Obsidian Prince, page 21
He took hold of the hand on his arm to draw her to his side, from the position of a flanking guard to the position of a queen or …a consort. Oh. Right. She hadn’t considered the implications of becoming a landed prince’s lover.
His stone hand was oddly warm in hers. “This is the first time I’ve done anything like this. My court has been largely theoretical until now. Nudd has been giving me guidance about how it is normally done, but this. This will begin it. After this…”
Liliana looked up high to his eyes, a deep shimmering green. “Nudd has taught you how to be a king. Now you must choose what kind of king you will become,” Liliana said.
His eyes closed as his aura stretched down into the earth from the soles of his boots, and came back up a hundred-fold stronger. Deep green whorls of power circled his legs like a slow-motion tornado. It didn’t cling to him only. It spread to Siobhan and Nudd who still knelt in front of him, to Liliana beside him, and John a step back on his other side. The earth power even reached a smoky tendril to the one human among them, Detective Shonda Jackson, who sucked in a breath when the magic caressed and sunk into her skin. The flow of power continued to the two lines of Other men and women standing at the ready behind their commanding officer.
As the Green coursed through Liliana, the energy charged her body like electricity through a wire. She found her weight on her toes, feeling light and strong, as if she could leap twenty feet straight up to land on the high branches above her if she chose.
When all of Alexander’s allies were intertwined with the ghostly wisps of Green power, he spoke one word. His voice rumbled the soles of Liliana’s feet, the same voice she’d heard him use before to command obedience.
“AWAKEN.”
And the forest obeyed.
Chapter 19
Living Green
Liliana watched, all eight eyes open. She saw the Green that swirled around her knees spread out from her prince’s boots, just beneath the surface of the ground like streams flowing from a spring.
The forest stirred. All around them, trees swayed on a day with no wind. Outcroppings of rock shifted and gained human shapes. In one spot the earth itself heaved into a mound that grew arms and a head and opened its eyes. The water of the creek flowed backward. It lifted into the graceful shape of a woman. A small fish swam down her leg from her midsection and vanished in the rest of the creek.
With her fourth eyes, Liliana saw the green man who had been sleeping in a small hickory grove a quarter mile away. His bushy-bearded face lit up with joy as the sapling whose roots he slept on stretched and yawned. The sapling became a little girl, perhaps eight or nine. Nearby another hickory creaked as it arched and shook its limbs into arms. Its many twigs took shape as a wild cloud of hair down to a lady’s barky knees. The green man shifted from human form to a thick old hickory demi-form to embrace the lady. The little girl climbed them both so she could sit on what must be her mother’s shoulder.
As the Green flow of power gushed further, a hillside moved, lifting a hoary head. It turned a face like a crude sculpture of stone and dirt with bushes in place of eyebrows. It didn’t stand, thank goodness. The boulders rolling off its shoulders might have crushed someone.
Some distance away a far larger hillside opened a single eye to regard them.
Liliana swallowed. That single eye was easily larger than her house. She glanced at Alexander, Detective Jackson, and John Runningwolf. They hadn’t noticed the giant eye. They were too busy nervously eying the closer creatures surrounding them; huge tree spirits, rock trolls, and some creatures she had no name for like the earth man.
Not all of them were as joyous as the Green man and his family. Many looked angry at being disturbed. They faced the little group with clenched fists of wood or stone.
The majestic ancient cypress growing beside the stream bared white spikes of teeth even as a face formed in the craggy bark above the fissure in the trunk. The treeman creaked as he painfully wrenched his knees up out of the mud. He shifted form, shrinking into a tall, muscular man with dusky-skin and untamed long black hair wearing only an old-fashioned pair of pants made of homespun cloth. A horrible inflamed, half-healed wound, still dripping blood down his flanks formed where the crack in the old cypress’ trunk had been. Mud covered his pants legs. His now human teeth were bared in a snarl as he faced the double line of Other soldiers with their modern rifles and their camouflage uniforms.
The man who had been the cypress lifted a hand. The trees surrounding the little group, the ones that had not awakened to more humanoid forms, bent their branches in hooks that reached toward them with sharp, grabbing branches. The man’s hand bent in tense claws as if he would rip them apart from several feet away.
Alexander’s polished black statue face showed no fear on the surface, but his aura changed to sickly green as the world came to life, and the life showed overwhelmingly hostile intentions.
Liliana knew that if Alexander couldn’t control this angry Fae mob, no one could. She had no doubt her own aura would be flashing with acid green if any of the many species of Fae had the right kind of vision to see it.
John’s voice rang out. “Rear rank, about FACE. SET squad, Ready ARMS.”
The back line of soldiers neatly turned in place so half the soldiers watched their backs. All the soldiers shifted their weapons from leaning casually on their shoulders to up in their hands, ready to be aimed.
The soldiers in the front line shifted to aim at the half-dressed wounded man who seemed to be turning the trees of the forest into weapons against them.
“Flash protection position.” Siobhan’s high voice pierced the angry rumbling and the waving rustle of leaves that wasn’t caused by wind.
Behind Liliana and beside her everyone clenched their eyes shut, faced the ground, and with weapons in the crooks of their elbows, plugged their ears with their fingers.
Siobhan primed her small machine gun like a pump shotgun, yelled, “Flash out,” and fired.
Liliana hastily copied everyone else, including Alexander. She closed all her eyes, plugged her ears and bent her head down just before Siobhan pulled the trigger. Around her, even Detective Jackson, who probably didn’t know why she was doing it, copied the action.
It surprised Liliana that this time the precautions were more effective. Apparently, the stun grenade had less of an impact in an open forest than a tile-floored restaurant.
She looked up right afterward to see what effect Siobhan’s weapon had on the dangerous cypress Fae.
The man with the nasty wounds screamed. The stun grenade probably went off right in front of him. He put his arms over his face, staggered, and fell to his knees.
Around them, the trees stopped trying to attack them. Some of the humanoid creatures shook their heads or put their hands over their ears, some fell off their feet, or roots, or whatever. The more sensitive the Fae’s ears and eyes, and the closer they were to the explosion, the more intense the effects. But many of the Fae, especially those in stone forms, just looked angrier. Rock trolls took grinding steps toward them with clenched fists.
The hill giant shook its great head, showering the surrounding area with dirt and stones.
The giant eye on the hill that nearly qualified as a mountain blinked.
“Hold fire!” Lt. Runningwolf shouted, the sound booming to be heard over ringing ears.
There weren’t many weapons useful against such large stone creatures as the rock trolls. Nothing short of mining explosives would bother the hill giant. Never mind whatever that was in the massive hillside behind it. The trolls didn’t have any clear weak points either, like Spearfinger had. If it came to a fight, as well-trained and well-armed as they were, the SET squad might take some of the Fae with them, but they would most likely all die.
The best option is for this not to become a battle.
That wasn’t what they came for, in any case.
Liliana reached out for Alexander’s long stone fingers. “You are part of the land that nurtured their rest, my prince. Speak and the people of the land will listen.”
His hand briefly squeezed hers, but he didn’t look at her. Instead, a single command rang out, echoing through the ground at her feet like a minor earthquake as he said, “STOP.”
All around them, the stone, earth, water, and plant beings that had started to look like an angry mob, froze.
“BE AT PEACE.”
The creatures blinked stone or bark or dirt or liquid eyes. Their fists unclenched. They looked around them as if waking from a dream.
A demi-crabapple tree, clenched her twiggy fists again. She stepped toward them. She said something in a language Liliana didn’t know.
Behind her, she could see with her second eyes, as the front row of soldiers shifted their aim to point at the brightly blooming sentient tree that stood quivering with acid green fear and determination in her aura.
Doctor Nudd stood on Alexander’s other side, still in human form. “Gaelic, my liege,” he said softly. “She says she is seelie. She asks if her and her kin can leave, or if you intend to kill them. She’ll fight if she has to.”
Alexander nodded, but instead of having Nudd translate for him, he spoke to his Guardian. “Siobhan, tell her that her people are welcome to stay, just as all the unseelie are. They can go back to sleep, leave, or join the modern world. They will have to accept an unseelie land-ruler, but this is not an unseelie court. This land draws no lines of blood between night and day. This isn’t Europe.”
Seelie flower-sprite Siobhan spoke in her high-pitched voice in a lilting, musically accented version of the same language the blooming tree had used. When the tree-woman said something short and probably rude in a grumbling, skeptical voice, Siobhan put a hand to her own chest, then gestured to Pete.
The red-headed man shifted larger and broader his muzzle and tall ears pushing out, showing his red-furred demi-wolf form.
The flowering tree woman put her hand over her mouth as she recognized the red wolf’s race.
“I told her, highness.” Siobhan spoke to Alexander in English loud enough for everyone to hear. “When she called me a liar, I told her I was a seelie sprite and Pete was a Celtic wolf, and we were both a respected part of your court.”
“The lesser one is joking, surely.” A tall, slender pine goblin spoke up in clear French. “Your choice, of course, if you choose not to obliterate them, but surely you don’t allow Seelie scum in your court.”
Alexander answered in the same language. “Siobhan is a court Guardian.” His stone nostrils flared. A small red coal of anger lit the center of his deep green eyes. “You will speak to her with respect if you intend to remain in my lands.”
The pine goblin laughed. “That little weed? A Guardian?” He laughed harder, slapping his woody thigh.
Alexander’s face didn’t change, except possibly to become more grim.
Siobhan’s expression twisted like she’d eaten something sour. “Can I kill him, highness?” she asked Alexander in French. She pumped the lower part of her weapon, just as she had before firing the stun grenade. “Make an example of one, and the others will fall in line.”
Liliana cocked her head to one side, confused. The stun grenades were not lethal, and Alexander had not given Siobhan permission to use more deadly grenades as far as Liliana knew.
She looked at Siobhan with all eyes open.
Oh. The threat is a lie.
Alexander’s black stone lips twitched at the corner in amusement. “It would be effective, no doubt, Guardian, but would not convey our desire for peaceful coexistence.” He held up a hand. “Do not blow the pine goblin into splinters for his insolence.”
“Mmmph. Yes, sir.” Siobhan lowered the muzzle of her gun reluctantly.
The pine goblin looked nervously at the weapon. He glanced at the ancient native man of power who was still on his knees shaking his head and blinking watering eyes repeatedly, likely unable to hear any of their conversation.
“You should probably apologize to my Guardian,” Alexander said, mildly. “She has been known to take retribution for slights out in blood. Unofficially, of course.”
The tall pine looked like he’d swallowed a bug. “My apologies, of course, Guardian.” The words sounded like they were drug out of him painfully.
Siobhan glared at him. “Accepted.” She spoke with the same reluctance.
“Green man, I would speak with you.” Alexander pointed at the elder hickory, even though he had just arrived with his family and was at the far back edge of the crowd.
His wife made a sound of distress. She reached for him with clinging twigs as he pulled away. He straightened, shifted to his smaller human form, and walked to stand in front of Siobhan who did not allow the man any closer to Alexander.
He dropped to one knee, trembling. “My liege.” He spoke in an accented English that sounded like it came straight from England. The words and the gesture both acknowledged Alexander as ruler.
“You are the Green man of this forest. All can feel the richness of Green in it. But the land that feeds it is mine. I will not tolerate murder of seelie, unseelie, or beast-kin on this land without cause, nor especially of Normals. They do not understand their transgressions. You have slain them when their only crime was ignorance.”
The old man with his bushy beard in faded clothes from a previous century swallowed and nodded. “I was confused and afraid, but those are not good reasons to kill the innocent. I submit to your punishment.” He bowed his head, putting one hand on the ground as if he expected to be beheaded.
Much to Liliana’s surprise, Detective Jackson stepped forward. “I represent the human law here, which you broke.”
There was a murmur among those watching as they realized a Normal human stood among the Fae prince’s court.
The old man sat back on his heels. He looked up at the petite policewoman.
“You murdered four people. Why?”
“I was just…” He swallowed. “They cut limbs from green trees. I’d forgotten which ones were my wife and daughter. I thought they hurt my little girl.” The shaggy-bearded man blinked and tears fell. “She and her mother nearly died of the influenza. I brought them here to heal. The Green was fading everywhere, but this place still had some power. I used my magic to pull as much of the Green as I could, but no matter what I did, it wasn’t strong enough to do anything but keep them alive in tree form. Only in the last decade has it started to help them heal again. They were nearly well. To survive so much, then be cut down by some insensitive idiot. I just …” He shook his head and tears fell again. “I wasn’t really in my right mind at that point. When I saw that soldier cut a sapling that might have been my little girl, I just… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Detective Jackson sighed and rubbed her temples. “Do you intend to continue killing campers or anyone else?”
“No, ma’am. I know they didn’t deserve what I did.” He looked to Alexander. “Please, just take care of my family, sire. They were not in any way responsible.”
Detective Jackson looked up at Alexander, who gestured to her that the decision was hers. “Well, it’s not like I could drag you into a court of law.” She nodded. “All right. Protecting your child is a hard thing to argue with. As far as the press and my bosses are concerned, the bear did it.” She glared down at the weeping old hickory. “I’ll let it go. But if anyone in this forest gets so much as a scratch from now on, I’ll know who to blame and where to find you.”
The old man looked up at her with dawning wonder, then looked up at Alexander.
He gave a confirming nod. “Detective Jackson represents the human law in this place. If she forgives your actions, then I do as well.”
The man’s beard was split by a brilliant smile. “Thank you, ma’am. Thank you, sire. I swear, this will be the safest forest for miles around.”
As the Green man joined his relieved family, Alexander addressed the now quiescent crowd.
“If you wish to leave this realm, I will not stop you. If you wish to remain, you will swear allegiance to me. After that, you may sleep again or wake as you choose. If you wish to rejoin mortal society, we will arrange for you to be taught and given what is necessary to pass as a Normal from this time.”
He repeated the English statement in all his languages. Liliana repeated it in the two she knew that he didn’t. Nudd repeated it in Gaelic and another tongue she didn’t recognize. John repeated it in two more languages she didn’t know.
Alexander’s voice deepened again until it vibrated through the earth. “I RULE HERE NOW. IS THAT CLEAR?”
Everyone nodded and the old-world Fae lined up to swear fealty. The hill giant nodded, huge stone eyes focused on Alexander. “I SWEAR.” The giant’s voice rumbled like an avalanche, then it laid back down. As its eyes closed, it lost its human face, becoming nothing more than a hill again.
On the cliff face behind the giant, Liliana was relieved to see that great eye close and vanish as if it had never been. She wasn’t sure Alexander or anyone else saw it.
The ancient cypress man on his knees with the horrific wounds shuddered. He looked up at Alexander, face filled with rage and sorrow, eyes full of impotent tears. His hearing was probably still damaged, and his sight limited to only the edges around big blotches of white, but the language of the earth was one all Fae heard and understood.
There were a lot of Fae who had moved to surround the cypress Fae. The ones in human form all had the facial features of native Americans.
The ancient cypress growled a few soft syllables that Liliana didn’t know. His shoulders sagged in a defeated shrug. He seemed unable to hear anything but the words Alexander spoke through the Green.
“Nvwadohiyada,” John Runningwolf said to him and to the dark-haired people around him who still had angry or wary faces. “Peace to you.”
