Chapter 34
"So... how are we gonna defeat the Una Mens?" Bo asked, after a long and awkward silence in truck with Tamsin.
"I thought you had it all planned out, sweetheart," Tamsin snorted in a mocking tonegxc, her eyes staring at the road.
"Well... here I am, trying to come up with a plan right now," Bo murmured. She paused for a while, before she continued. "What... exactly, are the Una Mens? Are they still Fae?"
"They were, once," Tamsin said with a sigh, not wanting to answer Bo's million questions, but realized she did not have any other choice since they were stuck in her truck on the way to the Una Mens' place. "They were sort of... created," she continued as the red light they had been waiting at just turned green. "I don't know how they were created, but after the Great Fae War, the blood king created the Una Mens as his... council, or whatever, to carry out his laws and-"
"It was Trick who created them?!" Bo exclaimed, completely caught off guard.
"What?!" Tamsin's voice raised as she slammed on her breaks, "Trick is the blood king?! Are you fucking kidding me?"
Bo bit her bottom lip and went silent. She realized she should not have told Tamsin about Trick's true identity because her grandfather had worked hard to hide it from the other Fae, but it was already too late. "Just... don't tell anyone, Ok?" Bo said as she looked at Tamsin, "It's kind of a big deal for him... "
"... whatever," Tamsin rolled her eyes, "like I want to get involved in the blood king's crap or something... " Realizing that the light had already turned green, she hit the gas, giving the finger to the guy behind her that was laying on his horn. "I thought the blood king was dead, or at least hiding in guilt from those that survived the bloodshed… the carnage he caused during and after the war... " she murmured.
Bo wanted to ask Tamsin what she knew about that time because she had never heard anyone else ever talk about it. She considered how many secrets Trick might be trying to keep from her, like possibly her father's identity, which she had asked him about but he never gave her a straight answer. She also thought about those dark times Trick went through, making all those cruel decisions, including turning his own daughter to the Dark side, Bo realized that it might be a conversation too long and too heavy for today. She already had enough to deal with right now, and judging by that film they watched, she had no doubt that her father's involvement with those experiments was definitely not something pleasant. She knew she really needed to focus on this right now, and also the Una Mens. "Ok, so Trick created the Una Mens. Well, how about we just ask him to call off his dogs then?"
"Ya, you wish," Tamsin said, "even he himself decided to run away from them. I heard that they've been looking for the blood king ever since he disappeared."
"Why?"
"Who the hell knows. Maybe crown him as king again, or maybe execute him because he no longer obeys his own laws?"
Bo nodded. "But, there is a way to defeat them, right?" she asked.
Tamsin sighed. "Technically, yes. In practice, not that possible," she said. "You know that the Una Mens copy your power, right?"
"Yeah, when I tried to suck the Chi out of them, they sucked the Chi back," Bo replied.
"Right, which means we can't use our Fae powers," Tamsin said. "So, there's only one possibility left... "
"And, what is that?"
"To take them down physically. Bare hands, sword fight, you name it," Tamsin answered, "Although, they are extremely fast. So, the only way to defeat them is to be faster than them, which is... probably impossible."
"Well, I guess we could sneak in or something?" Bo asked.
"We'll see. Shit, maybe if we're lucky enough, they'll be out chasing your father's ass or something," Tamsin said, not sure whether she was comforting the brunette or herself. She had no idea how they were going to get in and find out what the Una Mens knew about Bo's father, and then get out alive. In fact, she regretted her decision the moment she said it, but she just could not let Bo go by herself, because, alone, the brunette would not stand a chance against the Una Mens. "Just follow my orders when we get there, and don't do anything stupid, Ok?" she added, not even sure what her orders were going to be because she had absolutely no plan either.
"Yeah, yeah," Bo grunted in a low voice. She was still wondering why Tamsin had decided to come along, but whatever the Valkyrie's reasons were, it made Bo feel warm inside.
Tamsin parked the truck far away from the Una Mens' place, then they got out and traveled on foot. When they came close enough to the place, they hid behind the bushes and rocks, trying to get some idea about what they might be dealing with before they made their move
"What the fuck-" was the first thing Tamsin said the moment she got a clear look at the entrance to the Una Mens' compound through her binoculars. She had expected to see the monks patrolling the compound, or guarding the entrance, but instead what she saw were monks lying on the ground unconscious.
"Let me see," Bo said as she grabbed the binoculars and ignored the blonde's cold stare. She took a quick glance, and said, "What happened? Are they dead or something?"
"I have no fucking idea," Tamsin replied. She moved forward a little, her body still hiding behind the rocks, to get a closer look. When she realized that she was unconsciously pulling Bo closer by holding her hand, she blushed. She immediately wanted to let go, but was afraid that it would be too awkward. Then, she felt Bo's hand sweating in hers, and she realized that the brunette was just as nervous as she was. Shit, Tamsin cursed, when she felt Bo's fingers slowly lock with hers. Those warm fingers quivered in her hand, making her heart race like crazy.
"So, are we gonna go check it out or... just wait here for a while?" Bo asked in a husky voice. Tamsin holding her hand happened so suddenly that she was having a hard time handling it. It did not help that the Valkyrie's aura was brightly shining in the gloomy air right next to her either.
"Let's... emmm... go check it out," Tamsin replied. She let go of Bo's hand and drew her weapon, not only because she needed to be ready for potential fights, but to shake off that intimacy of hand holding.
"Ok... " Bo nodded and drew her dagger out in her hand. She followed the Valkyrie to the entrance to check out the monks.
"Yeah, they're all dead," Bo said as she checked the pulse of all the monks, one after another.
"Their bodies are still warm though," Tamsin said, "whoever killed them must be close by."
Bo wanted to say something, but before she could, they both heard the sound of fighting coming from inside.
Tamsin nodded at Bo before she stood up and stepped inside slowly and cautiously. Bo followed. She was startled a little by how cold and damp it was inside, and how it looked like a creepy dungeon.
After making a turn in the dark, damp tunnel, Bo saw someone surrounded by several enraged monks. They were fighting, and the person was losing.
"Val?" Bo murmured in surprise when she got a clear look at the person. Though the woman was equipped with a crossbow, clearly that was not suitable for close range combat. She was fighting with a short sword, but it was knocked out of her hand and she could not find an opening to pick it back up.
"Hey!" Bo exclaimed as she gripped her dagger tightly, ready to jump in.
The monks were distracted by the sudden appearance of Bo and Tamsin. One of them paused there, as if he was trying to figure out whether he should take care of Val first or stop Bo and Tamsin from getting any closer. Before he made a decision, Val grabbed his shield from his hand and knocked him out. Then she swung the shield back again and knocked out another monk who was right next to her. The other monks were surprised by the suddenly change, and it gave Val enough time to roll herself over to the other end of the tunnel. She loaded her crossbow and fired twice, killing two monks in a row. Approached by the last one too closely to use her weapon again, she dodged his attack and pulled his dagger from his waist, and slit his throat with it.
"Wow, looks like you don't need any help," Bo said when she watched Val wipe the blood off her face.
"Your timing could not have been better, Bo," Val said with a smile on her face. She checked the tunnel they were in to make sure no more monks were coming at them.
"The monks outside?" Bo asked.
"I killed 'em," Val shrugged as she pulled the arrows out from the dead bodies and put them back into her quiver. She let out a deep breath and turned to Bo, yet her eyes fell on Tamsin who stood right behind the brunette. "Friend of yours?" she asked Bo.
"Yeah... " Bo answered as she took a glance at the Valkyrie.
"Light or Dark?" Val asked with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Dark," Tamsin answered before Bo opened her mouth, "so don't expect me to bow in front of you, your highness."
"Huh, I thought you were more into the helpless, innocent type," Val said to Bo, with a teasing smile on her face.
Bo rolled her eyes, deciding that she would not make any comments on that. "Why are you here, Val?" she asked.
"Just here to take back something that belongs to me, " Val said. Then she started to go into the deeper side of the tunnel, "come on, we better keep movin'."
"Oh great, another princess... " Tamsin grunted as she followed the Ash and Bo.
After running along the tunnel while defeating more monks, the three of them finally arrived at the inner chamber. It was a cold place, with water dripping down from the ceiling. Bo could not tell if they were in a room or a cave, because the walls looked like rock surface to her. There were braziers in the corner, and torches on the walls, but the place still chilled her to the bone.
Seeing the cages in the room, with rusty chains covered in dried blood, and skeletons inside, Bo sighed. Then she saw a torture table against the wall, with blood all over it. A number of tools used for torture were laid out on one side of the table, and they were drenched in blood too.
"It's called an eyeball scoop," Tamsin leaned down and whispered to Bo when she noticed the brunette staring at one tool which looked like a melon baller, "Wouldn't touch that if I were you. You don't want to be a Succubus with one digit short, right?"
Bo shot the Valkyrie a cold stare, and withdrew her hand. "Where did Val go?" she asked when she found that the Ash was nowhere to be seen.
"In there?" Tamsin pointed at one of the rooms that was attached to the main chamber.
When Bo entered the room, she saw Val sitting on the floor right next to an opened cage with someone in her arms and a worried look on her face. When Bo had a clear look at the woman's face, and recognized that it was the Morrigan, she frowned, both surprised and confused. But then, she remembered that Kenzi had told her once that the Ash and the Morrigan might have been involved with each other. Hmmm, guess it's true then... Bo thought.
"She's not waking up... " Val said in a panic. Bo took a glance at the Morrigan, realizing that the woman was way too pale for a living person.
"Why is she here?" Bo asked as she rushed to Val's side. She hesitated for a few seconds before she decided to put the grudge between her and Evony aside, at least for now, and checked her pulse. It took her a while to actually feel the elder Fae's pulse, which was barely there.
"The Una Mens summoned her," Val said as she tapped Evony's face. "Maybe it was that big mess we created here last time or something... "
Taking a deep breath, Bo said, "Tell the bitch she owes me one, will ya?" Then she leaned towards Val and gave her a short, light kiss before she pulled her Chi out.
"Wow, that really turns me on," Tamsin said in a mocking tone as she gave Bo a smirk.
Bo ignored the Valkyrie and gave the Chi to Evony. Seconds later, the Morrigan coughed as she opened her eyes.
"Oh dear, what a funky tasting chapstick!" was the first thing that came out of Evony's mouth when she woke up. She frowned at Bo while wiping her lips.
"Yeah, I'm actually considering switching to some other brand called my-foot-up-your-ass," Bo retorted, almost immediately regretting bringing the bitchy Dark leader back.
The Morrigan snorted. Then she turned to Tamsin. "Oh, looks like you've got yourself a new bitch," she said in an intriguing tone when she stared at Tamsin, like she was really interested in her.
"Want me to eyeball-scoop you?" Tamsin asked with a cold stare.
"Oh, with an attitude, even better," Evony said, "aren't you supposed to kneel before me, my dear Dark girl?"
"Bite me," Tamsin taunted, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Is this some sort of bitch competition?" Bo said loudly while giving Tamsin a stare, who rolled her eyes at her and grunted something in a very low voice. Then Bo turned back to the Morrigan again, and asked, "Why the hell did they summon you?"
"Oh, you know, the usual stuff. I can't fuck a certain person because I'm Dark. It is not only a crime but a blasphemy for us to create that whole mess at their place. We will be prosecuted because we killed three of the Una Mens, blah blah blah... "
"Wait, you two killed three Una Mens?" Tamsin interrupted Evony. "How?"
"I have my secrets," the other woman replied, not willing to give her any more details.
"If they summoned you because of the Dark and Light can't fuck each other crap, why wasn't Val summoned?" Bo asked curiously.
"Probably because they were afraid that we might kill the other three if we were summoned together?" Val said.
"Enough of the boring talk," the Morrigan said, "I am going to need a full spa treatment to get rid of this smell..."
"Yeah, whatever, we need to go find the shit we're here looking for anyway," Tamsin said as she looked at Bo.
"And we need to-" Val was interrupted by the three Una Mens who had just walked in.
"You have committed more crimes than I ever suspected," the female Una Mens said to Val and Evony in a plain and indifferent tone, "I don't think we'll need a prosecution, but an execution."
"You can only dream," Val said as she drew her short sword.
Bo pulled out her dagger to join the fight, but seconds later, she realized in shock, that Val did not need her. The woman was like a perfect fighting machine. She was extremely fast, and the Una Mens were unable to dodge her attacks.
"What the hell?" Bo murmured. She remembered that Val was an excellent warrior, but she had no idea the woman was this good. She turned to Tamsin, wanting to ask the Valkyrie what was going on, and realized that the blonde was looking at Evony with a frown.
Bo took a glance at the Morrigan and found that she was apparently using her power somehow. Her right arm was outstretched towards Val, and sweat was dripping down along her cheeks. She was biting her bottom lip as if she was in pain.
"Holy... shit," Tamsin said, "the power of a Leanan sídhe cast on a skilled warrior... damn!"
"Care to explain?" Bo asked, her eyes going back to the Una Mens, watching them closely so she could join the fight again at any time.
"Leanan sídhe stimulates the talent of people, here her power works like an amplifier for the Ash, and makes her 100 times more skillful in combat," Tamsin replied. "No wonder the Una Mens didn't summon them together. They don't stand a chance."
"I thought they could reflect Fae power. How come they didn't copy her ability and make themselves more powerful?"
"Only when the Fae power is cast directly on them," Tamsin said, "but she didn't cast it on them... "
"Wow... " Bo murmured, "I guess we'll just watch?"
"If you want to throw yourself in, be my guest," Tamsin smirked, "not gonna drag you out when you are getting your ass kicked."
Just when Bo was about to retort, she saw Evony suddenly collapsed to the floor, panting. Val, who was about the kill the last Una Mens, the female one, turned back nervously. After a few seconds of hesitation, she rushed to Evony's side and let the exhausted woman rest her head on her knees.
"One day... you will all pay... for your sins... " the female Una Mens said in between gasps. She was seriously injured, her hand pressing on her waist trying to stop the bleeding. She stepped forward a little, approaching the two dead Una Mens bodies, but she stopped when she saw Tamsin and Bo stood in the middle with their weapons up.
She turned around and stumbled out. Bo wanted to pursue, but Tamsin stopped her. "Don't," the Valkyrie said in a low voice, "we didn't come here to kill."
Bo nodded and sheathed her weapon. Then she got down on her knee to take a closer look at the Morrigan. "Is she Ok?" she asked Val.
"Probably used too much power," Val said, "I need to get her to a safe place so she can get some rest." She stood up and carried the elder Fae on her shoulder, "I'll send my people in later. I heard they have a massive archive and it'll be a nice collection to add into the Light compound's library."
"Mind if we do some digging first?" Bo asked.
"Sure," Val nodded, "I'll give you guys the entire night to look for whatever you want in here."
"Cool," Bo replied.
After Val left with Evony, Bo and Tamsin first checked the two bodies of the Una Mens. They found a set of keys on one of them, but other than that there was nothing useful. They tried to locate the last Una Mens, but from the trial of the blood leading outside, they figured that she had already escaped. Then they canvassed the entire lair, making sure there were no monks who were hiding that might ambush them later.
Tamsin and Bo went back to the truck to get some equipment that might be useful during the night, then went back to the chamber and locked the door to the outside. It did not take them long to find the archive, which was located in the innermost room at the end of the tunnel.
"Wow, guess she didn't lie about the massive part... " Bo was in awe when she entered the room, amazed by the endless shelves of books, parchments, scrolls and tablets, and chests laid along the wall.
"Guess how many dirty little secrets are buried in here," Tamsin said as she put the things she was carrying down on the floor.
"Only one sleeping bag?" Bo asked when she saw the sleeping bag, her voice half teasing.
Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Don't get any filthy ideas in that sex demon head of yours, Ok?" she said. "With this much crap to go through, I doubt I'll get any sleep tonight. So, you can use it."
"Oh... " Bo replied, suddenly feeling a little disappointed. Then, she realized that they would spend another night together, and that idea made her excited again. She took a glance at the blonde, who was looking for a catalog of the archive, and wondered if the Valkyrie was thinking the same thing.
Maybe she is, Bo thought, when she saw Tamsin's beautiful aura. She did not even realize that she had a smile on her face, until the blonde gave her cold stare.
"Stop acting like a moron, will you?" Tamsin said, "I thought we came here for some answers about your father, not to stand around and stare. Are you gonna help me out or not?"
"Sure," Bo replied, intrigued by the upcoming night.
A/N: To Ana, yes the hand scanner should just be a device that scans the hand, but the hand scanner here that I intended to describe was one that scans the hand, and collects a blood sample to compare with something that is in its database already. Probably I haven't elaborated it well though.
Thanks for all the reviews!