Discovering Fae

I screamed as the agony seared through my wing and back. Grim looked confused until the world shook, and the cavern was filled with dirt and dust and bits and chunks of rock rained from above. I coughed and covered my face in the crook of my elbow.

“Fae!” Grim called, coughing into his arm as well.

“Shockingly, I’m fine,” I hacked and looked up at the piece of rock on the top of my cage. “Lucky that wasn’t bigger. Squished Fae sounds bad for some reason.”

“What did you do!?”

“I’m in a cage, idiot,” I snapped. “One that’s sapping my magic so how could I possibly do this?”

Grim growled and stalked out of the room. I climbed up the cage and hooked my wings thumbs through the bars and twisted my body, so my feet were on the rock. It had been a small stalactite and it had bent a small gap in the bars that I might be able to get out of. I just had to get it off the cage first.

I flexed my legs and pulled with my wings to get more leverage. I grunted and tried to use the small bit of magic I had to help me get this stupid rock out of my way. The dull throbbing in my wing spurred me to push harder until I finally felt it shift.

One more hard shove and it fell to the floor. I dropped down and panted while the blood returned to the rest of my body, and I inspected the gap in the bars. I might have been able to fit before I had wings, now... I could try to stretch them out or maybe turn just right. I just had to maneuver the right way.

Just as I was pulling my wing free and getting ready to jump down, I gasped and fell to my knees as the dark, terrible feeling fell on me like a blanket of dread and fear. My heart raced and my body went cold as sweat beaded and ran down my back.

“What is this?” I whispered.

I inhaled deeply as I felt Blaine feeding me energy again and smiled, feeling the slumbering magic inside of me waking and latching on to the energy already stored.

“Fae! Stop!” Grim shouted and I grinned and launched myself upwards, calling to the earth to move aside on my way through it.

I took a deep breath of fresh air and blinked as the raising sun momentarily blinded me. I could sense Mal and flew as quickly as my wings could carry me, knowing Mal was hurt and still fighting.

I screamed as I dove for the ground, seeing the army flowing from the cave mouth. I wrapped lightning around my body and combined it with air, reaching for the earth as I landed. The ground rolled and the air and lightning surged away from me in a shock wave that sent everyone but my family sprawling, completely stunned.

“Fae!” Mom said.

“Mal!” I shouted, running for him and turning him around to inspect the bloody remains of his right wing. “They got your back, too.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, trying to turn around.

I smacked the back of his head and put my hand on his back, right between his wings. I saw Spirit, my mirror self, smile at me when I closed my eyes and she tapped her chest, disappearing in a bright white and gold light. When I opened them again, Mal’s wing was healed, Ben’s fur was free of blood, the cuts and minor wounds on everyone were all gone.

Blaine shook himself and Naz’s tail stuck up straight behind him. Rollie shuddered then whooped, jumping around before picking me up and crushing me in a hug and sat me back on my feet.

“What happened?” I asked Mom and Dad.

“One of the Sins has left the Pits,” Naz said.

“Oh? You’ve decided to be helpful?” I asked him and pinned both of the older demons with a stare. “We are going to discuss, at length, your definition of loyalty as soon as we all get the heck out of here before that Sin shows up.”

“It won’t matter how fast we run. The Sin will follow,” Rollie said, turning to look where we could all feel the heavy darkness, despite the clear and beautiful day it was turning into.

“Do we know which one it is?” I sighed.

“Not without getting close. Too close,” he answered.

“Fine. Which one do we not want it to be?” I asked.

“Wrath,” he, Naz, and Mom all answered.

“Any theories on which one would be more likely to be coming here?” I rubbed my temples. “Which ones are left?”

“Greed or Gluttony would be the best case. Envy will probably try to kill you without hesitating. Wrath... It’s hard to tell with Wrath,” Naz said when Rollie shrugged.

“Lust and Pride are gone?” Rollie tilted his head. “I would have been certain Greed would have been killed.”

“Greed isn’t stupid,” Naz shrugged. “Gluttony is.”

“So, pray for Gluttony. Got it,” I nodded. “Is there a chance anyone else can get away? Obviously not me, since I have the whole homing beacon of bullshit.”

“Possibly,” Rollie made a face. “The odds aren’t great, though.”

“If this Sin is coming to fight, we stand a better chance of surviving if we split up,” Blaine said, pulling on a pair of pants Dad handed him and Ben.

“Too late,” Naz shuddered. “Good news is that it’s Gluttony. Bad news is, he’s right there.”

We all turned to where Naz was looking to see a figure walking out of the caves, licking his lips and fingers, dragging an unconscious Grim by his ankle.

I’m not sure what I expected Gluttony to look like, but this nearly inconspicuous man was not it. He had a pot belly and thick arms and legs and had the build of a Sumo wrestler on a diet. His hair was long and kind of greasy, like he forgot to wash it this week. The only thing that screamed ‘demon’ was the long, forked tongue and wide mouth as he smiled a wicked, hungry grin.

“Greetings. I have brought a gift,” he held Grim up by his ankle. “For my Queen.”

“Oh, this can’t be good,” Rollie sighed. “He’s going to want something.”

“Undoubtedly,” Naz said.

“By the Unholy One. Garloth? Is that you?”

“Tony,” Naz nodded.

“Tony?” I looked at Naz and he shrugged. “Okay.”

“May I be allowed to approach and bestow my gift upon my Queen?” Gluttony smiled his wide smile again.

“Court rules, Tony,” Naz nodded.

“No fun, Garloth,” he pouted but walked closer, stopping about a dozen feet away and laying Grim on the ground, inclining his head.

Naz went to collect Grim, dragging him over to us by the front of his shirt and passing him off to Mom and Dad.

“Why have you left the Pits?” I asked.

“Why, to humble myself before the Infernal Queen, of course. Such an honor every lowly demon like myself would kill for,” he replied.

“Cut the crap. It’s been a long night and I’m not in the mood for false pleasantries,” I rolled my eyes.

“Very well. You need allies, Queen,” he said, smiling wickedly once more.

“And you’re suddenly feeling generous? I don’t think so. What do you want?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Why, the Alpha hound, of course,” he grinned, and Blaine went stiff.

“No,” I said. “I thank you for your gift. You may leave.”

“Fae,” Rollie groaned softly.

“Fine. Then I want something that I am currently unable to acquire on my own,” Gluttony sighed dramatically. “I want Ambrosia.”

“Oh, that’s just... That’s wonderful,” Rollie rolled his head to look at the sky.

“Greek food of the gods?” I tilted my head to the side.

“No. Ambrosia is a person,” Rollie sighed. “Kind of. She’s kind of like a goddess, but more... mortal?”

“And she’s important... why?” I asked.

“I want her. That is all you need to know,” Gluttony answered. “Greed has her and I want her.”

“Why would I take something from Greed when I could ally with him instead?” I asked.

“You may try, but Greed will kill you,” Gluttony said. “He’s already made it clear he will. And Envy will, too.”

“Great. This just keeps getting better,” Rollie pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It is not ideal,” Naz agreed.

“We really need to talk,” I sighed.

“Do we have a deal?” Gluttony asked.

“May we have a moment?” I asked and he bowed deeply, backing up until he was back by the cave entrance.

“It would be unwise to deny an ally,” Mom said.

“I agree. I think it’s better to take him off the board as an enemy,” I nodded. “Even if he has pretty much admitted he’s too weak to do much.”

“On his own and against the other Sins, perhaps, but he’s a Sin for a reason, Fae. They are all formidable and dangerous and far more cunning than you would think,” Naz said. “I also agree that it’s wiser to have him with us instead of against us.”

“How concerned should we be that this is going to come back and bite us in the butt? Literally, I might add,” Mal looked at Gluttony.

“As long as he gets what he wants, he’s content,” Naz shrugged. “For the most part.”

“And giving another person to someone doesn’t sit wrong with anyone here?” I held up a hand.

“I said she was like a person. She’s more like a vessel,” Rollie said. “At least, that’s what I heard.”

“She is a vessel,” Naz nodded. “She holds the secret to creating Nectar, which is like a drug, but for demons, like the Sins or the Hundred, it’s like getting a rush of pure ecstasy. All of the wants and desires are met, for a very short time. For Gluttony, Nectar is the only way to satisfy his need to consume, but it only lasts for a small time.”

“So why does Greed hav- yeah, that was a dumb question,” I shook my head. “Still, it’s a bad thing to give people away like that.”

“I told you Ambrosia is less person and more vessel,” Rollie said.

“Sentient item that looks human,” Naz tried.

“A golem,” Mom said. “Created and given life and some free will, but nothing more than a tool or object in the end.”

“Your morality is cute, but it is misplaced when dealing with demons, Fae,” Naz shook his head.

“And what of your morals, Garloth? Hm?” I looked at him hard. “Did you not swear loyalty to me? To protect me? Family relations aside, how can I trust you now?”

“Fae, ream him a new poop chute later,” Ben tilted his head towards Gluttony. “Other matters at hand and all.”

“Fine. Everyone whose opinion counts right now; we’re in agreement?” I asked and everyone nodded. “Gluttony. It appears like we have a deal.”