The Scroll of Osiris: An Eva & Lilura Novel

Chapter 14 Lilura

Chapter 14 Lilura

Kodan explained that Joseph Clark’s home was located about two hours outside of Knoxville so we had a road trip ahead of us. Although the way Kodan was speeding would get us there a lot sooner. The first few minutes of the car ride were silent.

“So, you and Eva.” I ventured. Kodan’s hands gripped the steering wheel hard. 

“Yeah, it just...happened. I hope that’s okay?” He looked at me, his warm brown eyes worried.

“Of course it’s okay!” I reassured him. Kodan’s hands loosened on the wheel. 

“I’m not Eva’s keeper, she can do whatever she wants. Besides I’m glad she’s with you, Marcus was such an ass.” I continued. Kodan chuckled softly. 

“Yeah, he is an ass. But I’m glad you’re okay with it. I have never felt so attracted to anyone before. It’s like being pulled by a giant magnet.” Kodan explained. I knew how he felt because that’s how I felt about Tyr.

“So what about you and Faerie Guy? You seemed kind of sad when you came back to Eva’s apartment.” Kodan asked. 

“His name is Tyr.” I laughed. “And yeah, I was a little sad, but I haven’t ever been with an immortal before. There are just a lot of complex issues.” I explained. 

“Tell me about it. I can’t think of a time in recent history where a wolf and a vamp have gotten together.” Kodan mused. I had to agree I hadn’t heard of such a thing either. They had an uphill battle just like Tyr and me.

“Yeah, that’s going to be complicated,” I added. We both stayed in silence for a while. My mind wandered on the whole situation we had found ourselves in and my heartfelt suddenly heavy. I leaned my head back on the headrest looking out the window.

“Remember when things were a lot less complicated. When you and Corey just worked on my cottage and drank beers on my porch.” I sighed. 

“Yeah, I do. I miss that. I miss him.” Kodan responded, a hint of melancholy crept into the car with us. 

“I miss him too,” I said. A lump had grown in my throat. While Corey and I had had only a small fling, I still missed his friendship. He was so vibrant and the sudden loss of him hit everyone that knew him very hard.

“There was a time when I really thought you two would end up together,” Kodan said, he gave me a quick sad smile. I hadn’t been completely honest with Tyr about my relationship with Corey. I told the truth when I said that I didn't love Corey. However, Corey had loved me, or at least he thought he did. He never told me, but after we slept together a few times and then I had told him that I just wanted to be friends, he was heartbroken. The next day Corey left with a short goodbye and I never heard from him again. Corey was the last man I had been with before Tyr. 

“I know. It just...isn't meant to be.” I finally replied. Another silence enveloped us. I wiped a stray tear from my cheek quickly. 

“What are we gonna do if we find this guy?” I asked, changing the subject. 

“Well if we find him, we’re gonna grab him and bring him before the leaders. I’m sure they'll come together in this instance and each take a piece of him.” Kodan said a dangerous edge to his voice. 

“And if we don’t find him?” I asked quietly. 

“Then we don’t stop until we do. We can’t have him raising Osiris. Even if Tyr gets his hands on that blade, I don’t know how we will defeat him.” Kodan explained there was concern in his eyes and I felt a wave of worried energy come off of him. He was right of course. No one was willing to help us, and how were the four of us going to defeat a god? The rest of the car ride was held in tense silence. Finally, we pulled up to a small blue craftsman house. There was no car in the driveway. 

“Let’s take a look around real quick. How good are you at glamour spells?” Kodan asked, getting out of the car.

“Pretty good,” I replied following him around the car. He pulled his gun out his holster. I pulled the energy around us like a cloak obscuring our figures from possible human eyes. Slowly we crept along the side of the house. We peeked up at the front porch and noticed a pile of mail and newspapers in front of the front door. We continued along the side of the house to the back yard. Kodan was tall enough to peer above the fence to see into the yard, I resorted to peeping through a hole in the fence. The yard was overgrown and trash had collected in the corners. Kodan jostled the fence gate and it screeched open. We froze, just in case someone heard. We entered the back yard carefully. I followed Kodan up the back porch steps to the back door. A table and chairs had blown over and sat sideways on the porch, a collection of dust and leaves collecting on and around the furniture. 

“Can you smell anyone?” I whispered. Kodan shook his head.

“Can you sense anyone? He might be hiding his scent.” He asked in a hushed voice. I reached out with my energy seeing if it would connect with anything or anyone. All I felt was the heat of Kodan’s energy.

“No, I can’t feel anyone else,” I whispered again. Kodan nodded and carefully tried the door handle. It was locked. I quietly moved in front of him, whispering an opening spell. We both heard the soft click of the lock sliding out. I grabbed the door handle delicately and opened the door as quietly as possible. We both moved into the house quickly. 

The house was dark, but more than that it felt like an empty cavern. No one had been in this house in a while. We each moved about the house checking separate rooms. I came across a study. It appeared as if someone had lost it in here. Bookcases had been toppled over, lamps had been smashed, papers were strewn about the room and tacked along the walls. One wall was completely overwhelmed with small scribbled handwriting in marker. I moved closer to try to read it.

Blood of Fae, Eye of Wolf, Hand of Witch, Fangs of a vampire.

Belladonna, Hemlock, wolfsbane?

Neuromuscular blocking agents for supes?

No, no, no, no.

No poisons.

Hand must be mid spell

Hand must be right.

Vampire turned to dust. Fangs broke.

Wolf must be shifted. Must remove the eye before death.

Fairy turned to plant, must extract blood before death.

The scribblings continued but they became increasingly harder to read. We were definitely in the right house, but not the right time. I reached out again with my energy and I felt the emotions that this room, in particular, had been stained with. Deep blue for despair, scorching red for rage, and bright yellow for determination. Other emotions whirled in the mix but none so overwhelming. This man had gone insane with grief. I turned from the wall of madness and tried to examine the papers spread around. There were several pages ripped up that I couldn’t make anything of. There were books on archeology and history. I picked up one notebook full of notes on an Egyptian dig. I pocketed in my jacket to read through later. I sensed Kodan behind me and turned.

“Looks like he cleared out of here,” Kodan said.

“Yeah, but definitely our guy. There is a whole wall of mad scribblings about the murders.” I explained. Kodan took a quick glance at the wall.

“He’s mad with grief. I think he discovered the ritual in Egypt, I think he was an archaeologist.” I continued.

“That makes sense,” Kodan said quietly. 

My phone buzzed loudly in my pocket. Eva. I quickly answered.

“Eva? Did you stop him?” I asked.

“No. We missed him. The Fae is already dead. We’re too late. He has everything now.” Eva answered. Kodan and I gave each other a panicked look. My heart dropped to my stomach. 

“Tyr and I are heading back to my apartment. Did you find anything?” Eva asked. I tried to focus my attention back on our conversation.

“Just the scribbles of a mad man. But I did find a notebook that belonged to Joseph. Maybe I can find out more from it. Kodan and I will meet you back at the apartment.” I explained. We quickly said goodbye. Kodan and I made our way out of the house and to the car. Kodan raced through the streets even faster. 

I opened the notebook and tried to decipher the contents. Most was incomprehensible, but I came across a simple sentence. Death from Death. Read the line and underneath in even smaller handwriting, oldest cemeteries in America. I pulled out my phone and researched the oldest cemeteries. There were hundreds on the list. How would I even begin to narrow down the list? I put my phone away disheartened.

“Find anything?” Kodan asked. 

“Not really, just a line about the oldest cemeteries in America. The list is long though and I don’t know which one he would choose.” I sighed and rubbed my throbbing head. Kodan could sense my unease.

“It’s going to be alright. We haven’t run out of time yet.” Kodan reassured me. I nodded in acknowledgment. We drove the rest of the way in silence, each of us deep in thought. The night had passed quickly and dawn was already fast approaching. 

Tyr and Eva were sitting in the living room in silence when we walked in. They both looked exhausted and worried. Tyr stood first and approached me. I gave him a tired smile and he cupped my face in his gloved hand. 

“You look exhausted Lilura.” He said brushing his thumb across my cheekbone.

“I am exhausted,” I said simply. It was an understatement. I had never felt more tired in my life. A part of me just wanted to go home, crawl into a ball under my blankets, and let someone else stop the end of the world. I didn’t say more to Tyr as we joined Eva and Kodan in the living room. Kodan sat close to Eva on her couch, their knees touching. I sat in the chair across from and Tyr sat on the arm of the chair.

“We did our best to search the park and the trees, but we were too late and we found her body already turned into a bush. His scent was all over the place but I couldn’t get a trail of it out of the park.” Eva explained. 

“So what do we do now?” I asked tiredly. 

“I’m going to call a colleague at the bureau. They may be able to track his financial activity and we can try and track him down that way.” Kodan suggested. We all nodded in agreement. He got up to make his phone call.

“Tyr, we need that knife. We have to be prepared for the possibility that Joseph completes this ritual.” Eva said. 

“I was able to locate it, but I’ll have to go to court to get it. Even then, the difficulty will be convincing King Oberon to give it to me.” Tyr sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Well, we don’t have a choice. We have to get that knife. Even if we have to steal.” I said with a new resolve. Eva and Tyr looked at me worriedly. I stood up abruptly. They both still stared at me.

“We are going to get that knife. No matter what it takes.” I declared. Kodan came back to the living room.

“So that’s settled then. They found some transactions at a bookstore nearby. They also found a purchased plane ticket to New Orleans for tomorrow early morning. We may be able to catch him at the airport. Eva and I can check out the bookstore and see if he is nearby.” Kodan explained.

“Good, then Tyr and I will go to the Seelie Court and get that knife,” I announced. 

“It’s not that easy Lilura. There are rules about court. You can’t just walk in there.” Tyr explained. 

“Then we will follow the rules. What do we need to do.” I exasperatedly asked.

“Well, your attire will need to be more formal.” He started. 

“I can lend her a gown. I have plenty.” Eva offered. 

“Fine, get dressed and then I will explain the rest,” Tyr said. I followed Eva back to her room and into her enormous walk-in closet. One entire wall was dedicated to evening gowns.

“Your wardrobe is literally prepared for any situation,” I said amazed. I gently ran my hand along the various gowns. Eva was already flicking through them quickly. Finally, her hand landed on one she approved of and she pulled it off the rack and held it in front of me.

The gown had a large heavy ballroom skirt. It was a midnight blue with gold jewels and embroidery along the bodice and skirt. The straps hung elegantly around the shoulders. 

“This is a gown fit for a court.” Eva mused.

I touched the fabric lightly, it was a heavy material with a tulle overlay. Eva had to help me out of the body armor and choker. She proceeded to help me into the skirts and bodice of the dress pulling the corset tight around me. She pulled me to her vanity and expertly styled my hair in an elegant up-do and gorgeous makeup. Someone cleared their throat behind us and we both turned to see Tyr leaning in the doorway. He had somehow changed also. He wore a matching midnight blue doublet and dark leather pants and tall boots. He looked gorgeous as always, but also somehow more intimidating and otherworldly. 

“You’re stunning Lilura. You outdid yourself, Eva.” He said with a small smile at both of us. 

“Thank you, now Lilura you will need some weapons. I can help you hide some daggers and I also have some iron jewelry you can wear.” Eva explained.

“No I don’t need those, I'll be fine.” I protested. 

“No, Eva is right. Wear the jewelry and take some weapons, the Seelie Court can be dangerous and we don’t know what we are walking into.” Tyr objected. I didn’t fight either of them any further as Eva helped slip a garter sheath on my thigh and placed an iron band on my wrist and a few iron rings on each hand. 

“There! Now you’ll be packing a punch.” Eva exclaimed. She turned me toward the mirror to look at myself. I was surprised to look at the woman in the mirror, I hardly recognized myself. The dark blue was a nice contrast against my pale pink skin. It brightened my blue eyes to an electric blue. My hair stood out like fire. Tyr walked up to stand beside me. We looked out of time, as if transported to the fifteenth century. 

“Will this do?” I asked him.

“Yes.” He replied. 

“What else do I need to know?” I inquired, turning away from the mirror and facing Tyr. His face was serious and his eyes were nearly black, except for sparks and dark green and gold. 

“You will be introduced as my mistress. You will not eat or drink anything. You will not speak to anyone, and you will not leave my sight for any reason.” He listed his strict rules. 

“No food or drink, no talking, and no walking away. Got it.” I responded. I reached for his hand but he pulled it away.

“The iron.” He said, his face falling.

“Oh right,” I said sadly. We left Eva’s closet, Tyr placed his hand on the small of my back following me into the living room. Kodan stared at us when we entered. 

“Well, you two look like you just walked out of the fifteenth century,” Kodan observed.

“That’s because it's one of my court dresses from the fifteenth century,” Eva stated.

“Wow, that's amazing! Glad we look the part. So you two are going to see if you can track him in the city?” I asked Eva and Kodan.

“Yes. You two get the knife, we will try to stop Joseph. If not we will meet him at the airport tomorrow morning and catch him there.” Kodan answered.

“Cell Phones won’t work where we are going so we will call you when we get back,” I said, Tyr and I laid our phones on Eva’s coffee table.

“What if there is an emergency? How will we contact you?” Kodan asked.

“You won’t. We’ll be on our own, and so will you two.” Tyr replied. There was a heavy silence between us.

“Okay, well best of luck then,” Kodan said, finally breaking the silence. 

“Will you need your truck to get back to your house? Eva asked me. I opened my mouth but Tyr interrupted.

“No, there is a Trod near here that we can take to Tìr na nOg. The doorway by Liluras house is a fixed doorway and takes us to my place, not to the court.” Tyr explained. 

“What the hell is a Trod?” Kodan asked.

“It’s a doorway or portal to Tyr’s realm. They are finicky and have a reputation of moving around and closing spontaneously.” I answered. This didn’t seem to reassure Eva or Kodan.

“This Trod will work, it’s near a hotspot of energy and activity,” Tyr assured. 

“Where is it?” Eva inquired. 

“We should get going,” Tyr said, ignoring Eva’s question. 

“You can’t tell us where you’re going?” Kodan prodded impatiently.

“No,” Tyr replied shortly. Kodan threw up his hands in frustration and left the living room. 

“We need to go, I’ll see you soon Eva,” I said and gave her a long hug. 

“When will you be back?” She asked.

“I don’t know. Time works differently there. It could be only a few minutes on this side or…” I trailed off. It could be years. I could be gone for years if something went wrong. I didn't say this to Eva for she probably already knew the danger, I just gave her another hug and quickly made my way out of her apartment with Tyr.

———-

The Trod was not where I had expected it to be. It was late morning and we stood in front of the deserted nightclub Aura. It somehow looked grungy in the daylight compared to the night. The neon Aura sign looked old and weathered and the brick building appeared outdated. However, there was an energy pulsing from inside the building that I could feel all the way outside.

I had glamoured myself and Tyr as we had walked to the club. Tyr stood close at my shoulder but still wouldn’t take my hands due to the iron rings. 

“So the Trod is in there?” I inquired.

“Yes, in the cellar. Some Fae appreciate the liveliness of these places. The Trod was placed here specifically so they can venture back and forth easily.” Tyr explained. 

“So the vampires know about it,” I started following Tyr to the front door. It was locked obviously but a simple open spell flung the door wide open. Tyr had to duck inside and I followed at his heels.

“No, they don’t know.” He said in the darkness. The lights were all off and the place was a pit of blackness with no windows to let any sunlight filter through. I lifted my hand with my palm facing up and whispered a small spell. A small flame erupted in my palm illuminating us and the area around us. Tyr’s eyes were Fathomless black in the dim light, but he had a wistful smile on his lips as he stared at me and the flame. I walked ahead of Tyr as we wandered our way through the dark cavernous night club. His hand rested gently on my hip. We stayed silent as Tyr pointed me in the direction of the Trod. We descended a flight of stairs into the basement of the club. We followed a long hallway that ended with two doors to our left and right. Tyr moved in front of me and opened the right one. Inside was a bare room save for a few crates and empty liquor boxes. On the far wall stood an archway drawn in what looked like white chalk. As I focused on the archway I could feel the energy pulsing from it and the wall began to shimmer and move like the doorway to Tyr’s room. This was the Trod and it seemed to become more active the closer we got. We both stopped short a foot before the archway. 

Tyr turned toward me. He cupped my face in his large hand and stared at me. His thumb brushed along the top of my cheekbone. He gave me a weak smile but his dark eyes were sad. He bent his head and gently kissed me. It was slow and lingering and loving.

“I love you Lilura.” He said as he pulled away. 

“I love you too Tyr,” I replied. His hand still held my face.

“I can’t be like this with you when we are in court. We can’t touch and I will act as distant as possible with you. If they know how we feel they will attack. The Seelie Court is a dangerous place and the Fae there are manipulative, cruel, and calculating. Any weakness they see they will exploit.” He explained. My heartbeat sped up. The danger was mounting and I had no idea what to expect when we stepped through that archway.

“I understand,” I responded. We both gave each other a reassuring nod and turned to face the archway. Tyr stepped through first, disappearing behind the shimmering wall. I took a deep breath and jumped through the archway after him.

—————-

The Royal Hall was massive. Redwood trees lined the hall, their branches reaching out across to one another to create cathedral arches. The floor was marble strewn with leaves, twigs, and flowers. Balls of light bobbed and danced overhead to create a warm yellow glow in the hall. Two creeks ran parallel to each other on the other side of the redwood trees. Curtains of leafy vines and thorns covered entrances to different pathways out of the Court Hall. The room was crowded with all manner of Fae courtiers. In the creeks, I saw the silver hair of a lovely woman who quickly dived under and a tail broke the surface of the water. Goblins and brownies ran underfoot carrying an assortment of food and drink. Dryads, beautiful women made of wood, leaned and crawled along the trunk of the redwood trees. High elf Fae, those like Tyr, made the majority of the crowd. They were dressed in their court attire although some were wearing attire made of leaves and bark. Their faces, no longer glamoured were strikingly beautiful and disconcertingly abnormal at the same time. Some women had waves of roses and flowers as hair. Others had eyes like owls that overwhelmed any other feature of their face. I saw a man with enormous moose antlers protruding from their forehead. I glanced at Tyr and had noticed that his face had changed as well. Large pointed ears poke out from his black waves, his eyes had become a luminous gold and green the bones in his face had become sharper and more angular. He didn’t return my gaze but instead stared straight ahead. I followed his gaze to the far end of the hall. 

A gigantic tree overwhelmed the far end of the hall, an intricate throne had been carved into the trunk, and lounging in that throne was King Oberon. He was in a crimson red doublet and black leather pants, his feet were bare and his crown of golden leaves was askew atop his gold silken head. He looked different as well. Not only sharper, but golden leaves sprouted from his face to create a beard. I felt a hand on my lower back and saw that Tyr was pushing me forward into the crowd. As we passed through Fae bowed to Tyr and stared at me. Tyr walked a step ahead of me and I made sure to keep behind him. Finally, we stood at the foot of the throne.

King Oberon sat up straight and glared down at us. Tyr bowed before his king, his head bent in respect. I followed Tyr’s lead and did the best curtsy I could. 

“Your highness,” Tyr said in a cool smooth voice. 

“Lord Tyr! You have finally decided to join your people again. How wonderful!” King Oberon bellowed. The chattering from the crowd quieted to only a murmur.

“Yes, My King. I can only stay away for so long before I find myself called back to the court.” Tyr cooed with a bright smile. 

“Of course Lord Tyr. This is your home. No one can leave their home forever.” The King crooned back. He placed his own wide smile on his face. I noticed that his teeth were sharp and pointed and his tongue was a leafy green color. 

“As always My King I appreciate your hospitality and generosity.” Tyr professed.

“I see you have brought a guest. Please introduce us.” The King ordered. His voice was like honey over glass.

“This is my mistress,” Tyr explained. There was snickering and giggles from the crowd behind me. 

“Well isn’t that a surprise. Very good for you Lord Tyr. And does this woman have a name?” King Oberon asked. There was a glint of something in his light eyes. I was about to answer when Tyr interrupted.

“Delphinium. Like the flower.” Tyr answered. 

The King paused a moment, his eyes wandering across my face and body.

“Yes, Delphinium is an apt name. Her eyes are the exact shade as the flower. Well done Tyr, you have chosen a most lovely woman.” The King proclaimed, but I thought I noticed a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. 

“Thank you, my lord. I do not wish to spoil the festivities but I have returned for another reason.” Tyr began. I murmur ran through the crowd and I had a feeling making requests of the King was something rarely done.

“Please enlighten us, Lord Tyr.” King Oberon said an edge to his tone. He pursed his lips together and leaned back in the throne casting a wary gaze down at Tyr.

“Your Highness, I have reason to believe that a blade is in our possession that may aid in stopping the killings happening in the mortal realm,” Tyr explained. The King hesitated, I hand running over his leafy beard. 

“Why do I care about the death of mortals?” The King asked, waving a careless hand in the air. 

“It is not just mortals dying, some of our people have become victims as well.” Tyr pressed.

“Yes, I am aware. However, why not use any blade to kill the man? Or a gun for that matter?” King Oberon laughed and chuckles rose from the crowd. Tyr was determined though.

“My King, the killer is not the issue, he is a human, but he is on a much more dangerous mission. He is working to raise the underworld god Osiris.” Tyr explained desperately. Rage flashed across the King’s face but he composed his features quickly. 

“You expect me to believe that a mortal is going to raise a god?” King Oberon seethed. This was going south fast and my stomach did a nauseous flip. Tyr took a determined step forward and distantly I took notice of guards at the periphery of my vision.

“King Oberon, I am not lying to you. If we cannot stop the human, we will need anything we can to stop Osiris. Not only to protect the mortals, but to protect our own realm as well.” Tyr pleaded. The King narrowed his eyes at Tyr. His hands were gripping the arms of the Throne tightly making his knuckles white. 

“I do not care about the mortal realm! Let Osiris Rise! If he does we will close our world and be free of the mortals and their messes!” Oberon bellowed. The energy in the room had collected into white-hot rage. I could feel it coming off of Tyr too now.

“You are a fool if you believe we can survive the closing of our world! That doesn’t even guarantee that Osiris couldn’t find his way here! Aside from him, our entire existence depends on the life force of mortals! You close this world and you doom all of us!” Tyr howled with rage. The King shot up to his feet and the guards stepped closer to Tyr and me. 

“How dare you come in here with your w***e, demand something of me, and then proceed to insult me! I am your King! Or have you forgotten!?” King Oberon screamed. The hall was utterly silent. But Tyr wasn’t backing down he took another step forward as the King started to descend his throne. The guards were backing away as if already predicting they would not be able to stop this fight. 

“Brothers! Please! Enough of this ridiculous squabble. There is no need to ruin the night with a fight. Your Highness forgive Lord Tyr as he has spent much time with the mortals and has forgotten his place in this court. And as for you Tyr, the King has given you his answer on the blade, now relax and enjoy the festivities with your lovely Delphinium.” A man spoke from the crowd. He stepped forward and I recognized him as Aeden the Fae I had spoken with at the nightclub. He dropped me a wink before standing between the King and Tyr. He was dressed in emerald green doublet and the vines sprouting from his head hung in braids down his back. He gave Tyr and the King a wide peaceful smile. Tyr stepped back, as did the King returning to his throne. 

“You are quite right Lord Aeden. There is no need to spoil the evening. Let us return to merrier times!” He announced to the crowd. With that the crowd began mingling and chatting again, some even started to dance to the music of harps and Faerie flutes. Tyr and Aeden both approached me.

“So you’re after a blade then?” Aeden asked us in a hushed voice. 

“Yes, we cannot leave without it Aeden,” Tyr whispered. Up close I noticed that Aeden's eyes were completely black with no white or iris. Still, they were expressive and he sighed heavily. 

“Oberon will never give it to you. Not without a fight. Or a very heavy price.” Aeden added and looked at me. Tyr noticed and stepped closer to my side.

“We need it Aeden. Whatever you can do to help,” Tyr began but Aeden held up a hand to stop him.

“I can help you, but Tyr you know what it means if you steal that blade.” Aeden interrupted. I looked at Tyr’s grave face. 

“I know. I have no choice. This outcome was inevitable anyway.” Tyr explained gravely. I stayed silent but I was burning with questions. Aeden nodded his head.

“You are probably right, but I never wish for war. However, it has been a while since the last one, so it truly was only a matter of time.” Aeden sighed. A war? The price for this blade was heavy indeed. It would start a literal war between Tyr and the King. I grabbed Tyr’s arm.

“We have to find another way? A way that doesn’t start a war.” I pleaded. Tyr looked at me in horror for speaking but I couldn’t stay quiet.

“What if I stole the blade? He could blame me. You could denounce me as your mistress and take none of the blame.” I went on. Tyr still looked horrified but Aeden was smiling approvingly.

“She has a point Tyr. He would have no problem blaming the witches.” Aeden argued.

“No,” Tyr growled.

“I can do this. I want to do this.” I continued. Tyr was still shaking his head. We never finished our conversation when Aeden interrupted. 

“Incoming.” He said and grabbed me by the arm pulling me away from Tyr. I watched as a gorgeous Fae woman approached Tyr. She was tall and slender. Her face was elegant and youthful. Her hair was the color of silver with hints of blue. Her eyes were a matching silver grey and she wore a gown of linen white that hugged her figure tightly. She approached Tyr with a lovely small smile. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but they spoke briefly before the woman reached out her hand and he took it and they came together for a dance. Jealousy pierced my heart sharply and I had to will myself to keep my composure.

“Her name is Marielle,” Aeden whispered by my ear. He still had a tight grip on my arm.

“When Tyr becomes King she is to be his Queen.” Aeden went on. My stomach was doing flips and I had to look away from them dancing gracefully across the floor as tears stung my eyes. Aeden was quick to observe my tears and he pulled me farther from the hall and into the shadow of one of the redwood trees. He pushed me up against the trunk holding onto my shoulders tightly.

“Hold yourself together girl. Emotions here are like a drug you’ll attract some unwanted companions.” He said seriously. I wiped my tears away quickly.

“I just know nothing about him.” I stammered. Aeden sighed and rolled his eyes.

“You mortals have no concept of time or relationships. Tyr is one of the oldest Fae in the court. He is next in line to have that crown and that throne. He has been patiently waiting for centuries, if he is to have it do you really think that he would have you as his queen? He would be usurped immediately.” Aeden said in a harsh tone. Tyr May have told me he loves me, but Aeden was right, I had no place in this world with him. 

“No, I didn’t think that. I don’t know what I thought?” I replied in a hushed voice. I took a breath to calm myself and harden my resolve. We were here for a reason and I couldn’t wallow in self-pity. 

“I need that blade and you’re going to help me get it.” I declared. Aeden looked taken aback but a smile turned the corners of his mouth.

“My help comes with a price little witch.” He responded with a mischievous note in his voice. 

“What is your price?” I demanded. He chuckled softly.

“A simple favor. One that I can call upon at a later date.” He said with a shrug. A favor for a faerie could be a very dangerous thing. Tyr was willing to risk war for this blade, I could agree to a favor. Against my better judgment, I nodded.

“Then let us go before someone notices.” He said. He started for a curtain of vines and beckoned me to follow. I looked over my shoulder at Tyr. He was still dancing with Marielle both their faces serious as they spoke to one another. I turned back to Aeden who had pulled back the curtain and was waiting for me. I picked up my skirts and hurried after him. 

We were now in a dimly lit stone passageway. Torches were screwed to the walls at equal intervals casting a fiery warm red light on everything. Aeden’s legs were much longer than mine and I had to almost run to keep up. He turned around corners and forks in the path with ease and confidence. Finally, we came to a large wooden door.

“What’s in this room?” I asked Aeden. 

“Many things you are not allowed to touch.” He said before pushing the heavy wood door open. Inside was what could only be described as a treasure room. The whole room was packed with goblets, jewelry, weapons, coins, instruments, and heavy wood furniture. One whole large wooden table was dedicated to piles of different crowns and tiaras. I was still looking at all the shiny stuff, when Aeden hissed my name across the room. I hurried over to him. He was standing in front of a wall with different weapons mounted on it. There were two-handed swords, short swords, long daggers, spears, and some weapons I didn’t have a name for. Aeden pointed to a rather unremarkable blade; it was long steel with a simple leather black handle, and looked rather ancient and worn. 

“That’s it?” I was surprised.

“Yes,” Aeden said.

“How do I know you aren’t lying to me?” I asked dubiously.

“You don’t, but I’m not lying. We’ve reached an agreement and I can’t lie.” He replied. I reached out my hand to take it off the wall.

“What the hell is going on!?” A voice bellowed from behind us. A guard stood in the doorway, weapon, a long thin one-handed sword drawn. I looked at Aeden but he had already grabbed a sword off the wall and was advancing toward the guard. I didn’t waste any more time, I grabbed the blade off the wall, shoved it into my bodice and pulled the long dagger Eva had given me, from the sheath on my thigh. I flanked Aeden and he swung at the guard and their swords clanged together. 

“Run!” Aeden yelled. The guard had stepped into the room and the doorway was open, I sprinted through and back into the passageway. I ran as fast as I could with the large skirts and the dagger in my hand. I was completely lost the second turn I made. 

“f**k!” I yelled as I reached a dead end. I spun around and a guard had turned a corner and saw me. 

“STOP!.” He commanded. I didn’t and I charged at him. He swung his sword wide and I had to use both hands to keep my blade in my grasp as they collided. He parried and I blocked again. I had never held a dagger in my life and the contact sent a shockwave up my arm. I couldn’t afford to be on the defensive so I swung wildly at him but he easily blocked. He took a stab at my chest and I jumped back. I stumbled on my skirts and fell to the ground. My blade slipped from my grasp and slid across the floor. The guard looked down at me and with a wicked grin, he expertly spun his sword in his hand. He lifted it above his shoulder to strike down at me. I reached out my energy as he swung the heavy sword down. I stopped it mid-air but the force of keeping it from flying down on me was exhausting my energy. The Fae guard raised his free hand and thorny vines erupted from the stone and wrapped around my body. The thorns cut deep into my skin and poked through my dress. I screamed out in pain and lost my hold on the sword. The momentum I had held back came crashing down, but luckily the thicket of thorns around me caught most of the blow and I only suffered a gash across my knee. I tried to wiggle free as the guard brought the sword up again this time aiming for my head. I had no way of stopping it this time so I watched wide-eyed as the sword made its swift descent toward my face. 

The sword stopped mid-air and the guard was jolted as a spearhead protruded from his torso armor. Blood was flowing from his mouth and he dropped his sword as his hands frantically went to his chest to stop the bleeding. He fell to his knees and Tyr stood behind him. A spear standing tall in his hands. He looked enraged and that rage was no longer directed at the guard, who was now quickly turning into a thorny bush, but at me. The thorns released me and I was able to breathe and sit up. I had hundreds of bleeding cuts across my body and Eva’s beautiful dress was ruined. Tyr held out his hand to me and wrenched me to my feet. He quickly released my hand and shook it. I noticed tiny burn marks on his palm. The iron rings I thought.

“Tyr I am so sorry. I didn’t know it was going to get so out of hand…” I began.

“Stop. I will deal with you later. Right now we need to get out of here.” He growled at me. He took off down the passageway at a quick pace and I was running to keep up with him. As I started to lag behind he firmly gripped my arm and began to drag me through the hallways. Finally, we reached a curtain of flowers and he ripped it violently aside revealing a bedroom. It wasn’t his though. It was much more feminine. There was a canopy bed of white silk. There was an antique vanity in one corner. Marielle strode into the room from another door. She was the last person I wanted to see. 

“What happened to her,” Marielle asked Tyr. He pulled me more fully into the room and let go of my arm. 

“She was attacked by a guard,” Tyr replied angrily. He paced over to the other door and locked it. 

“Clean her up Marielle.” He commanded. She nodded and headed toward me. I held up my hands in protest.

“Wait what’s going on?” I asked. Tyr was rummaging through a trunk at the foot of Marielle’s bed. He was pulling out weapons and clothes. 

“We need to clean you up and try to sneak both of you out of here,” Marielle explained. She moved behind me and started ripping at the bodice and corset of the dress. She was so strong I couldn’t fight her. She pulled the dress off my body letting it pool at my feet. No longer held in place the blade fell with the dress with a soft thud. We all looked at the dagger sitting in the pile of fabric. Tyr reached over and shoved the blade into a belt on his waist. 

“Wow, this is pretty bad,” Marielle said. I looked down at myself and was surprised as well. The cuts were much worse than I originally thought. My legs were running with blood and I could feel stinging and wetness on my back as well. 

“Tyr it might be best if you heal her,” Marielle suggested. Tyr turned and saw my bleeding body, his eyes grew wide but he turned away.

“I don’t have time.” Was all he said resuming his work with the items in the trunk. Marielle spun me around to face her. 

“You’re still able to walk and run right?” She asked me.

“Yeah, I think so. I actually don’t feel too much pain right now.” I replied.

“That’s because Tyr is blocking your pain receptors and you’re in shock.” She said matter of factly. She went to her vanity and wet a washcloth in the basin of water. She quickly and thoroughly washed as much blood away as possible on my body. She reached for the pile of clothes and garments Tyr had thrown out of her trunk. She pulled out brown leather pants and a matching brown vest made of thick hide. She searched for a cotton long sleeve and pulled that out too.

“Put these on. The vest is armored so it will provide better protection against stab wounds.” She explained. I complied and carefully worked myself into the garments. After I was done she thrust a pair of stocking and boots into my arms. My hands were badly scraped and still bleeding a little so I struggled to put them on. Marielle sighed and bent down to help me shove my feet into them and tie them tightly around my calves. I looked to Tyr who was now removing his own Royal Court attire. I looked from him to Marielle as he proceeded to get naked and then start putting on his own armored clothing. Marielle must have noticed and she laughed.

“I can sense your jealousy, you know.” She said looking up at me with her big silver eyes.

“It’s a bit hard to hide,” I said through gritted teeth. She laughed again.

“I don’t know what Aeden told you but it’s not what you think. Tyr and I have known each other for a very long time and haven’t been together for a few thousand years. Besides I tend to prefer the company of mortals in the same way he does.” She explained. There was a knowing look in her eyes. Tyr must have told her the truth about our relationship. 

“This is new for me. I’m still figuring this all out.” I said apologetically. Tyr was busy strapping on his belt, but I knew he could hear us. He was just studiously ignoring us.

“Love with a Fae is never easy. You both face many challenges. And Tyr is doing you no favors by not letting you know about them.” She said this more to Tyr than to me, but he continued to ignore us.

“What isn’t he telling me?” I asked her suddenly, feeling like I had an ally in all this, but before she could answer Tyr was standing behind her dressed in black leather trousers, and a black tunic with a leather armored vest over it. He was the Faerie Knight one would imagine from countless novels.

“We need to go.” He interrupted briskly. Marielle got to her feet and held out her hand to me. She gave me a small smile.

“Be careful. You should be fine going through the woods, but it never hurts to be on your guard.” She told me before turning to Tyr.

“Take care of her. I have no interest in taking care of you if she dies.” She said tersely. She followed us to a heavy black velvet curtain.

“Where does this lead?” I asked them.

“To the woods,” Tyr said. Marielle pulled back the curtain and I saw the same rippling and shimmering as the Trods we had crossed through before. Tyr took my hand in his gloved one, I still had on the iron rings I noticed. He grabbed his spear in his free hand and we stepped through the trod together. 

——— 

The woods were extremely dense and dark. I wondered how much time had passed on this side. It was obviously the middle of the night, I just didn’t know what day.

Tyr gripped my hand tightly as we carefully made our way through the trees. My mind was beginning to feel sluggish but I kept pace with Tyr. I could see street lamps through gaps in the trees. When we finally passed the tree line I realized we were in Worlds Fair Park.

“This is as close as I could get us,” Tyr explained quickening his pace across the open field. We finally made it to the parking lot and I noticed that my truck was sitting empty and running. 

“How did?” I began. But Tyr was already lifting me into the passenger seat. He climbed into the driver's seat.

“You know how to drive?” I asked him as he pulled the truck out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

“I was there when they invented the car Lilura, of course, I know how to drive.” He replied in exasperation. Pain was starting to weave its way into my consciousness. Every cut started to sting and my body ached in every way possible. My head started to pound. I glanced over at Tyr and noticed that his hand was shaking. He raked it through his hair. He peered over at me with a worried look.

“The shock is wearing off and I am losing energy, so you’ll start to feel the pain.” He told me. He was right, the pain was coming in full force. Tyr drove as fast as Kodan and we made it to Eva’s in record time. By the time he parked, I was in excruciating pain. I almost fell out of the truck but Tyr caught me in his arms. I could feel his fading energy and his face was extremely pale. I noticed that he wasn’t wearing his amulet.

“The iron,” I said shocked.

“I know. It’s fine. Let’s just get inside.” Tyr breathed. The guards let us pass with a confused and worried expression as Tyr and I supported each other’s weight. 

Kodan and Eva shot to their feet when they saw us both stumbling through the front door.

“What the hell happened?” Kodan asked.

“We ran into some trouble.” I huffed. Tyr was nearly unconscious and Eva and Kodan had to take him from me as I was too weak to support him. 

“No s**t,” Kodan said helping Eva pull Tyr’s heavy body to the couch where they laid him down. I limped my way over to him and knelt beside him.

“Lilu, you’re bleeding badly,” Eva said worriedly.

“I know, but I’m fine. Tyr has iron poisoning. We have to help him.” I pleaded.

“We will, but you need help too.” Eva equally pleaded. I let her lead me to the chair beside the couch and she quickly examined my cuts. 

“There are just some cuts,” I said.

“These are more than some cuts,” Eva growled at me. I knew she was furious at the state I was in, but it really was only my fault.

“How do we help Tyr?” I asked desperately. We both looked over at him now passed out on her couch. He was too long for the couch and his body was awkwardly thrown on it. 

“Most Fae wear a protective item, but I notice he isn’t wearing his. His energy is drained, but I don’t know how long it will take for him to regain it.” Eva explained.

“He said when I’m near he can access some of my energy. Maybe I can transfer some of mine to him.” I thought out loud.

“Give him what Lilu? You barely have enough energy for yourself.” Eva questioned. 

“I have enough,” I said determinedly.

“Eva is right Lilura. He just needs rest and so do you.” Kodan added. I brushed their worried hands away and went back to Tyr’s side. I placed a hand on his forehead. His skin was cold and clammy. I closed my eyes and pushed past the pain tearing through me and searched for the warmth of my energy. Once I connected with it I imagined pulling it like a thread and connecting it to Tyr’s waning energy. Eva was right that I didn’t have much to give Tyr, but I transferred what I could before I slipped into total unconsciousness. When I opened my eyes there was some color returning to his cheeks but he remained unconscious. With that small dose of energy I knew he would be able to heal faster.

“You two are a f*****g mess,” Kodan grumbled, throwing himself into a chair. Eva sat on the floor next to me. She put a cold hand on my shoulder. 

“I have never seen you so exhausted Lilura.” Eva lamented. She pulled me into a hug and I sobbed into her shoulder until I fell asleep.