Becoming Fae

Ben

“What in the hell is going on?” I muttered, watching the dark mass grow larger as it drew closer. “It’s not an attack, is it?”

“If it was, they wouldn’t be so obvious about it,” Blaine answered. “Even if they were confident that they would win, this kind of approach gives us more than enough time to get everyone away from here.”

“So... more demons? But they don’t smell like demons,” I frowned.

“Not enough like demons to be considered demonic in the slightest,” he scoffed, his nose twitching. “It almost smells familiar, but I still can’t place it.”

“It’s maddening,” I growled.

“Goes to show how much we pay attention, though, right?” he snorted.

“I pay attention,” I rolled my eyes. “I know you do, too.”

“Yeah, now,” he laughed. “Before Fae? Not so much.”

“Our sister is something else, huh?” I smiled and shook my head.

“Tell me about it,” he scoffed. “You know, when we found out that she was Soul Bonded to Mal, I was kind of pissed.”

“I’m pretty sure we all were, Blaine,” I rolled my eyes.

“No, I mean I didn’t think he deserved her. She’s so pure and real and he was kind of a dick before she fell into that pool,” he shoved me playfully.

“Well, she used to be,” I laughed. “Now she’s kind of scary, but in a fun way.”

“I was so sure that Mal was a Breaker,” he sighed. “That he wasn’t really meant to be Bonded to her.”

“He sure as hell didn’t act like he should have,” I agreed.

“But now that they are Bonded, I can see that I was the one that was wrong. Those two are perfect for each other. Logic and heart.”

“And Fae has a lot of heart,” I nodded and squinted into the distance. “Hey, do you ever wonder what Heather did with Fae’s payment?”

“No, but now that you bring it up... Fae gave her blood, right? That’s kind of dangerous, now that we know who she is,” he frowned.

“Siren and Valkyries don’t use blood for anything, do they?”

“No, but Seers do,” he sighed.

“They use it for scrying, though. Looking isn’t dangerous,” I said with a frown of my own.

“I don’t know. Chimeras are strange, so there’s no telling,” he scratched his chin, his nails catching on the stubble there.

“You look like a wild man,” I snorted.

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?” he quirked an eyebrow at me.

“I try to avoid it,” I replied flatly, then gestured to the approaching mass. “Well, I guess there’s no avoiding this. Should we go find out what this is all about?”

“Better now than later,” he nodded.

-----

Fae

“I’m... I’m not that kind of person,” I shook my head, staring wide-eyed at Immail and Netiri. “There has to be another way.”

“Blood created the curse, so blood must break it,” Netiri said sadly.

“Can we not just... get the blood we need and not kill people?” I asked.

“The blood used to make the curse was filled with hatred and malice. In order for the curse to be broken without killing is if the one with the casters blood in their body felt the opposite,” Netiri shook her head.

“Blood curses are tricky things to deal with and do more than just curse the intended target. It taints and twists the caster and all who share the same blood, infecting them all with the same hatred the original felt,” Immail said as Netiri put her arms on his shoulders and put her chin on her laced fingers on the top of his head.

“I can help,” Harmon said, looking at the two of them. “I can help Fae break the curse.

“The last time you helped me, you nearly died,” I gave him a flat look.

“I’m his great-great grandson,” he said, looking at Netiri.

“You’re what?” Immail growled and Netiri crossed her ankles over his chest, keeping him from getting up.

“You know what the opposite of that kind of hate is, right?” Netiri asked him.

“I’m not in love with Fae, but I am completely devoted to her. I know it’s odd, a Celestial claiming a demon as his Queen, but that’s what she is,” he nodded.

“Devotion might not be enough,” she warned. “If you try and it fails, you will die horribly.”

“Absolutely not,” I said.

“Agreed,” Harmon nodded at the same time, and I growled at him. “Fae, please? My family has done a world of terrible, horrendous things to your family for so long. Don’t you think it’s time to put it to rest?”

“Not if it kills you. I’ve lost too many friends and family members to agree to adding your name to the list of those I will always grieve for,” I said firmly.

“You’ll have to kill me otherwise,” he pointed out.

I clamped my mouth shut and glared at him.

“I hate you right now,” I growled.

“You hate that he’s right,” Mal put his arm around me and kissed my cheek. “I think you should try. He’s choosing how he dies, Fae, and he wants to die trying to make things right.”

“He shouldn’t want to die at all,” I snapped and pointed at Harmon. “You are a fool and I’m not agreeing to this insanity. There has to be another way.”

“This is the one that is most immediately doable,” Harmon said. “You saw the state of this place when we came through. How much time do you think is left?”

“Not much,” Immail answered, rubbing Netiri’s arm tenderly.

“Then we need to try,” Harmon nodded.

“There’s no other option, Fae. Either you try it this way and hope it works, or you kill him and all of his family,” Mal gave me a small squeeze. “Better to try it this way, that involves less death, right?”

“I don’t just go around killing people, least of all my friends!” I stood up and stomped away into the woods.

Insane. This was all completely insane. Sacrificing one of the people I cared about was insane and there was no way I was going to do that. But, killing hundreds of people? That was insane! It’s one thing when they’re trying to kill me, but I’ve never even seen these people. I wasn’t about to go looking for people that hated me and were likely going to try killing me. They weren’t actively trying to kill me now, so why mess with a good thing?

“You are lighter than your wings would indicate,” Netiri said as she came closer and held out a hand. “May I?”

I shrugged and gave her my hand and she turned it over and traced the lines on my palm.

“You look like me and you have the same darkness as my love,” she smiled. “But you also have my light. They balance each other inside of you beautifully. You’re a little off with Spirit, but I struggled with that one myself.”

“You did?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” she chuckled and turned my hand over to inspect the markings. “I might have been the High Priestess, but every person that leads has to start somewhere. Spiritual leaders included.”

“I didn’t want all of this,” I admitted.

“Good,” she laughed and linked our arms. “It means you’ll be great at it.”

“Doesn’t seem that way,” I muttered.

“It never does,” she patted my arm gently. “We are our own worst critics. You’ll never feel like you're doing it right or that you’re enough. You just have to go with your gut and try your hardest to do what’s right for your people.”

“That’s not me, though. I’m not a leader or a ruler or anything like that. I’m not even much of a follower. I’m a loner. I want to go far away and live my life with my Bonded. I want to have kids and not worry about them being killed because of who we are. I want peace,” I said.

“I admit I have rather enjoyed the peace here, even if it’s shadowed by a curse,” she chuckled. “But peace comes at a cost, Fae. Mine came at the cost of my freedom and the knowledge that I would eventually end up killing my Bonded.”

“You haven’t left the Vale, have you?” I asked and she shook her head sadly.

“I can’t without the curse draining everything around me,” she answered. “Your peace has a cost, too. It’s up to you to decide if your peace is worth paying the price for it.”

“Even if that price is someone else’s life?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, blood is often the price of peace. You have an option on how much blood to pay, though, and that is more fortunate than you think,” she said. “And Harmon is right. You’ll have to kill him if you choose the other way. This way, there’s a chance he lives.”

“A small chance.”

“It’s still a chance and it’s better than nothing,” she shrugged. “I understand the problem you’re facing, and I know it’s difficult to choose when the outcome is dark, no matter where you look. Choosing Immail over everything I knew was a lot like this.”

“Is that why...?” I gestured to her wings, and she smiled.

“That came after Bonding with him,” she chuckled. “Being with each other is different than being together.”

“I don’t need to hear this talk again,” I held up hand. “I got when I was thirteen and it was awful for all parties. And I got it again from my dad a few months ago. Also an awful experience. Let’s not go three for three.”

“I should hope you know the mechanics of it by now, but that’s not what I mean,” she laughed loudly. “You Called before you were Awakened, which means there’s more reason behind your imbalance with Spirit than just her nature.”

“What do you mean, ‘more’?” I asked.

“I mean, he’s a part of your Spirit and the best way to get her to behave is unite her with his spirit. Intimately,” she smirked. “When that happens, and I’m not telling you when that should happen, because that’s meant for the two of you to figure out, the two energies will mix. My feathers are because of Immail’s energy mixed with my Spirit. I’d be willing to bet that your mother is strong in two different elements.”

“Destruction and air,” I nodded.

“Destruction comes from Immail,” she giggled. “It’s glorious to witness, isn’t it?”

“So... air comes from Dad?” I frowned.

“He’s a fairy, right?”

“You’re remarkably well informed,” I looked at her.

“I wasn’t the High Priestess of the Spirit Temple for nothing,” she rolled her eyes. “All fairies have a connection to air. Do you think those flimsy little wings can lift their weight without the aid of magic?”

“I never thought about it like that,” I admitted slowly.

“You are strong in all elements, but you are both darkness and the light,” she held up my arm to show me the markings. “Blue for the light found in the spirit of a Celestial, red to show the connection to the Unholy One through Immail. They merged and melded together in a magic different than anyone before you. I truly believe that you are capable of things far greater than breaking a curse.”

“If Harmon’s devotion is enough,” I scoffed.

“I think that, like the blessing,” she gestured to my arm again, “Your magic will end up filling the gaps. Will Harmon’s devotion be enough? I don’t know. But your heart, Fae? That is plenty.”

“Is it that simple, though?” I sighed.

“Nothing ever is,” she chuckled. “But I have faith that you’ll be able to figure it out.”