Becoming Fae

“That’s absurd,” I snorted, after listening to Heather explain her vision. “Mal couldn’t kill me. Not only are we connected in both life and death, but we’re fully Bonded now. He’s completely incapable of giving me a bad scratch, much less killing me.”

“I’m only telling you what I saw. It’s not up to me to decipher the meaning, reasons, or cause of what I see coming to pass. Only to see the events and relay them as I see fit,” she replied.

“Could you look behind that moment? To see what led to the events of the vision?” I asked her.

“I’ve tried, but I cannot,” she answered. “Fate allows me to see things, but it also prevents me from seeing others. The past is one thing, since it’s already written, but the future is another matter.”

“I could never hurt Fae,” Mal insisted. “You’re still a new Seer. Your vision is wrong.”

“It’s not wrong,” Heather snapped at him.

“She would know her powers better than we would, Mal,” I put my hand on his arm. “I believe her, but I also know that the Bond wouldn’t allow you to harm me. There has to be another explanation.”

“Bond or not, I would never hurt you, Fae,” he said, still angry.

“I know,” I smiled. “Thank you, Heather. I know it has to be difficult to bring bad news to people. Being a Seer must be a vastly thankless burden.”

“Because of my nature, I tend to see the darker outcomes,” she sighed. “With this war coming, I’m seeing more and more blood as the breaking point draws nearer.”

I felt bad for her. For all Seers, really. They were burdened with seeing things that would make most people balk. It was no wonder that many of them died young or went mad.

“I’m sorry you’re put through this. I hope this is over quickly so you might find a bit of peace, if only for a time,” I said honestly.

“Can you tell us anything about when this might happen?” Mal asked her.

“I don’t know, but it can’t be very long,” she replied. “No one looked much different than they do now. It could be tomorrow or in the next few months. A year, tops. Since I can’t see the events directly leading up to it, I can’t be sure how much time passes between the last thing I can see and Fae’s last breath.”

“Anything after?” I asked her.

“Nothing clear and nothing with either of you in it,” she answered. “Fate might allow Seers to peek at certain events, but it still maintains a very large degree of mystery. This, it would seem, is one such event.”

“Thank you again for trying,” I told her. “And it’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” she replied, sounding like she was smiling. “You should have seen Ben’s face.”

“Oh, I bet that was comical,” I laughed.

“You could say that,” she snorted. “And just so you know; you will see again before what I saw comes to be the present.”

“Then I’m assuming it will be years, because there is little hope in that department,” I rolled my eyes.

“You seem to be beating the odds more often than not, so don’t be so pessimistic,” she laughed.

“She’s not wrong,” Mal linked our hands and lifted them to kiss my knuckles.

“We’ll agree to disagree on this,” I said flatly.

“Stubborn,” Heather scoffed as someone knocked on the wooden doorway to the room.

“Rollie,” Mal greeted.

“That’s my sign to get the heck out. I think there was a nymph eyeing me earlier, so I’m off to more enjoyable matters,” she said, and I heard her leaving before Rollie closed the door.

“We need to talk about Victoria,” he said. “I think she’s not here as part of the aide Heather intended to bring to us.”

“Meaning?” Mal asked.

“Meaning he thinks she’s a spy or something equally undesirable,” I sighed. “Do you have proof?”

“None,” Rollie sighed heavily. “But I get the feeling that she’s up to more than she’s letting us see.”

“What is she?” I asked.

“Witch,” Mal answered. “Not a very strong one, either.”

“What kind of witch?” Rollie asked.

“I’m not sure if she ever picked a specialty, but her family is mostly aligned with the darker magics. I believe her grandmother was pretty skilled in memory manipulation, though,” Mal answered.

“Then we should take precautions,” Rollie said.

“I’m protected by Netiri’s blessing and it’s extended to Mal through our Bond,” I told him. "Until recently, the protection would have extended to Ben and Blaine in a lesser degree, but whatever it was that Harmon did broke the connection to them as my Guardians.”

“It’s likely that Blaine is still protected, since he’s bound to you, but I’d rather err on the side of caution,” Rollie said.

“I think that is for the best. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a little bit more between us and whatever might come our way,” I nodded. “How do you propose to do that, though?”

“There are many magics in the Sidhe, Fae,” he laughed. “There’s always a way if you look in the right places.”

“You aren’t going to say, are you?” I gave him a flat look. At least, I hoped I was facing him and not a wall.

“Nope,” he confirmed. “But I’ll be gone for a few days. Try not to get into trouble.”

“I make zero promises, since there is an army coming for us now,” I answered.

“I’ll be back before they get here,” he told me.

“They won’t make it here,” I said, getting the attention of both of them. “We’re going to meet them.”

“Fae,” Mal warned.

“I will not allow an army to lay waste to the vulnerable when there is another option,” I said firmly. “Evacuated or not, there are people here that will pay the price for the rest of their lives. Parents, siblings, cousins all will die. Entire families will be wiped out. I know that war is bloody and messy, and lives will be lost, but I will not have more blood, pain, and suffering weighing on my soul than is necessary.”

“You’re talking about a mission that’s doomed to fail,” Mal said.

“We were doomed to fail the moment I Awakened and that blasted Throne claimed me as the heir,” I snapped. “But I’ll be damned if I allow that failure to steal things so freely. I might not be the best choice for a queen, and I've made bad choices and have acted even worse, but if I can put myself between this and those that deserve better, I’ll gladly stand there and give everything I have to tip the scales to balance.”

“You make a great martyr, but can we maybe not go that route?” Rollie groaned.

“I second that,” Mal agreed.

“I will go whichever way I need to for the best outcome,” I answered. “I’ve been hiding and running away long enough. Heather says I’m going to die, so I may as well choose how I go. Stabbed in the back or fighting for something bigger? The choice isn’t difficult to make.”

“You aren’t going to die,” Mal asserted.

“There’s a Seer whose visions state otherwise,” I shrugged. “We’re literally a bunch of villagers with pitchforks facing not one, but two armies lead by some the most ruthless beings in the history of demons. It doesn’t make much difference that Immail and Netiri are free. They’re not in the best condition after that curse wrecked them for so long. Harmon, Naz, and Rollie might be formidable, but even they have limits. There is no winning, Mal. There is only the chance to improve the odd for someone else.”

“You’re the one the Throne claimed, Fae,” Rollie said.

“For now. But I’m thinking I was never meant to claim it. I think my purpose is to take as many of the power players down with me as I can,” I shrugged again. “Either way, it’s what I intend to do. So, I think it might be best if we stop playing house and start getting serious. Imps have difficulty moving powerful beings around, so they won’t use them to get here quicker, meaning they’ll likely march here. That gives us a month or less to prepare.”

“There’s not much that can be done so quickly,” Mal sighed heavily. I knew he wanted to argue with me on this, but he also knew I was right.

“Then we have no time to lose. Rollie, go do what you need to, then return as quickly as possible. We have a lot of work to do and the sooner we have that extra protection, the better off we'll all be,” I said seriously.