Start with part 1 of this story if you haven’t read it yet…
The next day, Jessica and Callum ate breakfast quietly, each thinking about the previous night’s encounters—both good and bad. Their complicated relationship always made things slightly uncomfortable the morning after. Spicy evenings of wild sex transformed into sullen mornings of silence.
Callum finished and stood to take his plate to the small cabin’s counter near the window. He peered outside and sighed. “Well, I think it’s safe now. You should be able to go home.”
The word “home” rolled off his tongue like it tasted sour. Jessica wasn’t sure what he wanted from her. It’s not like they had a real relationship. Given who and what he was, that would never make sense. Besides, he had plenty of playthings who kept him occupied.
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I need to go home. Not all of us can vanish into the forest and leave civilization behind like you.”
He grunted. “Whatever, girl. Run back to your city. But be careful. They are becoming bolder.”
She lifted her arm and shook the silver bracelet wrapped around her wrist. “I’ll be fine. This will protect me, right?”
Callum frowned. “Don’t be stupid. It’s helpful, yes. Good for an encounter with one of them. But it can’t protect you from the numbers surrounding us last night.”
She stood up, shouldered her pack, and walked to the door. “I’m not helpless, you ancient jackass. If they fuck with me, they’ll find out what I’m capable of doing to them.”
He snorted. “Yes, you are a fearsome witch, indeed! They’d better steer clear of your mighty powers.”
He stepped onto the cabin’s small wooden porch and looked around. A bright beam of early sunlight peeked through the dense forest to warm the chilly mountain air. Tendrils of fog lifted from the treetops, fading into a bright blue sky. There was no sign of the Fae, but the woods were strangely quiet. There was no birdsong, no rustling of creatures in the underbrush. Perhaps they had been frightened away by the unnatural intruders who had prowled the woods just a few hours ago.
However, as Jessica moved farther from the cabin to step onto the faint trail back to her car, a sibilant voice slid from the depths of the dark woods. “Good morning, wizard. I trust you slept well after your evening festivities?”
The young witch froze and glanced back at Callum. He quickly closed the distance to stand by her side.
“Leave her alone, and leave this place! This is not your world. You are disrupting the balance.”
A dry chuckle rattled, sounding closer than before. “We have no interest in the young one. She has safe passage. Our business is with you and you alone.”
Jessica frowned. “No, I won’t leave you with them. I can help!”
He touched her back and gently pushed her toward the narrow path. “I’ll be okay. They will be easier for me to handle once you’re safely away from here. Trust me.”
She resisted and tried to turn back, but he guided her away from the cabin clearing. “Go. I will see you again after this.”
Cautiously, she began walking down the path, peering through the dense branches on either side of the narrow trail. But the Fae were true to their word. Nothing impeded her progress, and soon, the ominous feeling lifted from the air. As she moved farther away, she heard birdsong again, and the tension dissipated from her stiff neck. Jessica didn’t like leaving Callum behind, but he had endured worse and survived unscathed.
Watching her go, Callum turned toward the voice and said, “Fine. We’re alone now. What do you want from me?”
A faint whisper of sound made him spin around. A tall, graceful Fae woman glided out of the forest and into the clearing. His eyes narrowed as she approached and stopped several paces away, her large eyes fixed on the silver bracelet encircling his thick wrist.
“I see… You are prepared.” The dulcet tones of her voice were not what he had heard earlier. Clearly, that creature was her minion.
Shaking his wrist, he replied, “This? This is nothing. A trinket compared to what is possible if you don’t leave this world and insist on harassing me with your presence.”
A predatory smile slid slowly across her cold, beautiful face. “Oh, wizard… don’t threaten me. You are strong. That is true. But you know not who we are. Your magic tricks won’t save you.”
Callum stiffened and glared at her. “You still haven’t told me what you want from me.”
She sniffed the air, looking him up and down before glancing away. “The veil. It persists. We wish to visit your world… more easily. You can help us forge a passageway, if you will. An easier path for us to come and go as we please.”
His harsh laughter barked, startling her. “You must be joking. Why would I want your kind here? You were banished long ago, and for good reason. You’re no different than the demons who treated mankind like toys and prey. Humanity was liberated and moved on. They have no desire to return to that ancient, twisted relationship.”
The thin smile dropped from her face. “We are nothing like the demons. Do not mention us in the same breath. Let me make this simple for you, as it is clear you have a simple mind. Help us or die.”
Callum snorted. “Die? Are you ready to die trying?”
Without warning, a dark creature exploded from the forest canopy. Its twisted spiked form hurtled down toward the wizard. With a flick of his encircled wrist, he released an expanding pulse of silver energy that swiftly surrounded him in a shimmering sphere of protection. Unable to stop its midair flight, the dark Fae screamed and twisted before colliding with the shield. Within seconds, half of its body dissolved into smoking ruin as the remaining corpse slid down the iridescent sphere and collapsed in a bubbling puddle on the ground.
The edge of the clearing roiled as dozens of dark forms emerged from the forest and encircled the wizard. The Fae woman shrieked in anger. “You cannot withstand all of us! Remove the charm now, and I may let you live!”
“This little thing?”
He slid the silver bracelet off and tossed it lightly into the air. The small shining circle spun and twisted rapidly, making a whistling, whining sound as energy began surging in pulsing waves around the wizard. It expanded into a larger hoop and split into additional thin screaming lines of energized molten silver. A magical buzzsaw of death surrounded Callum as he turned to examine the Fae mob approaching him.
With an imperceptible nod, she sent the front line of smaller creatures to their sacrificial deaths. Vaporized bodies sprayed black blood into the clearing. But, with each death, the spinning silver slowed. She wasn’t wrong. He could not stop all of them, and he already felt fatigue tugging at his strength.
However, as he planned his next—and perhaps final—move, sharp branches began sprouting from the chests of the Fae around him. Startled, they stumbled to their feet and plucked at the wooden shafts. Pulling them free, they moved forward again. But now, the tree-launched missiles flew through the molten silver and coated the pine before plunging into dark bodies. A chorus of shrieks and screams emerged from the Fae as they crumpled lifelessly into the dirt.
Startled, Callum scanned the forest, and his gaze found lithe green bodies hanging from the limbs of the whispering pines around his cabin. Shy faces peered around trunks to direct more sharp branches in their flight, pursuing the fleeing forms of the Fae. Within minutes, the clearing was empty, save the fallen dead.
A beautiful dryad emerged from the forest and cocked her head to one side, eyes closed and green ears listening. “They are gone. We sense them not.”
Callum calmed the swirling magic with a flick of his hand and retrieved the remaining silver to solidify into a thinner bracelet on his wrist. He’d soon have to craft another one.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he whispered, “Thank you. I never knew you were here all along.”
The dryad grinned, and her emerald eyes sparkled. “We’ve always been here but never had a reason to reveal ourselves to you. Chrysophelia witnessed the Fae moving through her orchard and knew you were in danger. She asked us to keep watch over you.”
Ah, his sweet apple-bottom girl. The old wizard knew he didn’t deserve her love, but he was glad for it. “Well, I guess I owe her another favor now!”
The pine dryad giggled and said, “No, I think you owe ME a favor now!”
With a flutter of her tiny hands, the other dryads faded into the forest's depths. A chorus of giggles emerged from the shadows. Without a word, she walked toward his cabin, onto the porch, and opened his door.
Looking back over her slim shoulder, she smiled at him and asked, “Are you coming?”
Sighing deeply, the tired man nodded and crossed the clearing. These insatiable women were going to be the death of him—if the Fae or demons didn’t kill him first.
THE END
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