Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
MERI
U nwilling to jeopardize Hyne’s standing with the Water Fae, we send a request to meet with him in a private location. He agrees with one caveat—mutual risk—I must be at the meeting. Based on their fierce expressions, neither Cormal nor Madoc like Hyne’s demand, but they know he won’t back down either.
Dark and musty, the basement of an old pub where the mouth of the Caraway River meets the Vasser Sea clearly gives the kraken a huge advantage. I snicker at the amount of water surrounding us at the moment.
The giant Fae with long shaggy brown hair the color of mud and a massive beard slips quietly into the basement. Dark, fathomless eyes peer intently at the three of us before he sits. Unlike the last time we met, his charming demeanor has been replaced with a somberness that is startling.
I raise an eyebrow. “Lot of water outside. You’re not scared of little old me, are you?” I’m the last worry on his mind, but the teasing nature of my tone settles his nerves.
A quiet, but hearty, laugh slips from his lips. “I am. You cheat.” With a sigh, he runs a hand down his thick beard. “The world is upside down and inside out. Lesser Fae fighting and murdering each other. Aristocratic Fae hiding behind their walls. The land is in chaos, and hope has vanished.”
He stares at my blank forehead. “And we have no queen to lead us.” He props his fist on his knee and motions to Madoc. “Who is he?”
“A friend.”
“Dark Fae,” he notes, raising an eyebrow. “Royalty.”
Madoc scowls at his words. “Don’t get your tentacles in a twist. I’m only here to help Meri and save Rivan.”
Hyne briefly switches his attention from me to him. “The one thing that would unite all of the light Fae is the dark Fae invading our land. You better be telling the truth.” From the depths of his dark eyes, a coldness rises that sends a chill down my spine.
“We need a diversion to draw the Phoenix from the Forbidden Sea,” I interject, bringing his attention from Madoc back to me. “Without inciting a war between the Water and Fire Fae.”
Before I’ve even finished, he’s already shaking his head. “We don’t have the resources or manpower to pull off something of that magnitude. Last count, there were seventeen ships in the Forbidden Sea. They would annihilate us.”
That’s the last thing I want. Maybe we need a way to set them off without involving the Water Fae.
“Fire Fae have already laid traps along the shores, right?” I ask, biting the inside of my cheek. “What if we simply set them off?” I look at Cormal. “Discreetly.”
He ponders my question for a second. “I might have a solution. He’s an extreme wild card, though, and needs supervision.”
Madoc tilts his head. “Are you talking about the small shadow demon?”
“Lux,” Cormal informs him, nodding his head. “Would your friend be willing to supervise?”
Both Hyne and I are swiveling our heads back and forth between the two.
“He needs that much supervision?” Madoc asks, raising an eyebrow.
Cormal grimaces. “He’s like a small child. Doesn’t know when to stop. Would destroy the world if I let him.”
An expression of alarm slides across Hyne’s face. “You want to let a psychotic shadow demon loose on the Fae? Are you crazy?”
“Possibly,” Cormal confirms. “Desperate times and all that.” He turns back to Madoc. “Once the Phoenix land, he’ll run. He isn’t a fan of fire.”
“Aamon will do it,” Madoc assures him. “If only to leave the Wilds.”
At the mention of the infamous territory, Hyne jumps up and plants his fists on his hips. “Not only do you want to unleash a shadow demon, but you’re planning on bringing a creature from the Wilds to supervise him?”
Madoc rolls his eyes. “Technically, he’s a monster from The Underworld. And likely the only one strong enough to supervise Cormal’s little demon.”
“No, no, no,” Hyne repeats emphatically, his voice strained as if is barely able to refrain from shouting. “There won’t be a world left for us to live in. Find another solution.” Water seeps from the cracks in the walls and starts pooling in the corners of the room.
I flash a “hurry up” look at Cormal.
Cormal draws a wavy magic line on the dirty stone floor. “This is the shoreline. If Lux sets off the traps, he can contain the damage, then leave when it’s done. We need to decide what to do once the Phoenix are on land. In order to save Rivan, we need time. Can the Water Fae set traps to draw them inland and keep them busy?”
Hyne looks down at the floor. “It would take all of us, but we could do it. The problem is… we need a way to defend ourselves if caught, and I don’t have access to all the weapons Fisk collected. Brixton laid siege to several stashes and confiscated them for his army.” His dark eyes are full of deep-seated anger toward the leader of the Phoenix.
Cormal flashes him a smile. “Luckily, we have access to a large shipment. Once we retrieve them, they’re all yours.” He proceeds to give Hyne a detailed list. “Will that help?”
Something shifts in Hyne’s demeanor. “It would. What do you want in return?”
Cormal waves a hand in my direction.
Hyne warily turns me, and I smile broadly. “I could lie and say it’s not much, but it’s a huge ask. You could even die. On the positive side, you’ll have the chance to look Brixton in the eye and tell him what a piece of shit he is for betraying the Water Fae and murdering Fisk.”
His jaw drops. “You want me to request a meeting with Brixton? Why?”
“They’re holding Rivan on Avalon. Apparently, it’s full of traps and old magic that shouldn’t be disturbed. We need a way in,” I reveal with a nonchalant shrug. “Brixton needs the Water Fae, but to get them, he needs you out of the way. It would be the perfect opportunity for him. How could he resist?”
Hyne stands there staring at me, silence filling the room around us until my nerves are at a screaming point. Then, suddenly, he doubles over and roars with laughter.
At the sound, Cormal and Madoc stand, hands on weapons and move closer, ready to protect me from the crazed kraken.
Hyne takes a deep breath and the laughter ceases. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.” He straightens and rolls his eyes at the two men. “Please. Like I would hurt her. Although, come to think of it, it’s probably good you had her ask for the favor.”
Hope begins to bloom in my chest. “You’ll do it?”
“Damn right I will. Fisk saved my ass more times than I can recall,” he says with a fierce look in his eye. “Confronting his killer and, hopefully, avenging his death will be an honor.”
He points a finger at Cormal. “I want you to create a detailed plan of action I can take to my second in command.”
His hand moves to Madoc. “I don’t know who you are or what your role is here, but you look like you can handle yourself. You’ll go with me as my second. It will throw Brixton off his stride, and we need all the advantages we can get.”
Instead of arguing, Madoc arrogantly dips his head in agreement.
Cormal creates a map and starts marking it up. Minutes later, he’s done. With a wave of his hand, he creates a copy and hands it to Hyne. “Show this to your men and let me know if they want any changes.”
Hyne takes it from him. “The weapons?”
“Where do you want them delivered?” I ask him, brushing the hair back from my clammy neck. The damp air in this basement is making me nauseous.
“There is a ship in this port called the Blue Chameleon,” Hyne informs us. “It will hold them. Send me word, and I’ll have men meet you. Once the weapons are in our hands, I’ll contact Brixton.”
He takes a deep breath. “This will either be our beginning or our end. Regardless, we can’t sit in the middle forever. See you soon.” Taking the stairs, he leaves the same way he entered.
Relieved to get out of here, I follow Cormal into the shadows while Madoc protects the rear. Breathing deeply as I step out into the meadow, I take a moment to fill my lungs with clean air. “All right. Who the hell are Lux and Aamon?”
Cormal chuckles. “Lux is a shadow demon in my employ. You haven’t met him because he’s a bit—what was the word Hyne used?—psychotic. Only to be used in extreme emergencies.”
Sounds lovely. Where does Cormal find these demons? I turn to Madoc. “And Aamon?”
Tensing, he explains his friend and how they met.
Eyes round, the first thing that hits me is how much Leandra has wronged Madoc. She took everything from him, then left him in The Below. An unending pit of darkness with no way to escape. It’s so black there are no shadows. It makes The Pit look like a holiday.
I shudder. His willingness to stick around suddenly makes sense. He’ll do anything to end her existence. No wonder Cormal changed his mind about trusting him. What is surprising is Madoc’s willingness to suspend his search to help us save Rivan.
“Honestly, I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through. Once we’ve saved Rivan, we’ll switch all of our attention to finding Leandra. I promise you.” I lay a hand on his arm and squeeze.
He stares at me, then lays his hand on top of mine. A ghost of a smile appears. “Honestly, I thought you’d lose your mind about the monster.”
“It’s nice to hear you have friends. Besides me, of course,” I tease him. “But I’d hate to be you when Callyx and Lucifer find out.” My voice might be a tad too gleeful, because I hear Cormal snort loudly behind me. “Now, let’s go get those weapons.”