Becoming Fae

“I have no desire for that information, Tony,” I said.

“I do,” Naz said quickly.

“You don’t have what I want,” Gluttony waved him off.

“And what is it that she has that you do want?” Rollie crossed his arms.

“A number of things. Power, for one. Untapped as it may be, there’s a reason she’s Immail’s heir,” he answered. “You may not feel it, but I can. In just that small amount of time that has passed since meeting you, my queen, you have grown exponentially. Soon, you’ll be powerful enough for the other Sins to track with no effort at all.”

“They already can,” I rolled my eyes.

“They have all practically ruled the Pits since the throne was abandoned. They won’t easily acknowledge you as a threat right now, because that means they’re at risk of becoming subservient,” Naz said. “Even Gluttony has his little section carved out.”

“That is true,” Tony shrugged. “I may be a Sin, but I’m not evil. Unlike my brethren, I don’t take advantage of my subjects, nor do I abuse my power over them.”

“Morals. How dreadful that must be for you,” I snorted.

“I see it as common sense, actually,” he made a face. “If the people are mistreated, they’ll revolt. It’s an issues Greed and Envy are constantly facing.”

“But not Wrath?” I lifted an eyebrow.

“Yes, he does seem likely, but his subjects are more scared of his temper than anything,” Tony replied.

“So, you want power. You do know that’s not exactly a transferable good, right?” I sat back on the step of the carriage.

“I also know that you have no true desire for the throne and plan to destroy it once you claim it,” he said, and we all stiffened. “The throne is a relic. I agree that it might be time to do away with it and I believe you might be capable of doing it. But at what cost? No one really understands it that well. Correct?”

“He’s right,” Naz said, his tail lashing back and forth in irritation. “Immail may be my brother, and one of the first, but I have no idea how he made it, much less how it works.”

“So, who better to either reveal its weaknesses or take it from you without making a literal mess of things than its creator?” Tony smiled widely. “It would be a much easier plan.”

“The easier plan has already been decided,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “If Immail wanted to be involved in this, he would be. Instead, he’s hiding, if he is indeed still alive.”

“Did you know that Netiri’s wings were tainted when she Bonded with Immail? Not the call or the kiss, mind you. The other part,” he grinned, and I felt Mal’s embarrassment and shyness in our bond. “They are still white, save the ends. Black as night, just like yours.”

“Are you claiming to have met them?” Naz hissed.

“I have seen them. I have no doubt they saw me, or at the very least knew I was there. But introductions were not made,” Tony clarified.

“Don’t care,” I shrugged and got up again. “Like I said, if they wanted to be involved, they would be.”

“Unless they’re cursed,” he held up a finger, stopping me from turning to get into the carriage.

“Cursed? How?” Naz demanded.

“I don’t use magic,” he shrugged.

“What do you get out of it?” I asked him.

“When the throne is destroyed, or reclaimed by its creator, I want more.”

“You’re the literal embodiment of gluttony. You always want more,” I pointed out. “I’m a little shocked you and Greed don’t get along better, actually.”

“Greed hordes. I consume. Not the formula of a close relationship. Sloth and I were the odd ones out in our little family, I’m afraid,” he shrugged.

“So why eat him?” I asked.

“He was weak and a liability I no longer felt like entertaining,” he answered. “I’m not much stronger and am no match for my brothers and sisters, so there’s no chance I’ll be able to take over the Pits on my own. Not to mention, I’m constantly worried one of them will decided that I’m no longer worth entertaining and help me meet my own demise.”

“Too bad I have no use for the information you’re offering,” I shrugged.

“You are a shrewd negotiator, my queen,” he grinned widely and bowed his head slightly. “I will include all of the hounds I have under my command. They are difficult to control since you bound your Alpha anyhow. Such nuisances.”

“Not good enough,” I shook my head. “They’ll break the bonds eventually and will come to Blaine regardless. All you’ll be doing is speeding up the process.”

“Half of my imps,” he added.

“Why are you pushing for this so hard?” I asked him.

“He’s not telling us something,” Rollie nodded.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. I still have no use for the information. The hounds will come on their own and the imps, while useful, will add more mouths that we currently can’t afford to feed,” I waved my hand and turned to get in the carriage.

“Eden,” Tony said, stepping forward and gripping the door frame of the carriage as I settled in the seat. “They’re in Eden.”

“Why tell me that?” I looked at him quizzically. “I didn’t agree to the deal.”

“I’ll still honor it, for your consideration alone. I’m risking everything aligning myself with you over the other Sins, my queen. I am glad to do it, but I need something in return when this is over with.”

“Not joining the other Sins in death should be enough,” Naz answered.

“I can’t give you promises or assurances, Tony,” I looked at him. “The only thing I can do is tell you that I won’t forget the things you’ve done if and when the times comes. And I don’t just mean the help, either. If you cross me, I’ll make you wish for death and keep denying it until I decide you’re no longer worth entertaining.”

He licked his lips with a grin spreading across his over-sized mouth.

“Spoken like a demon, my queen,” he nodded and stepped back, allowing Mal to climb in with me.

-----

“Eden isn’t referring to the Garden of Eden,” Harmon said when we returned to the encampment. He was using his healing ability to make sure I was, in fact, healing properly. “That’s in the Spire City and I have been there many times. Unless there is something here called the same thing, that is.”

“There isn’t,” Rollie said.

“There is,” Mal sighed. “It’s another name for the heart of the Vale.”

“I’m sorry, what is that?” I asked.

“The Sidhe is all of this,” he held out his arms. “Just like on Earth, the world is divided into... well, for comparison’s sake, countries. The Demon Lands is one of those countries.”

“And the Vale is another?” I guessed.

“Yes. While the Sidhe is dangerous, the Vale is on an entirely different level,” he said. “It’s wild, unkempt, and primal in all of the worst ways. Those horror stories of the fae the humans have? There’s a reason those exist.”

“So going there is one of those things we should probably not rush into unprepared, right Naz?” I gave him a hard look.

He growled and curled his lip back slightly in annoyance while his tail thrashed around. He was itching to go find his older brother and hearing that Immail and Netiri were cursed hadn’t helped much.

“Unfortunately, there is no real preparing that can be done,” Mal said. “Any supplies you take in will only make you a target and you should never eat anything you find there. The fairy queen might be able to help, but... Well, that might be difficult to accomplish.”

“Why?” Rollie asked.

“I might be a fairy and my father’s family might be well known, but I’m an outcast,” Mal answered, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m just a bastard, not someone that can gain an audience with the queen of Faerie.”

“Another queen might be able to, though,” I said slowly. “Right?”

“I advise against it right now, Fae,” Harmon stopped using his healing and put his hand on my shoulder. “You’re recovering well, but you need rest, or it’ll only make things worse.”

“As distasteful as it is, I agree with the Celestial,” Naz hissed.

“I happen to as well,” I nodded. “Which is why I’m sending an emissary in my place.”

“What?” Mal asked. “Who?”

“You, of course,” I smirked.

“No,” he said flatly. “I’m not leaving your side, Fae. I told you. Never again.”

“I can’t very well send a demon or a hound, and I need them both here to keep the peace with the lesser demons. Harmon is more of a hazard to send at the moment because he’s clueless about customs and such,” I pointed out.

“Brutal, but not wrong,” Harmon muttered, and Mal growled.

“I don’t trust him to wipe my ass, let alone meet the Fairy Queen,” Naz glared at him.

“Stop it,” I said and flicked some lightning towards Naz, zapping his tail and making him curse.

“I can’t go. Who better to go in my place than my Bonded?” I asked, using the arms of the chair to push myself up slowly. “Who would have a better understanding of my interests than you?”

“I’m not going,” Mal crossed his arms. “The pain and unease of being that far apart for that long isn’t going to help you either.”

“He has a point,” Rollie said.

“Immail’s blood has helped rid you of the poison, but it’s not helping you heal,” Naz agreed.

“While we’re all sitting here, waiting for me to heal so I can do the heavy lifting, every enemy we have is making moves, preparing for the war that is literally right in front of us,” I snapped. “The Sins and the other big bad demons are gathering their armies, the Celestials have already tried to kill me, so we can safely assume that they’ll do so again. Plus, there’s no telling who else out there wants me dead.”

“That can’t be a very long list, though,” Harmon pointed out.

“Every person that wants my parents gone is now my enemy as well. That was proven when I was kidnapped and tortured by them when I still had no idea who I was, what I was, or who my parents were,” I looked around the room. “Mal is going to the Fairy Queen to ask for her help getting through to the heart of the Vale. While he’s gone, Rollie is going to see to his tasks here so we can continue with the move as planned. This is not a debate. It’s an order.”

“The people aren’t going to be comfortable around Rollie,” Mal pointed out.

“They’ll have to get over it,” I said and shuffled towards the map on the table. “As much as I would like to foster goodwill naturally, I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of luxury. Now that we don’t have mostly lesser demons here, we’re becoming more of a target than before and making a move against a Sin is going to be like kicking the hornets' nest.”