Chapter 21
Sebastian made everyone wait in the park with me while he went to alert our allies to the possible threat.
Maybe it would make Varian less pissy about not getting his pathway yet, but I doubted it.
I probably should have opened the pathway from the Crystal Vale first thing.
With their ability to create vortices, the fairies were more equipped to deal with the darkness than anyone else.
But that still raised the question, why had that creature of darkness come to the park of all places?
It wasn’t even near the few pathways we had opened.
And more disturbing still, where had it gone when it jumped into me?
It wasn’t like with the other shreds of shadow. This one had slammed into me willingly.
Sitting beside me on a stone bench near the lake, Crispin bumped his shoulder against mine. “Are you still not feeling any different?”
I had reluctantly told the guys exactly what had happened, and now the two who remained at the park with me were annoying me with their heavy gazes. A few nymphs remained in the open, including Seraphina’s father, who was speaking with Gabriel.
I scooted a little farther from Crispin so Ringo could jump on the bench between us. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I feel normal, but I can’t put my finger on what might be different.”
There was that annoying heavy gaze again, and a worried glance from Gabriel, showing that he wasn’t fully paying attention to the conversation he was having.
“The darkness has to be going somewhere,” Crispin said. “Perhaps it is simply stored in the vortex within you, but at some point…” he trailed off.
He didn’t have to finish the statement. It was simple logic that what goes up must come down. What goes in, must go out. I highly doubted that I was just completely absorbing such strong magic. It had to be stored somewhere.
I didn’t miss the few odd glances I was getting from the nymphs either. I wondered how much of my confrontation with the shadow creature they had seen, or if they had stayed in their pocket realm until they could sense that it was gone.
Of course if they had seen it, they might have wanted to ask me about what it had said.
Where you go, I go.
Now just what the hells did that mean?
Once Sebastian returned, we left the park. The plan was to give it a night, see if any other strange occurrences took place, then we would move forward with Penelope’s pathway.
Except we only made it as far as the sidewalk before being accosted by the ruling vampire of the city and several of her minions.
Elizabeta looked tiny next to all of the muscle she had brought with her, and her floral summer dress didn’t quite fit the vibe of street punk meets Victorian time traveler that her minions were giving off.
Elizabeta started speaking before any of us could react.
“The whole point of siding with you was to make only small paths. To not let the darkness through!” She swept a hand dramatically outward, encompassing the entire city in one small motion.
“We only helped you so the pathways would not be healed all at once. Now what have you gone and done? The darkness will come for us all.”
Sebastian stroked his chin, tilting his head. “You’ve seen the darkness then?”
Elizabeta’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “We are creatures of the night, and this is our city. We see everything.” She crossed her arms and lifted her nose, sniffing haughtily. “Plus, Charla called me,” she added. “She sensed a magical void and asked if I could check on the nymphs.”
Well that explained how she had found us, and I was glad it wasn’t her having me followed. Not that it would be an easy task now that we could jump around as we pleased.
“We only formed small pathways to check for the darkness before healing the larger ones,” I explained.
Her nostrils flared as those dark eyes landed on me, and I realized I had misspoke. “You were only supposed to form the small pathways. And we were going to let you do it in exchange for you preventing the healing of the old ones. Your mother destroyed them for a reason.”
I glanced at Gabriel standing on my other side since Sebastian wasn’t being particularly helpful. Telling Elizabeta the truth seemed like a bad idea. She knew my mother, but she would take the safety of the city and her own people over my mother’s life any day.
Even the ancient vampires jumped at the sudden burst of darkness between us.
Penelope formed in its wake, crossing her arms and giving her back to the vampires.
“There you are. Of course you would hide from me behind a boundary.” She jerked her chin toward the gates of the park. “It’s time to complete our contract.”
“What contract?” Elizabeta snapped.
Penelope slowly turned to face the vampire. “That is none of your concern.”
Elizabeta’s minions shifted as she snarled, “If your contract is for another pathway, then it is indeed my concern. Aren’t you already powerful enough to travel to the hells?”
“I don’t want to go to the hells,” Penelope scoffed. “I live in the hells. I want to go to the fairy realm.”
Boy, this night was just full of surprises. Here we thought we were going to be putting Varian off once again while we helped Penelope. Leave it to her to not let anyone know from the beginning that their goals were aligned.
Recovering more quickly from the surprise, Sebastian snorted. “What could you possibly want there?”
“That is none of anyone’s concern,” Penelope huffed, turning back to her brother. “We had a deal.”
“There will be no more pathways,” Elizabeta spoke to Penelope’s back, and Penelope stiffened.
I took a subtle step back, bumping into Crispin. If a fight broke out between Elizabeta and Penelope, I had no idea who would win. Might not be the worst thing though. At least then we would only have to deal with one of them.
I winced as a sly smile crossed Penelope’s face, her eyes on me before she turned back Elizabeta.
“There will be more pathways, else that ancient celestial will slay Eva’s mother to regrow them himself.
Either way, I’m going to the fairy realm.
My only interest is getting there as quickly as I can. ”
Elizabeta looked past Penelope to me. “Is this true? He has your mother?”
My shoulders slumped, jostling Ringo. There really was no point in denying it now.
“He does. She’s telling the truth. I didn’t take the Realm Breaker from him.
He gave it to me to regrow the pathways.
I figured if I did it myself, I could at least try to find where the darkness is and keep it away from earth. ”
“And she has,” Crispin added, lifting a finger. But then the finger slowly lowered as he muttered, “Mostly.”
Elizabeta pursed her lips, considering. After a long, tense moment that really made me sweat, she nodded. “Very well. Do what you can, but know this. If the darkness comes fully to this realm, you will not be alive to see what happens.”
Sensing Gabriel stiffening beside me, I placed a soothing hand on his arm. “So you’re not going to interfere?”
“I am practical above all else. If he has your mother, I personally have no chance of rescuing her. And if her death will regrow the pathways, your plan is indeed our only chance.” She stepped around Penelope, ignoring her glare.
“But my pragmatism does not extend beyond my thirst for vengeance. Do not fail, Eva Nix.” She glanced toward some shrubs lining the border of the park, then turned away, her minions following her as quiet as actual shadows.
As soon as they were out of sight down the block, what she had been glancing at popped out of the bushes.
Isadora hurried over with her glowing glittery device, pointing it at Penelope.
“I thought they would never leave.” The glitter in her device glowed a red so deep it was almost black.
Her eyes lifted from the device to the devil.
“Have you ever considered donating some of your magic in the name of science?”
Penelope sucked her teeth. “In exchange for what, exactly?”
Isadora grinned. “Lotions, potions, explosives, you name it. I’ve got it.”
Penelope shocked the hell out of me by saying, “Very well.” Her eyes slid toward Sebastian, who had a hand over his face and was shaking his head.
“We’ll do the fairy pathway in the morning,” he sighed. “We’ll ask Varian to grant you entry into the Crystal Vale.”
Her smile was of the proverbial crocodile variety. With her perfect white teeth glinting in the streetlights, Penelope snapped her fingers at Isadora, then pointed for her to start walking.
Isadora hopped to attention. “Oh, we’re doing this now. Cool, cool.” She looked at me, folding her three middle fingers and extending the other two to pantomime holding a phone to her ear, mouthing call me. Then she and Penelope walked off together.
“I should probably tell the king everything that has transpired,” Crispin said. “Mind giving me a ride?”
“Only if you never refer to it as giving you a ride ever again.” I held my hands out to the guys. We might have gotten off easy with the vampires, for now, but the darkness being in the park worried me. The darkness being in me worried me even more.
I was going to go to the apartment and have a glass of wine and a hot bath while I could.