“My gratitude is great. But I owe this woman a life debt. I cannot give her to you,” Ray replied.
The fae closed in, and their urgent whispers slithered around them. They were restless and hungry. Lady Thornton reeked of power, and like bees to a flower, they were drawn to her. He felt it too, that inexplicable draw. The old blood, the closest to the Great Tree, was the most potent. But even if by some miracle she had a strain of the old blood, it should still be diluted by her humanity. And what high fae remained couldn’t have sired children among mortals. None of them had moved in centuries. Last he heard, they were practically stone, and their servants had to dust them like statues.
The fae superstitiously grasped at Lady Thornton’s clothes, tearing at her sleeves and hem. Lady Thornton squeaked and pressed closer to him. Her hands balled up into the fabric of his shirt.
“Give her to me, Raethorn, and I will see your place restored in Faery.” The Twilight Queen held out her long-clawed hand palm up as if he would plop Lady Thornton there.
Even if Lady Thornton hadn’t saved his life, by the Great Tree, even if she didn’t have this power, he’d never hand her over. The Twilight Queen was wicked and greedy, and she’d drain Lady Thornton until nothing remained but a hollow husk. He grasped Lady Thornton’s hand and squeezed. She trembled but didn’t pull away. Their palms connected, and he felt the pulse of power racing through her. It jolted through him and lit up every corner of his body. He hadn’t felt this power in nearly a century. Now that it had awoken, she acted as a conduit for the Great Tree itself. As impossible as it seemed...
When he made his vows, the Great Tree blessed him with power to protect its children, in defense of the innocent and Faery itself. Since his exile, he had not once tried to call upon that power; he had thought himself unworthy. But if he were going to get Lady Thornton out of here safely, he had no choice. He tugged on the thread that connected him to the Great Tree through Lady Thornton. At first, he feared the Great Tree would deny him, but then it filled him nearly to overflowing, coursing through his veins and tingling down to his fingertips.
She must have felt it as well because she looked up at him wide-eyed with her lips parted slightly.
“Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand,” he leaned in to whisper in Lady Thornton’s ear. He couldn’t guarantee without her, the connection would remain.
She nodded in understanding, her lips drawn thin, and her brows furrowed in determination.
Ray channeled the energy, manifesting a sword that glowed with green light and brandished it in front of him. The aura flickered brightly around it like a flame. The gathered fae took a step back as he brandished his weapon.
“I think Lady Thornton and I shall be going.” He pointed his blade at the Twilight Queen.
She narrowed her eyes at the blade and then looked back up at him. “Kill him and bring me the girl.” She snapped her fingers, and the fae descended upon him like a pack of hungry wolves.
Ray slashed at them, holding back as to merely stun rather than kill. They slumped to the ground as he pushed his way through the crowd. He forced an opening, and some fled in the face of his blade but more and more came to fill in the gaps, their hunger greater than their fear. The energy flowed from her to him like an endless spring, wild and green. He’d never been the best at growing spells; most of his magic study had been on defense and attack. But there was a magical rhyme mother had taught him as a boy. He focused the energy and spoke the ancient words, his accent atrocious, and his cadence wrong. But the magic, eager for an escape, burst from him and took shape, flying from his lips and forming vines wriggling like snakes on the wind. They flew out around them and tangled around the limbs of the fae who surrounded them and even tangled up the Twilight Queen.
It shouldn’t have worked, but with the power burning on his lips and Lady Thornton gaping wide-eyed in shock, he didn’t have time to question it. Pulling her behind him, he raced for the forest. Mist rose up to obscure their escape, the Twilight Queen’s doing most likely. He ran forward heedless of direction, wanting only to put distance between them and the Twilight Court. He would never be able to return there, but if what he suspected were true, he wouldn’t need to. But either way, the vines wouldn’t hold them back for long. They needed to get out of Faery, but where was the gateway?
Lady Thornton stumbled, and her hand slipped from his. As he has suspected, once their connection was broken, the power began to fade.
He turned back to her, offering her a hand up. “Mr. Thorn,” she gasped on all fours. “I can’t... keep running.” She heaved for each breath.
He hadn’t accounted for the limitations of her humanity. Even with such power, she was mortal after all.
With no time to hesitate, he grasped her under her knees and scooped her up into his arms. She tensed and gasped as he did so. The voices echoed around them in the mist; they’d broken free already.
“Forgive me, Lady Thornton, but we need to move quicker,” he said, waiting for her approval.
She crossed her arms close to her chest, making it difficult to hold onto her but then very slowly nodded, her gaze turned away from him. It would have to be enough for now. With the power he got from her, he channeled it to his feet, urging his steps. He ran with surprising speed, without exerting his own energy. Whether intentional or not, as he depleted his power Lady Thornton poured more in like an overflowing cup.
Her lashes were lowered, and she wouldn’t look at him. Did she know what she was doing, or was the Great Tree moving through her? There was no time to wonder. Despite his speed, the voices were drawing closer as the fog began to thin. He saw their bobbing lights in the night. At this rate, the fae of the Twilight Court would overcome them, and all his efforts would be for naught. Judging from the number of lights, he couldn’t fight them all, but if he could create a copy of himself...
He looked down at Lady Thornton in his arms. There was a slight flush on her cheeks. And if they weren’t running for their own lives, he might have found it charming. To make this work, he’d have to test the true limits of her power, and if it failed, it would ricochet back within him and drain him, leaving them both weakened.
They approached a river overflowing its banks. The water churned with foam and debris carried from upriver. A dead tree swayed in the rapids. If he got across and knocked the tree loose, it would buy him enough time to attempt the copy. Ray glanced once over his shoulder and back at his pursuers. He could see their pale faces now and the glint of their arrows in notched bows.
They reached the rotting log, and Ray leaped onto it. It creaked, and he swayed in place, nearly losing his balance. An arrow whizzed past his ear. Lady Thornton yelped and wrapped her arms around his neck. Perhaps fear of falling into the churning rapids had finally outweighed her fear of touching him. He alighted to the other side as a second arrow grazed his shoulder. The shot stung but the power Lady Thornton poured into him healed it quickly.
Ray ran up the other bank and paused behind the trunk of a large oak tree.
“Lady Thornton, I am going to attempt something. It will take more magic, but it might be our only chance at escape. Do you trust me?”
She bit her lip. And there was a lengthy pause. “I do.”
Ray nodded his head and concentrated the magic Lady Thornton poured into him, centering it on his core. The ancient words burned on his tongue as he focused his power. His skin tingled with it as the copy ripped away from them. They stood staring, blinking into perfect replicas of themselves. Ray was breathing heavily, but it had worked. Though it had taken almost everything from him.
Shouts rang out from down by the stream; their pursuit had breached the river.
“To the east, and don’t stop running.” His doppelganger nodded in understanding before sprinting out in the direction he had indicated.
