"These Days" - Foo Fighters
The Sun Melts
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Some time late in the day, Leah woke from her daily nap in the hammock with a hand clamped over her mouth. The skin was clammy and smelled faintly of seasoned meat. Unfamiliar, and a little gross. Leah bit down.
"Aiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!" the weirdo screamed, cradling their hand to their chest as they fell on their butt.
Leah sat up, palms glowing. She recalled that Edward and Esme were both still on the property this afternoon. They'd be here in seconds.
"Please don't hurt me!" the woman screamed, curling into a ball. Her plain, neutral-colored clothing was characteristic of the realm. Her pale amber wings unsheathed themselves and cradled her shoulders.
Wait, she knew this fairy. It was the maid who'd attended her before the mission.
"Gwen, what are you doing here?" Leah leaned on the rail and lazily stretched, still freaked out, but no longer fearing for her life.
"Please don't get Mr. Edward!"
"Then why the hell are you waking people up with suffocation?"
"I don't mean to bother you, but we need your help and Edward can't come! Please, milady, please. Her Majesty has gone mad!"
Squinting up at the clouds, Leah popped a baby carrot in her mouth. When did those get here? "Tell me something I don't know."
"The child of that vampiress, Naomi - she - she's g-going to do something terrible! Kill her, maybe! Her mother was evil through and through, but the baby -"
"Kill her? How?"
The maid took a shuddering breath. "No one is quite certain, but there's talk that she'd like to remove the vampire part of her soul."
Leah frowned. She knew that the fairy part could be taken away from someone, resulting in either extreme pain or death, but this was something else, seemingly impossible. "How possible is that?"
"We - we don't know. I'm just a maid who barely passed secondary, but stronger sorcerers are capable of working on the soul, everything unseen. Her Majesty claims it's to fix her, but we all know she won't survive. Perhaps if you convince the queen the child doesn't need to pay for the mother's mistakes, she won't feel the need - "
"We'll see," Leah sneered. How long would the queen loom over them, forcing her hand? This was where Rosalie was wrong. She couldn't not get involved when everyone suffered. It was always her choice, but she always chose the obvious one.
"Please," Gwen begged. "Convince her to spare the child, Miss Leah."
Leah frowned. She pulled her sword out of the sheath. "Oh, I'll do more than convince her. Edward," she called absentmindedly.
In a second he was at her side. "When do we leave?"
The maid gaped at them. "You can't mean to enter yourself! I have the resources to sneak in Miss Leah, but Mr. Edward, someone would notice a vampire right away and you both would be in trouble."
"I see." He thought to himself a moment, then said, "We won't be going."
"What?" both women cried.
Leah sat back on the railing, exhaling sharply. "How can you say that? If we do nothing, the kid dies."
"And if we do go, we all die."
"Not me alone."
He took her hand, and when she let him, he sighed and continued. "Leah, you shouldn't go without me. But we can't go together. My answer is no."
She stared at him for a moment, then slowly turned back to Gwen. "I'm sorry. We're still trying to find Princess Echo. How long until the queen plans to go through with the spell?"
"It was discussed last week, but no telling. We all think she's gone clinically mad with how frantic she gets."
"Go home. You've risked the lives of many to come here. Don't press your luck."
The maid's shoulders sagged, but she backed away. "Very well, miss. I'm sorry for the intrusion."
In the blink of an eye, she shrunk into her miniscule form, then flew away, blending into the pollen.
As soon as Gwen was gone, Leah raced indoors. Edward followed behind, and turned into the kitchen, in time to see her eating a sandwich in three neat bites.
"Don't," he said, one eyebrow arched in a warning.
She ignored him, wiped her hands, then raced up to his bedroom. She changed out of her pajamas and started filling a tote bag.
"Don't go," he repeated.
She pushed past him and went downstairs. In the center of the living room, Esme bent over an easel as she started to capture the view of the glass wall overlooking the river. The brunette vampire paused her painting when Edward and Leah didn't move. "Yes, dear?"
"I'll be gone for the day, Esme. Call my mom if I'm not back by tomorrow."
"Is everything okay? I don't think Carlisle -"
Leah walked out the front door.
"It's fine, Esme," Edward insisted. "We're just going on a trip."
Leah was already at the treeline when he caught up. "I know it's a bad idea. But I don't know how I can't help. I'm the one who hurt her mother. I'm the one who put her in that position. She's just a kid. She didn't ask for any of this."
He said nothing.
"I'm going alone," she muttered.
"Okay."
"I'm sorry." She sighed and continued on her journey. He was left staring behind her.
As Leah leaned into the tree she was sucked into an oppressive heat and blinding light. She groaned as her body immediately broke into a sweat, eager to cool her down and protect her from the unnatural magic. She shoved her weight against the portal, stuck in between the two worlds. Air was crushed out of her, her breathing ragged as the panic set in. Oh, God, what if she died here? Was this portal poisoned? She never did learn how exactly outsiders were kept out. So much she didn't know…
Suddenly she felt the give in the portal and she made the final push through to the other side. She wiped her profusely sweating skin and steadied herself on natural earth, blessed ground.
A hand was on the hem of her shirt. She looked up.
"You won't be alone," Edward vowed, giving her the most beautiful smile.
She laced their fingers together and pulled him closer. Out of affection, sure, but also out of fear, because the world around them was nothing like it should have been.
Their entrance was on a hill overlooking the cobblestone path. But everything else was off. If possible, everything was even grayer than last time. The grass was dry, living in its own early winter. No distinct cloud dotted the sky, but rather just blurry streaks muddled it. Worst of all, the cottages were now dilapidated, a few of the mismatched windows bashed in, doors either boarded over or swinging on their hinges. Gone were the inviting smells of bread and stew, the bright sounds of music and laughter. In the distance they heard voices, but nothing signified this was still the happy place to live it once had been
'Do you see anyone?' she thought.
Edward shook his head.
"You!" A lone kid on a bike pointed to them.
Edward drew Leah to his chest. "Begone, boy."
Leah shoved him away. "Just start walking."
They set off in the opposite direction, ignoring the child.
"You were in the tree! You were in the tree!"
They started walking quicker.
A man up ahead of them gave them a curious glance.
The boy continued to point at them. "Not allowed!"
A woman ran out of a house and scooped him up. "What are you doing out here?" she whisper-shouted, flying him back to the safety of their house. They heard the door bolt shut behind her.
Leah and Edward resumed their slight speedwalk when the man ahead of them slowed and looked back.
"Excuse me," he said. "Do you know if the RDP is open today?"
"Uh…" Leah intelligently responded. "Yes."
"Shoot," he mumbled. "Are you headed that way?"
"No," Edward said as Leah replied, "Yes."
The man leaned onto one leg and reached into his pocket. "Not from here, are you?"
"No, no. Yeah… what we meant is, we are out for a walk and might stop by the, uh - RPD."
The man looked at them just a second too long. The two of them mentally cringed, waiting for the mask to be pulled off their faces.
Then, very gently, a march sounded down the street.
"Who is that?" Leah blurted out.
The stranger grabbed her by the sleeve and drew in close: "Run."
He dragged them along down the street, turning into the alley between two buildings, through a backyard, and into another street. He moved as if he'd practiced this his whole life, this secret avenue passageways. Leah shrugged free, but didn't think twice about stopping - what other choice did they have? What other people did they know or could contact easily?
Finally the man reached a house, dived behind a large bush, and down a rabbit hole.
Too shocked to hesitate, Leah jumped in too, dragging Edward along behind her. They stifled shouts as they were surrounded completely in darkness for a long moment, diving down a rough slide of dirt.
When they reached the bottom, Edward silently landed on his feet and caught her.
There were people down here.
"What the fuck, mate?"
A lamp flicked on. Half a dozen people were in the room.
"Tam, we're not taking in strays," said the older man at the head of the coffee table. Even sitting, he was quite tall. He wore a powder blue uniform and his long hair was pulled back into a loose braid. A pair of glasses were perched on his nose. He didn't look up from his newspaper.
"General Foxfeather?" asked Leah.
"Oh, so it is you," the military man sighed. "Even worse."
"I had to," said Tam, their lifeline and new best friend. "The Royal Guard would've locked them up for good. At best."
"Would've…Should've," the general mumbled into his fist.
Tam made introductions, as if they were invited over for tea and not just running for their lives. "Everyone, you've probably met Edward and Leah. Guys, this is Tasha, Angel, Georgie, Sprout, and Andy…"
Leah barely listened as she looked around their underground bunker - nothing more than a shabby living and dining area. But she sensed the power of what went on between these walls. The danger.
She looked around at the men and women, all of them in their traditional plain clothes except for Foxfeather.
"Would someone tell me what the hell is going on?"
Tam sat on the edge of the table. "Who let you in?"
"Nobody. Well, I did. It was difficult but not impossible."
"Huh. That's shocking. It should have killed you."
"Well…" she was gifted by the queen. But she didn't think adding that would help her case.
"Who are all of you?"
"Rebels. Sort of." Tam broke up a loaf of braid and started passing it out. Leah declined her piece.
"We're not rebels," corrected the general. "We're advocates for prioritizing the safety of all fairy folk."
"Really? You?" she couldn't help saying.
He gave her a cool once-over. "You've changed."
"I know."
"For your information, my war tactics should not be applied to the general population. The army has been terrorizing any fairy folk who so much as use the wrong word in a spell. And I hate to see our children harmed. So, though I work for the throne, I've had to find covert ways to circumvent the abuse of power by the queen."
"Huh." She couldn't hide her disbelief.
"What?"
"It's just not what I would expect from you. Given how you handled Naomi. And you can just kind of be an asshole. No offense."
He smiled dryly. "Is anyone's ethics so black and white?" He gave a pointed look to Leah and Edward's linked hands.
Edward glared back at him. "Are you going to help us with Naomi's daughter or not?"
"We're trying," said Tam. "We went to the assembly -"
"You," corrected General Foxfeather. "You went to the assembly. I'm washing my hands of it."
"Now, now," an elderly woman with purple hair soothed, patting his hand. "Whatever happened to prioritizing the safety of our children."
"Angel, that…girl is not a fairy child. Not naturally and not totally. We shouldn't be risking our lives for her."
"We don't understand," said Edward. "Didn't you guys send a messenger for us?"
"Who?" said Tam.
Leah was hesitant to give away the maid. "Didn't you have someone from the castle inform us?"
Foxfeather shook his head. "Oh, boy. Not me. I don't make the shots around here." His tone was snide.
"Then…"
"I do," said a voice from the shadows. Major Troy Berry stepped forward.
Edward, Leah, and Troy huddled together on a beat-up couch. Their initial greetings were all fierce hugs and grins but they quickly settled into the terse recounting of the last few weeks.
"I've been quite literally underground for weeks," he said, sipping his hot tea. "I sent word to General Foxfeather as a last resort. We've not always been on the best terms, but I knew he'd rather take the chance to curry favor with the people than keep sinking with the queen."
"Are people so against her?" Edward asked.
"Not as much as they should be." He made a face. "She's powerful and that scares people. Besides, most nobles don't want to lose their cushy status. Angel over there is the only one who joined us. Her resources help a lot in getting people food and shelter."
"Did she chase you out?" Leah inquired.
"No. No. You see, Ella wants control of you as guardian Leah. It's a position that must be filled by somebody besides herself, and part of the checks and balances in our government. But you weren't the yes-man you should've been. So she was going to use Echo as a bargaining piece."
Leah's fists glowed. "That's why Ella got someone to kidnap her?"
"She wishes. No, she was going to trap her in the In-Between and give you the choice. You'd comply with her plans and keep the commonfolk in line. Otherwise, she'd keep Echo there and frame you for her death, which is one of the few ways she could legally terminate you without putting her crown at stake. So Echo and I staged a kidnapping."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. I paid an old friend to invade, kidnap her, and take her to Canada, where I'd meet her. But Echo wanted me to wait to run until I could ensure the child's safety." He rubbed his eyes. "This was the worst mistake. It gave Ella the perfect chance to close off the kingdom."
Leah elbowed him. "Don't beat yourself up. All the other attacks were real. And they've gotten worse out here. I wouldn't be surprised if she were controlling it."
He shrugged. "I've considered that possibility myself. I digress. I trusted an old friend, but all he did was end up detaining Echo in the water realm. He was going to sell her back to that piece-of-garbage prince." His hands shook with so much anger, he had to set down his teacup for fear of breaking it. "I've only heard from Echo just last night. She escaped the slimy bastard and found a…I don't even know what to call her. Some supernatural who does bounty hunter work. But she put us in touch with someone important."
"Oh, God." Leah sank back into the sofa, dust springing up. "Who?"
"Naomi's former partner. A vampire."
"Is he here?" Edward asked. "Will he even challenge Ella?"
"How can he not?" Leah found herself saying. "She banned all outsiders to scare me into submission and terrorize the kingdom because she couldn't control us. She wants to destroy all trace of Naomi and her daughter. She wants more than a monarchy. She wants a dictatorship."
Troy sighed. "Daniel is still a nomad. And feeds the normal way. So. Let's be careful."
Tam rolled his eyes from the recliner, empty teacup in hand. "Are we really doing this?"
Yes, they were.
Leah couldn't very well march right up to the gates. But that didn't mean she had to use the backdoor. There was a commoners' ball tonight and no one at all was expected to show up. They were too scared or too weak or too disgusted to bother.
Instead, Troy led them down the same passageway he first brought them to all those months back. But instead of entering the grand hall, he kept going until they reached a stairwell. Leah realized they were going to the training grounds. This was no place fit for a child. It was too dark, too cold down here.
A woman was sweeping the wooden floor where the weapons were kept. It was the same maid.
Gwen clutched her heart when she saw Leah. "Major Berry! You've done it."
Edward sauntered into view.
"Oh, heaven." She wrapped her arms around herself. "Major, he'll be killed on sight."
Troy waved a dismissive hand. "She's wearing an amulet around her neck. It keeps the girl -"
"Soraya."
"The amulet keeps Soraya tethered to here." He shook his head. "Edward's the only one who could possibly be quick enough to steal it from her."
"Very well." She led the trio past the weapons, through the medical bay, and to a storage unit. Inside were books and jars and plants. All magical things. But in the very back was a storage container. The maid unlocked it with a wave of her hand.
The room was ice cold, oddly, and warm light spilled from the single hanging lamp. It was somewhere between a tomb and a hospital room. A desk, a chair, a bookcase (without books)... and a little girl sleeping on a low bed.
"Tied to the bed every night so she can't escape. How could she? She's just a girl," whispered Gwen.
Soraya's eyelids fluttered. "Wen?"
"Shh," the maid soothed her, untying the restraints. They didn't look especially tight or thick, but for all Leah knew, they were probably enchanted.
The little girl sleepily crawled into Gwen's lap. "You're gonna leave the scary place but you have to be quiet. Okay?"
Leah hesitated. She couldn't help asking - "Is she safe?"
Gwen smiled. "As far as we know she's a completely normal child. Sleeps and eats like a normal one."
Leah scooped Soraya up in her arms, who blinked up at her with a somber expression. Perhaps everything would really be fine. "Alright. Now what?"
Troy smiled darkly. "Now they celebrate."
The queen ascended the throne with a grandiose air unbecoming of a woman in her position. Her dress was a courtly silver with a high neck and long train. Her pearly hair glittered with fairy dust. In contrast, the few attendees dressed modestly, some still in their work clothes.
"Why is everyone in such a state?" she whispered to her right-hand man.
General Foxfeather fiddled with his mustache. "With most of their spells forbidden, and without Echo further protecting the land, the kingdom is at its wits end." He nodded to two young people wearing a rich brown color, the color of mourning. "The Whistles lost their grandmother just yesterday. I don't think they would have attended, had you not promised gifts."
"Shameful." She folded her hands in her lap. "They all want something from me. They hold themselves above the needs of the clan."
"Hmmm…" Foxfeather stared off into the distance, eyes drifting to the drink table.
"Now's as good a time as any to liven up the room." She clapped a beat with her hands and the band switched to a jaunty theme.
Everyone parted ways as she sashayed to the center of the ballroom. It was custom for the queen to have her pick of a partner before beginning a dance. Normally this was a great honor and a chance for anyone to charm a ruler. But now, most of the people shrank back when she came too close.
"I hope everyone is enjoying themselves tonight," she announced gaily. "It means so much to me you all could attend. I know that the kingdom is not at its best lately. But if we all sacrifice just a little, we all will gain so much more. Part of that sacrifice is giving up a bit of our power, so that your leaders can protect you better. It is imperative you all recognize that. Now, let's have a little Crooked Rock jig. I invite General Foxfeather to dance -"
"How about me?" said Edward from the doorway.
Everyone gasped. The last thing common folk expected or wanted was a vampire in their sanctuary, not when so much instability went on beyond these palace walls. Some gnashed their teeth while others cowered away.
Foxfeather started to draw his sword. "At your ready, Your Majesty."
The guards started to close in on them, but the queen held up a hand.
"Mr. Edward, you delight us with your presence as much as you offend us." She chuckled. "You're no commoner."
"No noble either, ma'am."
She held out her hand. "Let your dance define it."
Slowly, reluctantly, the other partygoers paired and skipped to the music. The band swirled their melody into something grander and layered.
"I'm surprised you could make it," she offered sweetly, the vivid green of her eyes cutting into his golden ones.
"I'm surprised I wasn't invited."
"Oh, Edward. You know better than anyone how much I value you and Miss Clearwater."
"Yes, you've always put a certain value on us."
She stepped back a bit, forcing him to follow her lead instead. "My, my. Are you here for a dance or a spar?"
"With the right partner, I'd say you can manage both."
"There's a riddle."
He smirked. "Says the woman leading."
"I don't know if a queen counts as a 'woman'. More of a relic these days."
"Don't be modest. Someone with your power…" He let his words linger and his mouth twist. "We were very sorry to hear about Echo."
For a brief second, her face drooped with a surprising grief. Then it smoothed out, as if the work of glamour, washing away all genuine feeling. "She'll be home soon. The Prince is doing everything he can -"
"What's the point?"
"Excuse me?"
He leaned in close to her. "His people don't want to waste resources on this kingdom. You've got one foot in the ground, for Christ's sake. Once you and him kill that little girl down there, he'll return home as a hero. What kind of prince would stick around to marry a missing woman? I mean, geez, you've taken away his one incentive to bring her home."
"I didn't -" She stared past him. "That's not it at all."
"You're playing so many games at once you can't win any of them."
"How dare you!"
He leaned in close, the hand on her back pressing her closer as he delivered the final blow. "And the worst part is, you'll be responsible for both your son's and your granddaughter's deaths. All for nothing."
"You insolent garbage!" She shoved him away and a cerulean energy shot from her hands.
Struck, Edward clutched his heart and fell to his knees on the tiled floor.
"Oh my God!" A woman cried. Whispers of fear and shock fluttered in the air. A nervous energy. Even an angry one.
Four guards rushed to Queen Ella's side. "Your Highness!" "Are you alright?"
"But I didn't - That wasn't me!" She tried to push them away. "I didn't do that!"
"She's all shaken up." Foxfeather raised a hand. "Humphrey, Cotton. You attend to the queen. Ma'am, shall I bring Mr. Edward to the infirmary?"
She straightened, brushing the front of her dress, a befuddled look in her eyes. "Yes. You may do the examinations yourself. Edward, I do apologize. We shall speak again soon, perhaps in better circumstances."
Edward knew that this was all a veiled threat that he would surely be taken to a prison cell and the notice for his execution would be going up any hour now.
Foxfeather brandished an arm, gesturing for Edward to take the lead. "Gentlemen."
The two guards stiffly marched behind them and the party entered the dark hall.
As they rounded a corner, Edward heard, 'You stupid, stupid bastard,' echo in his head.
Edward suppressed a grin at the telepathic message Foxfeather was sending him. Out loud, the redheaded vampire asked, "So which chamber will I be sleeping in?"
One of the guards exhaled heavily, sounding amused. "General, how would you like him tied?"
Foxfeather gave the younger man an irritated look. "We're not tying a vampire, you fool. And if I had intended to, you would have given him room to attack."
"Sorry, sir."
"The both of you will do as the queen directly orders, not what you think your tiny brains are capable of inferring." The general halted suddenly, long hair still swishing. "Groomsbug, Stillwater, send for Lieutenant Josephs. Tell her it's urgent."
"Both of us? Are you sure?"
"I can handle the surprise guest." His glare dared them to challenge him, but the men scrambled off, their boots echoing on the cobblestone.
The general turned back to Edward, his face a mix of dread and disgust. 'Congratulations, you're going to have to fight me.'
"Sir, I don't think I should - "
'Oh, drop the act, kid. You may be young enough to be my grandson but we've lived through the same wars. Besides, Her Majesty will be escorted to bed soon, so you've already got her squared away. But I already have duties to search everywhere and if you don't detain me -'
Edward swung his fist around and just barely tapped the general's temple. He heard an infinitesimally small crack that would go unnoticed by the sharpest ears, but the following thud of the tall man's body would have been louder. Edward rushed to catch him, then set him gently on the ground.
"Bastard," the general slurred, mustache twitching as he resisted going under.
Edward took onc last regretful look at the man, then slid a token from his pocket. The amulet that kept Soraya in the realm. He smiled, then disappeared from the hall.
The tunnels were hot and thick with sweat in the air, since only those with something to hide traveled down there.
"The queen's physician is seeing to her. They all think she's a delirious old woman," Troy whispered, gasping for air. "No one knows yet that the general is indisposed."
"Your friends have eyes everywhere. Are you sure she hasn't sent anyone else?"
"She would only trust Foxfeather to lead the investigation of your appearance. Or, I suppose me, before our fallout. But any minute she'll be expecting him to report you and Leah as captured."
"Wait," Edward said. "Are you saying Foxfeather could actually have harmed me?"
"I knew he wouldn't," Troy shrugged. "He's got, about a quarter of a heart, but if you find it -"
"Spare me."
"Anyway, she'll be so focused on thinking Leah returned, she won't think twice about the little girl."
"Right."
The two men halted in their tracks. Troy swung his head around as he turned in a slow circle. "Shit…"
"She was supposed to meet us here, right?"
They had reached the end of that tunnel. The major patted the walls, kicked up dust from the dirt floor.
Edward chewed his lips for a second, but couldn't hold back his anger. "What the hell are you searching for?!"
"I don't know!" Troy squeezed his eyes shut. "Gwen would have led her here…"
"Well she didn't!" Edward ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck!"
Leah was currently lost in the woods with a young child…and the queen wanted them both dead.
It didn't take Leah wrong to realize she was going the wrong way.
But as soon as she'd step onto one path, it would shift and shake and roll onto another, almost knocking her off her feet.
In her arms, Naomi's daughter stirred. "Dizzy," she muttered. The sleeping syrup Gwen had given her would only keep her calm for so long.
"I know, I know." A thread of regret was in her answering sigh. This must've been a glimmer of what Naomi felt, her baby cuddled up to her and trusting her to keep them safe no matter what, not yet understanding the evil in the world. It was a terrifying position to hold.
Just then she heard a weird sound. Something ticking? Or were those steps? Perhaps, a stray. Leah almost chuckled to herself. Of all the threats, a few wild animals would be the least to deter someone like her.
"I remember now," she said, reassuring Soraya. "I should have made a right at the big orange tree."
She remembered clearly making that right ten minutes ago, but she had to maintain control. Had the realm always been this big, full of twists and turns and farms and villages and cities and woods? Then, again, she never did much exploring on her own. Echo and Ella had given her the tools to serve them, but not to be one of them.
As she (again) passed the tree in question, she halted in her tracks.
"What?" Soraya asked.
The little cracking noises were the only sound for some moment on that near empty road. Once a faded orange, the fruit was decaying. The tree was dying before her eyes. The gray world, dimmed by the absent sun, was now all shades of steel, and crumbling like dust.
An announcement rang out, robotic and sharp. "Everyone, stay inside. A mandatory scheduled refurbishing is taking place. This can be deadly to fairyfolk, especially those traveling in small form. Please, stay inside until sunrise unless absolutely necessary."
Beneath Leah's feet, the cobblestone path was brittle and gray, like the paint was peeling off.
Then the trees started to fall. Tall heavy oaks, monuments they were, detached from the ground and landed with a heavy thump.
Her legs shot into action, dodging fallen trees and trying not to trip over loose cobblestones. What awful luck! It seemed as if the queen were right on her heels, peering over her shoulder, saying, 'You see? This is what happens when you disobey me.'
Soraya turned her face into Leah's collarbone, holding on for dear life.
Leah cleared the woods and turned into a farm, all hills and valleys. Shit. Now she was even farther away from the supposed meeting point. She slowed to a jog, muscles burning. Where were Edward and Troy?
Behind her the ground continued to roll, throwing up stones and dirt. There was no way she could outrun it at this point. And the chances of someone looking out the window were greater the longer she remained the only soul out here.
She held the child tighter. "Hold on!"
She braced herself and allowed the ground to roll beneath her feet and toss them into the air.
For one second, they were biting back screams (well, just Leah) and airborne, then they were landing hard on a grassy valley and slowing to a roll.
Leah immediately checked the whimpering child for injuries. There was no time to fret. They had been granted possibly a minute or two to find a passage. She squinted as the building dust clawed at their throats and blurred their vision. No end was in sight.
So she had little warning when a familiar person attacked her.
"Leah!" A relieved Edward wrapped her and Soraya in his arms.
Behind him, Troy was gasping for air, his young face grave and clouded. "Come on," he beckoned them. "We don't have much time."
He led them a little further away from the paths. "Only by poisoning the tree was I able to let you guys and Gwen through… but with the cleared trees, I knew I'd have to start with something smaller." He shrugged. "This would've been easier underground."
"This would've been easier if your buddy could give proper directions," Leah muttered.
"Hey."
"Just saying."
Troy stretched out his hands and a stream of light poured out. With a wave of his fingers, he brought to life a small sapling. He frowned, and widened his hands, shaping the tree he envisioned. After a second, he relaxed and opened his eyes. The tree was narrow, but it was taller than all of them and would have to do the trick. "Leah, go."
"Aren't you -"
"I can't. That's why you're here."
"She'll kill you."
"I don't care." He laughed, then cut himself off. "I'm joking. I'll try not to die."
Edward looked behind him, to see the torn up fields crumbling toward them. "Leah. We can't."
She grabbed the vampire's hand and led them through the tree, all the while looking at the young man who managed to save everyone but himself.
They were in another field, as barren as the last one. This wasn't the woods that normally surrounded the main portal. Where had Troy sent them?
"You're late."
Leah whipped to stare a vampire in the face. She shivered, turning her face into Soraya's hair.
A breeze in the night air blew past them, stirring the familiar and foreign scents. There was fresh blood on this stranger.
He was tall and dark-skinned with big, coily hair. He sat down on a boulder, his fine features captured in the meager light. "By at least ten minutes. Now, what to do about that?"
Leah hesitated, but Edward spoke gently..
"Are you Daniel?"
The vampire nodded slowly, as an old man would. "Edward…" His gaze lazily dragged over them. "And Leah."
"Troy said you were Naomi's mate…"
The man laughed bitterly. "If that were true, I'd have to kill the two of you to avenge her, wouldn't I? Vampire vengeance and all?"
Edward growled. "You know that's -"
"None of your fault? The queen's bidding? Excuses. But because you saved my daughter, as I told your captain, your lives are spared…"
"She's yours?" Leah couldn't help asking, nosy as it was.
"Biologically, yes. Before I changed my beloved, she carried our child." He looked at Edward. "It's rare, but impossible."
"Half-vampire, half-fairy," Edward marveled. He squared his shoulders. "How can this be?"
"It's not forbidden by the Volturi, if that's what you mean. And Naomi suppressed every instinct she could in the child. On the outside, she's perfectly normal. And I suppose, would have led a perfect life, had Naomi survived." He shook his head. "I cared for My Sapphira, but we weren't bonded. Not eternally. I did this for her. I still do this for her." For a second, he looked so defeated no one knew what to say.
Leah was about to speak but Edward did first. "It's you. You're Randall."
The man looked up sharply. "I do not go by that name…"
"You were attacked, weren't you? With your sister, out on that lake…"
"You know the doctor?"
"I am Carlisle's son."
The nomad laughed in disbelief, and clapped Edward's shoulder. "Really? You don't say?"
For a second the two men smiled at each other, as much as their instinctual wariness would allow, and they savored the rare feeling of seeing an old acquaintance again.
"Wow…" Edward frowned. "Why are you under a pseudonym?"
He let out a long breath. "I didn't want to say, but for Carlisle's sake and yours, I will. I had a bad run-in with some other vampires. They told me the queen was letting them feast on those of her choosing. I didn't trust it, given everything Sapphira told me about her. I knew it had to be a trap. And I'm glad I found out more and found Troy. Or else, Soraya would still be there."
"Where will you go?" Leah asked.
Randall shrugged. "She is safe with me, but I can't live a normal life. I know people, but… Maybe I will find her a home while I learn to tame my thirst. Maybe she will need a new family more. All that matters is, she's safe now."
Edward held out his hand. "I'm deeply sorry. Best of luck to you both."
Randall shook his hand rigidly. "You're the one I'm sorry for. When she finds you…" He stopped himself, then gathered Soraya into his arms. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."
Oddly, he didn't race away, only walked Soraya to a clearing and set her down in the backseat of a car. Randall, or Daniel, gave one last wave before he drove off to his undecided future.
"You should stop passing out here," Edward was saying, as he scooped up Leah from her hammock. "The neighbors will think you live on our porch."
"I'm awake, I'm awake," she mumbled.
"Then why are your eyes closed?" He pushed his bedroom door open.
"Because…," she mumbled, sinking into the leather couch.
"Right."
"You should buy a bed."
He crawled onto the sofa and pulled her into his chest. After a moment, he said, "Still awake?"
"You don't have neighbors."
"I know."
She gave a little huff. "Just thinking about it all - the kid. And Randall. How she's going to survive between two worlds."
"You certainly know a little about that."
She rolled over to face him. "I should've been stronger today. There were so many things I could've done to get us to safety faster."
"Hey, hey, you were stable. That's more than enough. No random glowing or sparking -"
"But it worries me. It's been so long since I healed physically. But magically, one minute my hands are glowing when I didn't mean it, the next minute I'm struggling to get them working again -" She sighed. "It's not anything compared to what you're going through."
He brushed her hair behind her ear. "One thing at a time."
"I'm scared I'll run out of steam. That I won't have this whole identity anymore. I used to worry about being too much, but now I worry about being less than what I am - God, I'm annoying myself."
He pulled her into a hug, muffling her fears as well as his own.
"But," she said, pulling away to look at him, "I don't want to be stuck between words. I just want to be me. And you're the only one who gives me that."
He planted a kiss on her forehead. "And I'm here. Let me get you something to eat, I can hear your stomach."
"No. Please stay."
He settled back down, taking her hand. "You needn't be afraid. I'm protecting you. And I've got the strongest person in the world protecting me."
"Do you think we'll survive?" she whispered into the night.
"I'll see to it," he promised. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he leaned forward and kissed her lips. Her heartbeat almost slowed. His skin was cool and comforting, the opposite of hers.
"You kiss by the book," she grinned stupidly.
"Shakespeare, Leah? Didn't you say he was beneath you?"
"Is that where that's from?"
You must be reading my mind," he murmured. Then he was serious. "Tomorrow, we ought to plan a proper date."
"Where do you have in mind?"
"Would you prefer Paris or Mykonos?"
"Mr. Cullen, I am chaste," she teased. "I'm not traveling thousands of miles with a man who is not my husband."
"Don't tempt me into a proposal."
"Then make me forget we're going to die," she purred, pulling him closer.
Replies:
LoveLife24: Omg so happy to hear you're enjoying it! There's a lot going on (and even I forget if that's not clear) but yeah, at this point, based on Echo's research, Edward and Leah believe the curse is going to kill Edward. That his senses will all disappear and eventually he will disappear, too (as in die). That's as much as I can say without giving spoilers! Yay, so excited:))))))