Chapter 18

A mass of people gathered just inside the front gate of the fortress and the roaring war cries of the small army Maeve had amassed outside reverberated through the stone walls surrounding us. With a virtual slaughter awaiting us outside and nothing but the network of rooms and halls to hide us below with Maeve's magic still in effect, the lot of us were virtually buried alive.

At the front of the mass, Melissa and I stood heaving against the doors. My legs felt like wooden planks ready to bow and break under the slightest pressure and I had to hold fast to the doors behind me to keep standing just short of Melissa's support. My father came up beside me, bringing my arm up to wrap around his shoulders. I sagged against the man, supporting myself more confidently on his legs rather than Melissa's. I looked down to see a dark spot on his tunic that shimmered a bit more in the torch light.

“You're bleeding,” I mentioned offhand, looking down at the stain.

“Such are the consequences of battle,” Father said tersely. “Nothing our own healers will not be able to fix. Dian Cecht left plenty of apprentices in his wake.”

With Father checked I looked down to the other body supporting my own. Melissa's breathing just now began to slow and her dress was torn in a few places, but she looked between me and my father uneasily with her lip bit and her brows pressed together.

“You're alive,” I said down to her. “What could you possibly worry over now?”

“A great many things,” my father said with an edge to his voice.

Melissa had begun to open her mouth but gulped down her words at the brief statement from my father, shrinking a bit behind me.

“You are safe for the moment,” I reassured, my lips pressing into a line as I glanced back to my father. “He has larger problems to worry about now that Maeve is dead, such as the Fomor she summoned.”

“Because of your misdeed on her part in a perfectly reasonable execution,” Father said. “That is beside the point, however. You have successfully closed the portal and thus prevented an unreasonable amount of the beasts from entering. For that you may enjoy your human til we have disposed of the remaining ranks of the Fomor. Savor your time left til I settle my own business with her...”

“Joy, hopped out of the frying pan into the fire,” Melissa muttered.

“Finn!” I heard above the bustle of the glaring figures around me. They parted and I caught my mother pushing through the small mass. She darted past my father and wrapped her arms around me tightly. “You're safe!”

"You spoil him," Father said as he looked down at my mother. "He is perfectly fine, not a mar on his flesh."
"You would reprimand me on worrying over my only child?" Mother said. "You would have done the same."
"Yes, and I did something about the worry as you can plainly see," Father said, jerking his chin down to the wet spot on his tunic. "You need not worry about our son, I will be there to protect him."
"I am sorry, my love, I should have known better," Mother said, her expression softening and a small smile coming to her mouth. "You know my protectiveness of this one."
"Indeed, and now I must hand your little one and his pet over to you for care," Father said, unhooking my arm from around his shoulders and passing it to Mother. "Finn has extended a great deal of his energies dealing with Maeve's portal as have I in fending off what fell through it. Both of us must be dealt with before the Fomor may be extinguished."
I supported myself more on my own legs when Mother propped me up and looked to father, a query on my mind as my brows furrowed. "How did you kill Maeve and get to us so quickly, Father?" I asked.
"She was dead once I got to her, choked to death with her own chains," Father said. "The Fomor must have turned on her while she was summoning them."
"The Fomor are not subtle enough to kill through such...ironic means," I said, recalling the appearance of them and my lessons, how over time they degenerated with their years of isolation in the sea til they were nothing but brutish barbarians the likes of which even Balor and especially Elatha were above so long ago.
"It...it wasn't the Fomor," Melissa said, her voice hoarse. She took a moment to wet her lips before speaking again from behind me. "It wasn't the Fomor. I saw it."
"Oh lovely, the human is the sole witness to Maeve's demise," Father muttered under his breath as he set the sword to rest against the wall and lean against it himself. He wrapped his arm around his side while glaring at Melissa. "If it was not our obvious enemies then who could possibly get to her when everyone was either in retreat or struck down on the battlefield? Answer me that if you are so clever and all seeing."
Melissa stared up at Father, her brows pinched together and her lips pressed into a line. She was silent, however. I nudged her out from behind me so she better faced my parents. Mother separated from me and took a step back, smiling down to Melissa with encouragement while Father wore his typical glare of a visage when faced with anything but his wife.
"Ah...when I was in the jail she talked to me," Melissa said haltingly. "She...she said she was working with somebody to do this. Maybe they killed her..."
"Wonderful explanation," Father said, bending down at the waist to meet Melissa in the eyes, "and why would you not somehow inform us of such an important development that she had an accomplice if she indeed had one and did not just plant this fleeting thought into your mind?"
"Her suspicions are valid, Father," I said, the incident at Maeve's room coming to mind. "I overheard her speaking to someone in her room as if to a lover or some kind of teacher, but none was in the room. There was a mirror, though. Perhaps she could have used that."
"Nonsense!" Father said, bolting to his full height before grunting and holding his side tighter. "That requires a talent for scrying and a loyalty for another within the court, both of which she severely lacked. Fuamnach had no talent for magics"
"She was raised by Bresal before she wed Bodb Derg, was she not?" Mother interjected. "He might have taught her the necessary magics to accomplish much of what she did."
"Bresal is dead. He was killed just before the creation of the key along with the rest of our kind above ground. It could not be him cavorting with her," Father stated, the edge of frustration building in his voice. He lifted himself from the wall and started to pace in a short track in front of Mother, Melissa, and I. "This presents us with an entirely new dilemma! With Maeve dead we suddenly have a new enemy we do not know how to face. And on top of that they could be adept at magical abilities which counts every single Tuatha De residing in the realm so it is impossible to determine their identity."
"She said it was a man," Melissa murmured
"And even that is not for certain with the glamour being available to all of us," Father exclaimed. "Why would any of our kind unleash the Fomor of all things? Maeve could have simply dismantled the kingship of Bri Leith and banished the lot of us if she wanted to. She already had power enough to complete that vengeance."
"Maeve was not so clever. Perhaps she was the accomplice," I proposed, the scrap of conversation coming back to mind. "She spoke as a subservient to this man, fae or otherwise. He promised her the world at his side. The both of them might have wished for another Mag Tuareg."
"The Fomor kings all died or were driven mad. It had to be one of ours and a simple show of force would never bring the Otherworld to its knees," Father said, pausing a moment in his small trek. "This certainly adds new dimension to our predicament. Etain, take Finn and the girl to an available room far from the others til I have further need of them."

"The Fomor kings all died or were driven mad. It had to be one of ours and a simple show of force would never bring the Otherworld to its knees," Father said, pausing a moment in his small trek. "This certainly adds new dimension to our predicament. Etain, take Finn and the girl to an available room far from the others til I have further need of them."

Mother bowed her head and held my arm gently in her own, glancing back to Melissa and goading her forward with a small grin. I walked with her, my limbs and eyelids heavy but I did not falter just yet. My energy was spent from such a massive spell, it was a miracle I was still even walking. Melissa followed close behind, glancing up sheepishly at the glaring faces we passed. I took her shoulders and pulled her closer, pressing my lips into a line. My father was obviously not alone in his thoughts that she was the cause of all this.

Mother led us through the halls and stairs taking us to our new room. The halls were desolate of their usual occupants what with the rest conferencing with Father as to how to rid our home of the scourge of the Fomor. The conundrum of their illusive leader still wracked my thoughts. If Maeve was not the center of the problem, who could it be? What could possibly have thought all of this out to the point of discovering where the key's source was when all this time it had remained hidden and unactivated in my own body? Why did they act now when I might have been pinned with many other offenses in the past?

We finally reached the door, elegant as any in the hall and leading into a room much like the others with their spacious beds and large trunks. Mother goaded Melissa and I forward into this place and gave me that knowing grin. She leaned up and I acquiesced to her tacit request as she pressed her lips gently to my forehead.

"Rest well, my son," Mother said, her tone holding both comfort and reassurance to my ears. With the simple goodbye she withdrew from the room as unobtrusively as she'd led us there. Melissa and I stood there, me resting against her more so with my mother gone. A silence engulfed the place as the previous events transpired through my mind anew. So much in so little time and still this human followed me through it all.

"So," Melissa said as she started walking toward the bed, hunched over somewhat with my added weight, "You never told me you were a mama's boy."

"I also never mentioned I lived a far more lavish childhood than your own yet you could tell such by merely a glance," I replied dryly. She guided me to sit on the down mattress and I heaved a sigh of some relief. No hard wood floor, no spiny springs, simply the cloud of comfort only the Sidhe could provide. It was good to be home.

"Actually you mentioned that a lot," Melissa said, a small grin finally coming to her lips. The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease somewhat as she stood there and let her arms hang limp at her sides. She flexed her fingers and I finally saw the redness around her wrists from where the iron bonds held her so recently.

"The point still stands, my upbringing was far greater than your own, and my land more fruitful to boot," I said, laying back against the bed. I let my eyes fall shut, if only for a moment, a very long moment as my body eased into the sheets. "Do you not agree?"

"Yeah, getting jailed and nearly killed was the best summer vacation ever," Melissa said with a snort. "No, really, we should do this more often."

"Yet you tried the food, did you not?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Far greater than that of your home?" I said, my lips quirking into a grin as I felt some of my old energy returning.

"Maybe," she grudgingly admitted.

"Better water than that sink contraption in your quarters?"

"Sewer sludge is better than that," she said. "It's the tap."

"The point still stands," I said, cracking one of my eyes open to glance up at her. "One could call these lands a paradise...you might think of staying."

"The real estate's great," she said from where she leaned against the wall nearest the door. "It's the neighborhood I'm not too crazy about. Not to mention the in-laws."

"They grow on you," I said. "The music is certainly more splendid than that noise that used to drone through your workplace day after day."

"Hey, Britney Spears grows on you too," Melissa said, her grin widening into a smirk. "I saw you nodding your head a few times."

"Indeed, from sleep," I said with a small snicker. I risked sitting up and swayed a bit afterward, the room swimming before my eyes.

"Lay down you idiot," Melissa said, pushing off the wall and walking toward me. She put her hands on my shoulders, steadying my body and settling the rest of the room. She pushed gently down and I gladly subjected to the light pressure of her mismatched fingers. "That a boy."

"You forget I am far older than you," I quipped softly. I'd sorely missed these exchanges over the last few days. With the stress of finding some kind of loophole of which to free her of her punishment and all, there had been a great weight on my shoulders. Now I felt somehow lighter, the bed softer, the vibrant colors of the tapestries lining the walls of the room brighter.

"You like forgetting I act older than you," she said, rearranging the blankets and pulling them out from under me. I cooperated with her nursing, pulling off my dirtied boots and, dragging myself under the blankets, and found it much harder to stay awake. Melissa tucked the covers under me, much the way a mother would a small child and for once I saw some truth to her statement. She moved up to the pillow, fluffing it as I loosed my arms from the neat cocoon she'd made for me. I glanced up toward the woman, then observing the characteristic circles under her eyes and the sallow nature of her round cheeks.

"Have you been sleeping?" I queried, a yawn swiftly following.

"Rocks don't make the best pillows," she said with a wry grin as she took a seat at the edge of the bed. "You've got to talk to your dad about getting better accommodations for the prisoners. The human rights activists would have a field day with that place."

"The upkeep of the dungeons is not at the top of his extensive list of priorities," I said. "Our guests are typically entertained with rooms more like these. Does it not make you wish to have one of your own?"

"It's awful pretty," Melissa acquiesced, her dark eyes traveling around the modest decorations, "but the futon smells better, and I like a firmer place to sleep."

"It smells like molding fabric and feels like a multitude of tiny daggers pricking you at once," I said with a mock grimace.

"Exactly," she said with a smirk. "That's home."

I pressed my lips together up at her til another yawn escaped my mouth. I felt so weary, my energy had hardly sustained me til now, let alone lasting through this game of quips. The only thing keeping my mind awake were the subtle hints and references playing grudgingly pleasing images through my mind of those very same places I'd come to tolerate against the paradise I knew as home.

"Dare I say it, your dad is right," Melissa said making a few last adjustments to the covers. "You need sleep."

"I would rather not," I said.

"Liar."

"The truth is far too fun," I said with a small grin. "You would truly choose that world over this one? For all its familiarity the faults are overwhelming Eternity in a wonderland versus a short time in a cesspool?"

"Virginia's kind of like you," Melissa explained, her fingers absently toying with the sheets. "When you first get there you see this pristine countryside, then you see this seedy underbelly that like kicking your ass whenever it gets the chance. Finally you live with it awhile and it shows you the little things that make it worth the hassle of dealing with its crap."

"Interesting analogy," I said, my grin widening. "You know I am far grander than such an underbelly, however. My home might be likened to that same comparison in truth, you know. Despite its residence, there is much beauty here, if only if may be enjoyed in solitary with a select few trustworthy companions. Those are quite hard to come by you know."

"Now I know you're sleepy," Melissa said with a smile. "Do as your mommy says and get some rest. You might not be able to get any tomorrow."

"Indeed," I said with a snort, "especially if Father does not figure out who our mysterious new foe is, what with you and I being the sole witnesses of his very existence. Expect to be fiercely interrogated." I paused, my brows furrowing as she made to stand. "You should follow your own advice, else you might not be able to stand Father's hounding."

"What do you think I'm doing?" she said as she swiped one of the pillows atop the bed and bent down to the ground. She placed it alongside the bed, pounding at it as if such would make the floor any more comfortable.

"You would sleep on the ground after the glories of your dagger filled mattress?" I teased. "How will you stay warm?"

"If this place is so perfect, I won't get cold" she said. "I'll tear down one of the wall rugs. No tattling to daddy."

"Nonsense," I said, moving to sit up. "You are innocent of any crimes and are a visitor to this land. Here, I will relinquish the bed."

"You're not going all old fashioned on me now," Melissa said. "It's better than the rocks in the dungeon, I'll manage."

"You always manage, learn to spoil yourself," I insisted. "Either accept the offer or a shall not sleep a wink."

"You can't hold yourself to that," Melissa said with a small snicker.

"Watch me," I said with a smirk. "You know the fae, we can be very stubborn."

"Oh yeah, I know," she conceded, pausing over the pillow. She finally took the pillow up and tucked it in with the rest of those on the bed spread. I scooted over under the covers and unfolded a corner for her to crawl into. She climbed in halfway before glancing up at me. "I thought you were taking the floor," she said with a playful smirk.

"Oh just get in," I said, tugging lightly on her arm. She slipped in the rest of the way, pulling the blankets back over her and snuggling into the pillows. Her mouth stretched open in a yawn near the instant her body touched the fabric of the mattress. "Holy crap, this is like a freaking cloud!" she exclaimed her eyes widening as she gawked down at the bed.

"Would you expect any less?" I said, smirking down at her. I yawned yet again and settled myself in the bedding for a more final rest, pulling the covers further around the both of us. I closed one eye, leaving the other slit open to observe the odd female beside me.

Melissa gave a small groan as she rolled onto her stomach, then her back, and finally her side where her arm conveniently draped across my torso. Whether this was planned or not, I did not object and watched her steady breathing turn into softer snores than usual. I risked scooting a bit closer to the woman and let those small noises lull me into a rock deep slumber.

The morning after I gradually faded into conciousness after what seemed like years of death. My limbs slowly regained their feeling and I flexed the rejuvinated muscles one at a time with a wide smile. I'd not slept so deeply in ages and as my mind gradually awoke I finally got the urge to open my eyes and look upon the new day. As I yawned and squinted open my lids to the bleary vision of the morning, the first thing I saw was the indent and cast aside blankets of the empty place beside me.

A/N: I can't help but think of the whole "Between the Lions" skit they had each week that went a little like this: "Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff! And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger." Sorry for this guys, but you know how suspense is a good plot device. However, this is going to be hanging for the next month of November at least because I've chosen to participate in NaNoWriMo! (National Novel Writing Month). This means I have to devote my energies away from Faerie Games and into the spontaneous creative process that comes with writing 50000 words in only 30 days (or is it 31?). Have no worries though, once the month is done, chapter 19 will be quickly on its way!

And on a side note, if you're interested in becoming a novelist of quantity not quality (that comes with the second draft) then join the NaNoWriMo challenge! The only stipulation, for those who don't know, is that it has to be completely spontaneous with no previously written work (such as Faerie Games for me sadly). This doesn't count out previous outlines, ideas, and character concepts, as long as they aren't fleshed out in writing! Give it a shot and know that so many others are going through the exact same painful inspiration you are!