tolerate any form of misconduct.” She cocked her head, hand on her hip as she stared expectantly at the three princes. “To be anything less than the polite and well-bred individuals I know you to be would be flirting with war. Do I make myself clear?”“Crystal.” Beckett murmured. Jayce nodded once, irritated with the spritely girl. She hardly needed to lecture three full grown Fae Lords on propriety when dealing with humans. They had been alive much longer than she had ever been a blip on the map of creation.“Shall we?” Tobin gestured toward the portal.“I suppose we shall.“ Gemma gave them all a wicked smile before stepping backward through the portal.All three princes stared at each other. It had been nearly a century since Jayce had visited the Fee clan, when Jonas had made his transition. It was uncommon to attend a transition in only a century. The other clans hadn’t had a transition of power in at least two centuries by human standards.Halflings usually lived nearly as long as the Fae did. One of the many boons granted by their heritage. It wasn’t unheard of for Halflings to die. Their line of business wasn’t conducive to long life. At least there would be a formal changing of power this time. Jonas had been thrust into it when his father had been torn literally in half by an enraged redcap. Nasty business, that particular witnessing.Jayce took a deep breath and climbed the four short steps to the portal mouth. Without a backwards glance at his compatriots, he strode through the flickering air.For a split second, his skin was flayed from his body, all the breath sucked out of his lungs, and it was possible that his heart sto
The men at the guard shack stared at the three Fae princes with a wariness that Jayce felt was unwarranted. Tobin passed through the warding with barely a hint of struggle, Beckett joining him on the other side without blinking. Jayce could feel the wards buzzing against his skin as he approached. They were heavy.Steeling himself, he stepped through, the wards coating him in an invisible ichor. He knew both Tobin and Beckett would be feeling the effect as well. After a moment, the buzzing ceased as the warding recognized and blended in with his magick. A mark, maybe? A way to keep tabs on the Fae that crossed through.He noticed one of the guards holding a notebook…no, that wasn’t right. It was a flat black rectangle. The guard made a swiping motion with one finger, and then stood and moved toward the princes.“I’m going to need your signature, my Lords.” The man held the rectangle out to Jayce expectantly. Jayce turned to the other two princes, who just shrugged in return. Jayce took
There was an obscene amount of blood. Bailey couldn’t focus on anything else. It was pooled in the floor, someone had smeared it on the countertop near the kitchen sink, and there were streaks across the front of the large stainless steel fridge. Her grandfather had not been moved, still laying facedown in the floor like a discarded doll. He was smaller than she remembered. Shrunken, aged, different. Jonas Fee had been larger than life. Proud, loud, and equal parts beloved and hated. He was a driven taskmaster, a military genius, and the kindest man Bailey had ever known.This shrunken corpse decorating her floor was not Jonas Fee, for all that it might wear his face. The ethereal bit that had inhabited this fleshy mound had long gone.“How long?” Her question was aimed at Silas. She wasn’t asking about the length of time he’d been lying on the unforgiving floor, pouring out his life essence. She wanted to know how long the only man who had ever loved her in any true sense of the word
Silas scrubbed his hands over his face, his shoulders slumped. He had never attended a transition before, being too young when Jonas took the mantle nearly a century previous. However, this did not seem to be an ordinary occasion. Even the most senior clan members were deeply disturbed. Why had the magick attacked? That was the million dollar question. Was it due to the oath Bailey had made earlier, or in reaction to her statement on the dais during the ritual?Bailey had yet to wake, and it’d been over an hour. He was tempted to shake her until her teeth rattled, but obviously her body needed to recover. He had snatched her away from the panicked crowd as fast as he could, and hopefully he was the only one that had witnessed the myriad of bruising that blossomed over her body, or the welting and burns. As far as he was aware, the magick had never attacked its own Inherent before.Maybe it was the jump in the line of succession, suicide was not a common thing among the Halfling clans.
“B…a Spark?!” Silas laughed outright. “Yeah right.” He waved his hand at Beckett. “Go on with that mess, no one has time for your comedy routine.”“I would watch my words, Halfling.” Beckett narrowed his eyes. “We are swift to offense, and I wouldn’t want to have Gemma need to cry at your funeral.”Silas leapt from the couch. “Don’t be too sure I’d be on the losing end of that, Prince. All of you full bloods underestimate us. We‘re the best of both you and humanity.” He flipped his hand in a vulgar gesture. “And you’d best remember that. You’re on my turf.”“Ah yes, your ’turf’.” Beckett curled his lip. “It wouldn’t matter whose turf you happen to be on, child. I’ve had centuries of nothing but pure boredom.” He stalked forward, stopping just close enough to tower over Silas. “I know more than just ten ways to kill someone, and they would not be able to detect that it was anything other than natural causes. I would suggest you do not underestimate me.”It wasn’t supposed to happen, Sil
Bailey stood amidst the silence, arms folded across her chest. No one moved, breathed, blinked. She shrugged her shoulders, tossed her hand in the air.“I’m going to get dressed. I would suggest you all do the same. Silas, I need you with me. I need to know about the corpses.” She turned on her heel, striding from the room without a glance backward.Her insides rolled with an anxiety she refused to show. She needed to be alone when her mask cracked and crumbled around her feet. She would allow herself a good cry, and then do what she needed to do.There had been no other recourse, and eventually the fae princes would acknowledge that. She had to have their power at her back, they were the most respected and feared Sidhe in Faerie. Gemma was already loyal to her. She had to force their loyalty as well, otherwise it would make her task more difficult.She understood the oath she had been forced to take during the ritual. A blood oath at that. Her fingers traced the scar on her shoulder a
Jayce stared at the doorway Bailey had flounced through with a sense of impending doom. He was angry, betrayed. She had taken a freedom from him, and now he had no choice but to follow where she led, and he was livid. Judging by the looks on the other two, they were trying to process this development as well.“Can she…actually do that?” Tobin’s voice was small.“It appears she can, and did.” Beckett answered. They had yet to leave the floor. They were each rooted by their own shock and horror. Their choice had been stolen from them, their will taken and twisted until it would serve her purpose. It was terrible.Gemma had not moved either, tears in her large eyes. “She did what she felt necessary.” Her voice caught on unshed tears. “That doesn’t make it okay.”“Of course it does not!” Beckett snapped, leveraging himself to his feet. “I have thus far remained untied to any female. Now I have no choice but to be tied to this one, until my death!”“Or hers.” Jayce supplied grimly.“With he
Bailey felt the thrum of the portal in her whole body. The anger and injustice had worn off, leaving her nauseated and sad. For the longest time, her grandfather had been her whole world. The person she had loved the most. And now he was gone. Just snuffed out, well before his time. It was heartbreaking, but it was the new reality that she existed in.Part of her was excited by the amount of power flooding through her. It kept washing over her. It was an ancient knowing presence, sentient wild fae magick. It purred, a living thing in the back of her mind, teasing claw tips into her nervous system, testing the limits of her control. The closer she physically came to the portal, the more the magick rode her. She could feel it swirling off her skin, a crackle of heat.Vines tugged at her shoes, flowers blossomed throughout her hair, died, and blossomed again. Somewhere, a wind kicked up, swirling snowflakes and leaves around them."I don't want to alarm our party leader," Beckett halted.