So, you guys are lucky I'm both Austrian and Canadian 'cause that means I feel obligated to give you guys two presents instead of one this holiday as the Austrian Christmas is on the 24th and the, for lack of a better word, normal Christmas is on the 25th.
If you don't celebrate Christmas…then these are either early [insert holiday here] presents or belated [insert holiday here] presents…or they're right on time….
Inspiration is hard to find when I'm so busy filling my gob with Christmas cheer. Sorry for the delay.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dyson
I froze with my finger on the trigger, my heart slowing down in rhythm. That thing standing in front of us, barefoot in the snow, looked like Lauren, exactly like her. But it didn't act like her in the slightest, nor did it smell like her. It smelt old, ancient.
It's mouth didn't move when it announced its name. It didn't break eye contact with Trick the entire time. Trick stepped forwards, ahead of the hunting group.
"Trick!" Kenzi yelped taking a step after him "Are you psycho! It'll kill you!" I barred her with my arm when she tried to get to him, her forwards rush upsetting the creature. It's ears pressed back against its head, lips pulling away from its teeth, though no sound came from it. I recognized that look. It wasn't one of aggression, it was a warning. It didn't want Kenzi getting mixed up in whatever was happening.
"Harbinger?" Trick asked in a controlled, neutral voice. He took a few more careful steps forwards. The being relaxed slightly, lips sheathing its teeth and ears straightening out. "May I ask, what are you exactly?" It studied Trick for a few seconds, before three different voices answered him at the same time, Lauren's lip never moving.
"We are all. We are the whisper from the shadow, the blinding light from the sun, We are both ancient and young. Old and new. We have no physical shape but the shape We are in."
"What the hell?" Hale whispered, confusion obvious on his face.
"Are you fae?" Trick asked
"We are not. We predate the arrival of your species. We've been watching for a very long time."
"Watching?" Trick questioned, "watching what?" the Harbinger's head tilted to the slide slowly, blinding blue eyes full of thought, of knowledge beyond comprehension,
"The world turn." It said after a long pause, a wistful look in its eyes. "The birth of stars, fall empires, the fires of battles which have shaped the Earth itself."
"How long have you been watching?" Trick asked carefully as he devilled deeper into the life of this unknown being.
"We understand your curiosity, Fitzpatrick Maccorieghan," Kenzi looked at me in shock, the same question running through both of our minds.
How could it know Trick's full name?
"anything more on this topic, you need not know."
"Where's Lauren?" He asked, redirecting the situation "have you harmed her?" It stared at him for a moment, the blinding eyes studying him, as if it was deciding exactly how much it should give away.
"No." It said finally. I sighed in relief. The doctor and I may have our differences, but that doesn't mean I want whatever that thing was to kill her. I didn't want to kill Lauren. I didn't want her dead. What happened to her wasn't her fault, but it doesn't mean that it should've happened in the first place. Every time a Half had been created within our recorded history, it caused nothing but destruction. The human side often was over powered by the underfae side and gave into primal instinct.
I would fight for Lauren's life as long as I could, but she would have to be brought into custody. Where she could be monitored appropriately.
I wouldn't let Bo stand trial for treason either. Nor would I let the child be harmed in anyway.
I just had to figure out what the hell this thing was first, and what exactly it did with the doctor.
"The human, Lauren, as you call her, is resting. Her soul has been in great distress since she departed and then rejoined the world of the living."
"So your presence has put strain on her?"
"Yes. We did not wish for this, but it was an unfortunate side effect of our joining. Her soul is pure, a beacon of hope in a world so ruled by hatred. The loss of her light would be a great disservice to the world."
"May I ask one more thing?"
"Yes."
"Will you give us the boy and yourself peacefully? You both are putting a great unease on the fae world, but were you to come without violence, it would ease the worries of everyone." It was silent for a long time again. It never once blinked, keeping its gaze locked on Trick. I held my breath, allowing my wolf to begin to stir under my skin in case something were to happen.
And something did happen.
That question was a truce breaker.
"No."
One side of Harbinger's upper lip pulled back from its sharp teeth, a low growl emitting from the centre of Lauren's chest. This growl was different from the first. Instead of being a warning of good intentions, it was a warning of its ability to tear you apart should you push it too far or challenge it.
"Surely you must understand that these factors, both your Half host and the shadow child you're protecting, will inevitably cause a war between the light and the dark again!"
"And surely you must see, Blood King, that this is not a subject which can be negotiated!" the voices snarled, outraged at the peace offering. "This body is not a 'Half' as you call it. It is a Guardian, its creation was no fluke of nature, no rescue gone wrong. This body was altered so that the Champion may be protected!"
"The Champion? Altered? What are you talking about."
"The manticore cub whom mauled Lauren was not sent by any vengeful fae, it was guided there by forces unseen with the foreknowledge that the Healer," We all glanced at Amelia, whom didn't show an ounce of discomfort. More like fascination. "Would be called for her."
"How could you possibly know that?"
"You are foolish to believe you are the only one whom possesses the ability to shape destiny. There are forces far greater than you at work."
"Who is this Champ—"
"Enough of this game of twenty questions!" barked the Morrigan, cutting Trick off. "We just need to drag it back to the Ash's compound and stop the war that's going to break out." She turned her head towards Ivory "Shoot it and let's go home, I'm tire of this frozen waste land." The click of the high powered tranq rifle filled the air, nearly drowned out by Trick and my cry of both outrage and distress, and the dart traveling almost too fast to see shot straight for the Harbinger. It didn't seem to realise what was happening, or at least it didn't seem to until it caught the dart between its thumb and index finger.
It caught the dart!
In an instant, its brilliant blue eyes turned a violent scarlet, a loud roar tearing from its throat. The dark fae shot off more darts before I could stop them, lunging forwards and grabbing their guns just a split second after they pulled the trigger.
The black wings curled in around the blonde, the feathers deflecting the incoming projectiles like they were ping pong balls hitting a metal shield. They flew open again with enough force to send a shock wave big enough to make me teeter on my feet. They revealed the hooked claws and long, midnight coloured spines extending from her arms. She then ran forwards, bounding on all fours like a lion would, heading straight for Ivory.
"Stop!" I yelled, stepping between the two, my arms spread out in front of Ivory. And, to my surprise, Harbinger listened, standing back up as it slid to a stop, using its wings like parachutes. It watched me carefully for a moment. "Harbinger…" I began, trying to keep the situation under control. "We mean you no harm."
"Your idea of peace is shooting? We have many issues with your logic, Shifter."
"No, that isn't our idea of peace, whether we like to admit it or not, we are fearful of you. Our reaction to fear is to lash out."
"We understand, Dyson." Uneasy chills shot through me when 'they' said my name. "But we cannot allow for harm to come to the Champion."
"What 'harm' are you speaking of?"
"A great evil is coming. One that will destroy the world as you know it if it is given the chance to hurt the Champion."
"What great evil?" before it could answer, the door to the cabin swung open. There stood Bo and Tanner, Bo wobbling on her feet, Tanner trying to pull her along, fear evident on his small features.
"Bo!" Kenzi ran towards her, stopping when Bo's legs sudden gave out. Harbinger caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her as it lowered her down softly.
"No…" It whispered softly, Lauren's voice dominating the others. Its hand smoothed over the Succubus's forehead. "No, it can't be…I've failed. I've failed everyone, everything…"
We all ran forward to her side, fighting to get a spot by the brunette and see what had happened. There was no sign of physical harm or anything, to my surprise, but the Guardian seemed more upset than I thought possible. It was like someone had just shot its puppy with a shot gun. "Bo?" Kenzi said, holding Bo's face in her hands, smushing her cheeks. "Bo! Bo wake the hell up you stupid succubum!"
"What happened to her?" Asked Trick, Tanner hiding his face in Harbinger's shoulder as she wrapped one arm around him and raised Bo's face to its own, squeezing its blue eyes shut.
"It has taken her to the Fade…" it whispered in a tone that made my heart break.
"What is 'the Fade'?"
"The world between worlds, you call it 'Limbo'"
"How did it get her?" The Harbinger didn't seem to hear Trick, it just rocked the unconscious Bo back and forth in its arms, holding the crying child next to her.
"It has taken her from right under my nose and dragged her off into the other realm."
"Help her!" Kenzi yelled in desperation. It shook its head.
"I cannot help her." Lauren's voice said, finally addressing itself as a single being. "Only she can."
"What if she can't get out of the 'fade'?" it looked up at Hale slowly, the remarkable eyes filled with grief and a dark foreboding.
"Then the world is doomed."
Sorry about this chapter, it was shittastic and rushed.
Truth be told, I need a bit of a creative break from this story, 'cause if I spend too long on something like this, things get crappy.
So, I thought it would be fun to whore myself out a little bit and maybe take some requests? One shots only though, hopefully with Doccubus involved so I at least stay consistent. I'll do anything (insert inappropriate hooker comment here) in any genre (lemony, romantic, holidayish, dark, whatever) I just need freedom.
Just think about it.
All I want for Christmas is yooooouuuuuuuuur reviews.
That Mariah Carrey is one sneaky bastard, ain't she?