Whispers and Shadows

Chapter 7

Mikael

She was not at all as I’d expected.

Short by any fae standard—dark or light—she was incredibly short for a dark fae. Probably only five-three, or four at the most. Delicate features. Her skin looked like sun-warmed honey. Her hair was as pale as the first snow, with a hint of blue and eyes of a similar shade.

Brilliant, possibly even as smart as I. I’d not had to explain anything to her. But her soft, innocent-looking femininity belied the incredible talent that she actually was.

I blew out a deep breath, covering my mouth. I’d been searching for my future empress, knowing I could never ascend the throne without her. I’d known Scimica would never be that. But Blue… I was sure she was my match.

But her rounded ears, blunt teeth, and lack of horns screamed her true heritage. Half-bloods were reviled in our world, unholy creations usually born of rape. They weren’t accepted and never had been.

And yet…

I looked at the space where she’d been, noting the crumbs on the chair, and stroked my chin.

I wondered when I’d get to see her again.

Grabbing my cane, I walked over to my window. My eyes thinned when I saw the red-robed figure dart across the lawn; no one even glanced in her direction.

But I could not look away. She was like fire.

“You hid her from the world, Damian, but it seems the little bird will finally fly free.”

~*~

Blue

Once outside of the castle grounds and safely away from all prying eyes, I transported myself to another location.

Slipping into something suited for the next stage of my plan and, more importantly, something clean. I still smelled that bloody cyprus oil everywhere. It was disconcerting to say the least; if I smelled it, so would my father. But I’d worry about that later.

I was back once more in the middle land, the place mortals called Earth. Of course, Earth was a sphere that held three separate dimensions. One was the upper, or what mortals called the heavens. It was the realm the light fae commonly called ‘home’.

Most mortals knew nothing of the world they truly inhabited. And perhaps that was a blessing in disguise; ignorance was bliss, as they said.

The lower and upper realms were mostly stuck in the Middle Ages: carriages, swords, castles, etc. All of it was magical of course, but stuffy and unchanging. This was probably why I loved visiting the middle realm best. It was a place full of magic they called technology. Of course they were lacking in certain areas: healthcare, aesthetics, alchemy, to name a few. But it was impressive all the same.

I now wore an outfit I could never wear in Demonia: shredded jeans and a crop top, with a black leather jacket on top.

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I walked down the dingy back alleyways of post-industrial Hong Kong.

Neon lights reflected in the brackish puddles lining the pothole-riddled pavement. This city block wasn’t like the picture-perfect tourist spots; it was part of the city’s underbelly of darkness. Felt like home.

I turned down the winding maze of streets, heading toward a small shanty with a rusted tin roof on it.

When I got there, I knocked out a rhythmic pattern.

A peephole slid open and a pair of dark brown eyes looked back at me.Then the peephole swiftly slid shut, and the door opened.

The first thing I noticed was that the furnishings within had been upgraded recently. I said nothing to the pureblood servant who bowed deeply back at me. Mailina was definitely improving her lot in life, but as long as Erene had all he needed, I would not reprimand her for it.

I walked in and found Erene playing with blocks on the floor. The chubby two-year-old looked up at me, then jumped to his feet and ran toward me.

“Bwu! Bwu! You come back!”

I’d tried not to get close to him, tried to keep my heart separated, knowing I could never get attached to anything that would weaken me in any way. But as he’d begun to grow and I’d begun to recognize the sweet brother I’d grown alongside of, my heart couldn’t stay unaffected.

Mingled with the joy of seeing him was bottomless pain. I, his sister, had once killed him. In this life he had no knowledge of what I’d done, but I would never be able to escape it.

Dropping to my knees, I held my arms out to him. “Erene,” I smiled, wrapping him up in my arms. “You are getting so big! Wow!”

He laughed, kissing my neck with a wet slobbery kiss.

And for just a moment I had a flash of sending my blade through his tiny, little heart. It filled me with rage to think that I could have ever dared do that to him. My arms shook as I hugged him tight, kissing his sweet, dark curls before he finally pulled away.

“Wook. Wook what I made,” he cried as he dragged me by my hand over to the papers he had scattered on the ground.

I stared at the pictures he’d drawn. Bat. Cat. Dog. And me.

I picked up the picture of me. It was drawn with the hand of a two-year-old, but I could recognize myself clearly: only a half-breed could have that color hair.

Looking at him, I saw the smile shining in his dark blue eyes. “Do you wike it, Bwu?”

I had to swallow my self-hatred for a moment, knowing I could inadvertently crush his heart with my words. I adopted a gentle tone as I said, “You are so very talented, my Erene.” He grinned up at my, but I had more to say.

“In fact, you’re so good that if someone saw this, you could get hurt.”

The smile died from his eyes. I rubbed his cheek with my knuckles. “You did nothing wrong, Erene, okay? You just can’t sketch me. There are bad people out there, and they would do anything to get their hands on you. So they can’t ever know that you know me. It’s safer that way, okay?”

“But you won’t let them, wite?” He clutched at my hands with his chubby ones.

Gods, if he only knew that I’d been the biggest monster of them all. The hypocrisy shook me to the core as I whispered a rough, “Never.”

We spent the next few hours building legos together, and when the servant brought us dinner, we ate together. Finally, I read him a bedtime story, and only left once he’d fallen asleep.

I walked out the room feeling refreshed, and I cracked my back and rolled my neck from side to side. Unlike the mages of the underworld, my energy levels could only be recharged by returning every so often to the middle land. My power was more like the Great Light Goddess’s than the Great Darkness’s; I needed to feed off the goddess’s power embedded within the very soil of this land.

I didn’t need to be here long; even just stepping one foot in this world was enough to recharge me for several months, so long as I didn’t tap into my powers too much. And if I could ever actually enter the upper land, I may never have to recharge again. Being that close to the goddess herself would probably supercharge me permanently. But alas, that was not to be. I was half-breed, and absolutely forbidden from passing through those gates.

I looked at Erene’s nursemaid, whose downcast eyes failed to hide their mixture of disgust and pride. She was a pureblood, with gray hair and dull brown irises; I had no idea how Mailina had gotten her hands on a pureblood. But considering Mailina now had wealth, I imagined she’d bought the slave off the black market.

It was rare for a pureblood to be in the middle land. Only a noble with access to mana orbs could make the journey; she must have arrived with a noble or been banished. If I were a betting woman, I’d say the latter, considering the station she’d taken on.

Either way, I didn’t like her. But purebloods were innately more powerful than most creatures in the realms. Besides, I’d stolen the nursemaid’s soul the moment I met her, so even if she wanted to she could never betray me or my brother.

It made no difference to me if she hated me or not. The only important thing was keeping Erene alive. And as long as I controlled her soul, she would always be forced to do my bidding.

“Any news?”

For a moment it seemed she intended not to answer, but the longer she refused me the more the fire in her belly would burn. Denying me anything meant absolute and instant pain for her. Her nostrils flared, her body began to tremble, and then finally she gasped and shook her head.

I smirked. Someday she’d learn her place, but the pride of a pureblood was without equal.

“You know how to reach me if anything happens.”

She dipped her head once, resentment burning like fire in her muddy eyes.

“See that nothing does.” Then I turned. “Mailina!”

Instantly the half-spirit apparated before me. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back in a severe bun.

Without warning I shoved my hand into her throat, lifting her off the ground as easily as swatting at a gnat. Her claws worked furiously to free my hands from her. She drew blood, but I didn’t flinch. I only grinned back.

“I fear I’ve been too lax with you, my pet,” I said softly, cruelly. My grin grew wider as her eyes bulged and began to cloud. “Have you forgotten who I am?”

She gasped, her fingers still weakly clawing at mine. “Nah…no,” she gasped through lips that were now ringed in blue.

“What was the one rule I gave you?”

Her breaths were short and shallow, painful to hear. My thumb flexed against her trachea. It would be all too easy to snap it right in half. But instead I relaxed my grip, just enough for her to take in a choking gasp of air. Coughing violently, she hissed, “Guard. Him.”

“Mm.” I dropped her.

She sprawled out at my feet, clutching at her already-bruising neck. I smirked. “I might seem domesticated, but I promise you, I’m not.”

“But, mistress,” she squeezed out between whizzes, “What? Did I. Do. Wro—”

I lifted a brow, sneering down at her. “The fact that you don’t already know makes me so very sad.”

Her eyes were still ringed in that ghostly shade of white that betrayed her true nature.

“My image is not to be anywhere in this place. Should I find another one, I will kill you. This is my first and only warning. And if there is so much as a scratch on that boy,” I glared at the nursemaid who instantly straightened in her seat, “Well…” I laughed. “Just don’t let that happen. Okay?”

Then I left, shoving my hands back in my pockets as I reentered Hong Kong’s streets. They’d gotten the message loud and clear. Their lives were in my hands. They knew it. I knew it. What more needed to be said?

I made certain to keep anyone or anything off my scent as I wound my way out of the city’s maze. It was time for me to return to Demonia and report to my father.