A/N: Sorry for the lateness of the chapter. I was enjoying the most I could get out of the last of my holidays. I start uni tomorrow, so I'm going to need an outlet to keep myself interested. That's good news for you. Thanks to those at DLP who helped me with this chapter, even prodding me when I couldn't be stuffed. Here's Chapter 21. Enjoy.
The Nevernever was a realm of magic and power far older than that of Earth. Although the mortal realm and the magical realm existed side by side, the denizens of the Nevernever had existed long before man had begun to walk the Earth. There were creatures- and beings that didn't even deserve the classification of creatures- that resided in the Nevernever who had seen the dawn of man and had been thoroughly unimpressed when man had discovered the use of sticks as a means to poke things. Of course, when those sticks had turned into cold hard iron and steel, some of the creatures had taken notice. Iron was the bane of these creatures' magic and health and they abhorred and detested it.
These creatures, who occupied most of the Nevernever, were known as Fae. These were strange and inhuman creatures despite the upper echelons, such as the Sidhe, showing a remarkable resemblance to men and women- although they were undoubtedly more beautiful than the average mortal. The Fae had a unique system of obligation and debt that governed their immortal lives and Fae who owed a debt would as surely pay it as the sun would rise, no matter what the cost.
The Fae were split up into two different and distinct sides. There were the Seelie faeries, the Summer Fae, and there were the Unseelie Faeries, the Winter Fae. They were much like the season for which they had been named; Summer being warm, kind, empathetic and Winter being cold, beautiful, pitiless, and entirely without remorse. Despite their vastly different personalities, only a fool would willingly associate with either side, for the nature of all Fae was as utterly alien to humans as any possible creature that might live on Mars.
At times, the Courts went to war with each other, although the balance between them was always preserved. Each Court was also ruled over by three different Sidhe. The lesser queen was known as the Lady, the ruling queen was known as the Queen and the former queen was known as the Mother. At the moment, the Winter Lady was Maeve- and it looked as if her own forces were blowing the crap out of her fortress.
"Fuck," Harry swore under his breath, ignoring the bitter wind that dug into his face.
The ground and trees around him were covered with a white sprinkle of snow, ice and frost, gleaming crystal-like icicles protruding from the ground every few metres, making walking very difficult. In front of him loomed a castle of black ice, its spires soaring high up into the sky, where thick clouds rumbled ominously and a blizzard of snow and hail shot down to the ground furiously. Around the castle, the sky had turned to a furious red and ash replaced the blizzard, scorching ice and snow alike as the potent tang of black magic reeked through the air, noticeable to Harry even as he stood over a kilometre away. Around the looming barred gates, small armies fought one another furiously in a spectacular display of melee and magical warfare.
'The invaders seem to be winning,' Meciel noted as she focussed her attentions on the battle. A wave of puzzlement emanated from her presence in his mind. 'This is strange. Several of the invaders seem to be from the Unseelie Fae.'
"Not that strange," Harry muttered, barely aware when Cessbulby let out a squeaky little war-cry, brandished her small sword and buzzed down the hill towards the nearest enemy. "I thought infighting was pretty common around the Courts."
'Yes, but never has it degenerated into open warfare,' Meciel mused. Harry felt her studying the sky. 'Look at those clouds- and can you smell the sulphur? That is the work of a powerful Denarian.'
"Vesper," Harry said grimly. The wind swept through the clearing and the bushes behind him rustled. "Well, at least we know who we're meant to be killing. I suppose- Excracia!"
Harry whirled around, his wand blurring and Hellfire roaring through him, enhancing his natural power tenfold. The blast of yellow light that exploded from his wand crackled loudly as something jumped from the bushes, a four-legged creature with glowing red eyes and tough leathery skin. The creature was struck and flung aside, howling in agony, legs flailing uselessly as it gasped for breath. Harry flicked his wand sharply, his eyes cold, and the creature's neck shot to the side with a distinct snap.
"Hellhounds," Harry muttered as black oily smoke rose from the runes on his wand. "Denarian sniffers."
'So I was right,' Meciel said with an air of grim satisfaction. 'Perhaps we can destroy Vesper here, once and for all.'
The sword strapped to Harry's back quivered and a sudden emotion tugged at his heart, as if there was something vitally important that he needed to get to. Harry regarded the sword thoughtfully and gave the dead hellhound another glance before he turned back to the fortress of ice. It was at that exact moment that a bright flash exploded against the castle gates and Harry winced, instinctively ducking his head and gingerly clamping down on his ears as a terrible piercing whine resonated throughout the air. When he looked up, he saw the castle's gates, along with a large section of the thick walls, were gone.
"They've got some power behind them," Harry admitted grudgingly. Alone, he would have been hard-pressed to even deliver a tenth of the punch that had breached the fortress's walls.
The sword rattled in its sheath again as Harry glanced down at his robes. He grimaced, already feeling exposed without his defensively-charmed overcoat, which could deflect a sword thrust with considerable ease. As he turned to climb down the icy path, a silver blur shot up it and straight towards him. Harry was faster and a glimmer of crimson power wrapped itself around him. The blur struck the shield with an odd gong, bounced off, dropped to the ground and let out a loud and annoyed squeak.
"What are you doing, Cess?" Harry asked amusedly, staring down at the little Faery. Cess was shaking her head, her little silky pink mane covered in snow.
"I got orders," she said sadly, her silver wings buzzing as she flew up to Harry's eye-level. "I have to show you a way past the army and into the Lady's fortress."
"Orders from who?" Harry asked suspiciously, automatically adjusting his stance as a loud rumble tore through the ground.
"Orders," Cess said remorsefully.
Her next words were drowned out as lightning flashed through the clouds, a series of successive blasts that tore through the ground near the citadel. Thunder boomed an instant later, a concussive wave of sound that shot through the air, causing the trees to shudder under its strength. From one of the large spiked spires, a misty haze of potent blue and white light was forming, and it shot down at the approaching army with great force. At the same time, the ash-filled clouds surrounding thearea's last bastion of Winter's poweras the darkness swirled and rumbled ominously. From it came a giant ball of fire, so bright that Harry had to turn his eyes away.
The two blasts collided in a spectacular clash of light and sound, streaks of power crashing against each other. Streaks of red and blue light surrounded each other, binding and twisting and flailing, until both blasts were rolled up into a blazing ball of light. The light collapsed, growing smaller and smaller, then exploded with a deafening roar, erupting into a sphere of pure destructive power. The arc of the explosion tore through the citadel, slicing through the walls and towers. With a terrible groan, two of the jagged spires toppled as they were severed in half, slamming into both the defending and attacking army.
"Fucking hell!" Harry hissed, his eyes wide open with shock. On his shoulder, Cess shuddered and buried herself closer to Harry's robes with a small whimper, her battle-lust temporarily overridden by pure fear.'
'A ritualised storm of power,' Meciel said grimly. 'At least twenty or so casters and probably guided by Voldemort, as he seems quite adept at utilising the darker powers of others for his own gains. I can tell you this- The Denarians are here for sure.'
"How many?" Harry snorted sourly, still watching the battle below him. Although the confrontation of power had done severe damage to both armies- Harry saw that many of the distant figures had been vaporised- the fighting continued, nevertheless, it was slowly dying down as the last of the defenders were forced back into their ruined keep.
'All of them,' Meciel answered. 'I can sense them. They are all very close, although I suspect that most of them are participants of the ritual right now. We should move quickly, complete what task it is the sword wishes us to complete, and leave.'
"I agree," Harry said. Adrenaline and Hellfire were pumping into his veins, producing an effect that left his entire body tingling and wanting more. He rested his left hand on the sheathed sword on his back and prodded Cess on his shoulder with his wand. "Cess!"
Cess shook her head and buzzed off Harry's shoulder, her mood quickly returning now that the epic clash of power had vanished.
"This way, this way!" She chattered quickly and buzzed off down the edge of the small hill, her silver glow disappearing into the darkened snowy trees.
Harry gripped his wand, casting an idle glance back at the dead hellhound and wondering if there were anymore nearby. He quickly broke into a run and began to follow Cess through the dense and dark forest.
It took Harry twenty minutes to duck, weave and crawl through the dense vegetation of the icy forest, avoiding the icicles protruding from the ground and killing another Hellhound that had tried to attack him. The sounds of battle clashed against the howling winds, a distant noise that only grew louder and louder as Cess led him through the harsh wilderness and towards the besieged fortress.
She eventually stopped at a small hole, which looked as if it had been made by the Nevernever equivalent of rabbits. Nonetheless, it was wide enough for Harry to drop down. Screams of agony and shouts of triumph roared from the hole as he peered down it, seeing nothing but darkness.
"Down here," Cess said, gesturing with her tiny hand. A malicious grin covered her little face as she raised her toothpick of a sword and licked her lips in anticipation. "I can smell blood. There's fighting down there! Quickly!"
Harry eyed Cess carefully. As much as the little faery amused him, she was still a faery and entrapment was what they revelled in. Cess noticed his look and gave an impatient sigh, putting her hands on her small hips and buzzing in front of his face.
"I promise thrice that it's safe," she said, wings fluttering behind her. She zoomed to Harry's head, making the Denarian wince when she grabbed onto his hair and braced herself. "Now let's go!"
Harry sighed and took a deep breath, peering down the hole. Both Meciel and the sword gave him a mental nudge as he teetered over the edge, before he clasped his wand against his chest and dropped down into the hole.
Everything went dark as Harry fell, his back scraping against the sides of the hole. Bits of roots and dirt whipped at his face, the painful stings overwhelmed by the adrenaline and thrill of the fall. The tunnel levelled out and suddenly Harry was sliding down it, wincing as he bumped over rocks. He was distantly aware of Cess clutching his hair, hollering something in her light and squeaky voice, and a wide grinned spread across his face.
"Lumos!"Harry muttered and the tip of his wand glowed with a brilliant light, removing the shroud of darkness around him just in time to see a small rocky ridge that was growing larger and larger.
Without a second thought, Harry channelled Hellfire into the lumos, causing the light to go a dim red, and hurled it at the obstruction. There was a flash of light and the tunnel rumbled with fire. Harry swivelled his head as he slid past the fiery debris of the rocks, heated embers and sparks sizzling into his skin and robes.
When he looked up again, a bright light was growing closer and closer and a second later he was thrown out of the end of the tunnel. He stumbled, his feet touching bare ground and struggling to keep him balanced as he involuntarily took giant running strides forward- right into the massive form of an axe-wielding centaur.
For a moment it was hard to tell who was more surprised; the centaur or Harry.
It was like hitting a brick wall and Harry groaned, stumbling back and shaking his head. He was somewhere near the broken gates, with hundreds of creatures clashing on either side. There was a cascade of noise all around, thousands upon thousands of different sounds making one giant and undecipherable clamour. The centaur, far stockier than anything the Forbidden Forest could hope to produce, turned its head, its malicious eyes narrowing angrily. It lifted its hefty axe which, like all of the weapons and armour Harry had seen, was made of gleaming black ice, and brought it down upon on Harry.
Harry's wand flew up, a word of magic barked from his lips and there was a flash of light- the axe shattered in a loud tinkling noise, the centaur reared back on its hind legs, looking surprised and Harry pressed forward, his wand whipping out in front of him.
"Extundo!"Harry growled.
A small sparkling orb of midnight-blue magic blasted forward from his wand and into the Centaur's exposed belly. The orb struck the belly and splattered in a wave of dark liquid, oozing into the skin. An instant later, the centaur roared and collapsed as skin darkened and violently tearing itself apart as the liquid exploded within the creature itself.
Harry felt a flare of grim satisfaction for only an instant before Meciel seized control of his neck muscles and jerked his head back, just as a thin white-feathered arrow whizzed by. Small goblins, clad in armour and ugly, vicious smiles, shot arrow after arrow at Harry, who raised his wand and conjured a defensive shield of fiery hues that surrounded him. Arrows pinged off the shield, their heads snapping in showers of blue electric-like sparks.
"Terramotus!"Harry growled, clasping his wand in both hands and bringing it down in the direction of the goblins as if it were a great hammer.
Brown sparks fell to the ground, which shuddered as a giant crack tore through the bloodied and icy ground. The goblins gave yelps of surprise, flinging themselves to the sides as the crack tore through their position. Harry paid them no heed, although he heard a grunt of pain from a Goblin that had been flung into the crumbling remains of a wall, instead he had turned to counter yet another attack.
His eyes widened with surprise at the sight of a Red Court vampire, its leathery skin and bat-like wings absolutely soaked with blood. It hissed at him and pounced, soaring over a pack of large wolf-like creatures mauling each other, black shadows gathering in its hands.
"Navictus!"Harry barkedA bright bolt of azure magic, crackling with little bolts of electric-like energy, zapped from his wand and struck the vampire, throwing it aside. It whined as it struck the ground, arcs of energy zipping over its body as it thrashed and shuddered uncontrollably.
Another vampire leapt for him, but a streak of white, blue and green dove from the air and grabbed it mid-flight. Harry caught a glimpse of an incredibly busty woman with an avian-like beak and giant wings before it disappeared, throwing the helpless prey to one of its kin. There were loud bird-like shrieks as the creatures toyed with the vampire and a moment later, its carcass dropped to the ground, its throat torn out and its body mangled
"For the Lady!" Somebody shouted, a melodious and silken voice rising above the din of battle.
Harry, his body tense and his mind blazing with searing hot Hellfire, watched as a High Sidhe rallied Maeve's loyal forces to his side, his human-like features remote and his bright green eyes feral. Three large trolls, with bulging muscles and giant swords of ice, lumbered forward and smashed into the incoming invaders. Smaller creatures, goblins and dwarves and the like, were carelessly thrown away, their bodies broken and unmoving. One of the centaurs screamed as the troll sliced it in two, a shower of dark blood spraying against the last patch of unmarred snow.
On the other side of the broken gate, four more Sidhe called shouted out orders and the invaders rallied against the loyalist assault. Red Court Vampires gathered in a huddle, their human skins cracking and revealing the leathery beast within as they hurled pools of shadows at one of the trolls. The darkness surrounded the troll and it roared in agony, swiping its sword and killing friend and foe alike as the black power began to eat through its very flesh. A moment later, it collapsed in a heap, squashing two goblins, and shuddered once before dying.
The Sidhe from both ends were attacking each other, pools of potent Fae magic blasting through the air with loud crackles. Emerald bolts of lightning met orbs of frost; the ground shuddered under the strain and light danced through the air, rivalling most fireworks in terms of sheer beauty.
In the middle of this melee of war and death stood Harry, his mind a blur with Hellfire and his wand flicking repeatedly as he fell back into the honed instincts of battle. Maeve's loyal soldiers, apparently recognising that he was on their side, made room for him as they advanced. Harry reflexively ducked a searing bolt of power, ignoring the way his hair stood up on end as it flew past him and struck the goblin behind him.
"Corium Ustulo!" Harry hissed angrily, rising up and brandishing his wand at the nearest enemy.
A harpy, one of the avian women with claws and a beak, shrieked and yowled as her skin blackened in a series of burns. She fell to the ground, her pitiful cries of pain ending when a black unicorn galloped forward and trampled over her, snorting madly and letting out a deafening neigh. There was power behind that sound and it struck at Harry's mind full-force. He grimaced, his wand wavering slightly, while around him goblins and large fire-breathing dogs whimpered and screamed.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry bellowed angrily, his voice drowned out amongst all of the fighting around him. A flash of green light and a roaring sound of wind filled the air and the unicorn collapsed mid-gallop, the gleaming light fading from its eyes. Harry turned his wand to the other end of the line, seeing another unicorn charging at the temporarily weakened defenders, ignoring the four or five arrows embedded in its hide."Ventosus!"
A swirling wind arose around Harry, lashing out and gathering the fallen swords, spears and arrows that littered the ground around their dead wielders. Harry thrust his wand towards the other unicorn, only turning to deflect a thrown spear of jagged ice. The weapons flew through the air, one of the swords taking off the head of an unfortunate goblin.
The gale and accompaniments slammed into the black unicorn just as it charged through the defensive line, just as it impaled a shrieking green-skinned female onto its horn. The giant beast was knocked to its side and bellowed in anger as the weapons slashed and slammed into it. It collapsed and buckled as one of the scimitars dug deep into its hind legs. A moment later, it was promptly swarmed by a horde of murderous goblins, which thrust their swords and spears into its exposed flesh with murderous expressions on their faces.
The ground rumbled, a large tear ripping right through the middle of the battlefield, and Harry jumped back as a large wall of glittering water arose from the hole. The entire battle stilled for a single moment as the water paused, suspended by the powerful forces that gripped it, before it loomed over Maeve's soldiers and crashed down on them. Harry grimaced, his arms straining as he held his wand aloft, parting the water that came towards him through sheer power. One of the Sidhe closest to him conjured a powerful protection charm around him, a solid dome of blue light. The water struck it and he gave a yell of surprise as he was lifted off his feet, shield and all, along with the rest of his troops. A female Sidhe, a beautiful redhead with oval purple eyes, pushed forward a mist that surrounded a small portion of the army before her. When the water struck this mist, it solidified and dropped to the ground as ice. Although a few of the larger creatures, like the two trolls, could bear the brunt of the spell, most were washed away, leaving the defensive line scattered and broken.
"Well, this isn't good," Harry muttered to himself as his eyes flicked to his left and right. He, along with a few goblins, two trolls and the Sidhe Lady, were the only ones left standing before the invading host. He sidled up towards the remains of the army and gave the Lady a half-hearted wave when she glanced down at him.
"You are the Denarian Meciel, yes?" She asked quickly, picking at a small clump of oozing gore at her shoulder. She winced at her wound, pain flashing over her lovely face.
Her voice was soft and melodious and for a moment Harry felt her trying to push a glamour at him, to make him feel things that weren't true. He threw it away easily, his mind defended by Hellfire and Meciel combined.
"Yes," Harry answered shortly, meeting her widening eyes and her grudging respect with a short nod. He glanced at the invading army, which were clustering around two Sidhe Lords, silver-haired and haughty on their horses. "I think you're in a bit of trouble here."
"We need to take out those Lords," the female said sharply. She lifted a sabre of frost and brandished it towards the enemy. Harry felt rather than heard the rush of power that lanced from her sword and watched as the front rank of goblins was cut a swath, invisible power gouging past their armour and cleaving off limbs in a spray of blood.
"Charge!" shouted one of the Lords, his hand aloft in the air.
The world moved as the various creatures of the enemy, including vampires, goblins, centaurs and other beings Harry had never seen before, rushed for the small defensive picket with a bellowing cry of defiance and hatred. At the same time, the Lords threw blasts of power at them, sparkling orbs of light that crackled with raw faerie magic. The Sidhe Lady countered one, a rush of green light and sparks flittered through the air as a Satyr was thrown aside by its hind-legs by the aftershock. Harry countered the other, gathering a pool of fiendfyre into his hand and hurling it forward. It struck the faerie magic and the world went white with a thunderous detonation. Cursed flame jutted to the side, raging uncontrollably as it licked against the fallen corpses, eating through flesh and armour alike.
"Wait!" the Lady barked sharply and the goblins and Trolls around her paused, falling back into their ranks.
Her purple eyes gleamed as the enemy charged, surging through the shallow water-filled ravine that the Sidhe Lord had created. Some of them made it across but several were yanked down into the water with surprised yelps, quick darting figures pulling them through the water with surprising strength. Harry caught a glimpse of a beautiful female face before the water darkened with blood. At the same time, harpies screeched loudly in the air and zoomed down, picking up goblins, satyr and even a centaur and dragging them up to the sky. A fine mist of blood sprayed down as the harpies devoured them, greedily digging into warm flesh.
"Now!" The Lady ordered and brandished her sword.
The goblins in the front screamed angrily and charged, several a few paces behind as they shot arrows into the enemy ranks. The two trolls lumbered forward, swinging their giant cleavers into the disorientated ranks, their glowing eyes alight with bloodlust. At the same time, Cess appeared with at least two dozen of her own kind, her silver glow reflected by the ranks behind her. They charged for one of the Sidhes, who cocked his hand. A yellow streak of light filled the air, slicing through the small Fae. Harry's eyes widened as his view of Cess disappeared underneath the yellow light and he growled. His rage and fury sizzled his very veins and adrenaline pumped through his system.
"Carnifico!"he snarled. An arc of glimmering silver light lanced forward, was deflected by one of the Sidhe and struck a centaur in the chest. The spell spun around the centaur wildly, vines of silver light whipping out into the air as it circled and rose past the creature's chest until it reached its neck. Four of the 'vines' suddenly straightened the silver light sliced straight through the centaurs neck, instantly decapitating him. "Talus Tabidus!"
A billowing cloud of dirty grey smoke poured out onto the battlefield, spiralling in towards several of the enemy creatures. Three goblins and a large looming plant-like creature inhaled it in and gagged, their bodies trembling as the smoke forced its way down their vastly different throats. The plant-like creature shook it off after a moment, not affected by the potent spell, and it struck at two of Maeve's goblins with its tentacles. But the goblins collapsed with screams, the inhaled smoke wrapping around their skeleton and their bones beginning to liquefy.
Harry's next spell lashed out against one of the Sidhe Lords and its horse neighed in panic, even though its master had blocked the curse. It reared up on its hind legs and Harry caught a glimpse of silver light as Cess and a few of her surviving compatriots charged at the Sidhe Lord, darting around his head and plunging their swords into his eyes. He screamed and went down, stomped on by one of his own trolls as it charged forward, moving with the speed and force of a stampeding elephant.
The ground rumbled as Harry took a step forward, his eyes glittering with dark power and his wand glittering with a crimson glow.
"Evertoxuro!"Harry muttered. A jet of searing flame sprayed from the tip of his wand, clouds of oily smoke rising into the air, and the fire licked at the trolls exposed flesh.
The troll roared in defiance, halting its advance and pulling up a shield covered in icicles- something that was almost as big as Harry was. With a grunt of satisfaction, it slowly advanced, hiding its face behind its shield.
"Argentum Telum!" Harry snapped, and silver light formed at the tip of his wand, streaking forward in a shape vaguely resembling an arrow.
It struck the shield, shattering through the icicles and the troll roared in agony as the spell cracked his armour. Its shield useless, the troll raised its cleaver- just as Harry brandished his wand at its cracked armour.
"Frendo!"Harry roared and a flash of purple light blasted from the tip of his wand, the devastation curse so powerful that nearby debris visibly shuddered.
An eerie screeching noise, almost three times as bad as somebody dragging their nails down blackboard, and the streak of potent dark magic had slammed into the troll. There was a blinding flash and a shuddering boom as the spell struck the weakened section of the armour and half of the troll disappeared under the light.
Harry was panting when Cess buzzed back up to him, dark magic surging through his veins and bringing on a light-headed feeling that he thoroughly enjoyed. Nearby, the fighting continued as the Sidhe Lady and opposing Sidhe Lord started battling, but the area around Harry was remarkably peaceful- the enemy already learning to avoid him.
"Harry!" Cess squealed and he blinked when she darted into his hair, nestling affectionately against the dark strands. "Isn't this fun?"
"Yeah," Harry said with a grin. She was right, all of the frustration, tension and anger that had been building up within him had been burned away and used to kill the enemy attacking Maeve.
At that thought, something buzzed on his back and Harry twitched in surprise. He scowled; he had almost forgotten about the Sword of the Cross but now it tugged at him, dragging him in the other direction. Perhaps it was affecting Cess too or perhaps she had suddenly remembered her mission.
"We need to go that way!" Cess said and Harry saw her tiny leg gesture in the same direction as the sword from the corner of his eye.
"Alright," Harry muttered grumpily.
As he turned to leave, a loud horn blared and High Sidhe on horseback, accompanied by centaurs and unicorns, charged from beyond the gates and into the fray as more and more invaders started to pile up against the broken remains of the walls. Harry sighed and looked away as he slowly made his way towards the fortress.
The inside of the giant ice fortress was as beautiful as it was deadly. Dark ice of a multitude of purple, black and green hues hung from the ceiling and walls in a series of sharp icicles. The icy floor glittered under the light of the torches that hung from the walls, which Harry noticed gave off coldness rather than heat. Every few metres, he saw signs of recent battle- patches of blackened ice and puddles of slowly freezing dark liquid. As Harry navigated his way through Maeve's icy stronghold, a scent began to flicker at the end of his nose. Cess had disappeared a few minutes ago, so he had no idea where the hell he was meant to be going.
'Sulphur,'Meciel murmured. 'The Denarians are here.'
"I hope Vesper's around," Harry said darkly, cocking his head and pausing at the end of the hallway. He could hear distant sounds of battle coming down from the right. He gripped his wand and followed the noises. "Because somebody needs a raping for all of this."
'Do not underestimate her strength,' Meciel warned. 'That said, you have the skills and powers to destroy her. Do so if you can.'
"I plan on it," Harry muttered as he approached a small set of doors. He could hear a steady clanking noise beyond them.
Suddenly there was a deafening bang and a wordless cry of inhuman rage, the voice clearly feminine, and blue light spilled from the door, the entire hallways shuddering. It was over in a few seconds and once again the clanking noises started up again.
"Well, there's no time like the present," Harry said, raising his wand."Frendo!"
The door buckled and shattered into a cloud of deadly ice shrapnel underneath the force of the sapphire flash of light that blasted from Harry's wand. Harry stepped through the remains, his body throbbing with adrenaline and Hellfire. His eyes took in the scene before him even as he raised his wand at the nearest target.
Maeve, the Winter Lady herself, stood in the middle of a giant hall that once might have been called eerily beautiful were it not for the faerie corpses littering the ground and giant cracks that ripped through the fragile ice walls and floor. Her green eyes, so similar yet so fundamentally different from Harry's, were narrowed in spiteful rage and her shimmering hair was hidden underneath a black, icy helmet, which went with the suit of armour that she had donned. Standing next to her was a smaller girl, a child, with Maeve's looks.
Walking towards her at a steady and unyielding pace was something Harry had never seen before. Twice as large as Harry, they looked to be giant suits of armour, made from the bane of Faerie magic, iron and steel. They all carried giant hammers, which also looked to be made from iron. Even now, Maeve raised her hands and blue light spilled into them. She hurled it at the nearest iron hulk and the ground rumbled, debris and ice cracking underneath the very force of the blow. But the behemoth withstood the blast, the iron negating Maeve's spell, and he continued to lumber forward. Harry couldn't tell if the thing was a mechanical or a magical construct of some kind, or if there was a something behind all the steel.
"Verbera!"He bellowed loudly and Hellfire flashed through his veins, amplifying the power of the curse and turning it into a spell that cracked bones into a spell that cracked steel. The air rippled with an unseen force and the curse lashed out against the iron figure in a series of blows. Steel groaned and ruptured, little cracks appearing on the iron hulk's armour and the titan reeled as large dents were slammed into its armour.
"Argentum Telum!" Harry finished it up with a growl. A flash of silver light, looking almost like a hazy arrowhead, blasted forward with impeccable aim and punctured through the largest dent in the thick steel armour. The steel gave way as the powerful piercing spell slammed into the hulk's innards and it collapsed to the ground in a heap of metallic limbs, a loud crashing noise filling the air.
"Definitely somebody inside it then," Harry muttered, casting a quick eye over the rest of the hall. Satisfied that there was nothing else still alive, he turned to Maeve and gave her a brilliant smile. "Hi Maeve," he uttered with a small wave, both looking and feeling smug.
"Harry," Maeve greeted seductively, her eyes raking up and down his form. She didn't sound at all surprised to see him. "I'm glad to see that my faithful servant was able to acquire your services so quickly" She came closer to him until her breath was brushing against his ear, her next words a husky whisper. "Let me repay your help with a kiss…"
"Oh, no," chuckled Harry, taking a step backwards and folding his arms. "I'm not that stupid, Maeve. You're going to owe me after this."
Maeve leaned back and an ugly and utterly inhuman expression flickered across her face, her soulless eyes narrowing in annoyance. Harry shrugged off the look easily. For Maeve to harm him now would be contrary to everything the Fae believed about debt and obligation- something that they could not even conceive of defying.
'They are strange creatures,' Meciel mused.
"I hear you, Fallen," Maeve said sharply, although she looked more amused than anything. Her voice took on a seductive pur and her lips turned upwards. "This is my domain, my place of power. I see and hear all."
"Then how'd you miss the giant army tearing down your walls?" Harry asked wryly.
"Betrayal," was all Maeve said, something dark flashing behind her eyes. Her pale fingers flexed threateningly. "I have dealt with it already."
"I'm sure," Harry remarked dryly. He glanced down at the little girl by his side and frowned. "Now why don't you and your little sister follow me before you get turned into Faerie slurries and I get turned into a Denarian hotdog?"
"Sister?" Maeve repeated slowly and gave a soft tinkling laugh. She shook her head, her glacial-coloured dreadlocks falling from her armoured helmet. "I see how you would think so- we do have a startling resemblance."
She reached down and idly stroked the girls face with the back of her hand. The girl remained as still as stone, merely gazing up at Harry with expressionless eyes. Within his mind, Meciel let out a choked gasp of dawning comprehension.
"No, little Harry, this is not my sister," Maeve said softly, a victorious and knowing smile curving her lips. "This is my daughter- well, your daughter. Daughter, I want you to meet your father."
The room suddenly fell into a deep silence as Harry stopped, his mouth closing slowly. The sounds of battle from outside were growing louder and louder by the second, but Harry ignored them as he stared down at the little girl with nothing less than pure shock. He had to admit, there was some resemblance between them. The green eyes, which Harry had attributed to Maeve, were more like his own than the soulless fey. She was about seven or eight, with long dark hair and pale skin- Harry doubted she got to see much sun around here. The girl stared back at him emotionlessly, assessing him even as he assessed her.
"Um…what?" Harry uttered after a moment. He frowned and gazed at Maeve accusingly. "Hang on, even if I got you pregnant, shouldn't she be a little…smaller?"
"Time is relative here," Maeve answered slyly. "You know that."
"Huh," Harry uttered again, his brows furrowed as if he were in deep thought. The ground shuddered as something loud smashed through one of the doors, an iron clanking noise filling the air. Harry didn't even look up as he raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
The green streak of light sailed from his wand and he heard a furious explosion as it turned the iron hulk into a twisted heap of metal alight with burning green flames. Maeve glanced at Harry with something like surprise and grudging respect. She idly stroked her-Harry's-daughter on the head.
"Er…does she speak at all?" Harry asked after a moment. "Or is just practising her 'children of the corn' routine?"
"Hello father," the girl said tonelessly.
"Okay," Harry said slowly. "That's not creepy at all." He frowned and scratched his head, glancing between Maeve and the girl with a strange expression. "We should…probably go now. Somebody's huffing, puffing and blowing the fuck out of your walls."
"I agree," Maeve said softly and straightened. "Come, daughter. Your father will take us to safety."
Harry twitched.