Arabesque: A Wings Companion

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Guns down, Lenore," Marion said sharply, smiling in a way Rowen didn't understand. "No one's going to misbehave."

Lenore glowered at the Winter faerie, but after a long silence she lowered her hands. The human soldiers lowered their guns.

Shawn was the first to break the tableau by running toward Rowen and Meghan. Blood streamed from a cut along his ribs, but seeing him alive was enough. Rowen lowered her eyes, not wanting to know if he was running to her, or to Meghan—who was standing behind her.

He stopped in front of Rowen.

"Don't," she said shakily, cursing the timing of the universe as he raised his arms to hug her. "I have to hold this illusion and if ... if—" A sob overtook her, but she managed to maintain the illusion hiding the cove rather than drop the shield and crumple into his arms. Barely. If this was the last opportunity she ever had to be in Shawn's arms and she missed it, she was never going to speak to her uncle again.

But miss it she did, as Meghan stepped around Rowen and threw her arms around her brother, pulling back when he groaned.

"Are you okay?" she asked, but Shawn shushed her, eyeing Marion.

The deposed queen strode forward and Rowen moved only her eyes to take in the beach. A handful of the sea faeries were lying in the sand, groaning.

But many weren't.

Some of the human soldiers had sustained injuries—knife wounds, mostly, with a smattering of bites and bruises. None of them were dead, but Marion was apparently in a position to kill them all, if that's what she wanted.

With a chill, Rowen realized no one ever really knew what Marion wanted.

"Now," Marion said, her tone patronizing, "we've all shown how big and strong we are and how willing we are to destroy one another. I hope that was sufficient playtime because now we must think of our futures."

"You think this is some kind of game?" Tamani growled, and Rowen could tell the words came through clenched teeth.

"An exercise is not the same as a game, Captain."

"Exercise!" he shouted. "You could have stopped them at any time! People are dead!"

"Not any time, Captain," Marion said cryptically, eyes scanning the shoreline. "There were things for you to accomplish, first. And some of them are dead, I grant you. Practically threw themselves on their own knives though. Couldn't be helped. But your crew?" She glanced at Rowen, Meghan, Shawn, Tamani and Lenore, each in turn. "Let's be honest, they were never in any real danger."

Rowen's mouth dropped as she thought of the way Shawn had fought for his life mere minutes ago. She managed one halting step forward, hand rising to strike the Winter faerie for her outrage.

But one step was all she managed to take.

"Temper, temper," Marion said, the corner of her mouth lifting in a grin.

Struggling against Marion's magical constraint, Rowen almost didn't hear Meghan whisper, "Girl, I got your back."

As smoothly and gracefully as any dancer in the history of all the world could possibly having managed, Meghan punched Marion in the face.

The Winter faerie staggered backward with a gasp and, though Tamani stood within a few feet of her, he didn't rush to assist.

Marion glared at Lenore. "You let that happen."