Kingdom of the Western Wind Read online

  Pulling out my cell phone, I opened Messenger and tapped my mother’s icon.

  Gone for a few days. Back soon!!

  A few moments later, I heard a buzz.

  What??

  There’s something I have to take care of. I’ll be fine.

  Come home and get me and your brother.

  I turned the cell phone off and stowed it in the cupholder next to me, and then I revved the car, taking 95N towards Washington, DC.

  Chapter 2

  I turned the radio to a pop station as I drove, and sang along, trying to crowd out the worries. Was Charles all right? Would I be able to reach him in time?

  Time, time, time, Joe sang from the back seat.

  “Shut up,” I grumbled. I glanced over at the passenger seat, and blinked. A purple Sending cloud was sparkling there. Garrett’s voice came from it. “Eileen, we’re very worried. Your mother got in touch with us. We think you’re heading up to Strike Team Three. This is a direct order. Stand down –”

  I waved my hand through the cloud, dismissing it. “There goes my job,” I said with a moan.

  Eamon reappeared. “Yes, and with that, your value has diminished considerably, Eileen.”

  “So, why do you keep showing up?” I demanded crossly.

  He gave me a considering look. “You’re interesting. Also, I may be lying.” He laughed softly. “I see you’re on your way to Pittsburgh.”

  “Like you didn’t already know.”

  “I’m not omniscient, my dear,” he said lazily. He waved his hand. “Nor can I read your mind, completely. At least, not yet.”

  “Eamon, I really don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

  “Why are you helping a man who’s not even really your boyfriend?” He retorted.

  I drew back, stung. “I care about Charles,” I snapped.

  Eamon laced the fingers of his hands together. “You do, but that’s not the only reason you’re doing this.” He waited. I drove silently, not looking at him.

  “You feel guilty that you failed to negotiate for Strike Team Three’s freedom, when you freed Charles,” he said. “You feel responsible for them. This is as much about expunging your conscience as it is about saving your boyfriend.” He laid subtle stress on the word, smirking.

  “It’s none of your business, Eamon.” I drove silently for a moment, then looked at him, frowning. “And why,” I said slowly, “are you keep showing up so often? Don’t tell me that you can just take time out of your day and project yourself to me with the snap of a finger. It seems like that would take some power.”

  “Ah,” he said, “but don’t forget – we’ve a bond. And I do believe you’re about to have some company.”

  I looked in the rearview mirror and cursed. A police car was following me, lights and sirens on. “Damn Garrett,” I said grimly, pulling off to the side of the road.

  “Keep your cool,” Eamon said grimly. “This might not be all that it appears.”

  I frowned. I’d just defeated a fae kidnapper by driving her to a police station. I owed the police a large debt. “What do you mean” -

  The officer tapped on the windshield. I rolled it down, smiling politely. “Good afternoon, officer”-

  “Step out of the car,” he snapped. The top of his lip was beaded with sweat.

  I blinked. “What have I –”

  “Step out of the car!” he demanded. His hand went to his spellblaster.

  “All right, officer,” I said slowly. “I’m putting my hand on the door. I’m getting out of the car.” Slowly, I emerged, holding my hands high. The officer gestured to his patrol car.

  “Walk,” he commanded.

  “What is this about –”

  “Walk, ma’am.”

  I frowned but obeyed. He put me in the back of the car and then got in the front, turned the radio on high, and began to drive.

  The back seat of the patrol car was uncomfortable. I shifted, glad I wasn’t cuffed, and flashed back to the night I’d been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. I’d been cuffed then, too. I pushed back the memories and looked around. We’d gotten off of 95 and were driving through Dumfries. I frowned.

  “Where are we going?”

  The officer didn’t respond.

  “What’s your name?”

  There was no answer.

  I sighed and leaned back in the seat.

  After about twenty minutes, he pulled up in front of a small house, shabby, set well back from the street. It looked as though it’d been there for years while its better-looking brethren were fixed up, sold, and fixed up again by neighbors. The officer stopped the car and got out, opening the door for me. “This way, ma’am,” he said. He went to the door of the house, crackling with a door ward, and placed his hand on it. It sprang open.

  I stayed put. “I’m not going in,” I said stubbornly, “until someone tells me what’s going on.”

  “Absolutely understandable,” a voice said from inside. Officer Maria Santos appeared and smiled at me. “I’ll explain everything, I promise – but you might be a bit more comfortable inside. And,” she added, “people are searching for you.”

  I gaped at her. “Maria? What”-

  “I promise,” she said patiently, “to explain everything. Just please come inside.”

  I hesitated then walked in. The last time I’d seen Maria had been at the police station after the fae had attempted to kidnap me. She’d been one of the police officers who’d helped me. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. The officer who’d brought me closed the door behind me with a decided thump. I looked at him nervously.

  Maria noticed. “Don’t worry about Tran,” she said reassuringly. “I apologize if he was a bit stiff. His orders were to get you here as quickly as possible. He’s one of our most efficient officers, but he’s not really one for talking.”

  I looked around. We stood in a large room ringed with desks. It looked like a miniature copy of police headquarters. “Maria…” I said slowly. “What is this place?”

  “This,” she said, gesturing, “is Safehouse Five.” As she smiled, a dimple emerged on her cheek. “I bet you didn’t know we partner with Northern Virginia Rescue Association on occasion.”

  “Maria…” I said slowly, “I’ve been put on administrative leave. Or by now, probably fired.”

  “Have you really?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Medical reasons,” I said shortly

  “Really?” Maria asked. “I thought it was because you claimed you were magically bound to Eamon, Prince Faolain’s main enforcer.” She laughed at the expression on my face. “Somebody – who shall remain nameless – called us as soon as you left the NVRA, Eileen. As it happens, I don’t think you’re hallucinating. I believe you. And there’s very, very little we can do outside of northern Virginia – jurisdiction prohibits it – but there may be some assistance I can give you.” She led me to a table set up against the back wall.

  “This,” she said, lifting a small book, “is all the satellite data we have of the boundary lands. It’s not much. As I’m sure Anna told you, satellite doesn’t work over Northern Sun – the king is too powerful. But sometimes we get a shot of the boundary lands…just enough to take a quick picture. And this” - she handed me a small compass – “is a tuned compass. It’ll take you directly to Charles Talbot, but move fast – it only has enough power for two days.”

  I pushed it back to her. “I can’t use magic,” I said flatly. She shook her head.

  “Not the way it works, Eileen. It’s attuned to the magic in Charles’s compass – it’s on the same frequency. It’ll take you directly to him.” Mara looked at me and cocked her head quizzically. “What were you planning to do, go out in the woods and stumble around until you found him?”

  I thought back to my dream. “I had a starting point,” I said obliquely. I took the compass.

  “Hmm,” Maria said skeptically. She took the last item off the table, an ol
d FNH FS9 pistol. “And this – this is the last thing we’re giving you.” She handed me the pistol.

  I hefted it, inspecting it. “Israeli-made,” I murmured. “Nine millimeter. Ten rounds.”

  “Yes,” Maria agreed. “And, most importantly” - she held up a finger – “completely untraceable to us. If anyone tries to find out where it came from, the last known owner was a small-time crime lord in Russia.” She handed me the holster. “I know you haven’t gotten your other – very illegal, by the way – pistol back.”

  I put the holster over my shoulder and holstered the pistol. “Why are you being so helpful?” I asked.

  “Just know,” Maria said, “that there’s a great deal of interest in the success of your mission.”

  I frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “And I can’t explain it to you. But you need to get back on the road, and I need to get back to catching criminals. Tran will take you back to your car.” She turned her back and began shuffling papers as Tran collected me and escorted me back to the door.

  I went over the maps during the ride back to my car. They were satellite images, showing forests, rolling hills, and clear streams. The border with Pennsylvania was clearly delineated. I closed the maps and looked at the compass in my hand. It hummed with power, shining slightly golden.

  That might be a problem on a dark night if I wanted to pass unseen. I shoved it into a pocket of my pants, and the shining stopped.

  Tran pulled in behind my car, still parked on the side of the interstate, and stopped. He opened the back door and waited for me to get out. “Thank you,” I said stiffly, emerging. He nodded, got back in the patrol car, and drove off. I stretched, got back in my car, and began to drive north.

  As I drove, I began to plan. I had my hiking gear in my car; I never left home without it. Fortunate, that, I brooded. I had the maps and the compass linking me to Charles. All that was left was to do the actual rescue.

  The next few hours passed slowly, as though time were being dragged through lead. Eamon did not reappear. Every time I thought of Charles, I felt like crying. My voices made no reappearance, either, which was slightly unusual – but I wasn’t about to complain.

  I looked out the window. I was driving past towering mountains and rolling rivers with small rapids. I’d made it to Pennsylvania. I drove around Pittsburgh, glancing at the city. It glowed against the night sky. I watched as the fae-lights lit the night, bouncing from skyscraper to skyscraper. Above me, a plane’s engines hummed.

  “How goes the lonely warrior?” Eamon asked, appearing next to me.

  I didn’t answer.

  “That well, hmm.” He propped his head up in his hand. “Be wary, Eileen. Don’t think Western Winds – or my dear brother Faolain – have given up on you.” He vanished again.

  I nervously peered at the rearview mirror. No-one appeared to be following me. Swallowing, I continued to drive.

  Suddenly, something crashed on my roof. I jerked the steering wheel reflexively, and the car went off the road. I screamed as it crashed into the brush on the side of the road. Shaking, I jumped out of the car and looked around. Noone was there. Just as I started to relax, I felt a hard punch to the back of my head. I fell forwards,caught myself on my hands, and flipped. Landing on my feet, I went into combat stance, and gasped.

  A massive winged creature stood there. It looked like a bat, with ribbed wings and long, dark fur. It had beady eyes and large ears,that hung down around its head. It opened its mouth, revealing immense fangs, and screamed at me.

  The sound was piercing. I covered my ears desperately; it felt as though they were about to burst from the sheer intensity of the noise. The sound continued, and I stumbled, dropping to my knees. The creature lunged forwards, seized me around the waist, and then leaped effortlessly into the air. It took flight, its great wings beating, and I screamed, fighting uselessly as the ground receded. When my car was just a speck below, I went limp. What happens if I fall? I thought frantically. I had no magic with which to cushion myself.

  We flew. My face and fingers went numb with cold; the compass, still in the pocket of my pants, was the only spot of warmth on my body. I watched the ground and realized we were flying over boundary land. I recognized the terrain from the maps I’d studied as the boundary lands outside of Northern Sun.

  We flew to a large, ominous building. I gulped, recognizing the guardhouse. The beast flew to a turret and let out a great, ringing cry. The top of the turret slowly opened, and the beast flew in. It landed and deposited me, none too gently, on the ground.

  “Bring her to the throne room,” a voice commanded from the side of the room. I glanced over. It was Eamon. I opened my mouth, but he gave me a warning look and walked out without another word.

  Guards surrounded me, hoisted me up, and quickly moved me out of the tower. We walked down a long hall lined with cells; I stopped, recognizing the occupants of one of them. “Vu,” I whispered. “Vu Mariner.”

  Vu jolted up from where he was sitting in his cell. “Eileen!” he exclaimed. “Eileen, what –”

  “No talking,” the commander of the guard barked. He prodded my back. “Keep walking.”

  I cast Vu an apologetic look and continued on. We approached two large wooden doors inlaid with metal symbols. I blinked, recognizing the glyphs for combat magic. The commander of the guard barked a Word, and the doors opened.

  “In,” he commanded. I obeyed, willing myself not to tremble.

  The throne room was simple. A wooden throne sat at the far end of the room, and a wooden table, laden with maps, stood in the middle of it.

  I gasped – Charles Talbot sat at the table, his hands ringed with blue fire. He looked to be in a murderous rage.

  “So, here she is, brother,” a voice said lazily. Prince Faolain strolled into view. “I told you it would be a lovely reunion.” He smiled at me. “Hello, darling.”

  “Don’t call me that,” I spat.

  “Well,” he agreed, “you did somehow destroy the bond we had, my dear – which was just as well. I don’t know how you initiated it in the first place.” He smiled gently. “But now we’re all here together – and you can both answer some questions for me.”

  “I won’t answer any questions for you!” I exclaimed. Charles remained silent.

  “Yes, I know the routine,” Faolain said. “You’re both former Army. You’re strong, stalwart, and loyal. I can’t threaten you or torture you into revealing your secrets. I tried it on my dear half-brother here, and all I got was the Army’s General Orders.” He laughed. “But I think – now that you’re here – I might have more success.”

  “You won’t,” I said staunchly. Charles just looked at me.

  “We’ll see,” Faolain said. He raised his hand slightly, and I flew against the wall, my legs and arms spread. “Let’s get started, shall we?” He paused. “Where is my slave?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said.

  “I think you do.” Faolain frowned. “Had I any idea what that slave knew, I never would’ve left McConnell Consultants,” he murmured. “I was recently disabused by my associate at Northern Virginia Rescue Associates. Now. Where is my slave?”

  I took a deep breath. “I don’t know,” I lied, “and I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”

  Faolain snapped his fingers, and I screamed as a jolt of lightning passed through me. “You’re lying,” he said dispassionately. “I can feel it. My associate told me that three of you know where Sarah of Northern Sun is: you, Garrett Patrick, and Anna O’Laughlin. Now, where is she?”

  I thought of Rima working out the logistics for the Centreville safe house with me. I hoped nobody told him that she could make a really good guess as to where Sarah was as well. “I really don’t know,” I said, my voice trembling. Another jolt of lightning passed through me, and I screamed again.

  “Stop,” Charles said suddenly. “Stop.”

  “Stop, brother?” Faolain asked mockingly. “Why? You d
on’t know where the slave is. You told me.”

  Charles took a deep breath. “I can make a good guess. And if you let Eileen and my team go, I’ll guide you there.”

  Faolain frowned and twisted his hand. I fell to the ground in a heap. “Oh, you will,” he murmured. “What a change in attitude, brother. I see having the woman here is…convincing.” He glanced at me. I glared at him from my heap on the floor.

  “Charles,” I said, furious, “don’t do it. I’ll never forgive you if you do.”

  Charles didn’t look at me. “Do we have a deal, brother?”he asked, his voice deep.

  Faolain looked back. “We do. But your… girlfriend… will be coming with us.” He waved at me.

  Taking a chance, I gathered myself and lunged at him, aiming for his midsection. I caught him, and we tumbled to the ground. Desperate, I scrambled for his neck, trying to choke him. Magic pulsed around my hands, gluing them together. Guards burst into the room and rushed to us, pulling me off him. One of them hit me brutally in the face. I yelped.

  “Stop!” Charles tried to rise to his feet, his face dark. “I won’t help you if you hurt her!”

  “Stop,” Faolain commanded, rising to his feet. He brushed his armor and looked at me. “You will pay for that” he murmured.Then he pointed at one of the guards. “Stand with her. Put a dagger to her throat. Don’t let her move.” He pointed to another guard. “Find Eamon.” The guard took off at a run.

  “Faolain.” Charles pulled at his hands, which were still encased in blue fire. They were bleeding where the fire hit them. “If you hurt her, I swear I’ll destroy you and every fae in this thrice-damned kingdom –”